Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
Westminster School Simsbury, CT 06070 www.westminster-school.org
Vol. 106 No. 3
Winter 2017
COURTESY OF WESTMINSTER COMMUNITY
Candlelight
Backtrack Acapella Visits Westminster
Celebrating the New Year as a community by sarah minella '17
A talented group from NYC visits the Hill
COMMUNITY EDITOR
by R yan s z ykowny '18 STAFF WRITER
Pictured Above: Scenes from this year’s Candlelight.
WESTMINSTER FACEBOOK
INSIDE
On December 14th, the Westminster Community observed one of Westminster’s oldest traditions: Candlelight. Candlelight is a commemoration of both Christmas and community. It unites the entirety of the school in a celebration of the year that has passed and of what is to come. As noted by Emmett de Kanter '19, it does an excellent job of bringing people together. Two services were held in in Andrew’s Memorial Chapel. The first was attended by members of third and fourth form, the second by members of the fifth and sixth form. Many students brought their family members, and numerous alumns were in attendance. Between the services, an elaborate buffet was arranged in the dining hall while the concert and jazz bands entertained passers by with holiday tunes in Fearn Hall. Each service featured Christmas songs performed by Chorale, Chamber Choir, the Westminster Belles, Rising Sons, and members of John Hay, who came forth to present short readings and light a candelabrum. Candlelight ended with a reading from the book of Genesis. After the lights within the chapel had gradually dimmed, Mr. Philips read aloud The Beginning. Candlelight was passed from the inward end of each row of pews to the opposing side, until every attendee held a small flame. The evening -- described by students as serene and hopeful -- marked the beginning of Winter Vacation, with many heading home after the ceremony.
Op-Ed: Climate Change Winter Formal Student & Faculty Profile Grammys Prediction
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On January 6th, Westminster students, faculty, and outside members of the Simsbury community filled up WCC to listen to Backtrack, an acapella group from New York City. Right from the start the five members captivated the audience with “Confident” by Demi Lovato. A quick introduction of the members followed, including Andrew Kim, a Westminster Alum who sings Bass. The group proceeded to sing a variety of mashups and songs from popular artists such as Sia, Justin Bieber, and Meghan Trainor. Andrew Kim baff led the audience with his singing technique ca lled throat bass that sounded like dubstep. My personal favorite song was their version of “Beat It” by Michael Jackson that included a fair amount of the famous throat bass. Alongside the throat bass was beatboxer Spencer Knight who joined the group after the members found him performing in the subway in New York.
Legacy of Barack Hussein Obama
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Spencer does not only beatbox for the group, he also has a newly released single called “Be Somebody” that he performed live for the lucky audience members. In this song, Spencer somehow manages to sing while continuing to beatbox, an unbelievable trick that even I could not figure out when I was sitting in the second row. “Be Somebody” is available on Youtube on his channel if you search Spencer Knight or Spencer Beatbox. If you were one of the unfortunate few who missed a fantastic performance by Backtrack then you are in luck as all of their music is available on Youtube which can be found by simply searching for their channel name, “Backtrack Vocals”. Be on the lookout for the next musical event at Westminster, and if it is anything like the show Backtrack put on then you will not want to miss it.
Ask a Senior: Leif Fossee & Brinley Cuddeback! Page 8
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
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Opinion The Legacy of Barack Hussein Obama President Obama leaves office after two terms by J E E VA N PA L A N I Y A N DY '19 STAFF WRITER
NY TIMES
Pictured above: Former President Obama meets with President Trump. A n A frican-A merican President of the United States’ -- these words might have been disregarded as far-fetched just a generation ago, and now we have
lived under two terms of Mr. Barack Obama, the country’s first African-American President. A Harvard-educated Hawaiian native, raised in an impover-
ished family, Obama centralized his presidency around continuous support for those in a similar socio-economic situation to that in which he was raised. Swearing into office after the chaotic last three months of the Bush Administration, Obama captivated America with his charismatic, youthful and persuasive charm. Obama achieved a great deal in his first term: unemployment levels dropped; 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden was killed in a covert Navy SEAL operation; Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), making insurance compulsory (with state aid if needed), was passed. However, he remained under con-
Climate Change and the City The increasing importance of cities in America’s efforts to mitigate climate change BY T E AG A N S T E D M A N '18 OPINION EDITOR
Up until some hazy point last year, it appeared clear enough that the United States’ future with respect to climate change action was certain and progressive -- President Obama had passionately signed the country into the 2015 Paris Agreement, and the U.S. maintained its position as the world’s leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, even though it was simultaneously the world’s leader in greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy had slowly absorbed more bits of the national grid, and increased use of natural gas obtained via controversial fracking methods, along with further withering of the coal industry, accounted for most of the slowing growth rate of carbon emissions. From Washington, one might have anticipated tightened regulations on fossil fuels of all forms and decreased subsidies for oil companies. As with many components of American society, of course, all this was seemingly thrown up into the air with Donald Trump’s election victory this past November. Verbal positions on climate change and action from the President-elect, despite flipf lops in years prior to his 2016 campaign, were positively frightening for those war y of the issue. Generally, these positions involved utter dismissals of climate change as industrial conspiracy and support for revitalization of the coal industry, the most massive offender for greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants for its size. As the dust has settled from the election, minor retreats have occurred: at his senate confirma-
