THE Volume 77 Issue No.5 February 26, 2020 the parkP schoolOSTSCRIPT of baltimore | 2425 old court road, baltimore, md 21208 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. by ADDIE FLEMING ’21 pecially for the developing brain of a teenager. English class that has not been revived. This is unacceptable. How are we supposed Studies have also shown that teenagers who For another example of a hole in our col- to know what we should learn if not from our vape are much more likely to start using tra- lective knowledge, look to junior Tamia Ta- teachers telling us what is important? How are Two years ago, Montana Love ’18 pub- ditional cigarettes. Most students understand bourn’s piece about Black History Month on we to know that we need to learn about an Af- lished an article titled “Juuls Enter Schools.” these risks, but are either unable or unwilling page eight. She writes that we all study slavery rica that isn’t starving, or an Islam that isn’t Love exposed the uptick in vaping among high to stop smoking. and the basics of the Civil Rights Movement, violent, or a China that has more than corona- schoolers, specifically noting Juul’s growing “I was with my friends in eighth grade, and but these topics often have more depth than we virus, if that is narrative we’ve been told? We popularity. we wanted to impress some older girls, so we allow them and are obviously not the extent of should all be exposed to, for example, Julius Since Love’s article, there have been count- used their vapes. I guess you could say it started black history. Take, for example, the Mississippi Nyerere’s theories about Africa socialism in less reports published on the dangerous effects there,” an anonymous Park junior said. Freedom Summer of 1964, which we did not Tanzania; or Kholoud Al-Faqih, the first woman of vaping and juuling. “I started by just using my friend’s some- learn about in eleventh grade history. Two of judge on a Shari’a court in the Middle East; or Now, with the rapid rise of vaping-related times,” another anonymous Park junior said. us learned about it in-depth on the Civil Rights Hanshan’s collection of famous poems from the illnesses, it seems worthy to reexamine the situ- Many cases in which teenagers become ad- Trip, and even spoke to Roscoe Jones, an activ- Tang Dynasty in China. ation at Park. dicted to nicotine start in this seemingly harm- ist in his seventies who was there that summer Right now, it’s far too easy to miss out on In September 2019, the Center for Disease less way in which they only smoke or vape helping to organize voter registration drives. important information when going through the Control (CDC) reported seven deaths and 530 occasionally. Furthermore, the majority of the Black Park curriculum. In a world where a lot of nar- confirmed or probable cases of injuries caused Because Juuls in particular contain incred- History Month activities here are organized by ratives are silenced, and a lot of history erased, by vaping. ibly high levels of nicotine (one pod is equiva- Black Female and Male Forum. It’s great to Park must work to counteract that. As students, Doctors have begun to warn that the lung lent to 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine), it is get student involvement, but it shouldn’t be on we can’t be expected to know what’s been omit- damage caused by vaping could be irreversible. easy to become addicted much faster than one the students of color to fill in the holes left by ted. We look to our teachers to guarantee a Up until the summer of 2018, Juul, which may think. the curriculum. strong, balanced, and equitable core curriculum. accounts for about 70% of the e-cigarett e mar- ket, was not required to put a nicotine warning

on their products. From the school-wide sur- The Postscript Since then, the company has been hit with vey taken last year, roughly “ The Park School of Baltimore several lawsuits accusing them of illegally mar- “ 2425 Old Court Road, Baltimore, MD 21208 keting their products to teenagers. Juul contin- 23 students reported using Tel. 410-339-7070 ues to deny the accusations, saying that their an electronic vapor prod- Parkschool.net/news/postscript product was intended to help smokers move uct every day of the last 30 january 29, 2020 away from cigarettes, but the evidence against them is clear. days. Volume 77|Issue No. 5 One case specifically cites that Juul spokes- Editors-in-Chief people engaged in direct outreach with New Studies and organizations are beginning to Talia Kolodkin, Bella Palumbi, Anton Shtarkman York schools, where they falsely advertised Juul refer to these growing vaping and nicotine ad- Features as being safer than cigarettes. diction rates among teenagers as an epidemic. Big Tobacco companies have also been News Lucy Demsky Arts and Culture Some students don’t believe or don’t under- shown to hold large shares of the company’s stand the rise of vaping-related illnesses. Jacob Hirschhorn Aaron Hirschhorn Arenal Haut stock, and in recent months Juul has been forced “I have heard about some vaping related Lilah Lichtman Commentary Jesse Feller-Kopman to stop producing their flavored pods and now illnesses, but I think that it’s honestly a coinci- Liza Sheehy Ethan Adler Darya Zarfeshan only produces the menthol and Virginia tobacco dence and that the patients had other underlying Sports Addie Fleming flavors. health problems because there are not enough Cartoons Photography Callie Krosin So why then, when all this research and in- reports,” the anonymous Bryn Mawr senior Addy Claybour Sonee Goles Jacob Peres formation is so clear, does it seem that vaping said. Sam Cochran Seth Hudes Quinn Seidenman rates have only grown? While it may seem like there are few cred- Zoë Pickard In her article Love cited a survey she con- Faculty Advisers ible reports, the amount of confirmed cases in ducted in which 34 Upper School students re- fact rises every day. Jon Acheson ported juuling on a weekly basis or more often. “I have heard about the illnesses connected Leela Chantrelle From the school-wide survey taken last year, to it, but I feel like the people with them are go- School Population: Students—829; Employees—210 roughly 23 students reported using an electronic ing through about two pods a day, which I don’t Distributed to Mailboxes of Upper School Students and Employees, vapor product every day of the last 30 days. do,” an anonymous Park junior said. and Lower and Middle School Students by Faculty Request 2019 national statistics show that, now, more Mailed to Current Parents by Letter Perfect There seems to be an idea that teenagers are Copies Printed—1300 than one in four teenagers own or regularly immune to illness or addiction because they can Member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Assn smoke an electronic vapor product. control it or because they don’t smoke all the Even with the mounting evidence against time, but these underestimations of Juul’s po- POLICIES Juul, it seems that vaping has only gone up, not WE WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, UNSOLICITED OP-ED PIECES, AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS. PLEASE SEND tency and dangerous properties only contribute WORK TO [email protected]. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL SUBMISSIONS FOR LANGUAGE just nationally, but at Park as well. to the rising number of cases of lung illnesses. AND LENGTH. SUBMISSIONS ARE PUBLISHED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE EDITORS. “I used to juul because everyone was doing Even with the growing exposure of Juul’s it, but I stopped when my sports season began dangerous properties, rising cases of vaping The Postscript is a wholly extracurricular publication of the Upper School committed to so that I would have healthy lungs,” an anony- related illness, and the new restrictions on Juul publishing truthful, objective, and high-quality content that informs the broader community. Our mous Bryn Mawr senior said. and other products, teenagers have still contin- purpose is to hold the school and the administration accountable, and if we make an error, we Many students, however, may not be able ued to juul and vape. ask you to hold us accountable, too. We encourage all members of the community to contribute to quit so quickly. The education Park provides on the risks of to the paper by writing letters to the editor. New research shows the highly addictive smoking e-cigarettes is positive and informa- properties of Juuls and other e-cigarettes, es- tive, but it may prove to be futile. News // The Postscript February 26, 2020 3 Core 10 students present projects NEWS IN BRIEF by JACOB HIRSCHHORN ’21 composting. Senior boys have lunch of their Teachers incorporate Black The students, in addition to creating and On Friday, February 7, students taking Core presenting the projects, also played a role in own, discuss masculinity at Park Lives Matter At School lessons 10 science presented either a research or exper- grading their peers. Following the format of the annual Senior There have been various initiatives this iment-based project as a culmination of their “They will be responsible for evaluating Girls’ Lunch, on February 10 the male-iden- month around Black Lives Matter At School. first semester studies. other people’s posters, and answering questions tifying students of the Class of 2020 met with The science department incorporated a lesson Although the projects were presented in Feb- on their own,” Rogers said. male-identifying teachers to discuss what it’s plan based around the discussion of Ladders ruary, students had been working on them since “It is like a scientific conference, in the sense like to be a boy at Park. of Empowerment. Sofia Park’s Advanced December. “We have worked for about 16 to 18 that kids will be asking questions, anywhere There was discussion of expanding the Topics class spent 3 weeks creating a docu- classes, about a month of school,” Upper School from idiosyncratic questions to broad ones,” conversations to be monthly or even weekly. mentary about the black experience at Park. Science Chair Julie Rogers said. she said. Students, parents and alumni speak at Incubate It 4.0 The projects are meant to wrap up the first Since this is the first year of Core 10, this semester. was a new project, and the Core 10 teachers On January 30, Park community members gathered at Betamore, a company founded “The content of the projects was really an designed it as a group before this school year. by Park parent Greg Cangialosi, to hear a series of talks. Speakers included Baltimore extension of things the students had learned “As a faculty, we each wrote the guidelines Homecoming co-founder Nate Loewentheil ’03, political scientist and parent Hahrie Han, throughout the semester,” Upper School science for at least one project,” Huntsman said. “We and Neighborhood Revitilization Club leaders Callie Krosin ’21 and Liza Sheehy ’21. teacher Melissa Osquist said. then edited all of the others. It was very col- The goal of the projects was for the students laborative.” to dig deeper into one of the topics covered in The teachers also played a very active role the first semester. while students were working on the projects. “We tackled four or five different units, and “My role has been to answer questions, push the projects allowed kids to revisit content and back on the students and ask them questions ideas within those units,” Rogers said. to help them develop their ideas, and directly The students could choose between a re- supporting them when they need it,” Osquist search project or an experiment-based project, said. “I feel like it is more like a mentorship.” and then select from options within those cat- Many teachers and students thought that the egories. first year of the project was a success. “The “There were six major projects, two research amount of learning that I have watched the kids projects and four experiments,” Upper School do has been enormous. science teacher Elliott Huntsman said. “Within They are getting a lot out of their projects,” photo courtesy Communications those categories, though, there were many sub- Rogers said. “As the projects have come to- categories.” gether, the posters look really good.” One research project option was about evo- “I was able to research and read about a topic lution, and the other was about human impact in so much depth,” Dylan LaBorwit ’22, who Emissions report published on the environment. chose to research human evolution, said. For the experiments, the choices were cre- “I am really proud of how much more I of how much change Park has done to reduce Emissions Rising from pg. 1 ating mini-ecosystem in a bottle, or looking at know about where humans come from, and why its emissions has emerged. wastewater treatment, ocean acidification, or we evolved to be the way we are now,” he said. Kwass-Mason hopes that even just conduct- The preliminary results of the Report are not ing this report will make the school more aware good for Park. From school years 2015/16 to of its environmental impact. She believes that 2018/19, Park’s emissions from electricity and New class shimmies onto the scene keeping an eye on the school’s emissions makes heating increased by 14%. Dance class from pg. 1 gel ’23, also believes that the class is essential. the administration more conscious of their en- In the school year 2015/16, Park emitted “[It] teaches different ways to stretch, and is an vironmental impact. 