The Postscript
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THE February 26, 2020 the parkP schoolOSTSCRIPT of baltimore | 2425 old court road, baltimore, md 21208 Volume 77 Issue No.5 The rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has implications for many News From China members of the Park community. Chinese language teacher Xiaomu Hu has been in near daily communication with her family near Changsa. “It’s been really hard,” she said. Hu’s family lives about 200 miles from the epicenter of Wuhan, and has been in lockdown mode for about a month. “People can’t go to work, to school. Everything has to be done online. People are scared to leave their homes,” she said. Many health workers have been transferred from Changsa to Hubei province to fight the virus. Exchange Trip Cancelled Coronavirus impedes cultural exchange between schools by KWABE OSEI ’23 for things such as the common cold. many were excited at the prospect and Because this strain of coronavi- of hosting and interacting with the JOHN APOSTOLO ’23 rus is severe, and information on it Chinese students. remains limited, the United States News of the cancellation due to Much to the disappointment of government, the WHO (World Health COVID-19 came at the start of the Beijing #9 students and the Park com- Organization), and the Chinese gov- Chinese New Year, just a few days munity, this year’s foreign exchange ernment are doing all they can to pre- before the #9 students were to have visit by students from China has been vent a pandemic. departed. Hu’s students were excited cancelled. The US State Department has to welcome the Chinese into their A cornerstone of the modern lan- classified the country as earning a homes and show them something of guage program, the exchange trips level four travel advisory, the high- their lives in the United States. between Park and Beijing #9 High est level of caution: “do not travel As for next year, “they will defi- School have involved five trips to to the People’s Republic of China.” nitely come,” Hu said. However, China and several visits to Baltimore A Trump administration Execu- whether or not this will mean that in the last decade. The cancellation tive Order bans all foreign nationals Park students will be able to go to was an unfortunate result of the de- who have traveled to China in the China is uncertain. Also, decisions cision made by the Chinese govern- previous two weeks from entering made by the Chinese government ment banning all tourist groups from the United States. The State Depart- may dictate Park’s Chinese exchange leaving China. The Chinese govern- ment has not indicated when this ban program in the future. ment’s choice was made to stop an or their travel advisory will be lifted. Chinese classes have found new epidemic from going global. The trip cancellation affected and creative ways to continue with Prior to the decision of the Chi- “our original plan for the third quar- third quarter activities. nese government, Head of School ter project in Chinese [class],” which For example, the Chinese 1 stu- Dan Paradis consulted with John was to be collaborative, Park Chinese dents used words they have learned to Hopkins doctors about the pending teacher Xiaomu Hu said. Park lan- write notes to their Chinese counter- photos courtesy Jane Zhao and Jon Acheson visit. guage students were to interview their parts, which will be mailed to Beijing Top: A normally busy intersection in Hangzhou, sophomore Wil- Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in- Beijing peers. Hu has made some # 9 and distributed to the students. liam Wu’s home city of 10 million, was virtually empty at rush fects cells in lungs and gastrointesti- changes to her class assignments due While news of the epidemic is dis- hour last week. nal regions of the body. Most of this to the cancelled visit. tressing, students at both schools re- Bottom: On a 2016 visit to Beijing #9 school in west Beijing, Park family of viruses cause mild infec- At Park, students taking Chinese main optimistic for the future of the students danced in dragon costumes. tions in the lungs, and are responsible lessons are greatly disappointed, as exchange program. Arts Director CARBON EMISSIONS RISING INSIDE revives dance THE by ZOË PICKARD ’23 and POSTSCRIPT KELBY JAMES ’23 Movement is the act of changing COMMENTARY physical position or of having this Addie Fleming ’21 follows up on changed. the issue of Juuls in schools. In 2017, Movement is a crucial factor in Montana Love ’18 exposed the cul- most cultures, and both the new Arts ture of vaping among teens. Director Deborah Hull and students at Park believe that having an oppor- PAGE 2 