September 2023 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

Evergreen

September 27, 2023 Volume 59, Issue 1

the

A Climate Crisis

Everything Greenhill

How our changing Earth has upended school schedules and student lives. Page 12

Photo by Payton Blalock

Barbenheimer

Hitting 500

Football Revival

Summer cinematic hits “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” captivated Upper School students and attracted diverse and unexpected audiences. Page 10

After breaking a milestone of 500 students, the Upper School community weighs the impact of the school’s recent expansion. Page 14

Breaking a four-year losing streak, Greenhill football’s win underscores the influence of new coaches and a more vibrant culture. Page 17

Informing Greenhill since 1966

4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison, TX 75001

News

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Greenhill Upgrades Campus Security Emma Hoffman

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tudents and faculty returned from the summer holiday to new security measures designed to safeguard the campus against the backdrop of nationwide school shootings and an incident last spring involving an intruder who wandered through the grounds during school hours.

One of the significant changes that occurred was upgrading the security cameras around the 75-acre campus. The cameras around school grounds now provide the security team with a view of 100% of the exterior areas of the school, said Associate Head of School Kendra Grace, who is also the school’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

“A big issue that we had in the past with the cameras was the lack of visuals we had to the western side of the school,” Grace said. “Over the summer, with the help of Director of Technology Scott Rosa, we ran fiber through the rest of campus, which got us more consistent access to the feed.”

The new security camera system also includes cameras focused on the Hornet Road and Spring Valley Road gate entrances. These cameras help security identify people who have called for entry. Along with the camera, license plate number readers reveal who is coming and going. That gives the security team more information on who is entering campus throughout the day, according to Grace.

“While the gate is meant to be closed all day, right now that has been an issue due to the construction of the new

Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation building,” Grace said.

“With all the large construction trucks coming through, the gate has been experiencing issues closing.”

In addition to the updated cameras, parent volunteers are now issued IDs to carry around with them on campus.

Background checks have also been added as an extra layer of security.

“The goal is that every adult on campus has a lanyard with a badge, be it a parent or staff,” said Grace.

Along with these changes, the Addison Police Department also visited Greenhill over the summer to learn the campus layout.

In the incident that occurred last spring, a man climbed over a northwest perimeter fence and made his way through campus. Police arrived after a few minutes and removed the man from campus, but many students, faculty, and parents expressed concern about the incident.

“With the way the new cameras are set up, we are able to send a link to the Addison police that provides them with immediate access to all of our cameras,” said Grace.

The incident last spring wasn’t the catalyst for the recent changes, administrators said.

“Greenhill is good at long-range planning, and that runs parallel to the budget,” Assistant Head of Upper School Rebecca Shuman said.

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For some, the vehicle break-ins triggered memories of the trespassing incident and renewed questions about campus security.

“I appreciate that they are being proactive, but in terms of what happened with the break-in, I think there is still more to be done to make the campus feel safe,” senior Anika Mootha said.

The larger question surrounding these incidents is whether Greenhill will be able to maintain its “open campus” feel as the town of Addison grows and changes.

“Addison has become more transient and gotten bigger,” said Shuman. “It’s the world we live in, but I trust the people in charge of keeping us safe.”

Graphic by Rachel Jiang

The goal is that every adult on campus has a lanyard with a badge, be it a parent or staff.”

As Greenhill opened for the 2023-2024 school year, both parents and students were notified of upcoming changes that would be occurring around campus. Students and faculty learned more about the new safety protocols after the return to campus.

Even with the security improvements, two cars were broken into on campus on the evening of Thursday, Sept.

7, Head of School Lee Hark informed families in an email.

Photo by Aiden White

SECURITY TEAM: Gerard Abbene, Hunter Brown, Dave Kubala and Rob Stebbing help safeguard the campus.

Grading Policy Shifts Direction Nora Ahearn, Kate Ponnambalam and Sasha Wai

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he first semester of the 2023-2024 school year is now underway, and the Upper School is adjusting to new grading policies.

In previous years, an Upper School student’s grade comprised a slew of different categories, varying widely across classes.

“There were [about] 18 different categories of assignments,” said Upper School History Department Chair, Amy Bresie. “Some people had Major Project, Minor Project, Project, Test, Quiz, Lab Report, Essay, Exam, Research Paper.”

This was not only a hassle for teachers, but the lack of uniformity was also a point of confusion for students.

To address this, a new system has been implemented in which assignments fall under one of three categories: Daily Deliverables, Formative, and Summative.

Such categories each make up a certain percentage of a student’s grade in the class, with Daily Deliverables being weighted the least and Summative assignments being weighted the most. The exact weighting depends on the class, however.

“I think the idea was to create a common language, so that we’re using the same words in all of your subjects,” said Bresie.

Such language aims to set a clearer purpose for each assignment. For example, the Formative section of the

gradebook will typically include smaller assignments that build up students’ understanding of a topic.

The Summative category is comprised of larger assignments that demonstrate a more profound level of understanding of a unit. The previous policy of a 48-hour grace period for all Major assignments is applicable only for Summative assignments under the new system.

“It is like the summit,” said Bresie. “It is like the end of it a particular unit.”

The changes stemmed from the goal of Upper School administrators to simplify grading for both students and teachers. “[Teachers] were a little confused by the language and I think they were getting feedback from their students that maybe there [were] some inconsistencies,” said Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester.

Standardization Another problem addressed was the lack of parental involvement. Clear communication between teachers, students, and parents is vital in academic success, but it has often seemed as if parents were out of the loop.

Now, if a student fails to turn in an assignment, a missing work notification is sent to both the student’s and the parents’ email.

“In the past where a teacher is only messaging the student and [maybe] the student’s advisor on missing work and stuff that is maybe a major thing,” said Worcester. “And then all of a sudden, they never turn it in, they get poor grades and then the parents are like ‘I didn’t know anything about it.’”

The grading policy also aims to address standardization across classes and departments. In past years, each department and teacher could choose how to classify assignments.

“We talked about [classifying assignments] in the History Department and we still assign daily deliverables, but they’re not counting in the final grade,” Bresie said.

In the new system, daily deliverable assignments count little toward the final grade. Examples of daily deliverables include readings, notes and worksheets.

“I like to call [daily deliverables] ‘give me’ points, where people were getting A-pluses on things that really were just

busy-work and didn’t represent a lot of ‘A’ effort,” Bresie said.

This change signifies a shift away from grade inflation and challenges students to put more thought into their formative assignments.

Initial Impact Barely a month into the new school year, the impact of revamped grading policy is only beginning to come into focus.

Not having labels for every type of assignment pushes teachers to be more intentional with how they go about assigning work and how they go about weighting such assignments, according to Bresie.

“It forces teachers to articulate what they’re doing and why they’re doing it,” Bresie said. “And I hope that it helps students understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

But many students feel as though it does not help with their understanding of the grading system as a whole.

“I wouldn’t say it really clears that confusion because some teachers do still have slightly different ideas on the differences between Formative and Summative,” said sophomore Megan Czuchlewski.

Some students say the removal of the Daily Deliverable category in some classes places more weight on their shoulders – even if the point-total of a homework assignment is less than a quiz.

“I feel like it makes what I originally thought were smaller weighted items feel [like] a lot more when they’re graded as Formative,” said sophomore Sumedha Rapuri.

“For example, [homework assignments] are now weighted as the same thing as quizzes at times, and that makes me a lot more stressed.”

Despite the concerns, faculty and administrators said feedback from students and parents was a force behind the Upper School discussions that resulted in the grading policy changes.

“I think we’re always looking for ways to be better,” said Director of Academics Jason Yaffe. “How we go about that change needs to be very student-centered.” the

Graphics by Rachel Jiang

Evergreen Ever the

September 27, 2023

News

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STEM + Innovation Ramp Up Eitan Hahn, Mayer Sidikaro

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s the January opening of the Valdes STEM + Innovation center approaches, the Design and Innovation Department has taken steps to develop a range of new opportunities for students.

These steps include two new hires, the purchase of equipment and the introduction of new classes.

“All the equipment is already ordered,” Director of Design and Innovation Matt Abbondanzio said. “That’s going to be delivered in the first or second week of October.

From there, we’re going to be slowmoving into that space through the November-December timeframe.”

The opening of the new 52,000-square-foot space will create new opportunities for ambitious projects that the program’s current Upper School South location can’t support.

“The biggest thing is we’ll have space,” said Middle and Upper School Computer Science and Innovation teacher Joseph Meagher. “[The current space] is just not big enough to actually build things when we’re talking about engineering classes Joseph Meagher and automation robotics.”

In addition to more space, the new building will also provide an opportunity for collaboration between the Math, Science and Design and Innovation departments, as well as more interaction between Middle and Upper School students, according to Meagher.

One example of this is the planned merger of the Middle and Upper School robotics teams.

“Fifth graders will be able to work with seniors and vice versa,” Meagher said. “At a bare minimum, they’ll see what the Upper Schoolers are doing and hopefully get inspired.”

Once fully moved in, teachers and students will have access to new equipment such as a dust collector, i n du s t r i a l - g r a d e 3D printers and a robotic assembly line.

Pre viously, Upper Schoolers have been the primary users of this equipment.

Meagher says giving Middle Schoolers access is essential to create an innovation program that is known nationally.

“We want to do real work for companies,” Meagher said. “We want to build automated designs and we want to build software that solves real-world problems. That’s the tactical plan to get the strategic goal of being a global leader in design and innovation.”

