The Panel - January 2024 - Volume 72, Issue 6

350 Prospect Street Belmont, MA 02478

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A Student Publication of Belmont Hill

Volume 72, Issue 6

January 25th, 2024

Author Jennifer De Leon Speaks at MLK Chapel

By Jaiden Lee ’26 Panel Staff On January 16, Belmont Hill officially welcomed author Jennifer De Leon as a Chapel speaker in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Ms. De Leon is a multiple award-winning writer of Young Adult books, with works such as Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, Borderless, and White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing.

An Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Framingham State University, Ms. De Leon additionally serves on the staff of the Creative Writing & Literature Master Program at Harvard University and is an NPR contributor.

Ms. De Leon graduated from Connecticut College holding a double major in International Relations and French, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of San Francisco’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Social Justice, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from UMASS-Boston. She has been recognized by several nationwide organizations, including the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the City of Boston’s Artist-in-Residence Program.

In her talk, Ms. De Leon discussed her Guatemalan heritage and upbringing in the Boston area. She emphasized her growing sense of divide within her identity, being immersed in both the Guatemalan familial traditions and the

Student

Art

By Kevin Weldon ’24 Panel Staff At the tail end of the first semester, the Belmont Hill community gathered in the Chapel to celebrate the achievements of students who participated in fall-semester art classes. The yearly tradition includes recognition of exceptional work. Pieces are awarded through a conversation among the Robsham faculty to determine the top three collections among each class. In-

Student Ceramics

Luke Trevisan ’24

Jennifer De Leon white-dominant school and community she lived in; Ms. De Leon brought up the notion of “code-switching,” where she had to alter her conduct based on the person she was interacting with–a friendly cousin or a white student at her school. White students constantly asked her why she talked in a certain manner, and her Guatemalan relatives questioned why she liked to read. At other times, she faced microaggressions such as the question, “Where are you from? No, where are you really from?”

Shines

Google Images

Ms. De Leon emphasized that one of her main worries during her childhood was her issue with being unable to embrace one culture over another; this was a problem that followed her even through college and beyond, and she made sure to point out that it didn’t always have to be that way for anyone who struggled with divided identities.

Ms. De Leon also brought up the reason she became an author: her belief in the power of storytelling; one of her influences that she displayed to the

in

First

risian skyline earned him first place. In Digital Video, Henry Vivas ’27 placed first, followed by Dean Lundquist ’27 and Jack Hurley ’27. Ceramics featured green vases painted with flowers created by Morgan Rich ’27, breakfast foods

by Leo Nuremberg ’27, and puzzle piece pots and containers by Ty Jarvis ’27, earning these boys third, second, and first, respectively. Chase Kaufman ’27, Ryan Chang-Wu ’27, and Declan Curtin ’27’s intricate woodworking box designs and their execution placed their pieces first, second, and third place. In Advanced Ceramics and Woodworking, all the boys performed impressively and were recognized for their contributions to creative exploration at Belmont Hill.

The impressive work has once again impressed the Belmont Hill as a whole, and it is clear that as Mr. Duarte passionately stated, “Arts Student Ceramics are unique. They’re a unique way to develop how boys think critically and creatively, and are an essential part of our school community.” ☐

cluding pottery, woodworking, drawing, digital video, photography, and more, the arts building is a place where each student can explore, experiment with new and familiar mediums of art, and express themselves creatively.

In Photography, Johannes Eikeboom ’27 placed third, William Sandor ’27 placed second, and Liam MacLean ’27 placed first with his monochromatic photo of a spilled cup on a table. In Advanced Photography, Eli Warn ’26 placed third, Billy Cashel ’26 placed second, and JJ Pena’s photo of the Pa- Student Ceramics

Chapel was a TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled “The Danger of a Single Story,” about how although stories can be used for spreading languages and cultures across the world, caution must be take in harmful stereotypes can emerging in writings. Ms. De Leon also listed The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros as one of her most impactful books growing up, as it was the first book that opened her eyes to her Latinx culture and free poetic language being used in a popular novel at the time. Ultimately, Ms. De Leon stressed that one of the central reasons she chose to become a writer was to make as much of a positive impact on her community as possible; an important theme of the Chapel talk was the concept of giving back to the community. In a brief anecdote of her own mother sharing bread through a fence, she compared even the smallest actions of kindness to big acts of community service, and emphasized the goodness in helping others that may not have as much as you may have yourself.

Ms. De Leon ended the session with an insightful Q&A session with the audience, and answered several questions about her personal life, upcoming works, and writing processes. Thank you to Ms. De Leon for a thought-provoking Chapel talk, and if you are interested in more of her writing or any other work she is involved in, visit https://jenniferdeleonauthor.com/.☐

Semester

Show

Luke Trevisan ’24

A Look Inside The Panel

Page 1: Front Pages 2-3: News Pages 3-4: Arts Page 6-8: Opinions Pages 9-11: Sports Page 12: Backpage

Luke Trevisan ’24

B elmont Hill News

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Powerful Earthquakes Rock Noto Peninsula of Japan

By Henry Buckley-Jones ’25 Panel Staff 2024 started off even worse Japan after being struck by 7.6 magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake was centered on the Noto peninsula, in Ishikawa prefecture. The Noto Peninsula is an outcropping on the North Western coast of Japan, on the inside of the island’s curve. The earthquake was incredibly destructive, shifting the coastline in some places by over 800 feet, and causing tsunamis up to 14 feet high. As of the 16th, 227 fatalities have been confirmed by the Japanese Red Cross Society, as well as 997 people injured, 8,854 for a

houses damaged or collapsed, and over 16,000 people displaced or evacuated.

Despite the incredible damage inflicted on buildings and infrastructure, as well as the many lives tragically lost, some evidence suggests that the impacts could have been much worse.

Other examples of similar magnitude earthquakes have resulted in much higher death tolls and more destruction than the one that occurred on Jan 1st. This difference is in no small part due to Japan’s introduction of seismic standards to building codes after the Yokohama earthquake in 1923.

Several specific guidelines are used to make buildings more earthquake-resistant, including Taishin, Seishin, and

Menshin. Taishin mandates that every building must have beams, pillars, etc. greater than a certain thickness so they can absorb ground tremors. Seishin advises that the building frame and foundation are separated, and connected with shock-absorbing materials. This allows buildings to absorb seismic activity but is not legally required. Finally, Menshin is the practice of making a building’s base out of thick rubber, lead, or iron so the foundation can move and help the higher parts of the building be less affected by tremors. This is most common in large, tall buildings.

Acknowledging the positive impacts of these building guidelines is important, as it provides evidence and

incentives for other countries to implement more disaster-resistant architecture. Preventative measures are the best way to preserve property and human life when a natural disaster occurs, no matter how big or small. Right now, the U.S. and many other countries around the world are providing monetary assistance and various forms of humanitarian aid to Japan in its recovery. ☐

Effects of the Earthquake

Google Images

Recent Commercial Accidents Shake Aviation Industry plane was hit by the JAL flight, and it crew successfully evacuated the plane quickly caught on fire and exploded. in just 18 minutes without any fatalThe JAL plane was sent spinning down ities. It took over 70 fire trucks six the runway for several hundred meters hours to eventually extinguish the fire.

Just a mere three days after the before coming to a stop, at which point On January 2nd, Japan Airlines the plane began to fill with smoke. tragedy in Japan, another commercial After the crash, authorities or- aircraft accident occurred in the skies Flight 516 crashed into a plane operated by the Japanese Coast Guard on the runway of Tokyo International Airport. As March break approaches, with many planning air travel, this incident highlights the significance of acknowledging safety precautions in air travel.

This is particularly important considering the frequency of approximately four airplane crashes per day. The crash was the first major accident by Japan Airlines since the infamous Flight 123 in 1985, which resulted in the loss of 520 lives. The passengers of the JAL Airbus A350 were very fortunate, as all 367 passengers and 12 crew surABC News vived. However, the occupants of the The Burnt Remains of Japan Airlines Flight 516 Coast Guard airplane were less lucky, dered the passengers of the stricken over Oregon. This time, a door on an as five of the six crew died in the crash. A350 to evacuate. The crash rendered Alaskan Airlines plane blew out midThe crash occurred as the Japan many escape doors unusable, and the flight, causing a rapid depressurization Airlines flight was attempting to land in-flight announcement system had of the main cabin. The door and passenafter it had been cleared by air traffic broken, leading to mass uncertain- ger belongings were scattered over rescontrol. In the low visibility night condi- ty. Crew members shouted instruc- idential neighborhoods near Portland, tions, the pilots could not see the Coast tions at passengers, who selflessly re- Oregon. Despite a door-sized opening Guard plane, which had been stationary frained from attempting to save their in the side of the fuselage, the pilots sucjust seconds earlier, speeding down the belongings, thereby accelerating the cessfully landed the aircraft at its airrunway. The back of the Coast Guard evacuation process. Miraculously, the port of origin. Fortunately, all passenBy Nathan Zhang ’26 and Bradford Adams ’6 Panel Staff

gers survived, with three minor injuries to those directly adjacent to the break.

An optional modification made to the aircraft by Alaskan Airlines, the door plug takes the place of a traditional emergency exit door in order to fit more seats in the main cabin. Door plugs are common on all types of shortto medium-range aircraft, including 737s. The exact aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX-9 registered as N704AL, first flew just three months earlier on October 15, 2023. The failure of this door plug therefore sparked questions about the assembly of the brand-new aircraft.

Following the incident, Alaskan and other airlines inspected their 737 MAXs and found multiple planes with loose bolts in their plug doors.

This incident raises further questions about the 737 MAX program, which experienced a prior fleet-wide grounding of its smaller 737 MAX-8 variant, following two fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. However, these crashes were due to a different issue in the MCAS system, not a door plug. The new findings serve as yet another setback to the program and the company’s reputation as a whole, with an ongoing investigation probing its manufacturing processes and in-service events. ☐

BH Robotics Team Preparing for Regional Tournament

By David Luo ’25 Panel Staff

team in Burlington and continued to show dominance in the competition’s quarterfinals. Their reign, however, was stopped in its tracks during the semifinals–a tough loss for the team.

