May 2023 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

Freshmen Complete New Sex Education Course

Afew years a er the Upper School stopped requiring a summer wellness class, freshmen have just completed a new sexual education course aimed at placing greater emphasis on issues like gender identity and consent.

e new program, called Our Whole Lives – more commonly known as OWL – is part of an initiative called Wholly Informed Sex Ed, a non-pro t community outreach program a liated with the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. e program is also known as WISE.

e goal of the programs within WISE is to provide students with more inclusive knowledge on the topic of sexuality. Although it is science-based, the WISE program expands beyond anatomical information, which makes it distinct, according to the WISE website.

e push for this program was backed by recent Greenhill alumni Several of them stressed the importance of a higher level of sexual education at a younger age in their exit interviews with school administrators. However, since the topic can be uncomfortable for some parents or students, sexual education o en= gets overlooked in schools, according to Upper School Counselor Kathy Roemer.

Prior to the implementation of the WISE initiative, Upper Schoolers could take a semester-long wellness class, according to NinthGrade Dean Jacobo Luna.

“We realized that the needs of wellness [and] health was not enough to do it in one semester,” said Luna. “So, there was a transition to nd other spaces to provide that information to students.”

One of the goals in discussions about a new wellness program was to develop a course that included information about gender identity, sex education and consent, and one that had a structured curriculum. Ultimately the OWL program was deemed to be the best t for student wellness education.

“It wasn’t just focused on one part of sexuality,” Roemer said. “It encompasses a lot of things, so I think the fact that it was very comprehensive was appealing.”

Although Roemer says she wasn’t a part of the team that chose the program, she works closely with the part of the counseling team that selected OWL.

Additionally, administrators were drawn to the fact that the OWL representatives show up in person, according to Luna.

“Videos can be helpful, but they are not engaging and do not promote actual conversations,” Luna said.

In recent years, Greenhill has lacked consistency in its program, Roemer said. Various groups have been brought in at scattered times in the past, such as Planned Parenthood, but a formal program did not exist.

With the implementation of OWL, there is now a structured way for the program to take place. e classes were mainly during lunch and students were expected to get food and take it to the room where the session was being administered.

“I think that a lot of the complaints have been centered around the fact that it’s during their free times,” Roemer said. “ is might be something they work to correct in the future, but it has been di cult for them to nd other open times.”

Several students said they were surprised by what they learned in their OWL sessions, both pleasantly and unpleasantly.

“We o en do these discussions where we are asked questions and stand on a spectrum from strongly agree to strongly disagree. It allowed me to see things from di erent perspectives that I might have not thought about,” freshman Sasha Wai said.

Although some students enjoy the activities within OWL, the content the program provides varies from identity and beauty standards to sex ed.

“When they rst introduced us to OWL, I thought it

Other students say the course provided useful and important information.

“I’ve enjoyed the social-emotiona focus this past year,” said freshman Aashna Saxena. “We’ve been able to delve deep into what healthy relationships look like, identity, and overal well-being. I think that both sex-ed and social-emotional learning are equally important, as they go hand-in-hand.”

One issue raised by multiple students is the scheduling of the class during lunch and free time.

ere have been times when two OWL sessions were scheduled in the same week, meaning students would eat lunch as normal only three days of the school week and venture o to their assigned classrooms for OWL during lunch on the other days.

Other students said that the time sacri ce is worth what they gained from the program due to the lack of previous

“Information about normal safe sex contraception and [sexually transmitted infections is] stu that can be di cult gure out about online,” freshman Lily Marshall said. “[It] can be really hard to get solid answers.” As well as general educational bene ts, some students spoke favorably about the inclusive nature of the program.

“ e most helpful part is that like [you] actually get clear information about that and an explanation where you can trust the information,” Marshall said. “It’s from an adult and [a] research program, something that school is providing so … you know it’s credible and pretty unbiased.”

Looking Forward

Greenhill counselors, teachers, and other administrators say they will continue to nd ways to improve the program and make it less time-invasive to students. But the increased need for sexual health education in general is largely agreed upon among students and teachers.

Although Goes-Young notes that these lessons are important, she says she wishes that the class was more oriented toward actual sexual health and less about identity. ere was only one session about sexually transmitted infections and one on the reproductive system, while every other session has been focused on who students are sexually and how they identify.

“We [need] to talk more about actual sexual health and less about sexual identity and orientation,” said Goes-Young. “If we have a lesson about that for one class that would be good, but they talk about it like every other class.”

Roemer says that middle school and high school students have questions that need to be answered, and this program will help Greenhill take a more proactive stance.

“I think that most people know that sex is part of life, and when you think about teaching the whole person, which is a part of our mission, sexuality is part of that,” Roemer said.

Classes typically started out with a brief meditation exercise, followed by an introduction to a topic of the day. Students then read excerpts about whatever topic they were focusing on, and then proceed to do an activity or something relevant and interactive.

Activities ranged greatly, and some were more interactive than others. One session might include questions about sexuality, and the next session could include learning how to use a condom, students said.

Mixed Reviews

Student opinion has been mixed regarding the e ort, but the critics were mostly dissatis ed with the fact that the OWL lessons overlapped with their lunch period times rather than disagreeing with the content of the lessons.

Jacobo Luna

Kathy Roemer

Videos can be helpful, but they are not engaging and do not promote actual conversations.”

Payton Blalock, Noor Zaman

SEX-ED: Freshmen wait in line for to-go lunches before attending OWL sessions. Students participate in activities and discussions about sexual health, orientation and identity throughout the course of the meetings.

Photo by Jin Huang

Graphic by Christan Park

New Student Body O cers Elected

Upper School students have elected a new slate of student body o cers for the 2023-2024 school year.

e three rising seniors who will lead the Student Council next year are: Iyad Mohammed, president; Andrew Mann, vice president; and Payton Blalock, secretary. eir duties are wide-ranging, said Upper School Dean of Students Jack Oros, who is also the Student Council faculty chair. e president of Student Council should establish close and regular contact with the Head of Upper School, preside over all Student Council meetings, conduct allschool assembly meetings and organize and chair all-school town hall style meetings, Oros said.

Mohammed says these roles align well with his skillset.

“I want to do many things such as organize school events like di erent kinds of tournaments because this way you can engage participation and get more grades interacting with each other,” Mohammed said. “In turn, it enhances Greenhill’s community and school spirit.”

Oros expressed similar views.

“I think the most important part of Student Council is the social side and making sure that kids are engaged, involved and having a good time beyond just the classroom,” Oros said.

During the annual fall Homecoming Week, for

example, all activities aside from the pep rally and student Turnabout Games are organized by the Student Council. is includes overseeing the decoration of the Upper School, dress-up days and Color Wars, which is a recreational competition between grade levels that features such events as a tug-of-war, “Do You Know Your Date?” and dodgeball.

Organizing Color Wars and updating the monthly event calendar are some of the tasks that Blalock will handle in her role as secretary. e current student body secretary Chancey Stefanos “has le big shoes to ll,” Blalock said.

Blalock described an array of ideas for student activities next year, ranging from implementing prizes to those who win Color Wars competitions to giving students more opportunities for community service.

“I plan to do this by having some community service opportunities during the school day, because with everyone’s busy schedules it can be di cult to nd time,” Blalock said.

Community service is also a priority for Mann.

“I want to incorporate more community service projects that don’t involve donating money directly,” Mann said. “A coat drive, for example.”

As vice president, Mann will assume the duties of the president in the event that the president is absent from a meeting or assembly, Oros said. e vice president will also preside over all social activities planned through or by the Student Council, establish all subcommittees for social events and work with the subcommittees to organize events with ease.

With many students’ schedules being packed, it has proven di cult to nd times when all of the Student Council members can meet.

“We meet once every eight-day rotation,

so we need for students to be committed to the council,” Oros said. “If you make the commitment, you are expected to serve the commitment, and do all the things people elected you to do.”

Mohammed says he is ready to put in the work and commitment necessary for this role.

“I possess a strong work ethic and I’m willing to invest the required time and e ort necessary to make sure everything goes smoothly for the next school year,” he said.

Mohammed says he hopes to implement regular Upper School town hall meetings in which students can voice concerns that they may have. Additionally, Mohammed plans to address concerns by regularly sending out a form a er assemblies in which students can voice their thoughts and concerns about the campus.

“I really just want to make sure everyone’s voices are heard next year,” he said.

With the student body president required to be in regular contact with various

adults on campus, building relationships is one of the most important roles, said current Student Council president Madison Rojas..

“Becoming familiar with all the adults you will be working with early on will serve you well throughout the year,” she said.

Rojas says her favorite part of being president is having an understanding of all the di erent events on campus and being able to highlight various students for their achievements.

“I really enjoy being so involved in all the di erent aspects of student life,” she said. In the end, according to Oros, the Student Council’s main job is to advance student life on campus and create a community in which students can thrive academically and socially. e experiences that kids remember most a er high school is not their history and math classes, its being here on Homecoming decoration days, playing volleyball and spikeball by the [Marshall Family Performing Arts Center] and all the school dances,” Oros said.

Youth and Government Team Earns State Successes

Aer ve months of preparation, Greenhill’s Youth and Government team brought home many individual and team awards at this year’s State Conference. e conference took place at the Texas State Capitol and Austin Community College.

Youth and Government, a club headed by senior Shreeya Madhavanur, consists of three branches: legislative, led by senior Ian Bock; mock trial, led by junior Lucas Lopez; and media, comprised of senior Teja Mettu. e branches attempt to mirror real government proceedings. In both the legislative and mock trial branches, students spent time writing bills and doing practice debates.

“Part of the preparation was billwriting, learning how to write a bill, making sure that we could defend it properly,” said Bock. “ e other part of it was debating other people’s bills.”

A key component to success is being well versed in any stance.

“Within mock trial, you have a prosecution side and a defense side,” Bock said. “ e attorneys have to be prepared to argue both sides.”

Sophomore Jonaki Bose, a member of the mock trial branch, says this experience improved her public speaking abilities.

“ ere’s also an element of theatrics and acting involved in playing a witness, or even just being con dent and speaking as an attorney,” Bose said. “Regardless of whether you’re a witness or an attorney, it helps you improve your public speaking.”

For Lopez, competing in the mock trial branch helps his goal of attending law school.

“It’s really good preparation,” he said.

“When it comes to the actual rules of trial court, a lot of the ones in mock trial are similar to the actual rules.”

As last year’s Speaker of the House, Madhavanur presided over debates in the

House. Due to this, she feels comfortable overseeing the club’s operations.

“Last year, I was Speaker of the House, so that’s where most of my expertise is,” she said. “I usually spend a lot of my time with [the legislative branch]. at said, I still do work with the other two sections.”

While preparing, the team experienced challenges along the way. One obstacle was team members dropping at the last minute.

“We had more people initially sign up for the mock trial team for state than we even needed, and then people started dropping really close to the deadline,” said Madhavanur. “We ended up guring it out, though, and we still could take the mock trial team.”

Results

In the March competition, Madhavanur and senior Azal Amer received the Legislative Committee Distinguished Delegate award. Madhavanur also earned the Outstanding Club Leader award for her mentorship. Bock received the Outstanding Written Bill and Senate Distinguished Delegate awards, and Mettu’s photography contributions earned him the Photojournalism Distinguished Delegate award.

“We’ve just been kind of knocking it out of the park,” said Madhavanur. “Half the legislative delegates won an award. Our mock trial team won rounds while almost all of them were doubling up on roles. Our brand-new media section was a success with our one-man team winning in that category.”

e club sponsor, Upper School history teacher Ron Frankland, says the State Conference served as a bonding experience.

“It was cool seeing them out of the school environment,” said Frankland. “ ey know kids from across the state, so they’ve built relationships with other schools.

For Madhavanur, this competitive season was incredibly di erent from her other three seasons. When she joined the club in her freshman year, she was only able to compete with the Episcopal School of Dallas at the state event due to a lack of club participation.

“When I held a leadership position sophomore year, my biggest priority was recruitment,” she said. “I just Teamsmessaged like 70 people.” is year, over a dozen students attended the State Conference.

“Going from one to 17 in four years is pretty cool,” Madhavanur said.

Looking Ahead

e state competition has two levels of competition: the County Court and the District Court. is year, the team competed at the county level. Next year, members hope to compete at the District Court.

“I want to do better at the qualifying event,” said Lopez. “ at way, we can compete at the district level instead, because they’re the ones who actually get to go to visit the Capitol.”

Next year, Bose hopes that the club will attract more underclassmen.

“I hope we get a lot more members next year, both from incoming freshmen and also the upperclassmen, because a large part of our club is made up of seniors who are leaving,” said Bose.

Bock encourages anyone with a slight interest in politics to try out Youth and Government.

“If you’re interested in politics whatsoever and you think that you might want to get involved in that at any point, you should join,” Bock said. “We get some really cool experiences that you don’t get in other clubs.”

Ria Agarwal

Photo by Ella Sadka

STUDENT COUNCIL: From left, rising seniors Andrew Mann, Payton Blalock and Iyad Mohammed were elected to lead the student government for the next year.

Sophia Li

Photo courtesy of Shreeya Madhavanur STATE CONFERENCE: Senior Shreeya Madhavanur, right, was reunited with friends from other schools at the Youth and Government State Conference, in March.

Graphic by Camila Hanson

STEM Center Timetable Slips

John Hurley, Christan Park

The Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center, originally scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, is now set to open the Monday following anksgiving Break, senior Greenhill administrators said.

Groundbreaking for the new center took place in February 2022. e new $46 million building will serve as a hub for math, science and engineering classes, as well as a place of collaboration and socializing among students, according to the vision laid out by administrators and faculty.

“We had a pretty aggressive target to open [the Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center],” said Head of School Lee Hark. “I think it is remarkable given the world in which we’re trying to build in.”

e construction of a typical building of this size is normally a threeor four-year process. To expedite the opening of the STEM + Innovation Center, the design and preconstruction phases were done simultaneously, according to Associate Head of School and Chief Financial O cer/Chief Operating O cer Kendra Grace.

