The
Whittier Miscellany ESTABLISHED 1884 • WILMINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER • WILMINGTON, DELAWARE
The Current Events Controversy
KATIE BRYAN ‘24 FEATURE WRITER Which history is most important, the history that is being created or that of the past? Students and teachers are both faced with this question especially with the current state of politics and society. Historians say that we are living through an incredibly important time, but does that mean that it is the school’s job to teach kids about it? Harrison Burns ‘24 said, “It is important {to learn} because what is happening right now, will soon be history.” Current events and history are interconnected. Learning about a historical event and then connecting it to a current event is helpful to a student’s understanding of the past. In most history classes, current events are not on the syllabus but are still discussed even a little bit in classes. Ryan Wood teaches a course called Global Peace and Justice that is required for freshmen to take. It is listed as a history class, but Wood described it as, “a history class but not fully.” Current events are debated and more recent historical events are dissected to learn about non-violence. Ryan Wood ‘16, commented that “It makes history, which can feel like a million years ago, be more relevant. I hope that my students can com-
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pare the past with the present so that they have a more rounded and better understanding of history.” Teaching current events is a way of engaging students and helping them see the importance of history if they can see that they are living through it. Devin Wallace ‘24 thinks that “{Current events} are the most interesting and valuable parts of his-
tory classes.” Is it the school’s job to educate students about current events? Harrison Burns ‘24 explained, “If it is not the school’s responsibility then who’s is it?” But here is where it becomes complicated. Donald Morton, upper-school history teacher, said, “I think that there is often the assumption that his-
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tory is where current events should be taught, but here is where you get into trouble. I may have a personal opinion on an event, but teaching it is a whole other thing. It is easy for me to stop an argument about history because I know what the right answer is. I am not an expert on what happened last weekend.” Current events do not have the research and vetting that historical ones do. It is a whole different thing to teach about a topic without that research. Scott Clothier, upper-school history teacher, said, “Current events fall under Political Science which is different from history and very difficult to teach.” Donald Morton explained that “At a college level, there is the idea that you need 30-40 years of thought and work on something for it to really be history.” So, therefore, the job of teaching current events does not fall on history teachers because that is not what they are trained to do. The general consensus is that students benefit from occasional time spent talking about these current events in class to connect them to history but too much discussion about current events steers history classes away from their curriculum.
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How to Stay on Track During the Winter By Emma Larsen ‘25 Over the winter, people become less motivated to work and practice self-care. Motivation becomes challenging with the change of weather, sunsets being earlier, and the overall darkness outside. Grace Terrell ’24 shared, “I always feel bored in the winter. The transition with semesters makes it easy to feel bored and lost,.” When feeling burnt out and no longer able to work anymore, it is good to step back, breathe, eat, or maybe even fall asleep. “Take a step back, and evaluate different aspects of your life. Sleep on it. Sleep on what troubles you in life. You will wake up feeling rested, and refreshed in the morning,” says Elizabeth Pisano ‘25. A study by Gloria Mark from the University of California showed that it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to being focused on a task after an interruption. This can make it twice as easy to feel burnt out before even starting work. The use of technology is also very distracting when completing a simple task.
COVID-19 Is So 2020. Or Is It? By: Temi Lufedeju ‘25 The 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. Omicron. Omicron is a variant of coronavirus. As of December 21st, 2021, omicron was detected first in South Africa and has since been detected in more than 70 countries and at least 35 states. The variant currently spreads more easily than the earliest virus that causes COVID-19 and the Delta variant. According to the CDC, “Anyone with the Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.” Delaware Public Health District commissioner, Sheila Hiddleson, said, "Everyone should expect at this time that if they are out and about, they are going to come across somebody who has COVID, and they should expect they are getting exposed." Unfortunately, school is one of those places where you should
Features “Normally I turn my phone off for a long time until I am able to get my mind back in place again. Sometimes it takes hours, but it helps me get back into the mindset again,” states Ana Pardo ‘24. However, there are ways technology can help focus too. Music, for example, can calm the brain down. It can also help ease the mind and relocate it back to the original task. Another thing that can benefit focus is sleeping.When a person gets stuck on a question, especially if they are tired, staying focused can become very stressful and taxing on a person’s mental state. With a good night’s sleep, the mind will reset and revisit the issue. Therefore, in the morning, thoughts come easier.
mon for people. Nobody should feel Litterelle, the upper and middle like they are alone in something. school psychologist.
Getting stuck or lost is com-
Everybody goes through hard times. It is normal. It is important to recognize your physical and mental state and to realize it is okay to feel this way. There are hundreds of ways a person can get back on track. What is important is to not get lost in something you cannot get out of. “If I feel like I’m struggling, I try to remind myself that I’ve been through harder times, which helps me know and get the strength to know I can deal with what I’m facing,” suggests Sue Kampert, the upper school human dynamics teacher. “Whenever I feel lost or sad, I get in touch with my feelings. I find a quiet place and reflect on my feelings. I meditate, breathe, or go outside for a walk. I try to find the source of what is making me feel this way and realize it is okay to feel sad,” said Danielle
expect to come into contact with someone who has or had both covid 19 and the variant, omicron. Southern Elementary School in New Castle County Delaware had to go virtual due to the lack of teachers. Jeffory Gibeault, the elementary school's principal has had to cover 25 classes as of January 19th, 2022 because teachers were out coping with COVID-19. Delaware Live said, “Schools are turning to paraprofessionals, administrators, tutors, student teachers, and central office workers such as instructional coaches to lead classes.” Where does that leave us? In Delaware, teachers have made their desires of wanting to return to virtual classes clear, but others have set their opinion on having asynchronous days for the kids and teachers to take a break. To some extent, parents have made it clear that their children should be in the best environment to learn; that being school. However, some schools have needed to take safety precautions in
going virtual. William Penn High School in New Castle County Delaware was virtual for a week because of the shortage of teachers and substitutes. “That’s a last-resort situation and the principals and staff are working hard to try to figure out how we put this puzzle together every day because every day it’s a little bit different dynamic,” said Pete Leida, deputy superintendent of the Colonial School District. Although cases continue to climb, the risk of closing down schools is as Pete Ledia said “a last-resort situation”. This “last-resort'' situation holds ripple effects to the caregivers and guardians of the world who would be taking time off from work to be at home. Not even including the effect it has on children from learning loss and social isolation A.I. duPont High School just nine minutes away from Wilmington Friends gave students the option to stay home. This was due to the lack of teachers and the large number of students who were exposed to the deadly viruses. John Carney, the governor of Delaware since 2017, has been cognizant of what is going on with each district and each school. Carney said, “It’s a difficult one because
Sleeping is often talked about in relation to focus and motivation, but how many people take sleeping seriously? If not enough sleep is provided to the body, the next morning, everything can feel off, including someone’s mental state and physical state. “This morning I had swim practice, and the night before I had a lot of homework. So I didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted. It threw me, and my performance off,” shows Kira Agne ‘23.