Although the team did not make it to the finals, they were still awarded the Excellence Award, an award given to the team that exhibited the most impressive performance during the competition, making them the overall winners of the event. The judges eventually announced that the upper school team won the Excellence

The robotics team is off to Connecticut this February to compete in the Southern New England Vex regional tournament. The robotics team’s regular season is coming to a close with a bright future, and they are looking forward to regionals and a potential spot at the VEX world competition. This year, the team has participated in four competitions and has one more regular season event to go to.

After their inaugural matches at Belmont Hill, the team went on to a tournament at Walsh Middle School in Framingham. This event was a true test of teamwork and an accumulation of the team’s pre-season work.

After the qualification stage, the team was 6-0 and was the first seed in the Alliance selection phase. The Alliance phase was hard fought, with teams coming from various schools trying their best to avoid elimination from the tournament. The BH Upper School team partnered up with a middle school BH Robotics Team

award since they exhibited excellence through their autonomous skills, driver skills, and record throughout the qualifying stage. With this award, the team qualified for the regional event.

After this excellent performance, the team participated in two other tournaments, which had mixed results. The team first went to a competition at the beginning of winter break, which went poorly as the robot was not working as intended. As a result, they dropped out of the competition before the bracket stage. After winter break, the team

Mr. Ziff

aimed to fix all the mistakes made in the tournament prior in preparation for the next contest. The next event went relatively well, with the team qualifying for the bracket stage and respectably losing in the quarter-finals.

Before regionals, the upper school team plans to build a new robot that will be able to compete with the best of the best and ultimately win the regional tournament. The recent performance from the team does not meet their standards, and they expect to improve in the coming weeks. The team’s collective efforts to make it to regionals exemplify an attitude that could take them far in the regional competition and hopefully qualify for the world competition.

Regionals are set to happen on February 26-27, with many of the top teams from the southern New England region competing for a chance to go to the world competition.

The team looks forward to one more local tournament to practice with their new robot and is anticipating an outstanding performance at the regional event in February. ☐

B elmont HIll news

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Trump Favored to Win Third Republican Nomination

By Alejandro Laidlaw ’25 Panel Staff It has been three years since President Biden took the White House at the end of the tumultuous 2020 election. Since then, his administration has been forced to navigate numerous challenges, from trying to re-establish normalcy post-pandemic to managing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Now, as the world ushers in 2024, another election cycle is upon the United States, and the race for the White House begins anew. With Biden having already announced his plan to run again this election season, all eyes turn to the Republican party as they try to name a candidate to challenge the incumbent. Will we see a Trump vs. Biden rematch? Or will one

of Trump’s challengers take his place?

Like every election season, Iowa kicked things off with its caucus on January 15th. Here, Donald Trump established the tone for the rest of the race. The favorite to win the nomination given his previous role as the 45th President of the United States, Trump won the state, taking 51.0% of the vote, an impressive 30-point victory over the second-place candidate, Ron DeSantis. DeSantis, the Florida Governor, accrued 21.2% of the ballots cast, topping Nikki Haley, the third-place finisher, by a mere two points. The remaining candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, found himself far away in fourth place with 7.7% of the vote, prompting him to suspend his campaign.

As all eyes shift towards the New Hampshire primary on January 23rd,

Iowa’s results are incredibly encouraging for Trump’s campaign. Having taken the Hawkeye State with conviction, Trump may ride the wave into New Hampshire, winning another critical early battle. Moreover, the battle for second place could not have gone better for Trump. It is likely that DeSantis would have suspended his campaign had he lost to Haley. However, with second place secured, DeSantis will march on into New Hampshire, splitting the anti-Trump vote with Haley in the process. By keeping the primary a threeman race, DeSantis bolsters Trump’s position in the party, all but sealing both his and Haley’s fates. A few days ahead of the New Hampshire primary, DeSantis suspended his campiagn and voiced his endorsement for Trump, giving the former president another boost.

DECA District Conference Golden

By Daniel Chen ’26 Panel Staff A few weeks ago on December 12, Belmont Hill’s DECA club participated in their first-ever conference and our students managed to take home 3 awards. Special congratulations to Brandon Li ’26 who placed 2nd in the Principles of Marketing, Chase Teeson ’26 who placed 3rd in Hotel and Lodging Management, Emerson Walker ’25 who placed 8th in the Accounting and Application Series, and Ms. Zener for mentoring the club and coaching them along the way.

DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) is an organization that hosts business-related competitions for high schoolers. Each competition consists of a 100-question written exam portion where students must score 70 or above in order to move on to the next round. The second section involves a roleplay where the students are individually placed in scenarios

Student

based on their chosen topics. These topics ranged from human resources, where the students learned to interact with customers when running a business, to marketing and finance, where the students learned how to manage profits and advertise a business.

The regional conference was held at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center, with dozens of other public and private schools around Massachusetts. The students spent most of their time practicing and prepping before their individual competitions.

Afterward, students mostly studied for their Belmont Hill midterm exams–as they had to miss the first day of exams to participate–and networked with students from other schools. The club is excited for next year’s conference, as well as other in-school events planned in the upcoming weeks. When asked about his experience at the conference, Brandon Li ’26 said “Overall, it was a great experience, and we’re hoping to perform even better next year.” ☐

Highlights

The Nordic Skiing team took a trip to Craftsbury, Vermont for practive and team building!

Globes

2024

ery little urban kid, every little native kid out there who has a dream, who has seen themselves represented by our stories…”

The annual Golden Globes Awards Following major film awards, The were held this month, celebrating the best and brightest in cinema and television.

Films such as Oppenheimer and Barbie, along with the long-lasting TV show, Succession, dominated the top honors throughout the night. The trio of films combined to win Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), Bear caught critics’ attention and ended and Best Original Score, as well as taking up winning Best Television Series (Muhome Best Motion Picture (Drama). It was sical or Comedy). Lionel Boyce, who clear that Hollywood critics agreed with played Marcus, gave a shout-out to the the success indicated by movie theater tick- whole restaurant community acknowlet sales during the “Barbinheimer” phase. edging the hard work and dedication they As a key highlight, Lily Gladstone put into their industry every day. While won Best Performance by a Female Ac- they are only “telling the story,” many tress in a Motion Picture (Drama) play- people out there embrace it as a reality.

Honoring a defining year in cinema, ing Mollie Burkart in Killers of the Flower Moon. An emotional, yet applauded award it is fair to say that the 81st Annual Goldwas embellished through her acceptance en Globes will be one to remember. ☐ speech: “This is for every little rez kid, evBy Brady Paquette ’25 Panel Staff

from

Online Editor Alex Laidlaw ’25

Arts Editor Lev Tolkoff ’24

Sports Editor

Christopher McEvoy ’25

Article Support Editor Andrew Bittner ’24

Photo from a 4th former taken en route to Miami, Florida.

While a lot of time remains on the clock for this election cycle, Trump seems to be positioned well in his effort to gain his third consecutive Republican nomination. However, looking ahead to the general election, a recent poll indicates that Trump may not be the best option for the Republican Party. Instead, the data shows that Haley would fare best against Biden, winning by seven points (in the same poll, Trump is estimated to beat Biden by two points). Given Trump’s polarizing presence, many argue that the best way for the Republican Party to secure the White House in 2024 is through an alternative candidate.

Regardless, it seems as though the pro-Trump block in the GOP is far too large for this to matter, making a 2020 rematch almost inevitable. ☐

Graphics Editor Daniel Xie ’24

Winter

Editor-In-Chief Kevin Weldon ’24

Executive Editors Brian Lee ’24 Noah Farb ’24 Luke Trevisan ’24

Assistant Editors Benjamin Gong ’26 Brandon Li ’26 Jaiden Lee ’26 Brady Paquette ’25 TZ Snail ’26 Nathan Zhang ’26

Break

Faculty Advisors Paige Wallace Juliette Zener

News Editor

Luke Guleserian ’24

Opinion Editor Aaron Stanger ’24

Copy Editor

Duncan Kilbride ’24

Back Page Editors Mac Greene ’24 Nate Voss ’24

Staff Artists/writers Ben Adams ’25 Ben Hack ’24 Andrew Hildebrandt ’25

Photo from the living room of a 5th former as he prepares to watch the final edition of NFL Redzone of the 2023 season!

The Panel, founded in 1953, is the official school newspaper of the Belmont Hill School. The Panel is the voice of the student body. We publish articles that are of consequence to the students, as well as the school communities. The views expressed in The Panel belong solely to the authors and editors and do not necessarily represent the student body, faculty or administration of the school. Any comment about the content should be addressed directly to the editors. The Panel encourages responsible opinion in the form of Letters to the Editor. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for length and content. Copyright © 2023 The Panel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Published by the Belmont Printing Co., Belmont, MA 02478.

B elmont Hill arts

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Faculty AOTI: Discovering Mr. Schneider’s Secret Talent grade, and today has incorporated the guitar into many of his performances.

Like many musicians, high-school Although our beloved head- Mr. Schneider found himself at times master Mr. Greg Schneider is most overwhelmed by the immense workknown to the majority of the Belmont Hill community for his effortless and flawless speeches, his influential leadership, and his dedication to the school, his “underground” musical talents are no less impressive.

Always attentive to the popular songs of the day, Mr. Schneider’s early music education propelled his lifetime appreciation for music. During a school assembly where instruments were displayed to him and his fellow students,

By TZ Snail ’26 Panel Staff

“It’s hard for kids this age to appreciate that when they’re thirty-five, they can’t play football anymore, they’re probably not playing hockey anymore, but you can play music until you die. It’s truly a lifelong thing.”

