Issue 2 - October/November 2019

the Standard October/November 2019 | Volume 45, Issue 2

The American School in London | One Waverley Place | London NW8 0NP U.K. | standard.asl.org

News 2-6

Controversy surrounds Senior Class Pet The very first class pet, originally living in Top Orange, was removed after some debate between its student caretakers and the administration.

PAGE 6

Opinions 7-11

Social media limits authenticity As the use of social media becomes more prevelent then ever, young people can feel pressured to present thier own lives as perfect.

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Features 12-16

Revisions prompt discussion on diversity The diversity statement is currently in the process of being re-evaluated. Changes are being made so that it more accurately represents the school community.

PAGES 14

Culture 17-19

Billie Eilish uses platform to inform Billie Eilish rose to fame as a young teen and now has over 40 million Instagram followers. She uses her immense platform to spread messages and awarenes about body positivity and climate change.

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Sports 20-24 Dear Coach Richardson

Every time I have stepped onto the hockey pitch this season, I remembered your legacy and passion for sports. This letter is for you.

PAGE 20-21

All eyes on him Sal Cerrell | Opinions Editor: Online

Lucas Romualdo | News Editor: Online

Story on pages 4-5 March/April 2019 | Volume 45, Issue 2

ILLUSTRATION BY ISABELLE LHUILIER

Online

CULTURE

FEATURES

-The Standard podcast: Episode 1, ‘Adults’ with Charlie Park (‘20) -The Standard podcast: Episode 2, ‘From the shower to the stage’ with Eli Anderson (‘22)

-Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life exhibit sheds light on climate crisis -‘Joker’ fixates on faults of American society

Video Editor Rohan Haarmann and Deputy Editor-in-Chief Jonothan Novak meet with Charlie Park (’20) to discuss his fashion and media enterprise “Adults.”

“The glacier series” display at Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life. The exhibit is at the Tate Modern and will last until Jan.5 2020.

PHOTO BY HELEN ROTH

PHOTO BY EZGI YURDANUR

Read online exclusive content... standard.asl.org SPORTS

-Go to eaglesclaw. asl.org for fall ISST results

Subscribe to The Standard’s bi-monthly newsletter for notifications about online exclusive articles and media.

OPINIONS

-Celebrities should be a voice for social issues -Lessons from Jimmy Carter

NEWS

-Students compete at ASL hosted debate tournament

@TheStandardASL

2 Online

The Standard

Students motivate to take climate action Isabel Link News Editor: Print A recent survey conducted by The Standard of 200 high school students found that nearly 82% of students think climate marches and protests are important.

Forty-two percent of students reported that they attended at least one climate march, with 4% having gone to more that three.

Marches George Yardley (’21), a member of the Sustainability Council, regularly participates in these strikes.

“It’s very inspiring that students all across London have taken it upon themselves to initiate the necessary change to combat the climate crisis ... I wanted to be a part of that,” Yardley said.

However, Ritesh Kapur (’23), another SusCo member, has not been to any marches.

“There’s so many people already and me going there as just one kid ... it will make a little difference but not that much,” he said.

Yet, Kapur also said he may attend a march in the future to “see how it is.”

Piya Garg (’20) joined two climate protests last year and one recently this school year.

“I just went initially because several people I knew were going,” she said. “But there were ... literally tens of thousands of people and they [were] all my age and they were all there for one cause.”

Garg said that since going to the marches, she has a greater interest in sustainability and movements for climate change.

Four percent of students from The Standard survey said they took part in more than three protests or marches.

Uma Mokhtarzadeh (’20) attended five marches from January to June 2019, motivated by other young people.

“When you think about these huge problems, it’s really hard not to feel like you can’t do anything at all ... I thought that these climate marches are just a way for me to get my voice heard and do something with my government within my country,” she said.

Mokhtarzadeh also added that “as many people should go to the marches as possible.”

Greta Thunberg Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg posted a picture of herself to Instagram on Aug. 20 2018, then 15 years old, with a poster titled “Skolstrejk för Klimatet,” translating to “School strike for climate.”

This was the day her FridaysForFuture campaign began, which has since reached school communities around the world, including ASL. Yardley said Thunberg can be seen as the “face” of the youth climate movement because of her no-nonsense, realistic attitude.

“She’s about science and the facts and what needs to be done, not any of the political maneuvering that has held climate change action back,” he said.

Sometimes, Garg said Thunberg is criticized for the same things that are seen as successes by others, just based on who she is.

“Some people will call her out for her disability or her age or her gender or whatever it is,” Garg said. “But that’s exactly what they’re afraid of: ... young female people who are in the minority who actually have a point and know what they’re talking about.

Thunberg’s visibility in the media is important, Yardley said, because it inspires other people of similar ages to speak out.

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“She should be given the utmost respect and admiration because she believed something so strongly and she has taken such initiative over it,” Mokhtarzadeh said.

Celebrities A “problematic” idea that has emerged, Yardley said, is that “sustainability and environmental activism has become ‘trendy’ in the past year.”

Some people, including celebrities, genuinely support climate action, he said, while others do not take action to match their words.

“We’ve had enough people talking about how climate change is terrible and how people need to fix things. We need people actually doing things,” Yardley said.

Yet, celebrities can set examples for their audiences to follow and promote positive action, Yardley said.

He referred to “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa as an example, who an-

We’ve had enough people talking about how climate change is terrible. We need people actually doing things.

George Yardley (’21) “She’s a 16-year-old girl who’s telling it to these powerful politicians who, in a sense, seemed untouchable before,” Yardley said. “That’s empowering for people who did not necessarily feel like what they were saying was valid.”

Although Kapur said Thunberg is making positive change, for example by delivering speeches and going to the United Nations, he said marching is not the only way to make a difference.

“If you’re just [protesting] repeatedly and nothing’s happening, maybe that shows you need to change something,” he said.

In contrast, Mokhtarzadeh said Thunberg has had a “huge impact” on initiatives to help the environment as well as the daily lives of students.

“To be able to be part of a protest, or to be part of a movement that is heavily focused on your generation, is really something empowering,” Mokhtarzadeh said. “She’s allowed for that space.”

Yardley said that sometimes there is not enough focus on those doing work for the climate who aren’t directly connected to Thunberg.

“She should not be credited for the entire movement,” Yardley said. “People all over are working ... it’s not just her.”

On the other hand, Mokhtarzadeh said Thunberg is not “overrated” or over-credited for her actions.

October/November 2019

News

Due to increasing concerns surrounding climate change, students have been inspired by the community, public figures and celebrities to attend protests and marches around London.

nounced his aluminum-canned water company Mananalu in a video on his YouTube channel May 9. “[Momoa] is an excellent example of a celebrity using their status to push a good cause forward, pretty selflessly,” Yardley said.

Additionally, he said celebrities should use their power and “outreach” to make change such as trying to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

“Being an example of what you can do, when so many people are looking on you on a daily basis, is really important,” Yardley said.

Mokhtarzadeh said the same of actor Leonardo DiCaprio. “[DiCaprio] is a big influence in sustainability and environmentalism,” she said. “If you have a celebrity that’s standing up for something, all their fans will kind of think the same thing ... he’s doing a good job [of this].”

Others, like 17-year-old singer Billie Eilish, who is hosting an ecofriendly March 2020 world tour, are taking “commendable” action, Yardley said. “[Eilish] is not just saying, ‘do this, do this.’ She’s actually doing things,” he said. “We need celebrities ... that people idolize and such, to be making those actions so that people feel like ‘I can do that too’.”

PHOTO CO Young peop URTESY OF PIYA GARG le began durin gather to protest Frida g school ho y, Sept. 20.

T urs as stude their way to nts left class he march Tr and made steps in fron afalgar Square. Some gro t of Nelson’s column (abo ups stood on the ve).

s t n e d u t s L S 82% of A s e h c r a m e t a m think cli are important

PHOTO CO Students an URTESY OF PIYA GARG d Friday, Sept. adults alike march tow ard Trafalga 20. Many bro r Square event. Some ught signs th c “The Ocean ommon slogans includ at they made for the s are Rising e So are We.” d “No Planet B” and

News 3

Impeachment inquiry drives political uncertainty Democrats have launched an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal. However, it is unclear whether he will be removed from office by the Republican-controlled Senate.

SAL CERRELL | OPINIONS EDITOR: ONLINE

LUCAS ROMUALDO | NEWS EDITOR: ONLINE

After months of investigation into a number of allegations of presidential wrongdoing, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced Oct. 24 that the House of Representatives would begin an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

Developments This inquiry is a result of a whistleblower complaint, in which a U.S. Intelligence official reported that the president attempted to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election.

Social Studies Teacher Lina Densley said that requesting foreign interference in an election is unacceptable, and that “you cannot use your political power” for personal gain. “That is very much an impeachable offense,” she said.

Connor Eaton (’21) agrees that Trump’s actions could be perceived as impeachable.

“There’s no question you could make the argument that his actions would qualify as high crimes and misdemeanors,” he said.

In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump allegedly asked Zelensky to fabricate criminal allegations against U.S. Presidential Candidate Joe Biden, regarding Biden’s son’s business dealings in Ukraine. At the time of writing, no evidence has emerged that Biden or his son had committed any

Road to Impeachment 4 News

wrongdoing. Trump further threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine until Zelensky ordered the creation of such allegations, per the New York Times.

The since-released transcript of this call caused several moderate Democratic U.S. Representatives to announce their support for an impeachment investigation.

Specifically, several moderate congressmen, including Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Elaine Luria (D-VA), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who

“The question is; is it right to use impeachment in this fragile political state we’re in?” he said.

Procedure Since the announcement of the impeachment inquiry, House Democrats issued subpoenas, legal orders to force someone to testify or provide documents, to various figures in the Ukraine scandal including Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sond-

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this lack of cooperation as potential evidence of obstruction of justice.

Social Studies Teacher Becky Mason said the administration’s refusal to work with the investigation is not justified.

“I just don’t understand what you can use as a justification for not [complying],” she said. Mason said that disobeying a subpoena would likely be added to the investigation as an example of obstruction of justice.

The impeachment process first requires the House to vote on articles of impeachment, usually written by the

Republican Senators have to look at which way the wind’s blowing in terms of their constituents. If they’re going with their constituents, then maybe they won’t vote to remove Trump.

Becky Mason, Social Studies Teacher

Should those articles be put to a vote in the House, and pass by a simple majority of 218 votes, the president will be impeached and will go to trial in the U.S. Senate for his conviction. Currently, a majority in the House of Representatives is in favor of impeachment, increasing the likelihood that impeachment moves forward to the Senate.

Densley said that impeachment is likely to pass given the information concerning Trump’s conduct in office.

“It’s pretty likely that impeachment proceedings will [move forward] at this point,” she said, adding that “there seems to be enough evidence” for articles of impeachment.

Eaton also said that impeachment is likely to pass the House, and said that the move was a strategic choice by House Democrats.

“It’s a solid tactic by the Democrats there’s a lot of evidence [against Trump],” he said.

Removal

previously served in the military and the CIA, declared that impeachment was a necessary remedy to remove a president who had endangered the security of U.S. and of the nation.

Despite these moderate Democrats, who won in districts that voted for Trump in 2016, supporting the impeachment inquiry, Eaton said that the morality of impeachment is questionable.

land, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence.

The State Department refused to allow employees to testify in congress, while the White House wrote in an eight-page letter that the administration will not comply with the investigation or subpoenas. Democratic Representative and Chairman of the Intelligence Select Committee Adam Schiff indicated

Judiciary Committee, which serves as an indictment against the president.

In the case of President Trump, Speaker Pelosi instructed six committees (Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Financial Services, Intelligence, Ways and Means and Oversight and Reform) to conduct their own investigations of Trump’s misconduct. The findings of these probes will be compiled into a set of charges and serve as the Articles of Impeachment.

However, the Senate, the chamber which decides whether or not to remove the president from office, is controlled by the Republican Party, of which President Trump is the leader. Few GOP Senators indicated concern about Trump’s conduct, among them Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

Though the official rules of the trial are determined by the Senate Majority

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Impeachment investigation announced.

Rules and procedures for impeachment are agreed upon.

Public hearings and investigation findings.

Committees approve the Articles of Impeachment.

(Oct. 24)

(Oct. 31)

(Ongoing)

The Standard

PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION FROM FROM GAGESKIDMORE/FLICKR

“THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR GAIN, POLITICALLY, FOR THE DEMOCRATS.” SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER LINA DENSLEY

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will act as the presiding officer. The Senate, by extension, acts as the jury. Historically, the House has appointed several lawyers or congressmen to argue the case for removing the president before the Senate. The president’s legal team will then be given time to defend the accused, often over a number of days.

After both sides are heard from, a vote is then put to the entire Senate, requiring two-thirds of the body to remove the president from office. If that occurs, Vice President Mike Pence will be sworn in as the president.

U.S. President Donald Trump

Eaton said that Republican control of the Senate makes Trump’s removal from office unlikely.

“I could see it being passed in the House ... but I don’t think we’re going to see actual impeachment going through,” he said.

History

Throughout history, just three other presidents have faced impeachment inquires. Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for violating a law passed by Congress pertaining to his dismissal of the Secretary of War. In the Senate, he came just one vote short of the necessary threshold to be removed from office.