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Kira Agne ‘23 shared,“I like to talk to somebody when I feel lost because it’s good to talk to somebody else. You will put yourself into a hole, and the best way to get out is to talk to somebody.” Being tired due to work or burnt out, in general, is normal. Just recognize your limits. Balance your time on what is important to you. Focus on yourself when you reach a dead-end or do not feel “you” anymore. Your mental and physical state comes first. Staying positive, exercising, talking to someone, sleeping, setting goals, focusing on yourself, balancing your time, and more are all extremely important and beneficial. “Find something that makes you happy, and try to prioritize that,” says Terrell. “Try to find something each day that gives you joy. I try to treat myself to something that will bring me around the corner,” emphasizes Kampert.
each district and each school in the district is situated a little bit differently. The one consistent thing is that every district is different. And so it makes it a little bit harder for us”. Lilly Hebert said, “During my time online due to receiving the variant it was tough to keep up not being in school. Although I was fortunate enough to be able to zoom in online”. Nora Hughes, a firstyear student at Friends said “I had omicron the week before Christmas but the effects of the variant were nothing but a cold”. Carney mentioned that the state of Delaware had asked retired teachers to consider returning to classrooms as substitutes. Carney stated that “The state is focusing on bringing the surge down so regular staff can return”. The state’s measures include distributing KN95 masks for teachers, staff, and students in sixth grade and higher. As of January 25th, 2022, the impact of COVID-19’s omicron variant is dropping even faster than it increased rapidly in Delaware, but the threat is still not gone yet.
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Features
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Sudan Fights Back: The Sudanese Peoples’ Fight for Democracy Jace Boland ‘23 Columnist July 5, 2019, Khartoum, Sudan: The Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) sign a revolutionary agreement that ushers in a new age of democracy in Sudan. Under Omar al-Bashir, the previous dictator who seized power in 1989, Sudan had been ravaged by massacres, rampant militias, and poverty, particularly in the Darfur region, where al-Bashir’s hired militia, the Janjaweed, committed innumerable atrocities. The promise of a transition into democracy brought hope to the people of Sudan. I remember an electric feeling in my household when the news broke, my mother excitedly gushing about the possibility of democracy in her country for the first time since she was a teenager to anyone who would listen. For nearly two years, things looked promising. Then, on October 25, 2021, the Sudanese military placed Prime Minister Abdullah
Hamdok on house arrest and took power through a military coup. After protests broke out across the country, particularly concentrated in the capital city of Khartoum, Hamdok was reinstated, but signed a deal of joint power with the military. The Sudanese people refused to accept more military domination and took to the streets. The valiant citizens of Khartoum march through the city, chanting “A’shaab shaabi aghwa. Aredda mustahila. The people are strong, there is no going back.” The military disabled the internet and mobile communication across the country in an attempt to destabilize the movement, but the protests continue because of the grassroots nature of its organization. Citizens have been on the streets tirelessly nearly every day since the coup. Political groups of all different ideologies are banding together against the threat of a new regime, and one thing is clear: Sudan will not settle for anything less than democracy. As for international intervention, the United States has
condemned the actions of the Sudanese military, suspending 700 million dollars in aid and looking to its allies for similar reactions. The African Union has suspended Sudan, and the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned the military and is currently investigating the human rights abuse being perpetrated against the people. The hope is that with the already devastated economic conditions, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the military coup will have no choice than to comply with the wishes of the international community for the sake of the Sudanese economy.
“A’shaab shaabi aghwa. Aredda mustahila. The people are strong, there is no going back.”
The Janjaweed, the militia responsible for the terror in Darfur, was converted by Sudanese intelligence
authorities into the “Rapid Support Forces” for the military junta, led by Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagalo. The RSF are a paramilitary force designed to crush rebellion in Darfur, and have since been known to perpetrate brutal human rights abuses and military oppression against the Sudanese people. At least 75 civilians have been killed since October, and hundreds more have been injured. There have been reports of civilians blockading streets to defend against military tanks and equipment, and shocking video footage of protestors being attacked with tear gas. Soldiers and police have been seen firing live ammunition into crowds, even using snipers to target the younger, more active members of the movement. 52 of Sudan’s 65 years of independence from British rule have been under a military regime, according to Chatham House. Inshallah, hopefully, this will be the beginning of a new period of freedom and peace.
What’s Up With Eco Team? Tauson Biggs ‘24 Features Writer Friends students have probably heard or heard of Austin Sarker-Young’s famous catchline “Go Eco!”, but there is a lot more to the Eco Team than a catchy slogan. For those who do not know, Eco Team is a school club that pushes for environmental change at Wilmington Friends School. Eco Team is made up of a small but dedicated group of high school students who actively work to make our school and community as a whole more environmentally friendly. The club does not yet have a middle or lower school branch, but that is something they are looking into and eager to get going. The club’s leader, Pablo Charriez ‘24, shared some of the goals and accomplishments of the club so far this year. So you might be wondering, Pablo Charriez? Who’s that? Where’s Austin? These are all good questions. The short answer is that Austin wanted to set up Eco Team for when he was gone. So Pablo bravely stepped up to the plate, trying to fill the big shoes that Austin left for him. So far, he has done an admirable job. A couple of weeks ago, the Eco Team conducted a waste audit
(an independent inspection) of where all the school’s trash goes. They went through several waste sources (trash bins) from around the upper school and searched through the contents of these trash bins on two days in mid-November and sorted through them after school. It was messy work, but the Eco Team was in good spirits knowing they would be getting valuable data at the end. The results of the audit were very enlightening. In all metrics, the cafeteria was concluded to be the biggest producer of waste. Whether it be cardboard or food waste, the recycling and trash bins in the cafeteria are filled up every day. On the second day of the audit, there was a total of 32.23 lbs of trash collected. If the trash bins included in the audit produced this amount of trash every day, WFS would create well over 6000 lbs of trash in a school year. And that is only for 6 or 7 trash bins in the Upper School! Even more astonishing are the percentages of different types of waste found in the bins. The data shows that the waste was made up of 9.6% paper, 10.8% cardboard, 25.3% plastics, 2.7% metal, and 51.4% food waste. This means that on the second day of the audit, more than half the waste found was food. Seeing so much
uneaten and perfectly good food go to waste can be very upsetting. After completing the waste audit, the members of the Eco Team regrouped to brainstorm ways to solve the waste problem in the school and generally make a green impact on the school. Ideas included implementing a bigger and more efficient composting system, using more eco-friendly utensils in the cafeteria, and offering smaller portions in the cafeteria for lowered prices. The team is already hard at work getting the composting system up and running. Looking to the future, Eco Team wants to make changes to the cafeteria system to help reduce the school’s waste output and take advantage of the resources already available, such as the school garden, to make the school as green as possible. A member of Eco Team, Frank Murphy ‘24, commented, “Eco Team has done well at setting attainable goals to improve the sustainability of our daily activities, such as completing Sustainability Pathways set by the National Wildlife Federation, in which we improve the eco-friendliness of our school.” All in all, Eco Team has made good progress in the first semester of this year and is looking to make an even bigger impact in
the final few months of school. Eco Team is also looking to expand, not only in the upper school but also in the middle and lower schools. So why join Eco Team? Frank Murphy ‘24 says “You should join Eco Team because the environment is very beautiful, and it provides us with the resources we need to survive. If we do not protect it, we put ourselves in danger just as much as other species.” Pablo Charriez ‘24, the student leader of the club, commented, “From an objective standpoint, our global climate is in real danger. That point is completely undebatable, and we’re already seeing the effects of climate change. At the heart of things, we’re simply trying to make advocacy for the climate more accessible. Because, as individuals, we can’t control global CO2 emissions, but as a collective, we have a fighting chance. So I guess we’re really just here to educate.” So if students are interested in the environment or like to sort through trash, they should consider joining Eco Team. If you are still on the fence, members of the Eco Team will be talking to all grades and spreading information over the next few weeks about the club, so be on the lookout!