tion hearings, Secretary of State nominee and former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson shakily indicated that, though he isn’t convinced climate change is humancaused, the US “should maintain its seat at the table” on climate action. Trump himself has also expressed some softening, promising to keep an “open mind” on the issue. These retreat positions, still, are uninspiring at best. If the United States is to continue to push forth efforts on climate change action, it is becoming increasingly apparent that these efforts will come not from the federal government, but will have to stem from the actions of state governments, the private sector, and -- most importantly -American cities. Globally, cities account for approximately 70% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, many city mayors worldwide -- 621, in the case of the recently formed UN Global Covenant of Mayors on Climate Change -- have already coalesced to form their own sorts of Paris Agreements. American cities can and will move forward in bolstering clean energy, infrastructure, and practices, even if it must be without a drop of federal funding. Of course, action from cities can only go so far. Cities can improve energy-efficient public transportation, discourage car commutes, build and update structures for decreased carbon footprints, process waste more efficiently, and try to implement some green energy production within the city, but that can only account for so much, right? If we extend our sights a bit further,
however, and consider the relationships between cities as consumers of energy and resources, and processes in areas outside city limits as sources of production, the effect cities have on carbon emissions -- and therefore could have on reducing carbon emissions and other pollutions -- is even more far-reaching. Food post-production processes, like shipping and storage, can yield sta r t ling a mounts of greenhou s e g a s e s; end- c on su mer usage of products like refrigerants and aerosols can introduce tons of ozone-layer-eating gases; most obviously, cities drain huge amounts of electrica l energ y from the grids, and even if that energy isn’t producing significant amounts of greenhouse gases within city limits, with coal, natural gas, and petroleum producing together 68% of the nation’s electricity, you can bet this electricity usage has grave environmental consequences. These are all processes cities can control, if not directly then by controlling consumption. Truly, the power to “make” or “break ” action on climate change lies in the hands of cities, not in the hands of an environmentally apathetic presidential office and Congress. If American cities are willing to make wholehearted, concerted efforts to reduce emissions and take steps against climate change, they can overpower even the most destructive policies from Washington.
stant scrutiny for the majority of his second term, where a majority Republican congress left the government gridlocked, resulting in more governmental inefficiency. Under his administration, Obama and his wife have brought along changes, some of which have been controversial and widely consequential. These include, a handsoff Middle Eastern policy that many argue contributed to the positive and negatives of the Arab Spring, continued support for the government of Israel after deliberate violations of a proposed twostate solution, and a congressional vote that legalized gay marriage. L ook i ng to t he c u rrent political climate, Obama, Hillary
Clinton, and Donald Trump seem to come from three polar opposites. Hillary Clinton represents what many people resent in politicians, with decades of controversy and alleged scandals painting her as a textbook scheming politician. On the other hand, President Elect Trump appears to lack a balanced, intellectual approach. One can not help but look up in awe at how unshakably poised, eloquent and polite Obama has been throughout these past two terms. And in that respect, Obama will not only go down as the first black president, but as an intellectual man and a capable ruler.
Automation
The ultimate dilemma with technology by M I K E R I B E R DY '18 OPINION EDITOR
Countless articles have been written about self-driving cars and other new developments regarding the automation of various tasks. Many of us have read about how robots will not only do your laundry and bring you where you need to go, but also produce art that is unable to be distinguished from that which was made by humans. We know that companies such as Google invest heavily in the development of automation technology, and that, eventually, even automation engineers will lose their jobs to more competent robots. We can’t stop the progression and creation of technology, because the motivation for these technological improvements are rooted in the agendas of the private companies that fund them. Moreover, why would we want to impede technological development that will only help us in the future? Because they are known to improve the general quality of human life, technological improvements have come to be known as monuments to the success of the human race, and to the specific humans that have created them. Our legacy, of course, is how we are judged by others. In an ideal world, what kind of person you are is not determined by the social or political groups with which you associate, but by what you have contributed to others. Our entire culture is truly built around respect for those who do good by us. The improvers of technology, therefore, receive the highest praise from all of us who use and enjoy their products. Automation, however, may be out to change this. With recent technological developments, “improvement” and “development” have become practically synonymous. However, they are actually two distinct concepts: “Improvement” regards what is helpful to us as humans, while “Development” is simply the creation and evolution of technologies for purposes of efficiency, corporate or otherwise, that may or may not be in the interests of the majority of humans. Some might argue that now is no different than when technology has put other, small groups out of work. But now is different. Unlike ever before, technologies that will be able to devise and manufacture other, more efficient technologies are now being developed, suggesting that more than some small percentage of the population will soon be out of business. This development, although very advanced, will not necessarily improve, and may in fact negatively alter the lives of humans. Current culture, which glorifies technological development for the major improvement that it is, will soon see this new sort of development come into play. As the value of technology rises, the value of our humanity will seem to fall. Do we really want to construct a monument to the ingenuity of ourselves and our ancestors if the monument will devalue the very humanity which we and our children build it to honor?