Despite this attempt at acceleration, other factors impacted the process.

“When we started building [the center], trying to land on a budget when in ation was at 8% with the [current] supply chain market was a little di cult,” said Grace. e supply chain problems that Grace alluded to emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in shi s in demand and labor shortages. With a disrupted supply chain, in ation rose by 8.2% from 2021 to 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Despite the di culties, the new facility is expected to be ready for use following anksgiving break.

“We have a couple of items that we are waiting to ship but based on what we’re being told on the shipping dates, we are pretty set with being able to during the fall semester, as intended,” said Grace.

Future Hopes

e center will not only serve as a space for academics but will also o er new equipment and resources for students and teachers to learn, collaborate and socialize.

For the Science Department, the new building will

allow for short-term research projects that may be speci c to a course, but also more long-term research projects that students are interested in.

“We’re hoping that our new space will really facilitate [new research projects],” said Upper School Science Department Chair Treavor Kendall. “So, we are excited to get that o and running.”

Since the center will house math, science and engineering classes, both teachers and students will be given more opportunities to collaborate between di erent departments, according to Upper School Math Department Chair Darryn Sandler.

In addition to new academic resources and collaborations, the new facility will also o er space for socializing, with a new café, courtyard and community space.

“It’s going to be absolutely incredible in every way possible,” said Hark. “In addition to the amazing STEM facilities, it’s going to be the closest thing to a student center on campus with 200 places for kids to sit, work, learn, socialize and be together.”

Beyond the building, the landscaping will also o er various spaces for students to enjoy, with rain gardens and community gardens. ese outdoor areas will also provide new teaching opportunities.

“We hope that it inspires students to envision themselves taking part in these programs,” said Hark.

Hark Delivers Fi h Annual Speech

Nearing the end of his h year at Greenhill, Head of School Lee Hark laid out ambitious goals for continued growth in both academics and athletics in his April 4 State of the School speech.

In a speech delivered three times during the day, Hark described Greenhill as setting o “in some courageous directions” and noted that “the fruits of those endeavors are beginning to emerge.”

During his time on campus, Hark has presided over large institutional changes amid the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his remarks, Hark spoke of the Growing Stronger Together campaign that has been the framework of an ongoing e ort to upgrade and expand campus academic and athletic facilities. A visible centerpiece of this e ort is the ongoing construction of the Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center, which is scheduled for completion later this year. Another project planned is an improved sports High Performance Center, among other athletic facility enhancements.

Greenhill has raised $56 million of its $85 million goal for the campaign, with 170 families contributing so far, Hark said in his speech.

Hark began his remarks by discussing admission statistics, college matriculation results, and a nancial overview. In admissions, Hark said that the interest in a Greenhill education is at an all-time high. ere were 1,450 applications for admissions this past year, which was a 25% increase from the previous year.

Additionally, the school’s budget this year was $43.9 million. Most of the budget is funded by tuition and supports salaries and bene ts for employees, Hark said.

Another development highlighted by Hark was the addition of a fourth director of college counseling to support student college applications. In the last year, Upper School seniors submitted 1,137 applications to 240 colleges in 10 countries.

“No matter where each of our students lands in school, they will be well prepared to succeed in college,” Hark said. “We’ve been traveling around the country this year, talking

with our alumni, and they all talk about how well prepared they were at Greenhill to do college work and to make this important transition.”

In the main part of his speech, Hark talked about goals for the future. He described these goals as “strengthening our commitment to academic excellence, developing the whole student, building a more connected community, and planning for and investing in our nancial sustainability.”

Hark expressed his gratitude for the people he works with and the ideas they have come up with as a group to improve Greenhill School.

“We need each of those groups to help the school continue to move forward,” said Hark. “ e world is evolving rapidly, and it will continue to. And so will Greenhill. We are looking forward. We are future-facing. We are growing stronger together as we continue to prepare our students for the world ahead.”

Re ecting later on the event, Hark expressed fondness for the opportunity to deliver his annual State of the School remarks.

“I look forward to it every year,” Hark said. “It’s an important event . It’s a time for the whole community to pause and take stock in our progress. We’re a learning institution. And my goal is for us to always have that disposition.”

Andrew Mann

Photo by Evie Kwei

BUILDING UPDATE: The second story of the Valdes STEM + Innovation Center takes shape on campus.

Photo by Ravi Vasan

GROWING STRONGER: Head of School Lee Hark speaks at the February 2022 STEM center groundbreaking.

Lee Hark

Kendra Grace

Compiled by Jin Huang, Scarlett Song and Aiden White

Middle School

Spring Fling

Middle School students capped o a year of hard work and practice in their respective arts electives at the annual Spring Fling celebration on May 9.

e Spring Fling marked the year’s nal performances of such groups as the Band, Sinfonia and Choir.

Students from grades 6-8 showcased their talents in the Marshall Family Performing Arts Center during their Spring Fling performances.

“My most memorable moment from last year was seeing the students enjoying the performances of their classmates,” said Brian Donnell, Middle and Upper School band teacher. “ e band kids watching the choir or the strings players watching the one act play. Everybody’s sharing their talent and experiences from the year.”

Donnell said he likes how much the students enjoy sharing their talents and passions during the event.

“Each year is di erent because the people are di erent,” said Nick Paraskevas,

Sinfonia teacher for the seventh and eighth grades and Strings teacher for h and sixth grades. “Each group has its own personality and identity.”

Each class o ers a unique perspective on Spring Fling as students showcase their talents.

Spring Fling was held a er Middle School athletics ended for the day. Parents and fellow classmates watched the performances.

Sixth-grade students displayed art and performed as part of their music electives,

while the seventh- and eighth-grade students also displayed art and performed.

“Now I am a more advanced player in the Sinfonia, so I will be able to play more advanced pieces,” Tomal Khan, a seventhgrade violin player in the Sinfonia, said before the event.

A seventh-grade clarinet player, Evan Tsai, said that he has a similar view as Khan’s.

“Last year’s Spring Fling was a very enjoyable experience,” said seventh-grader Ansh Gandhi, a viola player. “It is a fun and lively way to end the year.”

Fourth-Grade Campout Stress Test

Every year, Greenhill fourth-graders cap o the school year with a threeday camping trip to central Texas. Students spend time with friends, play games and participate in a talent show, among other di erent activities.

Many students view the trip as a sort of prize for completing Lower School.

“I think they feel a sense of accomplishment,” said fourth-grade math teacher Greg Krauss. “When we re ect a er it, they show a sense of pride.” is year’s trip began on May 8, a er weeks of anticipation and excitement among students.

“I’ve heard that it is the most fun trip ever and me and my friends are super excited for it!” fourth-grader Piper Beatey said in a text message before the trip. “We have been talking about it so much and I am looking forward to the zip-line.”

e annual event takes place at Camp

Balcones Springs in the town of Marble Falls.

Students engaged in many diverse activities including a talent show, movie night, art, ziplining and kick ball.

On arrival, students were assigned to a cabin. ey had time to hang out together, making the trip even more enjoyable for most students.

With all the fun, there can be stress for some students.

“Some kids can be anxious because some of them have not spent time away from home before, so naturally it can be stressful,” said Krauss.

Overall, the campout is a celebration for completing Lower School and a place to expand friendships and strengthen connections.

“I am really looking forward to hanging out with my friends and the activities,” fourth-grader Rachel Brown said before the trip.

Every spring, Greenhill Middle School students prepare for a particularly stressful and anxiety-inducing event.

Most students know this as the ERBs, or the Educational Records Bureau. ERBs are a collection of standardized tests administered in private school systems. designed to track a student’s learning progress.

For one week in May, despite all the reassurances, Greenhill Middle School students are struggling with the idea of taking the ERB tests. is year’s tests took place on May 2-4.

According to teachers, students are not supposed to study for the tests, or even stress about them. Still, students say the ERBs are a nerve-wracking event.

“In general, I get nervous before testing,” seventh-grader Marleigh Massoud said. “ERB testing is stressful for me, but I try and think about the fact that the tests can’t have a negative impact on me.”

Despite the clear theme of nerves and concern in response to the tests, students’ opinions on the ERBs don’t all fall into one category.

“ERB week is a mix of stress and just wanting to get it over with,” eighth-grader

Julia Deibert said. “I would say it has lately been more towards the ‘not-as-stressful’ side because I have done ERBs for a few years now and gotten used to it.”

Teachers also have a variety of views on ERB testing.

“Slowing down just a little bit can make the whole process work faster or more e ectively,” said Middle School English teacher Jack Fisher. “During ERB week, it’s most important to have in mind what is going on for the students, and account for all the attention and e ort they put in.”

During ERB week, students arrive at school and prepare to take the rst timed e ERB’s are not meant to be stressful for the students, said Middle School Learning Specialist and ERB coordinator Kathryn Kendall.

ERB testing is stressful for me, but I try and think about the fact that the tests can’t have a negative impact on me.”

“ e tests are meant to be taken seriously,” Kendall said as she wants the students to still try their best. “But no, it is not meant to be stressful for the students.”

Graphic by Rachel Jiang

Alice Hall, Kellyn Lonergan

Jordan Arbuckle, Sammie Engberg

Connor Kim, Dylan Shah

Photo courtesy of Laura Flanagan

ALL ABOARD: Fourth-grade students depart on the annual class trip on May 8.

EMERGING ARTISTS: Middle School students showcased their artistic talents at the end-of-year Spring Fling on May 9 at the Marshall Family Performing Arts Center.

Photos by Ella Sadka

Alumni Pro le: Grace Jackson ’18

and even built lasting relationships along the way.

The journey of Grace Jackson ’18 to becoming a NASA engineer consisted of many twists and turns.

She considered astronomy and space policy before deciding that her true passion was in engineering.

“It moved a little slow for me and it didn’t have the tangible results that science and engineering gives you,” Jackson said of her consideration of space policy.

In the summer of 2022, she applied for a position as a NASA ight operations engineer and was hired that September. Now, her engineering career is

“She’s the one who gave me my nickname,” Upper School Drama and eater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith said. “She’s like, ‘so Mrs. Hauss-Smith, I want to let you know, we’re big on nicknames here. And we were thinking for you, VHS. How would that be?’ And I said yes.”

Jackson went on to take a leadership role by directing the 2018 spring musical, “Edges.”

Eighteen shows and years later, Jackson says that her experience in technical theater taught her the beauty of failing and persevering.

“I walked into this situation where I’d never touched a drill before. I’d never learned how to use a saw. I didn’t know anything,” Jackson said. “And they would be

Soon enough, Jackson found her groove

[Hauss-Smith] said,

‘First of all, the answer is yes. Second of all, we’re doing that again and I want you to do it better,’ and there were just so many little moments like that where she was like ‘No, own your power, own how good you are because you are very, very good at what you Jackson’s ability to seize her own power and potential drove her to seek out new opportunities in the workplace. When interning with the Aerospace Industries Association a er her senior year of college, she reached out to a fellow Wellesley alumnus who was the deputy administrator at NASA.

“As soon as I told her I had been a stage manager, she said, ‘You need to nd operations engineering roles,’” Jackson said. So, she did. Jackson landed a ight operations engineer role at NASA and brought her love for engineering to life.

Working at NASA

At NASA, Jackson’s primary role is to serve the mission director and make sure that all their operations are on track. In addition, she is responsible for creating documentation of NASA’s missions.

“I’m a ight operations engineer, so if the satellite is a bus,

I’m the bus driver,” she said. “We work really closely with the mission planners who give us the bus stops and the ight dynamics team, which do the orbital dynamics and give us the bus route.”

Her last project was a heliophysics mission involving a satellite that orbits the Earth.

Jackson says she enjoys the collaborative nature of these projects.

“Everyone on our team is a subject matter expert on something, and o en when you encounter a problem, you have to go talk to another subject matter expert so you can get input,” said Jackson. “Everything is connected.”

Upper School History Department Chair Amy Bresie, who worked with Jackson in the Upper School’s Women in STEM Club, felt pleasantly surprised to hear that Jackson made the decision to go work at NASA.

“I had always kind of thought that she would go o and do something very arty,” Bresie said. “But I think she does get to do that, in the context of NASA. I think it’s a perfect way to sort of marry her arty side and her sort of math-science side.”

Although spacecra engineering has long been a male-dominated industry, Bresie says she feels that Jackson has the drive and passion it takes to stand out.

“She’ll talk to me about what it’s like to be a woman in NASA, which is still a very male-dominated space, and I would hope that through taking [classes] like Women’s History, she got some of the tools necessary to be able to work in that in that space,” Bresie said. “At least we talked about a couple things and about recognizing moments when gender comes into play.”

So much of being an engineer is failing well and learning as you fail and learning while failing and taking those failures and not being discouraged by them, but sort of being like, ‘Okay, well, I know what not to do now.’”

It took some experimenting before Jackson found her path, but now she is looking forward to what her future at NASA holds.

“I’m de nitely a person who really likes to plan,” she said. “But then, my life just takes its own path.”

Sydney Chien, Helina Tedros

BLAST OFF: In her work at NASA, Grace Jackson recently completed a heliophysics mission involving an orbiting satellite.

HARD AT WORK: Grace Jackson joined NASA as a ight operations engineer in September 2022. She enjoys the collaborative work and community the job gives.

Photo courtesy of Grace Jackson

Grace Jackson

Amy Bresie

Photo courtesy of Grace Jackson

Valerie Hauss-Smith

Graphics by Chloe Nguyen

Sophomore and Mother Launch Park Cities Bakery

Throughout her life, sophomore Ashley Weinstein’s peanut allergy has made it di cult for her to feel safe at restaurants. A er years of imagining a worry-free eatery for people like her, Weinstein decided to open her own bakery.

