WESTERN RESERVE ACADEMY OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013 | VOL. C : NO. 2 The British Are Coming! Fracking: Digging Deeper Chess: The Musical The longest-running Caterham School students offer their ECHO Module uncovers the facts about A behind-the-scenes look at this year’s newspaper in historic first impressions of the USA fracking charging Cold War production Hudson, Ohio PAGE 2 | OPINION PAGES 5 & 6| INSERT PAGE 9 | Arts Homecoming Week- WRA Teacher Contributes to Search For Cancer Cure end: Gatsby Style by Morissa Clayman ’16 by Chunghwa Suh ’16 “All we’ve ever done is treat it, and not prevent it,” Sweat, sequins, and singing all came to- Mr. Robert Aguilar, a biology teacher here at Western gether on October 26th in the Ellsworth Reserve Academy, explains the thinking behind the rev- olutionary research for a cancer vaccine. Aguilar is cur- dining hall. With Hudson DJs Andrew rently enrolled in the doctorate program at Cleveland Kern and Erik Laszlo Johnson supplying State University where he is in the final stages of his the beat, Western Reserve Academy’s Gats- Ph.D in regulatory biology with a concentration in mo- by Homecoming was a night to remember. lecular medicine. He is working towards developing a From the Gatsby-inspired picture booth vaccine for testicular cancer. This vaccine development to the chocolate fountain, the dance was was a part of a project that started seven years ago, but a carefully designed formula for success. ultimately did not succeed. Recently, Aguilar brought The dance was organized by Student a new mindset. He used the same model of the original wra.net by Photo provided Council with help from parent volun- project but focused on a different protein, known as WRA students Alex Fellows '14, Maggie Olson '15, and Eric Chueh '14 worked at the Cleveland Clinic with the help of Aguilar's connections. teers, and it was no easy task to create inhibin, which is widely expressed by tumors. Then, he such a memorable evening. Selena Walsh tricked the immune system into attacking the specific strategy. Now, instead of marketing it as a vaccine, they ’14, student body president, described cells that are unique to the cancerous tumors to shrink will market it as a treatment to go along with chemother- the meticulous planning that went into them. Aguilar explains, “The advantage in using the apy and radiation. The plan is to gradually unveil the treatment as a vaccine to the market. Aguilar explained, the dance. “The whole idea of the Gatsby immune system is that it gains memory of which cells “As far as we’ve come, the best treatment was either to theme started with Alex Fellows’ [’13] to kill and keeps it for years and years to keep fighting.” expose patients to radiation or toxins. The treatments mom during one of our meetings,” she Like Aguilar, other researchers at the Cleveland Clinic target any cell that divides quickly--hair cells, skin cells, said. “We all thought that it would be are working on vaccines, but for different cancers, such liver cells--all get killed with chemo. Our method is really cool, and there are so many ways as breast and ovarian cancer. The breast cancer vaccine, very precise and only the cancer cells are attacked.” to work Gatsby.” As the movie empha- started eleven years ago, is currently in clinical trials. The vaccine prevented cancer in 100% of mice in the Five WRA students worked on the cancer vaccines sized glamour and opulence, the student this past summer during an internship with the expe- council tried to reflect these concepts model. These results were published in a respected peer-review journal Nature Medicine. After the clinical rienced scientists. Alex Fellows ‘14 worked directly on by adding numerous decorations, bites the breast cancer vaccine. Each student grew cancer and of food, and of course, great music. trials for the breast cancer vaccine, there will be clini- cal trials for the ovarian and testicular cancer vaccines. bacteria cells and was very involved with the process in “We had high expectations for the DJs The team has run into some difficulties along the one of the three vaccines. Maggie Olson ‘15 recalls because they had quite a reputation for way with funding, having applied for a grant from the her experience, “I bringing the party, and they had prom- Susan G. Komen Foundation, an organization known still can’t believe ised to impress,” said Selena. The grand for hosting Cleveland’s 3-Day, a sixty-mile course in I got to do it-- total of students who went up on stage which participants walk for three days to raise mon- it’s groundbreak- was well over 20, and according to Bren- ey for community programs and to create awareness ing.” The team’s dan Kelley ’14, the music