1633 metric tons of carbon dioxide from elec- most human impulse,” she said. underrated factor of health,” she said. The methodology of creating the energy tricity and gas usage, which is equivalent to Moving regularly also helps to lower the The class also benefits the social side in use report was not straightforward; finding the over four million miles driven in a car, or 188 resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, and learning and participating in cultures that dif- information was a long process. The first task homes powered for a year. change the relationship with breath. fer from one’s own. was to actually obtain Park’s electricity and However, in the last school year, this number It provides an outlet for emotions that might Angel’s last art class was Acting, taught by gas records. increased to 1870 metric tons. This figure is be hard to explain using words in a way that is Drama Chair and Theater Director Peter King. Sophie Fuchs ’21 and Alex Norbrook ’22 equivalent to driving 4.6 million miles in a car, visceral and kinesthetic. Angel thinks Movement is similar to her spoke with the Director of Accounting, Lisa or powering 216 homes for a year. When Hull does not find time to move previous class because of the idea of building Quinting, to get the energy bills from the last This increase coincided with the ending of around during her day, she feels “slightly more an ensemble, yet Movement is different because three years, and find out how Park gets its en- the Climate Change Committee at Park, the club anxious, slightly more tired, and slightly more it is focused more on the body. ergy. who previously conducted the reports. Emis- irritable.” “Hull’s energetic attitude helps create a fun Quinting was essential to this process, and sions at Park dropped by 16% from 2010 to However, on days when Hull can move, she and exciting environment in the classroom,” was willing to give all the information and ad- 2016, largely because of the club’s efforts to “thinks more clearly” and feels happier. Angel said. vice needed to get the report done. Without her, curtail them. Rebekah Geller ’23 is currently taking She remains very optimistic and excited the report would not be possible. Their earlier Emissions Reports attributed Movement, and states that she believes the about the class. Quinting explained that the school has vari- these factors to changes pushed by the the club, class is a nice break from academics, as well Hull says by the end of the semester, the ous meters around its campus, which measure and that the administration made to the school. as a great workout. class will hopefully understand how movement the amount of electricity and gas that is being Daniel Jacoby, one of CCCP’s leaders, found Most of the exercises in the class are trust- connects people to the world. used at each location. the school to be mostly open to the CCCP’s based, and towards the end of period, there is “I want us to become really aware of our These measurements are recorded, and sent recommendations. a chance to self reflect on the day’s activities. own movement and understand that we all have off to Park’s three energy providers—BGE, With the changes the club suggested, Jacoby “Hull is a great teacher and person, and is places we feel comfortable, and to expand our MidAmerica, and DirectEnergy— to be used says that the administration thought “if the prac- always mindful of everyone’s comfort level or palette, or our repertoire, and connection to self, to calculate how much money the school owes tices were cheaper, or the same cost and greener, ability to perform an activity,” Geller said. to other, to the environment and to the mate- them. then why not [enact them]?” Another student in Hull’s class, Isabel An- rial,” Hull said. In the receipts for each meter, the amount There seems to be a correlation between of energy is displayed, along with the cost of the conclusion of the CCCP as a club, and the providing that energy. subsequent rise in emissions after no club or This makes it possible to find out the quan- committee was around to monitor Park in that tity of electricity and natural gas that Park uses regard. on a monthly basis. The Climate Change Collective hopes to use Data from the past three years was collected their Emissions Report as a benchmark to set by calculating how much electricity each me- future goals. ter uses per month, then adding those values In addition, Kwass-Mason is excited that the together to get a monthly value. new report will be able to be combined with the Lastly, the monthly values were added to- older reports to more accurately see whether gether to yield the yearly values in the report. Park has maintained its commitment to sustain- The first phase of the Emissions Report ability projects in the time since the last report. comprises Park’s annual energy use, and has “I think it’s useful to have it as part of a track been conducted by Norbrook. After combining record, part of the history of our emissions.” Park’s electricity use from BGE and MidAm- Jacoby agrees, saying that the reports are erica, and adding together its natural gas use usable over time. “I’m really glad that it’s being photo by Zoë Pickard ’23 from DirectEnergy and BGE, a clearer image done again,” he commented. Students in the new Movement class learn to exercise, stretch, and dance. 4 Commentary // The Postscript February 26, 2020 Valentine-o-Grams Head to Head More care needed are harmless fun in delivery by DANNY MENTON ’22 Valentine-o-Grams back this year. It is unclear to me, however, how tent is never explicitly malicious. Some friends by QUINN SEIDENMAN ’21 effective the change in policy was. For as long as many students and teachers joking around with each other by buying Val- Feeling safe in the school is paramount to can remember, Valentine-o-Grams have been a entine-o-Grams is not ostracizing; it’s merely Each year on Valentine’s Day, classes around our experience at Park. It seems plausible to staple of the Upper School. Every year, the stu- harmless fun. the school are interrupted for students and me that a Valentine-o-Gram could easily go dents pay to have members of a cappella groups, If someone feels truly nervous about getting teachers alike to be serenaded by one of the awry and make a student feel uncomfortable the Eightnotes and Vocal Chords, to deliver a one, I’m sure they can ask the leaders not to sing two Upper School a capella groups: Eightnotes or embarrassed beyond what is acceptable. At minute or so of a song on Valentine’s Day to to them and just hand them the card; no big deal. and Vocal Chords. While the intentions of the a school that certainly focuses on sensitivity selected students in classrooms and hallways. I recently got a Valentine-o-Gram from one of singing groups are truly good, I believe that the and empathy, it seems odd that we put so much This year, the Eightnotes donated half of the my friends and while I was embarrassed, yes, format of the Valentine-o-Grams leaves open trust into the student body to not make one bad proceeds from their serenading to the Neighbor- it was all in good fun. the possibility for overly uncomfortable situa- choice that leads to a disaster. hood Revitalization Club and the Vocal Chords Also, Valentine-o-Grams allow everyone in tions, not at the fault of the singers. It also doesn’t seem particularly tasteful, in gave half of their profits to the Civil Rights Trip. the classes to hear our amazing vocalists sing. Anybody can buy a song for any student, today’s world, to have students singing sugges- The vocal groups are also competing on this The performance is often structured to allow teacher, or other faculty member and sign the tive songs to teachers. day. Who has the better song choices? Who us to hear particular members of the groups, card as coming from anyone they choose. This Valentine-o-Grams are a beloved Park tradi- sings most passionately? If it was just one highlighting talent and demonstrating the care is perhaps an over-extension of positive expec- tion, a seemingly excellent fundraiser, and a fun group, the quality would most likely drop. with which the groups have practiced. tations for our community. The freedom to buy day for the a capella groups to showcase their Some may argue that the disruption to class This year’s Valentine-o-Grams were really for anyone and sign as anyone creates some talents. I am not advocating for banishment. is too costly. I call them killjoys. On that one good; all the songs were sung well. Ending this funny moments between friends, but at what I also believe that the vast majority of songs day, people can show affection towards each tradition would be a loss to the Park community price? are received well and are not problematic. Be- other, at the expense of a few minutes of instruc- as a whole. Once the song has been purchased and Val- cause of our growing emphasis around feel- tion. If the teachers have a test they can leave Additionally, the money this year went to the entine’s Day arrives, the a capella group will ing safe in the classroom, I think it is time for a sign outside their door saying ‘No Valentine- Civil Rights Trip, and that is one of the most knock politely but ultimately enter the class- stricter guidelines surrounding the purchasing o-Grams.’ Stop being such squares. important things to finance at Park. room to perform the love song. The lead singer of the songs, and assurance that the delivery Another argument is that Valentine-o-Grams Valentine-o-Grams are plain old fun, and will often get close to the recipient of the song, is not done in a way that is intentionally un- have the effect of ostracizing people, but the in- there’s no reason to change or stop them. although this seemed to be intentionally dialed comfortable. What’s the most efficient way to raise money? by CALLIE KROSIN ’21 is the best route to take when fundraising. Although the Student Engaging club members in fundraising is just as much of a On any typical day, you might find the Debate Club hosting a Government does not usually concern itself with fundraising, as challenge as executing fundraisers. This is why smaller clubs bake sale, Model United Nations selling sodas, or UNICEF cook- most of the money they make stems from Homecoming, they such as Model UN turn to SFAFs. “I feel like people use the ing up some fresh bubble tea. In addition to these eye-catching are looking to fundraise this year. In terms of plans, Smith said SFAFs as a first option, when in reality I think a lot of good sales, there are raffles such as the spring 2019 Airpods Raffle “we are going for originality.” comes out of fundraising. I think the most effective course of hosted by the Neighborhood Revitalization Club, (NRC), or the The UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) club’s mis- action is a mixture of the two. The more avenues you pursue, Civil Rights Trip raffle of various gift boxes. sion is to help support UNICEF in the goal to “promote the rights the better,” Smith said. At some points, multiple fundraisers occurring can be over- and wellbeing of every child in everything we do.” Because “I definitely think selling goods – such as food – is more ef- whelming. This raises the pressing question: what fundraising uniqueness in fundraising helps attract participation, the club fective than selling services,” Smith said. “If you see something method(s) are the most successful in our Upper School? aims for something new and fresh. Marie Kyung ’21 came up in the hallway, and in that instance you want it, you will buy it.” There are three main categories of fundraising: grants, such as with the idea to sell bubble tea, and made over $200 from that There are several other avenues clubs occasionally pursue to the SFAFs (Student Funded Activities Fund) or PA (Parents’ As- alone. “It was hard, but it was really successful, and we made a raise money. NRC took over the fresh-soph formal in 2018 and sociation) grants; food and beverage sales, like pizza or brown- lot for our club,” Kyung said. made $800 in ticket sales. The Eightnotes and Vocal Chords sell ies; and item sales, such as Junior Day t-shirts. This year, UNICEF will be hosting the fresh-soph formal Valentine-O-Grams every February to support the music depart- Homecoming gives the Student Government the ability to —an opportunity to raise a couple hundred dollars in one night. ment, and this year, NRC and the Civil Rights Trip as well. May award SFAFs to other clubs, as tickets are sold for between $8 Model UN fundraises to support their trips to weekend confer- Day is another opportunity to fundraise. and $10. If 100 to 150 students attend, the government raises over ences in the winter. Throughout the fall, the club sold sodas.“I While many clubs struggle to engage members in fundrais- one thousand dollars. MJ Smith ’21 is the treasurer of the Upper think the financial grants are the most helpful, but getting people ing, the rewards of successful fundraising are considerable. The School Student Government, and through his experience with involved with, for instance, bake sales, is great, but not as ef- difficulties clubs face in fundraising are not for a lack of -op helping clubs raise funds, he believes that applying for SFAFs ficient,” Samantha Saunders ’21 said. portunities. Day of Civic Engagement shouldn’t have to stand alone by NORI LEYBENGRUB ’21 from the previous year? “In a school of leaders, it’s odd that no Clubs could build connections with outside organizations and one has stepped up,” Olagunju said. share those connections with the Park community. We can begin The annual Day of Civic Engagement is scheduled to occur Sammy Braverman ’20 suggested that with the crazy work- a collaborative website where students post about their civic on April 1, and planning for the day has already begun. Segun load and schedules of high schoolers, it’s hard to even imagine engagement experiences and progress; speakers from non-profits Olagunju, Director of Service Learning and Civic Engagement, dedicating lots of time and effort to civic engagement. could present in assemblies. Ideally, civic engagement would be is leading the preparations for the day with the help of Director Braverman, inspired by tenth grade service, leads a group of a part of our school’s daily life! of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Courtney Rollins. There is students that visits the Baltimore Montessori School in Baltimore The Day of Civic Engagement could be a day to reflect on still a long road ahead, with much to do, plan, and discover. City on Mondays, giving the large classes extra support. She the work being done throughout the entire year, when student What will be the offerings, the logistics? What relationships notes, “A lot of people really like the idea in theory. Everyone’s groups would share with the community all that they have done do we already have with outside organizations? How can we really involved with a lot of things on campus so it’s hard to and continue to do, inspiring others to join in! strengthen these bonds and continue to build on them? How prioritize it and make time for it because everyone’s so busy.” Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. In the mean- can we convey the importance of continuing civic engagement Marie Kyung ’21, leader of the UNICEF Club, began to of- time, the Upper School already offers ways to get involved. outside of the restraints of a single day? This last question in fer after school tutoring at Monrovia Park Elementary School. Jake Macek ’21 is a leader of the Partners program, which pairs particular has been the most troublesome. Kyung admits that establishing a relationship with the school a Lower School student with an Upper Schooler. Through the A survey of students after last year’s event showed that, of was no easy feat, requiring countless hours on the phone, as well Partners program, Macek is able to combine his interest in social the 162 students who replied, 72 percent found the day to be as many visits. She is surprised she pulled through, thanking her justice and diversity with his love for working with kids, “Having “extremely meaningful.” “People were asking for more time, determination. “[Given] the mission that UNICEF has, the club the opportunity to meet my partner once a week is time that I either on the day or multiple days,” Olagunju said. should maintain a hands-on activity” related to helping others, look forward to and time that I think is pretty valuable for [my Tenth grade service projects, an initiative started by former particularly children, she said. Lower School partner] and for me.” tenth grade class advisors Julie Rogers and Rommel Loria al- Kyung elaborated on Braverman’s thoughts “once you go to Ise Sesenaya ’20 is a writing tutor at the Michael Cardin lowing sophomores to help around Park School and neighboring the activity, you really enjoy it, but sparing your time for it... ’85 Writing Center. Sesenaya happily reported that “when I’m organizations during class meeting time, is another example of at that point it depends on each person and how important they helping other people, I’m also learning from them.” a time in which students were excitedly engaged in helping. see civic engagement.” She admits she herself struggles to set aside time, “It’s still Planning these experiences has their challenges, and therefore So how do we make it easier for students to be civically my senior year, I have a lot I’m supposed to do.” Even though it requires the help of committed and devoted student leaders. The engaged? Olagunju has been working on a possible solution by can be hard, Sesenaya agrees it’s completely worth taking time hope is that students would take more interest in leading and expanding the definition of civic engagement, including philan- out of your day to engage. organizing the insightful day, however attempts at recruitment thropy, policy, direct aid vs. advocacy, and education, developing Olagunju encourages students to take initiative in a call for haven’t yet been met with any interest. an understanding of our surroundings. action. We have a great foundation of civic engagement here So what is stopping that 72 percent from stepping up and For example, The Postscript could take a group into the city at Park. helping organize civic engagement for our community? Why to practice interviewing while simultaneously giving voice to We have the drive to be civically engaged. That’s all we need don’t eleventh graders continue to build on their service projects those who feel they don’t have one. to begin to build civic engagement into our daily culture. The Postscript Commentary February 26, 2020 5 Advanced humanities classes would allow for in-depth study by ERIC SMITH ’22 and big groups of kids that they are not good at a subject, that they SAMANTHA SOLOMON ’22 are not smart kids,” she said. Proctor stated that the history department is very interested in diversifying the topics they teach in required courses and at the To AP or not to AP, that is the question. As a school that moment are not looking into the possibility of AP or advanced promotes progressive education, Park has tended to stay away classes. from AP, Honors, and even Advanced labels in order to make Two juniors concur that the possibility of advanced classes education as inclusive as possible. in the humanities would be very valuable. “I would definitely These labels were more prominent in the STEM sector, in sign up for advanced humanities classes. I think that students which both math and, until the introduction of the Core cur- who do not excel in STEM need the opportunity to expand upon riculum, science, would offer advanced or less advanced course their knowledge,” Samantha Saunders ’21 said. loads and teaching styles. “If there were accelerated classes in these three areas, I think We believe that this subtle move away from either more ad- that [advanced] English should [only be available for] upper- vanced or less advanced options may hurt the Park community. classmen, because you develop your sense of self as a writer In fact, we believe that each subject should have classes that freshman and sophomore year,” Saunders said. “I believe that offer faster paces and more exhaustive material for students. Let advanced arts should be offered for everyone.” us examine three major sectors of the Park curriculum: history, “I think there are so many opportunities for people to explore English, and arts. what they are interested in for our STEM classes, but I wish it The English department mandates a year-long English 9 class was the same for the humanities,” Jake Macek ’21 added. for freshmen and one semester of a baseline English class in Advanced arts classes as an offering could perhaps be the sophomore year inside their four year, or eight semester re- most worthy of attention. Offering students with particular in- quirement. nate ability or passion an advanced class would not only help The history department is less flexible, mandating three years them distinguish themselves when applying for college, but it of structured classes before tossing us into electives. The arts would also allow them to get acclimated to the pace at which department is the most flexible in their curriculum, offering cartoon by Sam Cochran ’20 they would need to work in college and how to function under electives in semester long courses beginning freshman year. high levels of stress. To begin, we believe that advanced classes should be con- Park did have AP history classes in the past. “There was not a We believe that perhaps some of the electives could be offered sidered in the future curriculum. In talking with our peers, we huge difference between what an AP class looked like compared as AP or given advanced credits, considering how complex and learned many succumbed to ennui in these mandated classes. to non-AP in terms of the range of students who would be in a detailed the texts and material can be. This experience could perhaps be rejuvenated by offering an class together,” History Chair Liz Proctor said. Through adding advanced classes and alternative options to advanced English 9 or 10 class. This should also be considered “From my perspective as a teacher, I like having a classroom the mandated history and English courses, students will be able in the history department, in which the three required years full of students with mixed interests and abilities. I think it makes to experience greater academic rigor and be introduced to college can seem to move rather slowly for some students, especially for a more interesting classroom dynamic,” she said. level expectations for these courses of study. if a student has a greater appetite for history and feels that the Proctor has taught at two schools, one of which had AP Offering these courses will preserve the progressive core that curriculum is repetitive, narrow in scope, or meanders at too classes and placed students on a track from freshman year. “I distinguishes Park as a school of excellence as well as challenge slow a pace. don’t like tracking in history. I think that it is too early to tell and open the minds of the student body. Bruin leaves the den: a day in the life at St. Paul’s School by JACOB PERES’21 ample, St. Paul’s does not have a dedicated free teacher-student interactions and fewer student- dress code. Students, or teachers, can come to I have been at Park for basically my entire block where all students and faculty are free at student ones. Most of the classrooms had desks school in Crocs if they so choose. St. Paul’s has life. I was a blue jay at the Monarch Butterfly once, but rather students have free blocks built configured in rows and columns, whereas at a dress code. Students call their teachers by their Festival, I performed in the Winter Solstice as- into their schedules. Park, the desks usually resemble a discombobu- last names. I intentionally started my day with sembly, and I danced around the maypole. Another major difference caused by the lated circle. The teachers generally talked to the bubble gum, which I was asked to dispose of Park is the only school I’ve ever been ex- schedule was simply how often students are class as a whole, often asking questions that before the first class even began. posed to. I have never had to make a new group switching classes. More classes in the day leads the students would answer after being called Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at St. of friends or learn my way around a different to often jammed hallways. I also found it very on. This, of course, happens at Park too, but Paul’s. It made me appreciate our schedule even campus. So, on Monday, February 3, I attended interesting to be in a single-sex classroom. with less frequency. Missing from the St. Paul’s more, and the opportunity we have to treat our classes five minutes up Falls Road at St. Paul’s While at Park we may have single-sex clubs or classes that I shadowed were student to student teachers as equals. This experience also opened School where I got to see first hand the simi- meetings, classes are almost never just one gen- discussions, which stems from a much larger my eyes to areas in which Park could improve. larities and differences between Park and St. der. That isn’t to say that all classes at St.Paul’s difference between the schools. As an athlete, I’m ashamed to admit how infe- Paul’s. The biggest difference by far between are like this—modern language classes and At Park, we are taught to question authority rior our sports culture is compared to St. Paul’s. the schools is their schedules. At Park, we only certain electives are co-ed. The aspect that I and advocate for ourselves. Students are not Students actually go to games there, where at take three classes a day, which are usually 90 found most intriguing about this dichotomy was only allowed, but encouraged, to disagree with Park we’re lucky if our parents show up. minute blocks. At St. Paul’s, however, students that the classroom environment didn’t seem to their teachers in the right circumstances. This Regardless, being able to see a different take up to six classes per day, which last either change, regardless of whether there were stu- sense of seeing the teachers as peers rather than school was a great experience. To any ‘lifer’ or 50 or 70 minutes. dents from the sister school, St. Paul’s School figures of authority can be seen all through- ‘nearly-lifer’ reading this, I highly recommend While this variance may seem small, it di- For Girls, in the class or not. out the school; we call our teachers by their taking a shadow day, just to see what another rectly caused many other differences. For ex- As for the class structure, there were more first names, and there’s no student or faculty school is like. We have the privilege to speak here; let’s use it The common thread connecting these two by SYLVIE WOLFF ’21 “It can seem like talking is all we do, but in a world where is- stories and countless others across the nation We are all aware of Park’s main attribute: the sues like these are silenced in so many environments, we is censorship and silencing of the student voice. fact that it is a progressive school. We call our The root of so many issues of inequality in teachers by their first names, we attend small should continue to seize the opportunity to use our voices.” the world has been the silencing of those expe- classes, and a large chunk of our time during While all of these reactions are valid, we by the administration and was not allowed to riencing inequality. Our school is not perfect. the day is our own. need to remind ourselves of the immense priv- publish anything about the topic, despite the Our education is not perfect. One of the main tenets of a our school edu- ilege that we have being in an environment story already being all over the news. The stu- But at a place like Park, we have the unique cation is the large number of discussions that where open discussion is not only tolerated, dents were not allowed to write about or discuss opportunity to take control over aspects of our we listen to and participate in. The Park School but encouraged. an issue that deeply affected their community education. website says: “Park students work in a climate It can seem like talking is all we do, but in because of the administration’s concern about Despite the faults that we might find in the of intellectual debate and discussion, and are a world where issues like these are silenced in the school’s image. way things are handled, Park is doing something encouraged to question and challenge.” so many environments, we should continue to Last year, administrators at Herriman High right. Inaction can be incredibly frustrating. But To a lot of students, the discussions can seem seize the opportunity to use our voices. School in Utah shut down the student newspa- what is even more frustrating is not being able tiresome and unproductive. The recent issue Take Plainfield High School in Indiana, per’s website and social media accounts after to speak about these issues at all. of sexism and inequality in the Upper School for example. After a classmate had been miss- it broke the news of a teacher being fired for I do not mean to target any specific groups or has been a hot topic that has prompted many ing from school for three weeks, the student inappropriate conduct toward a student. opinions with this commentary and I certainly discussions and Postscript articles, which have body finally realized through local, and later The administrators never explained their don’t think that discussion should be the end elicited even more discussion. Some welcome national news outlets that he had been charged reasoning behind the decision, leaving the goal. We should absolutely keep pushing and the fact that this issue has been brought to light, with sexual assault. Kyra Howard, a student students to form their own independent paper use these discussions as an opportunity to to let some want to stop talking and see action, and who worked on the school magazine, wanted so they could report on an issue that they felt students feel heard and validated, and to launch others want to stop hearing about it altogether. to report on the case. She was quickly censored needed to be known. productive change. 