In the early 1970s, an impeachment inquiry was opened into former President Richard Nixon, who was accused of having subordinates wiretap the Democratic National Committee’s offices, and then lying about his knowledge of the operation. When it became clear that Nixon would be removed by the Senate, he resigned before the House Data collected from an online survey conducted by The Standard would have held

Is Impeachment best for the US?

70% YES

30% NO

from Nov. 6 to Nov. 8 with 157 responses.

an impeachment vote. This scandal is commonly known as Watergate.

Most recently, former President Bill Clinton was impeached by Speaker Newt Gingrich’s Republican-controlled House in 1999 after he lied under oath. This meant he was found to have obstructed justice during cases related to his engagement in extramarital affairs with a White House staffer while serving as president. However, the Senate failed to convict him.

Mason said that, with the released evidence so far, most Republican Senators would not vote to remove Trump from office.

However, if a substantial case for obstruction of justice were presented, Mason said that she believes there would be a higher chance of the Senate voting against Trump.

“Obstruction becomes much more difficult for elected representatives to stand up against,” she said.

Densley said Trump’s removal from office is unlikely as well, given how impeachment has historically played out.

“Both [presidents] who were impeached carried out their term and finished it through the end of their presidency,” she said.

Mason said that an obstacle to Trump’s removal would be popular support for the president. If people in Republican-leaning states were to continue supporting Trump, Mason

said that she doubts GOP Senators would vote to remove the President. “[Republican Senators] have to look at which way the wind’s blowing in terms of their constituents before they do anything,” she said. “If they’re going with their constituents, then no maybe they won’t [vote to remove Trump].”

Impact for 2020 If Trump is not found guilty of The Articles of Impeachment, he will serve out his term until 2021, and will likely continue his re-election campaign. As a result of a solid supporter base and high fundraising, Trump’s campaign appears to have a concrete foundation, and is in a strong position to take on the Democratic challenger.

Eaton said that the impeachment scandal is unlikely to hurt Trump’s chances in the upcoming presidential election.

“Among the Trump-voting populace, there’s a view that ... it’s the Democrats putting all of their eggs in one basket and trying to take down Trump,” he said. “It kind of comes across as desperate, so if I were a Trump voter, I would not be worried about him being re-elected because of this.”

Densley also said that there are benefits from impeachment to be found for both sides.

“Could it benefit either side? Yes,”

“

The Democrats are putting all of their eggs in one basket.

It’s desperate.

Connor Eaton (’21) Currently, the general public is evenly split in their support of impeachment, making the political implications of the process unclear. According to FiveThirtyEight, approximately 48% of the American public favor Trump’s removal and 45% stand by the president.

Eaton believes that in terms of public opinion on Trump, impeachment has not made much of an impact.

“There’s going to be very little change,” he said.

Meanwhile, Densley said she does not necessarily see the impeachment process as helpful for politicians in either party.

“Ultimately, this isn’t benefiting anybody,” she said.

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Full House votes on the Articles of Impeachment.

If articles pass house vote, the president is officially impeached.

If articles do not pass house vote, Senate holds trial on the president.

Senate votes whether to convict the president on each individual article of impeachment.

October/November 2019

she said. “There is the potential for gain, politically, for the Democrats, but I can also see it being very damaging to them because people who might have otherwise been on the fence may be pushed to the other side.”

Vote Passes (Majority 67%)

Vote Fails

ACQUITTED News 5

Senior Class Pet returns after absence The very first class pet, originally living in Top Orange, was removed, then returned after some debate between student carers and the administration.

Cameron Spurr News Editor: Print For the first time in ASL history, a high school class has taken ownership of a pet. This class pet will be a companion for not only the graduating class of 2020 but will be left as a legacy for following classes.

At the beginning of the school year, Emily Glickman (’20) and Quinn Link (’20) were brainstorming ideas with their advisory to make their senior year as memorable as possible. These advisory deliberations aimed to follow the theme of class unity.

“All of the advisors this year [said] ‘let’s make this year about bringing the senior class together,’” Glickman said.

Thus, they decided that a class pet was a great way to achieve that goal.

It began as an outlandish idea, but following some more serious consideration and a complete proposal to the administration drafted by Glickman and Link, who co-ran the project, the plan to get a class pet was put into action.

They approached the administration in early September with the idea.

High School Assistant Principal Natalie Jaworski said that the proposal brought forth was “very thorough, drafted with multiple steps for how the hamster would be funded, ... how it would be taken care of.”

Jaworski said that the administration was on board with the idea from the beginning.

“In seeing the thoroughness of the proposal, we absolutely wanted to give it a try,” she said.

“We wanted to see how it could work knowing how important it was to the students and how thorough the proposal was.”

Once the project was approved, a committee of seniors was enlisted to decide which animal the class pet would be.

“First we did some research to see what was possible and what wasn’t,” Glickman said. “We

wouldn’t allow certain animals just because of the needs that they had.”

A bunny was an early frontrunner in a poll sent out to the senior class, but unlike hamsters, bunnies tend to develop an emotional attachment to a primary caretaker, and this wasn’t ideal with the purpose of the class pet in mind. Ultimately, having a hamster prevailed as the ideal option.

Peppa Prometheus the Butter Baby of Hamster Heath is the full name of the senior class’ new hamster, the result of another senior vote.

Her shortened name, used more popularly by the student body, is Butter Baby.

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Her intended purpose is to further learning. It’s also to bring the grade together.

Emily Glickman (’20) However, one downside to having a hamster is that they are a nocturnal species, meaning that it is less likely for students to be able to interact with her during the school day.

Despite this drawback, Glickman said that the senior class and teachers alike have already warmed to the class pet.

“A lot of people are now sort of attached to the hamster and it’s been received very well from some teachers as well,” she said. Lower school students who have high school faculty parents have also enjoyed interacting with her.

However, the purpose of the class pet is not strictly emotional.

“Her intended purpose is to further learning; it’s not just for fun. But it’s also to bring the

grade together to help take care of it,” Glickman said. “We want to make it an unconventional learning opportunity.”

Butter Baby’s bedding used to be ecofriendly, made from recycled cardboard. However, the old bedding had a strong smell which hindered the ability for some to do work for those in Top O, prompting Glickman and Link to change the bedding.

Though this change made the project less environmentally friendly, it improved the smell issue.

Nevertheless, those in the office area decided that they did not want the hamster in their workspace, and Butter Baby was moved to Glickman’s house.

“Although the hamster was very cute, the smell for us working in the space was quite intense, even with the bedding being changed,” Jaworski said.

Athena Lambropoulos (’20) said that this decision “ruins the purpose of having a class pet because it’s something that shows the unification of our grade … Now that it’s been moved it’s like ‘What’s the point of having it?’”

Jaworski also mentioned that parents were complaining about the smell, and “that decision was ultimately made by [the administration] in order to make sure that the space was welcoming for a lot of students and families, and for the three people who work in this space.”

Glickman and Link acknowledge the reasoning behind the removal of the hamster.

“We understand that it was perhaps an inconvenience to the people who actually have to work in that space,” Link said.

Yet, Glickman and Link said that the decision process that resulted in Butter Baby moving from the school caused “unnecessary friction” between themselves and the administration.

As of Nov. 4, Butter Baby now lives with Director of Athletics John Farmer in his office at Bottom O during the week.

News in Brief Sustainability Council to sponsor Late Cafe The Sustainability Council is sponsoring the Late Cafe Thursday Nov. 21 from 4-6p.m.

Members of the council, as well as students and teachers who choose to volunteer, will perform at the event, whether that be sharing presentations, reading poetry or singing.

There will also be baked goods provided by volunteers and SusCo representatives in the Learning Commons where the event will be based, as usual.

More information about how to get involved as well as the timing of the event will be provided in the morning announcements as the date draws closer.

Model UN invited to participate in Portugal conference Seventeen members of the Model United Nations team will take part in the Yale Model Government Europe Nov. 28-30 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The MUN chairs are Daya Benami (’20), Lea George (’21), Grace Gerwe (’20) and Eric Henrikson (’21), and the faculty advisor is Social Studies Teacher Lanting Xu. The conference will adhere to a European Union format which is specific to the YMGE. Unlike other conferences, there will also be a crisis aspect where a new issue is introduced towards the end of discussion that the delegates must find a way to solve.

Students who are traveling to the conference are preparing in the upcoming weeks by doing research on their assigned country and its role in the EU.

Ensembles taking the stage

LEFT TO RIGHT: PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY GLICKMAN, PHOTO BY MADDY WHITMAN

The concert Band’s winter performance will take place Nov. 24 from 2-3 p.m.

Meanwhile, the biannual Choir and Orchestra concert will take place Dec. 6 in the School Center from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The two ensembles will be performing together.

Often, there are whole ensemble pieces as well as chamber groups, or smaller ensembles of students, who practice and perform additional music.

At the end of the school year, there will be a combined concert of the choir, band and orchestra in a larger venue to accommodate the large number of students.

Left: Peppa Prometheus the Butter Baby of Hamster Heath munches on leaves of a celery stalk. Right: Butter Baby’s name was added to Director of Athletics John Farmer’s office sign in Bottom O. After being relocated from Top O, she was moved in with Farmer.

6 News

The Standard

EDITORIAL

The environment at school would be improved if students actively thought about how to reciprocate the cleaning staff’s kind actions.

PHOTOS BY JOHN TOWFIGHI

Care for facilities shows respect

Walking into the commons after a long first period, it is a lovely feeling to be greeted by the smiling faces of the cleaning staff. Both during the school day and after, the staff works tirelessly to ensure our facilities are spotless. They make sure we are consistently taken care of. Without them, the school experience would be extremely different.

Students love the cleaning staff; however, there is little reciprocated respect for the staff, especially in the way students act. Countless emails from Director of Student Life James Perry have highlighted the consistent mess made by students across the High School. Photos of leftover lunch trays and spilled bags of popcorn are commonly found at the foot of his messages.

This trend of uncleanliness is not specific to this year. The High School has struggled with cleaning up for several years. Students are respectful and mature in many aspects of day to day life, but cleanliness is one aspect that students fall short on.

Students are not purposefully disrespectful to-

ward the cleaning staff and typically love the members of the staff, conversing with them after hours.

Still, when it comes to keeping the school’s spaces clean, many excuse their own behavior by saying that it is their job to clean up. This statement is technically true, but reflects an overarching sense of student entitlement.

Each student has had their own experience growing up; however how people clean up at home has no importance for the rest of the student body.

When we come into school at 8:05, it is important that each person realizes the simple responsibilities that students have.

Cleaning up can be seen as a trivial matter; however, it is one that needs action from students to be changed. It is not solely up to the younger students or older students to lead the charge—all students must think about it on personal terms. The only reminder students truly have is themselves.

The work of the cleaning staff is an integral part of the High School. They do a praiseworthy job and

are also some of the kindest and most interesting people around, always smiling and greeting you when they get the chance.

The environment at school would be improved if students actively thought about how to reciprocate their kind actions. Throwing trash on the floor or leaving an extra tray for them to clear up are not the steps to take.

There are opportunities every day to correct each other’s behavior—some as simple as picking up a bag of popcorn someone else left and walking 10 steps to put it in the trash bin. Yet, often we don’t do this. Understandably, this message can be seen as overly cliché. But, it is quite simple to enact.

It’s also a disrespectful sentiment to express toward the cleaning staff who stay past school hours each day to make sure everything is in tip-top shape for the next school day. Though many of us usually don’t put cleaning at the top of our priorities, we should still willingly assume the shared

Standard

responsibility to keep our learning space tidy.

It is evident that for the respect of ourselves and other members of the community, the continuos trend of uncleanliness must change. As a student body, we all need to do our part to ensure that our school’s cleanliness is not jeopardized by our laziness.

Students want to be treated with respect and independence, but this is only possible if we prove to our community that we are deserving.

We cannot expect to take responsibility for our education if we are not responsible enough to clean up their own lunch mess. Students work together in amazing ways, whether through sports teams, extracurricular activities or group projects. The same collaboration is necessary with cleanliness.

The student body needs to work together to ensure that photos of turned over lunch trays spilled on black chairs never become commonplace again.

JOHN TOWFIGHI Editor-in-Chief ISABELLE LHUILIER Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Print JONATHAN NOVAK Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Online CAMERON SPURR News Editor: Print ISABEL LINK News Editor: Print LUCAS ROMUALDO News Editor: Online ALLEGRA ALBANESE Opinions Editor: Print SAL CERRELL Opinions Editor: Online LEA GEORGE Lead Features Editor ZAINAB SHAFQAT ADIL Features Editor: Print HELEN ROTH Features Editor: Online EMILY FORGASH Culture Editor: Print RAUNAK LALLY Culture Editor: Online LILY WHITMAN Sports Editor: Print MICHAEL FLAHERTY Sports Editor: Online IMOGEN WEISS Media Director MADDY WHITMAN Media Editor ROHAN HAARMANN Video Editor

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October/November 2019

CONTENT The Standard covers news related, but not limited, to the School community. Issues-driven coverage that aims to explore ideas, themes, concepts, trends and recent developments beyond the campus that are relevant to members of the community are also included.

COMMENTARIES Articles with a byline and a photo of the author are opinions articles. They represent the view of the writer only, and not necessarily the staff of The Standard or any other individual or group in the community.

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Editorial 7

OPINIONS

Letters to the editor

Re: “‘Lungs of the Planet’ remain up in smoke” (Page 20, Issue 1) EILÍS KENNEY (’22) My name is Eilís Kenney, and I am writing to you regarding the article “Lungs of the Planet” by Isabel Link in your latest issue of The Standard.