had, without about breast cancer. Aguilar’s team applied only to be research has made a doubt, brought the party to life. “The denied not once, but three times by the foundation. national news: best part of the night for me was when I Susan G. Komen? Against finding the cure to breast it has appeared went up on that stage and got to see ev- cancer? Well, the answer is affirmative, in a sense. With- in The Huff- eryone dancing and having a good time,” out cancer around, the foundation would not exist. ington Post and he said. “You could tell that the DJs were No more money and no more need for fundraiser and ABC news. WRA doing a good job because everyone was awareness events. The team was denied a fourth time should be proud to dancing like there was no tomorrow.” by our own Department of Defense. This only shows have someone like what a huge industry has been built upon cancer and Aguilar as a part Though the night eventually had to its progressing treatment. Foundations and pharma of our community. come to an end, the students were left Mr. Robert Aguilar, Cleveland Clinic re- ceutical companies rely on victims for revenue. These searcher and WRA faculty member. with many good memories and were left events led Aguilar’s team to rethink their marketing eagerly awaiting the next school dance. Costa Ricans Continue Cultural Immersion by Tricia Cunningham ’14 Every year, Western Reserve Academy hosts students from Costa Rica from the St. Jude’s School in San Jose. This year, four students visited for about ten days. The students that visited this year were Jimena Chacon, Dominick Howell, Maximiliano Morales, and Nad- riely Nassimiento. They stayed in Ellsworth and Bick- nell dorms with the other boarders at Reserve and at- tended the same meals. During the school day, the four students shadowed Reserve students and attended all of their classes. In the afternoons and during the week- ends, the Costa Ricans did other things and visited dif- Students participate in 1920's inspired wardrobe in the theme of The Great Gatsby. Photos by Doe ferent places: they shopped at nearby malls, walked to Continued on Page 3 2 Reserve Record Opinion October/November 2013 A Hungry Vegetarian Speaks Out Wake Up, Reserve! Sleep is Important by Niraj Naik ’15 contain meat and still tasted great. by Trevor Levin ’15 levels accompanying insufficient Recent changes at the dining hall Mac and Cheese and Baked Pota- As Western Reserve Academy settles sleep affect athletic performance. have left the menu more unfit for those toes are great examples of vegetarian into the patterns of a new year, many Sleep deprivation reduces T-cells, with dietary restrictions. I have been a entrees. The pasta bar was open at students - myself included - find them- suppressing immune system func- vegetarian my whole life and the veg- every dinner in case I wanted some- selves facing a nightly choice between tion. Recently, the school was ravaged etarian lifestyle is not too difficult to thing other than that night’s entrée. finishing their homework and getting by a series of cold epidemics. These maintain. Most fast food restaurants, I usually never went hungry and a healthy amount of sleep. The lat- colds, in addition to simply making which deal with many more health the food was wonderful. Sit down est (non-scientific) Viewpoints survey dozens of students miserable, disrupt recalls than menu complaints, offer meals usually also had some sort of suggests that juniors get an average of the functioning of the school, caus- great vegetarian options. Restaurants large vegetarian option as opposed only 6 to 7 hours of sleep, with other ing students to miss classes and prac- like Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Panera to just wild rice and steamed broc- classes faring only slightly better. The tices. Lack of sleep even raises the all have delicious meals that I enjoy coli. Some examples include a black National Sleep Foundation recom- risk of depression and other mood eating. I find myself wondering how it bean burger which tasted phenom- mends eight-and-a-half to nine-and- disorders. These risks, combined with is so difficult to find a good vegetarian enal and also the vegetarian chili was a-quarter hours for adolescents, but the stress inherent in boarding school option. Flik Dining Services offers a fantastic. Despite these complaints with academic, athletic, and extracur- life, hurt the school’s mental health. “vegetarian option” everyday, but it is and critiques, I have full confidence ricular commitments, many students Of course, no easy solution exists. often either a garden burger or some that the dining hall really is capable find that impossible. Therein lies the Last year, the school moved the reg- sort of tofu.