“My mom and I were always joking around, ‘Oh, how fun it would be to have a place to go where we didn’t have to worry about peanuts,’” Weinstein said. “A er joking about it, it kind of became a more serious idea.”

In late April, Weinstein and her mother opened a University Park bakery called Sugar and Sage.

Although o ering nut-free items is a focal point of the bakery, Weinstein also wants to market Sugar and Sage as a patisserie that will appeal to anyone with a taste for pastries and other sweets.

“I can totally see people either coming to sit down or getting a cup of co ee and

just sitting down and having a conversation,” Weinstein said. “It’s de nitely like a friendly environment in which somebody can just go to hang out with friends.”

e rst and most important step in the launch of a small business is coming up with a viable idea, Weinstein said. Marketing has also been an extremely important component, she said.

“I think that marketing is de an important part of all small businesses, even businesses, not small [but in] general, because it’s important to promote whatever you’re doing because you need to get the attention of whatever audience you’re targeting,” Weinstein said.

Weinstein and her family hired a public relations specialist to help with marketing, including overseeing the bakery’s social media and advertisements.

Weinstein says she has faced several challenges in her entrepreneurial journey.

“I’d say looking for real estate is de nitely the hardest part,” Weinstein said. “Also having your fundamental ideas like planning all of budgeting and all of that.”

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the family’s original plan to launch Sugar and Sage in 2020.

“[ e idea] kind of evolved before the

grow their new business. Her goal is to stay involved with nishes her Greenhill education to

For now, she is enjoying the experience of launching and helping run a

in things they learned outside of school,” Frederick said. “It’s just fun to see this passion of Ashley’s come to fruition.”

While completing her sophomore year, Weinstein is working with her mother to

“If you were to tell me six years ago that my family would be opening a bakery, I would have called you crazy,” Weinstein said. “But I think that it goes to show you that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.”

Sophomore Sampath Finds Passion in Robotics

Growing up in a family of mechanical engineers, sophomore Kaavya Sampath has always taken an interest in engineering and innovation. With some encouragement from her father, she took her passion to the Greenhill robotics team and the o campus Team BBQ team.

“He’s been very supportive through getting me into robotics and getting me the tools that I need to succeed,” Sampath said of her father’s support.

Sampath joined Greenhill robotics in ninth released before school begins, and team members spend the next few months preparing.

Sampath has been key to the preparation process, said Upper School Computer Science and Innovation teacher Joseph Meagher, who also coaches the Upper School robotics team.

“She has been able to work with

everyone, including helping mentor some of the freshmen and some of the kids

Sampath’s team has persevered.

e [Greenhill robotics team] had a tough challenge this year in terms of building a robot and her team had many mechanical issues,” Meagher said. “But she and her team were able to come up with temporary xes on the

In the summer before her sophomore year, Sampath joined Team BBQ. e team competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition, which “creates bigger robots and bigger stu ,” said Director of Design and Innovation Matthew Abbondanzio.

Team BBQ is small compared to its competitors.

“A big [challenge] has been trying to elevate our design, because we’re one smaller teams of around 25 ere’s teams that have 50 to 100 kids.”

Another challenge Sampath faced was

balancing her outside robotics commitments with Greenhill band and her neighborhood choir.

“It’s a lot of late nights and energy drinks, but also just trying to take advantage of every free time and free period that I have,” she said.

She has been able to work with everyone, including helping mentor some of the freshmen and some of the kids that were newer to robotics.”

To overcome these challenges, Sampath leans on her teammates for support.

“It really helps having my teammates there because we’re all dealing with the

same anxiousness,” said Sampath. “I [have] people I can talk to and be like, ‘hey, you know, I’m feeling nervous, and we’re all feeling nervous.’ We [work] through it together, making sure that we’re all prepared.”

As Sampath wraps up her current robotics season, she re ected on why she loves robotics.

“It’s de nitely a huge community that brings a ton of [international] people that normally wouldn’t have the chance of meeting,” said Sampath. “I just love that experience.”

Ashley Weinstein

Camila Hanson

BUSINESS LAUNCH: Sophomore Ashley Weinstein, left, and her cousin, Olivia Williams, enjoy the soft opening of the Weinsteins’ new bakery in University Park.

Photo courtesy of Kaavya Sampath

COFFEE STATION: Sugar and Sage is

Graphic by Bette Tomecko

Graphic by Ava Mao

Vedant Subramanian

Kaavya Sampath

Matthew Abbondanzio

Joseph Meagher

RECOGNITION: At their district robotics tournament in March, Team BBQ won an impact award, which honors the team’s outreach and service in their communities.

Photos courtesy of Ashley Weinstein

Senior Pro le: Madison Rojas

Between being selected the rst Dallas Youth Poet Laureate, competing at the Texas Forensic Association State Championships and leading the Upper School as student body president, senior Madison Rojas has made her mark on Greenhill.

Rojas has been a member of the Greenhill community since she was in fourth grade, and she says her experience at the school has been foundational in shaping her as a person.

“Greenhill helped me nd who I am as a student, academically, but it also helped in terms of my social and life skills,” Rojas said. “It’s given me opportunities that I might not have had at other institutions and I am very, very thankful for that.”

e school makes it possible for students to explore their passions, according to Rojas.

“I think Greenhill does a good job of giving students resources, especially toward the end of middle school and into high school, to try and gure out what brings them joy and what they want to do in the future,” Rojas said. “It played a big role in nding what I like to do, what classes I wanted to take and my extracurriculars.”

Student Council

As a senior, Rojas took on the demanding leadership role as the Upper School student body president. In this position, Rojas has represented her peers and worked with school administrators to ensure that students’ needs are met.

and knows how to get things done in a structured way,” said Johnson. “She’s able to bring in a lot of di erent voices because she’s really easily approachable.”

Stefanos says that Rojas’ dedication and hard work is re ected in her lasting impressions on others.

“Everyone loves working with her, and she’s the kind of person who really gains your respect a er collaborating because of her passion and hard work,” Stefanos said. “She’s always willing to take on jobs even if she doesn’t have to.”

Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester says that Rojas has very good intentions and executes them well.

“She’s intuitive and fully engaged in her conversations, which I’ve found really impressive, especially a er an isolating pandemic,” Worcester said.

From the outside, Rojas’ friends have observed her natural leadership and people skills, which have been especially valuable as Rojas stepped into the biggest leadership role in the Upper School.

“[Madison] being president was just something you could tell from like sixth grade,” senior Azal Amer said. “Everyone saw it coming because she’s just a genuinely good person and she cares about people.”

Poet Laureate

In her junior year, Rojas was named the Dallas Youth Poet Laureate by the Dallas Public Library. For her submission in the competition, she worked with Upper School English Department Chair Joel Garza, whose class sparked her initial interest in poetry.

the rst time,” Garza said. “It rati ed for me why this department centers student agency, student experience and student writing choices.”

Debate

To Rojas, one key aspect of the debate program caused her to fall in love with the activity.

and always ful lls all of her commitments.”

Ultimately, Rojas credits her success to her support system: her friends.

Rojas says there was a steep learning curve that came with this position.

“It’s really fast because immediately at the start of the year you have to start planning a ton of Homecoming things, and you really don’t realize how much planning goes into that,” Rojas said.

rough her experiences leading the student body, Rojas says she has learned the importance of communication. Since the position is responsible for many divisionwide activities, Rojas learned who to approach for certain resources.

“Communicating with people in time and planning accordingly with that communication was one of the biggest things I had to learn,” Rojas said. “A er that, you realize that you have to take responsibility for various activities and you sort of come into your role and know who to go to for what.”

Her colleagues in the role – Student Body Vice President Aaron Johnson and Secretary Chancey Stefanos – say Rojas excels in more ways than good communication.

“Madison is a really supportive leader

Following Rojas’ enrollment in Garza’s Multicultural Literature: Survey of Modern Poetry class, she found herself enjoying reading and writing poetry more. Garza worked with Rojas to nd her gateway into her own poetry in her own voice, which ended up being a poem about physical space, according to Garza.

“It was animated by family members and family memories,” Garza said. “I think that really opened the gate to the kind of writer that created the portfolio that won her the role of poet laureate.”

Garza says that the department’s commitment to the writing process held tremendous value when working with Rojas. He says that students like Rojas thrive when they recognize the value and meaning behind the writing process.

“One thing about working with Madison is that it rati es the value that this department places in the whole process, in moments when students have time to polish and re ne their work on their own terms, in the moments where things are revealed for

“ ere’s this big community that’s there to support you, wherever you go, whether that’s at Greenhill or at a national level,” Rojas said. “ at’s what both drew me in and then kept me in the activity.”

She says that the Greenhill debate program has been a support system for her time in the Upper School.

“Just being able to go to the debate room and know that someone will be there to answer any questions you have, not only pertaining to debate, but also life in general, is really nice,” Rojas said. “Knowing that you have that support system is always something that I will be grateful for, and I think all of the parts together makes for a community that is really dedicated to what they do.” is year, Rojas, along with sophomore Gautam Chamarthy, quali ed for the Texas state championships and made it to the nal sixteen competitors in the tournament’s Policy division. e COVID-19 pandemic caused her to miss many tournaments in the past few years, so making it far this year was special, Rojas said.

“ ere was a lot of things I wasn’t able to experience, like the in-person tournaments and things like that, which a ected my debate career in high school,” Rojas said. “I feel like I didn’t really understand and truly love debate to the point where I do now in my senior year.”

Balancing Act

Having juggled many activities during her time at Greenhill, Rojas re ects on how she managed her time e ectively.

“You just have to have a list of priorities to come back to if you want to maintain a healthy balance,” said Rojas. “You have to know what you’re willing to sacri ce.”

Senior Shreeya Madhavanur says she has noticed how much Rojas’s leadership, e ciency and organization have developed throughout many years.

“Behind the scenes, she puts in a lot of hard work and she’s always up late at night,” said Madhavanur. “Despite all her responsibilities, she never quits anything

“I rely on my friends a lot,” Rojas said. ere are always other people who share a lot of the same stressors and will help you in whatever way they can, such as math homework or editing papers. I think community has a lot to do with how you’re able to get through really stressful and hectic times.”

Future Path

As the seniors face the next chapter of their lives, Rojas’ excellence in various activities at Greenhill will contribute to her success in larger projects, Madhavanur said.

“She’s extremely passionate about change, advocacy, justice and equality,” said Madhavanur. “ e fact that she wants to devote her whole life to that is the most Madison thing ever, which is channeling all the skills that she has learned into making change and helping others.”

Rojas says she isn’t sure what lies ahead, but her current goal is to become a civil rights attorney. She also says she plans to continue diversity, equity and inclusion work in college.

“I’m just trying to create community, wherever that is,” said Rojas. “Like I hope to have done at Greenhill.”

Worcester says he hopes that what Rojas has garnered from Greenhill will open other opportunities in the future.

Despite all her responsibilities, she never quits anything and always fulfills her commitments.”

“I hope she takes the skills she’s learned here and just grabs the world and shakes it, saying ‘here I come,’” Worcester said.

Rojas says she is leaving Greenhill with hopes for the future that have been shaped by her time at the school.

“ ank you to everyone at Greenhill who [has] in uenced me in ways that maybe I won’t even realize until I leave campus,” Rojas said. “I really appreciate everything that everyone’s done.”

Emily Hu, Evie Kwei

DEBATERS IN ACTION: Madison Rojas prepares to debate with sophomore Gautam Chamarthy in the Tournament of Champions, held at the University of Kentucky.

Photo courtesy of Greenhill Debate

Photo by Eitan Hahn

PRESIDENTIAL DUTIES: Madison Rojas leads Upper School assemblies by organizing announcements, introducing speakers and delivering a kind act.

Trevor Worcester

Shreeya Madhavanur

Azal Amer

Everyone loves working with her, and she’s the kind of person who really gains your respect after collaborating because of her passion and hard work.”

Review: Meticulous Lyrics, Catchy Ri

Lana Del Rey Delivers on Latest Album

On March 24, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey released her highly anticipated ninth album, “Did You Know at ere’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.” Her latest release features collaborations with several celebrated musicians, including Jon Batiste, Father John Misty, and Tommy Genesis.

Del Rey’s ethereal records bask in alt-pop and amplify her own mythology. With every release, her audience becomes more enamored by, and yet less sure of, her persona. Her magic is wrapped up in her artistic power, bidding listeners to dive into her glamorous yet subtle aesthetic – a blend of dark Americana and Hollywood lore that was once dismissed as inauthentic and is now appreciated as lyrical art.

e release of her debut album “Born to Die” earned Del Rey critical and commercial success, eventually kickstarting her monopoly on melancholy and making her a household name.

All of Del Rey’s art showcases her haunting vocals, stripped-back music and purity of emotion. Del Rey’s previous eight albums xated on the world and people around her, artfully telling their story but carefully tiptoeing around the key details within her own life. But something changes on Del Rey’s introspective ninth album: she lets her listeners into her personal life a little.

Between meticulously rendered verses and catchy ri s, “Did You Know at ere’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” calls out past aggressors and vocalizes about loved ones with tender speci city. Del Rey re ectively traces her own artistic evolution under a personal light: she takes us on a confounding yet illuminative journey through her mind and career, broaching her private relationship with religion, motherhood, morality, healing and womanhood.

e Evergreen asked campus Del Rey fans about her latest o ering and her broader cultural in uence. Here’s what they had to say:

“She tries to represent the dichotomy, maybe even the tension a little bit, between this sort of Americana. In some cases, it’s like alcohol abuse and di relationships. [Del Rey] comes from a pretty privileged background and she recognizes that privilege and uses that with great and, in some cases, ironic e think that’s what makes her compelling… I think [her persona] is genius and brilliant because it allows her to express herself.”

- Upper School Science Department Chair

Treavor Kendall

through music and culture. And she’s also a lamp; she will illuminate parts of ourselves that we sometimes keep in the dark. On [“Ocean Blvd”], she’s making the listener aware of how complicit we are of some of the unsavory habits of sexual relations, consumer culture and the consequences of broad American freedom.”