I want to start by saying that I thought the article was an example of excellent writing. I felt that the author did a fantastic job of creating an emotional, moving piece, while also retaining an air of formality and insight. The subtitle under the headline drags the reader in – I found it outrageous that the Brazilian President would refuse aid from other countries on this matter.

Even though this article is wonderfully written, no piece of writing is perfect. I have a few points of advice that I wish to share.

My first point is that I think one of the sources, Bella Spinelli (’22), is biased. I understand that she is passionate about the topic because her family is from Brazil. Still, it feels that she is attacking the rest of society for “not caring about Brazil.”

Although she seems well versed in the topic, she says: “Bolsonaro doesn’t have the guts or the ability to do anything about it,” but is this true?

To me, Spinelli sounds like she is putting words into Bolsonaro’s mouth. This accusation may be true, so if some evidence from outside sources shows this, there would be a vast improvement.

My second piece of advice is relating to what society can do. I think that Isabel Link, the author, could talk about other ways we can improve our carbon footprints.

Some examples are sustainable fashion, using public transport or bicycles. This adjustment will add variety to the piece and keep the reader interested in what they are reading.

I hope that this advice helps, and I want to say again that I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article.

Re: “Music department thrives in past years” (Page 7, Issue 1) PRIYA SHAH (’22) The article [Music department thrives in past years] by John Towfighi is such an amazing opinions piece. I really liked it as it completely summed up your thoughts in a small piece of writing.

Being a student who has been in Band for a few years, I can understand your perspective and how it feels to have seen the Band grow and change over the years (whether it be physically or just the music we play). I completely agree with you as the music department has changed over the years.

8 Opinions

I like the balance between the factual bits of the writing as well as your opinion as you connected it well. I think you could have gone a bit more in detail about what you would like to see happening in the music department.

I would really like to know more about your opinion on what could happen to make the experience of being a part of the music program better. Overall I really liked this because I could relate and it almost felt as though you were talking to me rather than just writing.

Re: “U.K. youth crime crisis needs attention” (page 8, Issue 1), “‘Lungs of the Planet’ remain up in smoke” (Page 20, Issue 1) SETH FRIEND (’22) I have skimmed over the most recent issue of The Standard, and have read a couple articles in depth. The content is quite good and I have found myself interested in seeing what is going on.

I find that for a school newspaper it is very professional and well done, but I feel there is still room for improvement.

This is subjective, but I find the articles about ASL are the best articles because I can relate to them and learn from them.

I can learn from the others as well, but the ones about ASL tell me about what’s going on around me – what is most relevant. Also all the other information can most likely be found in some newspapers elsewhere.

Another thing I think could be improved is the knowledge about certain topics. I personally believe it would be better to talk more about what we can do, not about what is happening. It seems pointless to just have readers see what is going wrong in the world without saying how they can help.

For example, the article “U.K. youth crime crisis needs attention” [by Raunak Lally] talks about the issue, but not what we as students can do about it. The writer mentions what the government is doing to fix it which is good, but fails to say what us ASL students can do.

Telling people what is wrong with the world just adds stress and sadness to people’s already stressful lives, which doesn’t make readers happy to read them. I am not saying to not talk about the topics, but to not focus on all the bad surrounding a topic.

For example, if the writer is talking about the climate, instead of having 75% of the article be about how we are killing the Earth, and how humans are terrible, have 25% be about that. The other 75% could be about what we can do to help, what is being done by others, and a nice picture to illustrate what is happening.

This is not talking about the article “Lungs of the Planet’ remain up in smoke,” which actually

did talk about what the common person can do, but just something to watch out for in future articles about the climate, because it is a very heated topic today. Overall it is very good and I enjoyed reading it though.

Re: “‘Lungs of the Planet’ remain up in smoke” (page 5, Issue 1) VALENTINE COLE (’22) Whilst flipping through your last copy, my eyes were automatically drawn to the article “‘Lungs of the planet’ remain up in smoke” by Isabel Link – the captivating title and the image in the middle are unlike anything I’ve seen.

Delving into the article, I learnt about the Amazon fires; what is going on, who is helping, and more importantly, who is not helping.

The article left a lasting impression, and one of the quotes served its purpose perfectly.

I really appreciate how you chose to interview a fellow Grade 10 student, Skyler Sweidan, who is studying biodiversity loss, ecosystems and sustainability at the moment. This meant that the quote Skyler gave was filled with vocabulary words which fit the context (she mentioned biodiversity).

This also meant that for other Grade 10 students reading the article, it was easy to make the connections between science class and the article.

It also meant that they were able to truly understand the impacts of the Amazon Forest Fires.

The article’s image which depicts lungs filled out with Earth’s pattern on fire is a thought provoking image. It was initially one of the things that drew me into this article. However the odd shape sometimes meant that I was unsure where a sentence ended. This just hindered my whole reading experience, as the flow of the well written article was obstructed by my uncertainty of where to continue reading. This is, mind you, a rather small detail, whose fault cannot be put on anyone. Using such a powerful yet oddly shaped image is bound to cause some interesting paragraph placement.

Overall, Link’s article was thought provoking. I found myself searching for ways to help after reading it, and I found myself captivated by the image which was unlike anything I have seen. I am looking forward to further reading work from Isabel Link.

of The Standard. The article [written by Maddy Whitman] brought to light the targeting of Meghan Markle by the British media.

I found this article very insightful and informative about an issue I had previously read about, yet could not make much sense of at the time.

I found this article gave me a lot to think about the minuscule form of racism and prejudice that still exists in our society to this day.

The British media targeted Meghan Markle for not being white or British, and criticized each and every decision she took whether it was good or bad.

I really liked a particular quote from your article: “Markle doesn’t fit the typical mold of a Royal, yet the only difference she holds to the other members is that she is not white or British. The prejudice against people of color in the media has been present since these outlets existed. Also being a woman, the media seems to negatively target Markle for anything that could be deemed unusual for a Royal couple to do.”

I found this statement to be very true in our society. People are at everyone’s throats and looking for a moment to attack a person and publicly shame them ruining their reputation.

For some reason I have never understood why the media is always looking to strike celebrities and famous personnel, and ruin their reputation.

I do not understand what they get from this and how they profit from shaming someone else, yet this is a popular and really common trend nowadays.

Since the advent of technology and the formation of the media, they have been striking famous people and trying to shame them.

What is happening with Markle is nothing but another and more subtle form of prejudice against people of color.

Articles like this should be published in newspapers, available nationally and accessible to everyone so that everyone can learn of issues like this.

Thank you for writing this article as I learnt a lot about this issue, and I have begun to think more deeply about issues like this and how we can prevent the media from interfering with the private lives and actions of celebrities like Markle.

GUEST WRITERS & LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In the spirit of inclusivity, The Standard encourages all Re: “British media targets members of the community Meghan Markle” to write letters to the editor. No (page 20, Issue 1) writing experience is required.

Send submissions to the jourAAMISH RAJ (’22) nalism lab, room P-101, or to I am writing this letter regarding one of the articles which was published in the latest issue the_standard@asl.org.

The Standard

School needs more government focus JOHN TOWFIGHI john_towfighi@asl.org

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For students who aspire to become activists, it is important to comprehend the legal barriers to cross in order to make change in society.

Walking through the halls it is common to hear chatter about topics that extend beyond the confines of the High School. Climate change, the impeachment inquiry, or the current standing of Brexit are just a few examples of subjects frequently murmured about. Yet, these conversations could be strengthened by an aspect seemingly lacking in our education: a thorough understanding of the way in which government functions.

Students would only benefit from more direct interaction with courses specifically on the structure and function of the U.S. and U.K. governments.

As students grow older, delve into their learning and try to enact change in the subjects they are passionate about, it is imperative that they have an understanding and acknowledgement of how change is actually made.

There needs to be an increase in student interest in the government.

While it is a topic that seems unnecessarily confusing at first, it has serious implications and relevance in everyone’s life. An understanding of the relationship between a government and its citizens prevents the spread of disinformation, abuse of rights and general increase of ignorance.

Even students who have no interest in politics should make sure they are conscious of their rights and also aware of what moves their government is making.

For students who aspire to become activists, It is important to comprehend the legal barriers to cross in order to make change in society. If kids my age want to make a difference in influencing politicians, they must understand their representatives motives for reflection and how they actually listen to

their constituents. Also, ageism is defeated with strong knowledge.

Many students are becoming more actively involved with politics and activism since the rise of youth-led movements like NeverAgainMSD. It is important to think about how change is made within the government. Protests bring awareness, but they don’t always bring about change. Legal shifts usually enforce the change.

A portion of the student body learns about U.S. government in AP United States History. Yet, there is no AP Government class offered, nor any government based electives such as there is for philosophy or psychology.

An AP Government course was previously offered, however in recent years it was discontinued due to a lack of student participation. Therefore, there should be other ways to implement the subject in the curriculum.

Grade 9 and 10 students currently take World Civilizations I and II, where there is a light sweep over government in context with other units.

However, it is not enough for students to grasp certain complexities that are essential for understanding political news. Perhaps the possibility of implementing a unit on the development of government would be beneficial.

People may point out that as an international school, there would be a lack of representation if the curriculum only covered U.S. and U.K. government.

However, I believe it is naive to say this. As an American school, with a high rate of students going to university in America, it is reasonable, if not neces-

sary, to teach American government.

As the school itself is in the U.K., it also makes sense to learn about the British government.

ASL has recently redeveloped its mission statement. In the new statement, the term “American education” has been removed. I am not opposed to the school trying to further its representation as an international school, and more than just American, however, if the school plans to reduce the presence of its American identity in terms of the mission statement, it should make up for it by further including it in the curriculum.

There is a chance for an engaging classroom environment that is being missed out on with the lack of government classes in the school. In a more creative approach, it would be interesting to see a student-led initiative to create a space of discussion on the government. Lunch clubs are often tossed around as possible ways to begin discussion.

An understanding of politics enriches the day to day conversations students have with each other. Ignorance in general is also a weakness, and a lack of understanding of what moves politicians are making can be frightening.

Now, having turned 18, and thinking about who I will vote for in the upcoming U.S. and U.K elections, I think back to four years ago.

I was always hearing about politics - the 2016 U.S. presidential election was that year. If I had had some ability to explore the government more back then, it would be amazing to think how much more I would understand now. I would love to see a shift in culture where classes on government becomes commonplace like other core subjects.

President Pence would threaten America LUCAS ROMUALDO lucas_romualdo@asl.org

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Simply put, Pence would be just as bad for America as Trump, if not worse.

The formal announcement of an impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited support for his resignation or removal from office.

However, this notion does not consider a key factor: his successor.

Vice President Mike Pence is, in the eyes of many, seen as a mainstream, establishment figure within the Republican Party, at least relative to his boss. His record, however, portrays someone who holds both radical views and limited abilities in governance.

Pence has built his career by appealing to conservative evangelical Christians.

As governor of Indiana, Pence passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a law that would have allowed businesses to deny service to members of the LGBTQ+ community. This law prompted backlash from business leaders and prominent politicians alike. Bans were subsequently placed on state-funded travel to Indiana from states like New York, Connecticut and Washington.

As governor, Pence also passed H.B. 1337, a bill that restricted abortions. Under this law, women would not be able to obtain abortions for fetal abnormalities or other fetal pre-existing conditions, while also requiring funerary services for aborted fetuses. At the time, this bill was consid-

October/November 2019

ered to be the most restrictive abortion law in the United States, and was, in fact, ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Pence’s economic policy was no better. During his tenure as governor, Indiana’s real GDP growth, on average, underperformed that of the entire U.S. Meanwhile, Pence’s tax cut bill was watered down significantly in the Indiana State Legislature, which passed a 5% income tax cut instead of Pence’s proposed 10%. Further tax bills, such as a cut to county taxes, were vetoed by Pence but were subsequently overridden in the legislature by wide margins.

Another facet of his economic policy was heavy spending cuts, reducing the budgets of several important social services like prisons, family services, and education. These changes to Indiana’s spending likely hampered efforts to fully recover the economy in the state after the financial crisis.

Although he is a comforting presence compared to Trump’s impulsive style, Pence’s record shows an extreme ideologue with little success in governing. In 12 years as a U.S. Representative, Pence did not pass major legislation, instead choosing to focus on rising through the ranks of the House Repub-

lican Conference, eventually becoming the conference chairman. Despite his able leadership of the conservative evangelical Republicans in Congress, Pence was unable to be a major legislative force.

As vice president, Pence has misspent most of his tenure. His main project, creating a U.S. Space Force as the fifth branch of the military, has yet to launch.

In the two years since its proposal, the only change to space defense policy was the reestablishment of the U.S. Space Command, which is a military division made up of officers from the various branches of the armed services.

Pence has also taken on a role in diplomacy. Despite Trump’s vivid skepticism of European allies, Pence sought to reassure them that the U.S. will continue to back international institutions like NATO and the U.N. These words are largely contradicted by Trump’s actions thus far: in addition to withdrawing from the U.N. Human Rights Council, Trump has readily embraced dictators like Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kim Jong Un and Mohammad Bin Salman while shunning U.S.allied leaders like Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau and Theresa May. As vice president, Pence has demonstrated an inability to use his office to

obtain major accomplishments, while highlighting hypocrisy in his approach to foreign policy.