New Faces To prepare for the program’s expansion, the Design and Innovation Department hired two new faculty members this year.

One of them is Innovation Lab Coordinator Taylor Reynolds, who previously taught seventh-grade English at a STEM-focused school.

“When I was thinking about making this transition to Greenhill, at the root of that decision was the love that I’ve developed

for STEM education over my years of teaching,” Reynolds said. “This new role has the opportunity to grow and change as our community and students’ needs grow and change.”

Reynolds says she is enjoying the transition from middle school English to Innovation Lab Coordinator “Just like our students, there are some skills and tools in the lab that I feel super, super confident in using while some of the skills are really new to me, but I have enjoyed the learning process of picking up these new skills and kind of widening my tool belt,” Reynolds said.

The second new hire is UX Design teacher Luna Kim. UX is shorthand for “user experience,” which in the design and innovation world means creating products for meaningful user experiences. Kim is a user-experience research and development educator with additional experience in graphic design.

“I hope to become a female adult presence in the D&I department that any and all Greenhill students feel comfortable approaching and receiving help from,” Kim said.

Kim and Reynolds say they have already developed a strong relationship in their shared goal of encouraging more female involvement in the school’s Design and Innovation program.

Kim and Reynolds have already begun to take steps to fulfill this vision.

“Right now,” Reynolds said, “my first step is always building those relationships, so we’re trying to get connected with the Greenhill community first and then develop a plan of action for student involvement, specifically female encouragement.”

Student Initiatives In another facet of the program’s growth, Greenhill students over the summer raised several thousand dollars in seed money for student-led research and innovation projects.

Abbondanzio said the money will be open to all students on campus.

“It could be a first grader, or it could be a senior who pitches an idea Matt Abbondanzio with a business plan,” Abbondanzio said.

“And at the end of the year, a rotating panel of executives will give feedback and judge the idea on its merits.”

Senior Zeffanaiah Sadler-Knight plans to pitch a business idea at the end of his senior year.

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We want to do real work for real companies. We want to build automated designs and we want to build software that solves realworld problems.”

“Through the engineering class, I found myself actually understanding more about myself, and how creativity really can be turned into something physical,” SadlerKnight said.

In Meagher’s engineering class, SadlerKnight created headgear for blind or visually impaired people that uses sonar sensors to help the wearer navigate the world around them. This invention was designed to replace

Photo by Ella Sadka

DESIGN + INNOVATION: Design Thinking to Open Entrepreneurship, a new Upper School class, engages in discussions of product design and research processes. walking sticks.

“After seeing a YouTube video of a man getting stopped over someone thinking his walking stick was a weapon, I made it my mission to create something that was helpful to those who needed a walking stick to navigate around,” SadlerKnight said.

Through projects like Sadler-Knight’s, the Design and Innovation program can become a place where students can work in the real business world, Abbondanzio said.

Since Abbondanzio began teaching at Greenhill in 2021, he has worked to explain the department’s

vision to the larger Greenhill community.

“The challenge is sort of getting the vision so that everyone understands it both at the [administration] level, and then down at the school level and the student level,” Abbondanzio said.

The vision, as Abbondanzio describes it, is an ambitious one.

“We’re trying to build a program that differentiates Greenhill from not just our local competitors but nationwide,” Abbondanzio said.

“What we’re trying to accomplish within that differentiation is building an affiliate program and growing our students’ skills.”

Graphics by Christan Park

04 News

Evergreen Ever the

Math Department Hires 4 Teachers Sophia Li

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our new teachers have joined the Upper School Math Department after a difficult year that saw the departure of three colleagues for various reasons.

All the department’s positions have been covered with the latest hires.

“I’d say February to April or May is a fairly normal time to hire teachers because at that time, they know that they’re either going to leave their school or exploring options,” said Upper School Math Department Chair Darryn Sandler.

“We were able to hire three teachers during that period. One we had to hire in the summer and that can sometimes be tricky, but we got very lucky finding such a great teacher in July.”

The four new Upper School math teachers are Bob Allison, Kent Thele, Olga Tzanev and Bobby Vadnais.

Allison taught in Dallas Independent School District for 26 years. He is now teaching Advanced Algebra II, Honors Algebra II and Advanced Precalculus. He also helps coach the varsity baseball team.

“Most of those years were at Bryan Adams High School,” Allison said. “I was at a middle school for three years and then I was at Bryan Adams for 22 years. Then, I was at Seagoville High School most recently.”

Thele teaches Honors Geometry, Advanced Algebra II, and Honors Precalculus. He previously taught math at John Paul II High School. Thele says that Greenhill has granted him the opportunity to establish closer relationships with students.

“Relationships are emphasized much more here,” Thele said. “Half the teacher’s school day is spent with students outside of class. We didn’t have nearly so many academic breaks at my Bob Allison previous schools.”

Tzanev teaches AP Calculus AB and Honors Algebra.

Some of her previous experiences include working at Institut International de Lancy, a private school in Geneva, and the Hockaday School.

“Before Greenhill, I was at Hockaday,” Tzanev said. “I taught a little bit [at] Dallas International School, but most of my career was in Switzerland and Geneva, where I’ve lived for 15 years and worked at an international school teaching physics and mathematics.”

Vadnais has over 25 years of experience teaching at Prestonwood Christian Academy.

He is teaching Advanced Geometry and Honors Geometry.

“Everything is great,” said Vadnais. “Going into any new school, there’s always going to be adjustments, but the students are very dedicated to work.”

To help with the transition process, new teachers were

paired with experienced Greenhill faculty members.

“Ms. Tzanev has spent a lot of time with Mrs. Chu and with Mr. Allison because they teach AP Calculus AB and Honors Algebra II respectively,” Sandler said. “I’ve spent time collaborating with Mr. Allison because we teach advanced precal together. Mr. Thele and Ms. Battis spent a lot of time working on Honors Precal.

Mr. Thele, Mr. Vadnais, Mr. Allison and Mr. Warner, have been collaborating Darryn Sandler about our Geometry courses and Advanced Algebra II.” Tzanev says that this system has facilitated a smooth transition.

“The fact that we have a partner set up for by the school is helpful, and I feel like I can reach out and ask for help anytime,” Tzanev said.

The greatest challenge thus far has been getting acclimated to school-specific systems and procedures, such as Blackbaud, the new teachers said.

“Just setting it all up took a little while because I’m just using different in-house software for the school,” she said.

Allison echoes this sentiment.

“I think the curriculum part and the content was not an issue, but [it was] just a new way of doing things, new systems, new procedures, new books, new everything,” Allison said.

Despite some initial challenges that the new faculty members had to overcome, Allison says that the department and student body culture has been excellent.

“At some places, the core beliefs or the vision or the mission can kind of be words on a paper, but you don’t necessarily see them in practice every day,” said Allison. “I don’t think that’s the case here, and I think that’s good.”

For Vadnais, his favorite part about Greenhill so far has been the student body’s diversity.

“I love the diversity of the students,” he said. “My father was in the military growing up and I lived in Japan for four years, so I’ve always been around diverse cultures and diverse people.”

After going through multiple teacher departures last year and a long hiring process, Sandler says that the department has become much stronger as a result.

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Going into any new school, there’s always going to be adjustments, but the students are very dedicated to work.”

“People look at it as if we have four new teachers, but they’re only new to Greenhill. They are very, very experienced,” said Sandler. “It’s odd to think four new people joining a department is a good thing, but I think the Math Department got significantly stronger with the addition of our four new colleagues.”

Graphic by Rachel Jiang

Homecoming Theme Y2K – shorthand for the year 2000 – is the 2023 homecoming theme. To bring the theme to life, the Student Council and student volunteers have been working over the past few weeks to create activities and decorations reminiscent of the time. These decorations will cover the Upper School halls, locker rooms and pods. The decorations will include replicas of Y2K movie posters, album covers, photos of athletes and more.

Halloween Improv Show The Improv Troupe will host their first show of the year on Oct. 12. It will have a Halloween theme and will feature improv games such as “The Dating Game,” “Shift Left” and “Forward and Reverse.” The troupe will also perform a musical improv scene called “Sing About It.” The troupe recently held auditions and added six new members who will perform for the first time at the show.

Hornets Win! On Sept. 1, the Greenhill football team won its first official game in over four years. The Hornets beat Coram Deo Academy 49-20. Senior Mateo Lanzillotta led the team to victory with more than 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Following the win, student fans celebrated by storming the field with the players.

US Strings and Dance Concert The first Upper School Orchestra and Dance Company performance will be on Oct. 16 in Rose Hall. The Orchestra will play “Boisterous Bourree” by Benjamin Britten and “Mystic Lair” by Sean O’Loughlin. They will be accompanied by the Upper and Middle School Dance Companies.

Hornet Night Greenhill hosted their annual fall Hornet night on Sept.

22 to support student athletes. The theme for the night was a white-out. Every fall sport competed at Greenhill on Friday, except for cross country, which raced on Saturday. The night included games and food on the Middle School basketball slab. The Greenhill football team capped the night with a game against Fort Worth Country Day.

Band Concert The Upper and Middle School bands will perform on Oct. 10 on the Quad at 6:30 p.m. The Upper School band is going to perform “Let’s Get Loud,” arranged by Victor Lopez. For their winter concert, the Upper School band is commissioning a song by Jorge L. Vargas called “Into the Hornet’s Nest!”