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Of Guns and Greed By Pablo Charriez 24’ On January 17th, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower foretold the rise of the Military-Industrial Complex. This institution catalogs the close relationship between politicians and private defense contractors/organizations. Inherent to the idea is lobbying, the funding of a politician’s campaign, and a “revolving door” with Politicians moving to the Defense sector and vice versa. Six decades after President Eisenhower’s speech, the United States is slated to spend $768.2 billion on National Defense Programs, roughly 15 times the $47 billion spent during Eisenhower’s Administration. Of the $14 trillion the US Department of Defense spent after 9/11, military contractors earned around half. In 2020 alone, US defense contractors raked in a new fiscal high of $682 billion USD. Boeing Co and Northrop Gunman Corp. are both on the top 10 US Lobbyists of all time (opensecrets.org), with a combined $650 million USD spent. Coincidentally, they’re both top 5 US military contractors. But what does this all mean? US taxpayer money is going towards needless war, less for the promise of democracy and more for profit, particularly for mega defense corporations and Washington’s Elite.
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idea of a “revolving door” gets even clearer with another private contractor, the International Oil Trading Company (IOTC), whose $200 million USD profit margin was given to Harry Sargeant III, a finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party. These absurd profits came at the cost of an internal investigation, with the DOJ finding IOTC had inflated the cost of gas they were selling to the US military. Pardon, another mega-corporation tasked with Iraq’s reconstruction testified to Congress on the shortcomings of a $72 billion USD “police college”, whose “... plumbing work was so poor that the pipes burst, dumping urine and fecal matter throughout the college’s buildings”.
deliberate cost-cutting led to the deaths of at least 18 US soldiers and a destabilized country. With Afghanistan, we are seeing much of the same. American corporate greed, mixed with lackluster Federal regulation and a volatile wartorn foreign economy, paved the way for quick profits at the cost of human rights. And that’s disregarding Private Security Contractors (PSC), whose actions consistently border on war crimes. Blackwater, a prominent PSC, was accused of a “massacre” after gunning down 17 civilians in Baghdad. Since those PSC soldiers didn’t “technically” belong to the US, they were only prosecuted after the international press picked up the case.
Now there’s Afghanistan, a symbol for American foreign policy failure. While US intentions in Afghanistan are debatable, I think it’s a safe bet that Joe Biden didn’t want their infrastructure to immediately collapse following American withdrawal. An estimated 9 million people were on the brink of starvation back in January, and now there is an imminent threat of another migration crisis. While US politicians have served as a scapegoat, and rightfully so, it is worth mentioning the blatant cash grabs performed by American mega-corporations, resulting in Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis. Millions of dollars of contract money went towards a defunct gas station, “lavish living quarters for US economic advisors’’, and obsolete patrol boats. In a criminally blatant example of money misuse and greed, the United States was found to have paid regional war-lords protection money, so American trucks could safely travel through Highway 1. The contract money for said payments equaled $2.16 billion USD, some of that money going to the very insurgents those materials were being used to fight.
At the end of the day, without major political intervention, this vicious cycle is bound to continue. One could argue the vices which caused the US to invade these Middle-Eastern countries are the same ones coming to the aid of Ukraine. Profit follows war, and corporations know that. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, two of the largest Military contractors, boasted of profit increase if there was to be a war in Ukraine. In the pursuit of a dollar, what’s the cost of American life?