With support for Trump’s impeachment increasing each day, it is irresponsible to ignore who would replace him.

Pence, as the vice president, would replace Trump should he leave office prematurely. He would also be the clear favorite for president in a post-Trump Republican Party, making a future Pence Administration likely.

During his time as a congressman, governor, and vice president, Pence has clearly shown his inability to govern effectively, wasting his tenure on radical ideological pursuits and an approach to foreign policy out of sync with his president. A Pence presidency would be detrimental to the progress made in America over the past decade. Were his economic policy from Indiana applied to the nation as a whole, the U.S. would head into a recession that would kill jobs and stunt growth and prosperity.

Simply put, Pence would be just as bad for America as Trump, if not worse.

When considering Trump’s impeachment, it is not enough to attempt to remove a criminal, ineffective president.

Otherwise, the U.S. will end up with another extreme ideologue as its leader.

Opinions 9

Moving schools taught me to appreciate ASL POLINA DASHEVSKY polina_dashevsky@asl.org

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I still recall my smooth transition to ASL when I was a new student as my advisory put in effort to create many opportunities for student bonding.

In recent years, I have observed an increase in complaints among students in regards to ASL. In fact, the casual manner in which students criticize the school has become embedded in the daily life of a highschooler. Students’ complaints range from criticisms of the excessive amount of homework to even the most trivial aspects of the school, such as the new design of the English pod.

However, my short, but eyeopening experience in a British school taught me to not only appreciate ASL as an academic institution, but also as a community.

In November 2018, I made the decision to switch to a British school, which was fuelled by my conviction to stay in the U.K. after my graduation. Throughout last fall, I was preparing for entrance exams to various sixth forms. After giving my relocation minimal thought, I finalized my decision of moving to a British sixth form.

At the end of August, the term at my British school began. After being immersed in the new environment for a week, my indisputable distress pushed me to come back to ASL. It was not my inability to adapt that made me return to the familiar environment, but the values that laid the foundation of the British school.

They contradicted ASL’s most essential qualities and made me realize the benefits of an ASL education.

Many schools, such as the one I went to, deprive students of the

freedoms that the ASL community views as a given. For instance, my new school did not permit students to leave school grounds during free blocks. I could not go off-campus or even go home, even if my free block was at the beginning or end of the day.

I also had to follow a strict dress code that was only limited to formal wear, making me feel like my freedom of choice and expression was breached. Merely the idea of being restricted to a strict uniform made me understand how ASL values freedom of choice among students.

Additionally, ASL’s new and constantly expanding facilities made it extremely difficult to appreciate the provisions at my new school, which seemed to have undergone minimal change since i t s establishment centuries ago. During my time at sixth form, I could only dream of having access to Apple computers, offered for use to all ASL students.

However, the most distressing part of my experience was the lack of studentteach er

support systems or a sense of community. While Advisory based programs known as ‘houses’ were in place for sixth form students, they greatly differed from the advisory program at ASL. For instance, my house didn’t once organize any activities for the students in order to integrate them into the community, nor was I properly introduced to the rest of the class. In my house I did not feel the slightest sense of belonging. On the other hand, I still recall my smooth transition to ASL when I was a new student as my advisory put in effort to create many opportunities for student bonding. In fact, advisories continue assisting new students in their transition to the school throughout Middle School and High School.

Learning to appreciate the advisory program at ASL has always been a struggle for me. However, I was quickly able to learn that a lack of a supportive advisory base makes the overall high school experience much more challenging, as it is crucial to

ILLUSTRATION BY ALLEGRA ALBANESE

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have an adult who is engaged in the students’ academic lives and can help deal with personal issues.

Luckily, after my parents emailed ASL, the admissions office said I could come select my classes the following week. ASL’s quick response and understanding of my situation once again highlights the support and care the school has for its members of the community. I was shown kindness and respect, and felt welcomed back by all the staff and students at the school.

I want my learning experience to also be a learning lesson for all members of ASL. I believe that every member of the community should appreciate the opportunities that this school grants us, both socially and academically.

I too am guilty of perpetuating unnecessary complaints addressed towards the most minor aspects of school. I understand that ASL may not be a perfect school and that every academic institution has its flaws.

However, after being immersed in such a restricting environment, I think twice before complaining just for the sake of it. We should remain cautious of the thin line between constructive criticism and unnecessary complaining.

It remains crucial that members of the community speak up against the school’s flaws to guide the school towards improvement. That being said, the first step towards improvement is a change in attitude.

PHOTO 1 BY CAMERON SPURR PHOTOS 2, 3 & 6 BY ALLEGRA ALBANESE PHOTOS 4 & 5 BY MADDY WHITMAN

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This Editorial Board of Meal Deal: (A) Main, side, drink. Three quid.. say no more.

4. ISSTS: (C-) There were just too many L’s. Jonathan Novak 1. Tesco Cameron Spurr The Standard gives the Bergeron Fellow: (A+) Funny and captivating!

Senior Slide: (B) It’s very real... Imogen Weiss 2.

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Allegra Albanese school its second report Coreen Hester Courtyard: (C+) Whole lotta space for a Temperature in the school: (D) Too warm or too cold, nothing 6.

3. whole lotta nothing. John Towfighi in-between. What do I wear??? Lea George of the school year Post Scriptum: Post-it 10 Opinions

The Standard

Social media limits our authenticity GABRIELLE MEIDAR gabrielle_meidar@asl.org

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A way to take off your own mask and then start to unravel others is by being ourselves and having open conversations.

We are Gen-Z, and we are perfect.

Or, at least that is what our Instagram feeds would tell you.

We, as high school students, are not able to expose our true selves in person, so instead we strive to portray an “ideal life” through Instagram.

As I scroll through my Instagram feed, I notice the colorful salads and smoothies on Instagram stories, and pictures of people enjoying their time on the beach. It all seems to be too perfect.

When in fact, we order the ‘prettiest’ food rather than what we actually want to eat, and pick a spot on the beach that will give us the best photo rather than the best tan or most shade.

However, we do not just create bubbles of illusions on Instagram, but also in our daily lives through relationships and interactions.

Today, success is measured by comparisons to others’ expectations, both in what they know of us, and in what they see of us.

Last week, I was hanging out with friends when I heard them talking about the extracurricular activities they are participating in and vacations they have planned. I sat there quietly noticing how fake they were portraying their lives to be.

Although they might actually be doing these activities and going on these extravagant vacations, I wondered what the motivation was for the conversation. Were they vocalizing these things to make themselves feel better, or because they felt the need to prove something to me?

Among my friends, we only discuss positive topics, but I know that no life

is perfect all the time. For example, no one mentioned the arguments they had with their siblings, a bad grade or the stress of homework and upcoming tests. However, I know we were all dealing with these things.

Prior generations picked up landline phones, called up friends and had genuine conversations about the challenges of being a teen; they laughed, and sometimes even cried. They were able to have real conversations because there was no social media wall.

Then, people would bond with unfiltered authenticity. They recognized that everyone has flaws, and that this is okay. They were able to do things for themselves, not for their social media feeds, focusing on how they actually were, rather than how they hoped to be perceived.

The expectations we hold for ourselves are influenced by the media. No longer are we just comparing ourselves to our peers, we are now also comparing ourselves to celebrities, bloggers and social media stars. We even somehow compare the glamorous lives of our dogs.

This not only affects how we live our lives but also impacts our self-worth.

We are all human and go through struggles in our day to day lives. If we talked more about these on our social media platforms, maybe we would learn that perfect doesn’t exist and come to be a happier and healthier generation.

I believe that a way to take off your own mask and then start to unravel others, is by being ourselves and having open conversations with friends about what makes us sad or stressed,

in addition to chats about what brings us happiness and makes us feel good.

So what does this mean for us as ASL students? How can we change our culture and figure out who we are, so when people say “just be yourself ” we know who that person really is, not just who that person projects themselves to be on Instagram?

After countless interactions where I have been able to see through the masks people put on themselves, I have realized that there are many possible ways to be who I truly am without mirroring perceived expectations.

I have found that it first comes down to a clear statement: admire, don’t aspire. It’s alright to

things in our lives and also the bad. It’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to not get A’s all the time or to be rejected from something—in fact, it’s not just okay, it’s normal, it happens to all of us. If we talked about it more, perhaps when these things do happen to us, they will feel less all consuming and terrible.

Finally, the most valuable thing I have learned is to focus on true relationships. The people you feel comfortable around are the ones who you should be surrounding yourself with. Then you are more likely to expose yourselves as who you truly are. You are less likely to put on your invisible mask and feel the need to portray your life to be as it is on Instagram.

look up to people and admire aspects of their lives, but we have to draw a line between looking up to someone and wanting to be someone.

Secondly, we need to be more honest with each other about both the good

So, remember to take off the mask, get out from hiding behind a social media feed and FaceTime your friend to talk about your failures, concerns and worries.

Live life as it really is.

ILLUSTRATION BY ISABELLE LHUILIER

NCAA robs atheletes of more than money CAMERON SPURR cameron_spurr@asl.org

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The NCAA is recruiting athletes, exploiting them for cash and then spitting them back out four years later.

March Madness, the NCAA basketball season’s grand culmination, is a two-week-long tournament which was viewed by 100 million people earlier this year. By comparison, Super Bowl 53 between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams attracted roughly 98.2 million viewers in February.

Besides March Madness attracting two million more viewers, the only difference between the two events is that the Patriots and Rams players earned millions for their work, while the NCAA’s athletes didn’t earn a single penny for theirs.

Recently, California passed legislation that allows college athletes to, without losing their eligibility, receive compensation from external endorsements as well as hire agents to manage their careers.

Additionally, according to an NCAA announcement in October, student-athletes will be able to "benefit from their name, image and likeness."

Essentially, all NCAA athletes nationwide can now secure sponsorships and endorsements which channel money into their own pockets.

Both of these changes are solid building blocks for ensuring that the financial stability of college athletes is looked after. Yet, there are changes that must be implemented and developed across all 50 states to have a

October/November 2019

substantial impact on changing the culture of the NCAA. Zion Williamson has been a popular name in the basketball world for a while, especially this past year at Duke University, an NCAA Division I school, where he was the leading actor in an already star-studded cast of players. Currently, NCAA athletes like Williamson aren’t paid any salary.

Williamson’s popularity easily exceeded that of the average NBA player, but he wasn’t allowed to receive any commission for the revenue he generated through ticket sales, jersey sales or media coverage. By contrast, NBA players receive a substantial cut of money from the same streams of revenue. Williamson also wasn’t permitted to receive money from endorsements, but that is what’s changing.

During the 2016-17 school year, the NCAA generated $1 billion in revenue. The athletes are the biggest contributor to the organization, and the main reason why the NCAA made thi, yet they were not paid for their contributions. In any other setting, this action would be labeled not only unjust but as illogical as well.

On average, just one in 25 college athletes will take their talents into the professional arena.

Therefore, the other 24 must join the workforce unprepared, liable for

hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Their bachelor’s degree is essentially useless, given that it was earned in crammed classroom sessions between practices. These athletes spent their entire lives training for one objective; to play their sport at the highest level. What are they to do when

1 in 25 college athletes will turn professional they’re told that they don’t have the talent, that they didn’t train enough, and that they must find a job in a field they likely aren’t qualified for?

The NCAA is recruiting athletes, exploiting them for cash and then spitting them back out four years later.

The NCAA's argument has consistently been that they provide higher education to student-athletes, and afford them unmatched opportunities for free. Yet what they fail to realize, or admit, is that they do not decide whether an athlete receives a scholarship, nor are the funds for scholarships taken directly from their wallet.

Furthermore, how valuable is the education that athletes receive, really?

The schedule of NCAA athletes simply doesn’t allow them to achieve both academic and athletic success simultaneously. They spend hours traveling across the U.S. to other schools, robbing them of time that other students would use to spend on classwork. The quality of athletes’ education is naturally lowered with these scheduling conflicts. Thus, the NCAA’s claims carry little to zero merit.

Whether the NCAA should pull from their own $1 billion deep pockets and directly pay salaries to athletes is one argument, but to deny them making money through ways that aren’t at all connected to the NCAA themselves is absurd. The reforms being made in California and nationally are certainly a step in the right direction, but more must be made in order to ensure athletes are being treated justly.

Opinions 11

Pregnancy poses diverging paths

"A LOT OF OUR OPINIONS ARE BASED OFF OF OUR UPBRINGING AND RELIGION."

The conversation on abortion is far from black and white. The numerous factors, such as personal beliefs, pressures and judgement make it a controversial decision in political and social spheres.

Allegra Albanese | Opinions Editor: Print

KYLE YU ('21)

Emily Forgash | Culture Editor: Print

Isabelle Lhuilier | Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Print

W

orking as a therapist from 1980 to 2016, Peggy Tileston (’73) has helped many women decide whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term. Her years of experience includes working in a community mental health center, owning a private

be clear,” she said.

As a “deeply spiritual” person, Tileston said that she struggled with her faith when deciding to have an abortion.

“I was thinking to myself, is this a soul that wants to be born through me and is it okay if I say no?” she said. “So I explored

ing, in a lot of cases religion,” he said. “A lot of people who aren't religious have different beliefs than people who are.”

Yu said that he is more pro-life due to the fact that he was raised as a practicing Christian.

“I don’t think it’s ethically right to …

should not be allowed to get abortions except for in cases of rape and incest.

