The Loomis Chaffee Log

Issue CIV No. 5 Est. 1915 • 4 Batchelder Rd., Windsor, CT January 30, 2020 KENT DAY RETURNS By RYAN FORTANI ’22 “fizzled out a bit because we stopped playing Staff Writer each other in football...much of the luster of the rivalry was lost because “the spoon” was November 14, 2020, will mark the return no longer a part of the equation.” of an age-old Loomis Chaffee tradition: While both Loomis and Kent are mem- Kent Day. bers of the Founders League, there has typ- With the recent creation of Founders ically not been a football league within the League Football, Loomis can once again Founders organization. Therefore, mem- play the Kent School in football and thus re- ber schools have joined different football ignite a rivalry that shaped school spirit at leagues and often get split apart. both institutions. Loomis was originally able to play Kent in “We will play all fall sports except football because both schools were members cross-country on the last day of the fall sea- of the Erickson League, named after former son in 2020...and with the addition of foot- Loomis athletics director Ralph Erickson. ball to our league, bring[ing] Kent Day back However, Loomis pulled out of this league seems like a natural return of what was a to join the Central New England Class A great day for both league (consisting communities,” Ath- of schools such as letic Director Ms. The Loomis-Kent rivalry’s Deerfield, Andover, Sue Cabot said. Exeter, Choate, etc.). The Loomis-Kent roots date back to 1921, In doing so, Loomis rivalry’s roots date lost the ability to play back to 1921, when a when a Kent football Kent as they were no Kent football player longer in the same stole a silver spoon player stole a silver spoon league. during the post- during the post-game tea... The Loomis-Kent game tea service held rivalry was as a hall- at Head of School mark of our community, and it still remains Nathaniel Batchelder’s house for the two to be seen how the athletic department will competing teams. capitalize on this increased spirit leading up The disappearance of the spoon creat- to Kent Day. ed tension between Mr. Batchelder and “Back in the day, they used to have a pep the Kent head of school, Frederick Sill. In rally with a bonfire...and we would be out 1947, however, Father Sill’s successor, Fa- there chanting and cheering and each team ther Chalmers, returned the spoon with the would lead a cheer, and it was pretty good addition of an enlarged replica, which was for the entire community,” English faculty then used as the trophy for the winner of the member Mr. Fred Seebeck said. rivalry’s football game. While it is clear that Kent Day is making “The spoon went to the winner of the a return, it is unclear whether the spoon football game every year, and then to ac- itself will do the same. Head football coach knowledge the importance of the other ath- Mr. Jeffrey Moore stated that “Kent had the letic contests, a bowl was established to be spoon [last] and they [have] lost the spoon. given to the school who had the best win/ So right now, no one knows where the loss record in all of the other sports on Kent spoon is...but it would be great if we could Day,” Associate Head of School Mr. Webb create a new replica — maybe through the Trenchard said. PHI [Pearse Hub for Innovation].” However, after over 60 years of storied Regardless, the return of Kent Day will Clockwise from top left: Photos and graphics courtesy of the 1991 Confluence, the 1983 Confluence, the LC rivalry, Loomis and Kent stopped playing fill a missing portion of a traditional board- Archives, the 1970 confluence, and the LC Archives each other in football, concluding this cher- ing school student life: rivalries. ished tradition as other sports competitions “I am hopeful that the Kent Day rivalry Clockwise from top left: A cartoon featured in the 1991 Confluence; a banner to celebrate Kent Day between the schools also slowly died out. will exemplify a tradition of healthy compe- in November, 1982; the spoon that was used as a trophy by the two schools; a bus decorated by LC stu- Yet, it still remains unclear why exactly tition, mutual respect, camaraderie and un- dents for Kent Day in 1970; Mrs. Batchelder and Mr. Batchelder with a Loomis School football player the rivalry ended. paralleled good sportsmanship between our holding the original spoon. According to Mr. Trenchard, the rivalry two schools,” Ms. Cabot said.

By JENNY PAN ’22 spring term. Before the entire student body Girls’ Vice President Margarita Demkina Graphics Manager votes, StuCo plans to host a debate on the ’20 said. ratification of the new constitution so that StuCo Boys’ Vice President Min Jun Jung StuCo Revises Behind the closed doors of the student students will be exposed to arguments for ’20 said that the change would move the council (StuCo), the Loomis Chaffee stu- and against the revision. constitution closer to Loomis’s core values. dent constitution is undergoing a major Specifically, StuCo wishes to revise the “I think it’s more a symbolic step rather revision. At this point, the senior represen- student council voting process, introduc- than a logistical one. Especially when mov- Constitution tatives have finished their revision draft and ing a policy of gender-neutral language for ing forward, the gender language is be- are waiting for the vote of the rest of StuCo. voting. Removing the distinction between coming more of a relic. As we start moving Gender-Neutral If StuCo passes the revised draft, then the “female” and “male” candidates, StuCo aims forward, the constitution and the student entire student body will vote on whether to to eliminate gender divisions in representa- council should as well,” Min said. Language Included adapt or discard the new constitution, an tives and the voting process. event that will take place sometime in the “We want to be more inclusive,” StuCo (Continued on Page 2)

January EDITORS’ CONNECT WITH US! PICKS The Loomis Chaffee Log News (Page 2) Attrition at LC - 2

Features (Pages 3-5) The Loomis Chaffee Log How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint - 5 Opinions (6-7) @thelog What the Flip? - 6 BRIDGEPORT, CT PERMIT NO. 140 U.S. POSTAGE

PRSRT STD Sports (8-9) PAID Hockey’s Hot Start - 8 @thelclog www.thelclog.org Mélange (10-12) 2019 Superlatives - 11 2 | NEWS The Loomis Chaffee Log January 30, 2020 Solar Fest Celebrates Why Students Sustainability and LC’s New Leave Loomis Solar Panels

By RYAN FORTANI ’22 be the best place for them, and they will be Staff Writer able to thrive in another institution. Additionally, we see students leave be- During the fall term, nine students left cause the workload and rigor at Loomis Loomis Chaffee for a variety of reasons. proves unmanageable for them, because of These nine students will now be included mental health reasons, and because of ath- into what is known as our attrition rate, or letics. Athletic attrition typically sees stu- the rate at which students leave every year. dents move from one school to another in Loomis Chaffee’s attrition rate is around 2% order for the student to become a stronger per year. and more dominant athlete in their respec- According to Head of School Dr. Sheila tive sport. Culbert, this percentage “is very much in “Perhaps they will get more playing time line with our peer schools.” at another school or they want to do some- While the individual circumstances sur- thing like junior hockey” Dr. Culbert said. rounding a students Ultimately, attri- leave are confiden- tion is an inevitable tial, there are some Loomis Chaffee’s attrition part of any academ- general reasons that ic institution, and lead students to rate is around 2% per while we work to leave the Island per- find students that manently. Rough- year... “very much in line will best fit our com- ly one to three with our peer schools.” munity through- students leave the out the admissions school due to disci- process, there will plinary reasons each year. However, due to always be flaws that lead to some form of Loomis’ level system, students often are able tension between the school and a student, to make mistakes and learn from them while but for the most part, it is clear that most remaining in the community. students have found Loomis to be the right “We are very much a second-chance place for them—after all, most students stay school, so this is not a major source of attri- for the full four years. tion,” Dr. Culbert said. “Some students just miss their family or Another source of attrition is family and friends from home and boarding school is personal reasons. Another one to three stu- not for them,” Dr. Culbert explained. Photo by Neala Sweeney ’20 dents will leave due to homesickness and recognition that boarding school may not Pictured is the paper mache sun that science teacher Ms. Julie Hinchman made for Solar Fest. The LC Environmental Proctors had students write down their 2020 sustainability resolutions and attach them to the sun.

StuCo Drafts New Student Constitution

By JENNY PAN ’22 Graphic Manager In order for a revision to Continued from front pass, three-quarters of the The upcoming revision will also remove student body has to outdated procedures like “taking notes on a Photo by Anna Rebello ’21 physical notebook paper” as Min said. vote in favor. “We were ignoring outdated voting pro- Log Web Editor Jack Glassie ’20 bikes on the smoothie bicycle at a station run by cedures all along anyways, so we decided to accidentally added an idea, but I let the real Freya Rich ’20 and Lilith Yu ’20. The LC E Proctors put on Solar Fest in honor of take them completely out of the constitu- ideas flow from the students,” Mr. Beck said. the opening and installation of the solar panels on campus. tion,” Min added. The last revision of the StuCo constitu- In addition to changes in the voting pro- tion took place in 2010 under the guidance cess, the constitution will be receiving up- of former faculty advisor Mr. Seebeck. The grades in its language. 2010 revision fixed outdated procedures and “The old constitution did not have good created an efficient voting structure. language. We cleaned things up,” mathe- Looking back on the 2010 revision now, matics faculty member and faculty advisor english teacher Mr. Fred Seebeck notes that to the Student Council Mr. Elliot Beck said. the voting process was a problem even back Though Mr. Beck has a lot of responsibili- then. ty as the faculty advisor, he emphasizes that “They wanted to streamline the voting he did not interfere with the brainstorming process by making students vote when sign- and writing process for the revision. ing in at school meeting like convocation. “My role is to support them. I might’ve They voted on the sign-in papers,” he said. In order for a revision to pass, three-quar- ters of the student body has to vote in favor. “We were ignoring Mr. Seebeck recalls that, in 2010, there was a problem with the lack of people voting. outdated voting Even when voting forms were sent out via email, he remembers that many students procedures all along didn’t cast a vote. anyways, so we decided to “Earlier this fall, there was a survey sent out by the NEASC reaccreditation commit- take them completely out tee, and 680 students responded out of the total 725 students. That’s a high rate of re- of the constitution,” turn but in order to have three quarters of the student body to approve an amendment, Photo by Anna Rebello ’21 Min added. you need everyone to vote,” he said. Alejandro Ricon’21 and Jake Lotreck’21 work the recyling game table. They asked students to sort through and determine what items could be recycled and what items could not. January 30, 2020 The Loomis Chaffee Log FEATURES | 3 Ken Green: From Councilman to Counselor