- Upper School English Department Chair

Joel Garza

“I would say in some parts, yes, because I feel like Lana has a lot of patriotic songs that a lot of people will say represent American culture. And I would agree that she represents a more traditionalist culture. And some people may not like that, but I think that’s something that is unique about her.”

- senior Isabel Martinez

“I feel like I’ve been a fan for probably three or four years now. During the pandemic, I really started listening to her more. Before, I only casually listened to her.”

- junior Ethan Strauss

“A really long time. In my mind, she’s in a long list of singer-songwriters that I really like: Tori Amos, Liz Phair, Lana Del Rey, and Phoebe Bridgers. I don’t know what the rst [Del Rey] song I heard was, maybe it was “Summertime Sadness,” but I’m not sure. It was quite some time ago when I was introduced to her.”

- Upper School Science Department Chair

Treavor Kendall

“ ere’s not a lot of music that always has a deeper meaning, but her music is so meaningful and impactful. She kind of normalized that it’s okay to be sad. It’s very melancholic, but it’s also okay to feel those emotions. at’s been really helpful to me, to know that and hear that through her music.”

- junior Ethan Strauss

“Lana’s music has helped me through a lot of tough times, especially in high school. She’s always been there just so I can listen to something that brings me comfort and I really appreciate everything that she’s done.”

ese two moments stuck with me because they made me attentive and aware of things in our culture.”

- Upper School English Department Chair Joel Garza

“Ocean Blvd’s messages were incredible. I loved how she talked about her family, her personal journey, and how she shared more than she has ever shared with her fans, which is really impactful for me because just hearing these things about someone that I love so much just makes them feel like I know them, which is something that I really appreciate.”

“Some people will say that [her earlier music] was a romanticization of Americana and Lolita, and stu like that, but I think now she’s embracing herself more and on her new album, she talks a lot more personally about her life and her family. I think you can really see her progression as an artist through her music.”

- junior Ethan Strauss

“She’s holding up a mirror to what she sees with respect to sexual agency and loving and living

- senior Isabel Martinez

Josie Arbuckle, Riya Kommineni

Graphics by Emily Hu

Improv Closes Year with Comedy

The Upper School Improv Troupe performed at the Stomping Ground Comedy eater & Training Center on May 6.

e troupe would perform at a venue called the Pocket Sandwich eatre. However, that venue closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike the Pocket Sandwich eatre, which featured miscellaneous shows, Stomping Ground is a comedy theater.

“ is is kind of our little redemption of Pocket Sandwich,” senior Nolan Crowder said. “Pocket Sandwich, I think, was more of a general theater, but this one is very much improv-focused.”

eater and Improv teacher Greg Mihalik is a part of the adult improv troupe at Stomping Ground and performs there regularly. He is the reason that the troupe landed the Stomping Ground performance, students said.

“It’s Mr. Mihalik’s rst year and he’s already brought so much to the troupe,” freshman Ruby Garza said. “I can tell the troupe’s going to keep ourishing with new ideas and more people coming in.”

Preparation

As the end of the school year approaches, the troupe prepared for their annual Independent Schools Association of the Southwest show and their Greenhill endof-year show in addition to their Stomping Ground performance.

While all the shows ran similarly in terms of what games they performed, the troupe tailors its jokes to t the venue that they are performing in.

“If we are performing for high schoolers, we are going to be a little more edgy,” Graves said.

However, the audience at Stomping Ground will feature more adults and professionals in the comedy industry.

“When we are performing for adults, we have to have intelligent humor,” Graves said. “Stomping Ground is going to be like nothing we have done before because it is going to be their audience.”

e troupe’s shows feature traditional games such as “ e Dating Game,” “Shi Le ,” and “Forward and Reverse.” In addition to these games, the troupe has been working on musical improv for the rst time this year.

Under junior Finn Bigby, the student musical director, the troupe has learned many new musical improv games such as “Sing about It.”

“You will be doing a scene and then someone will ring a bell and say, ‘sing about it,’” said junior Sanjna Kalisetty. “And then you will have to sing about whatever you just said. It is always super fun because it is generally something absurd like ‘my dog ate my homework’ and then you will have to sing about it.”

To prepare for their shows, the troupe worked in small workshops that centered around character building, agreement, and other skills to improve their ow.

“We are just trying to take from what we know we can do well and then build on it,” Kalisetty said.

While improv shows are not scripted, Graves emphasized the preparation that goes into making the show exciting.

“It’s not just ‘oh, we go up there and be funny,’” he said. “We have to earn how to be funny. How do you build something that people care about and what gets people to laugh about something that they can relate to or that they care about?”

Kalisetty also acknowledges the unpredictability of improv.

“With improv, you never know what to expect,” Kalisetty said. “So that is where a lot of the nerves can come in.”

While nerves might be present, Graves says that can be a positive thing.

“If anything, the nervousness heightens [our] performance,” Graves said. “It’s more of a slight anxiousness, but we are excited for it.”

Community Building

Rather than a class, the Improv Troupe functions as a club. However, they meet three times a week, more o en than any other club on campus. ey practice before school at 7:15 a.m. and sometimes a er school as well, creating a sense of community within the

troupe.

“Everybody is so close,” freshman Syrus Gupta said. “You get to really know everybody and it’s really nice because it feels like you can talk to anyone [in] the troupe.”

Kalisetty echoes Gupta’s sentiment.

“I think the community is a really closeknit family,” she said. “Improv requires you to take risks and communicate with your fellow improvers.”

e traditions that the troupe continues to practice are what bond them together, Crowder said.

ere are so many little things that go into Greenhill improv that have always been that way,” Crowder said. “We meet in the mornings, we have little rituals, we start the experience a certain way and we end a certain way.”

Future Vision

Members of the Improv Troupe hope that it will continue to grow and expand. Although the troupe is one of the Upper School’s longstanding traditions, established in 1991, many members feel it is overlooked by the Greenhill community and doesn’t receive adequate support.

“We do not really get that much support from Greenhill as I think we should,” Gupta

said. “I think publicizing it more would be great. Having more posts on the Greenhill Instagram and more promotion and things like that would be great for the troupe.” is year the troupe had only 11 people show up for auditions, making it di cult to be selective.

“We did not have that many people come to auditions this year, so that is why it was kind of easy for people to get in,” Gupta said. “I think a more competitive environment around improv would have more people join the class and experience [it] and that would be great.”

e troupe also lacks funding, requiring them to pay out of pocket for many of their items, such as their troupe T-shirts, members said.

Additionally, when shows are a er school, audience turnout is o en minimal. “Some people don’t take it seriously as a full- edged production,” Garza said. “So it can be di cult to get people to come, especially since all of our shows are a er school.”

Troupe members urged students to attend improv shows more o en.

“With our shows, there is a lot going on,” Graves said. “ ere is so much happening constantly. It is funny and engaging. I feel like people would show up once they would realize it is really fun to see.”

ISAS 2023: Upper School Fine Arts Students Showcase Skills

Aria Kutty, Irina Li

STOMPING GROUND: The Upper School Improv Troupe performs musical-based improv games at the Stomping Ground Comedy Theater & Training Center.

Photo by Aria Kutty

Photos by Christan Park

150 Upper School students attended the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest Arts Festival on April 13-15. All Saint’s Episcopal School in Fort Worth hosted this year’s ISAS event, which attracted students from about 30 schools. Over three days, the students put on performances or displayed works of art and received feedback in their respective performing or visual arts disciplines.

Bringing Bollywood to the Big Stage

Varun Mukund

Senior Khushi Chhaya started learning traditional Indian dance at the age of six and has continued it ever since. As Chhaya entered Upper School, her passion for Indian folk dancing led her to join the Bollywood Dance Troupe, a club that choreographs dances to Bollywood music.

“ e purpose [is] spreading the culture and making people interested in Bollywood, which is an Indian lm industry,” Chhaya said.

In previous years, BDT–as the group is commonly known–consisted of mainly South Asian members, many of whom were also part of the South Asian Student Association. In the past few years, BDT has branched out and has become a student-run organization that invites students of any background to join.

“ at’s the most incredible thing about BDT. You don’t have to have any dance background or even be South Asian to join,” said senior Shreeya Madhavanur, one of the group’s leaders. “Anyone can come and have fun with us.”

e club meets once a week in the Dance and Choral Hall. Additionally, the leaders create accessible videos that guide members through the steps of each dance so they can practice during their own time.

“Normally, at practice, we’ll play the whole dance through once, and then we’ll break down the steps and learn the routine,” senior Maya Harrington said.

Harrington is among the new members who doesn’t have South Asian family roots.

Newer members of BDT say the leaders are helpful in guiding them through the dance routines.

“ e experienced people who have done this before are really good at helping

those that are new to the club,” said senior Beckett omas, another new member who doesn’t have South Asian ancestry.

is year’s group has attracted a record number of non-South Asians.

“It just helps bring people of di erent backgrounds together to appreciate our rich culture which I think is really great,” said senior Deeya Bachani, another club leader.

You don’t have to have any dance background or even be South Asian to join. Anyone can come and have fun with us.”

Harrington says she has enjoyed learning about a new culture.

“I think it is amazing that they allow non-South Asian members to join because otherwise I would have never gotten this amazing experience, and I wouldn’t be able to learn about this beautiful culture,” Harrington said.

Group leaders say they made an active e ort to convince others to join the club.

“We reached out to many people in our grade during rst semester in hopes of getting people of all identities to join,” said senior Viraja Metta.

Bachani says she hopes that this trend will continue in the future.

“I think this year sets a precedent for future years in the sense that anyone can join,” Bachani said. “I hope that people later on will see that and will become involved because of it.”

Madhavanur says that students have bonded over Bollywood dance even outside of school. During her Spring Break trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, she noticed many students from di erent cultural backgrounds bonding over Bollywood music.

“One of the songs from our BDT playlist was played at the trip and instantly, the senior members on that trip broke out into dance, which was really moving to see people of all identities come together over this song,” Madhavanur said.

got a little look into what Bollywood is and that is the coolest thing.”

Chhaya says that the end goal is to perform at an Upper School assembly to showcase the work that the members have put in.

“We have three songs that will take about ve minutes in total and hopefully, it will be ve minutes of some really hype dancing and maybe even getting the audience involved,” Chhaya said.

omas says he has enjoyed his time in the club.

“Some of my friends asked me if I would participate this year and I said, ‘Why not?’” omas said. “I am so glad I joined because the people are amazing and so welcoming. I

Madhavanur says she appreciates the group for the representation it provides for Indian people.

e beautiful thing about BDT is that it is about expressing a rich culture in the best way it can be expressed,” Madhavanur said.

Writing for Stage & Film: Finding Your Voice

Upper School Drama and eater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith describes the process of stage writing as a gi that never stops giving, and something that looks entirely di erent for every person.

e Upper School Fine Arts Department o ers the Writing for Stage and Film course, which is an introduction to constructing scripts for theater and lm platforms. e class emphasizes storytelling by exploring various inspirations.

“In this class, the idea is to [make] the main focus [on] getting people writing regularly,” HaussSmith said.

Much of the class revolves around transforming minor ideas into tangible stories. One way in which students in the course have been able

to enhance this skill is through contact with professional screenwriter and playwriter Frankie Gonzalez, whose work has appeared on Net ix’s “13 Reasons Why.”

“Frankie came in and started working with our actors that were not originally playwriters and helped them develop their shows,” Hauss-Smith said. “Ever since I have brought him in, and he has talked to our students about how writing for lms and writing for TV are di erent.”

Gonzalez communicated to students that when writing for a play the writer is in control of the process, whereas writing for a television series requires working with a team.

Furthermore, Gonzalez was able to listen to the students’ work and o er feedback on their writing process.

“He’s really awesome because he has been in the position of our students, and all throughout high school and college his proposals were denied,” Hauss-Smith said. “Yet this is how he makes a living now, and [he voiced that] if this is your passion, don’t

give up.”

Freshman Samantha Herrmann, who is currently taking the class, embraced Gonzalez’s feedback in her work.

“He read through all of our scripts and gave us extremely helpful suggestions,” Herrmann said.

Both Herrmann and Hauss-Smith discussed the current trajectory of the class as well, including its involvement in a local playwriting competition with Circle eatre in Fort Worth.

“Each year we start working on more nalized projects that change on a yearly basis, and [in addition to Circle eatre] we submitted to a di erent youth art organization in Dallas called the Junior Players,” Hauss-Smith said.

e Dallas Junior Players holds the annual Playwrights Under Progress Festival. is festival is centered around viewing various student scripts from across the Dallas metroplex. e nalists of the festival work alongside a professional writer to further develop their piece, with the end goal of staging the nal product with a professional director and actors.

In addition to the playwriting aspect, the course also allows students to explore the screenwriting sector.

In the past, students who are in both Writing for Stage and Film and Advanced Video Production simultaneously have synthesized both courses’ work into one project.

“ ere are many more visual things you can do with lm, and we are starting to work on some shorts that way,” Hauss-Smith said.

Script topics in the class are le entirely to students to decide. Hauss-Smith says this aspect of the class allows an outlet of immense self-expression for students.

“O a performance class, you are with other people and there is already material [present] that you have to adapt to,” HaussSmith said.

“Whereas this is about you being in control of the entire story. You have the idea, you create the characters, and you decide the plot.”

Herrmann, who felt she had never been a writer, enjoyed the independence of choosing a personalized route in the class.

“It’s really freeing,” Herrmann said. “I get to explore a new side of myself.”

Herrmann wrote a script titled “Locked In” for the Circle eatre competition, about three students’ views on being trapped in a detention classroom. Other students are exploring much di erent areas.

“In that same class with that same assignment, somebody was writing about a comedy club, and somebody was writing about a drama between two parents and a kid and another one about a man who talks to God,” Hauss-Smith said.