“You're killing a life,” she said. “That seems so cliché … but to me it seems selfish that you would rather be happy for yourself and save yourself when you could be nurturing and having a new life.”

"TO ME, IT WAS A SERIOUS DECISION AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I COULD BE CLEAR." PEGGY TILESTON ('73) practice and running a drop-in youth center for teenagers.

Tileston said that terminating a pregnancy is different for every woman, with some being clear in their decision, while others struggle with the consequences of the situation.

“Sometimes they ended up with, ‘I

every angle with my therapist. What if I have this child? What if I don't have this child? What will my life look like? How will I feel about myself?”

After long deliberation, Tileston still felt distraught.

“Even with that clarity, I was sad … because it was the road not taken,” she said. “I had to go through letting go of what might have been.”

Age Fear think I'm going to have this child’ and sometimes they ended up with ‘I can't have this child; it wouldn't be fair to me, to the child, to the circumstances’,” she said. “For some women, there were a lot of tears and a lot of needing to come to peace with that decision. There were other women that were just like ‘nope! I’m good with this. I have to make this decision’.”

In her practice, Tileston drew from her own experience of having an abortion when she was 25 through Planned Parenthood. She had long conversations with a counselor over her choice.

“To me, it was a serious decision and I wanted to make sure that I could

12 Features

take away an innocent life,” he said.

Even so, Yu doesn’t define himself as completely pro-life.

“I don't believe that we should be restricting people if they want to get [an abortion],” he said. “At the end of the day, [women] should have choices as to what they want to do with themselves and their babies.”

Ella Stapleton (’20) agrees with Yu, and further adds that despite the influence of religion, every woman should be pro-choice.

“A lot of people who are pro-life are religious which I understand; if you are very reli-

Hea

Tileston sees how abortion has become a topical subject in the media. She said that part of this stems from people’s religion.

“I remember working alongside a priest for nonviolent action,” she said.

“We met heart to heart on every issue but abortion.”

For example, Kyle Yu (’21) said that everyone’s views are directly affected by how their parents raised them, specifically in terms of religion.

“A lot of our opinions and a lot of these issues are really based off of our upbring-

lth

The idea of abortion upsets Severino because she has seen women give birth and wants to become a midwife.

“Seeing newborns being born is such an amazing thing and it's so life changing when you have that experience,” she said.

“To then see an abortion taking place, it's really upsetting.”

In addition, Severino believes that women should only be allowed to get

e r u ss

Pre

n o i g i l e R

gious [you] believe in a higher power, your entire life has been preached without pro-choice [ideas],” she said.

“But I think the correct opinion is prochoice. Most women should have that opinion too if their sensible.”

In contrast, Kate Severino (’21) said that she firmly believes that women

that a baby is not a life until it’s born.

“The baby doesn’t have any emotions or feelings,” she said. “It is basically an object and that object belongs to the woman who is going to give birth to it.”

For Eli Anderson (’22), whose father is a political scientist and mother teaches a women-in-leadership course, the topic of reproductive rights is discussed frequently around him. Anderson describes himself as pro-choice and feels that in many cases it is impossible for the woman to support the child.

“For me, it's pretty clear that it should be the woman’s choice because it is her body and I don't think that anybody should be able to tell someone what to do with their body,” he said.

Abortion is a decision women have been making throughout history and will continue to make. For Tileston, it has always been a “charged” issue. Like Anderson, she said that she firmly believes it is always the woman's right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term.

“I ground it all in: it's my body, it's the woman's body, and her decision,” she said. “It's

abort i o n s when the pregnancy was forced because of the systems in place to help support children if their parents can't.

“But then it comes to the question of: what if they don't have the money to take care of the baby?” she said. “There are lots of things that allow people to be supported in that: foster care, adoption….”

Stapleton, on the other hand, said

relationship should have a say, but at the end of the day they are not the ones it is happening to.”

Anderson said that if he were to guess, he would say men are generally more prolife as they will never have to experience an unplanned pregnancy. “[Men] don't understand the situation and what it would call for physically and mentally and the strain that it would put on the [woman],” he said.

Anderson said that abortion is not often discussed among students at ASL as it is such a polarizing topic.

“It is a sensitive subject for some because of clashing political views,” he said. “The only time that we really hear about it is if people who are right and left wing talk about it, and they have an argument.”

Moreover, Anderson said that since being pro-life is often associated with conservatives, and pro-choice with liberals, people are reluctant to bring up abortion if they don't want to give away their political views.

“If we were in the U.S. right now, the conversation would be a lot stronger because there are things that are happening with the law and that can be life changing for some people.”

Tileston said that corporations like Planned Parenthood are being targeted by the American government. “The New York Times” reported that the Trump Administration announced that it wanted to cut funding for health organizations that provide abortion referrals Feb. 22.

This law would mean that the millions of dollars that were funding Planned Parenthood would be directed to anti-abortion, religious-based health clinics.

Tileston is “really concerned” with the impact of cutting funds for reproductive health organizations like Planned Parenthood, especially for those living in rural areas where it is their only access to care. She predicts that there will be a rise in pregnancies along with an increase in diseases and cancers.

Although Planned Parenthood is often solely associated with abortions,

Judgement

between her and her heart and her counselor and her God and her unborn child, and it should not be a crime.”

In regards to the father’s input, Stapleton said the level of male involvement in abortion decisions depends on the situation.

“If someone is raped then absolutely not, the father should not have a say in whether the woman gets an abortion,” she said. “But, if it's a happy couple who have been wanting a child, then the father should have a say.”

Similarly, Anderson said that, depending on the relationship, the father should be able to express their opinion, but it is ultimately the woman's decision.

“It is the woman that is going to be carrying the child,” he said. “When it comes down to it, the male side of the

“When you say you are pro-life or pro-choice you are sort of stating your political views,” he said.

Likewise, Yu said that the ASL community tends to lean left, so when abortion is brought up, mostly pro-choice views are expressed.

“Our school is obviously really liberal, so I don't really … see a lot of people speaking up and talking about [abortion] from a pro-life perspective,” he said.

Severino also rarely hears the topic of reproductive rights discussed at ASL. She said the only time it was discussed in class was last year when laws restricting abortions were passed in Georgia and Alabama.

“In the U.K., you don't hear about abortion laws, so I think it is not talked about as much as it should be in general, not necessarily at ASL,” she said.

October/November 2019

Ti l e s t o n emphasized that abortions are only a “miniscule” part of the organization. Its main focus is on disease testing, counselling and providing prenatal and postnatal care.

“Reproductive care is so much more than abortion,” she said. “When I didn't have insurance, I was going to Planned Parenthood and I was getting regular checkups. I was getting advice and I was getting birth control from them.”

Moreover, reproductive health organizations provide aid internationally in regions where women may not otherwise be able to receive the necessary care.

“Women who have been raped can go there, women who have undergone genital mutilation can go there,” Tileston said.

Additionally, Tileston worked in psychiatric hospitals where pregnant women, already needing treatment for mental health issues, felt that they would not be able to have the child.

She recalled many patients believing that, “if I have this child I won't be able to care for it because I can barely care for myself at this point.”

The fragility of abor-

tions and reproductive rights means that communities have to put a lot of consideration into how these topics are discussed.

Although Tileston is adamant that it is important to encourage discussion about reproductive rights, she acknowledges how polarizing such a delicate topic can be.

“It's such a hot topic because it has to do with life and death and religion,” she said. “High school age students are smart, and usually can make their own decisions … if given the facts, minus sensationalism.”

$1.3 billion is spent on abortions in the U.S. annually Planned Parenthood saw 2.5 million patients in 2014 Four out of five Planned Parenthood patients have income rates of 150% or less of the federal poverty level STATISTICS FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY FORGASH

The Standard 13

12 Features

October/November 2019

The Standard 13

Revisions prompt discussion on diversity The diversity statement is currently in the process of being re-evaluated.

Changes are being made so that it more accurately represents the school community.

Zainab Shafqat Adil | Features Editor: Print

ILLUSTRATION BY ZAINAB SHAFQAT ADIL

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urrently, the diversity statement is being re-evaluated as various people in the school community have felt that the statement no longer represents the ASL community.

ASL’s diversity statement states the school’s view on diversity, how important it is within the school and how the school defines it. It was adopted by the school shortly after the first mission statement was written in 2008.

For Director of Student Support Services Belinda Nicholson, the purpose of a diversity statement should be “to guide the culture of a school, and really be reflective of the mission of the school.”

The current statement is comprised of two paragraphs, with the first stating: “Diversity is central to the ASL experience. We believe diversity promotes a vibrant learning process and fosters a positive school climate to prepare students to thrive in a diverse world. Our commitment to diversity influences what and how we teach as well as the composition of our school community.”

The second paragraph describes how ASL defines diversity: “At the American School in London, our definition of diversity encompasses ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic level, sexual orientation, nationality, physical ability, family structure, and religion. We extend our definition to include differences in identity, life experiences, backgrounds, beliefs and ideas.”

Nicholson, who is on the committee for reviewing the statement, said that the school’s diversity statement should be re-evaluated to fit the school’s present values and needs.

She said the statement should reflect “who the school wants to be.”

14 Features

“Do we want the statement to reflect who we are now, or who we aspire to be?” she said.

Social Studies Teacher Lanting Xu, who is also on the revision committee, and had a presentation about the statement last year during Aequitas Week, said that the statement needs to change because it has numerous flaws.

“The current diversity statement does not tell us who’s responsible for implementing diversity on campus and who is accountable in that process and how we measure [diversity],” she said.

Xu said that, in order for the statement to address diversity in a better way, the “way we frame the issue of diversity needs to be re-examined.”

On the other hand, Laura Boyle (’20) said that though the diversity statement does have some flaws, it does directly affect school life. She said that the topics and issues discussed in her humanities classes are diverse.

“The books we read in English tend to be quite diverse ... we’re reading [a poem] by a deaf Jamaican poet, and it talks about deafness, which has been [a] really good conversation,” she said.

Xu said that a big issue with the statement was its approach to race. She said that when people discuss diversity, they “actually discuss race, and race relations.”

As race is not mentioned in the statement, she said it’s an important issue to think about when revising the it.

She questioned whether the absence of the word “race” was intentional or not. Either way, she said that “it reveals a larger issue for the community.”

Matthew Sherman (’23) agrees with Xu that the word “race” should be included in the statement. To him, the biggest, or most important categories of diversity are sexuality, race and ethnicity.

However, he also said that though it is important to mention race, it may be hard for the school to list so many categories of diversity in the statement.

In contrast, Boyle said that, though she agrees with the message that the diversity statement preaches, the language of the statement should be adjusted, such as claiming that diversity is at the center of ASL education.

“At the moment I don’t think diversity is central to the ASL experience. It’s a part of it, but it’s not yet central,” Boyle said.

Additionally, Boyle said she slightly disagrees with the claim that the composition of the school community is diverse.

“I’m a little on the fence about that,” Boyle said. “[The school is] diverse linguistically, and [has people] from different countries of origin, but again, [in regards to] different abilities, religion, it seems like there is a little more room for diversity.”

Sherman said that despite the absence of the mention of race, the diversity statement is “pretty good.”

He said that the statement is “about making everyone feel like they’re welcome.”

He said the statement for what he said is an inclusive message, which explains that no one at the school should feel unwanted or unneeded.

“It talks about inclusion, being able to include everybody, and make everybody feel like [the school is] their home ... different races, ethnicities, different sexualities, everyone,” he said.

Despite her view on the diversity statement, Xu acknowledges that the school has been making progress in terms of making a more diverse school community.

“The school has been making a lot of effort in terms of diversifying the faculty and staff, diversifying the students, accommodating people from different walks of life,” she said.

However, Xu still questions whether “the school policies and practices help retain these people whom they systematically [recruit].”

Xu said that she knows the school “has the willingness to change its practices,” but isn’t sure about when that will happen, and in what way.

“

Do we want the statement to reflect who we are now, or who we aspire to be?

Belinda Nicholson, Director of Student Support Services Similarly, Boyle also acknowledges the school’s efforts to create a diverse community. She said that though ASL is much more diverse than the school she attended in California, it still isn’t as diverse as it claims to be.

“A lot of people have either an American or British identity,” she said, “There is room for opening up that conversation about diversity to include different types of diversity.”

Sherman also compares his experience of diversity at his last school in Texas to that of ASL, and said that the population of his last school was predominantly white and male.

“Coming here, there’s a much broader sense of diversity to me. No one here is seen as just their race, or their sex,” Sherman said.

However, both Boyle and Sherman said that ASL has significant room for improvement when regarding its diversity of ability.

Sherman said that he has two younger twin brothers who are both autistic. He said that they won’t be able to attend ASL due to the lack of special needs facilities at the school.

Sherman said he talked to the school about the issue, and said that the school is trying to develop an area which will help children with special needs.

Despite this, Sherman said that his brothers will still likely not attend the school.

“Even if [my brothers] did get in, [the school] just wouldn’t be as helpful as it could be, in terms of development and things like that,” he said.

Boyle agrees with Sherman that there is a lack of diversity of abilities at ASL. “Ableism often comes last when we have conversations about diversity, and I’ve certainly seen that here,” she said.

However, Boyle said that having a speaker like Sinaéd Burke was good for the student body, as listening to voices from people who are differently abled is important.