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
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Global News What’s Happenning Right Now? by S C O T T L E E ' 2 0 CONTRIBUTOR
Pre sident E le c t Don a ld Trump has been at it again: Trump has been dominating the news, just as he has since he first announced his candidacy for president. Trump’s victory over the Democratic candidate, Hillar y Clinton, had been a rather controversial one, plagued with allegations such as Russian interference in the election and the effect of ‘fake news’. During a January 11th press conference, the President Elect stated that he “think[s] it was Russia” who was responsible for the DNC email hacks. The hacks exposed favoritism for Clinton and collusion against Senator Bernie Sanders; these revelations ultimately resulted in the resignation of former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. This incident worsened Clinton’s image problem, helping Trump win the presidency. This was the first time Trump openly stated that he believed Russia to be responsible for the DNC hacks since October when the U.S government announced that it was “confident” that Russia was responsible. Previously, Donald Trump had denied any Russian
influence in the outcome of the election, even dismissing findings from the CIA. With new, unsubstantiated claims about Russia possibly holding compromising information on Trump, speculation about the President Elect’s possible relationship with Russia is creating a media frenzy. On the day before Donald Trump gave his first news conference, President Obama delivered his emotional farewell speech to Americans in Chicago. President Obama mentioned the numerous changes he brought as President of the United States, proclaiming the commitment of his administration to “...the peaceful transfer of power from one freely elected President to the next.”, despite President Elect Trump promising sweeping changes that would inadvertently nullify some of his landmark accomplishments such as “Obamacare”. A new ceasef ire bet ween the Syrian government and rebel groups was announced by Russia on December 30th. The ceasefire lead to the recall of the only Russian Aircraft Carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” from the region. The
Russian Aircraft Carrier was conducting airstrikes against rebel groups from the Mediterranean. This ceasefire does not apply to strikes or action against the Islamic State or other terrorist groups, but the complexity of the situation in Syria has made it difficult to distinguish between different groups of fighters. President Obama has moved 3000 troops and significant military ordnance to Poland. This arrival of military infrastructure is a form of reassurance for the former USSR states that are afraid of Russian expansionism. These moves have been ordered by President Obama only a few days before the inauguration of President Trump, who has promised better relations with Russia and has questioned the role of NATO. Russia has described this deployment as “a factor destabilising European security” that “threatens our interests and our security.”
Opinion Features Arts
Connor Seeley '18 Matt Cosentino '18
Technology Layout
Josh Cosentino '18
Assistant Layout John Rao '17
Nick Wee '18
Community Sarah Minella'16 Fiona Fan '16
Teagan Stedman '18 Mike Riberdy '18 Alex Aiello '17 Abigayle Hovey '18 Elena Lie '17
Sean Ryan '18 Ryan Lee '18
Katie Kosior '18
Photo
Faculty Advisor Lawrence Court Claudia Morgan
Staff Writers Yuna Lee '19
Ryan Szykowny '18
Sofia Morales '19 Donatella Mancinone '18
Eugene Kim '19 Jeevan Palaniyandy '19
Contributors Scott Lee '20 Hannah Kaye '19 Annabel Bradley '19 Alex Ellis '20 The Westminster News prints between 250 to 500 copies, issued six to eight times per school year. The News is offered for free to students (65 Third Formers, 110 Fourth Formers, 110 Fifth Formers, and 110 Sixth Formers), faculty and staff (150), and is also available online. The opinions expressed represent those of the authors, not necessarily those of The Westminster News or Westminster School. We invite all members of the community to share their opinions in these pages. Articles
Vincent Wang '19 Kyani Jemmotte '20 Maddie Vanech '19 are published at the discretion of The News which reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, clarity, or factual accuracy. Anyone interested in contributing to The Westminster News should contact Hyeonjo Jeong '17 or Jackson Andrews '17, or any member of the Editorial Board for information on how to submit writing, photographs, etc. The Westminster News is associated with the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Contact Us: The Westminster News © 2016 Westminster School 995 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070-1880
by E ugene kim '19 STAFF WRITER
President Park apologizes to Korean citizens (Top). Soon-sil (Pictured Bottom) is currently under investigation by authorties.
Co-Editors-in-Chief Hyeonjo Jeong '17 & Jackson Andrews '17
Sports
An abuse of power and a tarnished reputation leaves Koreans searching for answers.