Students in the class shared that a valuable lesson learned is to be willing to take risks and try new things outside of your comfort zone.

Hauss-Smith echoed this sentiment, adding that another key takeaway of the course is to never stop writing.

“I would like as many people as possible to join, and to nd their voices,” HaussSmith said. “To tell stories is all we do as humans. We are always telling our stories.”

Photo by Chloe Nguyen

Gabi Appel

CELEBRATING CULTURE: Upper School students who participate in the Bollywood Dance Troupe practice popular dances from Indian lms for their performances.

TELLING STORIES: Students in Writing for Stage and Film learn the various concepts of playwriting and screenwriting from theater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith.

Photo by Chloe Nguyen

Graphic by Christan Park

Valerie Hauss-Smith

Samantha Herrmann

It just helps bring people of different backgrounds together to appreciate our rich culture which I think is really great.”

Anxiety, grief, and political division have plagued the United States since April 20, 1999, when two students shot and killed 12 of their peers and one teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

ough Columbine was not the nation’s rst school shooting, it quickly became a focal point of the discourse on gun violence in America.

Media coverage surrounding school shootings proliferated following Columbine.

e Columbine shooters’ plans became the blueprint for other school attacks, including the murder of 28 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and the murder of 17 students and sta at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

In the 24 years since Columbine, there have been 377 school shootings in the U.S. rough the rst four months of this year, there were 18 incidents involving shots red on school property, with 17 people injured and 10 killed.

e mounting casualties are sobering for Greenhill administrators and students alike.

“How many more times does this have to happen for change, real change, to sort of occur?” Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester said. “I will say, when the Stoneman Douglas shooting happened in 2018, there was much more galvanization of students even here on campus.”

Normalizing Violence

Amid the ongoing bloodbath, feelings of helplessness and resignation have swept schools across the country.

To some, the tight-knit and welcoming nature of Greenhill seemingly numbs students from the possibility of facing gun violence at school.

“Everybody always thinks ‘Oh, that’s so tragic when it happens but it won’t happen to me,’” freshman Lily Marshall said. is presumption has been somewhat ubiquitous across campus, but also in schools across the country. According to the U.S. Department of Education, denying possibility is o en a coping mechanism.

A lack of recognition of the current state of the issue of gun violence is something that comes along with this desensitization.

“I think that in a lot of my classes, where I would have expected to have discussions about sort of what was happening, the topic was never raised,” said junior Anika Mootha. “I think it’s something that within the Greenhill community, or at least in my experience, isn’t talked about enough.”

e fourth most recent case of gun violence on school property in America happened on March 20 at Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas. Before the start of school, one student shot two of his peers, killing one.

Lamar High School is only 26 miles from Greenhill. Nevertheless, many students don’t recall the event being mentioned at

Greenhill, or its occurrence in the rst place.

Mootha says this is because school shootings are increasing in prevalence, becoming so common that people have

adjustments to make the school safer.”

When it comes to security, there are no one-size- ts-all solutions, Hark said. Every part of Greenhill’s campus

about it again.’”

Enhanced Security

While the well-being of students has historically been paramount to Greenhill administrators, the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting ve years ago created a new age of security. Since then, Greenhill’s e orts to secure the campus and community members have been evolving at a faster rate than before, according to Worcester.

Greenhill has expanded its security team to enhance safety. ere is also an ongoing e ort to standardize locks and keycard access to buildings across campus – security enhancements resulting from the proliferation of school shootings across the nation.

“We’re always reviewing safety and security,” Head of School Lee Hark said. “One of the things we rely on from our security team is that they’re constantly evaluating the campus, our protocols, and our procedures, and making recommendations and

situation.”

Faculty members also play an instrumental part in guiding students to safety. ey utilize a crisis management app during lockdowns that identi es di erent protocols.

“We do [lockdown drills] because we want to be sure that we’re doing enough of them so that it gets as second nature as possible and to do it at di erent times because it can happen at any moment wherever you are,” Worcester said. “You’ve got to know where to go or at least hope that an adult is guiding you to that safe space.”

Other proposals to improve school safety are under discussion. One is the use of student badges. School administrators are looking into companies that would o er ID badges on student phones to access di erent buildings, which would remain locked.

However, despite the bene ts of student ID badges, Kendra Grace, Greenhill’s associate head of school, chief operating o cer and chief nancial o cer, says they are not the most practical solution.

Only Upper School students can access

Nora Ahearn, Rory Liu, Pooja Sanghvi

phones with identi cation badges during the school day, and parents would be prevented from entering buildings.

“On a campus like ours, it comes back to the level of investment and logistical complications and whether those things make the campus safer,” said Hark.

Campus Incident

Current protocols were put to the test on April 10 when a man scaled the fence in the northwest corner of campus. Based on a description of the incident by school o cials, the man traveled approximately 900 feet from his point of entry around the northwest corner of campus to the Middle School basketball slab near the ree Chimneys administration building and the gymnasiums where students take physical education courses.

e man then walked approximately 350 feet to

like the police were there in just a couple of minutes.”

However, others viewed the event as a more critical moment for school safety.

“Greenhill is safe, but ultimately, I think that yes, it does demonstrate that there are some loopholes, but I think that at the very least there’s a lot of awareness surrounding what needs to happen in order to x those issues,” senior Nikitha oduguli said. oduguli says this demonstrates that the school needs to invest in better ways to verify individuals entering campus.

As a result of this

incident, Hark sent two emails to families to address concerns and emphasize security protocols, including a mandatory sign-in for campus visitors at one of the administrative o ces around campus. “Please ask visitors on campus without a badge if they have checked in, and direct them to the nearest check-in location if they have not,” Hark wrote in an April 20 email to families.

the northeast to the Quad in the heart of campus, where he eventually was taken into custody.

“Via video, I can follow him walking, and he didn’t come into contact with another human being until he got to the [Middle School basketball] slab,” Grace said. “We were alerted by a parent who was in the ree Chimneys parking lot and saw him. At the same time, we nally heard from the Addison police who had been alerted that somebody had seen him climb over our fence.”

e Greenhill security team was alerted and moved to the man. He was eventually removed from campus by Addison police, said Grace.

e alleged intruder has not been identi ed by the school or Addison police. An Addison Police Department spokeswoman said an incident report was not created.

“In the incident, it was obviously very scary that there was someone in the middle of the Quad, and it was right outside our classroom window,” freshman Soyam Mohammed said. “But the quick response also comforted me a little bit because I feel

Greenhill also works with other independent schools to analyze school shooting incidents around the country and assess possible improvements in campus security.

“We analyze everything in terms of safety and security and constantly ask questions in an attempt to improve,” Grace said. “What went wrong? What went well? Where do we need to make sure that we’re tightening up or need to make changes? We work to leverage those answers in order to make everyone as safe as possible.”

Mental Health Resources

While Greenhill has never been directly a ected by gun violence, shootings across the nation have created a fear that has impacted students’ mental health. One of the recent incidents that prompted concerns across campus was a March 27 attack in which an armed assailant killed six people on the campus of the Covenant School, a private academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

“When one of these events happens,

we process the tragedy and think about our own community,” Hark said. “In the case of Nashville, there were people in our school with close ties to that community. And so that one hit a lot harder maybe than some of the other recent ones.”

Upper School Counselor Amanda Frederick says there is always anxiety surrounding school shootings.

“I know that a er every school shooting, even I as an adult, it makes me think twice about being in this setting and what that entails,” Frederick said. “So, if we can create a culture around the school that I hope creates a feeling of safety, even beyond just knowing the adults on campus or doing their due diligence behind the scenes, I hope that eases some of the anxiety for students.”

Hark says that safety isn’t just about the physical aspect. One of the biggest components of safety on Greenhill’s campus is focusing on students’ mental health.

“Knowing each other and being aware of each other is the thing that we can do to make the campus most safe,” Hark said. “And it’s one of the reasons why we added another school counselor because we wanted to make sure that we had more student contact. It’s also one of the reasons why there’s more programming around mental health and drug abuse.”

Frederick says mental health resources are incredibly important. One-third of mass shootings are committed by people with mental illnesses, according to the Pew Research Center. Not only can mental health resources help students and faculty cope with the a ermath of a tragedy, but they can help prevent one altogether.

“Having rapport and a good reputation with the students helps us tremendously because that means people are more willing to come talk to us, and I do feel like counselors can really support students that might be going through a hard time or going through something that hopefully would never escalate to a school shooting,” Frederick said.

Hark says it’s vital to weigh the proper mix of safety and openness on campus.

“Balancing safety and the welcoming nature of campus is really important,” Hark said. “What we’re looking for are things that will make us safer but won’t turn us into a school that we don’t want to be. And that’s a tough balance to strike.”

Frederick notes that the reason this balance is so di cult to nd is that the things that make some feel safe are directly intrusive to others.

Hark says that this happy medium between security and accessibility is one of the de ning qualities of Greenhill, allowing for the environment and community the school has.

“We could build a 15-foot-high fence around campus that would be impossible to climb over,” Hark said. “But do we want to send a signal that we are walling ourselves o to the outside world? ere may come a day when we have to, but the signals that we send the Addison community and visitors are very important, too.”

Graphics by Christan Park

Embracing Service Rethinking a Cherished Core Value

From campus food drives to divisionwide service activities, Greenhill prides itself on being a communityoriented school. is past year, Upper School math teacher Jessica Chu has made strides to emphasize meaningful community engagement.

“I think a lot of it is just making small changes in the right direction and the sense of focusing more on how we can be serving our community,” Chu said.

As a math teacher with a passion in nonpro t volunteering, Chu wanted a role that could highlight those passions.

When the role of Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement was advertised last spring, she expressed interest.

“I found out they were opening up the position during the summer and then I applied for it,” Chu said. “ ankfully, they o ered it to me [and] it was a pleasant surprise.”

Core Values

According to Head of School Lee Hark, service re ects how giving back is an integral part of the Greenhill community.

“[Community service] speaks to our core values of integrity and compassion,” said Hark. “It helps establish mindsets and habits of the heart that are really important.”

Chu aims to shi student perception about community service. Currently, some students view community service as a requirement, causing them to take an obligation-oriented service approach.

“I think in general, people are using community service as a tool to pad their resume rather than doing work to better the community,” said junior Tia Chatterjee.

Chu hopes that students will start to view community service as less of a schoolimposed obligation, but as a way of giving back.

“I would love for us as a school to see service as something embedded in our culture, rather than feeling like ‘I have to get this hour’s requirement to graduate’ or ‘I have to get these hours to get some award,’” Chu said.

She also believes in the impact that service can have on the personal growth of students.

Worcester expressed his commitment to helping students nd a community service t.

“We really wanted to reframe [service] to draw more kids into really nding a cause that would give them a little more sense of their community here,” Worcester said.

Getting Involved

Chu has spent time cra ing new initiatives that have been put in place over the course of the year. is year, we have [created] a theme around hunger and food

lessons through service engagement and gain new experiences.

“[Community service] grounds [students] in something that is a bigger than what many [students] experience,” said Worcester. ere are challenges involved in incorporating service into the curriculum. In the Middle School, for example, transportation and resources have proved to be an obstacle when it comes to grade-wide events.

“It’s a time thing and guring out how we’re going to get o campus in a way that is meaningful,” Head of Middle School Susan Palmer said.

Although the Upper School struggles less with transportation,

between students and administration and also helps plan events.

As a member of the Community Service Board, junior Hannah Gaswirth has been part of the ongoing e ort to increase the student commitment to service.

[By] forming those relationships and bonds, the work that you can do is much more impactful as you learn more about the community that you’re working with.”

“ e Community Service Board nds ways to incorporate service during the day to put it in everyone’s schedule,” said sophomore Neha Bachu, another board member.

e Middle School is also engaged in an e ort to connect with people outside of Greenhill.

“A lot of the time, middle schoolers are very inwardfocused and worried about what people say and think about them,” Palmer said. “One way to help guide them into more selfawareness is to have them think about somebody else.”

In January, Middle School students assembled bean soup jars and wrote messages on cards for the Stewpot and North Dallas Shared Ministries.

e Middle School has also established student-driven community e orts, including a h- and sixth-grade service club, and a seventh- and eighthgrade service advisory board.

Following its establishment in October of 2022, the service advisory board helped set up the birthday boards to celebrate and they’ve been tasked with touring new candidates around the Middle School.

e younger service club creates projects like care bags with personal items while the service advisory board focuses on projects within the community.

“We’re trying to reclaim the commitment to service we had but also give it more depth and meaning,” Palmer said.

Planning for the Future

As the community service program continues to grow, Chu has goals for how to further integrate community service.

“Character building and problemsolving are core skills that are just good to have,” Chu said.

Hark echoes Chu’s belief in the transformative power of community service.

“[By] forming those relationships and bonds, the work that you can do is much more impactful as you learn more about the community that you’re working with,” said Hark.

Like Chu, Head of Upper School Trevor

insecurity, and [the Middle School] will continue this theme next year,” said Chu.

Getting input from both teachers and students has been essential to ramping up the amount of involvement there is in the program.

“Whether it’s faculty that just want to try something new in their classroom, [or a student] wants to bring something back that they really enjoyed ve years ago, that’s okay,” Chu said. “We haven’t ever done this before, but let’s try it out this year.”

Worcester hopes that students learn

nding time is still an issue for students.

“I o en nd it di cult to t community service into my schedule, between my sports and school work it’s hard to nd time,” said sophomore Max Johnson.

Chu hopes her knowledge can help design a better plan going forward that allows time for community service amid students’ busy schedules.

Re ecting on Service

Earlier this year, Chu appointed 19 Upper School students to the Community Service board, which acts as a liaison

“One of my favorite lines in the Greenhill vision is ‘see our world more hopeful because of the Greenhill community,’” said Chu. “ at line and that vision are what I think of what our service department should strive to be.”