tunity to explore the differences in movement between cultures is vital FEATURES to having a diverse thought process. There is a new class taught by Tamia Tabourn ’21 and Vivie Hull called Movement Matters: Map- Eteme ’21 discuss Black History ping the Body in Motion. Its goal is to Month alongside features of famous build a sense of unity and trust within black Americans. the group and oneself. PAGE 8 According to Hull, she can see that Park has a history with dance Data Unavailable ARTS AND CULTURE here and there, mainly in the Lower Maya Newman-Toker ’21 reviews School, but within the last fifteen by ALEX NORBROOK ’22 ’20, Talia Kolodkin ’20, and Sophie Kwass-Mason, Kolodkin and Fuchs this year’s six student directed plays, years, there has not been a single The Climate Change Collective Fuchs ’21. They started the club to also help to bring events and issues which ranged from math and murder dance program for the Middle and (CCC) is undertaking a new Emis- have a space to talk about the climate from local environmental organiza- to a sinister London cabbie. Upper School. sions Reports for Park, to see how crisis. Kwass-Mason found that the tions to the club. Hull has been dancing recreation- much carbon dioxide the school is lack of space for this topic felt wrong, Right now, one of the main fo- PAGE 9 ally since she was five years old, but producing. Given climate science, the “I feel like we need to talk about [cli- cuses of CCC is the Emissions Re- she did not take her first dance class results are not what they should be. mate change] as much as possible… port. This report will feature data until college. Moving throughout her The new club was created in the it is the issue of all issues.” from Park’s annual energy use, and SPORTS life, Hull thinks that doing activities Fall of 2019, reviving aspects of the CCC brings focus to both Park is expected to expand into recording Kobe and Gianna Bryant are re- that require movement is essential for lapsed Climate Change Committee at and the greater Baltimore area. Al- waste statistics from the school and membered by Axle Zhao ’21 and children’s health because, “it’s how Park (CCCP, 2007-12). The new CCC though the club was originally creat- transportation emissions of its stu- Jacob Peres ’21. we come into the world, and it’s our was created by Isabel Kwass-Mason ed for the September Climate Strike, dents and faculty. PAGE 11 see DANCE, pg. 3 see EMISSIONS, pg. 3 For a second consecutive year, alumni returned to campus to talk to students about their lives, discussing careers in business, advocacy, journalism, the law, arts, technology, and more. 2 Editorial// The Postscript February 26, 2020 The harmful gaps in our education Between the three of us, we’ve taken or are At Park, there is a culture of student self- Juuls Stay In Schools taking Modern Middle East, Islam and Politics, advocacy that expands into the discussion of Chinese History and Literature, and Modern Af- what we should study. While this can be great, rica, all of which are optional history electives. it can also make us ignorant. For example, Is the implication that these classes are skip- Manuela Sáenz was a hero of the Ecuadorian pable, that you can get a good foundation in revolution, but we have never learned about history without learning this content? Or is the her or the revolutions of South America in any hope that the required curriculum sufficiently required class. The Park philosophy would ask covers these areas? Having been through all students to request that this content be covered. three years of the required curriculum, we can However, if the students have never heard of tell you that no, the mandated curriculum is Manuela Sáenz, then they wouldn’t know to ask not enough. to be taught about her. This allows important Maybe you were in the 20th Century His- topics to slip through the cracks. tory section that studied Algeria, but if not, you And yes, we understand that it is impossible probably haven’t learned anything about Af- for history classes to be completely compre- rica. Unless, of course, you decided to opt into hensive. Modern Africa, an elective that had only nine But it is no coincidence that the history that students this past semester. consistently doesn’t make the cut, that is rel- We can also find gaps in our education when egated to students’ efforts in a single month or a teacher leaves Park, taking their electives with to an optional elective, is the history of people THEN NOW them. An example is the departure of Max Wig- who aren’t white and places that aren’t Europe cartoon by Anton Shtarkman ’20 gins, who taught Mass Incarceration, a unique or the United States.