6 The Postscript Commentary February 26, 2020 Continuing the conversation on gender... In response to Mick Scott’s January 29 Letter to the Editor A letter from the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by ADDIE FLEMING ’21 and whispering from male classmates when I by COURTNEY ROLLINS and open to honoring and hearing the stories When I read Mick Scott’s Letter to the Edi- and other female classmates have spoken. I’ve To the senior girls who have bravely shared many girls and women have expressed to me in tor, the only emotion that surfaced was frustra- heard male students, and even a few female their experiences and expressed their feelings my life. With mindful practice, I can name and tion. The letter suggests that teachers are not students, say that they think people are just as reported in the December 11, 2019 Post- recognize my initial reaction that stems from responsible for the way they make students overreacting. script article “Sexism still reigns here; just my personal story and still make space to hear feel. It says that students are ultimately respon- In many of these discussions male students ask the senior girls,” thank you. I hear you and learn from the stories of those willing to sible for their experiences in the classroom. have simply refused to engage. These reactions and I honor your truth as you have collectively share with me. This may be what is being asked But students are not wholly responsible for when female students try to share their experi- shared it. This moment you have created pro- of our community - to show the willingness to their experiences. As a female student, I felt this ences, opinions, and emotions are hurtful. They vides an opportunity for me to reflect on my hear and to acknowledge each other’s stories. letter invalidated my experiences and emotions. have made myself, and many others, less will- own attitudes and behaviors that may contrib- It is hard to be called a sexist. In fact, in this This sentiment in the letter absolves teachers of ing to participate in these important conversa- ute to sexism here and beyond Park.This is no work, I find it unproductive to label someone’s their responsibilities, and instead holds students tions, and it seems to me that they are a direct easy or comfortable task, “...addressing my behav- identity as sexist (or insert accountable for their emotional responses. result of the sentiment of absolution that was many of my ways of mak- another form of an oppres- This absolution, even if it’s only implied, written about in Scott’s letter. ing meaning and interact- iors that contribute to sex- sive -ist or -ism). It is not is dangerous. It makes It’s understandable and ing in the world are pro- ism does not condemn because sexism doesn’t us think that teachers “...defensiveness is not an inevitable that in these con- cessed and stem from the exist, but it is due to the subconscious level. me to a permanent fixed reaction that often occurs. should no longer be held excuse to make female stu- versations where we look accountable, and that closely at sexism and bias Regardless of my level place as an oppressor.” To productively con- students are overreacting dents feel like their thoughts male students will feel de- of awareness, I am a part tribute to a liberating to what they have expe- and emotions are invalid.” fensive, but this defensive- of, contribute to, and shaped by a society that society, I believe tactical empathy must be rienced. This has led to ness is not an excuse to has historically under-valued girls and women, employed. I believe that the focus on behav- a lack of respect in the discussions we’ve had make female students feel like their thoughts and has given me a pass to operate in my male ior is more productive. Furthermore, a focus around sexism and gender roles at Park. and emotions are invalid. privilege. I do not share this as some faux-hu- on systems’ policies and practices creates the I understand this letter was written with I hope that male students can understand mility, but I believe that acknowledging and sustainable change that is often missed when good intentions, and I hope that we can con- that these conversations aren’t meant to target understanding the dynamics of socialization the focus is solely on determining bad acts and tinue to discuss it and the larger issues it takes them. I hope that they understand that these gives me the language and tools to actively actors. It lands differently to be called a sexist on. These conversations can be difficult, but conversations aren’t an attempt to alienate counter this process and contribute to creating as opposed to the framing that one’s behavior they need to happen. They also need to happen them, because in fact the opposite needs to hap- more egalitarian spaces and communities. I can contributes to sexism. in a way that is constructive and positive, and pen. Male and female voices need to be heard not expect others to take this journey if I am This emphasis on behavior is important. in a way in which everyone feels heard. together for real change to happen. not willing to do so myself. Behavior can change if we are willing and al- In the conversations that we have had so far I hope that when this change comes we will When I read the article and heard the stories low the space and time for this change to oc- it is evident that everyone has not been heard. I move past frustration, we will stop making ex- in the article and subsequent stories shared by cur. When behavior changes, culture is able have seen eye rolling, and have heard laughter cuses, and we will hold people accountable. some of my colleagues, I could feel my heart to change and policies and practices are able begin to race and my mind reach for counter ar- to change hence leading to systemic change. guments. As often happens, my defense shields I hope that we can offer ourselves and others by MADELINE GOLDSEKER ’21 valuing the women who have come before me were raised as I thought about the many won- the opportunity to continue to grow and to be My impression of the Park School when trying to conquer this issue?” “Is this a version derful men and people in the Park community, human, and meet each other where we are on I first heard about the social environment it of sexism?” “Am I disregarding all the stories or as I thought of my own our dynamic journey. Al- created was that this community saw everyone and occurrences my fellow female peers have journey that seemed to “I hope that we can offer our- lowing ourselves and oth- as first and foremost a person. No matter your experienced?” “Am I not standing up for my run counter to the stories selves and others the oppor- ers to ‘grow’ implies that race, religion, or gender, you would be treated own gender if I ask the question I have about shared by the girls. there is a ‘right’ destina- as equally as your neighbor. What I have ex- this issue?” I could hear myself tunity to continue to grow..” tion or place we all must perienced as a new Park student is conflicted My final perspective disheartens me, that a saying, “I am a good person. I was raised by go towards. I find this way of thinking dan- messages. man couldn’t be given the opportunity in the strong, amazing women who taught me to gerous and counter to a diverse and pluralistic My advisor, Upper School science teacher Park community to try and reignite the con- honor and respect womanhood. I took Women society. Park is a dominantly left-leaning space Mick Scott, submitted a letter to the Postscript fidence of a group of girls, that his letter was Studies courses and consider myself a femi- and sometimes it feels if we are not presenting addressing the feelings of senior females and taken as an attack, as well as a defense of the nist…. I am a good person.” as woke enough, then we are not good enough. their experiences with sexism. He acknowl- challenges that the female population at Park However, I am reminded that this is beyond Disagreement with ideals that have been placed edged their comments and feelings as fully has had to go through. But I am also consider- being a good or bad person. I am reminded under the banner of social justice seem to cast valid and that nothing that they experienced ing and faced with the mountain of truths that that addressing my behaviors that contribute to folks out and again reduces the possibility of was in any way invalid. He went along in his the senior girls have told, and the discrimina- sexism does not condemn me to a permanent productive conversation. writing talking about how the emotions you tion I have also faced. But I also stand for what fixed place as an oppressor. I am reminded that Yet, even as I type this, I must admit I do feel are your responsibility. Scott is saying. Am I wrong in doing that? Am my growth is dynamic and raising my defenses find myself at odds with my own thoughts. This was interpreted differently by every- I contradicting my own beliefs? may shut down my opportunity to grow. I am There are times when a person’s worldview is one. While some felt empowered, others felt I viewed his article as him coming from also reminded that many experiences hold true in direct conflict with, and violently works to like his words were telling the Park community, and in our dynamic world. negate my experience and existence of those them that the only reason “I stand by Scott not as speaking from the per- To the boys and men in our community who whom I love and those whom I do not know they felt upset was be- an attacker of the senior spective the social com- feel shunned, demonized, and stuck in a space and still hope to love. How can we be asked to cause of their own doings. munity gave: that you that seems to want you to speak up and shut meet others where they are when where they I participated in a meeting girls’ truths and experiences are just a person. I didn’t up at the same time — I hear and honor that are is steeped in an oppressive mindset and ac- during X block on a Tues- but as an encouragement think he considered the truth too. At times, I experience that truth as tions that cause direct harm to me and others? day, and a comment that fact that he was a male well. It is a challenging and confusing time to I do not have the answer, and am reminded of really stood out to me was for your own confidence.” speaking from the science live as we continue to attempt to create a more Audre Lorde’s words, “caring for myself is not said by a senior girl: “As women we are taught department. I didn’t even consider that he was egalitarian and inclusive society and school. self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that to swallow our emotions.” a male from the science department (but maybe Voices that have often been historically si- is an act of political warfare.” This struck a chord with me because, first that’s just my own ignorance). I have talked to lenced and diminished are speaking up and di- With those words in mind, I am not ask- off, I related to this feeling; I find it difficult to Scott about my view on the article and he said rectly clash with centuries ing community members be taken seriously while emotional. Second, I that my interpretation was the reaction he had of messages and norms “I also hope we can to place themselves in did not interpret this letter to be talking about hoped for. However, somehow, this reaction that center our collective have the humility to rec- unproductive and painful not acknowledging the wrongdoings of others. was not received. experiences as boys and conflict that cause more I took this letter to mean that others do not I stand by Scott not as an attacker to the men. ognize the ways we... pain and harm. Instead, I have the power to dictate how we feel. That senior girls’ truths and experiences but as an Bringing even more operate in privilege...” hope we can tap into our you should not allow a comment from another encouragement for their own confidence. That, complexity to the conver- human capacity to be re- to dim your light, or to quell your bravery, or again, it is not your fault that these awful expe- sation is lived experience and self-perception silient, curious, and perhaps turn to wonder confidence. To not swallow your painful emo- riences have happened to you, but it becomes for many boys and men that makes us feel that and be curious about the journey that those we tions, but rather to not carry it on throughout your choice whether you hold on to these expe- we are not the enemy, that we experience pain feel are inflicting pain on us are on themselves. your life. I thought about it a lot, and realized riences and let them drag you down, or let the and suffering as well, that we care for women What stories and experiences do they hold that that if Scott were a woman saying these things, true you consistently shine through. and our community, that we are good people. has brought them to this space? it would be empowering. If you have differing opinions, I encourage Again, I recognize, and, at times, live in these I also hope we can have the humility to This thought brought up a mountain of you to converse with me and Scott, because I feelings and experiences. recognize the ways we contribute to and oper- questions for me, such as: “Should I bring this know he wants to hear your ideas and opinions However, I cannot allow this truth to pre- ate in privilege and are willing to unpack our comment up?” “If I do bring it up, am I de- as well. vent me from being willing to stay engaged continued on pg. 7 Features //The Postscript February 26, 2020 7 “We should encourage productive conflict.” continued from pg. 6 We should encourage productive conflict. We fectively, are so important for majority popu- structural change does not happen overnight experiences through challenging self-reflec- should not expect our community to be void of lations and for groups that have historically or through one workshop, one Postscript ar- tion. I continue to encounter my blind spots the forces that shape the outside world. experienced marginalization. In these spaces, ticle, one WOKE Day, or one response from and points of bias that adversely impact those Furthermore, school is a laboratory for we often are able to feel affirmed and open administration. Structures and systems operate around me. I do not presume my experience is students and community members to wrestle ourselves to hear other’s experiences that may at the personal, cultural, and institutional lev- your experience. with issues that shape our world. Sexism exists. counter our own. When done effectively, these els. These levels act as gears that affect each However if I can give myself the grace and Racism exists. Oppression and privilege exist. spaces build our capacity to be able to think other and take time to reshape the structure. about our own journey and to be curious about It takes a willingness to engage in the work “It seems silence has gripped our community.” the journey of our commu- at manageable and consis- space to grow, perhaps this serves as a model And we all contribute to it and are impacted by nity members. It provides “It takes a willingness to tent increments for struc- that I can offer to others (even when they do forms of privilege and oppression at different the language and tools for engage in work at man- tural change to take place. not ask) and consider this when I engage in levels and in different spaces. cross-group dialogue. Just as it takes consistent this difficult and rewarding work. It is not If voices are not countering, disrupting, and It may feel that, as ageable and consistent practice to develop an