Hark says he hopes to increase community service opportunities for students.

“We want to make sure we have pathways for those students to achieve that level of commitment,” Hark said.

Once students graduate, Chu wants them to continue practicing real-world elements of community service that they learned.

“[Community service] is a practical way of taking things you learn in the classroom and being able to implement it in society,” Chu said.

Daniela Hallack, Kate Ponnambalam

Graphic by Christan Park

Trevor Worcester

Jessica Chu

Lee Hark

Susan Palmer

I would love for us as a school to see service as something embedded in our culture.”

Spring Sports Compete in SPC Championships

Spring athletes competed at the Southwest Preparatory Conference spring championships in the Fort Worth and Austin areas starting on April 21. For the SPC spring championships, Greenhill teams competed against other independent schools in Texas and Oklahoma in baseball, so ball, track and eld, lacrosse and tennis.

e girls tennis team was the most successful Greenhill team, nishing third in the conference. Girls track nished h. ree teams nished sixth: so ball, boys tennis and girls lacrosse. Baseball and boys track nished seventh in their respective championships.

Prior to the championships, Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine said each team was looking forward to the tough competition.

“

ere are a lot of great teams out there in various sports,” Shine said. “Once we face some of those schools, we’re hoping that that’s when we play our best. We won’t fear anybody, but I think we have to be concerned about any team that we face because it’s going to be a good game, regardless of who we play against.”

Preparation for the SPC championships di ered between various sports. However, in the weeks leading up to the tournament, each team intensi ed practices to perform their best.

“Our teams are peaking at the right moment right now,” Shine said before the tournaments. “I feel like they’re con dent that they can compete at the highest level once they get to SPC.”

Tennis

e girls tennis team entered SPC undefeated in counter season while the boys team entered with six wins and one loss.

Girls varsity tennis Head Coach Lauren Nicholson said the team focused on court tness, training consistency and strengthening mental toughness.

“Preparing mentally is really important, just getting in that correct mindset and having good conversations as a team,” Nicholson said.

Both the boys and girls teams strengthened team chemistry by participating in mixed doubles and organizing out-of-school get-togethers such as dinners or activities.

e team this year was really close,” senior tennis captain Emily Kim said. “A er every match, even the people who weren’t playing were cheering very loud for everyone.”

Many players credited their assistant

coaches with important roles in their preparation.

“Having good coaches is really helpful because they can point out things that maybe you wouldn’t see yourself,” said senior Kevin Han, a boys varsity tennis captain.

In comparison to last year, both Han and Nicholson said the team has gotten better. Han says the new additions to the team have performed well.

“I would say they’re almost as good as the seniors that were playing doubles last year,” Han said. “ ey’re not as strong, but they’re more consistent. So, it’s a di erent dynamic.”

At SPC the boys placed sixth in the 4A bracket a er one of the team’s top players was sidelined by illness. e girls team placed third in the 4A backet.

Track and Field

e track and eld team had two new coaches and more than 15 freshmen joining the team. Senior Jaden Watt, a team captain, said the new members were instrumental in their performance this season.

“If you asked me who’s the most improved on our team, I couldn’t tell you because there are so many people that have really been dedicating their time and that have really just improved over the season,” Watt said.

As a part of preparation for the SPC championships, the track and eld team practiced their individual events, worked on building their mental toughness and staying physically in shape. Track coach David Henderson said SPC is the pinnacle of the season, and the teams worked all season to bring their best into the competition.

“ ey worked on all these practices and meets to prepare for SPC,” he said. “ e best of the best athletes come together on the weekend and give their best e orts.”

“I think we’ve worked hard for it,” Muller said before the tournament. “We’re going to have to go out there and earn it.”

Senior Sophia Chao, a varsity so ball player, said that even with new players adjusting to di erent positions on the team, everyone contributed to strengthening team chemistry and dynamics.

“I know it’s kind of [a] cliché, but really, your team chemistry is everything,” Chao said.

So ball Head Coach Monica Stephens said she tells her players to focus on body language and con dence before a game.

“I wish they could see themselves like I see what they’re capable of doing,” Stephens said. “I wish they were as con dent in themselves as I am in them.”

Both so ball and baseball placed seventh overall in the 4A bracket.

Muller said he enjoyed the season, despite not reaching his goal.

“It was fun being there and staying with the team, being with all my teammates,” Muller said.

winner.

“I’m really proud of the way that our players kept at it to win third place,” he said. “I think that that’s a nish that that our players should be proud [of] and I’m certainly proud of them for that nish.”

e SPC championships were not the end of the season as both teams participated in the state tournament on May 6.

e girls team had advanced to the state semi nals as e Evergreen went to press.

Golf

As a part of the golf team’s preparation, players individually identi ed areas where they could improve, such as course strategy and swing technique.

In addition to individual preparation, the team also focused on learning the course at which the SPC championships were held. is year, the championship was hosted at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth, so players practiced there on April 20.

At the tournament, the girls placed h and the boys placed seventh. According to Henderson, this was impressive especially considering that this year they combined the 3A and 4A divisions.

Baseball and Softball

e baseball team entered the SPC tournament with a record of four wins and one loss while so ball entered with three wins and three losses.

Senior Drew Muller, a varsity baseball player captain, said the team’s goal for the tournament was for Greenhill to win its rst SPC championship for baseball.

Lacrosse

At SPC, both the boys and girls lacrosse teams faced opponents in three games over two days.

Senior Maya Harrington, a girls varsity lacrosse captain, said the team focused on mental toughness heading into the tournament.

“We’ll be facing some really tough teams,” Harrington said before the tournament. “So, we’ll be focusing on mental toughness, bringing each other up as a team, ghting together and working on our decision making on eld.”

As a part of their preparation, the lacrosse teams scrimmaged at practice and scouted their opponents.

Heading into the tournament, the boys’ team was named the third seed. Head Coach Jack Fisher said the team hoped they would perform well against the two teams seeded higher than them.

“I think we look at SPC tournament games as games that we have the potential to win though those wins absolutely have to be earned,” Fisher said. “Our goal is to play as much lacrosse as possible and hopefully avenge a couple of those regular season losses.” e girls team shared a similar sentiment.

“I’m hoping we can go far in SPC,” Harrington said. “I don’t really know what our chances are looking like but hoping it’s a fun experience.”

At the tournament, the boys team placed third and the girls team placed seventh. Fisher said the boys played their most challenging match against St. Stephen’s Episcopal School of Austin, the eventual 3A

Varsity golf Head Coach om Flinders said this practice was vital in their preparation for the tournament.

“ e kids [got] a chance to play the course before and analyze the holes and what’s going on ahead of time,” he said. ey [got] to see like how the course is laid out and the strengths and weaknesses of it.”

Heading into the tournament, Flinders hoped to instill values of perseverance in his players.

“I hope they take with them the philosophy of just showing up every day,” he said. “ ose incremental improvements make a big di erence over a long period of time.”

e girls placed h and the boys placed third in their respective tournaments. Sophomore Henry Zhong placed third in the entire tournament.

Zhong says the team experienced setbacks at the beginning but were able to regroup.

“I love the way that we bounced back the second day,” he said. “We were 15 strokes back the rst day and we ended up being only three strokes back at the end of the tournament. I’m really proud of our performance.”

e spring SPC championship ended on April 29, marking the end of most Greenhill athletic seasons for this school year. Shine says the school’s sports teams are looking forward to next year and are ready to come back to SPC competition performing even better.

“We have some young talent coming up,” Shine said. “I think when those kids come together as a team, and they start working hard during the o season and getting better, we’re going to have opportunities to win championships, whether it’s fall, winter or spring.”

Sasha Wai, Justin Wu

RELAY RACE: Freshman Nia Harrison prepares to hand o the baton to her teammate during her event at the SPC track meet in Fort Worth on April 29.

Photo by Helen Jackson

Jarrett Shine

Preparing mentally is really important, just getting in that correct mindset and having good conversations as a team.”

BATTER UP: Sophomore Cooper Rabin swings at a pitch in a home game against Parish Episcopal School. The team nished 7th in the SPC conference tournament.

Photo by Helen Jackson

Taylor Chon Pursues His Olympic Dream

Mayer Sidikaro

As a child, sophomore Taylor Chon tried many sports but couldn’t nd one that inspired him enough to pursue long term. en, when he was nine, that changed.

Chon’s father enrolled him in a fencing summer camp, and that became the catalyst for what has become a soaring passion.

Initially, Chon says there was nothing extraordinary about his fencing. He struggled in tournaments and even considered switching sports.

“When I started fencing, I was competing at small regional events,” Chon said. “I remember getting very emotional mid-bout, as I was losing three or four touches in a row to an opponent who was two years older than me and a couple inches taller than me. And I just remember, at that moment, wanting to win really badly.”

Each loss only added to his desire to perfect his cra and dominate the sport, Chon said.

“He wasn’t very good from the getgo,” said Lauren Chon, Taylor’s mother. “We had many tournaments that ended with tears, and this continued until Taylor was about thirteen.”

Although he didn’t experience immediate success, Taylor Chon says that he always knew he could one day become a great fencer.

“I was a little 12-year-old kid, but I connected with the sport and was able to nd a great level of passion which really helped me to work hard toward set goals,” he said.

Since fourth grade, he has worked to climb both national and international rankings.

Since Greenhill does not o er fencing as a school sport, Chon has been pursuing it outside of school at Globus Fencing Academy.

Fencing works on a system of ratings, rankings, age groups and points. To rise in national rankings and qualify for international tournaments, a competitor must obtain points by facing skilled opponents with high ratings at national level tournaments.

A fencer’s rating can be improved by winning a match against a competitor with a higher rating. Currently, Chon is the highest rated fencer in the Class of 2025.

Breakthrough

Chon says he spent most of the COVID-19 pandemic training, attempting to get a leg up on his opponents.

“During COVID it was really, really hard to stay motivated,” he said.

“I think all athletes go to practice to stay motivated, at least that was my case, and I couldn’t go to practice. Doing these drills at home can be boring and tedious but I had to push through.”

A er Chon got through the isolation phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, he reentered tournaments.

“I didn’t perform my best at my rst few events when the tournaments reopened, and the results were disappointing,” he said.

“I felt I was beginning to fall o the top. at was not a good feeling. Knowing that I’ve invested so much time into the sport only to get my butt kicked was painful to accept.”

However, Chon eventually began to see success.

“Consistency is what makes a great

athlete and I’m nally becoming more consistent with my performance,” he said. “I won the North American Cup in April 2022. It was my rst gold medal in a while. e gold medal win is a whole di erent feeling. Something about being at the top just made it a very pivotal moment.” He then went to an international event in Bulgaria, won the gold medal in the teams’ event and won the bronze medal in the individual event.

Chon says he looks back on that day as “kind of a ip-theswitch moment.” Now, he says, he approaches competitions with a greater sense of urgency.

Support System

Chon credits two coaches for his success. He has trained under his main coach, Hyo-kun Lee of South Korea since he was 11 years old. Lee was an Olympian and was the national coach for the South Korean Sabre team. Alongside Lee is Andrew Fischl, who fenced through college and has worked with Chon for the past year and a half.

“My rst impression of Taylor was that he was very eager to learn,” Fischl said. “He would ask me to fence every single time I was dressed in practice and a erwards he would ask me lots of questions about what I was doing and why it was working.”

Chon says that his parents have also played a large role in his success.

“I’ve been blessed with great parents who’ve been very supportive and understanding of my demanding schedule,” he said. “I think that’s part of the reason why I’m here today, because of those extra 30 minutes here and there, and they let me train longer when I need to even when unplanned. at is what made the di erence.”

Chon is also sharing the fencing experience with his younger brother, Collin, a Greenhill seventh-grader.

World Championships. Only the top three fencers of each country are allowed to compete. Taylor Chon said this is most prestigious competition for any fencer. He is third in the national rankings and h in the international rankings. By being at this level, he says he feels as if he is always targeted by competitors.

“Being number three, everyone wants to take you down because they want to make the world championship team,” he said. “So, knowing that, I’m a target to competitors. I have to mentally prepare and defend my position at all times.”

Taylor Chon currently holds the title of Cadet Men’s Sabre North American National Champion. Additionally, he earned a silver medal at the October North American Cup. He is also a two-time Team USA champion in the Riposta Bucharest World Cup and the Etropolski So a World Cup. He nished in the top eight in both the Division 1 Senior Men’s Saber and the France World Cup as well.

“Taylor is now at a point where he is fencing against random Olympians at Division I tournaments and knowing the odds are stacked against him, it is more of a mental battle than a physical one,” said Daniel Chon, Taylor’s father.

I love that my brother gets the experience of what it’s like to be on the international level at such an early age. Eventually, I hope he reaches the level beyond where I am.”

Taylor Chon has made Team USA for two consecutive years, giving him the opportunity to compete around the globe.

He says he is chasing a dream to make it to the Olympics. Additionally, his international success has already given him a taste of what it would be like to represent the U.S. as an Olympian.

“To be able to represent our country on the international stage really struck a chord with me because this country means so much to me,” Taylor Chon said. “So, standing up there with my right hand on my chest, looking at the ag, while the StarSpangled Banner is playing, will always be a special moment for me.”

“I love that my brother gets the experience of what it’s like to be on the international level at such an early age,” Taylor Chon said. “Eventually, I hope he reaches the level beyond where I am.”

At the end of each season comes the

Taylor Chon says he is excited for the possibilities of his fencing career but also grateful for what he has earned.

“I’m thankful for the great people who help support me on my journey every day and who have helped me accomplish everything up till now,” he said. “Hopefully, this is just a start for the many medals to come.”

Photo courtesy of Taylor Chon

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS: Taylor Chon and his coach, Andrew Fischl, celebrate Chon’s third-place nish at the Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championship.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Chon

OLYMPIC DREAM: Taylor Chon’s success in competitions for Team USA over the past year has inspired him to aim for a spot on a future U.S. Olympics fencing team.