In 2003, a trigger happy George W. Bush declared “weapons of mass destruction” were in Iraq and invaded the country, starting the Second Gulf War. Eight years later, and the United States withdrew all troops under President Barack Obama, leaving a de-stabilized nation that precariously continues to this day. While there are larger forces at play than just the United States’s occupation and reconstruction, the Iraq reconstruction process was pock-marked by failure and baseless spending. Haliburton, a Distinct similarities surround these two mega-corporation, through its subsidiary Kellog, prime examples of US foreign policy, with priBrown, and Root (KBR), was tasked with said reconstruction but consistently overcharged the vately-owned companies pocketing, illegally, Government on services like oil and food. The government/taxpayer money. In the case of Iraq,
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Sports, Science, and Technology
Joe Sheisty and The New Era of NFL Football By Mitchell Brenner ‘24 Sports Writer
If you grew up watching the NFL in the 2000s or 2010s, you probably remember watching players like Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers play on Sundays. Many of these players’ days on the football field are coming to a close. On February 1st, 2022 Tom Brady tweeted out announcing his retirement, ending his playing days in the NFL. With Ben Roethlisberger retiring just a week before Brady, many of these players that dominated the 2000s and 2010s are getting older and may retire within the next few years. Although fans sadly will be losing many of these players they grew up watching, the young players in the league are shaping up to have bright futures in the new era of the NFL. The divisional round of the 2021 playoffs was filled with excitement for football fans. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by Tom Brady, matched up against the Los Angeles Rams. Tom Brady, who is known as the greatest football player of all time, was favored to win by three or more points. Entering the fourth quarter of regulation, the Buccaneers were down 27-13 and brought it to a 27-27 game with 42 seconds left on the clock. Then, the Buccaneers’ defense allowed the Rams to gather a game-winning drive to win the game with a field goal and bring the score to 30-27. Tom Brady and the reigning champion Buccaneers were knocked out of the playoffs in just the second round, eventually becoming Tom Brady’s last playoff game ever. The Bills and Chiefs faced off in an AFC divisional round thriller in the 2022 playoffs. After the Chiefs beat the Bills in the AFC championship the prior year, this was a rematch that everyone was waiting for. From the start of the game, neither team let up, ending the first half with a tied score
Covid Updates for 2022 By Addison DiGuglielmo ‘25 Science and Technology Writer The Covid-19 pandemic has been raging on for the past 2 years. With new variants popping in and out and rules and regulations changing, it can be hard to keep up. For example, many varieties of masks other than KN95 have shown to be ineffective at stopping the spread of coronavirus. Because of this, Delaware’s mask mandate recently expired, even though cases are still high. While Friends still requires facemasks to be worn, many nearby schools are no longer requiring masks to be worn. This indoor un-mandate will also not require people to wear masks in hospitals. “Nemours holds many atrisk people, and not requiring masks could lead to more cases and more severe cases because many of our patients are vulnerable,” said Dr. Matthew Di Guglielmo, chief of General Pediatrics at Nemours: Children’s Hospital. Matthew is hopeful that the hospital will still require masks, but because the overall rule is they are not required, many people could disregard that The Whittier Miscellany 2022
of 14-14. The third quarter had the Chiefs up by a score of 23-21, but the lead was not safe. In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter 25 points were scored, the second most in NFL history since 1966 and most in playoff history, with the lead changing four times. Josh Allen and the Bills led a long drive ending with a touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis and a 2-point conversion pass to Stefon Diggs to make the score 29-26. Then, the Chiefs were able to answer right back with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill where he outran the entire Bills secondary with 44 of the yards being after the catch. The score being 33-29, the Bills led an amazing drive to score a touchdown with just 13 seconds left on the clock. With the clock against them, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs needed a miracle to win this game, and that was exactly what happened. 13 seconds on the clock is all the Chiefs needed to gather a game-tying drive ending with a successful field goal with no time left on the clock. The game advanced to overtime where the Chiefs won the coin toss and scored a touchdown to win the game 42-36 in a supreme playoff game. With the win, the Chiefs moved on to the AFC Championship final to play Joe Burrow and the Bengals. 2020 first overall pick quarterback Joe Burrow has had a breakout 2021 season after tearing his ACL in week 11 of the 2020 season. Burrow was drafted to a 2-14 Cincinnati Bengals team and was able to turn them into a 10-7 playoff team in just his second season in the NFL. Burrow, nicknamed “Joe Sheisty” after the Tiktoker “TraphouseSports” made a video calling him by the name referencing the rapper Pooh Sheisty. The Tiktok blew up and the nickname “Joe Sheisty” stuck on. Burrow led the Bengals to beat the Raiders 26-19 in the wildcard round of the playoffs, moving them to the divisional round. In the divisional round, the Bengals faced off against #1 seed Titans and pulled out a win to advance into the AFC championship. In the AFC championship game, the Bengals were up against the Kansas City Chiefs that were fresh off of their big win against the Bills. The Chiefs gained a second quarter lead of 21-3, and when
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all hope was almost lost, Joe Sheisty began the epic comeback. The Bengals scored a touchdown before halftime to bring the score within 11 points. Coming out of halftime, the Bengals’ defense stepped up their game, not allowing the Chiefs to score until the final drive of the game. This allowed for Joe Burrow to take the game to overtime and eventually win with a score of 27-24. With this, Joe Sheisty headed to the Superbowl to take on the Los Angeles Rams in just his second season in the NFL. Although the Bengals fell short in a close 2320 Superbowl loss, their team is filled with young talent that leaves the door open to many possibilities in the future. Although it may be sad to see the greatest players of our generation start to retire, NFL fans can’t help but be happy with the bright future ahead. There are many young quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert already being considered the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Along with them the prominent rookies: Zach Wilson, Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones, and Davis Mills are seen to have great potential. Many teams in the NFL are teeming with electrifying young talent that will be nothing but amazing to watch for the next decade.
fact. “ I’m hoping people will continue to wear masks inside because I believe cases, and deaths/ seri ous cases, will go up if we don’t,” said Matthew Di Guglielmo. “Even without the mask mandate, I will continue to wear my mask inside. I believe it is the right thing to do,” said Anya Agarwal, a ninth-grader at Wilmington Friends school. Another less recent Covid update is the Newish booster vaccines. The booster was approved for high schoolers in January 2022. Many students have missed school because of feeling lightheaded or unwell after receiving the booster. “I did not miss school, but I did feel lightheaded when I got my booster,” said Maggie Royer, a freshman at Wilmington Friends school. The booster is obviously another vital step in our fight against Covid, but hopefully the number of people experiencing symptoms decreases. Overall, Our battle against Covid is not looking too great, but I am optimistic that if we all work together we can be successful.