By STEPHANIE ZHANG ’21 Though he missed the reward of letter tional and behavioral psychiatric disabilities. rooted in American history and our every- News Editor grades, he felt that the absence of grades al- He explained that these kids were not able to day lives. While a lot of us are doing much lowed him to focus on what he ultimately attend the regular public schools and would better materialistically now and can afford For Kenneth Green, a nine-year coun- wanted to pursue in life. Today, he stands have been labeled as special needs students. not to think about it, it’s a false quality of selor at Loomis Chaffee, asthma was the firm in his argument that self-worth should Their behavior proved very disruptive to life.” ‘Meanwhile, there are people being only obstacle standing between him and the not be reflected with a grade. the public school system. draft. Instead of being sent to fight in the “For example, you guys are under a lot of “A number of them had a lot of dysfunc- Vietnam War, he was allowed to stay home stress here to get A’s and B’s, and if you get tion in the families and from the commu- I don’t believe America due to his medical condition and ultimate- anything lower than that, you probably feel nities they came from. Unfortunately, those ly became the first in his family to receive a unhappy. There’s a lot of push here to get students had a lot of challenges behaviorally, will ever reach true college education. that letter grade and say I’m doing well, I’m socially, academically, and physiological- “When you were young, you had to sign not doing well, I’m smart, I’m not smart. It’s ly, and I just tried to be as supportive as I equality, because [many] up to go to the military. You really didn’t important to remember that the grades you could,” Mr. Green said. have any options. The year I turned eigh- get do not define your character or your in- Following the social work, he ran for the factors are rooted in teen...was gonna be the last year that they telligence,” Mr. Green said. Connecticut government’s General Assem- were going to do a draft,” Mr. Green ex- Although Mr. Green has a master’s in bly four times before he won and remained American history and our plained. social work and has worked in the field for in office for sixteen years. He emphasizes everyday lives. Although Mr. Green always thought his over forty years, he did not always intend the value attached to not giving up when asthma would exempt him from the draft, to be a social worker. In fact, he went into things don’t turn out your way. he was chosen from a lottery, and he passed college with the intention of being a math As a state representative, Mr. Green cre- killed, injustices are happening, econom- the medical examination. teacher. After some reflection and develop- ated and worked with a variety of organiza- ic gaps are getting wider, racism has now “In the time between graduating high ment, he changed his mind. tions that helped underprivileged commu- shown its ugly head, and you can see all school and going to college, I had been “When I was younger, in 1968, when nities. One organization that he is especially of that today. I think Martin Luther King Martin Luther King, Jr., got shot, I was a proud of is Always on Saturday, a program would’ve wanted people to ask themselves, youngster and in Hartford, we rioted. I was exposing young males to information about ‘What role do I play in all these injustices?’” Find a cause bigger very angry, and I expressed my anger...Ever sexuality, positive decision-making skills, Mr. Green continued. since then, I always did have a social con- and self-esteem. Mr. Green expressed that social work than what you want to sciousness. Looking at Martin Luther King, Mr. Green also sponsored the Youth Pre- is his life’s calling and that he has certainly do in life and use your growing up in the ’60s, dealing with the vention Summit and helped James C. Till- used his education to benefit and give back whole Vietnam War. Even though I wanted man, a man who was wrongly convicted of to his community. He encourages students education to make a to be a math teacher, I always had this social rape and served almost nineteen years in to reflect on their own lives, act on issues consciousness on my mind and wondered, prison, obtain a five million dollar settle- they are passionate about, and have a chat change. The actions you ‘Why do we behave the way we behave?’” ment as compensation from the state. at his office in the Student Center (outside Mr. Green said. “I don’t believe America will ever reach the SNUG, toward the dish drop) whenever take after the rallies are Mr. Green emphasized the importance of true equality, because [many] factors are he’s in. being socially active and aware, especially at so much more important a young age. than just going to it. “I became very active on campus in terms of social activism. I thought my philosophy was more of anti-capitalism. I felt like the inequities and injustices based on the whole drafted, so at that point, I was kind of dis- economic depravity of some people was re- traught [about] the idea that I wasn’t going ally hurtful for the general population,” Mr. to go to college,” Mr. Green said. Green said. After a reexamination of his case, how- Although protests and rallies do not seem ever, Mr. Green’s asthma proved severe to make large changes to legislation, Mr. enough to exempt him from military service Green argues that they are important activ- and to warrant his attendance at Hampshire ities to bring people together and to foster- College in Amherst, MA. ing a like-minded community. “What was unique about going to Hamp- “Find a cause bigger than what you want shire College was that the year I went to to do in life and use your education to make Hampshire College was the second year that a change. The actions you take after the ral- the college opened up,” Mr. Green said. lies are so much more important than just “In 1971, with 500 students, it was a small going to it,” Mr. Green said. community, and everyone knew each oth- Following these values, Mr. Green ac- er.” tively used his education to benefit his com- Mr. Green treasured his experience at munity and provide other underprivileged Hampshire because unlike other, more tra- adolescents and communities with the re- ditional colleges, Hampshire did not grade sources they need to succeed. students on assignments and tests. “I had the opportunity to be the first one “It’s basically that you shape your own ed- in my family to go to college. Part of my re- ucational progress and your own education- sponsibility was bringing it back to the com- al goals. You decide what you want to learn munity who supported me,” Mr. Green said. Photo by Anna Rebello ’21 [and] how you want to learn; it’s basically Before Mr. Green came to Loomis Chaf- Mr. Kenneth Green poses in his office, located in the Scanlan Campus Center. Mr. independent study from the moment you set fee, he spent thirty years working as a social Green was a member of the Connecticut General Assembly for sixteen years, af- foot there,” Mr. Green detailed. worker in schools for students with emo- ter which he served as a social worker for students with psychiatric disabilities.

Tutoring from Island to Island

By EMILY KHYM ’23 English phrases and the typical American Contributor curriculum. During the Wednesday sessions, Ting-yo [Editors’ note: The author is a member of the creates a lesson plan personalized for each Remote English Tutoring Program.] student in Taiwan. LC students will tutor As the depth and quality of education elementary school students for one meet- varies from country to country, Ting-yo ing, and then during the next meeting, they Tan ’22, the founder of the Remote English will have interview-style conversations Tutoring Program, hopes to reach students with the girls. who do not have the same chances for edu- “I have a passion for teaching, so this cation in Taipei, Taiwan. community service program is a good ex- The volunteers of the English Tutoring perience. I enjoy working with kids and Program meet every other Wednesday eve- talking about the differences between the ning in the Katharine Brush Library to talk American and Taiwanese education system, to students from Taipei. Ting-yo said that especially since my mom is originally from this program was initially started by Rota- Taiwan,” Madison Hua ’23 said. ry International, a non-profit organization In their Zoom conversations, the LC stu- that seeks to unite people from around the dents discuss topics such as school environ- world. ment, studying methods, college applica- To start this program, Ting-yo connect- tions, extracurricular activities, and cultural ed with Taipei First Girls’ High School, Hei- differences with the students at the Taipei mei Elementary School, Shanglin Elemen- First Girls’ High School. Additionally, they Photo by Emily Khym ’23 tary School to help enhance the students’ have dived into animals, sports, food, and English speaking skills. culture. The members of the English Tutoring Program include Emily Khym ’23, Madison While using the platform Zoom, an app “It just feels good to show gratitude and Hua ’23, Tina Mai ’23, founder Ting-yo Tan ’22, Justin Wu ’22, and Edward Park for virtual communication, students at give instead of always taking,” Ting-yo said. ’23. These studens meet every other Wednesday evening in the Katharine Brush Loomis Chaffee have taught the girls basic Library to talk to students from Taipei. 4 | The Loomis Chaffee Log January 30, 2020 FEATURES FEATURES | May 2, 2019 How to Win the Stock Market Game By JENNY PAN ’22 When opening the game to the whole Graphics Manager school, the economics teachers (Mr. De- Nunzio and Mrs. Elizabeth Leyden) had the If you are playing the Loomis Chaffee intention of introducing financial literacy to Game Rankings on Monday, 1/27 Stock Market Game, you might want to students who were not familiar with eco- know how to win, or at least, how to beat nomics. your friends in the game. “We tried to be more intentional about It has been a successful second year for marketing the game, specifically reaching the Stock Market Game, which will close students not enrolled in economics classes,” on Thursday, February 6. With 287 partic- Mr. DeNunzio explained. ipants, including students and faculty, the As a freshman and a new contestant in game has grown greatly from the 192 par- the game, Elliot Shani ’23 has started to pay ticipants last year. more attention to economics. Cash prizes of 75 dollars will be awarded “I am extremely surprised by how I’ve to the top participant from each class, along been doing, and this has also caused me to with a prize for the top girl to encourage gain more interest in the stock market,” El- more female participants. liot stated. Mr. Mat DeNunzio, an economics teach- “This [game] is part of a broader theme er, listed a few important steps to secure a we’ve been doing this year with regards to high spot in the stock market ranks. financial literacy, and we’ve actually started “To win in the stock market game, you a financial literacy seminar where, once a need to pay attention to the news, and then month, we bring an alumni back to campus make an accurate prediction on what is go- to talk about an important aspect of finan- ing to happen,” Mr. cial literacy,” Mr. DeNunzio said. DeNunzio said. Dejean Sypher “To win in the stock This month, ’22, who had the market game, you need Goldman Sachs Vice first place spot in the President Ariel Wil- game last week, of- to pay attention to the liams ’06 came back fered some advice. “I to campus to give a Screenshot from MarketWatch.com think if you want to news, and then make an presentation about be successful in the investment. Ariel The Stock Market Game is hosted on MarketWatch.com and will close on Thurs- stock market game, accurate prediction on not only told her day, February 6. 287 students and faculty members are currently participating. See you have to trade a personal story about the Daily Bulletin for sign-up details. good amount, do a what is going to happen,” her profession, but little bit of research Mr. DeNunzio said. also provided the on recent news of a students with a ho- stock you’re looking listic understanding Game Rankings on Friday, 1/24 into investing, and spend all of your money of finance. as you are trying to make huge gains,” De- “Financial literacy is super important. jean said. There are even some faculty members who Mr. DeNunzio agrees with Dejean. “You don’t know the difference between a stock, will need to take a sizable position. Risk bond, ETF, etc. so the more we can do now equals reward, so the bigger the risk, the to teach these important life skills, the more bigger the payoff,” Mr. DeNunzio said. prepared our students and community will Since the game is not real, why not just be to live a happy and financially stable life,” risk it all and see what happens? Last fall Mr. DeNunzio said. term, Marco Wang ’20 won the game with The Stock Market Game succeeded in ful- this mentality. filling Mr. DeNunzio’s wish for students to “Don’t follow what other people do just benefit from learning more about finance. find your own stocks to profit. You need to “The goal of the game is two-fold. First, take some risks to win big,” Marco noted. we want students to not be afraid of finan- Mr. DeNunzio supports Marco’s strategy. cial vocabulary. The more experience stu- “Lastly, you need to have a little bit of con- dents have dealing with financial jargon, the trarian in your system,” Mr. DeNunzio said. more they will realize that managing their “You can’t just follow what everybody else is finances is something they can do. Second, doing. If you try and trade on market news, we want our students to pay more attention you’re always going to trail behind some- to the news,” Mr. DeNunzio said. body who had that same position before you Even though this game doesn’t teach stu- did. In reality, you only need to be right 4-5 dents about the materials they will learn in times on a stock to win the game. Even if an economics class, it establishes interest in you have a bad day, you can make it all back the field and basic skills to learn more about the next.” finance that could be useful later in life. Screenshot courtesy of Mat DeNunzio Even if you don’t take economics, the “To that end, the stock market game is in- Stock Market Game can still help you learn credibly successful in allowing our students about economics, the stock market, and fi- to immediately see how the world is con- nancial literacy, which will help you later in nected,” Mr. DeNunzio said your life. Student Council to Donate to Ocean Cleanup