THE KOREA TIMES
Editorial Board
News
Impeachment of President Park
On December 9th 2016, the South Korean parliament passed the impeachment bill for 18th South Korean president, Park Geun-hye. The final tally was 234 votes for and 56 votes against. Since then, her presidential powers have been suspended and the prime minister, Hwang Gyo-ahn, is currently acting as chief-ofstate. Prosecutors of the legislature and the president’s lawyers will face off in the upcoming impeachment trials, which will be held in the Constitutional C ou r t . T he C on s t it ut ion a l Court began the impeachment trial process after receiving the impeachment bill from the parliament and opened the first hearing on January 3rd, 2017. In its impeachment bill, the parliament accused President Park of a wide range of violations against the Constitution of Korea and later summarized the multiple accusations into five categories: violation of the principle of people’s sovereignty, abuse of presidential powers, violation of freedom of press, violation of the obligation to protect the citizens’ lives, and acceptance of bribery. T he bi g g e s t re a s on for P r e s i d e nt Pa r k ’s i m p e a c h ment is because of her scandal with a longtime friend of her’s, Choi Soon-sil. Park and Choi are accused of establishing two organizations and using them to force ‘voluntary’ donations from major companies in South Korea.
In total, they received $69 million and controlled the funds. Also, Park allowed Choi to interfere with government affairs even though Choi was a civilian and had no position in the Korean government. Such actions from Park and Choi caused frustration and distrust from Korean citizens. Another reason is that her whereabouts during the Sewol Ferry tragedy are unknown. On April 16, 2014, a ferry that was carrying 476 passengers, mostly high school students, sunk on the way to Jeju Island. Because the Korean government did not cope with the situation, over 300 passengers lost their lives. Although over a thousand days passed since the tragedy, Park’s whereabouts during the crucial seven hours that might have saved lives were unknown until she finally spoke out after she got impeached. If six of the nine judges in the Constitutional Court accepts the impeachment bill, President Park will be permanently removed from presidency, and Korea must hold elections within the 60 days for their new president. She will be the second president to be impeached in Korean history. The entire nation is currently focussing on this subject. Until the Constitutional Court makes its judgement, a large number of Korean citizens will continue to be involved in the peaceful demonstrations in downtown Seoul.
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THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
Winter Formal
COURTESY OF WESTMINSTER COMMUNITY
Some of the best shots taken at Winter Formal!
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
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Community Black History Month
Student Profile Nagy Dorottya
February: a celebration of the history and beautiful culture of African-Americans
by Y una L ee '19 STAFF WRITER
time with Mr. Rasheed and Ms. Werner. Q: What is your favorite food in America? DN: I love stuffed cabbage and pizza. My favorite flavor is tuna pizza. NAGY DOROTTYA
Nag y Dorott ya is a new sophomore from Tápé, a small village in Hungary. In this issue, she discusses her first encounter with the United States. Q: What is your name? DN: Nag y Dorottya, but people call me Dorka. Q: Where are you from? DN: I live in Tápé, a small village in Hungary. Q: How old are you? DN: I a m 15, born on February 22, 2001. Q: What grade are you in? DN: I am a sophomore. in?
Q: Which dorm do you live
DN: I live in Cushing 3B with Natalie Fay. Q: W ho is your favorite teacher at Westminster? DN: I love all my teachers, but I especially enjoy spending
Q: What do you want people to know about you? DN: Never ever talk to me when I am sleepy. I am pretty sure I can murder anyone with my grumpiness. Q: W hat wa s t he most embarrassing moment in your life? DN: O n t h e p l a n e t o Westminster this winter break, I fell asleep on a shoulder of a stranger twice. He looked to be around 40, had Tom Brady on his lockscreen, and was playing a Star Wars game on his tablet. Q: What is your most memorable moment in America? DN: On the first day in the United States, Mrs. Pope came to the airport to pick me up. I stayed at her house with Mr. Pope and their cat until I could move into my dorm at school. Before I went to sleep on the first night at Mrs. Pope’s house, she warned me to close the door of my room because the cat might intrude and keep me awake, so I did what she
told me to do. Indeed, I locked my bedroom door in case the cat somehow opened the door by himself. The next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Pope left for registration day. When I woke up, my hair was very greasy from the long plane ride, and my skin turned blue because of my blue jacket that I wore on the plane. I was desperate to take a shower. However, when I went into the bathroom, I could not figure out how to turn the shower on. I felt like I would break the shower if I pulled too hard on the handle. Consequently, I had to return to my room and simply wait until the Pope’s came home to help me. That was when I remembered that I did not unlock my bedroom door when I left the room. I knew I had to go to school soon for registration! I was hungry and my hair was still dirty so I decided to wash my body in the small sink in the bathroom and had to use up an entire bottle of dry shampoo on my hair. Q: Describe yourself in one word! DN: I would describe myself as confusing. Others tell me that I cannot be described in a word!