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How Should We Treat The Unvaccinated? By Ava Steinberger When Novak Djokovic, the number oneranked men’s tennis player, tried to use a medical exemption to get around the Covid vaccination requirement at this year’s Australian Open, he caused an international uproar. With the world trying to escape the pandemic, Djokovic’s unwillingness to get vaccinated was seen by many as incredibly irresponsible. There were very few people willing to defend Djokovic after the Australian government decided to deport him rather than allow him to play—a decision that cost the Serbian a chance to set the men’s record for most grand slam singles titles (instead, his rival Rafael Nadal won the Australian and set the record). But apart from what it meant in tennis terms, the controversy over Djokovic raised a bigger question: How should we treat the unvaccinated? At around the same time that Djokovic was fighting for the right to compete in the Australian Open, there was a controversy in Boston with much more serious implications: a hospital had removed a 31-year-old man from its heart transplant list because he, like Djokovic, was unvaccinated. But while that might have seemed harsh, medical experts pointed out that organ transplant surgery leaves people very vulnerable to infection; given the limited supply of available organs, it makes sense to give them to those who are the most likely to survive and who have done everything they can to ensure that the operation is a success. As Art Caplan, a medical ethicist, explained in regard to the patient in Boston, “This is not bias against the unvaccinated, it is sound medical policy.” Of course, a life-saving transplant operation is a pretty extreme example. Should we also deny unvaccinated people the right to go to restaurants and theaters—and to play major tennis tournaments? The issue is one of personal autonomy versus the interests of the community. In a recent interview with the BBC, Djokovic said that he was not an anti-vaxxer but believed in “the freedom to choose what you put in your body.” That might seem like a reasonable point, and it could be argued that because the Covid vaccines have proven to be so effective, the unvaccinated are now mostly just harming themselves. It was mainly unvaccinated people who were hospitalized and died during this winter’s Omicron wave. However, those who are immunocompromised, such as cancer patients, are still seriously threatened by Covid. According to The New York Times, around seven million adult Americans, or three percent of the population, are considered immunocompromised, and the unvaccinated pose a real danger to them. Also, as infectious disease specialists point out, a large population of unvaccinated people gives the virus the opportunity to mutate. While the Omicron variant turned out to be fairly mild—at least for those who were vaccinated—another mutation might be more threatening. A few weeks ago, the French government introduced a bill banning vaccinated people from restaurants, theaters, cafes, and other public places. It was very controversial, and became even more controversial when France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said in an interview that his goal was to “piss off ” the unvaccinated—to make life as difficult as possible for them. That seemed harsh, but public health officials say that if vaccines are
not going to be made mandatory, government officials need to do whatever they can to pressure the unvaccinated to get the shot. Macron now has an opportunity to “piss off ” one of the world’s most famous athletes—Djokovic. The French Open starts in a few months, and as of now, Djokovic will not be allowed to play because he remains unvaccinated. Sports events in France are open only to those who have been vaccinated, and that includes the athletes themselves. An exception could be made for Djokovic, but that would probably cause as much outrage in France as it did in Australia, and it seems doubtful that Macron would be willing to do that for a foreign sports star. In his interview with the BBC, Djokovic said that he would rather miss the French and other big tournaments than give in and get the vaccine. “That is the price I’m willing to pay,” he said.
January 6, 2021 By Anna Maansson It has been a year since protesters stormed the capital on January 6, 2021. Following a Trump rally, hundreds of Trump’s supporters descended on the capitol, trying to interfere with the certification of the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election. The rioters broke through police barricades and some smashed through windows and doors to get inside the Capitol Building. Some members of congress hid in an underground bunker while others barricaded themselves in offices to protect themselves from the people storming the Capitol. Due to the violence, five people died and
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$1.5 million dollars worth of damage was caused to the building during the insurrection. Many officers were injured and suffered trauma from the riot. There were several officers present during the insurrection that later committed sucide. This event led to the impeachment of former President Trump for incitement of insurrection on January 13, 2021. He was found not guilty in Senate trial. In July, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, formed a bipartisan House committee to investigate the riot. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 725 people with various crimes in relation to the January 6 insurrection, making it the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history. Individuals have been arrested from nearly all 50 states. Some of the individuals involved in the riot were led to believe they would be pardoned by Trump in his last 14 days in office but none were granted. They are still holding out hope for a pardon. “If I run and I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly,” Trump said during his campaign rally on January 29, 2022. “We will treat them fairly, and if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.” “I don’t want to reinforce that defiling the Capitol was okay,” Senator Lindsey Graham said on CBS News in response to Trump’s comments. He said that he hopes those who participated in the riot, “go to jail and get the book thrown at them, because they deserve it.” The insurrection may also lead to problems in future elections. This may open grounds for people to try to undermine elections in the future. The United States is a democracy and the people must have faith in the election system for it to run well. Mr. Wood, a teacher at Wilmington Friends School, said that he thinks it could go one of two ways, “The first and the way that I think most people would want, is whatever the election result is, whoever it’s between, the results are accepted and we move on and this just becomes an abnormal thing that happened one time and if that happens and we can start consistently accepting elections again. However I’m not convinced that’s what’s going to happen.” The second way he described would be a collapse of democracy in the United States. This is further highlighted by the Pew Research Center. It shows that there is more of a divide in political views between parties than there was in the past. People have less bipartisan views and more extreme stances on issues. This could lead to further problems in the U.S. government to ensure fair elections.
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Talibanistan: A Brief Look at the History of the Taliban By Jack Hebert On August 15th, 2021, the Taliban, a fundamentalist political movement and military organization in Afghanistan, took control of the city of Kabul, and with it, Afghanistan. This marks the end of a near two decade long conflict after the United States invasion toppled the original regime in 2001. This has left many people concerned for the political and military stability in the Middle Eastern region. But what is the Taliban? How did they regain power in Afghanistan? The Taliban emerged from Pakistan in September of 1994 following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. They promised the people that they would restore peace and security and enforce their own version of Sharia, or Islamic law, once in power. The Taliban quickly extended their influence through southwest Afghanistan before they captured the Herat province in September 1995. Exactly one year later, they captured Kabul and overthrew the regime of President Burhanuddin Rabbani, one of the founding fathers of the Afghan mujahideen that resisted Soviet forces. By 1998, the Taliban controlled nearly 90% of Afghanistan. Afghans generally welcomed the Taliban, as they
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were tired of the conflict from the mujahideen and infighting that resulted after the Soviets left. They gained popularity early on by stamping out corruption, curbing lawlessness, and making the areas under their control safe for trade to flourish. The Taliban also, however, enforced punishments in strict accordance with Sharia law. This included public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers, and the amputations of convicted thieves. They were accused of various human rights violations and cultural abuses. The world’s attention was called to Afghanistan not during the regime change, but after the September 11th attacks. The Taliban was accused of sheltering Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden before and after the attacks, which was true. The Taliban gave Al-Qaeda a safe haven where they were free to recruit, educate, train, and deploy their members to other countries. This was likely due to the support Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban at the time, gave to Bin Laden. On October 7th, 2001, the United States led an invasion into Afghanistan, resulting in the collapse of the Taliban within the first week of December 2001. The group’s senior leaders, including Bin Laden, managed to evade capture. Despite their major setback, the Taliban was able to regain its influence and reorganize, where it carried out numerous terror attacks throughout the years until a US-Taliban peace deal was negotiated in February 2020. Despite this peace deal, the Taliban continued, but shifted their attacks to targeted assassinations against
journalists, judges, peace activists, and women of power. This suggested that the Taliban had not changed their extremist ideology. Despite the Taliban’s continued violence and concerns that the Afghan government would be vulnerable, President Joe Biden withdrew all American forces from Afghanistan. This withdrawal, however, was executed poorly, leaving behind millions of dollars worth of military technology, which the Taliban quickly seized. Along with that, the Taliban rapidly conquered land, and within ten days, conquered Kabul. A twenty year conflict has finally ended, and has been brought back to right where it began.