aca- only grace that is being offered, it is also an providing opportunities and models for change written in the December increments for structur- demic skill or athletic dis- intentional, strategic, and necessary approach then we are a lulled into a false sense of com- editorial, “the administra- cipline, we must consis- to equity work. These exercises are not easy, munity. Compliance does not equal equity. The tion has opted for inaction, al change to take place.” tently and in manageable, which is why consistently practicing having absence of conflict does not equate to inclusion. and instead settled into a comfortable routine,” inclusive ways integrate inclusion and equity difficult conversations as a form of community Pervasive silence is often a symptom of fear and it is healthy to expect and want account- work and conversations into our classrooms, building is necessary to preparing ourselves for and distrust. ability from the adults who are the infrastruc- hallways, and homes. It is essential to creating the world we exist in and hope to create. It seems silence has gripped our community. ture of the school. the environment necessary for learning to take Marlo Thomas, Director of Diversity, Eq- Colleagues and students have expressed to me Again, my defenses are raised as I think of place. As I prepare to send off this letter to the uity, and Inclusion at Georgetown Day School on many occasions a fear of speaking towards and am often a part of a community of edu- editors, I acknowledge my fear that my words in Washington, D.C. stated as she facilitated or contributing to this conversation. Folks are cators who work tirelessly to create a space may be setting an unintended cast that cements the recent gender and inclusive conversations afraid of being labeled or judged. This truth and where students and colleagues can thrive. I do me on a particular ‘side’ of this conversation workshop with Park fac- reality must be acknowl- not think I do or the school does an efficient about sexism in the Upper School. That is the ulty and administrators, “We should encourage pro- edged if we are to address job of sharing the work that continues to take power and restraints of the written word. “the conversation is the ductive conflict. We should its influence on creating place to create equitable and inclusive spaces. I often find my thoughts in contradiction relationship.” obstacles for authentic However, this does not mean that there isn’t with themselves. As Walt Whitman once said, Can we afford the not expect our community dialogue and meaningful space to stay in conversa- to be void of the forces relationships with each “I believe this conversation is part of the work.” tion with each other and other. more work that needs to be done. Always, more “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I con- honor our relationship that shape the world.” If we do not address work must be done. I believe this conversation tradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.” with each other even as our world views are this and create the space for this truth to be is a part of the work. I believe that expressing I cannot allow that to discourage me from possibly not in agreement? I think it is healthy spoken, I fear we will fall into silos and echo our diverse and at times painful experience to engaging in this necessary work. I am thank- to recognize many truths exist concurrently chambers that reinforce status quo and negate each other is an essential part of the work. It ful for the invitation to reflect and think. I am and at times in conflict with each other in our our opportunity to be in relationship with each is encouraging when groups are not silenced also thankful that this experience is shaping my world. I also believe conflict can be positive. It other. Learning is a social activity and isolation, and are able to speak truth to power. We must personal journey and hopefully contributing provides the opportunity for creative problem even among numbers, counters our ability to continue to examine our coexisting cultures, to the school’s asymptotic path towards eq- solving when good faith operators are actively grow and learn. current policies, and practices. uity and inclusion. I look forward to continued participating in the resolution of the conflict. This is why affinity spaces, when done ef- I believe we must also recognize that conversation and work present and to come. Robotics season ramps up ISAMR takes on the tropics by AARON HIRSCHHORN ’21 Puerto Rico, the project was started. Matthew Tabrisky ’22 is one of the six stu- ISAMR, the International Student-led Arc- dents in ISAMR who have been working on tic Monitoring and Research club, has an inter- developing the new project. “During ISAMR esting new development: they will be starting meetings,” he said, “we work on research, plan- research in Puerto Rico as well as in Canada. ning, and development of the ISAMR Puerto The club, which has been in existence for over a Rico project.” This includes helping to plan decade, partners with students from Baltimore future trips, prepare research and data tables, Polytechnic Institute as well as two schools in and find possible partnerships. Canada and the Canadian Junior Rangers to “Our goals currently are to continue re- research the effects of climate change on the search on coral reefs but also other aspects of environment. Puerto Rico, such as mangroves,” Tabrisky Up until now, they have only been conduct- said. “The danger posed to the coral reefs from ing research in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, global warming and the rising temperature of hence the name. However, on January 17, two the oceans is similar to the melting polar ice ISAMR faculty advisers, Upper School sci- caps. While there is a lot of awareness sur- ence teacher Carla Guarraia and Upper School rounding the ice caps melting, there is less photo by Talia Kolodkin ’20 Science Chair Julie Rogers, traveled to Puerto knowledge of the coral reefs.” Ise Sesenaya (above) joined the team this year as a senior. Rico. There are also many similarities between by ALINA GLASS ’22 and This ‘crunch time’ lasts from the beginning of The goal of the trip was to scout “future po- Puerto Rico and Churchill that the group can LEAH PICKUS ’22 January to the end of February. tential partnerships for ISAMR” and “to meet build on. Among other things, “they’re both What club provides experience with lead- Competition season starts at the beginning people, go to schools, and experience some of areas that have a bay, [and] they’re areas that ership, teamwork, engineering, and computer of March and can last anywhere from mid- the non-profit organizations that are centered are being impacted by climate change,” Guar- science? That’s right, robotics club! The club March to mid-April. Smith is optimistic about around environmental science,” Rogers said. raia said. meets four days a week to prepare a robot that the season, especially because those on student “We are also interested in cultural immersion She also pointed out that Baltimore shares fits a theme and participates in competitions. leadership have a good amount of experience opportunities.” these qualities as well, with the Chesapeake This year, the theme is ‘FIRST RISE, powered under their belts. “I’m hoping that means we’ll Along with Guarraia and Rogers went Jill Bay. Because of this, Rogers and Guarraia are by Star Wars: Force for Change.’ Team Presi- be a little better organized, we’ll be a little bit Larkin, who works for Parks Canada and part- also aiming to start doing research right here dent Nora Smith ’20 explained what goes down more precise in our machining, and hopefully ners with ISAMR to help with their research, in Baltimore. Their goal is to bring the stu- during build nights and competition season. be at the level we were last year,” Smith said. and Olivia Pares, a native Puerto Rican and dents from Puerto Rico to Baltimore and do A typical night for the club starts around One drawback is that this year’s robot is more graduate student at the University of Maryland some data collecting and research here before four p.m. During this time, members do a va- complicated than usual. who went along to serve as a translator and to going to Churchill over the summer, and then riety of tasks. Those on the mechanical teams The members of this club learn important help Guarraia, Rogers, and Larkin learn about at some point bring the Canadian students to start off their night by writing up deadlines, skills such as coding, engineering, and leader- and experience the culture of the island, as well Puerto Rico through Baltimore as well.“We measuring, and machining. This lasts for ship. They also have the opportunity to con- as to help with their work. Rogers had been purposefully don’t have a super clear vision of around two and a half hours, until the club nect with other schools and work with students wanting to expand ISAMR’s research for many what the exact science will be going forward,” breaks for dinner. The two hours after din- in other grades. Smith makes it clear that the years. One day, she floated the idea of conduct- Rogers said. ner are spent putting everything together and team is very open to accepting new members at ing research in Puerto Rico to Larkin over the Since ISAMR is a student-led group, it will cleaning. During the off-season, the team has any time throughout the season, and that they phone. Larkin approved, and Rogers’s next step be up to the students to decide. But whatever meetings once a week. Next comes build sea- can always use more people on the team. “Just was to talk to Park students about the idea. the future holds for ISAMR, it is sure that they son, where the club meets four days a week come. We’re so relaxed. We always have jobs When the students also seemed enthusiastic will be continuing their work studying the ef- to prepare their robot for competition season. for people,” she said. about the prospect of conducting research in fects of climate change on the planet. 8 The Postscript Features February 26, 2020 BLACK HISTORY MONTH

by TAMIA TABOURN ’21 transforming Negro History Week to Negro how the wealthiest man to ever live was Man- history too. History Year because black history was too sa Musa, an African king with an estimated To me, Black History Month means to I think when we celebrate Black History important to America and the world to be net worth of four hundred billion dollars. explore my history outside of what they teach Month, we need to remember why Carter G. crammed into a limited time frame. We dwell on the most notable American me in school. Since I go to a predominantly Woodson created this celebration, and what it By the 1960s, Negro History Week had a leaders like Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther white school, and the majority of the people took for him to make it all happen. In 1915, big impact on America, and people urged for King Jr., and Frederick Douglass for Black teaching ‘my history’ aren’t black, I think it’s many people, including Woodson, were cel- it to be stretched out to a month-long celebra- History Month, when there are way more the teachers responsibility to broaden what ebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Eman- tion. Historically Black College and Univer- people involved. they teach to all students other than black cipation Proclamation, and from there he was sity (HBCU) students influenced everyone to In the mid-twentieth century, the history students. inspired to teach everyone Black history. change the name to Black History Month. predominantly taught was the basics of slav- Also, the goal of Black History Month He started off by publishingThe Journal So, from this, I think that when we cel- ery and the Civil Rights Movement. As the was to explore black people’s history, not of Negro History; in 1924, he founded the ebrate Black History Month, we need to try years have progressed, it is unfortunate that to repeat and extend what we already know. Negro History and Literature Week; and then, to cover as much as we can, because black our teaching around Black History Month has I’m not saying teach everything black history in February of 1926, he announced the first history is more than just the Civil Rights not expanded to include diverse Black experi- has to offer only in Febuary, then go back to Negro History Week. Movement and slavery. ences and histories. teaching slavery and civil rights for the other In the 1940s, Negro History Week slowly It’s nice to learn about those things, but Black History Month doesn’t just involve eleven months, though, because twenty-eight expanded to black schools, and before his we don’t talk about how Mary Beatrice Da- people in America, because there are black days isn’t going to debunk the stereotypes of death in 1950, Woodson briefly spoke about vidson Kenner invented the sanitary pad, or people everywhere and they’re a part of our black history. INFLUENTIAL BLACK EUPHEMIA LOFTON HAYNES HISTORICAL FIGURES 1890 - 1980 A major figure in the educational landscape of Wash- ington, D.C., Haynes was the first black woman to receive a PhD in mathematics, from Catholic University in 1943. She was a teacher, professor, and mathematics department head in D.C. for over 45 years, and was the first woman to be Chair of the D.C. Board of Education.

Dr. Charles Drew ALPHONSO DAVID 1904 - 1950 1970 - Drew was a pioneer in the field of blood transfusion, David is gay LGBTQ+ civil rights lawyer and the presi- and is known as the ‘Father of the Blood Bank.’ His work dent of the Human Rights Campaign, a large and influential saved the lives of thousands during World War II. In 1942, organization that works on legislation around marriage when the American Red Cross insisted on segregating equality, hate crimes, and more. Born in Silver Spring, and black and white blood, Drew resigned in protest from his a graduate of UMBC, David previously worked as the Chief post as the director of the organization’s first blood bank. Counsel to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

MARIE VAN BRITTAN BROWN MISS MAJOR GRIFFIN-GRACY 1922 - 1999 1940 - Brown was an inventor, and designed the first home A transgender woman, Griffin-Gracy has been an -LG security system. The police in Brown’s Queens neighbor- BTQ+ and in particular trans rights activist for much of hood were unreliable, so she took security into her own her life. She was a leader in the 1969 Stonewall Riots. An hands, and in 1966 filed a patent along with her husband intersectional activist, Griffin-Gracy advocates for, among Albert for a security system based on peepholes, cameras, many causes, recognition of violence against trans women and television sets. The patent was granted in 1969. of color and the end of the prison industrial complex.