Mr. Schneider “for some reason pointed at the saxophone and said, I’ll try that.” This decision would serve him well; today he is an accomplished jazz player, having been a part of numerous musical ensembles throughout his high school and college years. In addition to the saxophone, Mr. Schneider started learning the electric guitar in the eighth

Floorlords

By Eli Norden ’26 Panel Staff “That was a blast!” said Bradford Adams ’26, following what was perhaps the most exciting and entertaining chapel the school has had this year. On January 18, during community block, the Floor Lords, a group that “seeks to use the positive aspect of hip-hop dance to reach and empower youth,” gave an exceptional performance to the school. Members of the inspirational group worked to educate the Belmont Hill community about hip-hop, its history, and the Floor Lords’ history. By demonstrating the art of beatboxing, MCing, and break dancing – or as the group referred to it, “breaking” – students and faculty alike were brought to their feet for a 40-minute break from the stresses of school while learning

to instill this in the minds of the musicians at Belmont Hill. As a high schooler, Mr. Schneider’s dedication to music earned him the highly prestigious Music Prize granted to him at graduation.

Mr. Schneider Performing at 2023 Winter Coffee House load of school and sports and did not always make music practice his first priority. However, since then, he says music “has become a part of my life. As I get older, I realize it is so much more important to play less notes that are more melodic and memorable…something that I can sing back to myself.”

For him, music is “a mindfulness and stress reduction mechanism as opposed to a hassle or nuisance,” and he hopes

Visit

At Belmont Hill, Mr. Schneider’s contributions to the music department have pushed many student and staff musicians to perform themselves.

In opportunities such as the Coffee Houses, Mr. Schneider’s passion for expressing his jazz standards and guitar-singing solos has brought joy and excitement to the events. Right now, he is in the process of preparing new pieces for the Spring Coffee House.

BH BH Students Attend NESDO

about a culture that has become incredibly popular in the United States.

Mr. Fulham only added to the event’s success by giving the school a true taste of his “secret” dancing talents when he volunteered to join the Floor Lordson stage. Following Mr. Fulham, Wes Lindstrom-Chalpin ’25 and Josiah Gomes ’25, similarly, showed off their incredible dance moves in front of the whole school in a dance battle.

Each was granted a 30-second freestyle performance, and Wes proved to be the victor after the solid competition between the two. In the words of Michael Hadley ’26: “[The Chapel] was a playful insight into the world of hip-hop.”

For those who are interested in learning more about the group, they are active on social media, and have an informative website that explains the group’s history, current status and their upcoming performances. ☐

The Floor Lords with Belmont Hill Students

Neil Hamburg

Outside of school, Mr. Schneider keeps his musical talents fresh by playing in a band that performs around the Greater Boston area. From playing outside of Belmont Hill, he realized that “music tends to be a way to connect to the human experience.” His group has played numerous gigs, but they have found the market for live music to have drastically decreased in the years since his childhood. Despite this setback, he continues to strive for more performances, saying “I find playing jazz a real team experience.”

In his years of musical experience, Mr. Schneider has realized just how important music is to everyday life. While a busy high school student’s schedule may lead them to believe that there is no extra time for learning an instrument, music is always around.

Mr. Schneider articulates that he “wants to try to model that boys here can cross boundaries into athletics, academics, and the arts.” Music plays a defining role in the lives of everyone and many do not realize the science behind the noises they so regularly hear. Mr. Schneider highlights the benefits of music education by stating, “it’s hard for kids this age to appreciate that when they’re thirty-five, they can’t play football anymore, they’re probably not playing hockey anymore, but you can play music until you die. It’s truly a lifelong thing.” ☐

BH Communications

Students and Ms. Allen

beautiful renditions of Slavonic Dance in C Major, Op. 46, No. 1 by Antonio Dvorak, and “Polovtsian Dances” from “Prince Igor” by Alexander Borodin.

The event was a resounding success, Conductor George Ogata said just before the Orchestra began, “I haven’t conducted young adults in 10 years, and on Wednesday I found out something: I missed it so much. These are great, great kids. I am so proud of them, and I know that you will be proud of them as well.” Four-time District Orchestra participant Jaiden Lee ’26 commented on this year’s performance saying, “Overall, it was a great experience for some of the younger musicians to gain some Districts experience as well, and the repertoire was enjoyable to perform from the perspective of the musicians; Mr. Ogata brought a lot of energy to rehearsals and the performance as well.”

The district orchestra allowed Belmont Hill to showcase some exceptional Mrs. Allen

credible accomplishment. After two rounds of auditions, five Belmont Hill boys were chosen: Ernest Lai ’25, Ryan Chang-Wu ’27, Harry Liu ’27, Jaiden Lee ’26, and Wesley Zhu ’25. On January 3rd and 5th, these five artists traveled to Lexington High School for two four-hour rehearsals. Then, on January 6th, they performed with over one hundred students, playing

musicians who deserve recognition. Not only did they rehearse, travel, and perform for over twelve hours, but they did so during a regular week of school, balancing school and varsity sports. These boys truly encapsulate hard work, dedication, and a love for the arts, The Panel congratulates them and wishes them luck as they move on to the All-State Orchestra next. ☐

By Lev Tolkoff ’24 Panel Staff On January 6th, members of the Belmont Hill Orchestra once again participated in the coveted North East Senior District Orchestra. With an elite selection of artists from all over New England, making The North East Senior District Orchestra is truly an in-

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B elmont HIll arts

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AOTI: TJ Cannistraro ’24 Best Music Albums of 2023 ticing could be a quick 5 minutes of ear training without even picking up an instrument.” His busy schedule does not get in the way of his music, which someThomas (TJ) Cannistraro ’24 has times means a shorter practice session. been and continues to be a vital piece to In addition to improving his Belmont Hill’s music, and theater pro- own skills, TJ’s musical influence has grams. Currently in the Upper School played a role in the overall environJazz Band, Upper School Rock Band, ment of the Prenatt music building.

Orchestra and the Spring Play, TJ’s ar- He strives to improve others around tistic contributions to Belmont Hill’s him and is always willing to lend a music and theater department truly ex- helping hand to a fellow musician. As press what positive influences he plac- he puts it, “For me, music is a way of es upon the Belmont Hill community. processing emotions and getting my As a student-artist, TJ’s sched- feelings out, whether it’s excitement, ule is filled with events. To manage stress, happiness, or frustration.” the workload and school’s sometimes From a theater standpoint, TJ has stressful environment, TJ says that “as brought life and a sense of deep emoa student, music has often provided tion into his characters’ personas. His me with something to look forward to acting won him the Hayden Gaylord during the school day as a break from Coon Drama Prize - Acting June 2023: classes.” In this way, TJ can release the an award granted to the student who best demonstrated built up pressure from school while “There really isn’t just one emotion that the emotion and expression of their also making a lastmusic evokes in someone. For me, it’s a character in his ing impact on the music and the- way of processing emotions and getting performance. His ater departments. my feelings out, whether it’s excitement, expression has not A prolific stress, happiness, frustration, etc., There only earned him is a song for everything.” leading roles in the singer, pianist, guinumerous plays tarist and drummer, TJ’s wide variety of musical expres- he has performed in BH Short Film, sion allows him to be “a more flexible Take Ten, It’s a Wonderful Life, Into the musician when it [comes] to playing Woods, Twelve Angry Men, Game of Ti[music].” As a result, TJ’s contribu- aras, Sister School, and This Sceptered tions extend much farther than just Isle, but has also allowed him to bring the Jazz Band and Rock Band, as seen his character to life in solos during in his performances with the younger chapel performances. Serving as a ensembles, such as the Middle School trailer for This Sceptered Isle, TJ’s solo Jazz Band, and performance performances in front of the in the biannual school exhibCoffee Housited his true es. His leaderconfidence ship, especially and expression in the youngwhile put under er ensembles, the spotlight. played a deWhile many fining role in may deem this their successful difficult to do, performancTJ is able to es, gathering collect himthe applause self and shine of the whole a light on his crowd every remarkable talEdward Monigan IV ents; his main time.

Out- This Sceptered Isle side of school, TJ continues his mu- goal is “for an audience is just to give sical spirit in positive ways as he “has them an entertaining show.” Although been able to play in dozens of other TJ will be graduating this spring, there bands and raise money for charities.” will definitely be more of his extraorTo keep up and polish his high dinary performances in and outside of standard of playing, TJ looks to simple school before his Commencement. ☐ and concise practice sessions: “My pracBy TZ Snail ’26 Panel Staff

By Christopher McEvoy ’25 & Brady Paquette ’25 Panel Staff

their calming and catchy melodies. This album is truly one of a kind and will be extremely difficult to top in 2024.

Another one of the great albums

The anticipation is finally over, as Utopia by Travis Scott was nominated the best album of 2023. This album is truly terrific and exemplified some of Travis Scott’s best works of music. It has been five years since Travis Scott released his hit album Astroworld, and the wait for his next album was well worth it. The album contains features from Drake, SZA, Playboi Carti, and 21 Savage among others. The best songs of this album include “My Eyes,” “Til Further Notice,” “Telekinesis,” and “Topia Twins” to just name a few. These songs Album Cover: “Utopia” Google have gained wide-scale popularity for from this past year was Drake’s For All The Dogs. This album is arguably the best album of the year, but in our opinion, falls just short of the number-one spot. This album was truly great and hearkens back to Drake’s glory days with similar themes as albums such as Views and More Life. The album contains features from artists such as 21 Savage, J Cole, SZA, Bad Bunny, and many more. In our opinion, the best songs from this album are “Virginia Beach,” “IDGAF” feat. Yeat, and “8 am in Charlotte.” These songs although Album Cover: “Astroworld” Google very different stylistically from one another all contain memorable rhythms and melodies. Despite some criticism of the newer Drake albums, many would agree that this album was fantastic.