By ZACHARY DAVIS ’21 The first charity considered hopes to Staff Writer support relief efforts in Puerto Rico, which been ravaged by hurricanes in the recent Every year, Loomis Chaffee welcomes the past and denied much funding by the US community to participate in and enjoy the government. Student Benefit Concert, with the funds ac- The second holds the mission of assist- crued to be given to a selected charity. ing Australia in combating the rampant Run by the Student Council, the benefit bush fires that have spread around the na- concert is full of student performances such tion, threating wildlife and human lives and as lip syncing and a multitude of musical property. acts. The final, and winning, charity supports The Benefit Concert increases its do- a more general goal: cleaning the world’s nation every year, consistently raising up- oceans of the immense pollution that con- wards of a thousand dollars through direct tinues to harm aquatic life and threaten the Photo by Lauren Volkodav ’22 donations for its headline cause. fishing ability of nations that rely on it to Boys’ Vice President Min Jun Jung ’20, Girls’ Vice President Margarita Demkina Student Council, while managing the feed their populations. ’20, and President Maral Asik ’20 lead a Student Council meeting in Founders Concert’s logistical aspects, is also responsi- “The other two [Puerto Rico hurricane Lounge. This year, the Student Council plans to donate funds to support the The ble for selecting each year’s charity. aid and Australian bushfire relief] were Ocean Cleanup. This organization was chosen for the annual Benefit Concert, Three foundations were considered this more reactionary, the Ocean cleanup effort which usually raises upwards of a thousand dollars. year, and while they all sought to remedy no- is more proactive,” Student Council faculty ble and pressing causes, only one emerged. advisor Mr. Elliot Beck said. January 30, 2020 The Loomis Chaffee Log FEATURES | 5 How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

By NATASHA BALINGIT ’22, ELIZA NELSON ’22, and JEAN SHIN ’20 Contributors and Features Editor CHERI CHEN ’20 COLE ALLEYNE ’22 KORI MEISSNER ’23 Even after the success of Solar Fest, we “I unplug my LED lights before I go “I use reusable water bottles.” “In China... I choose to ride the still need to continue considering how to public subway.” reduce your carbon footprint. Here is a list to bed.” of some simple ways to help:

BRING BOOMERANG BAGS When going to town, bring a boomer- ang bag to reduce single-use waste. STACEY ZHANG ’22 Saves money and resources! REID MCMILLIAN ’22 “I turn off the lights whenever “I take short and cold showers.” I leave the room.”

DO LESS LAUNDRY Put all of your laundry in one load when you can. Avoid separating whites and col- ors and do one large load instead of smaller ones more frequently! AJ LESHEM ’22 XAVIER FIGUEROA ’21 “I reuse my towels when I shower.” “I use the dorm fridge instead of SHORTEN YOUR SHOWER buying my own.” Spend less time in the shower! Shortening shower by even a few minutes for one month a major impact

UNPLUG YOUR PHONE ALICE CHEN ’20 JANUS YUEN ’21 KELLY ENG ’20 “I reuse cardboard after shopping If your electronic is already fully charged, “I order less from Amazon.” “I take less food than what I online.” unplug it. Don’t leave things plugged in think I would eat.” overnight!

LC Mailroom Faces Overcrowding By HARRY KNIGHT ’21 “ready-to-work mentality” of those work Contributor job students. “They enjoy helping their fel- low students and faculty,” Ms. Passardi said. On a typical day, the Loomis Chaffee “They also learn about the whole process it mailroom receives around 150 packages. takes for you to get your package. The com- Faced with limited storage space and limited mon comment is, ‘This is a lot of work!’” staff, the mailroom comes under even more Ms. Passardi explained that there are pressure during holiday seasons. times when the volume is too much for the At the beginning of the school year, the mailroom staff handle alone, so this year, mailroom sometimes sees up to 500 pack- the school hired a part time-mailroom assis- ages a day, and holidays like Christmas and tant, Ms. Paige Morris. Valentine’s Day can bring up to 300 pack- “Together, [Ms. Morris and I] share the ages a day. responsibility of the mailroom functions, The Loomis Chaffee mailroom is an es- and work with Lance and Bruce [from Phys- sential part of the campus that is utilized by ical Plant] when additional help or resources everyone who lives on the Island, yet the are needed.” extensive work done behind the scenes of- Along with the adults that work in the ten goes unnoticed. mailroom, student participation is key to Coming up on her eighth year on the smooth package delivery and pick up. Ms. Island, mailroom director Ms. Amber Pas- Passardi pointed out that “it’s helpful when sardi says that over her time here there has the packages are picked up promptly once been “a general increase of [packages], es- students and faculty are notified” so that the pecially perishables.” This influx can mostly school’s package needs can still be met. be attributed to the increased availability of Additionally, the mailroom does not have courier services like DHL, FedEx, UPS, and sufficient space to store packages for many of course, Amazon and its new one-day de- days after they have been delivered. Adding livery service. to the urgency, many of these packages are Another contribution to the sheer num- perishable, which means that they take up ber of packages is the increase in students the limited refrigeration space in the mail- and faculty members this year compared to room. last year. To stay on top of the growing de- Considering the fact that perishable items mand surrounding the mailroom, Ms. Pas- are being ordered more frequently and at sardi relies on her work job assistants. higher quantities, the mailroom may be in “When students are here for work job, we need of expanded refrigeration space. are a team to get packages done,” Ms. Pas- Despite these challenges, Ms. Passardi re- sardi said about keeping up with the grow- mains dedicated to meeting the needs of the ing number of packages. “When I’m by my- campus. self, I multitask and stop whatever I’m doing “Students are the number one priority,” to assist the kids.” Ms. Passardi said. She appreciates the “positive attitude” and Photo by Anna Rebello ’21 Packages pile up on a cart in the Loomis Chaffee mailroom. The mailroom re- ceives 100-150 packages daily. 6 | OPINIONS The Loomis Chaffee Log January 30, 2020 OPINION | May 2, 2019 What The Flip? Why the Flipped Classroom Works

By MINJUNE SONG ’21 material, the flipped classroom’s key advan- News Editor tage is that it allows students to delve deeper into already-familiar concepts with the ex- Edpuzzle video playing in the back- pert guidance of their teacher. ground, I sat staring blankly at the pile of Realistically, however, class time is lim- handouts that contained the entirety of our ited to an hour and fifteen minutes: not class material for the next two months. enough time for students to broadly mas- The typical characteristics of a flipped ter multiple concepts. When this shortage classroom — lecture-style homework vid- of time is combined with Loomis Chaffee’s eos, the in-class problem sets, and discus- rapid testing pace and never-ending shower sion-based classes — intimidated me at first. of assignments, students in a flipped class- Like the name suggests, a flipped classroom room can be left knowing certain concepts entirely reverses the conventional class- very well, and barely knowing some con- room model, delivering educational mate- cepts even existed. Yet, there are certain rial to students outside of class time while subjects where knowing the insides and out- bringing material that would be homework, sides of a single concept is far more valuable Graphic by Julie Chung ’21 like problem sets and practice questions, than having broad, umbrella knowledge. and skills necessary to solve highly special- around analysis and discussion, the experi- into the classroom. Let’s take the classic flipped-classroom ized problems. Though normal classrooms ence of reading course material before class While this new setup meant that I had no courses of Loomis Chaffee: biology, for ex- provide students with opportunities to solve always having been unique to the discipline. other homework obligations than to skim ample. While you might understand the ba- problem packets, they are handed out in the In this sense, the humanities classes have through a 15-minute long video, the flipped sic concepts of amino acid protonation and form of assignments, pressuring students always been their own version of a flipped system also meant I had to pay significantly ion exchange chromatography from watch- to put more focus on scoring points rather classroom, as class time is used to bridge im- more attention in class. Not a bad trade-off, ing a video, applying this information to than understanding the concept. A flipped portant connections between themes, ideas, but this unique system comes with its own solve a paragraph-long, six-point test ques- classroom, in contrast, rewards those who and key ideas from the reading. So much can set of upsides and downsides. tion requires full understanding of the con- learn for the sake of deeper understanding. come out of simply flipping a classroom, so Supposedly, a flipped classroom system cept, and — more importantly — experience The idea of having a flipped classroom perhaps we too can learn to “flip” our bad will more effectively prepare students for solving similar problems beforehand. is not limited to the STEM fields. Consid- habits — like flipping my eating schedule, so challenging problems they will encounter In application-based courses like biolo- er English and History courses, where the I actually go to breakfast instead of downing later in class. Under the assumption that gy, flipped classrooms offer tailored lessons assignment is to read texts and class time is instant noodles in the dead of night. students have watched homework videos addressing key problems and answering used to analyze the assigned reading. The and have familiarized themselves with the student questions, building the knowledge humanities subjects have always put focus The Loomis Chaffee Log EDITORIAL Issue CIV, No. 5 Est. 1915 • 4 Batchelder Road, Windsor, CT January 30, 2020 Lunar New Year Lunch Doesn’t Sit