by S ofia M orales '19 STAFF WRITER
Febr u a r y 1st ma rk s t he beginning of Black Histor y Month. It was first introduced as a History Week in the United St ate s in 1926 by A f ric a nAmerican historian Carter G. Woodson. The week in February was eventually expanded to an entire month. As of 1976, every U.S. president that came into office agreed with the designation of February as Black History Month. February was chosen as the month of celebration because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, Februar y 12th, and Frederick Douglass, February 14th -- both of whom were prominent figures of African-American history. Every day in February marks an event, birthday, or achievement within the A frican-A merican community. On February 1st, the adoption of the 13th amendment, abolishing slavery, to the Constitution was put in progress. February 3rd marks the anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which allowed African-American males to vote. February 10th commemorates the glorious day on which the U.S House of Representatives passed the Civil R ights Act. February 12th celebrates the day that the National Association for the Advancedment Colored
People (NA ACP) was founded by a group of citizens in New York City. February is filled with remarkable historical events for African-Americans; however, it is the only month that raises an awareness to African-American History. While many people agree with the celebration of Black History Month, others have differing opinions. This group includes African-American celebrities such as actor and director Morgan Freeman and actress Stacey Dash, who have criticized Black History Month. Freeman has said, “I don’t want a Black History Month. Black History is American History.” He also argues that White History Month does not exist because white people refused to have their history confined to one month. Morgan Freeman has a point when talking about Black History Month. Although it promotes an awareness of Black History, this subject of the American past should not be limited to one month. We only learn a small amount about African-American History, in comparison to our courses, which seem to solely revolve around W hite Histor y. No minorit y wants all of their culture’s history smushed into just one month. Continued on page 7
Faculty Profile: Ms. Corinne Werner’ 10 Food for Thought: Delivery at Westminster School Associate Director of Admissions & a favorite Dorm Parent Solutions for a confounding tradition
by H A N N A H K AY E '19
by N ick W ee '18
CONTRIBUTOR
Q: How long have you lived as a faculty member on campus? CW: I spend one year in Graduate House and have spent two years in Cushing.
CORINNE WERNER
Pictured Above: Ms. Werner '10 enjoying life on the Hill. In this issue, we interview Westy alumna and Admissions Officer Corinne Werner, who reflects on her time as a student at Westminster. Q: W hen did you attend Westy? CW: From 2006 to 2010. Q: What was your favorite Westy meal or feed when you were a student? CW: My favorite Westy meal was chicken parm sandwiches or calzones. My favorite feed was Westy dip or pizza bagels.
Q: What was your favorite class here? C W: A sia n Civ i l i z at ion History with Dick Adams. Q: Are there any other faculty members who went to Westy around the same time you did? Have you gotten any closer to them since? C W: E m i l y Wa l s h (Eng lish Te acher) a nd Cris Gomez (Associate Director of Admissions) -- I was very close to both of them while I was a student and am definitely close to them again as young colleagues.
SPORTS EDITOR
It’s no secret that a huge c hu n k of s t udent s here at We st m i n ster Sc hool c hoose to regularly order food from nearby restaurants in Simsbury. Q: W hat is your favorite With Simsbury being a realtively aspect of student life that wasn’t small town, students are limited a rou nd when you at tended to only a handful of restaurants Westminster? in the area that actually deliver C W: M at h L a b sou nd s to Westminster. These usupretty helpful, but not much has ally include Brookside Bagels, changed. Attilio’s, Joe’s Pizza, Main Moon, and Sakimura. Surprisingly, the Q: What’s one moment you sparse selection covers a variety had as a student here that was of appetites, from Chinese and particularly memorable? Japanese food, to a more tradiCW: I had a lot of great tional pizza and burgers. While memorable moments athletically, the food is well worth it to most but besides that, one day it was kids, picking up the food is a pouring rain so a bunch of my whole other story. It takes at least friends (Ms. Walsh included) five minutes for students in the went around campus mud sliding. closest dorms to make the trek The quad was full of water and it down one of two “pizza hills”, was awesome! (See picture) which are thorny, steep, and slippery during the winter. While this may be a particularly “first world problem”, does it really
need to be a lasting problem? An idea that could work would be to allow select delivery cars to make the full drive up the hill and onto central campus to deliver. Security issues or worries could be circumvented by, at first, only allowing delivery cars from by far the most popular delivering restaurant of choice: Brookside Bagels. A small, local restaurant that specializes in making delicious bagels, Brookside makes for the perfect brunch on Sunday mornings. A llowing deliveries to be made on a designated spot on the central campus would not only ease the entire delivery experience, but also prevent the ever-present trek up and down the treacherous pizza hills, especially during the winter .