Hispanic Heritage Month Hispanic Heritage Month began on Sept. 15. To celebrate the start of the month, representatives from the Latin Student Union gave a presentation to the Upper School on Sept. 19 at the Rose Hall assembly. The presentation highlighted the contributions of Hispanic people in STEM, arts and music.

Photo by Ella Sadka

NEW METHODS: Bob Allison engages his Honors Algebra II students by having them solve problems on whiteboards, and when finished, students hold their whiteboards in the air, showing the class their work.

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Middle School

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Field Trips, MS Adds New Faculty Summer Travel S Planned Aiden White

William Maher

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he Middle School is offering opportunities for students to go on in-school field trips as well as optional summer travel this year.

Last summer, there were two Middle School summer travel trips. Science teacher Gretchen Pollom led students and parents to Costa Rica. And English teacher Melanie Girard and history teacher James Herman led a group of students to three national parks: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion. “[We were] able to get a lot of these boys out of their comfort zone, [and] kinda push ’em a little bit,” Herman said. “There was also an element of selfreliance.”

Seventh-grade student Josiah Chu says he enjoyed his experience.

“We hiked a little bit, we kayaked, and we also went into canyons to explore,” Chu said. “It was really fun.”

More travel has been added for next summer, including a trip to Portugal and Spain led by MS Learning Specialist Karrie Piper. Both students and parents are invited on the trip, which is intended to explore historical and cultural sites.

“We’ll go to Gibraltar, and actually get to peek across the strait and see Africa,” said Herman, who will be going on the Portugal and Spain trip.

In addition to the summer trips, each grade level will go on field trips related to a “grade level goal” and their curriculum for the year.

This year, the eighth grade has a goal for the Washington, D.C. trip to “create informed citizens and critical thinkers.”

Seventh grade has two field trips this year. The first trip is to Group Dynamix, an indoor event space where students can participate in team-bonding activities.

The grade level goal for this trip is to “learn to work together and to trust each other.”

Later in the year, seventh-grade students will read “Maus II,” a graphic novel that details a Holocaust survivor’s experience. To supplement the reading, seventh-grade students will visit the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. The grade-level goal for this trip is to develop a deeper understanding and connection to the literature and historical events students learn about in class, according to Head of Middle School Susan Palmer.

The trips for students in the fifth and sixth grades are focused on building connections and learning how to problem-solve.

“The activities that they do are around building community,” Palmer said.

This year, fifth-grade students will take a field trip to Vitruvian Park, where they will participate in team-bonding games. Sixth grade will work on teambuilding and problem solving at Collin County Adventure Camp, which is hosted by the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.

These upcoming trips are intended to strengthen students’ understanding of their curriculum as well as help students develop social values.

“I look at these trips, especially the national parks, as an extension of what we are learning in the classroom,” Herman said.

even new faculty members have joined the Middle School for the 2023-24 school year.

The new teachers are: Julie Angle and Megan Bret, science; Eric Schoonard, math; Will Reynolds, history; Patricia Morales, Spanish; Grace Chwa, Middle and Upper School Chinese; and Luna Kim, who teaches Middle and Upper School UX Design.

Robert Henshel, who is a member of the Math Department, previously taught in Upper School.

The new faculty members have already begun engaging with students through classes, research projects and academic initiatives.

“I would love to Julie Angle be able to work with some Middle School and high school kids on a science fair project,” Angle said, having

run the State Science and Engineering Fair in Oklahoma. “Texas has a very competitive science and engineering program, so I would love for some of the Greenhill kids [to be] recognized for their research endeavors.”

Morales says she hopes to bring students closer to Spanish culture.

“Hispanic Heritage Month is about to start,” Morales said. “We want to be able to demonstrate and showcase Hispanic figures that have done something great.”

Many new faculty have arrived in the Middle School with previous teaching experience.

Reynolds attended Austin College and taught in Texas for four years before teaching at two schools in New York for the past five years. After moving back to Texas, he decided to apply to Greenhill.

“They had an open position and I applied and was invited to come down,” Reynolds said.

“I really enjoyed my time on campus, and it was an easy yes when I was getting the offer.”

Angle was a high school science teacher for 25 years before becoming a professor at Oklahoma State University and training students to be science teachers.

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We want to be able to demonstrate and showcase Hispanic figures that have done something great.”

“We’re getting the full benefit from her background,” Head of Middle School Susan Palmer said. “She ha[d] been teaching people to be science teachers.”

Angle says she wanted to move home to her family in Dallas.

“Our new teachers are fantastic,” Palmer said. “I even think during orientation, they were helping with so many decisions to open school and their voices are already being heard.”

Graphics by Christan Park

New Faces, New Spaces, New Policies Scarlett Song, Gracie Tamez

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he Middle School continues to be a dynamic part of Greenhill, with many changes being implemented year after year. This school year, there have been a multitude of adjustments, ranging from new hires to physical alterations to the Levy Middle School Building.

Administrators also examined and reevaluated the student handbook to focus on discipline, partnership and selfimprovement.

In terms of administrative changes, a new policy emphasizes the environment, community, relationships and technology.

“It’s more aspirational than punitive, and it also has a greater degree of partnership with parents,” Head of Middle School Susan Palmer said.

Another change this year can be seen in the Math Department. The Middle School team worked through the summer to align concepts and create student-centered classrooms.

“Every year in Middle School brings something a little bit new and I think our teachers are not wedded to just doing things like they’ve always done,” Palmer said.

There have also been improvements Susan Palmer in the Design and Innovation Department. UX Design teacher Luna Kim joined the team, and her real-world industry experience is being implemented into that program.

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Every year in Middle School brings something a little bit new and I think our teachers are not wedded to just doing things like they’ve always done.”

Many new courses this year teach skills and processes that can be applied in real life.

“The Middle School students will have the opportunity to get a head start on learning the skills that are taught and developed in the Upper School courses,” Kim said.

Photo by Gracie Tamez

PACKING UP: Among other changes and adjustments, Middle School lockers have been replaced by open shelving to hold students’ bags, books and belongings.

Students who take the Web Design, Graphic Design, and Online Entrepreneur classes can gain logic-based thinking skills, along with text and object-oriented programming skills. According to Kim, her goal is to debunk common fears about technology and coding space.

“Coding and designing applications can feel daunting and foreign,” Kim said. “I hope to create a safe bridge between beginner and advanced programmers and designers so that everyone feels welcome to the program, even if they just want to dip their toes in for a semester.”

Another change is the significant increase in students.

“We have more students than ever before, bringing fresh life into the Middle School,” Palmer said. “It’s exciting to have new people ready to be part of the community.”

The faculty team expanded as well, and several new teachers were hired to fill the spots left by departures.

Since there are more people in the building – both students and faculty – physical adjustments have been made to the building. The Middle School administration made the decision to remove all the lockers,

resulting in a wall with open shelving.

This decision was partially fueled by the increase in the student body, as each grade only had 99 lockers available, and there would not have been enough for everyone.

The need for mobility was also factored into the removal, as the lockers took up much of the hallway space.

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We have more students than ever before, bringing fresh life into the Middle School. It’s exciting to have new people ready to be a part of the community.”

“People were navigating a very crowded and little area,” said Palmer. “It was loud, intimidating and chaotic, especially with the rolling backpacks, which increased the amount of people that knocked into each other.”

With curriculum, instructor, and physical changes, administrators say they hope that students will be able to broaden their horizons and deepen their understanding, setting a good foundation for their future in the Upper School.

Features

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Shaping the Nation’s Narrative: Robyn Patterson ‘11 Sophia Li ne day in her sophomore year, Robyn Patterson ’11 delved into a debate topic on whether the U. S. federal government should increase incentives for alternative energy sources. Little did she know, this single topic would instill in her a lasting desire to fight for equality and climate justice.

These days, Patterson is fighting these battles as an assistant press secretary in the White House.

Patterson’s path to the White House was not a straightforward journey. She gained experience in government by working for over 10 different politicians, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

“I kind of hopscotched around government and campaigns, working for people that I believe in and also causes I believe in,” Patterson said.

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White House Work Though Patterson has always been politically minded, she knew she wanted to work at the White House after an internship in 2014.

“I interned in the White House Press Office, where I had the chance to work with the people who have my job now, and that experience made me want to work in press and communications,” she said.

As a White House assistant press secretary, Patterson acts as a spokesperson on multiple national issues, covering the economic, technology, labor, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.

“If a reporter at the New York Times or Politico or whoever wants to reach out wants to write about White House policy on infrastructure or tech or manufacturing, then I work with them to give them the information they need,” she said.

Her work begins at 7:30 a.m. each morning with a meeting with the press team to discuss current White House proceedings. After that, Patterson spends most of her day speaking to reporters or policy experts.

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“I interned in the White House Press Office where I had the chance to work with the people who have my job now, and that experience made me want to work in the press,”

“I spend most of my day either on the phone with reporters or in policy meetings,” Patterson said. “In terms of politicians and government, I mostly work with folks at the White House, but alongside me working there on these different issues areas are policy experts who devote their lives to tech policy or labor policy or infrastructure policy.”

On top of speaking with reporters and policy experts, Patterson also collaborates with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“I both prepare the White House press secretary for the White House press briefing and help her get ready to answer questions on my issue areas,” she said.

Despite only having held this position for a year, Patterson has worked with reporters from countless news outlets.

“I’ve worked with the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, Politico, NPR,” said Patterson. “If you can think of a news organization, I’ve probably worked with them.”