On June 30th Lil Uzi Vert released his new album Pink Tape which received mixed reviews, however, few can doubt that it had some high-quality songs. The album contained twenty-two songs and featured popular artists such as Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, and Don Toliver. In our opinion, the best songs on this album are “Flooded The Face,” “Mama I’m Sorry,” and “Aye” feat. TraAlbum Cover: “More Life” Google

Album Cover: “For All The Dogs” Google

vis Scott. These songs stood out primarily for their high-intensity nature which was common throughout the album. Perhaps not the best Lil Uzi album, it definitely has some great songs.

In conclusion, this past year was a great year for music, highlighted by the albums discussed above. Travis Scott, Drake, and Lil Uzi Vert’s impact on the hip-hop world will continue to influence its community.

Hopefully, 2024 will be just as good if not better than 2023, but with a year like that, it will be no easy task. ☐

A Resounding Success: The 2023 Winter Coffee House

By Adrian Tan ’25 Panel Staff Last month on Friday, December 1st, around 20 students and faculty performed 14 amazing musical acts to a broad audience of parents, faculty, and fellow students. Some highlights included “Sand in My Boots” by Morgan Wallen from Alex Zhang (Form IV) and “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from the Middle School Rock Band. TZ Snail ’26, a Form IV student who attended and performed at the Coffee House, said, “I thought it was a great environment and that the people I performed with just enlightened the performance.” TJ Cannistraro ’24, also expressed similar sentiments. In fact, TJ performed five songs at the Coffee House with several different groups.

When asked why he decided to do so

many acts in the Winter Coffee House, rock band. I always do a song with my len invited him to join in on the bass TJ said, “The rock band obviously has sister because she’s also very musical.” for a blues song featuring her roomtwo songs, so that was just part of the To add to his impressive night, Ms. Al- mate, and he gladly agreed. Finally, he was talking with Alex about the Coffee House and since they already had a song that they performed for the Multicultural Alumni Partnership dinner, they decided to polish up the song and perform it at the Coffee House.

Both musical artists are looking forward to performing in the Spring Coffee House and the many musical opportunities that lie ahead of them. The performances have a wonderful environment where one can play to their desires, without anyone judging their skill level. The overall atmosphere and energy of the production is super infectious.

If you have any interest in music at all or just want to have a nice environment to spend your night, the Coffee HousMs. Allen and Performers at 2023 Winter Coffee House Neal Hamburg es are the perfect event to attend. ☐

B elmont Hill opinions

Pa g e 6

T he Panel

DOTI: Should the extra layer be over/under your blazer? tremely easy to just take a phone or school, getting into January and Febwallet out of a nicely zipped up pocket. ruary, it is irresponsible to be wearAdditionally, it is inevitable that ing such a light coat, especially in at least one day a year you forget your the snow. So, I will be continuing to With the winter months here, blazer; it’s okay, you’re human. Now, wear my new Nordic Swix jacket. and frigid weather is imminent and you could walk around proudly with be warm and cozy in these next few sub-freezing temperatures are soon to no blazer and a sweater like Ethan months while Trev freezes in his stylbe a norm. The solution: jackets. There is nothing like stepping out of your car on a chilly winter day the harsh wind hitting your face, with a warm winter jacket wrapped around you.

Layer Over The Blazer: Lev To deal with the winter months there is only one thing that can dampen the sharp cold air: an overcoat.

There is no feeling like putting on a huge coat, maybe some sort of Belmont Hill Varsity gear, and feeling comfortable while walking up from the parking Adam Richins Photography lot. Then when you get to class, your BH Students With Layers first class is Mr. Martellini’s notori- Sidman ’24, but for those who do not ish yet functionless college sweatshirt. ously over-heated classroom, and you wish to endure the wrath of Mr. But- Layer Under The Blazer: Trevisan I am a big fan of the fall and take off your outer coat and can sit ler and Mr. Bradley, it is far easier to comfortably in your blazer or regular hide a no-blazer day with a large coat. winter, as they bring changing leaves, school shirt. However, if you had de- Seeing as how I do not wish to wait- holidays, and football. Yet, while I cided to wear a quarter-zip or sweater, er in my senior year, I will be stick- enjoy the perks of the cold weather, I you would be sweating all class unless ing with the overcoat every morning. don’t actually enjoy the cold and preFinally, it is an unequivocal fer to stay bundled up. Unlike Lev, you wanted to take the excruciating time to actually remove the sweater. fact that overcoats are more function- however, I think it is warmer, more The over-the-blazer coat is such al than under-the blazer ones. If Trev functional, and more alluring to wear a game changer. Not only do you get wants to tell me that on a 15-degree the extra layers under your blazer.

With a tight vest or a snug sweatthe warmth of the under-the blazer day he shows up to school with a light coat, but the functionality of it is un- quarter-zip under his blazer and noth- er, your collared shirt and undershirt matched. Sweaters lack one critical ing else, then fine he can win this one. are held even tighter around you, acting thing, pockets: we all know how an- But, for those of us who do not wish like a big cozy fabric hug. It is scientifinoying it can be to have to dig into to get frostbite, the overcoat, is at this cally proven that vests and sweaters reyour extra small dress-pants pockets point, a necessity in the Boston weath- turn 400% of the body heat you give off for keys or a phone while sitting down. er. While I will admit in the Fall it is because of their proximity to your body.

However, with the overcoat it is ex- nice to show up with a quarter-zip to Additionally, you don’t have to worry

about them unzipping, unlike the big puffy parkas. Most of the kids who wear them walk around with their coats unzipped and hanging wide open, defeating any of their heat retention purposes.

Additionally, keeping everything contained under a blazer means that you can go about the day without worry of a bulky overlayer weighing you down.

Rather than having to cram into a desk or struggling to fit through a doorway, I can go about my day like I would any other, feeling sleek and nimble while staying even warmer. At lunch, I relish the plight of coat wearers who must robotically obey Mr. Bradley’s command to “remove your outer coats” or risk a personal shoutout from him. Instead, I remain as warm as ever and can enjoy my lunch to the fullest. Also, after you take off your outer layer and drape it over your chair, what do you do if you want to take off your blazer?

Finally, and most importantly, wearing a layer under your blazer is more stylish. Putting on a blazer is the hallmark of the Belmont Hill uniform and it can’t be seen if you cover it with a shabby coat. Instead, compliment your blazer with something underneath that can make your outfit pop. From a pullover to a quarter-zip to a well-made vest, there are so many options to stay warm. Couple that with a collar, turtle neck or no collar at all and add in fashionable patterns, designs and color, and you can be the talk of the town.

I know which one I would choose. ☐

Meal

and

January

Spaces,

Ranked

By Lev Tolkoff ’24 and Luke Trevisan ’24 Panel Staff

of

the

By Rhett Curtis ’26 and Jack Ramanathan ’26 Panel Staff Another month has passed, a new year has started, and the Belmont Hill kitchen staff has continued pumping out lunches every day. In this edition of Meals of the Month, we take a retrospective look at the meals of December and January. These months have had ups and downs, but lunches continually impress us, as this month, the highest-ever average score has been recorded for lunches: 7.47/10. What stood out to us and students this year was the meal itself.

The FLIK team’s December and January creations wowed students with their array of flavors and dishes. This score, the highest out of all other month’s ratings, comes from meals like the December 5 Chicken & Andouille Gumbo and the more recent Spicy

Belmont

As Belmont Hill boys, we develop a skill for time management.

Between classes, academics, and extracurricular activities, we use our free blocks wisely to limit the homework we need to complete at home.

The choice of where to sit down and “work” is complicated when it comes to free blocks. Will this space help me be productive? Let me socialize with friends? Possibly take a well-needed nap? These three factors are most important to my study area choices: 1. Productivity, 2. Fun 3.

Comfort. Considering these three factors, the top 3 study spaces are clear.

Coming in third place is The Nook, with a score of 23/30. As one of the more popular study spots on cam-

December

Lo Mein (January 8th) - both serious contenders for Meal of the Month. However, the BBQ Braised Brisket took away the trophy as the two months’ best meal of December and January. Served on the 11th of December, the Brisket was a fan favorite among many students and was described as “palatable” and “luscious” by peers. The lunch consisted of tender yet juicy and rich meat complemented by a messy but tasty sauce. Served on the side were kidney beans - a sweet and flavorful bite - along with brussel sprouts.

The components that bolstered the enjoyment of this meal came from the simplicity with which it was served; the sides did not distract tasters from enjoying their entrees.

The December-January desserts were solid - the average score, although on the lower end of our past ratings for dessert, was a respectable 6.98. Past dessert winners such as the M&M Brownie and Dou-

ble Dark Chocolate Brownie both made appearances and were once again accepted with giant smiles by Belmont Hill boys.

Nearly every single brownie that was given to students for dessert - ranging from peppermint to rainbow - ranked highly on our ratings. Perhaps in the future, an increase in the amount of brownies would allow students to enjoy the desserts even more. Ultimately, the Cinnamon Rolls served on December 6th were rated the highest: a 9 and 9.5 out of 10. The Rolls had a sugary-rich topping coated on top of the rolls, providing students with a satisfying crunch and utmost joy. Moreover, the dessert was very flavorful and maintained a nice crunch.

That said, this month’s offerings could have been better. Five dishes were ranked as 4 or below by our official reviewers; this is a record discrepancy. The consistency could be partially excused by winter break and

pus, the third place could seem low for this juggernaut of a study space; however, certain aspects of its character caused me to bump it to the bottom of the podium. First of all, its fun ranking is top-tier. Coming in with a 9/10, it is hard to compare to the social aspect one can receive at The Nook. Rarely do I ever walk past The Nook without seeing it bustling with kids of all forms, justifying its 9/10 for fun. Consequently comes a lower score in productivity.

Although a 5/10 might seem low for some, I seldom leave The Nook with anything productive completed. Some students can work hard in this area, but I cannot justify anything above a 5/10.