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
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Arts and Entertainment Golden Globes 2017
Grammys 2017
Donald Trump steals the show again...and he wasn’t even present
Grammy predicitons from Westy students
by E lena L ie-A- C heong '17
by kyani jemmotte ' 2 0 CONTRIBUTOR
ARTS EDITOR
La La Land wins Golden Globe Awards. The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards was held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on January 8th, the first award show kicking off the new year with a rendezvous of Hollywood’s talent and glamour. In case you are not familiar with the Globes, it is the sister awards show of the Grammys, Emmys and the Oscars. The Globes celebrates the accomplishments of artists of all spheres in the past year. This year’s host was Jimmy Fallon, the current host of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. There was high anticipation for him to rival his 2010 Emmy opener that featured the cast of TV series Glee; as expected, he did not disappoint. Fallon delivered his rendition of Another Day of Sun and City of Stars from six-time Golden Globe award-winning La La Land while mocking Los Angeles’ notorious traffic with appearances made by the cast of Stranger Things, Kit Harington of G a me of T h r one s , a nd Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds serenading Fallon on top of a piano. Fallon began his short opening monologue by calling the Globes “one of the few places left where America still honors
E NEWS
the popular vote,” ridiculing America’s electoral system. The nominees and winners of the Golden Globe Award is decided by the voters who submit their ballots to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and is not overruled by an electoral college. 2016 was a great year for film, television and music. Moonlight stood amongst the crowd of movies, each with a unique story to tell, and captured the Best Motion Picture - Drama award. Up-andcoming director Damien Chazelle brought about a new genre of comedic musical drama with his six-time Golden Globe awardwinning movie La La Land, a certain frontrunner for the upcoming Academy Awards. Atlanta, starring and created by famous rapper Childish Gambino won Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy. P r e s i d e nt- e l e c t D o n a l d Tr u mp had a fe w mentions throughout the event. Winner of an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his role in The Night Manager, Hugh Laurie, who played a villainous billionaire in the series, dedicated “this award on behalf
of psychopathic billionaires everywhere,” a reference most definitely directed towards Trump. Trump’s depiction as a villain was also recycled by host Jimmy Fallon when he created a parallel between Trump and King Joffrey from Game of Thrones. Never once was Donald Trump’s name ever mentioned during these allusions. It is not a surprise that Trump was attacked concurrently at the Globes; the audience was indeed filled with Californian liberals who threatened to annex their state after Trump’s victory last November. To end the night, Meryl Streep’s acceptance speech, after receiving the Cecil B. DeMille award, was empowering; to many who are still derailed by this election, this was a gentle push towards optimism. She began sharing her anecdote of a performance that distressed her, speaking for most of the members in the audience beyond the confines of Hollywood. She described this performance as “effective and it did its job”, “made its intended audience laugh” and that “it kind of broke my heart.” It saddens me to reveal that this performance that Streep alluded to was of the time when Donald Trump allegedly imitated disabled reporter Serge Kovaleski. “Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence.” This thought-provoking quote is inquiring for everyone, not just Americans, to be vigilant of others and to broadcast t he impor ta nce of empat hy. Streep has not only won a lifetime achievement award, but also the respect and scorn of many. .
On February 12th, The CBS Broadcasting Network will stream the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. Until then, I wondered who the student body would choose this year’s nominees. I started to breeze through this year’s nominees and realized that there were a lot more than I had expected -- over 80 nominees. From that list I decided to choose ten general award nominees that displayed almost all of the music genres including Rap, Country, Pop, etc. The results of our survey were truly unexpected and surprising. This is the moment that you have all been waiting for. Many of you casted your votes, and here they are. Based off of the student body of Westminster School, The 2017 Grammys Awards Winners are… For Album of the Year… Lemonade by Beyoncé For Record of the Year… Work by Rihanna ft. Drake For Song of the Year… Formation by Beyoncé For Best New Artist… The Chainsmokers For Best Sung/Rap Performance… Hotline Bling by Drake For Best Rap Album… Coloring Book by Chance The Rapper For Best Rock Album… Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At The Disco For Best Country Song… Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw For Best Music Video… Formation by Beyoncé
Movie Review: Sing A light-hearted yet powerful film by A nnabel B radley CONTRIBUTOR
E NEWS
Pictured Above: Gunter (left) sings “Bad Romance” and (right) the movie cover.
Over winter break I saw the movie “Sing”. It was so good I immediately returned to see this fantastically uplifting movie the next day. Directed and written by Garth Jennings and co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet, “Sing” is a story about a Koala named Buster Moon. Voiced by Matthew McConaughey, Buster has a passion for the theatre and will stop at nothing to save it. The film follows the stories of six characters with engaging personalities and backstories so enthralling
the audience cannot help rooting for them. As these characters perform in a singing competition, popular songs sung by cartoon animals make for a funny dynamic. This includes bunnies who sing “Anaconda” by Nikki Minaj, a yak who sings a great rendition of “Butterfly” by Crazy Town, and, the crowd favorite, a Swedish pig named Gunter singing “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga in a sparkling gold tracksuit. “Sing” includes many popular stars voicing the characters,
including Reese Witherspoon, S e t h M a c Fa r l a n e , S c a r l e t t Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly. I saw this movie with kids of all ages and a few adults, all of whom also loved it. Overall, I would say “Sing” is a must-see thanks to the great soundtrack, comedic characters, and heart warming stor y that inspires you to persevere and to find your inner talent.
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
7
Sports First Team Write-ups
Top Sports Stories: 2016
by V incent Wang '19 & A le x E llis ' 2 0
by Josh C onstentino '18
CONTRIBUTORS
Sports Editor
An action-packed start to the Winter
Truly a year to remember
JOHN RAO'17
Mike Fiorini '18 during the Varsity Hockey versus TrinityPawling game.