Layout Night Look-Book: take a look at the oufits your favorite editors are sporting at layout night!
Dan Scott: wearing Gregory Allan Isakov latest collection limited edition t-shirt, united by blue backwards baseball cap, gray joggers, Diadora sneakers complete the look for a chic, comfy, casual layout night look.
Grace Morrison: sporting vintage GAP light-wash jeans, complimented by a GAP sweater and vest combo for a fashionable purple and blue school look.
Tess Wolf and Kendall Law: Kendall is going full American Eagle on this Tuesday evening. White sneakers complete her all blue casual daytime look. Tess is rocking a dark green zip-up courtesy of her moms closet, with a WFS basketball pinney (go blue) completed with burgundy under-armour shorts. She’s giving student athlete and we love it.
Kai Heister and Brooke Harrison: Brooke is rocking aerie leggings with a URI sweatshirt completed by a chic black North Face Jacket. Kai is wearing converse, a WFS sweatshirt, and vintage black pants. Both looks perfect for all that layout night entails.
Collier Zug: wearing a frilly pink Hello Molly number he found in News Editor, Lily Rashkinds’ locker. The rest of the outfit is not important.
Lily Rashkind and Eden Cottone: Lily sports aerie yoga pants with Ana Pardo ‘24s sweater. Look is completed by a naughty Christmas hat. Eden is rocking a vintage Lasalle Sweatshirt, lululemon leggings, with Nike Air Forces. An Eagles Hat elevates the look.
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Entertainment “[I saw] Rust and Bone at Theater N in 2012, but I watch foreign films on other platforms.”
Are You Feeling Cinematic Déja Vu? By Jemima Smith 2021 has come and gone in what feels like no time, and with it a slew of new movies on the big screen. Last year saw the spewing of rehashed Intellectual Property (IP) all across the movie industry, but reboots specifically have been cropping up time and time again. In with the old, out with the new! Hollywood’s 2021 line-up felt a bit like having warm nostalgia crammed down your throat. We saw remakes of old classics like Space Jam and Ghostbusters, as well as painfully self-aware meta-movies like The Matrix: Resurrections and the new Scream. Cruella added to Disney’s ever-growing mass of live-action remakes (albeit, with good music and costuming). There were also a fair amount of sit-down reunions and documentaries to remind everyone how old they are getting. Get Back allowed a more personal look into the Beatles’ final album and specials like Friends: The Reunion and Harry Potter: Return To Hogwarts let viewers think fondly about a time when there was original content. Several notable successes emerged from the pile of reincarnated IP: Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story revitalized the classic musical with grit and authenticity, and Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune provided stunning visuals and successfully told a difficult story to put on the big screen. Even younger generations jumped on the memory lane train with reboots like iCarly, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, which merged three iterations of our favorite arachnid. So why is Hollywood churning out a disproportionate amount of reboots, and why are we willingly giving money for more? Throughout the pandemic, we spent all of our attention and dollars on streaming, because there was nothing else to do (besides maybe make sourdough). Everyone was launched into old media, because nothing new was coming out. The social media sensation TikTok has also brought back waves of nostalgia, particularly to Generation Z. Recently, kids’ shows like The Backyardigans and Sesame Street have been massively trending. Reboots and sequels are a sure bet for cinema; people are almost guaranteed to pay to see comfy content that they already know they’ll enjoy. Even if a movie doesn’t do extremely well, there’s a safety net for the corporations who put millions of dollars into these productions. Small companies make original content, but barely create a ripple next to the tsunamis of advertising mega-corporations like Disney and Sony are putting out. Saying that all new media is rehashed IP is exaggeration to an extent. 2021 saw the release of several original concepts in cinema. However, the highest grossing movies of the year were almost entirely based on preexisting material. Out of the top ten highest-grossing movies of the year, only one (Free Guy) was an original screenplay. Several new, exciting movies were released, but little to no marketing was attached and they passed by silently. When asked about the last foreign movie she saw in theaters, Ms. Bulk replied:
Theaters seem to be a dying business; why go to a theater when someone can watch from the comfort of their own home? Mega-companies like Marvel and its parent company, Disney, are now more IP corporations than movie studios. Marvel’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) spans years and is a cash cow for merchandise and big bucks at the box office. At this point, owning faces that moviegoers already know is more valuable than being new and exciting; the movie industry is becoming a series of power plays rather than individual strands of ideas. These are the main concepts behind projects like Disney’s new live-action lineups. Ms. O’Brien, chemistry teacher and Disney fan, said: “My feelings are a bit of a mixed bag… Beauty and the Beast was good. I couldn’t make myself watch Aladdin because I love the Robin Williams Genie so much, even though I’m sure [Will Smith] did a great job. I also refuse to watch the Lion King because I absolutely cannot handle a real-looking lion cub sobbing over his dead dad. Mulan flopped. And then there are the new stories of old characters, like Maleficent and Cruella. The first Maleficent was good; the second one I stopped watching halfway through, and I loved Cruella.” Encanto is up for 3 Oscar nominations this year; it’s the first time in a while that a new Disney animation isn’t “pleasant, but forgettable”. Disney seems to be putting most of its effort into reproducing all of the old characters and IP it can, so Encanto is a breath of fresh air in that regard. Still, it may be missing something in comparison to the studio’s traditional originality. O’Brien attests: “We are a Disney house for sure; if a screen is on it most likely has something Disney playing. The old animated classics are on repeat, and the new ones are at most a single-view phenomenon.” It seems like cinema’s regurgitation of old properties isn’t going to stop anytime soon. The coming years are set to see yet another Batman film, the long-awaited Avatar 2, a vaguely confusing Toy Story tie-in entitled Lightyear, a Chris Pratt attempt at Mario, another go at Fantastic Four, and remakes of Snow White and The Little Mermaid. And these are just the ones viewers know about! Ultimately, when people are worried or discontent they return to what they know. We’ve been doing it naturally and Hollywood decided to capitalize on our longing for the past: it’s a safe bet for them and for us. It seems everyone is pointing to tv shows and streaming as the new frontier; hundreds of original miniseries are spilling out while theaters struggle to make revenue. Who knows where the movie industry is going? For now, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
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The Whittier Miscellany Staff Co-Editor-in-Chief: Eden Cottone ’22 Co-Editor-in-Chief: Livy Zug ’22 New Editor: Lily Rashkind ’23 Science/Tech Editor: Kai Heister ’23 Ent. Editor: Grace Morrison ‘22 Comm. Editor: Sameer Vidwans ’23 Features Editor: Tess Wolf ‘24 Sports Editor: Collier Zug ‘24 Copy Editor: Kendall Law ’24 Copy Editor: Brooke Harrison ’23 Collumist: Jace Boland ‘23 Collumist: Pablo Charriez ‘24 Writers: Tauson Biggs ‘24 Mitchell Brenner ‘24 Katie Bryan ‘24 Lucy Cericola ‘25 Addison Di Guglielmo ‘25 Jack Hebert ‘23 Emma Larsen ‘25 Molly Lavelle ‘24 Temi Lufadeju ‘25 Anna Maansson ‘25 Jemima Smith ‘24 Ava Steinberger ‘23 Thank you to our guest contributors! Isabelle Bohner ‘24 Duncan Roskovensky ‘24
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Returning A Web of Nostalgia By Lucy Cericola Caution: This article contains spoilers for Spider-man: No Way Home. The well loved Spider-Man franchise has returned once again, producing a phenomenal movie by the standards of thousands of critics, with a well developed plot and appropriate fan service. It has surpassed every other Spider-Man movie in terms of its box office value, generating a grand yet not surprising value of more than 1.8 billion dollars.