Lastly, its comfort rating speaks for itself. The Nook’s couches and comfortable seating give it a clear 9/10 rating.

Form III Study Hall is in a close race for second place with a score of

25.5/30. Almost every Belmont Hill boy experiences Form III at some point in their journey, so second place should cause no arguments. Form III scores an 8.5/10 in productivity due to its many tables, giving students room to escape if they need space. Its variety of seating, including regular chairs, big green ones, and semi-uncomfortable couches, earns it a strong 9/10.

The perfect ten was in sight; however, the couches are its Achilles heel. Although Form III fills with kids in the mornings, it slowly loses its capacity throughout the day. An 8/10 is a fair compromise, because of the ebbs and flows of students during school hours.

Despite 25.5 being an outstanding score, my choice for the best study space on campus is the Prenatt Music Building, in a narrow victory with a 26/30. In one simple sentence, those

Hill’s

By Vince Mezzanotte ’25 Panel Staff

Month:

Top

3

Study

having to come back for the New Year, but we view it as a disappointing observation.

Upon further investigation into this, multiple students have admitted that the menu is too exotic and Mr. Maws ’88 is “doing too much.” For these reasons, we hope there is change going into the second semester. We yearn for the days of “the Rooster’’ chicken sandwich and buffalo tenders from last year. Perhaps the Food Committee should begin to reach out to students more frequently so that Tony Maws and the FLIK staff can better satisfy their desires. For now, if members of the community wish to express their own thoughts and opinions, they can head on over to the “Dining Menus” tab on the Belmont Hill Veracross.

Onwards to a new month of delicacies! ☐

who know, know. Prenatt is the most productive place on campus, with very little traffic and soft music in the background, scoring it a 10/10 for productivity. You can choose tables, comfy chairs, and even couches in both the upper and lower parts of this building.

Its vast selection of seating adds a 9/10 to its score. Although it seems perfect so far, Prenatt does possess a weakness. Rarely traveled through, you are extremely unlikely in Prenatt to run into that one friend with whom you have no classes, giving it a 7/10 for fun.

The decision between a six and a seven was challenging; however, the constant entertainment of our school’s talented musicians gives it a bump to a 7.

Although I ranked Prenatt as the top study space, ultimately, Belmont Hill has no shortage of suitable study spaces to offer. ☐

Janu ar y 2 5 , 2 0 2 3

B elmont HIll opinions

Pa g e 7

Academic Integrity: A Modern Proxy War for Politics

By Luke Guleserian ’24 Panel Staff Academic integrity has become the center of discussion of many questions regarding the use of AI tools like Chat GPT in primary and secondary schools. However, academic integrity has surprisingly become an issue in higher education and not on the side of the students, but at the very heart of the institution–its professors.

University presidents and professors have been targeted, from both within and outside their own institutions. Stanford’s former President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned last August after it was revealed first by the Stanford Daily that 12 of his academic articles contained falsified information.

After admitting that his work had many breaches of intellectual integrity, Tessier-Lavigne resigned. There seemed to be little motive besides affirming Stanford’s standards present in the investigation of his work. This is not true for other major academic investigations.

Claudine Gay, the former President of Harvard, became embroiled in controversy after remarks at a congressional hearing in December when she responded that threats to commit genocide against the Jewish people could only be determined as violations of Harvard’s hate speech policy depending on the context in which they were said. Harvard saw a massive backlash from Jewish donors, including Len Blavatnik who is withholding

$250 million in potential donations and gave Harvard’s single largest gift in its history of $200 million. During the turmoil, Gay’s academic work was questioned by outsiders, and it was found that she used information from other sources in her doctoral dissertation but failed to cite them. The double punch of an unpopular appearance in Congress and the seemingly targeted investigations of the conservative New York Post into errors in academic work from decades prior caused her fall.

A recent victim of these investigations was Neri Oxman, a former MIT Professor and wife of Bill Ackman, who was one of the most outspoken advocates of President Gay’s resignation.

The journalism in this case errs on the side of being predatory. Of all three individuals discussed, Oxman’s targeting is by far the most perplexing. Oxman is not employed by MIT and has not been for several years. Linked directly under Business Insider’s initial headline of their Jan 4. Article “Bill Ackman’s Celebrity Academic Wife Neri Oxman’s dissertation is marred by plagiarism,” it becomes apparent that this is not an attack on Oxman but rather at Ackman and his opposition to Gay’s presidency.

Oxman was proven to have failed to cite Wikipedia in her academic work.

This is the true beginning of using academic integrity as a proxy war to advance an agenda. The investigations against President Gay were almost certainly motivated by disagreements with her comments and presidency and not by just a normal investigation

Claudine Gay testifying in December, 2023

Google Images

into higher education figures. Given how Oxman was given very little time to respond to Business Insider’s queries and Ackman’s claim that his company was contacted by the journalist and not Oxman, it is obvious that he is the target and his wife is simply collateral damage. Given that neither Oxman nor Ackman are currently employed in academia, the damage suffered will not be a loss of a job but rather of reputation.

While these investigations will almost certainly lead to higher standards in the practice of academic integrity in the future so that other academics do not suffer these fates, those who have already written works and are in these positions are worried about potential errors. Ackman has said that he and a team will investigate all current MIT professors and administrators for sim-

ilar discrepancies. While this seems like a pipe dream, it sets a dangerous precedent that academics can be used in a proxy war over political debates in which they are not active. I believe that academics should not be targets as collateral damage. While irrelevant to her statements in Congress, Gay’s former position as an administrator and also having such violations which is her duty to prevent should exclude her from remaining in that capacity. In contrast, in the case against Oxman, while legitimate claims were found, the intent was not to question her academic work but rather to hurt the image of her husband. Academics should have their work questioned when they are hired by institutions and not by sensationalized headlines used to promote an agenda.☐

Barbie, Oppenheimer, and More: A Year of Blockbusters

By Will Achtmeyer ’26 Panel Staff 2023 will likely become one of the most critical years in cinema and one of the most tumultuous. 2023 saw a major writers’ and directors’ strike, the exponential rise of streaming, increasing average film length, the death of superhero movies, and a resurgence in enthusiasm for mid-budget and historical drama/epic films.

However, before we get into why certain movies failed and others triumphed, let’s look back at the films released last year. Disregarding superhero films for a moment, 2023 provided us with Cocaine Bear, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Creed III, John Wick 4, The Covenant, Evil Dead: Rise, Fast X, The Little Mermaid, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I, Equalizer 3, A Haunting in Venice, Saw X, Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Eras Tour, Renaissance Tour, Godzilla: Minus One, Wonka, Rebel Moon and who could forget Five Nights at Freddy’s.

By far, the most significant success of the year was the summer double-feature phenomenon that was Barbenheimer. Both highly anticipated movies had incredible financial and, to a degree, critical success. However, what makes this phenomenon most important is not necessarily the meme; it’s the fact that the two most popular movies of the year weren’t big-budget, corporate-produced, soulless, and safe superhero blockbusters. Both had larger budgets, sure, but neither was part of a cinematic universe; each was

Major Superhero movies of 2023 including Shazam and Spiderman unique and new. Though Barbie was based on existing intellectual property, the film’s marketing and plotline made clear that the movie was trying to be something different, more complex than the traditional girl-doll narrative.

So, too, in an even more extreme sense, was Oppenheimer (co-starring RDJ, who fled the MCU), a mature historical biopic, almost the exact opposite of the blockbusters that seemed to have dominated the 2010s and early 2020s.

This brings us to possibly the most significant impact that 2023 had on cinema: the ultimate death of the superhero film. Marvel didn’t come out swinging with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (the title alone says enough), which barely broke even with its budget. This trend only worsened throughout the year, with Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and The Marvels all losing millions for their respective studios. In the rush to capitalize on the MCU’s success, production companies prioritized quantity

Google Images

over quality, speeding up the law of diminishing returns that ultimately drove all of their franchises into the ground.

The only two superhero exceptions were Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

However, both of these movies included highly appreciated characters and stood out as unique in their genre.

That having been said, it is unlikely that this will be able to be recreated in the coming years. Given the sheer volume of superhero content, it’s likely that future superhero films - even those with well-crafted storylines and characters - will continue to drive audiences away. In short, the market has simply become too saturated with capes, and everybody has begun to move on.

And it wasn’t just superhero movies that suffered this fate. As can be seen with the failure of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, people aren’t interested in big-budget corporate projects that simply revive old characters. People want new and original

ideas, and exciting movies that are actually enjoyable and make them feel something. When watching the latest Marvel/Disney/Big-budget corporate nightmare movies, I and many others felt an empty void. It’s like watching a shell of a movie that is so mediocre you forget about it immediately after watching it. However, with the aftershock of the writer’s strike, you can expect to see a lot less of these films, as many had to get their productions pushed back and, given the financial distress big production companies are in right now, it seems likely that many of these boring big-budget projects may never see the light of day. The DCEU is officially over, Marvel will likely end soon, and even Star Wars is on its dying breath.

In my personal opinion, this is for the better. A return to original, mid-budget, engaging, and thought-provoking filmmaking isn’t so bad at all, and with the success of these types of films this year, along with the success of many historical epics, you can expect to see many more of these on the horizon. Maybe historical dramas will become the new Marvel, the new fad of the 2020s, much like the Western era of the 50s and the thriller era of the 90s, and honestly, that’s just the fresh start movies need.

2023 is a year that will likely be remembered as one of the most important in film history, culminating in so many different events and phenomena that will shape the future of cinema for the foreseeable future.

It will be fascinating to see its aftereffects in 2024, which promises a slate of creative, unique, and interesting films that will stand in stark contrast to the blockbusters of the 2010s.☐

B elmont Hill OPINIONS

Pa g e 8

South

Africa

By Noah Farb ’24 Panel Staff On Friday, January 19th, the Men’s Under 19 Cricket World Cup kicked off in South Africa, captivating millions of viewers worldwide. Unfortunately, a decision made by Cricket South Africa, the nation’s governing body of international cricket, has detracted from the event.