Editors-in-Chief Opinions Section Editors Graphics Managers Well With International Students Ethan Levinbook ’20 Victoria Che ’21 Julie Chung ’21 Neala Sweeney ’20 Ryan Jones ’20 Jenny Pan ’22 This past week was the beginning of the tained kimchi and noodles, two ingredients year of the rat. The Lunar New Year is cel- that are not included in traditional rice cake ebrated in many countries across Asia, in- soup. Sports Section Editors Graphics Staff cluding Singapore, China, Vietnam, Indo- At lunch, Flik also served basmati rice, Managing Editors Julian Hernandez ’21 Anna Rebello ’21 nesia, Thailand and Korea; many Loomis which is an Indian dish; fried pork dump- Portia Inzone ’20 Riley Meade ’21 Julia Manafort ’21 Chaffee international students hail from lings, which during Chinese New Year Angela Wang ’20 Gabriele Kozik ’20 these countries. would typically be steamed; and spring rolls Melange Section Editors The dining hall organized a lunch in hon- with kimchi, which is not a typical ingredi- Haven Low ’21 or of the holiday and featured menu items ent added to spring rolls. Emma Goldfarb ’20 Sky Hanley ’20 including General Tso’s Chicken, fried pork Whether the changes were due to a lack Director of Design Andrew Park ’22 Serena Chang’ 21 dumplings, kimchi spring rolls, and green of certain ingredients or an insufficient Michelle Park ’20 Kelly Eng ’20 tea milk bubble tea. amount of preparation time, the Log be- Columnist While Flik certainly organized this lunch lieves that those changes strayed too far Contributors with the best of intentions, it left many in- from the original. Although Flik deserves Natalie Halsey ’20 ternational students feeling unsettled and praise for taking these requests in the first Gavin Anderson ’22 alienated. Although the lunch options were place and having the initiative to reach out Faculty Advisor Staff Writers Aidan Cooper ’22 originally requested by a small group of in- to the student body for suggestions, the Jessica Hsieh ’08 Mercy Olagunju ’22 Emily Khym ’23 ternational students, a significant number addition or omission of ingredients not Brett Donshik ’21 Harry Knight ’21 of other students believed that these foods mentioned by students did not sit well with were inappropriate for the occasion or were many Asian students on campus. Lily Potter ’21 Nathan Ko ’23 not made correctly or with the correct in- It is important to recognize that an ef- News Section Editors Zachary Davis ’21 Kariuki Massio ’21 gredients. fort was made to make Asian internation- Minjune Song ’21 Lana Sheng ’22 DQ Nguyen ’22 It is the opinion of the Log editorial al students feel included and supported in Stephanie Zhang ’21 Jordan Korn ’22 Kate Shymkiv ’22 board that if Flik cannot replicate a culture’s the Loomis Chaffee community. But when Krishnapriya Rajaram ’21 Todd Weitzman ’21 cuisine with authenticity and sensitivity — something is not replicated with enough au- whether due to time or financial restraints thenticity, it feels like a half-hearted attempt Emma Devlin ’21 Matthew Weng ’21 — it is better not to make the dish at all. By to recognize a very important holiday for Features Section Editors John Howley ’21 Oscar Ye ’22 not recreating these traditional dishes au- many students. Jean Shin ’20 Natalie Halsey ’20 Janus Yuen ’21 thentically and with the ingredients stipu- This is not to say that no effort should Kelly Xue ’21 Anna Li ’21 lated by students, Flik risks unintentionally be made to try to celebrate internation- offending and misrepresenting a segment of al diversity on campus. The Log wants to the student population. underscore the importance of education The main dish served at the Lunar New and cultural sensitivity when examining or Year celebration was General Tso’s chicken. trying to replicate components of another’s Web Edition It is the Editorial Board’s understanding that culture; moreover, the board also emphasiz- Web Content Editors Web Director Social Media Managers this was a recommendation from a small es that if one is attempting to represent an group of international students, and so Flik entire population of people, it is important Jack Glassie ’20 Krishnapriya Rajaram ’21 Ally Velasquez ’20 is not at fault for heeding the advice of these to consult and know that demographic well. Lauren Volkodav ’22 Hazel Le ’22 students. In the future, the editorial board hopes However, many other Chinese students that food providers will thoroughly research believe that this was a poor representation international cuisine and customs prior to of the actual food consumed during the Lu- hosting a themed meal in honor of a holiday The Loomis Chaffee Log is the official student newspaper of the Loomis Chaffee School in nar New Year because General Tso’s chicken celebrated by another culture. We also hope Windsor, CT. We can be found online at www.thelclog.org, and we can be contacted via is not an authentic Chinese dish. It is what that the information collected will originate email at [email protected]. Letters to the editor and op-ed submissions are welcome many would call “Americanized” Chinese from a knowledgeable source; for example, via email. The Log reservces the right to edit all letters and pieces for brevity and content. food. The group of international students perhaps for this Lunar New Year it would might have made this suggestion in order to have been better to consult with our two The views expressed in the Log do not necessarily reflect those of The Loomis Chaffee appease the greater student body, yet it ne- Chinese teachers on campus, Ms. Song and School. Unsigned editorials represent the collective views of the Editorial Board. glected to recognize the actual holiday and Mr. Ruan. its traditions regarding food. The editorial board believes that it would In addition, Emily Khym ’23, a freshman be better to create a meal with more authen- ADVERTISING from Seoul, South Korea, contributed a rice ticity, even if it is not met with as much en- cake soup recipe when Mrs. Cardwell sent thusiasm from the rest of the student body; To advertise in the Log, please contact the editors-in-chief listed above. out a request for recipes and suggestions for culturally-sensitive preparation of meals the Lunar New Year lunch. While the soup is important for making international stu- that appeared in the dining hall on Friday dents feel that they are represented and that afternoon was based on the recipe, it con- they belong. January 30, 2020 The Loomis Chaffee Log OPINIONS | 7

Hypocrisy Flies North for Winter

By LILY POTTER ’21 as part of one of Loomis’ many environ- Staff Writer mental groups on campus when they have chosen to don animal fur as decorative trim The new status symbol of the Ameri- on the hood of their multi-hundred-dollar can bourgeoisie, an unmistakable red cir- coat. cular logo, infiltrates the quad just before Canada Goose jackets are entirely unnec- Wednesday lunch as masses of students essary, but the factor that differentiates the flock out of each academic building on a Canada Goose jackets from similarly priced chilly winter afternoon, migrating quickly items is their role as status symbols. There to the dining hall. may be less expensive jackets, there may be The Canada Goose logo that adorns jackets made more sustainably, but these many students’ winter garb has reemerged brands cannot compare their name recogni- Graphic by Serena Chang ’22 on campus, and with it, the wealth and often tion to that of Canada Goose. hypocrisy blatantly displayed by the elite’s People of all socioeconomic backgrounds excessive and unnecessary expenditures. can instantly recognize the distinct logo on In Windsor, Connecticut, although it a jacket, hat, or vest. The logo signifies that may often seem cold, it is nothing like the the wearer or their parents had an extra LC Promotes Arctic Circle in the Canada Goose logo, one thousand dollars to spare, and it went and certainly not a temperature towards enduring the bitter, worth squandering more subarctic, Unsustainable than $1,000 to steel unbearable cold oneself against. of a Connecticut Many students winter. do not often go It creates Sustainability outside for a divide more than through a a couple of common By LANA SHENG ’22 of waste tied into their methods. Staff Writer One thing that caught my eye at Solarfest minutes materi- was the plastic shredding machine. Its ori- at a time al item Loomis Chaffee has made great strides gins are quite remarkable; born from the during a that in becoming more environmentally sus- Problem Solving for the Common Good typical some tainable, a movement spearheaded by our class in the PHI, it was designed and built by school can Environmental Proctors, Agricultural Proc- students. Bits of plastic could be fed into the day, yet afford tors, Loomis Chaffee Climate Action orga- grinder and the resulting shredded plastic purchase and nization, and more. Loomis certainly packs could be repurposed into art or other ma- an ex- some some coveted features in its “green” arsenal: terials. travagant cannot. an agricultural program, an effective waste What if students could make little trin- garment The management system, education on prevent- kets in the PHI to sell at the lunchtime ta- made of nature ing food waste, and now, a solar array field. bles, instead of the silicone wristbands? animal fur of Loomis The efforts of agricultural and environ- For example, the plastic shredder or la- because they exacerbates mental proctors to raise awareness about ser wood engraver could be used to make cannot tolerate this divide, sustainability on campus are commendable; keychains that students could wear to prove the Connecticut since only one- however, are there better methods of doing they have a dress down day. Students would weather. third of the student so? even become further engaged with the PHI’s Boarding school stu- body is on financial Often times, there are tables at lunch ad- opportunities in a way that would benefit dents’ mild chilliness, which aid, while two-thirds of vertising dress down days with the proceeds the community in more ways than one. they experience for only a few fleet- the student body pay, if they are going to a good cause, and as a proof of pur- Even if these items end up being thrown ing moments, has taken not only $1,000 boards, $61,760 each year for school. chase one is often handed a silicone wrist- away, they are made from repurposed mate- from their parents’ bank account, but also Presumably, there are many Loomis band. Recently, for example, in order to rials. We would not be furthering the con- the lives of countless animals that supply the students of a more average socioeconomic promote Solarfest, students who purchased sumption and increasing the demand for decorative trim. status, but also a disproportionate number the neon-yellow and black plastic sunglasses production of new plastics by buying sun- Although such an expensive and of members of the upper class, making a received a sun-themed dress down day. glasses or wristbands. heavy-duty coat may be necessary for those high-end product like Canada Goose seem Indeed, the proceeds went to the LC tree One may argue that silicone’s impact on venturing out on expeditions in the Arctic, far more common at the school than in the planting fund, which is related to the theme the environment is smaller than plastic. walking from Founders to Hubbard does world outside the Island. of sustainability, but is selling plastic sun- However, the obtaining and processing of not necessitate such a lavish and — frankly Obviously, there are material possessions glasses that people will most likely wear the materials used to make silicone require — wasteful purchase. wealthier people can afford, but the harm once a sustainable idea? energy, and still bear negative effects on the Almost as off-putting as the frivolous imposed by Canada Goose lies in its perva- Despite having many interactive and edu- environment. spending involved in the purchase is the siveness and name recognition. cational activities promoting sustainability, If we are able to reduce the amount that hypocrisy often exhibited by those wearing Solarfest also featured many mini beach balls we consume, why not jump at the opportu- these jackets. scattered across the Student Center. What nity? Loomis should leap at these opportu- It is difficult to take someone seriously will be the destiny of these balls? Again, it nities for change to fully commit to making is important to recognize the efforts of the our school a truly greener and more sustain- Ag/E-proctors in promoting environmen- able environment. tal sustainability, but there seems to be a lot Graphic by Serena Chang ’22 We Need to Remember MLK Every Day