In order to revise the current diversity statement and make one that is more inclusive, Xu said that the school must think critically.

“Take a look at the existing practices and challenge them so that we can make them better and more inclusive,” she said.

The Standard

Mixed motivations establish clubs

There are currently 50 clubs registered in the High School, ranging from film to chess. With clubs being student run and organized, some meet once a week, month or even year.

Helen Roth | Features Editor: Online

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or Solenne Jackson (’21), the clubs fair is always an exciting time of the year.

“It’s amazing to see everyone’s passions and proactiveness about what they want to do,” she said. “It makes students feel excited and motivated about the year.”

According to the school’s website, the expectation is that clubs meet at least once a month, with Director of

haven’t taken the attention and time to do,” Perry said.

“I’d like to have some level of oversight that is consistent, but we’ve been inconsistent with it in the past.”

Not maintaining a level of oversight causes certain clubs to fall behind on their expectations.

When she was in Grade 10, Jackson started the WE club, which fo-

need to meet outside of school to purse their projects.

“It was hard to organise time outside of school for the group to meet ... especially when everyone at school already has so much going on,” Jackson said.

Prior to starting her own club, Isabella Mattera (’20) recalls certain clubs she joined which almost never met.

“There definitely were some clubs I

“There are people who think they need to be the president of a club, they think it’s the thing you have to have on your resume,” Perry said.

“For the integrity of the whole program and the school, we should not have [clubs with false motives].”

Though Perry challenges the integrity behind some clubs’ motives, he also highlights that clubs are an excellent way to convey one’s hobbies.

money for them. When we sent it to them they were so happy a group of people they didn’t even know were trying to help them,” she said.

Jeh Vandrevala (’21) funnelled his interest in investment and finance through starting The Investment Club when he was in Grade 9, along with his friends.

“We were all interested in finance and we wanted to share that. We

“IT’S AMAZING TO SEE EVERYONE’S PASSIONS AND PRO ACTIVENESS ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.” SOLENNE JACKSON (’21) Student Life James Perry checking in at the end of the first and second semester about the club’s progress.

However, keeping track of each club is not always possible. “[Keeping track of clubs] involves a level of oversight and communication between club leaders that we

cused on raising money for people, such as the homeless community, through service projects.

The objective of the club was to link the school community with communities who needed support.

However, Jackson said it became hard to maintain the club due to the

got one email from and then never got an email from again. In hindsight their idea was good, but they just weren’t able to go through with it,” she said.

Because clubs occasionally don’t stick to their expectations, Perry questions the motives behind starting a club.

“[Clubs] give students a platform to pursue a passion. It could be a hobby they are interested in or a cause they want to raise money for,” he said.

For many club leaders, their motives behind starting a club is precisely what Perry is was so excellent about them.

Mattera is the co-president of The Mohau Centre Club, a club that supports an orphanage in Africa named the Mohau Centre.

The purpose of her club is to raise both money and awareness for the organization and by doing so, “try to make [children’s] lives a bit better,” Mattera said.

Mattera started her club when she was in Grade 10, and it has evolved significantly since then.

“We have definitely grown in numbers each year, and it has been a different group of people each time,” she said.

Mattera’s club meets quite infrequently, byt she said that not everyone comes to every meeting.

“Whenever the fund-raiser comes around, we have a ton of people baking and usually have too much material. It’s nice to know that people ... are participating even when they may not have time,” she said.

Furthermore, Mattera believes her club has made a significant impact on the Mohau Centre.

“Last year we raised quite a bit of

learned a lot doing it and it has been a really interesting experience,” he said.

The club was initially composed of nine people – five of whom were the leaders.

However, Vandrevala did not let the small number of participants stop him in pursuing his love for investment and finance.

Three years later, 114 students signed up for the club, and they meet around 15 times a year.

Within their meetings, they engage in various activities. “{Meetings] range from speaker events to office visits, and talking to people about the background of stocks,” Vandrevala said.

Vandrevala emphasised the diversity within his club, as its members hold different perspectives on investment.

“Some people are interested and want to pursue [investment] as a career.

Some people think it’s just interesting to learn a little about companies [that focus on investment],” he said.

Ultimately, Perry said that clubs foster a setting in which students are able to focus on something they are passionate about, and in doing so, form connections. “[Clubs] are a great way to connect students with each other. You have these built-in avenues which build friendships and spend time with other students outside of class,” he said.

ILLUSTRATION BY ZAINAB SHAFQAT ADIL

October/November 2019

Features 15

Student dribbles though his passions Darby Craig (’21) chose to participate in the musical “Les Misérables” rather than playing varsity soccer, despite both activites playing a significant part of his life.

Tristan Weiss | Staff Writer

T

his fall, varsity soccer player Darby Craig (’21) was forced to make the choice between playing goalkeeper for varsity soccer or taking on one of the lead roles, Javert, in the musical “Les Misérables.”

Ultimately, Craig chose to commit to the musical.

“I thought “Les Misérables” was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up because it is one of the greatest musicals of all time,” he said.

Growing up playing ice hockey, football, basketball, baseball and soccer, Craig spent a lot of time pursuing many different sports.

In addition to his passion for sports, Craig has always had an interest in musicals. In the past, Craig has taken on the roles of Baloo for “The Jungle Book” and Snoopy in

“You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”.

Previously, Craig was able to balance his interest in the performing arts and soccer.

The comparison between “Les Misérables” and the previous musicals performed at ASL, including Cabaret and 39 Steps, were the primary reason why Craig had chosen to do sports those previous years.

“I liked the idea of being in Cabaret. But “Les Misérables” was something I had thought about doing before summer started because I had heard about it last year,” he said.

Despite being on varsity soccer last year, Craig said that soccer is not his favorite sport. He has also played for varsity basketball and varsity baseball.

“Soccer has always been a sport that I have really enjoyed it, but I

wouldn’t say it’s number one,” he said.

“Again, basketball is my most favorite sport. I play enough sports already so I figured it’s time to do what I love and sacrifice soccer.”

Even though Craig has to commit to the play everyday, he has still participated with the team occasionally as he started their game against Southbank International School.

Nonetheless, being a lead role in the musical has limited the amount Craig can train and play with the rest of the varsity soccer team.

“I have to be at rehearsal, which means I miss practice, and if I miss practice it would mean that I miss games, and if I miss games it would be unfair to my teammates,” he said. “I consider myself not really part of the team even though, I’m part of the boys.”

Although Craig had to choose theater over soccer, both the soccer team and the musical share similarities for him. Craig said they both re-

“

I figured it’s time to do what I love and sacrifice soccer Darby Craig (’21) quire commitment and teamwork.

“They both embody the whole theme of togetherness and although soccer is a sport and musical is just theater, [for] both you have to be really united with a

group and a team, and you have to have a lot of teamwork,” he said.

Ultimately, Craig expressed how being on a team or in the musical shouldn’t define what type of person he is. Regarding his preference between theater and soccer, he said he would “prefer not to choose because I feel no one should be set to a certain label.”

Craig has had memorable experiences in both sports, music and theater, saying that he wanted to fully take advantage of both opportunities to get the most out of his time at ASL. “I have loved doing both at ASL. I have been to Honor Choir a few times and I have also been to ISSTs a few times,” he said. Both are amazing experiences that I would never give up so I don’t really like to say whether I am one or the other.”

PHOTO BY JON NOVAK

Darby Craig, left, during “Les Misérables” dress rehearsal. In the musical, Craig plays Javert, the antagonist of the play.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLIN BRIDGEWATER

Darby Craig’s usual position on varsity soccer is goalkeeper. He played for varsity soccer in Grade 10. He played JV soccer in Grade 9.

Darby Craig, top second to the right, in his early soccer days. Although soccer is not his favorite sport, he has played it since he was a kid. Jennifer Craig is the coach.

16 Features

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DARBY AND JENNIFER CRAIG

Darby Craig, left, and his older brother Brodie Craig (’18), right, in their elementary school play performance. Acting has been a part of Craig’s life since he was a little kid. To maintain his passion for theater, he chose to participate in the play.

The Standard

Comedian Chelsea Handler explores the presence of white privilege within American society throughout her Netflix documentary.

CULTURE

‘It’s me, Chelsea.’ highlights racial inequality in US Imogen Weiss | Media Director have gotten away with my career if I was a black girl,” “I wouldn’t said comedian Chelsea Handler

in her Netflix documentary “Hello, privilege. It’s me, Chelsea.” Handler summed up the intention of her documentary stating she wanted “to illuminate to people who are not of color what it means to be of color in this country,” she said.

In 64 minutes, Handler has a more honest discussion about race relations in the U.S. since arguably the Civil Rights movement, forcing white America, the audience and herself to reflect on the reality of white privilege in the U.S. Handler travels around the country speaking to people from different backgrounds on the nuances of white privilege and how it affects their daily lives. Her sources range from comedian Tiffany Haddish, to college students at the University of Southern California, to anti-racism activist and writer Tim Wise.

Haddish points out in her interview with Handler that the most fundamental privilege that white Americans have is knowing where they come from.

“[White people] know your history. You know where you are going because you know where you came from. [People of color] don’t know that. We’ve gotta take a DNA test to find out where our ancestors came from and we still don’t know whether we were related to kings or queens or whether our ancestors were farmers.”

“It is no longer enough to simply acknowledge white privilege.”

Wise echoed Haddish’s statement as he said that white people do not understand how white privilege benefits them because they do not fully understand the concept.

“If you think about American history and the hundreds of years of both enslavement and discrimination, this is a history that virtually everyone agrees was there and was awful ... What’s the flip side of oppression? If some people are down other people have to be up,” he said.

As Handler continued to interview people, my blood went from boiling when I saw how ignorant some people were of their privilege and American history, to going cold when I was forced to reflect on my own privilege and how I was indirectly feeding into the systematic oppression of people of color.

In an interview to promote the documentary, Handler told Jimmy Kimmel, “It’s a privilege just to have white skin in this country. It’s a privilege just to go into a grocery store and not be stared at. It’s a privilege to get pulled over and not worry if it’s a life or death situation.”

Up until I took AP U.S. History in Grade 11, I didn’t really think about white privilege, because as pointed out in the documentary, I had the choice not to. I know about my heritage. When I go back to the U.S. during the summers, I don’t feel anxious when I see a policeman parked on the side of a highway, or as though I’m being watched in a CVS because of the color of my skin.

Like Handler, it wasn’t until I started to educate myself on white privilege and race relations in the U.S., both in and outside of the classroom,

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM NETFLIX

“It’s me, Chelsea.” explores race relations in the U.S. The documentary was released Sept. 19. Chelsea Handler described herself as the beneficiary of white privilege. that I saw the cracks in America’s dark history and what’s more, how little has truly changed. It is evident throughout the documentary that discrimination toward people of color is still alive and well in the U.S. today, from the education system to housing demographics.

“Hello, privilege. It’s me, Chelsea.” is a wake-up call, especially for my generation, to the type of soci-

ety we are living in. It is no longer enough to simply acknowledge white privilege. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves in order to create change. We should strive for a society where no one is pulled over by the police based on the color of their skin, everyone has the right to a fully-fledged identity, and the words white and privilege are no longer synonymous with eachother.

iPhone spurs debates on quality, price

The iPhone 11 was released Sept. 20. Students review Apple’s new product.

Elsie Androulakakis | Staff Writer

A

PHOTO BY IMOGEN WEISS

Amanda Mond (’20) uses her iPhone 11 at Bottom O. CNBC reported the worldwide revenue for Apple’s fisical fourth quarter from the new iPhones was $33.36 billion. Mond said that she thinks the iPhone 11 is amazing.

pple’s most recently developed products, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, were released Sept.

20. As soon as the newly released products went on the market, students rushed to purchase it. However, not all are satisfied.

Colin Bloom (’22) recently bought the iPhone 11 due to the iPhone upgrade he was granted by his carrier.

“It was my upgrade, but decided I would get the iPhone 11 because it was the newest thing. And the most appealing thing to me was the battery time,”he said.

The differences between the quality and features of the iPhone 11 and the iPhone X have been widely debated. After Amanda Mond’s (’20) previous iPhone was stolen, she temporarily used a damaged iPhone 7 before she purchased the iPhone 11.

“If my phone never got stolen, I’d still have my iPhone X. I wouldn’t have bought [the iPhone 11],” she said.

Bloom said that for people who are out of their house the majority

October/November 2019

of the time or those who do not have immediate access to a charger find that “it’s nice to have a phone where you do not need to bring external devices with you.”

Additionally, the camera’s appearance is different. Instead of having one lense, there are three, which has become a topic of conversation. For Bloom it took some getting used to the new feature.

“I find it a bit weird, but I think it’s going to become something that’s sort of accepted, like the airpods,” Bloom said.

Each camera on the iPhone serves a certain function. The top camera has a new wide sensor with autofocus three times faster than any other previous iPhone. The camera below it has an ultra wide effect which assists in capturing four times more of the scene.

“I like the new camera. The wide angle is so cool,” Mond said.

Bloom said he would describe the phone as “efficient, it does what

I want it to do. Appealing, as it has a slick design. Robust because it doesn’t break that easily.”

The price of the iPhones has been continuously increasing over the past years. Consumers are beginning to question if its price tag matches its true value, as other phone brands can perform the necessary aspects of a phone at an immensely lower price.

Mond said that after a significant change in price when the iPhone X was released, Apple customers gradually adapted to the price.