I was a little 12-year-old kid, but I connected with the sport and was able to find a great level of passion which really helped me to work hard toward set goals.”

I’ve been blessed with great parents who’ve been very supportive and understanding of my demanding schedule.”

New Football Coach Hired

Williams, were then brought to Greenhill to interact with the players.

Kenneth (KJ) Williams, a longtime Texas football player and coach, has been hired to lead the Hornets program in the upcoming 2023 season.

Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine announced the hiring of Williams on May 4 a er a monthslong search.

Williams comes to Greenhill from Fort Worth’s Nolan Catholic High School. Williams has coached at Nolan for the past four years, Shine said. In his two years as head coach, Williams led Nolan to the state nals and the state semi nals, Shine said in an email announcing the selection.

“He has a genuine passion and love for the game of football, and he is equally passionate about building character in his players,” Shine wrote of Williams in an email to Greenhill families.

Williams replaces former NFL quarterback Tony Banks, who coached the Greenhill team through three winless seasons.

e hiring process for a new coach began with 157 applicants and continued for ve months, Shine said in an interview.

“ e two things I wanted [the applicants] to do is be organized and be able to relate to the kids,” Shine said. “Obviously, all coaches need to have knowledge of the game, but the two things I think are important is knowing how to push your kids’ buttons and knowing how to love them.”

Shine eventually narrowed the applicant pool to ve nalists. ese ve, including

“Coach Shine did an excellent job nding good candidates, and I was glad that we got to have practices with the nal two coach options,” sophomore Will Black said. “It let us get a good idea of what the upcoming season will be like.”

Shine says that Williams’ energetic personality and coaching experience made him the ideal candidate.

“He’s an exciting person to be around,” Shine said. “He has a great following, and he’s very connected in the football world. He’s run a program before and coached a high-level program in Texas and has a lot of [assistant] coaches that want to be involved.”

Junior Zain Crumedy also feels that Williams’ approach stood out from other candidates.

“Some of the other guys were more tough like, ‘Let’s play football!’ but I felt like he was going to love and motivate us to be a better player and person,” Crumedy said.

Former College Player

Williams played college football at Texas A&M University and Sam Houston State University. In addition to Nolan High School, Williams has coached football at Southern Methodist University, University of Texas at Austin, Bishop Lynch High School and John Paul II High School.

“My dream was to be a football coach and I’m getting to do that every single day,” Williams said in a Zoom interview.

Williams said that when he received notice that he would be the Greenhill head coach next season, he began brainstorming ways to improve the program.

“I got focused and I started to lock in,” Williams said. “My brain started to wander a little bit and really think about my vision [for] the program.”

His rst goal is establishing strong relationships with the players, Williams said.

“I want to let the guys know that I’m truly here for them and then from there we can start breaking down who we are going to be, not necessarily what we are going to do,” Williams said.

O the eld, Williams looks forward to building relationships in the Greenhill community.

“If I see you [on] campus, I’m going to make sure that I have a genuine interest in what you’re doing and a genuine interest in your goals,” Williams said. “I think Greenhill is a place where people want to be able to

pick each other up and want to be able to support each other.”

With Williams as head coach, players said they have high hopes for the next football season.

“I think that having one leader to unite the team and set an example of what we should strive to be and how we should work towards it will be very helpful,” said junior Tom Reger. “A new coach also means a new play style, which I think that we need.”

Freshman Arjun Bhatnagar says he hopes the new coach can implement a culture change.

“I’m looking forward for someone new to elevate the culture on the team and hopefully lead us to more success in the upcoming season,” Bhatnagar said.

Aman Jaleel, Lyna Kamgang

COIN TOSS: Hornet football players, right, have struggled to remain competitive against bigger rivals in the Southwest Preparatory Conference in recent years.

Photo by Helen Jackson

Kenneth Williams

Common Ground: On CNN, Fox Departures

Helina:

Payton:

Breaking news, Helina!

Helina:

Uh-oh! What now, Payton?

Payton:

Did you hear that Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime at age 51?

Helina:

Well…that statement could actually get you red from CNN. Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson have both been prominent faces on their respective news networks, CNN and Fox News, but they have now been red.

Payton:

eir departures have brought attention to the long-standing bias in American media.

Helina:

at has been quite the hot topic lately. Bias in the media is always going to exist. As human beings, we are all born into unique situations which create bias. Unfortunately, popular networks like CNN and Fox News have both situated themselves on opposite sides of the political spectrum, which causes an issue.

Payton:

e way that I see it, prejudice has overcome journalism in an overwhelming way. Almost every prominent news platform contains some type of political alignment, which is extremely dangerous for viewers.

Not only is it dangerous for people that are unaware of the bias, but for the next generation as well. Imagine younger kids that are starting to develop political ideologies and then think about how much real news they are getting from reliable sources! It’s scary.

Payton:

Obviously, this problem plagues both liberal and conservative media. However, conservative media o en shoulders most of the blame because its bias is usually more aggressive. Fox News is one of the leading conservative news outlets in America, and it feels like the network has decided to prioritize entertaining existing audiences instead of presenting the news. Unfortunately, this shi has only helped CNN’s bias fall further o of the public radar. We have grown accustomed to accepting liberal media as fact, and the frequency of scandals within conservative media has le no space for holding liberal networks accountable for the le -leaning

information they feed unknowing viewers. I understand why we have gotten to this point, but we can’t accept liberal media as fact just because it is more factual than what we used to hear on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Helina:

I mean, yeah, when I think of scary media bias, I think of news outlets like Fox News. It’s harder for me to see outside of my bubble that is liberal media. I do agree, however, that CNN and MSNBC can be liberally driven sources as well. I just like to listen to sources that present real news instead of Fox News which might as well be called “Fox Entertainment.” Watching Fox News is literally a painful experience for me. It is hard to think of the millions of Americans that tune in believing that it is real news.

Payton:

Not to sound blunt, but the network doesn’t care if it gains the respect of liberal America. Quite frankly, it doesn’t really care if it gains the respect of conservative media either.

ey aren’t interested in your respect, but your engagement. All publicity is good publicity in business, and Fox and CNN have built an indirect relationship on this notion. When news networks stop reporting the headlines, they become the headlines. When they become the headlines, news gets more attention and networks on each side of the aisle pro t. I want to make it clear that I do not agree with the way that news networks have earned their wages, but it exists far beyond right-wing media.

Helina:

Money should not drive everything. e fact that Rupert Murdoch, a clear Republican, is the owner of the New York Post, a conservative-leaning tabloid, and an executive at Fox News makes it clear to me that these two news sources are not reliable. e man’s net worth is $17.7 billion and he’s 92 years old! I think he’s just in it for the money and not much else.

Payton:

Money shouldn’t fuel everything, especially not the press. But journalism can be a pro table business, and I think we would be fooling ourselves to say that nancially driven decisions are only present on one side of the aisle. Ultimately, I am dissatis ed with the way that the media has adapted throughout the 21st century. As a campus journalist, it is appalling to see trained professionals behave so unprofessionally. e stakes are too high.

Helina:

I just want media sources that we can trust. I’ve made my peace with bias, but I wish it was less agrant and o ensive. I feel like these news sources should take a hint from us and nd their “Common Ground”.

From an Asian American Lens: We Belong Here

Ayne Park

You may have learned that the majority of the western half of the Transcontinental Railroad was built by Chinese immigrants. However, if you look at the o cial photographs commemorating its completion, you might nd it strange that Chinese workers are nowhere in sight.

I wish I could say this was an accident, an innocent oversight, but unfortunately, I know better. achievements and sacri ces of the Chinese workers were intentionally blotted out from the American consciousness. Such has been the historical treatment of Asian American groups who remain excluded from the broader narratives of our nation’s history.

Asian American Paci c Islander Heritage month is upon us. It’s a month dedicated to honoring the achievements of the AAPI people. Unfortunately, this month also serves as a reminder of the lack of coverage of the achievements of AAPI in the other 11 months of the year.

I did my rst deep-dive into AAPI history when I researched the 1992 Los Angeles Riots for my 10-grade history

project. rough my research, I discovered the extent of the racial and economic tensions that members of the AAPI community, and Korean Americans in particular, were facing in South Central Los Angeles. is was a me, and I wondered why everybody hadn’t learned about this in At Greenhill, I have only scratched the surface of AAPI history in my classes, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Japanese Internment. However, there is so much more we should have learned about.

For example, why didn’t we learn about the contribution of Patsy Mink, who authored Title IX? Or Yellapragada Subbarow, who discovered the function of adenosine triphosphate— ATP—as an energy source in the cell and developed methotrexate, one of the very rst cancer- ghting drugs? Or Larry Itliong, the Filipino labor activist who actually started the historic California farmworkers strike of 1965?

e AAPI community is the fastest growing minority group in America, accounting for one- h of all U.S. population growth. However, there are

countless signi cant Asian Americans who contributed to our nation's history, dating back as far as 1883. Unfortunately, due to the lack of representation in the classroom, Asian Americans are o en viewed as perpetual outsiders and generally stereotyped as rstgeneration immigrants.

I still remember the rst time I was asked “Where are you from?” by a wellmeaning stranger who was just trying to make conversation. As I stumbled through my response, telling them I was born in Dallas, I had no explanation for the pang of embarrassment ushing down my cheeks. Was I supposed to be upset? I was confused.

Now, I understand that despite the fact that I spoke perfect English and was only eight years old, the stranger viewed me as a foreigner. is exclusionary mindset that is so commonly accepted must change.

We can do better. I urge you to call for reform. e Texas state legislature has struck down a previous Asian American Studies bill, which would have made it mandatory to teach Asian American history in secondary schools in Texas. I created a petition to the State Commissioner of Education to demand reconsideration of implementing AAPI studies. Please scan the QR code to sign and share.

Additionally, change can start here, at Greenhill. I challenge students and faculty to act. With the AAPI community making up around 35-40% of the student body, teaching AAPI history will help create a community that is more united, compassionate and knowledgeable about one another. By implementing AAPI history into the Greenhill curriculum, we can better our foundation of diversity, equity and inclusion. It is time we learn a complete version of American history.

Graphic by Evie Kwei

From the Graduating Editors

We can’t believe how these six issues have own by. It seems like just yesterday we were laying out our rst paper, trying to gure out how to manage a sta and navigate the rollercoaster that is e Evergreen.

Nothing that we have done over the past year could have been accomplished without our sta . To everyone who wrote a story, took a photo, made a graphic or laid out a page, thank you. You are the backbone of this paper and we could not be more grateful.

And to anyone who has ever picked up a copy of e Evergreen, whether to read your friend’s story, do a crossword or check out the Rants & Raves, thank you. You are why we do this.

To our wonderful section editors –Evie, Christan, Riya, Sydney, Dani, Varun, Aman, Chloe, Aria and Gabi – we have loved working with you this year. Getting to see you all grow and become more con dent has been incredible. It has been a wild ride since last May but thank you for sticking with it. We are so excited to see what you all do in the years to come.

Pooja, Emily and Sophia, it has been so fun to watch you all take on bigger roles and really step into leadership positions. You are all incredibly talented, and we couldn’t have done this without you. Pooja and Sophia, your editing skills have really elevated the quality of the paper. Emily, thank you for being there whenever we needed you, whether it be with graphics or icestorm virtual layout. You all made our jobs in nitely more enjoyable. We will always cherish the many roses, thorns, and sprouts that we have experienced together.

Emma R. and Val, thank you for making this year so special. Your commitment and expertise helped us weather this storm a little more smoothly.

Photo by Nora Ahearn

Our nal year on the paper was de nitely one for the books.

Emma N. and Ava, we could not have asked for a better duo to complete “the four.” You are truly some of the most dedicated, talented, hardworking people and you have le such a positive mark on the Evergreen. e love and care with which you contribute art and stories is obvious. And the jokes and laughs breaking up stressful late nights made this year truly unforgettable. Hopefully the “I Survived” signs on the bulletin board serve as a testament to that.

Mr. Jones, we honestly don’t know what to say. Everything we have learned and every way in which we have grown is because of you. You are the reason we fell in love with this paper and with journalism. You have made the Evergreen a unique highlight of our high school experience. We are better writers, leaders and people because of your unwavering support and guidance. We have known you for what feels like forever, and we hope to know you for the rest of forever. ank you.

To the future Editors-in-Chief, Pooja and Riya, we cannot wait to see what you accomplish. You know this paper and you have the talent and commitment to have an incredible year. e one piece of advice we will leave you with is this: challenges

the Evergreen Sta

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

only make you stronger. Something will go wrong; mistakes will be made; and it’s up to you to take them in stride and grow, not despite them, but because of them.

To all the rising seniors, we wish you nothing but the best. We have seen your intelligence, creativity and love for the paper show this year and we know those qualities will serve you well in the year ahead. Payton, we are thrilled you decided to join print for this upcoming year, and we cannot wait to see the mark that you leave on the Evergreen.

In many ways, e Evergreen is our baby. We’ve dra ed its sta editorials, drawn its graphics, and delivered it to every corner of the school. One letter cannot convey the love and care we have for this paper. We will be forever fond of the memories and guidance it has provided. ank you, Greenhill, for continuing to support student journalism even when the discipline is o en in peril.

Before we go, (as Ivy always says): “1, 2, 3, hands up!” But instead of getting the sta ’s attention, we will do it in celebration of this year and all that e Evergreen has achieved. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this paper, and we will remember this experience for the rest of our lives.

Sincerely,

Khushi Chhaya and Ivy Stitt, e Evergreen Editors-in-Chief, 2022-2023

Editorial: Standardize STEM Grading

With a variety of academic pursuits, Upper School students have a lot on their plates. One unnecessary stressor is the inconsistency in the grading policy of di erent STEM classes. Whether it is standards-based grading or letter grades or allowing reassessments to harm a student’s grade or only help it, there is little consistency between departments.