A week prior to the games, Cricket South Africa released a statement removing the U19 South African Cricket captain, David Teeger. Their rationale? Teeger had made inflammatory pro-Israel comments regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. Personally, I believe Teeger was removed from captaincy due his identification as a Zionist Jew. Cricket South Africa claims the axing of Teeger as captain is in the “best interests” of everyone involved.

Teeger’s comments, made at the South Africa Jewish Achiever Awards in October, were about how the existence of Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces make it safe for Jews, such as himself, to live and thrive in the diaspora.

Ironically, Cricket South Africa used gaslighting language as part of their statement about stripping Teeger of the captaincy, stating “[removing Teeger from his role] is in the best interest of all the players, the SA U19 team, and

Cricket

David himself.” If Cricket South Africa is genuinely worried that the mere presence of a Zionist Jewish South African Cricket captain may incite others to violence, would the best course of action not be to work to protect everyone from potential violence rather than taking something away from a 19 year old?

This comes after Teeger had already been investigated by Cricket South Africa after making his divisive comments due to a complaint from the Pro-Hamas South African Palestine Solidarity Movement. During the investigation, Teeger was banned

T he Panel

Anti-Semitism

from playing in U19 team matches until being cleared from any wrongdoing, as his comments were ruled to not violate the CSA code of conduct regarding political statements.

Captaincy of a sports team is a merit-based position based on one’s teamwork, leadership, and communication skills, along with rapport with both peers and coaches. South Africa’s removal of a team captain immediately before a major international event hosted within the country is abhorrent. It is effectively taking away a position earned through merit from

David Teeger being intereviewed by the Times of Israel

Scandal

someone due to disagreement over political views. It shows to viewers around the world that South Africa is not okay with a pro-Israel Jew representing it at an athletic competition.

None of this is particularly surprising, as the government recently lodged a baseless genocide lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of Justice.

An act like this reminds Jews of the sporting bans of Nazi Germany, in which by 1933 all Jews were banned from sporting clubs and professional teams, and at the 1936 Berlin Olympics two American Jews were replaced in their competition one day before their event. At the very least, it’s an troubling first step taken by South African officials trying to limit exposure of Jewish South Africans in public life, likely setting up future limitations on the 50,000 Jews living in South Africa. For a country that up until the 1990s had legalized institutional racism and segregation in the form of apartheid, discriminating based on ethnicity should be completely antithetical for public South African entities such as Cricket South Africa. The lack of a strong response to situations like this is what allows racism and bigotry to fester and flourish and, if not curbed, will eventually lead to widespread exclusion and discrimination against Jewish South Google Images Africans in many areas of public life. ☐

China or the US - Who Has the Better Education System?

By Brandon Li ’26 Panel Staff Who has the better education system - China or the United States?

This is a relevant question to consider today, due to the ongoing spike in Chinese-American tensions. Since the caliber of a nation’s education system directly influences its future innovators, scientists, and overall economy, a comparison of the two countries’ systems may provide valuable insights.

In terms of conventional academic metrics, China’s education system outperforms that of the United States. A 2019 study of 15-year-olds in each country found that Chinese youth outperform American students in nearly every educational category, with an especially pronounced gap in math. Why is this the case?

As it turns out, the college admissions process, which provides the primary incentive structure for how students spend their time in high school, is drastically different in China than in the United States. This results in a much different culture surrounding education in China compared to the United States, and differing educational outcomes in each country as a result.

When considering applicants, Chinese colleges only admit or reject a student based on their score on the Chinese gaokao, a nationwide exam given to over 10 million Chinese youth.

This grueling 9-hour nationwide exam has an international reputation for being extremely difficult, covering Chinese, math, English, and either the humanities or the sciences depending on the applicant’s choice. The singular focus on this standardized test score, although possibly more meritocratic than the United States system, has far-reaching consequences. Students are incentivized not to waste their time on extracurriculars and unique interests they might have, since they have no effect on

college admissions, but rather to spend their time cramming for the gaokao and obtaining mastery over school subjects in years prior to the exam. As you can probably tell, there is immense pressure for Chinese students to do well on this exam. This is not helped by the fact that China is even more elitist than the United States, and your alma mater holds even more sway over your social status and employment prospects.

The United States does not place nearly as much emphasis on student mastery of conventional high school subjects, although the SAT and AP courses still do encourage motivated American high schoolers to do well in this area. In addition to grades and standardized test scores, American colleges look at things such as extracurriculars,

traditional schoolwork from an early age. Nonetheless, without the immense pressure of the gaokao in senior year looming over them, American high schoolers lag behind Chinese students in conventional academic subjects.

So, which of the two systems is better? Given that the Chinese system performs better on international benchmarks, it’s easy to believe that China is doing a better job of preparing its future generations. However, there is one metric in which the American system excels and the Chinese system falters, one that is not considered in these international benchmarks.

This metric is diversity of education and experience. The Chinese system simply does not produce a diverse array of individuals with varying educa-

The Gaokao being administered in China

Google Images

awards, essays, and recommendations to develop a “holistic” profile of each applicant. This results in a fundamentally different incentive structure for students. Although ambitious students seeking to place at top universities must still work extremely hard to do so, instead of grinding out practice exams to obtain a good score on a standardized test, they are pressured to develop their interests into a niche expertise to distinguish themselves for colleges. This allows for much greater freedom, and encourages youth to explore interests that may not necessarily be covered in

tional experiences; rather, educational conformity is paramount. Every Chinese high schooler must devote nearly all of their time to studying the same academic subjects as everyone else, leaving little room for extracurriculars or special interests. Deep knowledge of these academic subjects learned in school is the only way to achieve a good score on the gaokao and is the only viable path to a successful life and career as a result. As a result of this pressure, every ambitious Chinese high schooler essentially spends the first 18 transformative years of their life learn-

ing the same material and obtaining the same experiences as everyone else.

In America, without the gaokao restrictions, the average ambitious American student has much greater freedom to develop their individual interests. As a result, there is much greater diversity among American students in education, experience, and career interests. Such educational diversity is not a trivial thing for a country to possess: some of the modern world’s most successful scientists and innovators, at home and abroad, demonstrate that having academic freedom during high school can be incredibly important.

Bill Gates learned how to work with computers in high school. Elon Musk was inspired by the science fiction and philosophical literature he read throughout his childhood years. Mark Zuckerberg developed a music player that used machine learning to determine each user’s music taste. If these individuals had spent their high school years exhaustively preparing for a standardized test rather than doing what interested them at the time, it’s hard to tell whether any of them would have gone on to achieve all that they did.

Overall, it’s hard to tell whether China or the United States has a better education system. China emphasizes a strong foundation in conventional school subjects through the gaokao, but possibly so strong that it might stifle innovation due to the amount of conformity it emphasizes. The United States allows for greater time flexibility and diversity of educational experience for American high schoolers during their transformative years, but the nation still lags behind China’s sheer academic strength in the core subjects. Which system produces the citizens that will make it the most powerful nation globally? This is a fascinating question, and we’ll have to wait for the rest of the 21st century to get the answer. ☐

B elmont HIll SP ORTS

Janu ar y 2 5 , 2 0 2 3

NFL

MVP

By William Hennigar ’26 Panel Staff

Race

Cominng

Ravens to the best team in the league.”

According to Fox Sports, the player with the second-highest MVP odds is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Despite his chances of winning the award significantly plummeting after his 4-interception performance in the loss to Lamar

Ski

By Eli Norden ’26 Panel Staff After the Alpine Ski Team’s 2nd place ISL finish last season, the boys are ready for revenge and are eager to win races. Following tryouts in late December at Wachusett Mountain in Western Massachusetts, many team members got to log crucial miles early in the season.

During the first week back from Christmas Break, the team went to Nashoba Valley Ski Area three times to do drill work building up to the first race.

On Friday, January 5, the Team bussed to Wachusett for the first race day of the 2024 season and took first place by a margin of 14 points on the Varsity side. Charlie Crowley ’25 came in second place, missing the winning position by .01 seconds. Topher Batchelder ’26 finished fifth,

Races

On NFL

Senior Captain Nate Pappas ’24 finished sixth, and Luke Guleserian ’24 finished 14th. On the JV side, Billy Cashel ’26, Hugh Wylie ’28, Eli Norden ’26, and Jack Coughlin ’26 swept the first four places, winning the race.

The second race was canceled due to what Coach Creedon accurately described as “heinous amounts of rain,” but week 2 provided the boys with two good on-snow days to continue to work on their skiing. In Week 3, the team placed 3rd in a race at Nashoba.

“We have looked promising for the first part of the season…Boy, oh boy, am I excited,” said Junior Captain Vince Mezzanotte ’25. No doubt, this season looks to be an exciting one for the Alpine Ski Team The Panel Staff wishes the Alpine Ski Team good luck with the rest of their season and their pursuit for an ISL title. ☐

To

Jackson and the Ravens, Brock Purdy has had a tremendous season. He has thrown for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions while also leading the league in quarterback rating. After being selected by the 49ers with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and replacing an injured Jimmy Garro-

There are many deserving candidates for the NFL’s MVP award. However, some names seem to stand out in particular. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson seems to be the favorite now. This lead was cemented after his spectacular season that was highlighted by beating previous front-runner, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, 33-19 on Christmas Day at Levi’s Stadium.

During the regular season, Jackson compiled 24 touchdown passes to 7 interceptions, while throwing for 3,678 passing yards. He also finished with 5 rushing touchdowns and 821 rushing yards. Most impressively, however, Jackson led the Ravens to a 13-4 record, making them the best team in AFC and guaranteeing the home-field advantage for the playoffs. This is the second time Jackson has led the Ravens to the number one seed in the AFC playoffs, as well as his third NFC North division title. It will be the fifth time he has led the Ravens to the playoffs in the last six years.