By ANYA SASTRY ’20 Oumi Sowe delivered her powerful spoken sponsibility of academic institutions to week have to be integrated more effectively Staff Writer word piece, “Homie.” share the narratives and the histories of the into Loomis’ curricula. As the crowd swelled with applause, I historically oppressed and systematically si- In many ways, Loomis does a good job From January 18 to January 24, the knew my classmates were similarly inspired. lenced. in educating the student body about the op- Loomis Chaffee community honored and Yet, every January, just as quickly as those If students do not learn about these nar- pressive systems around us. amplified the voice of Dr. Martin Luther feelings of empowerment arrive, they soon ratives, how can they be expected to combat Whether it is the Norton Center Conver- King Jr., his historic work, and the ongoing flicker out. — in whatever way they can — discrimina- sation Credits -which feature topics rang- fight against systemic racism and injustice in This year, just as years past, once MLK tion and prejudice they encounter in their ing from colorism to the model minority America. week concludes, the Loomis community own lives? myth - or the History Department’s focus This week is an important time on cam- will return to its normal academic program- I was recently shocked to learn that many on the 1619 Project and the legacy of slav- pus, a time when students and faculty can ming and daily schedules. students did not know about the tragedy ery in America, I recognize and appreciate reflect on the history of our country, the The events that took place during MLK that befell Emmett Till until the MLK con- that Loomis is making a point of sharing a current state of our society, and what roles week will be loosely remembered; howev- vocation. variety of narratives with its students. Yet, we as individuals can play in making the er, the sentiments inspired by the speakers The school curricula they have encoun- there is always room for improvement and communities we belong to more equal and and performers will be acted upon by only tered have not shared with them a narrative growth. inclusive. a small number of students and faculty, crucially important to our understanding of These following words from Maya An- Sitting on the bleachers in Olcott, I felt many of whom have already focused a great historical and modern racial injustice. gelou are especially relevant and summarize empowered as Ricky Kidd, only just hav- amount of their time toward discussing and Programming like the MLK convocation the way in which I hope the Loomis com- ing served 20 years in prison for a crime he responding to issues of social justice. is clearly impactful, but the messages shared munity can remember and interact with his- did not commit, discussed being intentional I believe that the way history is remem- therein cannot be solely an annual occur- tory: “History, despite its wrenching pain, and bettering the world, as senior Makayla bered in an academic environment is con- rence. cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, McPherson and junior Simone Moales sang nected to the way a student engages with In my opinion, the themes we explore need not be lived again.” “Stand up” to the audience, and as senior modern-day society, and that it is the re- and the discussions that arise during MLK 8 | SPORTS The Loomis Chaffee Log January 30, 2020

Boys’ Varsity Hockey’s Hot Start WINTER

By TODD WEITZMAN ’21 The contribution of every player on the negative, adapt, and improve,wins the game. Contributor team is a key factor to the squads success. The presence of this intangible in the VARSITY Further than just the leadership on the players allowed for the boys to push back The Loomis Chaffee boys varsity hock- team, Loomis hockey’s culture and values against other strong and dominate teams. ey team is having a successful start to the have helped produce their success thus far. “Against Kent, we did not have a very RECORDS season. As of Friday, January 24, they have “Our teams culture, and how tight-knit good first period, but we came out and a 9-2-2 record, and have locked in wins we are. Our trip to Germany created a great owned the next two,” Zavisza commented. against many Founders League opponents bond,” Cody stated. The ability to overcome adversity is a as of January 27 such as Taft, Kent, and Avon Old Farms. The team traveled to Germany, Austria, source of pride for the team. Although the So far, the team is poised to outdo the and Poland over Thanksgiving break for team has generated a massive amount of Wins-Losses-Ties previous year’s record of 9-13-3. this exact reason: to create a stronger bond success so far, they stay hungry and know History faculty member and Head Coach between teammates and to establish a cul- their is always something to work on. John Zavisza, as well as senior captains Cody ture with high standards. “Consistency. From game to game we can Hoban ’20 and Kennedy O’Connor ’20, have The camaraderie that the team has built be really great or not as good,” Hoban ’20 (No recent team results were done an amazing job of leading the team to together is paying off. No player feels like emphasized. available for the success. they do not fit, and everyone contributes. In the case of the boys varsity hockey However, it is the collective chemistry “Every guy shows up every day, ready to team, consistency is an area of constant im- co-ed equestrian, wrestling, and teamwork between all of the players go. Every guy has been contributing one provement for the team. Improvement in and ski teams.) that is contributing to their hot streak. way or another,” Hoban ’20 noted. this area can hopefully lead to even further “The leadership goes beyond our captains. The team’s culture and strong set of val- dominance for the rest of the season. We have great captains and we have a good ues has definitely had a positive effect on the The boys’ varsity hockey team have many core of seniors, juniors and underclassmen team. Hockey is a game of ups and downs, home games ahead, and hope to see LC stu- that are doing the right things consistently,” and it is inevitable that every team will face dents there. BOYS’ TEAMS: Coach Zavisza said. adversity. Usually, the team that can take a BASKETBALL: 8-5

ICE HOCKEY: 10-2-3 Athletes of the Issue SQUASH : 1-8 SWIMMING/DIVING : 4-2

By MERCY OLAGUNJU ’22 & KARIUKI MASSIO ’21 Staff Writer, Contributor GIRLS’ TEAMS:

EMILY LENT BASKETBALL: 8-6 This is Emily Lent ’20, captain of the Loomis Chaffee girls varsity squash team. She’s a senior who started playing squash during her freshman year. Although she ICE HOCKEY: 10-4-1 doesn’t want to play competitive squash in college, Lent would like to play outside of her high school career. “Maybe [play] at a club or intramural squash just to be able to get on the court and SQUASH : 2-10 have some fun,” Lent said. When things get serious/tough on court, Lent has strategies to keep her head in the Photo by Stan Godlewski match. “I try to pump myself up and look out SWIMMING/DIVING : 4-2 to the crowd at friends or a partner who’s The boys’ varsity ice hockey team meets before the start of their game. The boys reffing for me, and they keep me motivat- have had a successful start to their season, beating teams like Avon Old Farms and ed,” Lent said. Kent School. She also tells herself that each game only lasts for a set amount of time, so this pushes her to give it her best effort while she can. Emily’s leadership and big wins this year has served well for her squad and the younger players on the team. JV Girls’ First JV Girls’ Basketball on Fire