LONNIE JOHNSON 1949 - Johnson is an aerospace engineer and inventor. He has worked with the Air Force and at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. One of his most well-known inventions is the Super Soaker water gun. Johnson and his team are currently working on improving heat-to-electricity energy transfer, with the goal of making solar power more affordable. illustrations by Addy Claybour ’20 discovery, and appreciation of those who rose Female Forum and Black Male Forum put that, despite the most herculean efforts by stu- by VIVIE ETEME ’21 up. forth during this month, especially during dents and faculty alike, still manage to seep Black culture is both celebrated and hated Black History Month is also a time for assemblies. through Park’s protective liberal bubble. in this country. educating. Not only black people, but every- For me, I am constantly feeling like I’m All of this is to say that Black History is From the moment we are able to remem- one, about the contributions and invaluable bombarding the public peace and ebb and part of American history, but is still devastat- ber, we (black children) are aware of our roles that black people have played in this flow of the Upper School, not only because of ingly omitted from the the history curricu- dark skin, thick hair, and full facial features, country’s tumultuous history. the presentations and discussions but because lums of so many American schools, including and many of us are taught, whether through It is a time in which black people need not of my willingness to speak to the ignorance, Park. images in society or the words and actions of restrain or muffle themselves in an effort to and frankly, the disrespect that I have seen Which is why, when February rolls in those closest to us, that we are not beautiful. remain politically correct and not ruffle the displayed on too many occasions concerning on the heels of a cold and bland January, We are told these things, and some of us delicate feathers of our white counterparts by black culture. ready to bring back some of that celebratory may rise up despite the quicksand pulling us shouting from the hilltops about our endless But I can’t say I’m surprised. In many warmth and excitement lost after December, down and become beacons of light and pros- love for our people. ways, highschool is almost a ‘trial run’ of we should all be ready to listen, to learn, perity for others to follow and be inspired by. From my own experience here at Park, what the actual world will look, feel, and be and to think about our roles, in an America Black History Month is a time wholly and the student body has exhibited some ‘fa- like. This of course includes the political and that still tries in many ways to erase Black exclusively dedicated to the remembrance, tigue’ when it comes to the efforts that Black social sentiments that exist in the real world History. Arts & Culture // The Postscript February 26, 2020 9 Student Directed Plays amaze, amuse, and astonish by MAYA NEWMAN-TOKER ’21 Jane McKee and Darya Zarfeshan ’21, Sam The scene switched to an apparent ciga- is no forward progress or resolution to the Patterson and Seth Hudes ’20, and Dylan rette ad. Patterson’s show, 10,000 Cigarettes, story. The audience was enraptured for 20 Every year I see the Student Directed Sarubin and Ty Miller ’21. showcases four sisters waxing poetic about minutes as operator Carly Troyer ’22 yells at, Plays, and every year I am amazed and awed The run-through started with Confession, “the glue that holds all of mankind, and pleads, and cajoles London cab driver Aaron by the choices of shows and by their execu- Braverman’s show. It featured Cora K, a per- womankind, together.” The show is replete Sterling ’20 to pick up a client at the famous tion. This year was no different. But, before fectly innocent, straight-A student who wakes with some very realistic coughing and an Victoria Station. I formally saw the production, I went to the up in the principal’s office having no clue impressive level of telepathy between the Finally, we were presented with Dear first full run-through to see how the shows what crime she has apparently committed. sisters, who complete each other’s sentences God, an original musical written and directed came together. Alina Glass ’22, who played Cora K, told me with ease. by Sarubin. The premise is that a Jewish Two weeks before opening night, I walked that the cast made her leave the room for over Next up was Carpenter’s show, Too Much boy, played by Eli Fox ’23, is trying to meet into the theater to find a row of actors dancing 20 minutes while they decided on a crime, Light Makes the Baby go Blind. Adapted from with God, played by Jensen Gaither ’20, to together to the TikTok famous “Renegade” per the script’s instructions. a much longer piece, this show is comprised ask for advice on whether he should become choreography. These students, spanning all In between jokes that made even the sea- of 10 two-minute sketches, performed in a Christian. The show is equally funny from four grades, had one major thing in common: soned audience of other actors and directors different order each night. I may have heard the beginning, where we learn that Adam and the Student Directed Plays. While the atmo- crack up, we paused while Miller, also on Ian Smith ’22 groan as two sketches he Eve became Adam and Steve, to the middle, sphere was playful and fun, these shows were tech crew, “spiked” the stage for a spotlight performed in were called back to back. One featuring Johnny Foote ’20 as Jesus Christ anything but amateur. Soon after rehearsal with neon tape. Pink Panther music played of those, Hair Director, is a hilarious piece with daddy issues, to the end, with the entire began, production manager Isabella Otterbein while an entirely different set popped onstage with Smith and seniors Sonee Goles and cast sharing one last number, accompanied ’22 sat at a makeshift sound and lighting in a matter of seconds, trading a principal’s Naomi Brotman. Brotman plays a director by Sam Keleman ’21 on percussion, Gus booth with a walkie talkie and microphone, office for a street corner. who presents Smith with near-impossible Goucher ’21 on bass, Michael Foster ’20 on calling out “quiet in the house,” and walking Before her show, 2+1=Murder, started, demands. When I first saw the piece, Smith guitar, and Lance Greenberg ’21 conducting us all through the proceedings. Henry performed a pre-show ritual with her was instructed to act as if he “had no bones.” and on keyboard. This year, six seniors with experience in cast, but all I could identify was a game of si- I had no idea the prompt was improvised Each of these impressions and snapshots I Park’s theater program each directed roughly lent telephone. The show is best summarized until nearly a week later, when Smith was had of the shows were magnified two weeks 20-minute shows with the help of a stage as a few inept detectives playing a numbers instructed to “run from a swarm of bees” dur- later, when I saw it on opening night. I was manager. The pairings of director and stage game littered with math puns. One of my fa- ing the preview in Assembly! engaged every single minute and nearly manager were: Sammy Braverman and Char- vorite parts is the presence of a (nearly) dead McKee directs Victoria Station, a show crying with laughter. All in all, this was a ley Davis ’22, Naomi Carpenter and Jordyn man, played by Sam Ferraro ’21, positioned that is both hilarious and depressing at once. fantastic production, and I would encourage Harris ’21, Claudia Henry and Ben Sims ’20, front and center for the entire show. The latter is because, as it was intended, there everyone to get involved with it next year! 62nd Grammys got it wrong Warren King: Resident Artist by DANNY MENTON ’22 comeback performance of her new song “Anyone.” Lil Nas X teamed up with BTS, The Grammys have been a staple in the regular Nas, Billy Ray Cyrus, Young Thug, music industry for more than 50 years. How- and Diplo to present “Old Town Road.” Tyler, ever, people disagree on whether it should the Creator lit up the stage with Boyz II Men stay that way. The Grammys have struggled and Charlie Wilson, performing “Earfquake” to pull in consistent ratings, with the number and “New Magic Wand.” Alicia Keys hosted, of viewers dropping every year. This can be doing a pretty good job of keeping the crowd attributed to a lot of factors, including the entertained. She started with a monologue decreasing attention span of today’s youth, dedicated to the recent passing of basketball unwillingness to watch a three hour show, legend Kobe Bryant, and finished with a song the disconnect between the music industry dedicated to the Grammys. and its fans, various examples of artists get- Now, for the actual awards. For me, this ting ‘snubbed’ out of awards, the countless was the most disappointing part. I’ll start number of celebrities speaking out against the with the good this time. Seeing Tyler, the show, and the general decline of television as Creator win Best Rap Album for Igor was a medium. great. However, it was unfortunate that Whatever the cause, viewership for all the JPEGMafia and Danny Brown records award shows has been down. Comparing the weren’t nominated. Lizzo also took home 2018 year to the 2019 year, the Academy three Grammys, winning the ones I hoped she Awards were down 19 percent, Emmys down would. I would’ve liked to see her take home 10 percent and the Grammys down 24 per- Best New Artist or Record of the Year, but I cent. With declining numbers, the Grammys wasn’t too disappointed. Cuz I Love You is an needed to be strong if they wanted to gain unapologetic, bold record. Lizzo flaunts her viewers. But the Grammys weren’t strong. pipes (whether it be her flute or her voice) photo by Talia Kolodkin ’20 In fact, they were weak. The actual meat and and her body—listen to this record if you The 2020 Diana Lee Fox ’75 Resident Artist was Warren King. His piece “Grand- potatoes of the show weren’t awards; it was a haven’t yet. father’s Friends,” above, depicts the people he saw when he visited his ailing concert that also gave out awards sometimes. Now for the bad parts. DJ Khaled won an grandfather in Taiwan. The sculptures are made of cardboard and hot glue. The performers list was jam-packed, and not award, sharing the Grammy for Best Rap/ all of them were bad. Lizzo started the show Sung Performance with John Legend and the with a bang, performing “Cuz I Love You” late Nipsey Hussle for the song “Higher.” Director Spotlight: Jane McKee and “Truth Hurts,” even pulling out a flute, For everyone asking, what did he actually by AARON STERLING ’20 McKee, who generally stays more towards but it was mostly downhill from there. do to win the award? I don’t know. All he the drama category, said “It was really fun to Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton then really does is orchestrate the making of the For the past four years, Jane McKee ’20 do. I really tried doing something different.” performed “Nobody But You,” which was songs, getting rappers, singers and producers has been directing plays and short films. She cited Baltimore director John Waters as boring as it was bland. The only thing to create an album. Why does he deserve a Although McKee always enjoyed movies as an influence. “I met him at a show once, of notice was Stefani’s horrid dress. Other Grammy over anyone else? Ask the people at growing up, she never really thought about and I literally started crying,” McKee said. uneventful performances include Usher’s the Recording Academy. The worst snub by being a director herself until she made it to McKee has also explored her directing tribute to Prince, The Jonas Brothers having far was to every artist nominated for an award high school, when she saw Donnie Darko, a work at Park through the Documentary class, the worst stage presence I’ve ever seen, DJ Billie Eilish won. drama/fantasy film starring Jake Gyllenhaal. the Directing class, the film club—which Khaled screaming over John Legend trying to She took home five awards, including McKee said, “That just did it.” This then led meets Fridays at X block—and most recently, sing, and the cringe-inducing Aerosmith/Run- the four most prestigious categories (Song, McKee to audition for a directing camp fresh- being a director for the student directed plays, DMC mashup. By far the worst performance Record, and Album of the Year, as well as man year, which she ended up getting into. which were performed on February 6,7, and was the sendoff to Ken Ehrlich, the show’s Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album), Outside of school, McKee has gone to 8. Her play was called Victoria Station, a producer. He recently found himself the ma- beating out far better artists and records. I am multiple summer camps which have resulted drama following an operator and a cab driver jor recipient of a firestorm of allegations from not a big fan of Eilish, but even if you like in six short films, all written and directed by who see their situation in different ways. the recently departed CEO of the Recording her music you should agree that she didn’t McKee. Her camp is “a three week intensive McKee plans on continuing her direct- Academy, Deborah Dugan, including of hav- deserve most of them. program in New York City. I’ve done most of ing studies at DePaul University next year. ing a “boys club” and fixing the winners in Overall, the Grammys are a corporatist, my directing there,” she said. She does not yet know if she will major in order to get performers for the show. mainstream, out of touch, boring, and incor- McKee’s most recent film, which was also directing, or just continue to pursue it as a Through all of this, there were some rect way to represent 2019 in music. I already made at camp, is called The Trial of Will. hobby, but it will be interesting to see where highlights. Demi Lovato had an amazing know I won’t be tuning in next year. The movie is a dystopian courtroom fantasy. she goes. 10 The Postscript Arts & Culture February 26, 2020 Documentary reveals complex portrait of troubled athlete in the first degree and given a life sentence. Two years later, by WILL PERES ’23 and Hernandez was charged for the double homicide of de Abreu and KELBY JAMES ’23 Furtado in Florida. A few months later, Hernandez was found In the 2010 NFL draft, the New England Patriots selected not guilty of both murders, but had to continue serving his life tight-end Aaron Hernandez. Known for scoring the winning sentence for the Lloyd killing. Five days later, Hernandez was touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI, Hernandez is also known for found hanging