Patterson says an integral part of her job involves developing a deep understanding of different topics.

“The thing that I do best is learn all that I can about the issues that I work on so that when [reporters] come to me wanting to write a story on what the president is proposing to regulate artificial intelligence, I can know what the president’s policy is,” she said. “I can explain what meetings the president has had with [artificial intelligence] experts in society, and I can talk about the President’s priorities are on the topic.”

To build her knowledge base, she works closely with the Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation and Treasury Department.

“It’s my job to be the liaison between them and outlets writing about those policies to make sure they understand the intricacies of our policies and what goals we’re trying to accomplish,” said Patterson.

However, work at the White House does not come

Photo courtesy of Robyn Patterson

FROM THE HILL TO THE WHITE HOUSE: Robyn Patterson ’11 poses in front of the White House where she works as assistant press secretary. She spends her days speaking to reporters and meeting with various policymakers. without challenges. She says that the hardest part about being assistant press secretary is the long work hours.

“The news never stops,” she said. “Reporters never stop asking questions or writing stories, so we have to be on pretty much all the time.”

Greenhill Roots Patterson says her interest in government and politics developed while she was at Greenhill. During her years in the Upper School, she spent most of her extracurricular time on debate.

“I was on the debate team for four years, and I knew I was passionate about LGBTQ issues and issues of economic equality,” she said. “Working for Democrats and in politics seemed like a very natural fit.”

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Director of Debate Aaron Timmons.

“Timmons was my debate coach,” she said. “Obviously Mr. Timmons was there way before me and now long after me.”

Another influential teacher for Patterson was Upper School history teacher Scott Cotton. According to Cotton, she embodied all the traits of a Scott Cotton model student. “[She was] one of the sharpest kids in the class, very engaged, very well read,” he said. “[She] didn’t actually worry that much about grades, like just wanted to learn.”

Cotton says that Patterson’s current work at the White House is a seamless fit for her.

“I knew she was interested in this stuff,” said Cotton.

“She was ambitious and talented and going places, so it doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

The news never stops. Reporters never stop asking questions or writing stories, so we have to be on pretty much all the time.”

Not only did Greenhill’s debate team reaffirm her desire to work in government, but it gave her the skill sets to excel at her job.

“Doing policy debate at Greenhill was some of the best preparation for what I do now – the research, the advocacy, the organization,” said Patterson.

Patterson’s love for debate extended beyond high school, as she joined the debate team at the University of Southern California. However, she says her high school debate experience will always hold special value for her.

“Very few days go by where I don’t think about, you know, the debate team and how that preparation helped prepare me for what I do now,” said Patterson.

She attributes much of her current accomplishments and beliefs to the close-knit, communityoriented environment that is so central to Greenhill.

“Going to Greenhill and being there for 12 years, it made me a better student,” Patterson said. “It made me a harder worker, but I also think it taught me how to be part of a community and Aaron Timmons how to be compassionate and to share the advantages that I’ve been given.”

Patterson’s teachers at Greenhill were a key component of this developmental journey. One of those teachers was

Words of Wisdom Although working at the White House is a “dream come true,” Patterson said, the work goes far beyond the position’s prestige.

“I worked for the candidates I worked for because I believe that people should be paid fair wages for their work,” she said. “I think that we should have affordable housing. I think people should have healthcare. I think we should fight climate change, and so I think it is very difficult to work a campaign for very long hours without believing in the broader purpose.”

Patterson advises anyone interested in pursuing government to identify with a cause they are passionate about, rather than focusing on achieving a particular government position.

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“I think that we should have affordable housing. I think people should have healthcare.

I think we should fight climate change, and so I think it is very difficult to work a campaign for very long hours without believing in the broader purpose.”

“I do think that if people want to work in government or politics, it shouldn’t all be about the job or the title,” Patterson said. “It needs to be about believing in something and believing in the people that you work for.”

Evergreen Ever the

September 27, 2023

Summer Round Up

Features

07

Gabi Appel, Chloe Nguyen

Greenhill students took part in internships, club sports, jobs at local businesses and other activities over the summer. The Evergreen spoke with students about their summers. Here’s a lightly edited transcript of what some had to say: “My family and I went around to a lot of different places including Switzerland, Austria and Zurich, where we did various activities. My favorite part was swimming in one of the lakes in Switzerland and parasailing off one of the mountains.”

“I practiced a lot of field hockey with my club team and attended Greenhill’s summer scrimmages as well. I traveled to field hockey camps and clinics in Maryland and California.”

– junior Jane Hark

– junior Amanda Park

“I spent three weeks at the B’nai B’rith Perlman Camp learning how to become a leader in my BBYO community at home. From discussing global issues with teens from all around the globe, to learning more about my Jewish heritage, it was truly a great experience.”

“I went to the University of Oregon for the Nike Outdoor Nationals. I competed in long jump and high jump, receiving second place in high jump with a 5-foot 4.5-inch jump.”

– sophomore Nia Harrison “I started my Summer job halfway through June because I didn’t really have much going on. So, I just went around [to] all these shops asking if they were hiring and ended up getting hired and having a lot of fun at Massage Heights.”

– junior Ashley Weinstein

“[My team and I] competed in [soccer] nationals in California, and my recruiting process took off from there. Since nationals, I have visited a lot of colleges and committed to the University of Tennessee.”

– senior Devin Davis “I spent my summer working at Lily Rain, which is a clothing boutique. While at work, I met so many new people and learned workplace skills that will be valuable for me in the future.”

– senior Hanlon Shedd “I was lucky enough to work with a metallurgical engineering professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, in Kharagpur, India. What stood out to me was being able to collaborate with other professors and students, both virtually and when I visited IIT campus.”

“Over the summer I went to camp at Mo Ranch in Texas. I really enjoyed getting away from school and real life and just getting to live freely.”

– senior Susie Fagelman

– freshman Jenna Stenberg

“I attended a three-week summer program at Brown University, where I got to take interesting classes and explore the school’s campus. I took a two-week class about genetics and epigenetics and a one-week course about history and sociology.”

– sophomore Valentina Casas-Sayek “The escape from Dallas is always so peaceful, and I love reuniting with my childhood friends.”

– senior Josie Arbuckle, on her family’s annual trip to San Francisco and Napa, Calif., where she grew up

– senior Dibyadeep Saha Graphics by Chloe Nguyen

08 Features

Evergreen Ever the

Senior Spotlight: Josie Arbuckle Kate Ponnambalam, Sasha Wai

F

rom the moment 2-month-old Josie Arbuckle first dipped her feet into a pool, swimming held a special place in her heart.

Arbuckle began taking swimming lessons at the age of 4 while living in Napa, Calif. Two years later, she joined her first swim team at a gym near her house.

The next step in her development progression was the competitive Napa Valley Swim Team. There, her training intensified, and Arbuckle’s love of swimming began in earnest.

“There’s something about the act itself that’s also really rewarding for me,” Arbuckle said. “I think it’s very peaceful. It’s a space where I jump in the pool and the world isn’t really there.”

When she was 12, Arbuckle moved to Texas and joined the highly regarded Dallas Mustangs swim team. She has continued to swim at the club ever since. “[Dallas Mustangs] basically keeps me loving the sport,” said Arbuckle. “It keeps me continuing wanting to grow with it and continuing wanting to push myself.”

An Uphill Battle Around the time that she moved to Texas, Arbuckle received an alarming diagnosis of scoliosis. She had three abnormal curvatures in her neck, mid-back and lower back. She was given two options. She could commit to wearing a brace for more than 20 hours a day, or get her spine fused and never be able to swim again.

Arbuckle says she was tempted to choose the latter option because it was her first year in Dallas and she feared a brace would deter her from making friends. But she opted for the brace, with all the challenges that entailed.

“I almost wanted to go to surgery because then I wouldn’t have to wear [the brace],” said Arbuckle.

By the middle of Arbuckle’s freshman year, after wearing the brace for two years, her doctor finally told her that she no longer needed to wear it.

Arbuckle says the ordeal intensified her love for swimming because her time in the water offered an escape from the brace.

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I think it’s very peaceful. It’s a space where I jump in the pool and the world isn’t really there.”

“I felt very normal,” Arbuckle said of her time in the water. “I’m not walking around with a brace on my back, and I’m not the girl with the brace at school.”

Team Spirit Throughout her time in high school, Arbuckle has been a member of both the Dallas Mustangs and the Greenhill varsity swim team.

Varsity Swimming Head Coach Patti Monzingo says Arbuckle quickly Patti Monzingo found her place on the team as a freshman.

“She fit in easily to a group who have been together at Greenhill for a long time,” said Monzingo.

For most of her swimming career, Arbuckle has trained alongside her brother, J.J., a junior at Greenhill. He describes her as a strong leader in the pool.

“In the group, she will be the one making the jokes during hard workouts, she’ll be the one uplifting other people,” said J.J. Arbuckle. “She’s a really good teammate, not just to me, but to everyone else around her.”

Josie says she first realized that she had a chance to swim at the collegiate level in her freshman year.

“I remember one of the girls I idolized the most committed to [University of Texas at Austin] and it’s the best swim school in the country,” she said. “I was blown away by that.”

Josie described the recruitment process as tough and sometimes disheartening.

“For me personally, I think it was a bit of a discouraging process,” she said. “It is a lot of people telling you you’re not good enough.”

Photo courtesy of Josie Arbuckle

TRAINING DILIGENTLY: Senior Josie Arbuckle has found consistent success with the guidance of Dallas Mustangs coaches Hugo Martinez and Mook Rhodenbaugh.