RJ BLAKNEY Five Games for By MATTHEW WENG ’21 As more and more players with prior bas- This is RJ Blakney ’20, a post-graduate Contributor ketball experience joined the program, the player on the Loomis Chaffee boys varsi- team naturally became more successful. ty basketball team who is from Baltimore, the Past Five Of all the Loomis Chaffee teams com- When asked about what kept the players Maryland. peting this winter, the girls JV basketball from being complacent but motivated even “Baltimore has a very rich tradition in team has dominated their competition with while holding a gigantic lead, Coach Sher basketball [and] there’s a lot of talent that Years exceptional results. In fact, the girls JV bas- credited the players’ hard work ethics and comes out of Baltimore for basketball,” he ketball team has been on a tear, holding mindsets. said. He first began playing basketball and opponents to only 2 points in a game while “Even when the team is up by so much, football, with football being his main sport. blowing out another poor adversary by it is the team that wants to [win that] keep When Blakney started to focus more more than 48. pushing hard and keep their foot on the gas on basketball, some of his skills transferred 2019-2020: 5-0 This victory streak has roused much at- pedal,” Coach Sher said. from football. tention, filling the bleachers during the girl’s “Even during practice, the girls never “When I got to middle school I had a little games. One could only wonder, what is the wanted to stop the drills, the often asks to bit of that aggression playing [because of] driving force behind the recent hot roll of work five more, ten more minutes even af- football,” RJ said. this undefeated squad? ter practice ends,” Coach Beason added. RJ is a starter on the LCBVB that can play 2018-2019: 3-2 Head coach and mathematics teacher Ms. The girls have comfortably defeated pre- the 2-4 position. He is a human highlight Annie Sher credited the players’ mindsets vious opponents by double digits in all but reel who uses his 6’5” frame and Micheal for the team’s success. a 7-point victory to open up the season. To Jordan-esque athleticism to put on a show “Many players came in motivated and better train for upcoming teams, the girls on both the defensive and offensive ends of ready to win,” Ms. Sher said. sought stronger competitions during prac- the court. Indeed, this group of players started tice, scrimmaging the thirds boys basketball Blakney’s motto on the court and in life is 2017-2018: 2-3 games with determination and hard-nosed team. to “approach every day with a mindset that defense, often blowing the game wide open Despite falling by 20 during the scrim- you’re trying to get better,” he said. within the first minutes and establishing mage, the girls still got better and more mo- Blakney has been on a tear this season, commanding leads. tivated for upcoming competitions against racking multiple 20 point games, hitting Coach and science teacher Ms. Allison tough opponents. These pelicans looks real- game-winning shots, and creating high- 2016-2017: 1-4 Beason also credited the success to the deep ly similar to its undefeated 2015/2016 squad. lights gaining up to almost 23,000 views on team bond, to level where bench players The girls plays Northfield Mount Her- Instagram. could level the performance of the starters mon on February 1 in Erickson Gym. They Blakney is committed to playing D1 col- and dominate the opposing reserves. look forward to seeing you there, filling the lege basketball at Dayton University and “We had more experienced players come bleachers and cheering them on. hopes to use his positive mindset to contin- out, more enthusiasm and desire to win also ue pursuing his dreams to become a pro. 2015-2016: 5-0 came along,” Sher said. January 30, 2020 The Loomis Chaffee Log SPORTS | 9

Pelican Athletes Migrate South

By GAVIN ANDERSON ’22 Loomis Chaffee swim trip and looks for- Contributor ward to more in the future. Going into this season, the teams look to While most students were snuggling un- carry their hard work and momentum into der their blankets this winter break, the boys’ their upcoming meets. and girls’ varsity swim teams were spending “We want to win the Founders League the second half of their break working out and swim well in the New England Cham- in the eighty degree heat of coastal Florida. pionship,” Eleanor Zhu ’22 said. Members of both teams made the long This goal is far from out of reach for the voyage from their homes to Vero Beach, girls’ team this season, given the fact that where they would have up to four hours of they have had a strong 3-1 start to their sea- swimming per day in preparation for the re- son. mainder of the season. In only their second meet, they beat rival Despite many sore muscles, cramps, and school Exeter 97-89 in an energetic, down- rustiness due to a relaxing first half of their to-the-wire meet. break, the team still managed to have a pro- Similarly, the boys’ team has also started ductive and fun trip. this season off strong, boasting a 3-1 record “It was an amazing team bonding expe- to date. The boys also have their eye on the rience,” Karan Kothari ’22, a second-year Founders’ League title as well and are mo- team member, said. tivated to win, as they are defending cham- When they weren’t in the pool, the team pions. was going out to eat and taking in the beau- “We really want to swim fast,” Ryan Fly- tiful, warm weather. On one of their last nn ’22 said, on their upcoming dual meet days in Florida, the team explored the iconic against Hopkins and Andover. Cocoa Beach. With multiple definite goals and daily Boys Head Coach Mr. Frederick Seebeck hard work within the swim program this and Girls Head Coach Mr. Bob DeConinck year, they look to these coming weeks as a stressed that their teams not only worked ramp into championship season. hard but had fun. The halfway mark has passed and both “It was fun to explore with my friends,” teams are motivated to have even more suc- Chloe Chen ’22 said. cess this season then they did the last. Chen spent most of her free time tanning Photo by Liz Bucceri ’07 at the beach and loved going on her first The girls’ varsity swim team pose in their team suits in Florida. The LC swim teams traveled down to Florida over winter break to train for their upcoming season. Club Basketball: Not Your Average Sport

By OSCAR YE ’22 two team activities and two sweat activities reason why intramural ball has maintained intramural basketball are the key to this pro- Contributor for freshmen, club ball has attracted a lot of its popularity is because students enjoy gram’s success. the new student population. teaming up with their friends while also Just last year, the six captains drafted their A spin, a pump fake, and then a lay. The This year, the team includes forty-seven playing with and against new people from own team when everyone was present. swishing sound of the basketball swiftly fall- boys and seven girls, which is the most girls different backgrounds. The diversity of stu- This year, however, Ms. Corman and ing through the net followed by bursts of who have played in Ms. Corman’s four-year dent identities in the team helps integrate Donnie MacKillop, associate athletics direc- cheers and applause. On the bench, concen- coaching experience. The number of girls is everyone well. tor and dorm head of Warham Hall, decided trating, the players contribute to the culture enough to form an entire team! In fact, the “I enjoy the chilling environment in in- to let the captains send their list of favored of Loomis Chaffee’s most popular intramu- girls’ team just won their first championship tramural basketball as you always get to play players through email. Then, together they ral sport: basketball. with the assistance of two boys. with your friends [and] it is really competi- selected the teams based on their objective The club basketball program might not “[I chose club basketball] because my tive since we have ‘playoffs,’ and the winning opinions as well as the choices of captains. demand the highest skills for students to friends are doing it and I was not going team trophy motivates me to participate as The slight changes in the building of join, but it definitely has gained itself high to play alone. We considered it (intramu- much as I can in this sport,” Brian Jung ’22, a the teams certainly gave every player more popularity. ral basketball) as a fun activity after school second-year club basketball player, said. self-confidence and anonymity, as well as According to Lillian Corman, dorm head to keep us being athletic. My friends and I Brian also stated that the boundary be- providing fairness to the new players. of Cutler Hall, and one of the coaches of in- also play other sports outside the school, so tween competitiveness and relaxation fits tramural basketball, if a student does not do the flexible schedule of intramural basket- his needs of joining a sport team that he is The highly anticipated faculty vs. stu- an interscholastic sport, this program tends ball allows us to do something else [in the truly fond of. dent game will be held in February. Though to be the students’ top option in the winter, school],” Izzy Balise ’23 said. Furthermore, the better-organized team the faculty team had a narrow victory last mainly due to the relaxing and light-hearted The charm of club basketball is reflected orientation of intramural basketball allows year, the student team is looking forward to culture that comes with it. not only in its size, but also in its ability to the program to stand strong amongst other avenging their heartbreaking loss. Because of the new sport requirement of retain students year after year. The main programs. The up-to-date changes made in