Entertainment little to respond to the rumors with and commenced his MIA era of avoiding paparazzi and all things the internet had to say. Though fans believed different things, some banking on the return of Maguire & Garfield and others saying it was never going to happen, the uncertainty of the situation undoubtedly made their appearances all the more special.
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ly neighborhood Spider-Man, sacrificing his own happiness to do so. “I really want to see where Marvel goes with Peter’s relationships with Ned and MJ, since they don’t remember him anymore.” says Carter Ross ‘23.
So what does this movie mean for Marvel and the “I saw a trailer for No Way Home with Toby, Andrew, MCU? and all of the actors during the summer,” says Amelia Rolls ‘25. “Something came out later that it was fake Marvel has yet to greenlight another addition to or fan made and I was bummed. When I saw the of- Holland’s Spider-Man franchise, though fans can ficial trailer I was like ‘Okay, it’s still gonna be a good expect the sequel to the heart felt Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse film in coming months. Returning to the same repetitive formula Marvel movies typically spin would be a step down from the high expectations No Way Home has set in place.
No Way Home picks up immediately where events of the previous film left off. After an excruciating two and a half year wait, fans got to see the consequences Peter When asked what his hopes were for Parker faces following his starthe future of the Spider-Man frantling identity reveal in Far From chise, Andrew Forman ‘25 respondHome. Struggling to keep his ed with, “Spider-Man meeting the relationships and public life in a X-Men and Fantastic Four like in the somewhat stable condition, Peter comics.” enlists the help of Doctor Steven Strange in an attempt to produce “I really hope that they get…even if a spell which will cause everyone not happy endings, because I know to forget his secret. However, as that’s not very realistic especially in a expected, the spell backfires and movie series like this, at least satisfyPeter is burdened with the reing endings.” says Amelia Rolls ‘25. sponsibility of keeping his world movie’. Then when I actually saw Toby and Andrew in “Like I want them to feel complete in the end, and safe from fan favorite villains like the Green Gob- theaters the surprise was ten times better.” I’m excited to see what new heroes the MCU comes lin and Doc Ock who swore to destroy the only up with.” Spider-Man (or so they thought).After the record I know I personally shed a few tears of happiness breaking trailer of the movie portrayed a comeback seeing my favorite childhood characters reunite on No matter where you stand on the Maguire vs. of super villains from previous Spider-Man films, screen, especially after the emotional turmoil director Garfield vs. Holland Spider-Man debate, No Way fans began to theorize the return of actors Toby Jon Watts put his audience through with the death of Home did an undeniably fantastic job of providing Maguire (Spider-Man) and Andrew Garfield (The Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May (RIP). long term fans with a sense of closure with Andrew Amazing Spider-Man). and Toby’s characters. We were able to hear the wise On a separate note, No Way Home takes a much moreand long awaited words Aunt May spoke for one last Of course, Garfield denied his involvement in No depressing approach to its ending than its preceding time. Way Home, frantically jumping around the specu- movies, with a newly matured Peter Parker choosing lation of his returning role. Maguire however, had to take the responsibility of being more than a friend- “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
Betty White: The American Actress and Activist By Molly Lavelle
Betty White was a beloved American actress and TV star. She was most popular for her vast roles in the entertainment industry since the 1940s, but is also known for the many things she did in her life. Betty Marion White was born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois to Horace and Tess White. She rose to fame early in her life, working in various projects and radio shows around the 1940s. She co-founded Bandy Productions so that she could be in charge of her own projects. Betty was one of the first women to work both in front of and behind the camera. Around this time, she married Lane Allen, who she would end up being married to for a few years. She continued acting in many other projects like That 70’s Show, Mama’s Family, Love Boat, and many more. She then met her next husband, Allen Ludden, who she would be married to until his death in 1981. White never gave birth to any children herself, yet stated many times in interviews how grateful she was to be a stepmother and help raise her husband’s children. Having children of her own was never a priority for White, she wanted to focus on her career. Betty’s career was not short-lived at all, as her popularity continued to grow until her very last days. In 2010, White starred in a Superbowl commercial that took the country by storm. Fans went crazy afterwards, and begged for her to participate in more recent productions. She ended up hosting Saturday Night Live alongside Jay-Z, after previously rejecting the show 3 times. Though Betty White has been in numerous different movies and TV programs, there are specific iconic roles that she will be remembered by. White was featured in The Mary Tyler Moore Show as the character Sue Ann Nivens. The sitcom was about a newly single woman who moves to Minneapolis and works at a fictional TV station. White would recieve 3 Emmy nominations for her role, and won two of them. White is also famous for her role in The Golden Girls. After its debut in 1985, the show skyrocketed to fame. Betty White, along with her costars Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, were seen as the most iconic women of the time. However, White was not only an actress; she was a popular author and animal rights activist. White wrote many autobiographies about her life in the television business publishing her first one in 1987. White was also a devoted animal welfare activist. She received the National Humanitarian Medal from the American Humane Association. Betty White sadly passed away on December 31, 2022, only a few weeks before her 100th birthday. She passed away due to a stroke that she had just six days earlier. Though this was a sad time, the world did not forget about her. White’s legacy lives on now more than ever. After her death, fans created “The Betty White Challenge.” The challenge was started on social media and encouraged people to donate just $5 to any animal rescue organization on her birthday on January 17. Betty would be happy to know the positive impact that her death caused in America. This small challenge that started on Instagram has brought in around 12.7 million dollars. Betty White was a beloved woman, in all aspects, and her loss is massive for America. Everyone in the film industry has been grieving, but try to also celebrate that which she did; she led an eventful life. The Whittier Miscellany 2021