by a bed sheet in his cell. being a convicted killer. Netflix has produced a three-part series Hernandez’s family gave his brain to Dr. Ann McKee, direc- on Hernandez’s life story. tor of Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Hernandez grew up in Connecticut. Dennis Hernandez, his (CTE) research. She found extensive CTE damage. The Hernan- father, was a hardcore football fan who played for the University dez case gave new urgency to the efforts by the NFL to address of Connecticut. Growing up, Aaron and his brother D.J. were the problem of CTE. Yet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, thrown into a home life entirely centered on football. Aaron’s stated at the time “our game has never been more exciting [or] father persistently stressed the need to be the best man on the competitive, and I don’t think it’s ever been safer.” field. Growing up with constant pressure, the Hernandez broth- According to CNN, recent research shows that 96 percent of ers, as well as their mother, also had to cope with alcohol fueled ex-NFL players tested show evidence of brain disease. CTE is abuse from Dennis. The childhood abuse only ended when the photo courtesy Hartford Courant caused by repetitive brain trauma, collisions on the field of play. father died from a routine hernia surgery. Aaron Hernandez at his 2015 trial for murder. Common symptoms include impulse control problems, aggres- After his dad was gone, Aaron committed to the University outward need to reject his own homosexuality. sion, depression, and paranoia. Hernandez exhibited all these of Florida (UF) where he became a star. Everyone loved him; on Drafted to the New England Patriots in April 2010, Hernandez symptoms. Memory loss, confusion, and dementia tend to follow. campus he felt untouchable; so invincible, he thought he could felt on top of the world. After dominating two seasons as a tight This documentary’s portrayal helps us understand the like- get away with anything. After winning a game freshman year, end, Hernandez allegedly shot and killed Daniel de Abreu and lihood of Hernandez’s inner struggle to understand his homo- the Gators went to a bar to celebrate. Though only 17 years old, Safiro Furtado in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Police sexuality, the way he used football to express violence, and the Hernandez got drunk, and when confronted with his bill, he never charged a suspect for the double shooting. A month later, possible links between CTE and his outrageous acts of violence punched the manager and walked out. Hernandez signed a new $40 million contract with the Patriots. off the field. The series provides some very good quotes from The manager never pressed charges; Hernandez went on for On June 16, 2013, Hernandez conspired with two childhood Hernandez himself. The troubled homophobic and abusive child- years believing his actions did not have direct consequences, friends to kill Odin Lloyd, Hernandez’s brother-in-law. Her- hood, the reinforcement of his machismo he received as a violent soon committing worse crimes. Hernandez’s experimentation nandez and his friends picked up Lloyd and drove to a secluded and successful player, and the constant beating on his head are with homosexuality is investigated, but publicly Hernandez area, where Lloyd was shot. A lot of forensic evidence pointed all laid out repeatedly, yet, there is never a precise conclusion trumpeted machismo, echoing his father’s homophobia. The towards Hernandez; he was charged, but pled innocent. about why he became so murderous. dissonance between who he was privately conflicted with the On April 15, 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of murder Maybe that’s for us to think about. Surprise hit: Sonic zooms from the consoles to the big screen by BRANDON ZAYON ’22 first theatrical film since 2014. He realistic-looking Sonic, but nobody channels the manic energy that made liked it, so the studio decided to de- Sonic the Hedgehog by Paramount him a household name to begin with, lay the movie and fix it. Not only is and first-time director Jeff Fowler is and gave the most entertaining lines, the new design more expressive, it about an alien named Sonic (voiced clearly enjoyed playing this part. also does some stuff that I don’t think by Ben Schwartz) who teams up with Speaking of entertaining lines, the would have even come close to work- a local cop named Tom Wachowski movie was for the most part surpris- ing with the original Sonic. The new (James Marsden) in the quiet town of ingly well-written. Many of the jokes version of Sonic is more versatile and Green Hills, Minnesota. They try to were quick-witted and snappy, and pretty entertaining. get Sonic’s magic rings, which were when the movie had to get emotional Everything else with the movie accidentally transported to San Fran- and a little serious, it knew the basics is overall pretty basic. The score is cisco, while at the same time trying to of getting an emotional response. The simple and doesn’t stand out, and the escape the evil Dr. Robotnik (voiced story is a pretty basic road trip buddy cinematography has only a few cool by Jim Carrey). movie though, that doesn’t take too shots. There are some Quicksilver The cast works really well off of many risks but does just enough to be scenes that are fun, and the rest is images courtesy pcgamer.com and vox.com each other. Schwartz and Marsden a good family movie. just fine. There is a lot of fanservice, have a likeable chemistry and have The emotional moments are though, including a blink-and-you’ll- Due to fan reaction, Sonic was redesigned. The new Sonic the some very touching and funny bond- mainly held up by the new Sonic de- miss-it reference to Sanik, and that Hedgehog helps the world survive evil domination. ing moments together. The real high- sign. In case you don’t know, there alone makes the movie worth the It feels like the producers who and ended up creating a good kids light, though, is Jim Carrey, in his was originally going to be a more price of admission. made this movie tried their hardest movie with some great performances. Anne Brontë distinguishes herself from sisters with Tenant of Wildfell Hall by ERIC SMITH ’22 point where you begin to doubt how these spread in the town as to why she is solitary, women could stand to be abused in such a way. Gilbert begins to lose trust in her. It is only I am certain that many of you have heard of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall possesses no then that Helen decides to entrust him with her the Brontë sisters by now in your high school such Byronic hero, like the others. In fact, diaries that show the failed marriage that she careers. Their literary masterpieces, in a time the disrespectful men are placed in the role in had to escape from in order to protect her son when women were thought of as lesser, helped which they should belong: the villain. When and her own moral being. further the Women’s Rights Movement and de- Anne Brontë published her book under the pen The most compelling part about this book fied the expectations at that time. While most name Acton Bell, her intent was to choose a is the dialogue. To put it quite simply, it feels people can recall two Brontë sisters, Charlotte gender neutral, or perhaps gender ambiguous real, not imagined or supposed. and Emily, there were, in fact, three. Surely option, as her contemporaries would not believe One imagines that if a reclusive person de- you are familiar with Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, a woman could have written such a scathing cides to write a book that deals with human and Emily’s Wuthering Heights, which have commentary about how women were treated interaction, they may be not very good at such been adapted to stage and screen, but I would during the 19th century. endeavors, given their lack of experience; the bet that not many of you are acquainted with In fact, Anne rarely left her house in the dialogue may be awkward and forced, abso- the third sister, Anne, and her novel The Tenant moors for the entirety of her life. The Tenant of lutely killing the momentum the plot had been of Wildfell Hall. Wildfell Hall is a powerful book that remarked slowly building up. This does not happen in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has an entirely upon the fate of women who had selected men The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The dialogue different feel than either of her sister’s books. that would ultimately fail as husbands, and what feels authentic, and expertly matches each of Those books feature characters known as Byro- they were forced to do to gain their lives back. the characters—something that is hard to find nic heroes, the cruel, brooding, yet sinisterly ir- The story begins from the point of view of a in older books. resistible characters that form the love interests farmer, Gilbert Markham, who lives in the small Reading this Brontë masterpiece will give for the novels Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, town of Linden-Car in 1827. The town is awash you a glimpse into what women had to endure image courtesy digibok.se and dozens of other novels of the time. The with rumor when a stately woman named Helen in the 19th century. You will ultimately be in- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is one of two authors of these works set up the Byronic heroes Graham and her son Arthur come to occupy the spired by and rejoice in their courage to eschew novels by Anne Brontë. Along with her as twisted demons whose tortured pasts lead derelict mansion known as Wildfell Hall. Helen societal laws and the cultural norms of their two sisters, she also published a poetry you to believe that perhaps these people have claims that she is a widow who now paints in times, allowing their better selves to flourish. collection. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall a contrasting side to them, a pleasurable side, order to make a living. Of course, you will also be able to strike up was adapted into a British television and, of course, they never do. She is a recluse, but begins to become close quite the conversation when you claim to have mini-series in 1996. In addition, they are also incredibly cruel friends with Gilbert, who soon begins to covet a read Brontë, especially the Brontë that scarcely to their ‘love interest,’ tormenting them to the love interest with her. However, as false rumors anyone knows. Sports// The Postscript February 26, 2020 11 Kobe Bryant: Remembering a Legend by JACOB PERES ’21 ‘Finish what?’ ‘Getting your shots up. What time did you leave the facility?’ Kobe Bryant is gone. I struggle to type this, ‘Oh just now. I wanted 800 makes, so yeah, even though it’s been a few weeks since he died just now.’ alongside his daughter Gianna and seven other In effect, Kobe showed up seven hours early passengers in a helicopter crash. It still doesn’t for an offseason scrimmage.” feel real. One of the greatest athletes ever, the If that doesn’t summarize the Mamba Men- KOBE BRYANT Black Mamba, died at just 41 years old. tality, I don’t know what does. Bryant is on

Bryant, arguably the hardest-working ath- the national team, a team with the top 12 to 15 lete of all time, seemed invincible. He was a players on the entire planet, and still shows up 1978 - 2020 mainstay in a city and country that are always seven hours before the next guy. changing. Growing up, this motivated me not only on Whether you are a die-hard Lakers fan or the court, but off the court, too. I was so moved “ you’ve never watched a minute of basketball, by his mental strength that I decided to write you knew Kobe Bryant. He was a global icon, about it in my English class in October 2018. I Rest in Peace. role model, and inspiration. wrote about how confident Bryant was in him- Bryant was a superstar, like LeBron James self because he knew that he put in more effort Thank you for all or Michael Jordan, but there’s something that than his competitors. “ puts Bryant in a category of his own: the Mam- The Mamba elevated his game, both physi- the memories. ba Mentality. cally and mentally, to a level never seen before. After a disappointing 2002-2003 season in “The other guys out here playing checkers. I’m which the Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs playing chess,” Bryant said in a post-game in- in the Western Conference Semifinals, Bryant terview. was charged with sexually assaulting a woman Bryant didn’t win just on shooting or pure in Colorado. He later admitted that although he athleticism. He got inside your head. Before, thought he had consent at the time, he realizes during, and after each game against the Lakers, that he may not have. It was clear that Bryant how to stop Bryant was the only thing on the was having a rather rough year in 2003, both rival’s mind. He invoked fear in the hearts of his on and off the court. enemies. He knew his opponent’s every move In order to separate his on and off court before they did. He wasn’t just one step ahead, personalities, he dubbed his basketball self the he was five or six. Bryant was often victorious Black Mamba. Like the snake, Bryant was ag- before stepping on the court; he just knew he gressive on the court, so the self-given nick- would win. name stuck. While Bryant was loving and kind, The Black Mamba was a legend, a hero, and the Black Mamba was ferocious, showing no a champion. But more importantly, Kobe Bryant mercy for his opponents. This Mamba Mentality was a loving father and husband. Bryant and his is what made Bryant one of the greatest athletes wife Vanessa had four daughters, one of whom, in history. Gianna, also tragically died in the helicopter Some of the stories of the Black Mamba are, crash. She was on the way to her basketball like the venomous snake, incredibly frighten- game with her dad, who was also her coach. ing. During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Bry- Bryant was a caring father to his four daugh- ant called the team trainer at four a.m., asking ters. They truly meant the world to him. Since him to come to the gym. But that’s where the Kobe did not have a son, he was asked about craziness began. Bryant’s athletic trainer recalls who would carry on his basketball legacy, and exactly what happened: “I remember very viv- this was his response: idly. All the Team USA players were there, feel- “The best thing that happens is when we go ing good for the first scrimmage. LeBron was out, and fans will come up to me and Gianna talking to Carmelo [Anthony], if I remember will be standing next to me and they’ll be like, correctly, and Coach [Mike] Krzyzewski was ‘You gotta have a boy. You and Vanessa gotta trying to explain something to Kevin Durant. have a boy, have somebody to carry on the tradi- On the right side of the practice facility was tion, the legacy.’ [Gianna] is like ‘Oy, I got this. Kobe by himself shooting jumpers. And this is No boy for that, I got this.’” how our next conversation went — I went over Gianna had hopes of one day playing in the to him, patted him on the back and said, ‘Good WNBA and carrying on the Black Mamba Men- work this morning.’ tality. ‘Huh?’ Rest in Peace Gianna Bryant, John Altobel- ‘The conditioning. Good work’ li, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina ‘Thanks, Rob. I really appreciate it.’ Mauser, Ara Zobayan, Sarah Chester, Payton ‘So when did you finish?’ Chester, and Kobe Bryant. photos courtesy VanityFair.com and CNBC.com