Photo by Lillian Corman The winners of LC Club Basketball’s first championship of the season, Team Yellow Like the Sun, pose with their medals in Erickson Gym. Seven girls are currently playing club basketball, the most in Ms. Corman’s coaching history. 10 |MÉLANGE The Loomis Chaffee Log January 30, 2020 Winter Horoscope By NATHAN KO ’23 cation. You always say something along the friends feel great when they are around you. Contributor lines of, “I’ve gone to the Louvre, tried crazy food in Japan, and met Obama during win- Scorpio Aries ter break, what did you do?” Though some Winter break has been a perfect time While everyone else is sleeping through may be annoyed by your stories, pay them for you to create a short film about a man’s the cold weekend, you are outside without no heed, as your pride will bring everlasting search for meaning while he is isolated in a a jacket, killing ants, ripping leaves, and eat- happiness. land full of snow and polar bears. Once you ing snow. You are a true rock star, as the get back to school, you will wear your black overwhelming energy you possess is mak- Virgo fedora, black scarf, and your black boots to ing your body go wild. Even the cold Con- A total workaholic, you have decided to create that mysterious persona you always necticut winter cannot slow you down! create an eight-foot-tall snowman. Every wanted. morning at 6 a.m., Taurus you Sagittarius Although you have been mostly calm A true sports star, you have been working throughout the winter, winter midterms out in the snow with your varsity coach- have made you question your sanity. You es to get ready for game day. Though have been investing a lot of time in your teachers are concerned about the environment, as you have been your low academic performances, chosen to become an E-Proctor it is fine, as your job after school and a member of Project Green. is going to be sports-related. It is important for you to real- ize that winter is just not the Capricorn Graphic by Julie Chung ’21 season for you, but when While your friends are summer comes, you will be having fun sledding in having fun breeding cows the snow, you are in your naturally and eating grass. room, working on your school projects, as you LC Grieves Gemini have fixed priorities. You spent your winter Your grades are through analyzing and observing the roof; however, there how animals act in the snow. is a growing feeling of Loss of Calculating the velocity of sadness resonating in teachers’ dogs in the snow, your heart as you have not Cappuccino you are great at math, and you been outside your room are curious about how animals for so long. You have even work. After your winter-animal forgotten that it was winter Ice Cream analysis publication, you will move because you have not gone on in the spring to analyzing other outside. By AIDAN COOPER ’22 humans. You have become a total so- Contributor cial butterfly thanks to your research in Aquarius the winter. You have an incredibly creative mind. I come to you today with devastating This is why clubs are recruiting you for news. A dear member of our community Cancer leadership positions, as they believe that has unfortunately left us all too quickly. The During winter break, you have been wear the appro- you have extraordinary ideas. Instead, you shockwaves can be felt around campus; this acting out lines in your basement for The priate clothing and rush outside to work on have decided to roll around in the snow out- tragedy has been a serious blow. It feels as if a Addams Family, as you are a star in the dra- your snowman. Because of this, your work side and procrastinate. blanket of darkness has fallen across Loomis ma department. Once you get tired of your ethic has been well-documented through- Chaffee. However, the most effective way to parents demanding that you stop being so out the school. Pisces move past a loss is to talk about it. dramatic at a winter holiday family dinner, You are an incredibly fun person. You do I’m speaking, of course, about the soft- you will go to the Katharine Brush Library Libra insane dares that start to make others be- serve, delicious, irreplaceable cappuccino to relax on a red sofa while reading some During the winter holidays, you have lieve you are a lunatic. One day, you have ice cream served in our dining hall for only Shakespeare. gotten an abundance of Snapchat notifica- decided to bathe inside a tub full of snow a short week. One single week of pure, un- tions as all your friends are asking you if you instead of taking a shower, which leads to adulterated excitement after every dinner. Leo can hang out with them. The reason why all staying in the health center for weeks as you Time marches eternally on, and our friend As a prideful person, you have been tell- your friends love you is that you do a great explain to the deans about your mistakes. has unfortunately departed. ing your peers about your exotic winter va- job listening attentively to others; your Graphic by Michelle Park ’20 Oh, how the sweet sensation of cof- fee-flavored paradise saved me from the harsh reality of school! Every day I could count on good ol’ cappuccino waiting for me at any point in the day, fearlessly ready to boost my spirits. Yet today, we all were met with the terri- How to Brighten a ble news that the cappuccino ice cream had been replaced. Replaced, mind you, with the saddest excuse for ice cream, cookies and cream, that I have ever tasted. The texture is Dreary Winter Day all wrong, and the taste is nothing compared to the savory and sweet delicacy of cappuc- cino. Our fearless leader of creamy cones By KATE SHYMKIV ’22 waffles with whipped cream and berries (oh there are some leftovers from the dorm Contributor no, now you’re making yourself even more snack you had yesterday (no guarantees). has been replaced with a sorrowful excuse for savory delight. I’m sorry to inform you hungry). 3. Even if you don’t find food, this idea The dreadful sound of an alarm rings for But don’t worry, I have a list of ideas that will definitely make time fly by. Just call that if you prefer cookies and cream, you are about five minutes before you leisurely wake will make these dreary Sunday morning your parents (only if they are awake!!!) and simply not correct. up. Slowly opening your eyes, you glance hours fly by. no, this does not mean you have to talk So, in light of this replacement, I have a proposal: at your phone, and boom, it’s 8:25 a.m. 1. First, you can watch your favorite Net- about school. In fact, avoid this topic as WHAT? You try to calm yourself down: you flix show. (Great idea!) But, please, don’t much as possible. Instead, ask them about As we deal with this monumental tragedy, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in… start watching cooking shows. We’ve all their lives, and you will hear a mouthful of I’d like to ask for a moment of reflection on WAIT, YOU CAN’T REMEMBER been through that — they won’t make your stories from their past (especially if you call all the wonderful moments you spent with HOW TO BREATHE! You suddenly realize hunger go away — I promise, I’ve tried. And your grandparents). The best thing about our friend, our companion, our comrade. that the English test from last week, which here’s a special secret tip from me: usually this idea is that you don’t even have to pay I have missed it dearly. It feels like a bullet you joyfully asked an extension for, is today. your roommate(s) won’t appreciate waking attention (maybe just a bit). You can do your wound, right through the heart, whenev- WHY? Of course, you’re not prepared (who up to the sound of your beloved show, so own stuff, while having a conversation with er I see the ice-cream maker without my would be in such a situation?), but positivity just be polite and wear headphones, and I parents, which, believe me, will definitely scrumptious buddy waiting for me. is key: you still have three minutes to get to promise no pillows will fly in your direction. make their day better. Therefore, I’d like to propose a whole- school convocation to mourn this terrible class (plenty of time, right?). 2. Even if you “totally by chance” have And here we are. It’s 10:59 a.m., so you You rush to the bathroom, but the hall- made a horrendous mistake and started quickly interrupt your mom’s story, which loss, with perhaps a week off from classes way is unexpectedly silent. You look at your watching a cooking show (c’mon, you’re you know will be continued afterwards. to rebuild our spirits. In addition, I propose phone again, only to find out that today is better than that), I have a solution for you. This interruption doesn’t leave your mom that we should erect a statue of a cappuccino Sunday. Phew! The good news is that you You can start your food journey by exam- so happy, but let’s be positive: you’re on your ice cream cone to commemorate its pres- still have time to prepare for that test (which, ining the fridge in your room. If it’s empty, way to eat a delicious brunch and start prep- ence in our community. let’s face it, you won’t even study for), but which of course it will be because your lazy ping for an English test (not guaranteed). And finally, I think it fit to incorporate more importantly, you still have 2.5 hours butt didn’t go to town for the past month, cappuccino ice cream into our school image. until the dining hall serves mouthwatering you can try the common room. I’m sure We should display our pelican holding an ice cream cone on each jersey, sweatshirt, and hat. Or, if the Loomis Chaffee commu- nity agrees, change our mascot entirely to a cappuccino ice cream cone. I mean, at least it would be better than the Deerfield Doors! Dr. Culbert, you know where to find me (in Kravis, if you don’t know where to find me). P.S. At the time of editing, cookies and cream has thankfully left us, replaced with espresso. Tasty, yes; however, it is not cap- puccino, so it is inferior. Graphic by Michelle Park ’20 January 30, 2020 The Loomis Chaffee Log MÉLANGE | 11 Socially Adept for Head’s Holiday By DQ NGUYEN ’22 need to panic. Breathe and be calm because Contributor nothing can overcome your parents’ love for you. Head’s Holiday is not a holiday. Our In the case that you have day student school tells us that it is a holiday, but it is friends, try asking them if you can stay over actually a test of the boarders’ social skills. the holiday. No harm in asking. Do not Graphic by Julie Chung ’21 If you are a boarder, you must prove to the worry, as contrary to this made-up belief, school that you can develop sufficient lik- day students do not bite. They might even ability to the point where you can ask for a be some of the nicest people you will ever place to stay outside of campus for a bit over meet. Gourmet with Gavin one weekend. Now, what should you do if you do not You can always rely on your loved ones — have day student friends? Mrs. Cardwell is your parents — to come and stay in a hotel always there for you. She will connect you with you. It is imperative that you, a board- with a family that will host you over the er, should have maintained good relation- long weekend. There is a reason why her ships with your parents. One of the ways name is Mrs. Cardwell; it is because she Why French Fries you could maintain this relationship is to matches her cards well. Laughing is optional have grades that are or above A’s. Hopefully as everything in life is optional. you had no B’s in the midterm report. Do not be too worried about planning for Are The Most Popular Moreover, your parents may have paid Head’s Holiday. You have your parents and the school tens of thousands of dollars to friends to stay with. Of course, you can al- send you to this school. Hopefully, an ex- ways have faith with the best card matcher tra couple thousand were not spent on the — Mrs. Cardwell. Snack On Campus bookstore and/or Amazon. In the case that P.S. If anybody has a spare bedroom in you do not meet the criteria stated above, no their home, please let me know. By GAVIN ANDERSON ’22 might be simple, many students choose to Contributor overload one single plate with fries and then retreat to their table to share with friends as It’s a special day when one hears a mur- a gesture of friendship and warmth. mur go through the lunch line: today is that However, this culture of sharing does special day of the week, the Day of the Be- not apply to retrieving these hot commod- loved Fries. Many a student ventures to the ities. Jostling against twelve other students Grill to dish out almost five dollars for just to secure a pair of tongs is a challenge de- a single serving. One can even see a unique serving of the reward. Truly, it is impossible line form under the hot lamps to snatch the to imagine how many french fries are eaten fries before they get cold. each week in the dining hall. Deep-fried in multiple large metal con- These crunchy snacks have ingrained tainers and served piping hot, Loomis themselves in Loomis Chaffee culture. It is Chaffee french fries are among the most safe to say that LC french fries have secured highly coveted dining hall snacks to grace their place in the dining hall and will be the school these past years. Though they back, week after week.

Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP DirectorGuillermo del Toro and the cast and crew of “The Shape of Water” accept the award for best picture at the Oscars on March 4, 2018. Oscar Predictions 2019 Superlatives Poll By JOHN HOWLEY ’21 Upon A Time in Hollywood,” and “Parasite” Staff Writer all have a shot at the award. While experts are predicting OUATIH and 1917—I think By HAZEL LE ’22 & MERCY OLAGUNJU ’22 2019 has certainly been a landmark year the experts are wrong (collective gasps of Social Media Manager & Staff Writer in film, with seven films grossing over one shock). billion dollars, snob favorites such as 1917 It has been commonly stated in the critic The following list was created by sending out a poll to the entire school via the Daily Bul- and Joker becoming financially viable, and community that “Parasite,” the new Korean letin. 35 students replied, and the superlatives below represent the most common answers foreign films such as “Parasite” becoming thriller-comedy, is one of the best films, not to each category. mainstream hits. So, coming into the 2020 only of the year, but of the decade. While awards season, which of these many films people always claim that foreign films lack will triumph and win the coveted Academy the momentum to win such a large award, TV show that had the most unexpected plot twist in 2019: You Awards on February 9? I think the collective love for “Parasite” will With so many amazing movies, it’s hard be enough to give “Parasite” the (totally de- to predict with certainty which films and served) win. The most disappointing TV show in 2019: Game of Thrones actors will dominate the other nominees. Best Actor But, after hours of avoiding homework and Essentially, this race is down to two nom- Best movie in 2019: watching movies, I have compiled a list of inees: Adam Driver for “Marriage Story” and Joker who I think will win the golden bodybuild- Joaquin Phoenix for “Joker.” While Driver er. does have a shot at snatching the award, this The most disappointing fi lm in 2019: Cats Best Picture is really the year of Phoenix. He’s been nom- In past years, it’s been easier to see the inated five previous times and has picked trend of which films were consistently win- up nearly all the other Best Actor awards. Best actor/actress in a 2019 fi lm: ning the Best Pic. Awards and grant that film If Phoenix doesn’t win, it would be a shock. Joaquin Phoenix the coveted title of ‘front-runner’—that’s not Best Actress the case this year. Rule number one of the Oscars: narra- The most infl uential person in 2019: Greta Thunberg While we can almost certainly rule out tive matters. For months now, since Judy “Ford V Ferrari,” “Jojo Rabbit,” and “Little was released, Renée Zellweger’s (slightly Women” because of their lack of previous controversial) portrayal of Judy Garland has The coolest fashion trend in 2019: Crocs with sweatpants tuckerd into wins at other awards shows, “Marriage Sto- been the frontrunner and still is to this day. ry,” “The Irishman,” “Joker,” “1917,” “Once While Charlize Theron or Scarlett Johans- son could win the award, it’s really Renée’s socks to lose. Best Supporting Actor The siliest Internet trend in 2019: Brad Pitt. He has won every other award TikTok and will finally win his Oscar — the closest thing to a lock we have this year. The we dest f d  end of 2019: ASMR Edible videos Best Supporting Actress Common knowledge says that Lau- ra Dern is a lock for “Marriage Story,” but The best food trend in 2019: Bubble tea you know what they say...history favors the bold! While Dern has won literally every Best Supporting Actress award, I think this The artist that dropped the best album in 2019: Billie Eilish (WHEN WE is anyone’s game! Despite Kathy Bates’ being a long-shot, Florence Pugh, Margot Robbie, and Scar- ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO??) lett Johansson all have a chance. Although Laura Dern will most likely win the award, : I think this has real potential to be the upset The cringiest song of 2019 Yummy by Justin Bieber of the night. Graphic by Julie Chung ’21 Graphic by Serena Chang ’22 12 | January 30, 2020 The Loomis Chaffee Log MÉLANGE Hollywood with Halsey Star Wars: How Did We Get Here? By NATALIE HALSEY ’20 direction often veer straight into a garbage Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac respec- iron frying pan. Columnist chute. tively, make an intriguing and charming And here we arrive back where we began, But this trilogy still sows the seeds for the trio. Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, and back at 2019’s “Rise of Skywalker,” which Here we are, living in a post-Star Wars rise of the Empire, sheds light on Anakin Supreme Leader Snoke, despite mildly inane seems determined to trample the Star Wars world. My clown wig is dusty and trampled, Skywalker’s metamorphosis into Darth names, successfully cloak their scenes with legacy, both the actual good and ironic good, my clown makeup greasy and streaked. I Vader, while also indicating that the Jedi ominous fear and conflict. into dust. A plot with more holes and loose have become a complete joke, an absolute Order was perhaps not as unilaterally good The film deftly incorporates elements ends than a thrift store sweater, jokes with buffoon, a clown graduate of fool college: and peaceful as Obi-wan Kenobi made it from the original trilogy into new worlds all set-up and no punchline, and various the Star Wars fan who dared to hope for a seem. and stories, leaving open-ended questions other basic issues plague this film. good Star Wars movie. Yes, these movies are trash, but a little that left viewers gasping for more. New characters are introduced, then I often feel as if I am a car on the freeway, rooting around in the mud of bad dialogue I find “The Last Jedi” a bit of a black sheep punted off to the sidelines. Who was that and I have just witnessed a horrific accident: and cringe-worthy acting yields up a harvest among Star Wars films. “The Last Jedi” is slug guy in the Falcon? Why is Babu Frik a car with a “Millenium Falcon” vanity plate of interesting themes and motifs. When it Star Wars on Star Wars, parodizing iconic here? Why did General Hux get replaced starting on a straight course, before wildly gets really bad, it’s still worth making fun of, shots, starring an irreverent Luke Skywalk- with General Pride, who served the exact swerving and finally crashing and exploding and sometimes the fun of watching movies er and focusing on a bleak defeat for the Re- same purpose except he wasn’t funny? with the heat of a supernova. I don’t think I comes from staring at Hayden Christensen, sistance. “Last Jedi” is not a bad movie; the Old characters aren’t even exempt from will ever count “Star Wars: The Rise of Sky- playing Anakin Skywalker, saying lines that film is competent, funny, and on occasion, this treatment; Finn, Rose Tico, and Poe walker” as an actual movie, much less a Star Dameron all succumb to boring and, frank- Wars movie. ly, racist archetypes. Everyone becomes But first, let us reach back a little bit, back secondary to human minifridge Kylo Ren. to when enjoying Star Wars did not feel like The most offensive out-of-character mis- an annual chore. steps goes to the horrifyingly robotic Leia, Watching the original trilogy (“Star who repeats badly spliced lines before keel- Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return ing over. What disrespect to Carrie Fisher’s of the Jedi”) feels a bit like reading through a memory. beloved parent’s diary. With the minor ex- I honestly cannot remember most of this ceptions of George Lucas’s re-release edits, film. The pacing sped along like a racehorse “Star Wars: A New Hope” remains a relic on the last lap of its race, which suddenly from the days without Star Wars episodes bucked its rider and ran into the stands at and retains an almost innocent outlook. a breakneck speed, killing five of my brain The story is simple: space farm boy goes cells and damaging several more. out on a space adventure after a space trag- I could barely process most of the plot, edy, and meets all sorts of crazy space char- and most of the images and scenes I do re- acters. Director-writer George Lucas antici- member are the ones I did not like. The edit- pated the project would flop, and put sequel ing felt as if one out of every two scenes had plans on hold; therefore, the films holds no been cut for time; emotional responses were extraneous references to extra-film materi- cut short, jokes didn’t land, and the land- al. I cannot even begin to describe my love scapes felt cramped. Even the score became for “A New Hope.” Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP monotonous and repetitive. The raw, sturdy, barebones sci-fi design, Stormtroopers pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere for the film Here’s a joke for you, “Rise of Skywalker”: the handful of vaguely East Asian costumes ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’, in central London, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019. how does someone ruin a John Williams and names, the mumbo-jumbo and campy The franchise’s newest trilogy came to a close this December. score? By using it over and over and over space battles, and the gorgeous effects all again until audience members are no longer mesh together into one glorious product. make no sense and Natalie Portman, playing even moving. charmed by callbacks to Rey’s Theme and “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Padme Amidala, eating a CGI pear while it But I cannot say the same for the plot or Binary Sunset. Jedi” followed in that vein, complicating the clips through her face. characterization. Finn and Poe, along with I think the reason people come back again story with plot twists, but still following a And then, in 2012, came the great Disney new character Rose Tico, played by Kelly and again to Star Wars is a matter of hope. cohesive and gripping narrative. buyout. The House of Mouse, Inc. bought Marie Tran, are all sent on useless missions Star Wars, as a franchise, puts a focus on The sparks flying between Han Solo, Lucasfilm, including the rights to Star Wars which seem to only serve to hit audiences stories about triumphing over evil, loving in played by Harrison Ford and Princess Leia, and its characters, for four billion dollars. over the head with a frying pan full of luke- the face of hate, and living on in adversity. played by Carrie Fisher; the idealism and Then came an onslaught of increasingly warm takes on the immorality of war. While I do think “Rise of Skywalker” love of Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Ha- soulless money-printing Star Wars movies While time does heal all wounds, I still has some of those elements, and introduc- mill; and the hope and light championed by that we hopefully will reach the tail end of find myself succumbing to incoherent rage es themes of making your own path despite the films — these are what made Star Wars soon. on occasions where I remember any of the your past or family history, the incompe- Star Wars, not the fancy special effects or I feel much the same way about “The Canto Bight sequence. The more in-uni- tence of the editing and filmmaking render convoluted storylines. Force Awakens” as I do “A New Hope.” “The verse opinions postulated by the film, such null and void any message the film tries to The prequel trilogy (“The Phantom Men- Force Awakens” feels fresh and familiar, like as condemning the Jedi Order that was so express. If you really want some good Star ace,” “Attack of the Clones,” “Revenge of eating a favorite fruit on a sunny day: Rey, exonerated in the original trilogy, are much Wars, I suggest you check out the “Doctor the Sith) is, admittedly, terrible. The un- scavenger turned awakening Force user; more intriguing and a little more subtle. Aphra” comics or the miniseries “The Man- canny-valley CGI of the late 1990s and ear- Finn, ex-stormtrooper; and Poe Dameron, Perhaps director Rian Johnson decided on a dalorian.” ly 2000s did it no good, and the script and dashing Resistance pilot, as played by Daisy steel wok for these takes instead of a cast-

Senior Slide

By JANUS YUEN ’21 Contributor

PELICAN PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT, JANUARY 31, 2020 Please be advised about the dangers of SENIORITIS. Senioritis (Ignavasinid Senioritis) is a highly infectious disease spread by the pathogen Littera ammissionis (L. ammissionis). Colloquially known as “the college admission letter,” L. ammissionis is known to enter a school cam- pus through its mailroom before rapidly spreading throughout the communi- ty. The SENIOR CLASS is disproportionately affected by this illness. The following symptoms arise between 30 seconds and 1 month after in- fection: Laziness, trouble completing coursework, lack of motivation, pathological tardiness, abnormally low stress levels, 3 a.m. StarCraft matches, donning hats inside the dining hall, boredom, wearing pajamas in class, a superiority com- plex, a God complex, Unmitigated Acute Happiness, psychosis, GSS (giddy smile syndrome), and (occasionally) death. If you know someone who might be infected, avoid any interaction possible and contact the Pelican Senioritis Hotline at 605-475-6961. If you think that you might be infected, drop this notice in a fire and request quarantine by indefinite solitary confinement at the Health Center immedi- 226 Broad Street ately. This announcement was paid for by The Loomis Chaffee Department of Windsor, CT 06095 Student Safety. (860) 808 - 4411

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