Photo courtesy of Josie Arbuckle

GOLD MEDALIST: At the 2023 Southwest Prepatory Conference meet, Josie Arbuckle broke two school and conference records in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle.

When deciding between multiple offers, she said she wanted a school that had good culture, academics and athletics. In the end, she verbally committed to the University of California at Los Angeles in the spring of her junior year.

“It is a blessing at the end of the day, and it is something really positive,” she said.

Beyond the Pool Amid the college recruitment process in her junior year, Arbuckle juggled multiple Advanced Placement and Honors classes.

She attributed her athletic and academic success to her dedicated mindset.

“I’m big on contrast; whatever you’re doing, just be very present and give all of yourself to that moment,” said Arbuckle.

Senior Sophie Schwartz, a competitive tennis player, commends Arbuckle’s work ethic.

“She’s very on top of all her responsibilities,” Schwartz said. “She takes a lot of hard classes, is super competitive in swim and very successful in everything she does because she’s on top of everything she does.”

After a hectic junior year, Arbuckle says she felt disconnected from her grade and the Greenhill community. However, after committing to UCLA, she began to devote more time to pursuing new activities. That included running for senior class vice president.

“I wanted to help shape the trajectory of our senior year and have the ability to help put together a really fun experience for everyone,” she said.

As a result of a tie in the election for vice president, Arbuckle and fellow senior Mason Chow both share the position.

Arbuckle says she believes that serving as the captain of the Greenhill varsity swimming team last year gave her the confidence to pursue a J.J. Arbuckle leadership role over a wider group.

“It’s always good to have experience managing a smaller group before you go work with an entire grade,” Arbuckle said.

Another area that Arbuckle has prioritized is her religious faith. Prior to Greenhill, Arbuckle and her brother attended a Catholic school. The transition to a secular school left Josie yearning for a space to express her faith among fellow Christians.

During her sophomore year, she joined the

Christian Student Coalition and became copresident last year with her brother.

“We just felt it was important to have a continuation of that space through our time here because there are other people who want to come in and have those important conversations,” she said.

Amid her busy academic and athletic schedule, Arbuckle says her faith has grounded and steadied her. She prays before swim meets, a practice that gives her peace and perspective, Arbuckle said.

“I pray and I say, ‘I give it to God. Whatever happens, it’s in your hands,’” Arbuckle said.

She also has a strong bond with her brother and younger sister, Jordan, beyond the pool.

“I definitely do see her as a role model,” J.J. Arbuckle said. “I definitely want to strive to be like her and swim in college and be a really good student like her.”

He further appreciates his sister’s kindness.

“She really goes above and beyond for her siblings, even if it’s just doing a little chore that maybe our parents asked all of us to do, but she will be the one to do the chore,” said J.J. “She always takes the high road in the sibling relationships.”

History teacher Sidrah Khan, Josie Arbuckle’s advisor, also praised her maturity and judgment.

“Josie is very reliable, she’s always kind,” Khan said. “I know I can count on her to do the right thing.”

Senior Arjun Melwani echoes that praise.

“She cares,” Melwani said. “She cares about her friends. She cares about her school.

She cares about doing the best she can on everything. She cares about her swimming.”

Looking Forward Though Josie Arbuckle cherishes her Greenhill swim team and community, her dreams extend far beyond her high school career. During her time at UCLA, she hopes to compete at the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.

“That meet is so fast and it’s so competitive but that’s always been the goal,” Arbuckle said.

Beyond her ambitions of an NCAA championship, Arbuckle aspires to compete on an international stage. Arbuckle said she hopes her countless hours in the pool will earn her a spot in the 2028 Olympic swimming trials in Los Angeles.

“It’s going to take a lot more hard work,” Arbuckle said. “I have a long way to go to get there, but I do think it’s possible.”

Graphics by Bette Tomecko

Evergreen Ever the

September 27, 2023

Features

09

Students Explore New Perspectives Abroad Emily Hu

F

or senior Ava Klein, studying abroad was a dream – literally.

“I actually had a dream that I was in Italy studying abroad,” Klein said. “I woke up and was like, ‘yeah, I have to.’”

Klein’s dream became a reality last summer when she had the opportunity to spend five weeks in Italy in a School Year Abroad program.

Klein is one of several Greenhill students who spent part of their summer break traveling or studying abroad.

Senior Helina Tedros attended a School Year Abroad summer program in France.

“I wanted to go abroad because I love French culture and language,” Tedros said.

“The opportunity to immerse myself in a different country was appealing because of my proficiency in the language.”

Juniors Liam Fagelman, Jack Stone, Eitan Hahn, Mayer Sidikaro and Cole Feldman traveled to Israel through RootOne, a national group that organizes and funds summer trips to Israel for Jewish teenagers.

“My dad went on this same trip many years ago,” said Fagelman. “I’ve also heard about it from other people, and it was just really important to see and explore my culture.”

Italy and France Arriving in Europe, Klein and Tedros met their host families and acquainted themselves with their new homes for the next month. Klein lived in Viterbo, Italy, and Tedros in Rennes, France.

“It was just really hard to get comfortable living with another family,” Klein said. “My host parents didn’t speak any English at all, so my host sisters were having to translate everything.”

For Tedros, it was a little easier to adjust because there was no language barrier.

“Settling into a new home is always going to be a little awkward at the beginning, but my host family was super kind and welcoming,” Tedros said.

Soon, they settled into routines. School days were roughly 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and students did a combination of classroom learning, day trips and week-long trips

around the country.

Klein took three classes: Italian, art history and global history.

“We would learn about many social things in Italy and compare them to society in America,” she said. “It was really interesting to identify those differences.”

Guest speakers covered a range of topics, including a comparison of feminism in America and Italy, immigration experiences and the ordeal of Italy’s Jewish population during World War II. Tedros studied Ava Klein the language and took classes in cinema, French history and art history.

“We visited a lot of castles, and we also had excursions like Acrobranch, which was a huge rope climbing and zipline course,” Tedros said. “We visited many different little cities and talked to locals.”

Klein visited Terracina, where she and her friends stayed in a bungalow. They also visited Pompeii, Florence and Rome, in addition to spending her final week in Sicily.

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Settling into a new home is always going to be a little awkward at the beginning, but my host family was super kind and welcoming.”

“I really liked how much time we spent at the beach,” said Klein. “It was just a really fun time to get super close with friends.”

Tedros visited Normandy and stayed a week in Paris, where she was able to see the Tour de France.

“Paris is beautiful,” said Tedros. “The best part wasn’t the regular tourist locations, though. We were able to see many local spots because the teacher knew the area extremely well.”

Israel Stone, Hahn, Feldman, Sidikaro and Fagelman spent three weeks exploring Israel with more than two dozen young people

Photo courtesy of Eitan Hahn

JEWISH PRIDE: From left to right, juniors Mayer Sidikaro, Liam Fagelman, Cole Feldman, Eitan Hahn and Jack Stone pose with an Israeli flag in the Negev Desert. from Dallas.

The group started in southern Israel, in the Negev Desert, where they toured many museums. Everyone stayed in a kibbutz – a community of Jewish families that live and share their income.

“It was really fun because there was a courtyard, meaning everyone on our trip was able to hang out at night in a big, shared space,” said Fagelman.

They traveled to Jerusalem twice and Tel Aviv once, where they toured a lot of historical landmarks.

In Jerusalem, Fagelman says they spent many days shopping on Ben Yehuda Street, a long pedestrian mall known for its eateries, souvenirs and live Liam Fagelman music.

“Tel Aviv is the city that everyone wants to go to,” said Fagelman. “It’s the most popular in Israel and it was really fun.”

The group also traveled to the Sea of Galilee in the northern part of the country.

“We stayed in a kibbutz there and there were other groups, like one from Baltimore,” said Fagelman. “We would play basketball with them, and it was a good opportunity to meet many new people.”

New Perspectives

Photo courtesy of Ava Klein

FOREVER FRIENDS: Senior Ava Klein poses with fellow School Year Abroad students in Viterbo, Italy, where she learned the country’s language, culture and history.

Though students do not often attend summer abroad programs through Greenhill, 10th Grade Class Dean Jason Gajderowicz helps students connect to various study abroad programs during the school year.

“The best part of travel for me is always getting perspective, and it teaches you empathy for people that you don’t think about in other parts of the world,” he said.

This school year, there are seven students, including sophomores and juniors, who plan to spend a semester or full year abroad. While some will only be a few hours away in California, others are traveling around the world to South Africa, Switzerland and England.

“It’s easy to know that there are people in Europe, South America, South Africa and

more,” Gajderowicz said. “But when you actually go there, you see them living their lives day to day and realize it’s a community that runs the same as any other one.”

Similar to that sentiment, Klein says she was introduced to a variety of new perspectives.

“It was cool to meet all these people from across the country because here, everyone has similar opinions,” Klein said.

“I met people from New York, Los Angeles, Hawaii and more, and I heard about different perspectives I’ve never experienced before.”

Fagelman says being able to bond with people he just met was also a new and special experience.

“While obviously fun, it was super cool to be in a completely Jewish state, especially because the Jewish population around the world is very small,” Fagelman said. “It was really important that I was able to do that at least once.”

After returning to their regular lives in Dallas, students say the connections they made are long-lasting.

“I’ve made lifelong friends that I talk to every single day,” said Tedros. “And I also have a second family in France that is willing to host me again when I go visit.”