by AXLE ZHAO ’21 game. Scoring 60 points, he ended his career perfectly. When I play basketball, I always think about Kobe. I never My uncle introduced me to Kobe. He was a huge fan. Under give up a single ball. I will try my best to play defense, and try his influence, I started watching the NBA. Every Sunday morning to give my opponents more pressure. Even if my team is los- in China, I would watch the games on TV and try to remember ing, I won’t give up. I will still try to win the game. In my daily the names of all the players. life, I will always challenge myself. I will do whatever I can to Kobe was really popular in China. He was so popular that accomplish the things that seem hard to me. I will never forget every game he played would be on TV, even if the Lakers were Black Mamba Mentality. bad that year. Every time my uncle went to my house, we would I’ve been through downs in my life. Everybody has. I had talk about basketball and watch all the highlight videos together surgery on my knee. Every time I wanted to give up in recovery, until midnight. Kobe would always be in our conversation. I thought of Kobe, how he practiced hard and came back. I also My uncle would talk about how when Kobe went to China lost people that I loved and it almost destroyed me. I tried to during the summer, the street would be packed because people escape from the real world and hide myself somewhere. But wanted to see him. We would talk about his post up, fade away, Black Mamba Mentality gave me the support to overcome these and footwork. We wouldn’t stop until my parents made me go struggles. to bed. Kobe once said, “If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray In 2013, Kobe tore his Achilles tendon. He still finished the for the bear.” We don’t give up. We don’t lose hope. We’ve been free throws after he got injured. I’ve never seen a man as strong through ups and downs. But we will always stay strong and fight as that. He came back from the ashes in the same year. He had a back all the difficulties we have. bone fracture on his knee again. In 2015, he tore the muscle on We sacrifice and we have no fear. We focus and stay strong. photo courtesy People.com his right shoulder. However, after all these big injuries, he still Kobe is gone, but the Black Mamba Mentality will stay forever Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. came back to the court. On April 14, 2016, Kobe had his last and influence us forever. Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Permit #1262 Sports Baltimore, MD The Postscript February 26, 2020 PAGE 12 Rebecca Frank dominates in three varsity sports by WILL PERES ’23 understanding of the game, both inside and out- their progress down the field, ankles and shins side of school,” Director of Physical Education taking the brunt of her play while running down The Tank. Frankinator. Bex. These are some and Director of Athletics Girls’ Program Robin the turf. of the names that the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Lowe ’84 said. Through her journey, Frank has accom- squad calls their star teammate, Becca Frank. Continuing to dominate lacrosse through plished things most athletes only dream of. As a As a member of the Class of 2021, Frank is a her middle school years, Frank faced the step freshman, Frank tried out for Park’s field hock- three year starting player. up to Varsity level play in 9th grade well. As a ey, basketball, and of course, lacrosse teams, Frank started her lacrosse journey here at freshman, Frank feared she could not compete securing a spot on varsity for all three sports. Park in the spring of third grade with Stradine on the same level with girls three years older. As a sophomore, Frank earned All-Conference Harris as her first coach. Soon after, Frank was However, when lacrosse season came for Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse. Now, as a junior, playing ‘rec’ at Towson Towne. Frank still around, Frank’s strength and sense of the game Frank has recently committed to American couldn’t get enough lacrosse. put her in the starting lineup. University, a college with a NCAA Division At the start of middle school, Frank joined “When Frank came onto the field, I was so I lacrosse team. her first club team, the Diamond Lacrosse Club. excited to play with another player who plays “Club really helped me [get] my name out “I’ve been coaching Frank for what’s going club [level]. We played with each other in mid- there. When we go to tournaments, the expo- to be three years now. But I‘ve been teaching dle school, so I knew her style of play,” Katelyn sure for different colleges is great. I like Park her in gym classes and working with her since Mann ’20 said. lacrosse in a different way just because of the she was in Lower School. Soon after playing a few high school games, coaches and the atmosphere here at Park,” Obviously, there’s the natural automatic the team started a new tradition her freshman Frank said. growth that happens over the years, but she’s year. “Get Franked” is the cheer when number Let’s hope that we can hear more of the la- photos courtesy Liza Sheehy ’21 worked very hard to improve her skills and her 23 interrupts opponents, sometimes destroying crosse team yelling “Get Franked” this spring. Ethan Adler ’21 goes pro with “SKmixes” THREE by DANIEL WEINSTEIN ’21 friend, but that did not stop Adler’s determina- ticed. In October 2018, he was contacted by the tion. From that point on, he “fell in love with marketing team for Julian Edelman, an all-pro POINTER With roughly 6700 Instagram followers and [editing].” wide receiver for the New England Patriots. He over three years of experience under his belt, Because of his determination, Adler was produced a video to be posted on Edelman’s by CALLIE KROSIN ’21, Ethan Adler’s “SKmixes” is something to take able to grow his page on his own; he taught Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook before a game JACOB PERES ’21, note of. As the name suggests, the account is himself how to use the software, and over time against the Tennessee Titans during Edelman’s and QUINN SEIDENMAN ’21 dedicated to making mixes, or edits, of sports he improved. He began making mixes very fre- Super Bowl MVP-winning campaign. Less than two weeks after the Nationals cap- videos. This involves assembling a compilation quently at the end of 2016, spending an average Adler quickly became affiliated with Edel- tured its first ever World Series title, former of sports clips, music, special effects, and using of one to two hours on each, and uploading them man, producing four videos over the 2019 NFL Houston Astros pitcher Mike Fiers claimed that a number of editing tools. to his page. To achieve this high production season, joining his freelance editing team, and the Astros used a camera in center field to steal Although Adler now boasts impressive num- volume, he tended to overwork himself. “I may earning commission. Adler has dozens of other pitching signs from opponents throughout his bers, it wasn’t always this way. Adler came from have burnt myself out posting that frequently,” clients who have reached out to him on social time with the team. humble beginnings, starting his endeavors in Adler admitted. media for a video, some of whom are profes- The system of cheating was overly simplis- sports montages just over three years ago dur- After taking a two month break, he returned sional stars and others local athletes. tic; it’s surprising they didn’t get caught sooner. ing the Thanksgiving football games of 2016. in April 2017, using more advanced software, With his popularity seemingly growing ex- Players and bench coaches would watch the Although this was officially the beginning of his which required more commitment. His mixes ponentially, Adler says that “business is boom- catcher display the signs on a TV monitor in the mixing career, he has always had an interest in now take anywhere between eight and 12 hours ing.” His hope is to maintain a steady growth dugout hallway, and relay what the sign was to videography and video editing. “My latest ex- to make; it is clear that Adler produces high for the foreseeable future, continue to receive the hitter by banging on the lid of a trash can. pression of that passion is through my mixes,” quality videos. He organized a schedule, post- a steady stream of clients, and become further Sign stealing is a dated tradition in baseball. Adler said. ing three times a week: Monday, Thursday, and integrated into Edelman’s social media team. If What makes the Astros villainous is not their His initial inspiration came from other “Saucy Play Saturday.” there is one takeaway, Adler says, it is learning objective, but rather their use of technology to mixing pages on Instagram at the time. His It was only very recently that Adler started the importance of “seizing the moment when cheat the game. first three videos were disapproved of by his to strike big deals; his talent does not go unno- opportunities present themselves.” As a result of Fiers’ accustation, Major League Baseball (MLB) launched a full inves- Season previews: hibernation is over for spring athletes tigation into the Astros in January of 2020. To Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse dition of Tori Garbarino ’23, who may become and are striving for success. “Our biggest team no surprise, the Astros were guilty. the best pitcher in the conference. goal is a championship,” captain Zach Mittel- After admitting to knowledge of the sign- by JACOB PERES ’21 Recent history has proven that the Bruins’ man ’21 said. “We just need to work hard, and stealing operation, Houston Manager A.J. Hinch After a strong 2019 season, the Girls’ Varsity tight-knit group has the ability to put together push each other to be better every day.” was suspended for the entirety of the 2020 sea- Lacrosse team looks to build on its success from deep playoff runs, but are missing the last bit Concordia Prep is expected to be tough com- son by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, only last year. Led by senior captains Sonee Goles of firepower to get over the hump. This year petition, as the reigning champions of the “C” to be fired later that day by Astros Owner Jim and Katelyn Mann, the Bruins have high expec- should be different. “These past few seasons, Conference. The Bruin ‘boys of summer’ are Crane. Houston’s General Manager Jeff Luh- tations for the 2020 campaign which usually we have had really good runs and made it all the ready for the season to go into full swing. now was also fired. consists of 12 games in “B” Conference play. way to the championship, [but] unfortunately The Astros scandal has had a tremendous “I expect that we will be very strong competi- we haven’t been able to lock it down,” Bernie Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse impact on the rest of the MLB. Former Astros tors in our conference this year. We have a lot Berner ’20 said. “This year we have talented by DARRYL FRANCE ’22 Bench Coach and Boston Red Sox Manager of younger players stepping up,” Mann said. returning players and strong new players.” After going 5-7 in the MIAA “B” confer- Alex Cora was fired for his involvement in the Practices began February 18, and are two hours The future of the Bruins’ softball program ence last season, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse hope scandal, as well as former Astros player and long every day after school. looks bright for this season and beyond. “I’m to turn their losing record around by changing New York Mets Manager Carlos Beltran. The first in-conference game versus St. Tim- confident that we will be a force to be reckoned the team culture. While harsh punishments were issued for othy’s is scheduled for March 6. After consecu- with, and we will go all the way,” Berner said. “I hope that we can keep a good attitude but the coaches and executives involved, players tive 9-3 seasons, the team hopes that this is the also play hard and physical lacrosse,” captain were granted immunity in exchange for honest year they can take it up a notch and bring home Boys’ Varsity Baseball Jordan Blum ’20 said. “[We] want to start the testimonies. Although the system of cheating is an IAAM Championship banner. by LIZA SHEEHY ’21 year off fast and not slow down.” described as “player-driven” in the MLB report, After struggling to win games in the MIAA The top two teams in the MIAA “B” Con- no player will receive any suspension as a result Girls’ Varsity Softball “B” Conference over the past few seasons, ference last year were Archbishop Curley High of the drawn-out offenses that resulted in a 2017 by QUINN SEIDENMAN ’21 Boys’ Varsity Baseball is headed to the “C” School and Glenelg Country School, going 11-1 World Series victory. Following two consecutive championship Conference, where they are looking forward to and 9-3 respectively. If the Bruins want to raise The anger around the league and its fans losses, the Bruins softball team believes they a competitive season. “I expect that we learned a banner in May, they will have to defeat these is unprecedented. Players feel cheated by the will hang a championship banner this season. a lot from the last couple of years, and we will tough oponents. Astros, including a pitcher suing the organiza- A talented group is anchored by a strong ju- be hungry to compete with every team we play,” Even so, Blum and Coach Josh Davey both tion that he claims effectively ended his career. nior class, which makes up a large chunk of Head Coach Andy Scott said. expect success. Over the past three years, ac- If baseball is to remain America’s pastime, the roster. With a core group of returning players, the cording to Blum “we’ve never looked better the Astros players deserve to be punished, as The team will also be bolstered by the ad- Bruins have been preparing in the off-season, than now.” well as the executives and coaches.