Lamar Jackson was crowned MVP in 2019, and it will be interesting to see if he gets the award a second time. Jack Santonelli ’26 thinks that “Lamar Jackson has to win the MVP this year, given his dominant performance and the fact that he led the NFL MVP Trophy

Alpine

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2pt

By Leighton Calhoun ’25 Panel Staff Nothing is worse when you are watching a sports game than to see a ref blow an obvious call. Unfortunately for Lions fans, that happened on December 30th when Detroit was taking on Dallas in a much-anticipated clash of NFC powerhouses. Down 7 and with 20 seconds left, the Lions scored a touchdown to make the score 1920, meaning that an extra point could tie the game and take it to overtime.

However, Dan Campbell, the Lion’s Head Coach, decided to risk it all and go for 2 to decide the game on that play. On a crafty trick play, Lions Offensive tackle Taylor Decker snuck out to the left side of the endzone and caught a wide-open touchdown, seemingly sealing the game for the Lions.

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polo, Purdy has cemented himself as an elite quarterback, as he led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game last year and led them to a 12-5 record this year and the number one seed in the NFC. Additionally, Brock Purdy’s teammate, running back Christian McCaffrey, has had a fantastic regular season.

In the regular season, McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards with 1,459 and finished fourth in rushing touchdowns with 14. McCaffrey also caught 7 touchdowns and had 564 receiving yards on the season. However, a running back has not won the MVP award since 2012, so many are skeptical that McCaffrey will win this year because of this trend.

Finally, although his odds to win MVP are low, Tyreek Hill has had an amazing season. Hill led the league in receiving yards with 1,799 and in receiving touchdowns with 13, and finished second in receptions with 119, all despite missing one game with an ankle injury. Tyreek Hill set a career record for receiving yards this year, and his amazing season also places him 7th on the all-time list. However, similar to Christian McCaffrey’s situation, it is unlikely that the NFL will award the MVP to a wide receiver or running back.

However, both Hill and McCaffrey are two of the top candidates for the NFL’s offensive player of the year award. ☐

Controversy

However, the refs called illegal touching on Decker for not having reported himself as an eligible receiver, therefore negating the conversion. The Lions would have another try called back for a penalty, and ultimately failed to convert, meaning they lost the game. However, upon later review, video evidence surfaced showing that Decker did report as eligible to a referee (right). The ref mistakenly marked his teammate down as eligible for the play instead, ultimately costing the Lions the game.

However, karma may have come back to haunt the Cowboys since they ended up losing their wildcard matchup with the Packers, while the Lions defeated the Rams. Thus the Lions have ended up better than the Cowboys, and only time will tell if they can make a deep playoff push.☐

Patriots Dismal Season Has Finally Come to an End

By Nathan Zhang ’26 Panel Staff The Patriots have concluded their dismal 2023 NFL season with a record of four wins and 13 losses, their worst 17-game stretch since December 1993. Consequently, the Patriots’ ownership has decided to part ways with Bill Belichick, their legendary long-time coach who served a tenure of twenty-four years, winning six Super Bowls along the way.

The Patriots lost their first two games of the season, albeit in close matchups against two of the better teams in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. A week-three victory against the Jets raised the hopes of fans, but setbacks quickly followed.

Major injuries to star players Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez led to embarrassing losses in the following weeks, including a blowout to the Cow-

boys and a shutout to the Saints. Despite a surprising victory over the formidable Buffalo Bills, concerns over the legitimacy of starting quarterback Mac Jones grew by week ten, leading to his benching in favor of backup Bailey Zappe.

Zappe’s first start resulted in a shutout loss to the Chargers, marking a historical low for the team. In this three-game losing streak against the Colts, Giants, and Chargers, their defense allowed ten points or less each game, and the offense could not string together enough points to win.

This imbalance of a stagnant offense and terrific defense had not happened in the NFL since 1938. Despite intermittent victories over the Steelers and Broncos, these positive movements failed to salvage the Patriots’ season, ultimately ending in disappointment.

Even after a season full of woes, fans should still feel a sense of optimism for the upcoming 2024 season. The Patriots’ 4-13 record landed them a spot

with the third pick in the NFL draft, allowing them to select a new rookie to be the face of the franchise. Without star players like Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon, the defense continued to be consistently dominant, ranking top ten among all defenses in the NFL. Their leader, de facto defensive coordinator Jerod Mayo, has now been promoted to head coach and will try to lead the entire team out of adversity.

Mayo was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. He served as a dominant linebacker and team captain for many years before retiring in 2015, as a lifelong Patriot. There are many benefits to hiring a former player as a coach, as seen in the turnaround of the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. Recent hires of Dan Campbell and DeMeco Ryans led both the Lions and Texans teams from losing records to leading divisions within a few years, indicating that Mayo could achieve the same

kind of transformation in Foxborough.

Long-time season ticket holder and Belmont Hill student Jackson Hurd ’26 expressed his optimism about the team: “Mayo will have a player-friendly locker room, bringing in a similar feel to the team from the second Brady dynasty, which won them three Super Bowls.” Hopefully, with new faces in the coaching staff and enthusiastic fans, the Patriots will reclaim their status as an elite team in the near future. If all goes according to the Kraft’s plan, the Patriots will be contending for a Super Bowl very soon under Coach Jerod Mayo ☐

B elmont Hill SP ORTS

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2024

Olympic

By Justin Li ’26 and Ben Gong ’26 Panel Staff In old sports and new sports alike, athletes across the globe will compete for national glory and individual excellence in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The full list of the 28 Olympic sports is as follows (in alphabetical order): archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, basketball, 3-on-3 basketball, boxing, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, road cycling, cycling track, mountain biking, BMX freestyle, BMX racing, equestrian, fencing, football (soccer), golf, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, beach volleyball, diving, marathon swimming, artistic swimming, swimming, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling. The only sport set to debut in the Olympic Games is breaking (breakdancing), the sport displayed by the Floorlords at the end of this past Chapel at BH. Some sports to look forward to include the “[sprint] running events,” due to their “exciting” nature which can lead to “it coming down to the wire,” as Jackson Hurd ’26 put it. Jackson also

BH

said that the 3v3 basketball would be interesting “because it is a more slowpaced game that requires more skill on the offensive side” than the typical 5v5 basketball seen in the NBA. Typically, people think of track and field when it comes to the Olympics; Eita

The Belmont Hill Basketball team started the highly anticipated season off strong with a huge double-OT win vs. St. Paul’s, a strongly ranked pre-season squad. Junior Captain Isaiah Langham ‘25 came up clutch with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and some pivotal buckets down the stretch. Junior guards Jamari Robinson ‘25 and Giacomo Kaplan ‘25 added 19 points and 14 points, respectively. Unfortunately, the team went on to lose three games against highly competitive teams following that. Critical injuries such as Preston Evans ‘25, a junior starting forward, also impacted the team. Exiting winter break, the basketball team posted a disappointing 2-6 record. Fortunately, the team has been able to get back on track quickly since then. On Wednesday, January 10th, the team faced Groton. The

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events) Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Eita also mentioned American world champion sprinter Noah Lyles, who currently is the third fastest ever in the 200 meter dash. Finally, he acknowledged 24-year-old Mondo Duplantis, the American-born Swedish current record

2024 Olympic Games Google Images Fuse ’26 mentioned “a few athletes to holder and champion of pole vault.

This will be the 33rd edition of look out for” in the Paris Games. He brought up Norwegian record-hold- the Olympic Games, and it will be the er distance runner (in a couple of third time that Paris has hosted the

Basketball

By Gavin Zug ’25 Panel Staff

Games

T he Panel

Update College

35-point win was led by an explosive performance from Senior captain Will Yakoobian ‘24, who dropped 19 points and 10 rebounds. Back on track, the team cruised past a strong BB&N team on their home court. Then, the following day, they headed down to play a hungry Suffield Academy team. Down the stretch, the team closed out a huge game with a massive 30-point performance from Giacomo Kaplan ’25, complemented by a strong 27-point showing from Langham. When asked about the season and looking forward, Giacomo Kaplan said, “We started off the year slow, but I think we have started to figure it out over the last week, winning three straight games capped off by a win on the road at Suffield. We have some important games in weeks ahead and we’re definitely heading in the right direction hoping to continue to win games.” The Panel Staff wishes the Varsity Baseball team good luck! ☐

By William Hennigar ’26 Panel Staff On Monday, January 8, Michigan won its first championship since 1997 and in the College Football Playoff Era (est. 2015) by defeating Washington, 34-13. Wolverines running back Blake Corum finished with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns and was a key part in Michigan’s victory. Controversy spurred throughout the entirety of the Wolverine’s season: Jim Harbaugh’s two-time suspension and accusatory sign-stealing filled the papers. With that said, they cemented their dominance as the best team in the country with wins over Penn State, Ohio State, and Alabama in the Rose Bowl. However, the overall “vibe” of the College Football Playoff this year was that the four-team format was unfair due to the selection of a limited number of teams through the subjectivity of the CFP

Olympics, with the most recent being 100 years ago in 1924. France has participated in 29 Olympic games and currently holds the fourth most Olympic medals ever. The three countries ahead of France (in ascending order) are Great Britain, the former Soviet Union, and the United States of America. The 2024 Paris Olympics is also the first Olympic Games to have an official Paralympic Games, as well as the first Olympics to have the same number of men and women competing; the total number of competitors is planned to be over 10,000.

For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the ceremony, which takes place on July 26th, will not be held in a stadium. The athletes will parade down the Seine in boats. Spectating the ceremony on the upper platform will be free of charge, allowing the largest ceremony in the history of the Games. The actual Games will begin on July 24th, where football (soccer) and rugby will begin the group stage rounds. Across the 41 Olympic venues, the 329 medal events will be competed for over the subsequent 18 days. On August 11th, thirteen gold medal events and the closing ceremony will conclude the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.☐

committee. Many fans were upset that Florida State, despite being undefeated and winning the ACC, was left out of the playoff. Due to various quarterback injuries, the concern was that they would not be able to compete with the other top teams. The committee’s decision was validated with their major loss to 2022 and 2023 National Champion Georgia, 63-3 in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Following the demolition, a dramatic playoff series played out with both the Sugar and Rose Bowl games coming down to the last play. Next year, college football will expand its playoffs to 12 teams, allowing teams who are still very competitive but wouldn’t have had a chance in the previous format to win a national championship.

