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The Postscript

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The Postscript HE OSTSCRIPT May 31, 2016 TThe Park School ofP BalTimore | 2425 old courT road, BalTimore, md 21208 Volume 73.1 Issue No.8 Security questions students after school dents’ well-being. “I want all of our by MOLLIE EISNER ’17 students to be physically and emo- tionally safe at Park,” she said. “I On May 10, Chris Noakes ’17, a think questioning a student about an student and Extended Day employee, ID diminishes a student’s psychologi- had an interaction with a member of cal well-being.” the after-hours security staff. Paradis and Director of Finance At approximately five p.m., No- and Operations Joan Webber found akes walked to the Arts Center to out about the encounter two days play piano in a practice room. When later. he saw that students were rehearsing Paradis explained that asking in the rooms, he turned around. He students for ID is not protocol. “We was accompanied by a Middle School don’t ask students to show ID on student. this campus; we don’t ask anyone to It was at this time that Noakes, prove they belong here,” he said. who is Black, encountered a security On Friday, Webber reached out to guard. “He was coming down the the officer, who returned her call on stairs from Christine’s room,” Noakes the following Monday. “He had said said. “He said, ‘excuse me.’ He asked he was going on rounds and locking us both for our identification—if we down areas of the school,” Webber photo courtesy Jason Lee were students.” said, recounting the conversation. In Radium Girls, this year’s fresh-soph play, Grace (played by E. Scott ’18) visits the grave of The younger student, also a stu- The officer, a retired Baltimore her close friend, Kathryn, who died of radium poisoning. See review, p. 8. dent of color, confirmed the story in County police officer, “has worked a separate interview. for us in the evenings for a couple of “He said, ‘are you guys students years now,” Webber said. Sean Lally to take over US scheduling from Park?’ We said, ‘yes.’ He said, In the conversation between Web- ‘I need to see your ID,’” the younger ber and the officer, “I went through by THAO KAHN ’17 and bring regrets and losses, Dickson is ing the block schedule and figuring student said. “I was really nervous. I the protocols with him,” Webber said. REBECCA MARGOLIS ’17 sure that Lally will be able to handle out how it might be done differently. wondered why he was stopping me. He was “not [trained] as well as he the role. “Sean knows our program Lally is interested in exploring ways It made me feel even more nervous should have been.” Science teacher Sean Lally will and our community so well. [He] of maximizing student choice while when he didn’t believe that I go here.” In the aftermath of the event, Para- take over Bob Carter’s role as Up- has proven to us that he works well meeting the needs of teachers. “I had my ID, and I showed it dis has had conversations with some per School scheduler. The news came with our students and their parents,” According to Dickson, “there are to him. He looked at it, and he said, faculty, students, and parents. “We earlier in the month just three weeks Dickson said. In addition, Lally’s likely elements of the position that ‘okay,’” the MS student said. “Then had follow-up with the administrators following the announcement of the past coordination of Upper School Sean will change, but we won’t know he looked at Chris, and Chris didn’t and a conversation with a parent of veteran teacher’s retirement. The standardized testing programs will be until he has lived it.” have his ID, so he was trying to figure one of the students involved. There process of choosing the new sched- useful for this transition. Lally agreed, saying, “We’ll see out how to verify that he went to this have been conversations with the uler was “fairly organic,” according Besides taking on this new posi- what happens in the fall.” school.” students directly.” to Upper School Principal Nancy tion, Lally will teach two sections of “[I want] to help students and fac- Noakes showed the officer his Paradis is worried about the in- Dickson. “Sean reached out to me ninth grade physics next year, but is ulty offer and get what they want,” lunch card barcode, which he had cident’s impact. “Whatever [the of- earlier this spring to express interest not slated for any science electives. Lally said. He believes a scheduler taped to the back of his phone. “[The ficer’s] intention was, the impact for [in the position] when he heard that The scheduler position is essentially can “work behind the scenes” to officer] looked at me [the MS stu- these students was to wonder, ‘why Bob would be retiring,” Dickson said. a half-time job combined with a half- make this happen. He also hopes that dent] and he said, ‘can you verify that See Noakes, p. 3 While all departures of long- time teaching post. students and faculty will be patient he goes here?’ I said, ‘yes.’ Then he serving teachers and administrators Lally is most interested in creat- with him while he figures out the role. asked Chris what grade he was in and his name. He also asked where we were going,” the student said. Prom committee selects expensive venue “He said, ‘sorry, we just have reports of some suspicious people by MOLLIE EISNER ’17 far the most expensive venue, was ing to Dean of Students Traci Wright, around after school hours,’” Noakes chosen by a small committee. The all venues cost around $1,000. They said. “I thought, ‘oh really.’ That’s the As the school year winds down, prom committee, originally made up differed in price of catering. number one excuse.” students begin to think about final of both juniors and seniors, dwindled The MICA BBOX and Port Dis- Head of School Dan Paradis later assignments, summer vacation, and over the course of the year. covery offered open catering. Classic confirmed that the school was not perhaps the most cliché of all events “I was technically on the prom Catering and Rouge Catering, both aware of any concerns about suspi- in teenager-dom: the prom. But, committee,” Morgan Soudry ’16 said. Park-affiliated, could have provided cious people in the building after something is holding students back “But two people made the decisions substantially discounted or free cater- school. from attending the dance, set to occur and signed the contract for the venue ing to the two venues. “Then it was over, and we walked June 4: in the melee of satin and tulle, without consulting the rest of us.” Pier 5 does not allow open cater- away,” the MS student said. corsages, and bad dance music, the “The [committee] didn’t confirm ing. The prom committee selected “I’m working really hard not to photo by M. Eisner ’17 original price of prom tickets stood the location with us or ask us how we the venue’s “Custom prom station jump to conclusions about why these C. Noakes ’17 and a Middle students were asked for an ID when out, coming in at nearly $100. felt about it,” Kitt Murphy ’17 said. menu,” which is $9,800. School student were ap- they weren’t doing anything,” Dean The location of prom, Waterfront The prom committee consid- proached by an after-hours of Students Traci Wright said. Hotel Pier 5, has caused controversy ered three venues: Pier 5, the MICA security guard and asked to See Prom, p. 3 Wright is concerned about stu- among juniors and seniors. Pier 5, by BBOX, and Port Discovery. Accord- provide identification. INSIDE THE POSTSCRIPT NEWS COMMENTARY FEATURES ARTS & CULTURE SPORTS Faculty Depart Immersion Week Teacher Profile Radium Girls Sugar Campus Spanish teacher Bob Campu- Ollie Thakar ’19 and Montana Frank Su ’18 writes about Math Catherine Robbins ’18 reviews Park and Stevenson University zano and math teacher Eric Love ’18 go head-to-head on teacher Arnaldo Cohen. the freshman-sophomore pro- maintain a mutually beneficial Gilson will both leave at the the pros and cons. duction. partnership. end of this year. PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 10 EDITORIAL The Postscript May 31, 2016 2 Our philosophy should apply to everyone We are lucky to attend a school that guide all staff. The security guard in the values high school journalism. We, at incident did not exhibit respect, kind- The Postscript, are not simply an ex- ness, or concern toward the students tension of the administration, nor are involved, nor were his actions open- we required to get advance approval minded. It would appear that he instead for articles we write. Other independent acted upon racial bias. schools closely monitor the content of As of press-time, the administration their student newspapers. had not released any information regard- It is the oft-referenced Park phi- ing the incident. It is our responsibility losophy that enables us to write about to report on stories like this. difficult subjects, allows us to be au- In the article, Chris Noakes ’17, one tonomous, and entrusts us with the re- of the students involved, questioned sponsibility to portray the news hon- his sense of security on campus. But he estly. The philosophy’s first assumption should not be the only one asking ques- asserts that “human beings are capable tions.
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