JOHN RAO'17
Jordan Gabbidon '17 in the 100m butterfly. First Boys’ Hockey: First Boys’ Hockey started the season with a few fairly strong performances. This year, the team is composed of a young and large group of talented newcomers. Lacking experience in competitive matches, the Martlets are currently 2-5-2. New addition to the team, Kai Edmonds '19, has been phenomenal in goal tending, making numerous key saves and withstanding pressure from opponents. Other standout players include, Peter Horsfall '17 and Cal LeClair '17, who did a great job providing positive energy to the team. As the season progresses, the team is looking towards the Championships and focusing on building consistency during play. First Girls’ Ice Hockey: First Girls’ Hockey season is coincidentally similar to that of the boys. As a team of young players lacking experience, the team is currently at 2-6-2, in spite of the fact that all losses were hard fought battles and with good play. Jill Parsons '19 scored several key goals for the team while Jenny Guider '20, Ashlee White '18 created opportunities for offense. Coach Pope is confident in the team’s abilities and encourages players to give all their effort, which will definitely help produce better results in the future. First Boys’/Girls’ Swimming and Diving: So far, the 2016-2017 First B oy s’/Gi rl s’ Sw i m m i ng a nd Diving season has been interesting. The team has only participated in two meets, one against St. George’s a nd t he ot her
against multiple schools at the Kingswood Oxford Invitational, where the girls placed third and the boys placed sixth. The swimmers have struggled with injuries and illnesses, but surprisingly collaborated well with each other and fully invested themselves in each practice. As coach Gritzmacher says, ‘The girls are particularly adept in the realm of freestyle, butterfly stroke and diving, whereas the boys are capable of swimming longer distances’. Newcomer Alex Lin '19 proved her competence in backstroke and freestyle relay, swimming along captain Leta Giordano '17 in the first lane. On the boys’ side, captain and multi-talented swimmer Jordan Gabbidon '17 demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills which boosted team morale. The team is excited to experience and observe personal and team results as the season progresses.
JOHN RAO'17
Jack Flannagan '17 celebrates a goal with his teamates.
Above: The Cubs win their first World Series Since 1908. 2016, another great year of sports, has come to an end.... The best sports story of 2016 (by far!) was the Chicago Cubs winning their first World Series since 1908. The Cubs fought off a Cleveland Indians’ comeback late in Game 7 to secure their first World Series title in over one hundred years. In a rematch of the 2015 N BA f ina ls, T he Cle vela nd Cavaliers, led by Lebron James, beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who set the record for the most regular season wins, with seventy-three. The Denver Broncos won Super Bowl fifty, in what would be Peyton Manning’s last game in the NFL, over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, who lost just one game leading up to the Super Bowl. The Broncos defense proved to be too much for the Panthers, as Von Miller recorded 2.5 sacks (two strip sacks), one of which was recovered for a touch-
JOHN RAO'17
Albert Gao '18 druing the 500m freestyle.
Black History Month Continued from Page 5
First Boys’ Squash: With only two returners Aly Tolba '18 and Will Leathers '17, respectively #1 and #2 on the ladder, First Boys’ Squash is a young team. Newcomers that moved up from J V include A ndrew Doucette '18, Chanler Miller '18 and Connor Seeley '18, who all displayed exceptional achievement during the course of the season. The team has won two games without yielding any points and lost one game, only one point short of a tie with Berkshire. Although not many matches were played, the team hopes to win the Class B Championship just like the previous year. Nonetheless, coach Doucette’s main goal is to help players improve their skills and enjoy their season.
BBC
down. The awesome Miller was named MVP of the Super Bowl. To n o o n e ’s s u r p r i s e , Alabama won its fourth College Football National Championship in seven years defeating Clemson 45-40, a surprisingly high scoring game. Villanova beat North Carolina, in one of the great National Championships of Men’s Basketball ever, on a buzzer beater from Kris Jenkins. At t he R io Oly mpic s, A merican swimmers Michael Phe lp s a nd K at ie L e de c k y, American gymnast Simone Biles and Jamaican runner Usain Bolt all won multiple gold medals and were the stars of the Olympics. In t he Ryder Cup, T he Un ite d St ate s de fe ate d t he Europeans for the first time eight years, with great performances from Brandt Snedeker, Patrick Reed and Phil Mickelson. Unfortunately, 2016 also had a few tragedies: boxing legend Muhammed Ali and golfing legend Arnold Palmer passed away, and Miami Marlins all-star pitcher Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident at age twenty-four. 2016 was one of the more eventful years of sports in recent memory, thanks to the Cubs and the Olympics, but now it’s time to move on to 2017!
JOHN RAO'17
Jagger Leclair '18 chases a loose puck.
JOHN RAO'17
Dallis Alvarez '18 during 100m breaststroke.