There will be both more playoff games and less subjectivity involved as the top six conference winners will get the top six spots and the next six best teams will get the remaining spots. ☐

BH Varsity Hockey Team off to Strong Start

By Andrew Hildebrandt ’25 & Christopher McEvoy ’25 Panel Staff Belmont Hill’s hockey team is making waves this season, fueled by a young roster with high expectations. With just four seniors leading the charge, the team is eager to build on Belmont Hill’s previous success, having reached the final four in the last 2 seasons.

One of the highlights of the current campaign was the team’s triumphant performance at the Lawrenceville Tournament. The team went undefeated in group play before beating the hosts Lawrenceville 3-2 in a rematch of last year’s final. Belmont Hill secured a well-deserved tournament win, with Jake McManus ’24 standing out as the tournament MVP. This championship not only showcased the team’s skill but also hinted at the potential for an impressive season ahead. As the season

progresses, Belmont Hill finds itself in a commendable position with a record of 12-4-1, including a solid 5-2-1 record in the Independent School League (ISL). The team is eyeing a third consecutive appearance in the Elite Eight.

Key victories for Belmont Hill have been a 5-2 triumph against St. Sebs at home, a hard-fought 5-1 win against Lawrence Academy, and a 3-2 win against Governors Academy back in December. Captain Jake McManus ’24 said this about this year’s team, “The boys have worked really hard in practice, and that has come out during our games.”

A significant factor in Belmont Hill’s success is its star-studded first line, featuring standout players Jake Tavares ’26, Jake McManus ’24, and David Bosco ’27. This dynamic trio has combined for an impressive 24 goals, making them a formidable force on the ice.

Their ability to score consistently ensures that no game is ever out of reach for Belmont Hill, as we saw in a late

comeback and OT win against Governors, with Stephen Fabiano ’25 calling his own number twice to tie and then win the game within a minute of each other. The team was also able to rally in a game against Milton Academy, where the boys trailed 3-1 with six minutes left

when Jake Tavares ’26 scored twice, escaping with a tie. Belmont Hill’s hockey enthusiasts eagerly await the unfolding of what promises to be an exciting season. The Panel Staff wishes the Varsity Hockey team good luck with the rest of their season. GO TO THE GAMES!☐

Belmont Hill Hockey vs St Sebastians

Adam Richins

B elmont HIll SP ORTS

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Athlete of the Issue: Lev Tolkoff ’24 Nordic

By Christopher McEvoy ’25 Panel Staff Lev Tolkoff ’24 has been a vital member of both the Nordic Ski team and the Crew team for three years now.

Lev started Nordic Ski in 8th grade, inspired by his older brother. Up to that point, Lev spent his winters playing hockey, which in his own words “[he] not very good at.” In his first year, Lev was inspired by his Captains Charlie Donahue ’19 and Aiden McGaugh ’19 who he said spent an entire practice to hello with his technique. Lev struggled until his sophomore year when he really came into his own. Lev became such a valuable member of the team that he was elected as Captain for his junior year, an impressive feat. During his Junior year, the team had an incredibly successful season under his leadership. The team finished fourth at New England’s, and Lev himself was fifth on the team. Even though they did not win New England’s, Lev remained confident in the team noting that the team had a very bright future due to their youth.

This year, the team has found early success, finishing second at their first race and finishing first this past Friday. Under Lev’s leadership, this team is poised to have a vast amount of success this season and looks to win New England.

When asked about Lev’s leadership,

Coach Calloway said, “Lev tackles every practice with great energy and is an inspiring leader on and off the snow, he has really stepped up in his role as Captain and a leader on this team. I can count on him to push guys every practice and keep every one including myself accountable, we are super lucky to

have him.” It is also important to menBy Daniel Xie ’24 & Eita Fuse ’26 tion that Lev is a terrific rower for the Panel Staff Crew team. This fall, Lev committed to row at Tufts University. He said he was The Nordic Skiing team kicked off motivated by the school’s tremendous an exciting season this past Wednesday academics. No doubt this school will with a second-place finish at Proctor miss Lev when he leaves this spring.☐ Academy. Led by captains Lev Tolkoff ’24 and Brian Lee ’24 and coaches DeCaprio, Calloway, Weiter, and Kirby, the team has grown to 25 members with several new skiers joining and no seniors graduating. With a lead pack comprised of veterans Will Walton ’24, Eita Fuse ’26, Nate Voss ’24, Jack Kastner ’25, Jack Schleurman ’24, and Davis Woolbert ’25, along with new hopefuls in TZ Snail ’25, Will Trautz ’27, Johannes Eikeboom ’27, and Jack Sheehan ’24, the team is stronger than ever as it looks to claim its first Lakes Region Championship since 2020.

The team competes twice weekly, with a Lakes Region race up north every Wednesday, and a Friday Night Lights race at the Leo J. Martin Memorial Golf Course on Fridays. Beating teams Dublin, NMH, Holderness, St. Pauls, High Mowing, Cardigan, Phillips Andover, and Putney last week, the team is looking strong as it prepares for another chance to beat Proctor at Putney on January 24. The Panel wishes the Varsity Nordic Skiing team the best of luck with their season! ☐ Lev Tolkoff ’24 Adam Richins

Varsity Wrestling Update Varsity

By Duncan Kilbride ’24 Panel Staff

As the varsity wrestling season comes into full swing, Belmont Hill seems just as dominant as ever. While the team has lost some key starters from last year, new wrestlers have quickly risen to take their places including Brody Sayers ’28 at 106, Wesley Zu ’25 at 144, George Carroll ’25 at 150, Alex White ’25 at 190, Myles Beckett ’25 at 215, and Nick Fiumara ’25 at 285.

Bolstering a 12-3 record, undefeated in ISL play, the team is eager for another ISL and New England title. So far, Belmont has handily beaten Governeror’s Academy, Thayer, BB&N, and Middlesex in the ISL alone. Furthermore, of the three losses, all of them were incredibly hard-fought and against topnotch competition. The most notable

College

By Ben Adams ’25 Panel Staff

Ski

of these was against Blair Academy, widely lauded as the second-best high school wrestling team in the country.

Besides just dual matches, the team has also proven itself in tournaments, competing in the Germantown Tournament, the Skiff Mountain Scuffle, the Beast of the East Tournament, and the Battle of the Bay. Notable results include a first-place finish for Haden Bottiglieri ’24 at Germantown, where he pinned his opponent in the first minute.Led by Belmont Hill’s talented coaching staff headed by Coach Bradley and captains Haden Bottiglieri ’24, Cord Vallis ’24, and Will Stewart ’24, this year is sure to be one of Belmont Hill’s best. If all goes according to plan, the Wrestling team will have another ISL title this year. The Panel Staff wishes the Varsity Wrestling team good luck with the rest of their season!☐

Basketball

Update

By Leighton Calhoun ’25 Panel Staff The Squash team has continued their run of dominance over the ISL this season with a 4-1 overall record.

The season started with a tough 6-1 loss to Andover at home, but the squad bounced back with a 7-0 shellacking of Sebs before winter break. On the first weekend back, the team pulled off a massive 5-2 upset over higher-ranked Deerfield and later crushed Exeter and St. Georges 7-0. Led by the unlimited wisdom of coach Brownell and Junior Captain Leighton Calhoun ’25 the team will look to add to their win streak in the upcoming weeks and to take some names at New England and Nationals in February. The Panel Staff wishes Coach Brownell and the Varsity squash team good luck with the rest of the season! ☐ Leighton Calhoun ’25

Update

was inadequate guards to support star Center Zach Edey. This year, however, Braden Smith and Lance Jones have stepped up which leads me to believe Purdue won’t get sent home early again this year in the tournament.

Kansas stays in the 3 spot which

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makes sense; they have had impressive wins over UConn, Kentucky, and Tennesee. However, due to their recent loss to UCF, they sit at the 3. The North Carolina Tarheels have been steadily climbing the ranking for multiple weeks, and they currently sit at their highest rank

As we inch closer and closer to March, there is a lot to unpack from this college basketball season. Coming off of a week filled with madness where 4 of the top 5 teams lost to unranked opponents, there has been some shakeup in the rankings. First off, UConn has taken the top spot in the AP poll after the former number-one Purdue lost to the frisky Nebraska Cornhuskers. Even after losing its core from last year, UConn has made an impressive appearance so far this season. They currently sit at the top of a very strong Big East division right now, and I expect them to stay there. Even with Purdue’s loss, they are still 15-2 and have had the toughest strength of schedule according to Ken Pomeroy, a famous college basketball analyst. The Boilermakers’ glaring weakness last year College Basketball Stars

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Adam Richins

Predictions

this year: 4. I think this is a little high for them, though. The two best teams they have played this year have been Kentucky and UConn, and they lost in both of those matchups. I think that Houston will slip back into the top 4 soon enough with the talent they have.

The reason they dropped was because they had their first two losses of the season, both to unranked opponents.

However, these were in conference away games that they still competed in.

I think that Houston will prove themselves in their coming Big 12 games to earn a 1-seed in the tournament and probably make a run too. I also think that Duke has been underrated all year and will get on a hot streak to end the year. They have a lot of talent with Kyle Filopowski and Jeremy Roach, and coach Jon Scheyer has proven to be a good coach. If I had to pick today the team I think will win the tournament in March, I would pick Kansas. ☐

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T he Panel

Seniors vote for photo of the year titled: “winners never quit”

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