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It was cool to meet all these people from across the country because here, everyone has similar opinions.”

Tedros says that being introduced to new perspectives has simply made her a more open-minded person in her everyday life.

Gajderowicz agrees. Spending time outside the U.S. can allow students to see the world in-person instead of through a screen, he said.

“Going abroad really expands your consciousness and coming to grips with that reality is a powerful moment,” said Gajderowicz. “You can sit in a classroom and watch YouTube videos, but I don’t know how many experiences there are that you can have without actually going to a place and experiencing it in full.”

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Arts

The “Barbenheimer” Buzz

Nora Ahearn, Aria Kutty

T

his past summer, in one of the biggest pop culture events of the post-COVID-19 era, moviegoers packed into theaters across the country to watch a pair of polar-opposite films about the modern American experience.

Critically acclaimed directors Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan triggered the film frenzy with blockbusters both released on July 21.

And with that, the public imagination of the double feature caught fire.

First coined by Matt Neglia, editor-in-chief of the entertainment awards website Next Best Picture, the term “Barbenheimer” gave birth to elaborate memes that littered social media platforms.

On TikTok, the hashtag “#Barbenheimer” boasts over 1.1 billion views.

Many students argue that the virality of “Barbenheimer” is part of what contributed to the success of the two films.

“The culmination of the memes and everything else happening online probably really fueled people to want to go watch both, and I think it’s amazing,” said junior J.J. Arbuckle.

The two films could hardly have been more different: a colorful, comedic, feminist movie about a children’s doll, and a dark, biographicalthriller about an infamous nuclear physicist. Many believe the stark difference between the films is what drove people to the theaters.

“The idea of dressing up and paying to go see ‘Barbie’ and then going straight to this film about a nuclear bomb was hilarious,” junior Claire Brophy said.

“Oppenheimer” That film “about a nuclear bomb” was inspired by the 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, “American Prometheus,” by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin.

Although it is widely known that the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan during World War II, few understand the full measure of the man behind the world-altering science. Nolan’s three-hour biopic “Oppenheimer” tells the story.

The film examines the tribulations of J. Robert Oppenheimer, dubbed “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” before, during and after the construction of his fearsome government-funded weapon.

For many Greenhill students, the choice to make a movie about the physicist behind the bombs rather than the atomic bombings themselves helped humanize Oppenheimer and highlight the complex relationship between American pride

and morality.

“I think showing his life rather than just showing his time at Los Alamos really helped show the whole story of how Oppenheimer struggled with his relationship with the government and his own morals,” said sophomore Maya Jagsi.

The need for historical accuracy heavily influenced the way in which the movie characterizes the events of Oppenheimer’s life. From the constant smoking of cigarettes to telling President Harry S. Truman, “I feel that I have blood on my hands,” every detail was intentional.

“The cinematography, the music and the editing really make it feel pretty big, which is kind of like [what] the stakes [are] of the conversations that they’re actually having,” senior Krish Mysoor said.

The authentic feel of the film is also enhanced by the lack of major computergenerated imagery, or CGI — even for explosions.

“It definitely makes it feel like a more grounded story,” said sophomore Beckett Whitten. “If there was a whole bunch of CGI, it wouldn’t feel as [much] like a character drama.”

Nolan’s desire to make the viewer feel as though they are walking in Oppenheimer’s shoes reflects the reason why he made the film in the first place: to tell a more personal version of a historically significant event. While many can read about Oppenheimer’s scientific achievements and advancements, resources about his personal life are harder to come by.

However, with a long and complicated story comes a long and complicated movie. The movie’s three-hour running time has prompted criticism and deterred some viewers.

“I thought it was unnecessarily long after they launched the bomb,” said sophomore Albertina Pascual-Cisneros.

Despite its length, “Oppenheimer” was a commercial success and a hit with most critics. According to CNBC, its first box office weekend brought in $82.4 million in boxoffice receipts.

One of the keys to the film’s financial success was its ability to attract more than history fanatics.

“This movie has gotten people more interested in elements of history that they didn’t know about,” said Whitten.

“Barbie” Taking a sharp turn away from the dark and moody setting of “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” takes place in sunny Los Angeles and bright pink “Barbie Land.” Despite its seemingly cheerful concept, the leadup to the release of Gerwig’s “Barbie” was filled with criticism. Gerwig was coming off the success of her two previous directorial features, “Lady Bird” and “Little Women,” making critics question her decision to direct a film about a children’s doll.

“People immediately started throwing her under the bus,” Upper School Fine Arts Chair and Video Production instructor Corbin Doyle said. “They had seen zero Corbin Doyle seconds of it, just that one trailer, and the kicking of her was immense.”

However, as the release date approached, the marketing for the film took off. Soon, it became impossible to escape the film. From a Barbie-themed cruise to hot pink billboards, ads for “Barbie” were everywhere. “ T h e y spent a lot of time and effort and money on marketing,” Pascual-Cisneros said. “I think it paid off.”

Evidently it did, as “Barbie” generated $155 million in the first three days of its release. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the theaters, many even dressing up for the occasion.

“I had an amazing outfit in my closet that I wore,” junior Bowen Thomas said. “I had a floral suit jacket, Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and a pink fedora.”

While the excitement could be felt in theaters everywhere, the response to “Barbie” was extremely polarized. On one side, many people praised the film for its representation of modern-day struggles of

Photo courtesy of Brett Levy

BARBIE WITH FRIENDS: It is a trend to dress up in pink to go watch “Barbie” and black for “Oppenheimer.” women.

“Barbie really opened a window to what it is actually like for women,” sophomore Meghan Czuchlewski said. “It’s for people who may not realize that women are in the shadows.”

Arbuckle underscores this sentiment.

“I had never thought of what women go through on a daily like basis in that way before and to that extent, so I think it [was] really eye-opening,” Arbuckle said. “Also, with the wide range of characters in the film, it kind of had something for everyone to kind of relate to.”

However, many critics knocked the film for being too progressive.

“I saw a lot of people online hating the film,” junior Brynn Zawadzki said. “People were saying it was ‘too feminist and man-hating.’ It was weird.”

Podcast host and conservative speaker Matt Walsh deemed the film as “the most aggressively anti-man, feminist propaganda-fest ever put to film.” His stance was echoed by numerous other conservative leaders in the media.

Doyle rejects this view.

“Fifty years from now, there are going to be filmmakers that are going to talk about ‘Barbie’ being the key for them,” he said. “This film could not be made in 2000. It could not have been made in 2020. It is now. And it is so important.”

The Barbenheimer Legacy Since both films initially seemed to appeal to different audiences, the excitement and anticipation preceding their release was remarkable.

The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon resulted in people watching films that might not have initially piqued their interest, Arbuckle said.

“They are just such radically different films, which kind of speaks to how people are really trying to watch films that they usually wouldn’t,” Arbuckle said.

Brophy agreed.

She says she stepped out of her comfort zone when going to watch “Oppenheimer.”

“I don’t really know, but I think I would have gone to see ‘Oppenheimer’ e v e n t u a l l y ,” Brophy said. “But ‘Barbenheimer’ definitely urged me to go watch it sooner.”

This combination of audiences had its material results. In the worldwide box office, “Barbenheimer” had made more than $2 billion in the first month of its release, cementing the double feature as a cultural phenomenon.

“It was just a lot of fun being able to go to the theaters with friends and get to watch these two amazing films,” said Zawadzki. “It’s not often that that happens.”

Graphics by Christan Park and Camila Hanson

September 27, 2023

Evergreen Ever the

Arts

11

Timmons Leads National Team to World Victory Pooja Sanghvi

O

n a hot July day in Vietnam, Director of Debate Aaron Timmons encouraged the USA debate team to play a game of ninja, half an hour before they had to get on a bus to go to their quarterfinal round of the World Schools Debating Championships.

“We got interesting looks, but my goal was to show people that we were relaxed, we’ve been here before and we’re ready to go,” Timmons said. “And that turned out super well.”

A couple of competitive rounds later, the national team won the tournament and was ranked Number 1 in the world for the first time since 1994.

Senior Sophia Li credits the team’s success to the teamwork and bond the group had.

“Last year’s team had the unique opportunity to get really close with one another, and that was also something that helped our successes because we were really able to be friends before Sophia Li teammates on the bench,” Li said.

“Whether it’s in prepping debate cases or in highly competitive elimination rounds, our close friendships allowed us to deal with highly competitive tournaments and trust each other going into every round.”

After the competition against teams from around the world, Timmons said he was proud not only of the team’s performance, but also of the way they handled the pressure.

“Our line to the students was, ‘As we are getting up to go to the airport on the last day, no matter if we didn’t advance to the elimination rounds, or lose earlier than we wanted, you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself, did I do everything possible to contribute to my team having the greatest chance of success,’” Timmons said. “And if the answer to that question is yes, that’s all you can do.”

Tournament Preparation The USA Debate National team consists of 12 members who represent the country in the World Schools debate format. In this format, each team consists of between three to five members. This is why, for the World Schools Debating Championships tournament, only five members of the national team are chosen to compete along with two alternates. Li was one of the two alternates.

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Whether it’s in prepping debate cases or in highly competitive elimination rounds, our close friendships allowed us to deal with highly competitive tournaments and trust each other going into every round.”

As co-head coach, Timmons had a major role in the preparation that guided the national team to victory.