Schools should teach not only more African-American history, but history of more minorities. A merican Histor y, and high school courses, should teach more about the history of minorities and their respective cultures. We are living in a time when our knowledge of our vastly different cultures and histories can only be an advantage in our ever evolving world. I believe that it is important for us to ref lect on why minorities had to endure so much suffering during events such as the Civil Rights Movement. To end segregation seems like such
a n odd a ns wer, considering how our nation was created on the basis that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Tuesday, February 7th, 2017
8
Features My Winter at Westy! A new Marltet’s take on the cold and snowy Westminster Winter by M A D DI E VA N E C H '19 CONTRIBUTOR
MADDIE VANECH
Pictured Above: My Winter at Westy!
My first Westy Winter has been quite a whirlwind. There has been foggy laughter, frozen tears and quite a lot of confusion. I’m used to New England weather but waking up to a silent, snow-covered campus redefines what it means to be cold. There was a sort of eerie stillness hanging just above my head as my feet crunched onwards toward class. Perhaps witnessing a once bustling community reduced to
huddled, shuff ling beings leaving wisps of steam and footprints behind them was the source of my discomfort. But just as quickly as the frigid sneers of the wind whipped into our lives, a breeze that tasted almost like spring stole the snow in the night, leaving as briskly as it had arrived. Perhaps the jump from a single degree to 50 was a blessing, but it made the unattainable summer all the sweeter in my memory. As
Ask A Senior
Slutty Brownies with a S’mores twist!
Leif Fosse '17 and Brinley Cuddeback '17
by D onatella M ancinone '18
by J ackson A ndrews '17
STAFF WRITER
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
3. What are your thoughts on Leif, your partner for this month’s ‘Ask A Senior”? He is a man that is definitely not lacking in self confidence. He is someone you either learn to love or hate and someone I’ll remember forever.
DONATELLA MANCINONE
T h i s v e r s i on o f S lu t t y Brownies is the master of all brownie recipes, including (but most certainly not limited to), a layer of chocolate chip cookie dou g h topped w it h S’more s Oreos, brownie batter, and jumbo marshmallows! Ingredients 1 package of Chocolate Chip cookie dough. 1 package of S’mores Oreo cookies. 1 package of brownie batter. 1 package of jumbo marshmallows. Directions Preheat the oven to 325°F and prepare a square baking pan. Prepare the chocolate chip
I write, the bite of the breeze has returned. The forecast dwindles with each day. I wonder about what a snow day would be like in Gund (hot chocolate, pajamas, smiles) and how much trouble wearing sweatpants to class would get me in (a lot). I wonder about global warming and polar bears and how to enact change. I try to remember the embrace of sunshine.
JACKSON ANDREWS
Pictured Above: Brinley and cookie dough according to the Leif at Spring Formal. direction on the package and press into the pan. Cover the cookie dough layer Brinley Cuddeback ('17) with a layer of S’mores Oreo cookies. 1. What is your best memory Pour the brownie layer on from third form year? top. That is a tough one considerBake for 30-35 minutes. ing I have an awful memory, but I Put the oven on high broil don’t think I’ll ever forget hearing and slice the jumbo marshmallows Cheedo (Anthony Diplacido '15) in half before placing them on top and Fitz yell “Brin Bro” anytime I of the brownie layer. Broil until saw them on campus. the tops of the marshmallows are golden brown. 2. How is the JV Squash Take out of the oven, let cool team this year? and enjoy! :) JV Squash is killing it this year. Definitely a team to look This recipe is perfect for a out for. Take a peep at the team dorm feed or a late night snack. schedule when you get the chance. Why not make it for your friends?
4. Is there anything you regret so far/something you wish you had done in years past or this year at Westy? I definitely wish I had asked Mike McNally ('14) for his phone number my freshman year... I don’t think I’ll ever live that one down. I also regret being such a big procrastinator and leaving myself two days to write twelve college supplements. I guess you live and learn! Woooops! :) Leif Fosse ('17) 1. What was it like having an older brother at Westy, especially one with as big of a personality as Noah ('16)? Huh. Having an older brother at Westy, especially one like Noah is like being the prince to a kingdom. The king dies (graduates) and then the prince takes the throne. So yeah, it is basically like that. But on the real, most times it was frustrating being Noah’s little brother. We were thought of the same, and always being thrown
into the same genre of personality. It is hard to escape an older brother’s legacy and make your own. 2. How is Streng th a nd Conditioning this year? Strength and Conditioning is always lit. Nothing like getting a sweet sweet pump every afternoon with the man himself....Mr. Danny Batten. I could not ask for a better winter activity. 3. What are your thoughts on Brinley, your partner for this months ‘Ask A Senior”? Well I’m not going to answer this question....it is really just a waste of my time and breath. 4. What are some recommendations you have to underformers on how to achieve social success here on campus? Two things. Be confident, and put yourself out there. Stop being so worried about what upperclassmen or your friends think about you and just be yourself. Do something crazy to stand out, and believe in your actions. If you want to succeed just be you, and stop worrying about the judgment of others.
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