A concerning issue that arises when looking at the grading systems for the Upper School STEM courses is the use of both the standards-based and 100-point grading scales.

Between on-level physics courses, a combination of “essential knowledge checks,” “feedback forms” and “competency assessments” are used to determine a student’s grade. However, the combination di ers from teacher to teacher.

In all the non-AP chemistry classes, grades are based on a cumulative of “essential knowledge checks” and “checkpoints” that serve as quizzes and tests. e chemistry course, which uses standards-based grading, has a 1-4 scale. Knowledge checks are simply marked as “Complete” or “Incomplete” while checkpoints are graded using the 1-4

scale, as well as marked with a letter grade. is system isn’t clearly communicated to students.

On-level biology course grading di ers from other STEM classes as well.

In contrast to both physics and chemistry, the biology course uses a 100-point grading scale. Students choose certain skills to be assessed throughout the year, with routine pass-fail checkpoints. However, projects are given a percentage grade, one factor of their nal grade.

In addition to the inconsistency in the Science Department, the Math Department adds to the uncertainty by only using a 100-point scale. is confuses students, as they must adapt to di erent forms of grading depending on the class.

However, there’s one constant across all math and science courses: A er taking an assessment, students can reassess to raise a grade. However, the policies di er between classes, creating further confusion.

Reassessments can hurt a student’s grade as well as help it in both physics and chemistry. In biology, since assessments are only pass-fail, a reassessment can replace a

failed checkpoint. In contrast, math reassessments –dubbed “growth opportunities” – occur every two assessments and can only raise a student’s grade. However, this system is administered di erently for various math courses. Since the reassessment system varies for di erent classes, students face confusion when it comes to studying or simply understanding what one’s grade is in a speci c class.

We urge STEM department leaders and faculty to put their heads together to standardize grading. A uniform reassessment policy across all divisions would create a more equitable environment for students. ere needs to be a clear and accurate syllabus for each class which students can consult – something that is currently lacking in many STEM classes. If all STEM classes grade more consistently, students will have a better picture of how they are doing grade-wise, much of the confusion will be eliminated, and so will unnecessary stress levels.

A Note from the Editors: Thank you, Ms. Falk

Upper School math teacher Cathy Falk is retiring a er 24 years at Greenhill.

Although this o cially leaves her one year short of Legend status, her impact on the community is Legend-caliber to us.

We would like to thank Ms. Falk for brightening our days, for putting smiles on our faces, for making class something that we look forward to every day and for creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Not only has she taught us math, but she’s grown our love for the subject. Even if it’s not something we are naturally good at, she’s made it easy to learn, and it has been even easier to ask her for help.

But above all else, what we are most

grateful for is Ms. Falk celebrating our successes and never failing to make us feel proud of ourselves. We wish her nothing but the best for the future, and hope that we can give back the kindness that she has so graciously shown us.

Whether it’s coming by her desk to ask for help on a math problem or stopping by to have a casual conversation, we will miss seeing her smiling face around campus.

Greenhill wouldn’t be the place that it is today without Ms. Falk and everything she has given our campus. She has touched so many of our lives, and for that, we couldn’t be more grateful.

Riya Kommineni and Pooja Sanghvi

EXECUTIVE EDITORS

Payton Blalock

Emily Hu

Sophia Li

MANAGING EDITORS

Evie Kwei

Chloe Nguyen

Christan Park

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Aria Kutty

CONTENT COORDINATORS

Sydney Chien and Daniela Hallack

DRAFT EDITOR

Aman Jaleel

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Ella Sadka

CHIEF SECTION EDITOR

Varun Mukund

NEWS EDITORS

Lyna Kamgang and Rory Liu

FEATURES EDITORS

Kate Ponnambalam and Noor Zaman

ARTS EDITORS

Nora Ahearn and Justin Wu

SPORTS EDITORS

John Hurley and Vedant Subramanian

VIEWS EDITORS

Camila Hanson and Sasha Wai

STAFF WRITERS

Jin Huang

Scarlett Song

Gracie Tamez

Aiden White

BUSINESS MANAGER

Kaden Alibhai

ASSISTANT ADVISOR

Amy Bresie

ADVISOR

Gregg Jones

Have a response? Opinion?

Original Idea?

Email the Editors-in-Chief: komminenir24@greenhill.org sanghvip24@greenhill.org

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Evergreen is an independent, student-run newspaper serving the community of Greenhill School. It is printed six times during the school year. Print circulation is 900 copies. Past issues are archived at issuu.com/ghevergreen.

Our sta upholds a code of ethics that values honesty, integrity, accuracy and responsibility. Our mission is to help our community interpret campus, local, national and international events through articles and editorials written and edited by students.

The Evergreen welcomes letters and emails from readers. We reserve the right to edit submissions for accuracy, grammar and length. The Evergreen will not publish material that we judge to be libelous, or obscene, invades privacy or constitutes hate speech. Anonymous letters will not be published.

The sta editorial represents the opinion of The Evergreen sta , not necessarily that of Greenhill School.

ADVERTISEMENTS

The Evergreen welcomes advertisements, but we reserve the right to refuse an ad.

Business inquiries should be directed to Kaden Alibhai: alibhaik24@greenhill.org

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

We pledge to correct our errors. To request a correction or clari cation, please email komminenir24@greenhill.org or sanghvip24@greenhill.org

FAREWELL: As Cathy Falk famously says, “This is for all you radicals out there!”

& Rants Raves

A RANT to the seniors leaving. e countdown for summer is upon us, which means we must say goodbye to the seniors. Since COVID-19 hit during the seniors’ freshman year, their high school experience was unique, to say the least. However, during their time they made a lasting impact on Greenhill, and we will miss them next year!

A RAVENT to the Shadow Boxing game. is popular campus trend always has Greenhill students entertained during their free time throughout the school day. Students are consumed with playing it anywhere on campus, cheering and yelling in anticipation of the players’ moves. It seems every corner you turn there are students participating in it, and as fun as it is, does it ever get old?

A RAVENT to the long weekends in April. ursday is the new Friday! We were beyond grateful for just one extra day to sleep in during April, and it was so sad when we had to go back to the ve-day weeks in May. e end of the second semester is approaching fast, and the academic burnout is getting worse by the day, so a continuation of those fourday weeks would have been great.

A RAVE to the new Frisbee station outside of the Upper School South building. A er a test or hard class, or just a long day of school, it is so fun to have a new activity to play with friends. Students play the game during free time in their day, and it has both the players and bystanders watching in excitement!

A RAVE to our Sage dining team’s new Food Services Director Brandon Sydnor. Recently, the new dishes such as the cereal bar and the noodle bar have been exciting additions to our day. e anticipation can be felt in the lunch line, as everyone is anxiously waiting their turn to enter the cafeteria. Looking ahead at the exciting lunch menu for the week is what keeps us going during this stressful time of year.

A RANT to the unpredictable weather. When we wrote this the temperature was 70 degrees, and then a few days later it was 50 degrees, and then we hit a sweltering 95 degrees. e sun is shining one day with students sitting outside working, and the day a er, rain is pouring and everyone is running for cover. Planning what tomorrow’s out t should be is getting harder as time goes on. Can we not just get nice and consistent spring weather?

The Evergreen Crossword

ACROSS:

4. 2023-2024 Student Body President _____ Mohammed

6. ____ Fencing Academy, attended by sophomore Taylor Chon

7. Branch of Youth and Government led by senior Teja Mettu

9. Robotics competition that sophomore Kaavya Sampath competes in outside of Greenhill, abbreviation

10. Grade that senior Madison Rojas entered Greenhill

11. “The ____ Game,” “Shift Left,” and “Forward and Reverse”; traditional improv games

14. Expected opening of the Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center

15. “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under ____ Blvd,” album by Lana Del Rey

17. Final ranking at SPC of girls tennis, boys golf and boys lacrosse

DOWN:

1. Mascot of Nolan Catholic High School, where KJ Williams coached at

2. Style of dance popular in India; a dance troupe at Greenhill

3. Overarching initiative that includes the OWL program

5. Director of Service ____ and Community Engagement Jessica Chu

8. ____ Gonzalez: professional screenwriter and playwriter who worked with the Writing for Stage and Film class

12. ____ theater: Upper School elective taken by Grace Jackson ‘18

13. _____ High School, 26 miles away in Arlington

16. ____-free bakery opened by sophomore Ashley Weinstein

Crossword by Evie Kwei and Christan Park

1 student studying abroad

Class of 2023: The

5 students studying on the West Coast

32 students staying in Texas

Amherst College (2)

Arizona State University

Babson College

Barnard College (2)

Boston University (2)

Carnegie Mellon University

Clemson University College of Charleston

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State University

Columbia University

Cornell University (2)

Duke University

Elon University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach)

Emory University

Florida State University

George Mason University

George Washington University

Grinnell College

Harvard University

IE University (Spain)

Indiana University (3)

Laguna College of Art and Design

Loyola University Chicago

Middlebury College

Mount Holyoke College

New York University (4)

Northeastern University (3)

Northwestern University (2)

Oberlin College

Pitzer College

SPAIN

The Next Step

7 students studying in New York City

32 students studying in the Southeast

0 students

1-3 students

4-9 students

Purdue University

Rhodes College (2)

Rice University (6)

Rollins College

San Diego State University

Sarah Lawrence College

Savannah College of Art and Design

Southern Methodist University (5)

Stanford University

Syracuse University

Tarleton State University

Texas A&M University

Texas Christian University (4)

Trinity University

Tulane University (7)

United States Military Academy

University of Arizona

University of Arkansas

University of California-Los Angeles

University of Chicago

University of Miami

University of Michigan (3)

University of Mississippi

University of Pennsylvania (3)

University of Pittsburgh

University of Richmond (2)

University of Texas at Austin (14)

Vanderbilt University

Wake Forest University (4)

Washington and Lee University (3)

Washington University, St Louis

10+ students Graphics by Emily Hu

Williams College

Farewell Seniors

DearKendallAdvisory, IregrettoinformyouthatyouwillNOTbegraduatingthis year.IamcoordinatingwithMr.HarkandMr.Worcester toextendyourcontractsforaffthyearintheUpper School.Don’tworry,coursesign-upisnotnecessary.Ihave completedyourschedulesfornextyear-sevenscienceclasses foreachofyou.Isimplycannotletyougo.

Missingyoualready, DK

(Dr. Kendall)

Dear “M” Advisory,Congratulations on this amazing milestone! I am a frm believer in quality over quantity, which our experience as the “M advisory” embodies. While our time together was short, I believe it was great. I appreciate your willingness to let me be part of your space and your experience even though I met some of you on January 3, 2023. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors out in the world. I have come to learn that each of you has a drive that fuels your hopes and dreams for the future. There is no doubt that this group will do amazing things! Be well,

Ms. Muñoz

I know I have only been with you for a year, but I have enjoyed listening to your spirited conversations. I was glad to have

To all my advisees, yes, even those who didn’t quite make it on the offcial roster, I am grateful for what we have created over the past two years. We came together as an eclectic group of individuals from different spaces and schools, and we have become something truly special. I love how you welcome all into our small home, and how each of you celebrates the successes of the others. Keep putting one foot in front of the next, no matter how diffcult. Know that I am always there to cheer you on or support you in moments of stress or pain. You’re stuck with me!

- Ms. Battis

When Mr. Najm approached me to leave my team and take on a senior advisory, I had my doubts. When he told me who was in it, I leapt at the opportunity. It has been a joy to spend the last year together. I cherish the time we spent together. I will miss the laughter, the goofy conversations, and even the nagging about community service hours and missing homework. Go do amazing things, and then come back to tell me about them!

the opportunity to learn about your talents and interests all while sharing your humor. I hope that you are excited for this next journey in your lives and that you will come back to Greenhill to share all of the wonderful things you are doing to make this world a better place!

- Mr. Sandler

- Dr.Bresie

Friday Fundays, churro breakfast cereal, Marble Rally races, Funyuns vs. Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Fries, morning Teams check-ins, Pegasus falling on the hood of the car, countless transcript verifcations, Girl Scout cookies, recycled remote-learning check-in questionnaires, holiday candy games, etc. Through the fun and formalities, I have asked for your best efforts to be kind, to lift each other up, and to make me proud, not of your grades and accolades, but of the good people that you are. Thank you for obliging me! You will always have a home in room 206 and in my heart.

Y’all have been a group of funny, socially engaged, clear thinkers, and it has been a pleasure, even in our two short years together, to see you grow as you have navigated the challenging academic and social responsibilities of being juniors and seniors in the Upper School. I have especially appreciated your curiosity and diligent skepticism, which have led to many interesting discussions. Going forward, keep questioning, listening, and investigating these actions make for a wellexamined life where you will be able to help solve problems and stand up for things that matter. Wishing you all the best!

- Dr. Chin

- Mr. Gallegos

- Ms. Frederick

The last four years threw you all some serious curve balls—ones that none of us saw coming and for that there was no template for being a teenager. Strange and confusing times—yet, all of you survived and, more importantly, thrived. How did you do that!?! Daily, weekly, you all surprised me. I marveled at what you set your minds to and then the determination and imagination you used to go after these bright visions of yourselves. In the future, I can’t imagine how the thirteen of you will change people, places, and the world. I will always believe in you. Go forth!

- Ms. Woolley

Quite simply, you daft hooligans have been an absolute gift. From Greenhill community tragedies through the pandemic, from my parents’ illnesses through my mother’s death, from my boyo joining the Upper School to me joining the Legends Club, you have had my back, lifted me up, celebrated me, cared for me, made me laugh, helped me cry, inspired me to be ridiculous and silly, and shown me what resilient joy looks and feels like. You’ve also carried each other in a profound, meaningful, and memorable way. I am so very privileged and proud to be your Advisor. Now and 4-evah, #mercgang rocks wicked hard!! Love yis! \m/ \m/

- Mr. Mercurio