“My role is to get people prepared and everything that means, whether that is prepared to be in the right mindset to travel halfway across the world, debating for your country or debating some of the best and brightest students around the world,” Timmons said. “It also includes working on material and analyzing the competition to have good matchups when those debates occur.”

The final members of the WSDC team were announced in February. From that point on, all practices consisted of a smaller team of five plus two alternates, said Li. T h e s u m m e r was when preparations really got intense.

Timmons runs an annual summer d e b a t e camp, Global Debate Sy mp o s i u m , which Team USA’s seven World Schools competitors attend every year in preparation for the world championships.

“The second week of the Global Debate Symposium was training starting at nine in the morning and ending at nine at night,” Timmons said. “We did a variety of

Photo by Zara Paul

COACHING FORCE: Director of Debate Aaron Timmons instructs Greenhill students on the intricacies of debate, such as content, style and strategy. He also served as a coach of the USA Debate National team for 10 years. things, some of which included practice debates against other nations.”

For many international teams and judges, English was not their first language, making it necessary for the USA debaters to slow down and avoid literary devices that complicate the concept of the argument. Li says friendly practice debates against international teams were important to help the debaters adapt their style and strategy.

“We had to accommodate to making sure that the arguments we ran were not just Eurocentric, because I think as Americans growing up in the West, we have very neoliberal views of the world that don’t necessarily f l y well with international judges,” Li said. “We did a lot of scrimmages with international teams, such as Hong Kong, Mexico, Philippines and Canada, and it was really nice because it gave us a feel of how it was like competing against international teams.”

Reflecting on his time both over the summer and coaching the national team, Timmons says hearing the perspectives of those from around the country and around the world has made the whole experience life-changing. “ I t ’ s Aaron Timmons nice to hear students who come from very different backgrounds approach a similar problem and realize how similar they are, but at the same time understand how different their worldviews are,” Timmons said. “If we’re talking about an issue related to the climate, and we’re debating a nation that may actually be underwater in a few years, the issue becomes personal.”

End of an Era The recent WSDC competition was the last tournament for Timmons as coach of the national team, concluding a journey that began more than a decade ago.

“About 11 years ago, I was asked if I wanted to go on this journey because the National Speech and Debate

Association was going to take control of the national team,” Timmons said. “It felt that there were better resources, the team would be more competitive, and there would be a team selected that would represent [America’s diversity].”

This year, Timmons has chosen to step back from coaching and leading the team, restricting his role to only providing support to the new coaches, Chris Vincent and Shania Hunt. “[The national team] takes up a lot of time during the year, and that’s independent of Greenhill debate,” Timmons said. “It was time to perhaps give ourselves the gift of time. I didn’t realize how much time and headspace it took to think about all the logistics.”

Timmons says he hopes to focus even more on his

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It’s nice to hear students who come from very different backgrounds approach a similar problem and realize how similar they are, but at the same time understand how different their worldviews are.”

Greenhill students.

“Getting a little bit of extra time has allowed me to think even more and give back to Greenhill even more,” Timmons said. “Given the number of people that we have and the level of talent that we have, I think that’s needed.”

With new members chosen for the 2023-2024 USA team, and a new season of Greenhill debate, Li and junior Sherry Zhang have the opportunity to experience both the Greenhill and USA teams this year.

“I am really looking forward to tournaments because I’ve heard the environment is one where everybody becomes friends and gets super close,” Zhang said. “In terms of goals, I don’t know what to expect, so I’m just hoping to focus on myself and improve Sherry Zhang as a debater.”

As a co-captain of Team USA this year, Li says she hopes to build on their past successes.

“I hope that we’re able to continue the same team dynamic that we had this year and just continue building connections within and out of the team,” Li said. “The team really felt like a second family to me and getting to know so many people across the country is a gift.”

Graphics by Chloe Nguyen

12

Centerpiece

Everg Ever the

Combating Climate C Evie Kwei, Varun Mukund and Noor Zaman he average temperature last August in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was 92.9 degrees Fahrenheit – a 7% increase from the same month a year earlier.

It’s a glimpse into a future where rising temperatures are the norm, experts say. And, as the first weeks of the school year underscored, Greenhill students, faculty, administrators and staff are already experiencing the impact of a changing climate.

The United Nations defines climate change as “long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns” driven by human activities since the 1800s. One example of this is the burning of fossil fuels and other natural materials, and the resulting release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

According to the U.N., the average temperature of the Earth’s surface is now 1.1 degrees Celsius, or 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer than it was in the 19th century.

Although this number may seem minuscule, its effects can be seen around the world.

From flash floods to intense heat waves to the melting of Arctic habitats, the consequences of climate change have worsened, according to the AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023 from the International Panel on Climate Change.

The consequences at Greenhill are far less dire than in many places around the world. However, climate change may already be forcing changes in campus life.

“Many communities are having to adapt to the new normal presented by anthropogenic climate change,” Upper School Science Department Chair Treavor Kendall said in an email. “Unfortunately, current research shows that under resourced, lower income communities are negatively impacted disproportionately. As a nation and a planet, we need to invest in serious solutions that address this impact and mitigate further inequity.”

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the school day with time to wind down and get ready for class. To accomplish this, Worcester decided to move the Advisory and Office Hours block to the beginning of the day, before any academic classes so students either had a more flexible start at 8:30 a.m. with Advisory, or a period of rest before academic courses began at 8:50 a.m.

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Unfortunately, current research shows that under resourced, lower income communities are negatively impacted disproportionately. As a nation and a planet, we need to invest in serious solutions that address this impact and mitigate further inequity.”

“I was concerned that kids wouldn’t have the time to shower, or cool down and get something to eat,” said Worcester. “But the great thing about our schedule is that you can manipulate it with minimal conflicts.”

For student athletes, this schedule change was a good way for varsity athletes to practice without compromising their safety, Shine said.

“We wanted to give varsity teams, especially, an opportunity to get acclimated and get started with their season,” Shine

day much earlier to get to practice on time. However, Polk says the extra time in the afternoon made the earlier start more manageable.

“It definitely makes people tired, but going to practice in the beginning of the day takes a lot of pressure off the back end,” Polk said. “I now have a couple extra hours to work, eat and sleep.”

Although many students enjoy this adjusted schedule, Worcester says it’s not sustainable for the Upper School as a whole.

However, with the annual increase in temperatures, there is a possibility for this schedule to be used at the beginning of each fall semester.

“We’re certainly going to have to look at it, and if we have to start the school year doing this, I don’t think it means we change the schedule completely,” Worcester said.

“We just don’t want to lose and sacrifice things like advisory and club meetings.”

Student Life In addition to the scheduling shift, various activities were either canceled or postponed to later dates due to the heat.

Schedule Shifts Amid the rising summer temperatures, Greenhill has taken steps to ensure the safety and well-being of students. For the first three weeks of school this year, for example, practices for fall sports were moved to the cooler hours before classes began. As a result, the Upper School academic schedule was pushed back by 20 minutes to accommodate fall athletes with morning practices.

Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester and Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine took multiple factors into consideration when rearranging the schedule.

Previously, Greenhill and the Southwest Preparatory Conference used the heat index to evaluate conditions for outdoor activity, but with the increase of environmental factors, the conference has begun using Wet Bulb Globe Temperature measurements.

Instead of just measuring the temperature, the WBGT protocol considers other factors exacerbated by climate change, such as high humidity, increased levels of ultraviolent rays and high wind speed.

“Using [WBGT] has changed some of the ways that outdoor practices are affected, so [Shine] came to me and said that we really need to move all these practices to the morning,” Worcester said.

Since practices were scheduled to end at 7:55 a.m., both Shine and Worcester wanted to give student athletes a “softer” start to

said. “[The schedule change] was the only way for them to get going and actually have games.”

Many students enjoyed the new schedule due to the flexibility in the morning, as well as an earlier end to the school day.

“I like morning practices a lot because I get home at 5, and last year I would get home at like 7 or 7:30, which didn’t give me a lot of time to do homework and other stuff,” said senior Brandon Polk, who plays football.

Shine has also seen the benefits of having practice before school.

“For teams and athletes, with practicing in the afternoon it’s hard to get yourself going after a long day of academics as opposed to getting here first thing in the morning and having the energy to practice,” Shine said.

One concern with the new schedule was that student athletes had to start their

This included the annual senior traditions that are typically held before school opens.

Senior Class Dean Stephanie Almanza worked with Dean of Students Jack Oros to coordinate and reschedule senior events.

“This is only my second year as the senior dean, and the heat has never been an issue,” Almanza said, at least not until this year.

Historically, seniors painted their names in various designs on the campus Water Tower on the Sunday before school starts. This year, the event was paired with the Senior Cookout on Sept. 10.

“I love school pride and traditions, so before we painted the tower it was disappointing to see it empty,” Polk said.

“But it is really cool to see our ‘mark’ on the tower now.”

If the current trend of hotter summers continues, such postponements and

13

green

Change at Greenhill disappointments might become recurring events in campus life.

Individual Actions In recent years, Greenhill faculty and students have launched initiatives to implement more sustainable and responsible practices on campus.

Middle School Science teacher Gretchen Pollom and Upper School English teacher Trey Colvin are working to implement an environmental project request form for all Greenhill students. With this, students will be able to create an environmental impact project with the assistance of school resources.

Seventh graders studying life science also learn about ecology during the end of the year.

“We’re going to show kids what they can do, not just here at Greenhill, but in their own yards,” said Pollom.