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Love in Waiting By Duncan Roskovensky ’24 Love: it’s a simple and fleeting thing. Easily broken and destroyed, as well as easily created. There are many types of love: self-love, friendship love, purely romantic, animal and pet love, family love, sensual love, etc. While there are many more types of love, there are more ways to express it. Love is one of the most magical things in our world. It heals and cuts, it grows and dies, it makes us who we are. Generally, humanity doesn’t spend much time focusing on the topic of love, but there is one day: Valentines Day! Where all love is expressed and powerful. It’s a day for partners to show one another their compassion and how much they value the other. It’s a day for friends to gather and tell each other how much they mean to one another and how much they help one another. It’s a day when families connect with gifts, movies or other traditions. But not everyone sees love the same way. Others consider it different from magical. Some think love is, “A toxic chemical impacting every decision you make, and when you’re off the high, it’s just comfort, I guess, just real.” Others say it’s “When you choose to unconditionally support and care for someone. You can care for someone, but not love someone” and “Accepting someone in their entirety”. Many say “I don’t care if it’s just chemicals, I want it. I want the butterflies, the blushing, the giddy laughs and smiles. I want the person that makes life feel simple and problems feel unimportant.” As you can tell, there are very different spectrums of what love is. I believe it is many things, but most of all is that it is difficult. — February 14, Valentines Day. The day which love controls. It’s a joyous day for many, but not for me. Today is my busiest day of the year. I’m what many would call a matchmaker, but I would call myself a love enthusiast. I’ve seen many relationships in my time, friendships and partnerships. If you doubt me, don’t. I’m over a thousand years old and I’ve been around the block a few times. In fact I’ve been around the block 927 times, so yeah I know a little bit about love. The one thing I’ve never been able to find, is love for myself. And I don’t mean friendship, I’ve had millions of friends. I don’t even mean the interesting type of love, like I’ve said I’ve been around the block. Rather I’ve never had the romantic connection, like I’ve seen so many have before. The butterflies in my stomach that make me want to lurch forward and kiss someone? Nope, never felt it. The sound of someone’s voice stuck in my head torching me because I can’t see them at this moment? Never heard of it. Now don’t get me wrong, I do want love, in fact I’ve planned my wedding 203 times, each time with a different style and theme, but I never have a groom standing there with me. I’ve tried dating others, but the spark is never there. When my parents were around I would hear them talk about me behind my back. “Oh, come on Venus, maybe he just hasn’t found the right person?” My father always said, but my mother insisted I would never find love. She wanted me to marry someone for her well being. So she could get rich and make her happy; but wealth wasn’t what I was after, it was a feeling. A feeling I was told about, a feeling I read about. The feeling of your heart stopping and starting to fly. The one where joyous bells ring in your ears as you and your lover plan a wedding together. That’s
Literary Section what I want, but never get. I’ve helped so many of my friends get together. I’ve been the best man, I’ve even officiated weddings, but I’ve never been in front of the altar. It was Valentines day, my working day, I was out and about doing my rounds as per usual. I had pretty much given up on love for myself. Which, might I add, destroys your mind. Always love yourself kids. That’s when it hit. The butterflies, and I mean literal butterflies flew into my face, no subtlety there. I was knocked onto my back, which hurt like Hades, and I heard quite a few cracks. But I composed myself and kept getting to my next appointment. Like I said I was busy, didn’t have time to get to the doctors. The issue was that thanks to the butterflies I was late, and the two people who I was meant to introduce to one another had left the vicinity in opposite directions. I tried to follow one, but I lost them in the alleyways of the city. I turned to follow the other, but they were right behind me. Gods there were handsome, I knew never to mix work and love, so I stayed calm. He surely couldn’t see me, mainly because I’m invisible, but he seemed to stare at me, not through me like usual. I started to shimmy away, but I stopped when he spoke. “Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just that you seem to radiate beauty.” His voice was something I couldn’t explain. Think of a voice you just love to hear and multiply that gorgeous factor times ten. But I played it cool, I turned around, possibly slipping in the process… but you weren’t there so how would you know. I walked towards him, and against my better judgment stretched out my hand. Surprisingly he took it. “So,” He asked, “What’s your name… gorgeous.” He tried to add the gorgeous as a confident flirt, but we both knew it was terrible, so he laughed, I giggled. Yeah giggled, I probably should have gone to the doctors. But then I answered his question. “I’m Cupid, nice to meet you.” — Love is difficult. It can feel like thousands of years will go by and no one will ever notice you. Like love isn’t for you, and maybe it’s not, or maybe not all of it is for you. But if love is for you and you are reaching out for it, it will find you. Even if you have to wait just one more Valentines day.
The Words By Isabelle Bohner ’24 The words flow through me In different languages Like travelers starting a journey Who disappear into fog Like music only to vanish into the mists They flow like water headed to a waterfall They run like a runner on an abandoned street saying Just keep going one more step An urge to write them down Like the rabbit that sees a lion My hands twitch at the thought of this idea So many words to describe it To create something incredible To put a piece of myself into the world I grab at them like a greedy child Reaching my hands, my mind towards them But the words They desert me
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After the Storm, When the Flowers Bloom By Emma Larson ’25 I feel like I am drowning in a puddle of water. gasping for air waiting for someone to pull me out. Every emotion flooding me, Swooshing me around, Leading me to not know where to go next. If I should cross the bridge to the unknown, Or if I should stay stuck here. Like I am trapped with nobody to talk. My surroundings are pitchblack Echoing my thoughts. But everybody has to go on right? Nothing good ever comes easy, right? Just like after a storm, Flowers always bloom. Blooming for the new fresh start, And the new path to take. Because only then, do I no longer feel lost.
Wildflower By Livingston Zug ’22 In imitation of Dickinson “The Poets Light but Lamps.” a poem—is the thing that sparks a Song — like a flower — to bloom beneath evening skies beyond the Ages — softly, seeping through soils; Perhaps a petal will waft to the damp earth disturbed by a Whisper — a Breath — A flower that gathers unto itself the souls of those who behold it, rearing a silky Diadem of hue — Disseminated across those Stars of splendid insignificance — Melodies, intertwining to blossom as wildflowers in the heart, root themselves — deeply —
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Fun & Games
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The Whittier Miscellany 2021
Thank you for reading the March Issue of the Whittier Miscellany. Enjoy your spring break and Go Blue!
The Whittier Miscellany 2021