“When the iPhone X came out, [the price] went up to £1,000 I think the fact that people were still willing to pay for that made Apple think they could just charge even more,” Mond said. “I don’t see it as that value because you could get Android phones with similar, potentially even better features and cheaper.”

Elena Stathopoulos (’21) said that the iPhone X is not cost efficient, as its price has skyrocketed relative to its storage capacity. She also thinks

the iPhone 11 is overpriced.

“I think most Apple phones are overpriced and don’t accommodate to the large population that cannot afford them,” she said. “I also read an article that showed how cheap iPhones actually are to make, showing the massive profit that Apple makes for hugely overpricing their phones.”

Mond said that the true appeal of the newest iPhones may be due to the societal pressure to get the “newest thing.”

Others believe the design itself is eye catching yet comfortable, similar to the iPhone X. However, due to its similar characteristics and functions to the iPhone X, some wonder if making the switch is really worth it.

“It’s pretty similar to my old phone before it got stolen.” Mond said.

An article published by CNet compared both iPhones side to side.

They came to the conclusion that the iPhone XR ultimately has the better value regarding its ability and price compared to the iPhone 11.

Culture 17

REVIEW

‘Gilded Wolves’ blends historical fiction and fantasy Roshani Chokshi’s bestselling novel depicts a tumultuous underground civilisation in Paris in 1889. With multiple ethnically diverse characters, the novel highlights the racism at the forefront of Western society during this era.

Leah Elliott | Staff Writer

I

n the shadow of the brand new Eiffel Tower, Paris rushes to prepare for the biggest world’s fair ever held, unaware of the dangerous magic brewing beneath them.

The addictively detailed writing of Roshani Chokshi’s best-seller, “The Gilded Wolves,” left my body in London and pulled my soul straight into the late 19th century neighbourhoods of Paris.

“The Gilded Wolves” is by far one of the best fantasy novels I’ve read.

With a gripping and mysterious plot, elegant prose and an uncommon but perfectly-written blend of genres, this book is sure to capture both the reader’s attention and their heart.

Amid the bustle of a booming cosmopolitan city lies an ancient artifact, the key to civilization itself, guarded by the illustrious and elusive Order, and governed by two Houses.

In this mystical underground live people with revered material-altering abilities, sought after by the rich and powerful upper-class for their supernatural craftsmanship. This fantastic ecosystem has coexisted with the rest of society for millenia, but a looming threat jeopardizes the survival of both.

While Paris prepares for the grand opening of the world’s fair, the Exposition Universelle, a plot is brewing beneath the surface that could wipe out the entirety of civilization.

However, the executors of this plot will not go unchallenged. En-

vibrant, threatening and captivating.

For those unfamiliar with this time in history, “The Gilded Wolves” provides a description simple enough for a novice, but lavish enough for a king. Those familiar with the time will enjoy visiting this familiar setting through the lense of a secret society with a twist of magic.

As for the protagonists, both their individual personalities and interpersonal relationships are deep, nuanced and developed. The reader gets to observe as sordid shared histories slowly emerge, and budding friendships begin to bloom. A story is only as enjoyable as its cast, and these characters will steal your heart within the first few chapters.

One particular aspect of this novel that I appreciate is the diversity of the cast. Not only is this book inclusive, but the inclusivity is well done.

Especially in a historical fiction and fantasy novel, genres which tend to have predominantly white casts, it’s refreshing to see a story about people from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures.

Additionally, these characters are all main characters. They have their own stories, and their identities are part of their story. Though Chokshi maintains the old-fashioned, glamorous aesthetic of the period, she also brings to the forefront the racism and colonialism rife in western society at the time.

“The Gilded Wolves” provides a description simple enough for a novice but lavish enough for a king. listed to uncover and foil this threat are the novel’s main protagonists: a team of six young adults.

The group is headed by Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, the disgraced heir to one of the old Houses. Together, they’ll have to steal, scheme and spy in order to preserve the future of the Order and of human civilization.

This innovative mix between historical fiction and fantasy with a dash of crime was what first caught my eye.

It’s difficult to weave fantastical inventions into a real and factual background, but Chokshi does it flawlessly. Contrasting the dark tone of a world on the brink of chaos with the lively atmosphere of Paris during La Belle Époque, the resulting mood is

18 Culture

Chokshi writes in her Author’s Note: “I wanted to understand how an era called La Belle Époque, literally The Beautiful Era, could possess that name with that stain. I wanted to explore the beauty and horror through the eyes of people on the sidelines.” That she incorporated this goal, to me, was possibly the most compelling part of the novel.

The immersive writing, intriguing plot and solid world building pull the reader headfirst into the story. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, fantasy or just good books in general, I cannot recommend “The Gilded Wolves” enough.

ILLUSTRATION BY ZAINAB SHAFQAT ADIL

The Standard

Billie Eilish rose to fame as a young teen and now has over 40 million Instagram followers. She uses her immense platform to spread messages and awareness about body positivity and climate change.

Commentary

Billie Eilish uses her platform to inform Emily Forgash | Culture Editor: Print

A

n enigma to many, Billie Eilish is the best kind of celebrity mystery.

She told the world that she has synesthesia, which makes her assign a color and number to every person she knows, in an interview with “Rolling Stone.”

As a young teen, Eilish was quickly thrown into the spotlight. She released “Ocean Eyes,” which currently has almost 200 million streams on Spotify, when she was 14.

At just 17, Eilish has become a mogul in the music industry and has been incredibly successful in bringing awareness to mental health, body positivity and climate change through her songs, fashion choices and immense platform.

One main issue Eilish challenges is the objectification of women’s bodies in the media.

The lives of models look absolutely perfect on social media, specifically because it seems as though they can’t possibly have insecurities. However, making the choice to confidently display your body on the internet gives fuel to haters.

In her hit song “Idontwannabeyouanymore,” Eilish says, “If teardrops could be bottled, there’d be swimming pools filled by models/ Told a tight dress is what makes you a whore.”

It is for these reasons that she chooses to wear baggy clothes in public; a stark contrast to other influencers who also have more than 40 million Instagram followers like the Kardashians.

Therefore, when I learned that Eilish was part of the #MyCalvins advertising campaign with Calvin Klein, I was confused. I had only ever seen a Calvin Klein ad with people stripped

down to their underwear. Even so, Eilish stayed true to herself in the ad and wore her signature baggy clothes that completely conceal her figure.

In addition, Eilish explained in the ad her reasoning behind covering her body with baggy clothing for one of the first times ever.

“I never want the world to know everything about me,” she said. “I mean that’s why I wear big baggy clothes. Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath.”

This mindset reins true in her clothing line, “Blohsh.” She solely sells t-shirts and sweatshirts, specifically nothing that is tight or revealing.

Through her fashion choices, her songs and her clothing company, Eilish has sparked a conversation in the media and among teens about the objectification of women’s bodies.

Many people, including myself, have been tricked into believing that someone has body confidence when they stand up perfectly straight and proudly display their body for all to see. Eilish has changed this social norm. She is proving time and time again that body confidence comes in all different shapes and sizes, and can be publicized in a variety of ways.

Eilish’s body confidence stems from her own self worth. She doesn’t need other people to tell her that she’s beautiful. Body confidence shouldn’t be defined by the clothes we wear but by how you feel in your own skin.

Eilish has also used her platform to advocate for climate action. However, unlike other celebrities, she has done so in an effective way by also taking action herself.

She announced in Sept. that her upcoming “Where Do We Go Tour” scheduled for March 2020 would be “as green as possible” according to an article by “The Independent.”

Every concert venue on Eilish’s tour will feature a “Billie Eilish EcoVillage” where fans can learn more about the climate and climate change.

Eilish also announced Nov. 8 that fans would be able to earn free tickets to her tour through the organization “Global Citizen” by taking action to help the climate.

In addition, the music video for one of her most popular songs, “All the Good Girls Go to Hell,” highlights problems with the state of the deteriorating climate.

The video makes numerous references to climate change: the fire in the background, the black sticky liquid that she falls into and the fact that she was once a clean angel that is broken by the end of the music video after walking on Earth.

In the description of the music video on YouTube, which currently has over 79 million views, Eilish left a note about the importance of climate strikes to spread awareness about the marches.

“On Friday September 20th and Friday September 27th you can make your voice be heard,” she wrote. “Take it to the streets.”

Eilish has certainly taken her views to the streets as she continues to release music that inspires change about issues she believes are important. Her use of her platform is commendable and inspiring, and I hope to carry her messages with me through the rest of my life.

ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY FORGASH

“EILISH HAS SPARKED A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OBJECTIFICATION OF WOMEN’S BODIES.” October/November 2019

Culture 19

Sports

Dear Coach Richardson, Every time I have stepped onto the hockey pitch this season, I remembered your legacy and passion for sports. This letter is for you.

Lily Whitman | Sports Editor: Print

T

he first thing I want to say is that I am sorry. The last time I saw you was May 29. All I can think about is that I didn’t say goodbye. I miss your happy smile, and passion for field hockey and softball.

I was selfish. I was incredibly frustrated with myself during our ISSTs final against Zurich International School, and I wasn’t in the right mindset.

I remember you trying to talk me out of it because it was affecting my hitting since I had just struck out. I chucked my bat towards the dugout because I was disappointed with myself. I wasn’t listening to your advice.

The last time I saw you was before our team went to sign the dugout after winning gold, and you congratulated us and told us that you would see us soon. I excitedly said goodbye, and was eager to see you at sports awards.

I didn’t get to see you at sports awards, and our softball team never gave you the flowers that we bought as a coach’s gift, but I didn’t think anything of it because I never thought about the reason that you were in the U.S. Again, I was being incredibly selfish.

June 15 was one of the worst days of my life. I remember it vividly. I woke up incredibly happy because I was going to watch my first professional field hockey match live. I was thrilled because I thought about you, and how you had always been so passionate about hockey and encouraged us to see our sport played at such a high level.

I woke up, and I felt excited as I was going to go to the batting cages with Kenzie Morris (’20) and my mom, and afterward was going to see England vs. Netherlands. I remember taking the Central line to Stratford, not knowing about the news I was going to receive minutes later.

I had barely walked out of the ticket gates at the Stratford tube station when I noticed three missed calls from my dad. I almost never have more than one missed call from him, so I immediately knew something was wrong. I showed the screen to my mom, and she immediately called him back. I took the phone from her, and the first thing that my dad said to me was, “I’m so sorry.”

It didn’t hit me until five minutes later when I broke down hysterically

crying. I couldn’t believe it. I would never get to experience another field hockey season with you, and I wouldn’t have you to mentor me, push me to do better and perform at my best. I wouldn’t be able to talk to you and you would never see me at my senior year ISST tournament. I felt empty.

Watching the field hockey game felt pointless and caused me to break down every five minutes as I was constantly remembering memories of you. When I got home, I didn’t know what to do. At first, I tried doing other work to forget, but even-

One picture that remains clear in my mind, is your game day suit. I remember your black and orange tie so clearly, and will forever cherish the memory. tually, I just ran down to my room, threw myself down onto my bed, balled myself up and cried.

I remember texting other members of the softball and field hockey teams, sharing memories and reflecting on the impact that you had on all of us.

Everyone was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe it. I tried pinching myself, telling myself that this didn’t actually happen, and that it was some sort of cruel joke that was being played on me. I didn’t want to believe it, because I thought that if I did, then it would become real.

I have so many happy memories with you. I remember when you gave me my nickname “Stretch,” for

Coach Randolph Richardson skis with his son and daughter in March 2019.

20 Sports

playing first base and stretching to catch throws from the infield after we had travelled to Frankfurt for softball games, and that became my nickname in hockey too. I remember asking you, “Coach, is that going to be my nickname for the rest of the season?” and you enthusiastically said yes, and I looked forward to having a nickname.

At field hockey preseason in 2018, I introduced myself as Lily, but you insisted that the team called me Stretch, and it caught on.

You were just such a joy to be around. Every time I saw you, whether

it was in the hallway at school, on the Waverley steps during Softball season, or in the gym foyer hallway during field hockey season, you made me smile.

You also helped me control my emotions when I was upset. I remember after one game, Nov. 4, 2017, specifically after I had been yelled at by the referee as I was calling out backstick and foot calls that he hadn’t called on the other team. I was visibly upset after the game, and you understood my frustration, and helped me calm myself down. You asked me questions about why I was upset and made me realize that I needed to channel my passion for the sport and my anger into positivity and good play. You made me realize the attitude switch that I needed to better myself and didn’t make me feel like I was acting rashly even though I was.

One picture that remains clear in my mind, is your game day suit.

I remember your black and orange

striped tie so clearly, and will forever cherish the memory. Whether it was during softball season or field hockey season, you always showed up ready to coach us to victory. Even thinking about it right now as I write this, the image of you smiling in that striped tie makes me smile and also tear up.

Tears form because that image will forever be a memory, I won’t ever be able to see you in person again, which in turn creates more tears.

“Bake the Banana” has been in my mind for the entirety of this field hockey season. It came from Olivia Stenmo (’21) translating our favorite saying, “Bend your knees” into Swedish, so that it would be hard for teams to understand what we were saying.

The phrase “Bake the Banana” comes from our collective inability to say “Böj dina knän,” which we completely butchered as it sounded like we were constantly shouting “Bake the Banana” at one another.

It was a funny little thing to think about, but as the season has gone on, I find myself telling other teammates to “Bake the Banana.” I just miss hearing it in your voice, yelling it across the pitch during our games pushing us to strive for better.

The words “We never know how high we are until we are called to rise” have increasingly resonated since my first encounter with the poem in September 2017. You used to recite the poem to all the members of the team before every one of our games. However, I never fully understood the depth, meaning, and intricacy of the poem until this past summer, when I learned of your passing.

Afterwards, all I could think about were those words.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANNE RICHARDSON

Coach Randolph Richardson with the varsity field hockey team, during fall 2017.

The Standard

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE RICHARDSON

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIRA CRUTCHER

Randolph Richardson high fives Meghan Lang (’22) during the 2019 softball ISSTs. Randolph Richardson and the varsity softball team after winning ISSTs in 2018.

The poem’s message is vital. It beckons all individuals to hold themselves accountable to their actions and to always step up. It is a message that applies to everyone; not only does it acknowledge that people should realize their ability to perform to a high standard, but it also summons people to step up. You made me realize the importance of this in my everyday life, and in sports too. These words also allow me to carry you with me throughout the field hockey season.

I take this message to heart beyond the hockey season and into my broader life.

One aspect that you brought to

teams that we were playing, and by recognizing the level of play of the other team, this made me motivate myself to perform at my best. I realized the importance of this, and the impact that it would have on other team members.

You would be so proud of the girls this field hockey season. I would say that this has been one of our most successful seasons that I have played throughout my high school career.

When we went to Brussels to play the International School of Brussels, we had a goalless draw which is unheard of during my four years on the team. We

but all of me realizes that you aren’t here this season, and haven’t been able to coach us, which makes me sad. I wish you were here to see us.

Also, being captain this season without you as a guide has been difficult. I miss having your advice and having you to back me up. I never knew how much you positively affected my confidence until I got to this season when I needed to realize figure out my own conviction without you.

This season, we are wearing black bands for you. It’s been incredibly difficult to feel mentally ready throughout

you, and all of my emotions surrounding my senior year on the hockey team in general. I think a lot about what I have not done, and what I have missed out on. I just wish that I had the opportunity to tell you all these things and really have time to appreciate you. I want to thank you for helping me become who I am today. I just wish that I could tell you in person, because writing this breaks my heart.

Going to ISSTs this year my heart felt empty. I was excited to be playing, but it was my last year and I didn’t have you to mentor me from the sidelines.

team attitude through our challenges throughout ISSTs. I wish that you were there with us and that you got to see the progress that our team made this season. I know that you always took the younger players under your wing, and you would be so proud of everyone.

I miss you greatly. I honestly would trade anything to bring you back. The impact you have had on my life has been incredible. Throughout my interactions with you during field hockey and softball, you gave me the confidence to believe in my-

both field hockey and softball that I will remember forever is our game day recognition. After every single regular season and ISST game, you had us pick a girl of the game from the other team and recognize the effort and passion that they put into the game, and give them a pin to commemorate this.

This taught me to appreciate the other

also won 2-0 against Mill Hill, which was a team that we struggled against in the past. You would have been so proud of the effort that the girls have put in this season to better themselves and the team, and the progress that we have made this year has been amazing.

Part of me is super happy with the way the team has turned out this year,

the entire season. At the start of some games, we have a moment of silence in your honor, and it still makes me feel sad. Even though we have come to the end of the season, I still cannot believe that you are gone and that you aren’t cheering us on from the sidelines.

We had our senior game, and I didn’t get to share my last home game with

It is incredibly strange not having you to motivate the team to play our best despite our tough opponents, and to comfort me when I wasn’t happy with the result. Our team played well despite the numbers on the score board, and I know you would be so proud of how everyone played against our dutch and counterparts and we had such a great

self, which is something that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.

You also fueled my passion for sports and believed in me when I couldn’t.

My heart feels heavy, and I don’t know if anything will fill the void that you left.

Thank you, Coach, for everything, I will miss you forever.

EVERY TIME I SAW YOU, WHETHER IT WAS ON THE WAVERLEY STEPS DURING SOFTBALL SEASON, OR DURING FIELD HOCKEY SEASON, YOU MADE ME SMILE.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE RICHARDSON

Randolph Richardson and the varsity softball team after winning gold at the 2019 ISSTs.

October/November 2019

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE RICHARDSON

Randolph Richardson goes for walk in Greenwich in June 2018.

Sports 21

Freshmen transition into varsity sports Students who joined a varsity team their freshman year describe their experiences juggling being a new student to the high school and being a member of a varsity team.

Kira Crutcher | Staff Writer

Bertie Cassidy (’21) looks to pass the ball during the championship game of the 2019 ISST soccer tournament. The team finished eighth.

PHOTO BY LILY WHITMAN

PHOTO BY KIRA CRUTCHER

Lily Bernhard (’22) is hugged by Theo Longboy (’19) before the championship game of the 2019 ISST softball tournament. The team won gold.

W

ith the already present challenge of playing varsity sports, freshmen have added difficulties adapting to this new level of sports.Through relationships with upperclassmen, they are able to play their own game and feel comfortable doing so.

Olivia Lang (’22) was the only freshman on the girls varsity soccer team last season. Despite her feelings of excitement surrounding making the team after her hard work at tryouts, she didn’t feel like “a part of the team for the first few weeks.”

However, throughout the season, especially nearing ISSTs, Lang found herself growing closer to her teammates and forming relationships with them, for which she was grateful.

“During tough times my freshman year where I struggled to adjust, they were there to support me and give me advice,” she said.

Similarly, Lily Bernhard (’22) was a member of the varsity field hockey and varsity softball teams as a freshman. Bernhard was also both excited and surprised when she found out she made varsity softball. She found the beginning of the season difficult, feeling that she “didn’t belong,” not because of her teammates’ actions, but rather a more of an issue with self-doubt.

However, as the season progressed, Bernhard found herself becoming more engaged with her teammates, especially her former catcher, Theo Longboy (’19).

22 Sports

During ISSTs, where the varsity softball team earned a gold medal, Bernhard worked on new pitches and had special calls that Longboy would give to show where to place the ball and what type of pitch to use.

Bernhard said she felt “really good as I could see how much my skills had improved and how I was able to follow those calls.” Even more so with Longboy’s feedback and encouragement.

Likewise, Evelyn Snizek (’23) is currently playing her first season of varsity field hockey.

Snizek found being on the team as a freshman with a majority of upperclassmen intimidating at first, but “after a couple of practices [the team has] become closer,” she said.

When she made mistakes her older teammates were nice about it, which, she said, encouraged her and made her feel “ready to get the next ball and try harder” and “do better.”

Agreeing with Snizek, Bernhard also felt motivated during field hockey when guided by the upperclassmen.

“I saw the upperclassmen and other players’ dedication, [it] was an inspiration for me to become a leader, to step it up, to have the commitment and to get as good as they were,” she said.

PHOTO BY KIRA CRUTCHER

Olivia Lang (’22) dribbles the ball during the championship game of the 2018 ISST soccer tournament. The team won the silver medal.

Bertie Cassidy (’21) has been playing soccer for 10 years, and though he didn’t initially start on varsity soccer his freshman year, he got called up during the season. He said even though he knew it was a great opportunity, he was intimidated.

Cassidy felt that the team was “exceptional” especially the seniors, as “being around them made me become a better player.”

When Cassidy first got called up, he felt that he “didn’t fit in,” despite his teammates’ efforts to talk to him, but he said that the relationships got better throughout the season. He said he was particularly motivated by captains Zayn Daniels (’18), and Harry Nevins (’18), who “guided me on and off the pitch,” he said.

Having experienced what it was like to be a freshman on the varsity soccer team, Lang was able to shape her approach to making the five current freshmen feel included on the team.

She frequently checks to make sure they know “that it is okay to make mistakes on the field, and that no one is going to get mad about it.”

As there are five of them, Lang acknowledged the difference between her experience and theirs, saying how “they have each other,”

where she felt “kind of alone” until she established those relationships with other members of the varsity soccer team.

Reflecting back on the previous season, as well as this current season, Lang said “everyone deserves to be on the team,” and that an athlete’s age is not what matters.

“The upperclassmen were an inspiration for me to become a leader, and to step it up.“ Lily Bernhard (’22)

Bernhard agrees and said this highlights the importance of the relationships with her teammates and the effect they have on her game. “[In] field hockey, I try to be especially inclusive to the freshmen because I didn’t feel that way at the beginning of the season [last year], and I definitely cared a lot more when I felt like my teammates valued me,” she said.

Cassidy agrees with Bernhard and Lang with his inclusion of the freshman.

“I try to speak to them more personally, get them involved more, and try to break down the social hierarchy, making it seem like we are all just teammates on a team,” he said.

The Standard

Running my own course Media Editor Maddy Whitman writes about her personal growth and what she’s learned since she started running.

Maddy Whitman | Media Editor

P

rior to the Frankfurt Invitational in September 2018, I was plagued with the thoughts of “the hill” that everyone raved about. I had not even set foot on the course, but I was already looking forward to the trip back to London. Little did I know the turmoil that would occur later that day.

Despite my brewing nerves from jogging part of the course the day before, I determined that no matter what, running would hurt, so there wasn’t any point in wasting any more of my energy being nervous.

Midway through the race, after taking the lead and traversing up “the hill” for the first time in an unusually confident manner, I took a wrong turn. My competitor’s eventually called out to me, but my race was disrupted.

After getting over my initial dishevelment, I reflected on the other aspects of the race. Strangely, I felt a sense of achievement despite my original disappointment.

I reevaluated and thought about my mindset before the race, and realized that my performance isn’t only defined by a first place finish or a personal best.

Running: a sport that involves the simplest of tasks, yet so many find it difficult to encompass its purpose. I too, couldn’t understand its importance until I began.

Growing up in an athletic family, I was exposed to sports at a young age. There are countless sports I

tried, and though I enjoyed them, I never felt that my efforts were sufficient. During games and practices, my primary focus would be the concern that my lack of skill was visible to everyone else.

The negative perception I had of myself in sports stemmed from my lack of confidence and constant self-consciousness. My confidence remained low through every sport I tried because my self worth depended on my ability and how I compared to others.

“

It was just me, the trail, and my running shoes.

My brother convinced me to give running a try at the end of Grade 7.

I participated on the Track and Field team, and was given the opportunity to run at ISSTs at the end of the season. Being a self-proclaimed athletic reject through the first two seasons of the year, the thought of being able to compete with high schoolers was satisfying, yet intimidating.

For the first time, I felt a sense of achievement when it came to sports.

They had previously been a constant reminder of unfulfillment and mediocrity in my life, but I finally felt that I was making a place for myself.

I dedicated the following summer to running. I ran almost every day, in

the surreal setting of the Rockies in Colorado. Running developed into a time of reflection, a period of release from the stresses I experienced, especially during the school year. The activity I had previously dreaded, became something I looked forward to doing on a day-to-day basis .

Running just clicked. I still find it difficult to express what it truly means to me. Its simplicity was what I appreciated most: there is one sole focus of running.

Something about being alone was invigorating. It was just me, the trail and my running shoes. I didn’t have to fulfill anyone’s expectations. My ability didn’t matter, just putting the effort in felt like enough.

Somehow, a feeling that had never been satisfied by sports in the 13 years prior, the missing piece to the puzzle, finally fit.

When I first began racing, still being driven by comparison, I was satisfied that I finally had a clear understanding of my placement in terms of others. I enjoyed the exact gauge of the time or finishing place.

While it has developed into something more, the numbers gave me clarity that I longed for in all the other sports I tried.

Running also taught me about the importance of commitment.

While I was dedicated to the sports I previously participated in, doing something I enjoyed made the frequent practices more worthwhile, but also more fun.

Instead of dreading and being nervous that I wouldn’t do well enough, I embrace the pain of every workout and look forward to practices and spending time with my team. My discipline and the expectations I have towards my efforts in practice are unparalleled to my life before I ran.

However, the biggest and most valuable thing that’s changed in my life is my confidence and sense of

self-worth. My self-worth isn’t defined by my running, but the feeling that I can finally accept myself for the effort I put forward is what makes me happiest.

I rely on myself for satisfaction I previously longed for; I don’t need validation from others, but I am in control of my feelings.

After a race, regardless of whether I met my goals, I’m fulfilled knowing that gave it all I had.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FAITH WHITMAN

Far left: Maddy Whitman (’22) races in the U.K. Intercounty Championships on March 10, 2018. Right: The varsity girls cross country team wins the 2018 ISSTs in The Hague. Top: Whitman runs the 3000m at ISSTs on May 25, 2018.

October/November 2019

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T

eams played in ISSTs from Nov. 7 - 9. Varsity girls soccer and varsity girls volleyball won silver.

Varsity boys volleyball won bronze. Varsity field hockey finished fourth in their tournament, while varsity boys soccer placed eighth. The cross country team placed fourth overall, with the varsity girls winning gold and the varsity boys placing seventh.

Read more about the results at standard.asl.org.

“

“

Sports

Fall ISST recap

We obviously worked so hard for [gold].

Colette Gagné (’20) cross country captain

Brooks Olsen (’22) picks out a pass in the seventh and eighth place game at ISSTs. The varsity boys soccer team played the International School of The Hague at Canons Park. They lost the game 4-2 and placed eighth in the tournament.

PHOTO BY LILY WHITMAN

24 Sports

The Standard