In Upper School, Colvin will teach a new English course called Literature of the American Wild, which will be offered in the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year.

“We’re going to be looking at instances where writers write about nature and

emphasizing environmental awareness and sustainability is by increasing the number of native plants on campus. These plants require less water to thrive, as their longer roots can reach underground water aquifers.

Head of School Lee Hark says that Greenhill has changed landscape vendors to one with expertise in the native vegetation of the region’s Blackland Prairie. The aim is to increase the number of native plants on campus while conserving water.

Colvin and Pollom are also creating a larger initiative to increase the native plants on campus by dedicating an acre of campus to Blackland Prairie plants. The Middle School has already been involved in this, but Colvin says he hopes that his new Upper School club will lead to more community engagement in the initiative.

“We’re hoping to kick off the club with a large composting project that’s hopefully going to be cross-divisional,” Colvin said.

“We’re going to try and create action not only on our campus, but in the town of Addison as well with a letter-writing campaign.”

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We’re going to show kids what they can do, not just here at Greenhil, but in their own yards.”

Pollom and Colvin also hope to inspire other schools to take steps to combat climate change.

“Schools could come, and we could have workshops during the summer to train teachers about what we did so that they could do it,” Pollom said.

Colvin and Pollom say their initiatives have been encouraged by school administrators.

“I have been really happy and pleased with the administrative support that we’ve received,” Colvin said. “They all believe that the prairie is in line with their mission, which means a lot.”

Shaping the Future

“A lot of the opportunities are cocurricular since our [curriculum] is so jam-packed,” Colvin said. “We have to find ways of doing this outside the classroom.”

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I love school pride and traditions, so before we painted the tower it was disappointing to see it empty. But it is really cool to see our ‘mark’ on the tower now.”

Pollom has encouraged her Middle School students to become more environmentally conscious by teaching them about sustainability and the environment. In the Middle School there is new sustainability unit between the fifth-grade Science and English departments that involves readings and lessons.

examine the way in which art has influenced our perceptions of nature and our relationship with it,” Colvin said.

Along with this, Colvin has created a new sustainability club in the Upper School.

Their first project will work on increasing campus composting efforts. This project will be cross-divisional and include a teacher from each division, said Colvin.

Colvin’s plan for the club extends further than the Greenhill community.

The club hopes to write letters to Addison officials, asking them to include composting spots around the town where food scraps can be dropped off.

“It’s kind of a multi-pronged approach to solving problems that we have not only on our campus but around our entire city and inspiring kids to be the catalyst for that kind of change,” said Colvin.

Another way that Greenhill is

Both Colvin and Pollom say they hope that their current projects, such as the Blackland Prairie initiative, serve as steppingstones for larger future projects.

“We’ve written a proposal for a greenhouse to be presented to the board,” Pollom said. “It would be a great opportunity for Upper School students to propagate plants and sell them to make the greenhouse more self-sustaining.”

While there are many positives that come with the new sustainability initiatives, increased costs can be a deterrent.

“How do you balance the real desire to be as sustainable as possible with the real costs associated with it?” Hark said.

“It doesn’t come for free – a lot of these initiatives are quite expensive.”

While weighing the financial costs, Greenhill administrators are embracing the push for a more sustainable and climateconscious campus. As the latest heat wave and resulting impact on student life underscored, the campus sustainability efforts aren’t occurring in a vacuum.

As climate-change impacts mount in Texas and the world beyond, Hark says Greenhill will continue to be focused on preserving and restoring the campus.

“Before we just start doing things, I think our main focus should be to be more thoughtful,” Hark said. “Let’s think about what’s right for us and how we can be better stewards of the landscape and of the environment.”

Graphic by Emily Hu

14

Special Report Hitting 500

Upper School Enrollment Reaches New Heights Sydney Chien, Lyna Kamgang

W

hen the Classes of 2024 and 2025 first entered Greenhill in 2020, most of the Upper School grades consisted of 115 students. The entire Upper School peaked at 479 students.

That’s rapidly changing.

The incoming freshman and sophomore class in the 2023-2024 school year both comprise 129 students – the largest in Greenhill’s history.

Together, this freshman class paired with a sophomore class of equal size pushed the number of Upper School students to 500 for the first time.

Head of School Lee Hark says that the number itself is not significant, but the Upper School enrollment milestone represents something more important.

“Five hundred is not really a number that we had drawn a line in the sand and said we either can’t or can cross that threshold,” Hark said. “I think it might mean something in the minds of the students, but the real question is, ‘what does it mean that the Upper School is getting bigger?’”

religious PK-12 school. We’re in a unique niche in our market.”

Not all private schools across the country are seeing an increase in applications. In fact, many are facing the opposite phenomenon, which can be detrimental to school programming, Hark said.

“If we were in a situation where our enrollment was contracting, and we were having to review our budget and thinking, ‘How can we cut to save money because the school’s not full?’ – that’s a very different school,” said Hark. “We’re fortunate in a lot of ways.”

The growth plan is intended to address all these changes while

turn away students.

“The main impact is the inability for students to come in and take the classes that they want,” said Lopez.

Still, Lopez says there are benefits to having more students, even beyond filling classrooms.

“I see a great varied number of students,” Lopez said. “I see people that are interested in the challenges that we pose, individually and collectively, so it’s been a wonderful thing.”

Upper School English teacher Andrew Mercurio, who is in his 18th year in his current role, says that class numbers have been gradually increasing

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We wanted to do as much as we could to create space for those families because we’re always turning away students we wish we could take.”

“Some people want [an] Episcopal education, some people want an all-girls school or all-boys school,” said Hark. “If you want those things, Greenhill’s probably not going to be the answer for you. But we are if you want a very diverse and inclusive, academically rigorous, co-educational, non-

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The main impact is the inability for students to come in and take the classes that they want.”

“In the spring, we’re going to have space in the Middle and Upper School that we can repurpose for advisories and classrooms, increased student support services, and a lot of other things, so that’s what is allowing us to have this conversation at all,” Hark said.

Greenhill Culture

Planned Change This increase was envisioned years ago as a part of a growth plan for Greenhill.

In 2019, the Board of Trustees drafted a plan to implement growth in the Middle and Upper School, with a goal in place to incrementally add between 12 and 15 students per grade over the next five years.

Ultimately, the plan would culminate with about 1,460 students at Greenhill spread across divisions, from prekindergarten through 12th grade.

Hark says there are several reasons for creating this enrollment growth plan: the increased demand for a Greenhill education, the opportunity to provide this experience for more families, and the chance to expand school programs.

“The number of families who want a Greenhill education is increasing rapidly, and it far outstrips our ability to meet that need,” said Hark.

“We wanted to do as much as we could to create space for those families because we’re always turning away students we wish we could take.”

Hark cites two reasons for the soaring demand for a Greenhill education: the growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a whole, and the uniqueness of the school.

implemented, noting that the opening of the Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center, now set for January, will allow the school to better accommodate growth.

maintaining the overall feel of the school.

“I think what Greenhill represents is really special, and I want to make sure that we can offer this opportunity to as many kids as we possibly can, up to a point,” Hark said.

Classroom Challenges Surging enrollment has helped make the expansion of programs like arts and sports possible as well.

“We want all of our programs to operate at a high level,” said Hark. “In general, adding students to our programs helps make that happen.”

Some Upper School programs have seen huge growth over the past few years.

One of those is photography.

Upper School Visual Arts teacher Frank Lopez says his Beginners Photography and Honors Photography classes are having to

for some time.

“The classes used to cap at 18, and then they started bumping up to 19 and 20,” said Mercurio.

“Now they’re trying to keep it at 20, and I’ve consistently had at least one class a semester that’s at around 20 kids for a while now.”

With a growing enrollment and the cap on class size, some students are missing out on classes they enjoy, according to senior Abeera Amer.

“I didn’t get any of [my top history class choices], which is weird as a senior,” Amer said.

Increasing class sizes have also taken their toll on teachers.

“When you start to see your class sizes increase, that means all of the things you have to do for all those kids – comments, essays, et cetera – they get more and more,” said Mercurio.

Hark says keeping small classes is a priority as the growth plan is being

Despite all the good expected from the growth plan, there are concerns about how rising enrollment might change campus culture.

Junior Brynn Zawadski, who has attended Greenhill since third grade, thinks that growth will change some of the school’s essential aspects.

“I think [Greenhill’s] definitely going to lose some of the small school environment that it has, but also, if we’re still at 500 kids, that’s a pretty small school compared to public schools in Plano or Allen,” said Zawadski. “I just think it’ll take an adjustment and we might see a different environment because we’re accepting more people.”

Mercurio says he has a similar concern regarding student-faculty relationships.

“As the population grows, I think it’ll be harder to maintain connections, even within the school,” said Mercurio. “The kids are going to have to work that much harder to create and maintain meaningful connections with their teachers.”

One issue is that some shared spaces on campus are not big enough to sustain the growing number of students, Mercurio said. He points to the Lecture Hall in Upper School South as an example.

“When you look at the craziness of class meetings in the Lecture Hall, those used to have one advisory per row,” said Mercurio.

“Now we don’t have that.”

Still, Assistant Head of Upper School Rebecca Shuman says the growth spurt hasn’t diluted the student experience.

“We do have more people, but we haven’t compromised on any aspect of student life or course offerings because we added more students,” Shuman said. “It probably has added richness in terms of allowing more people in from different parts of the metroplex.”

Amer echoes this sentiment.

“I know Greenhill will make sure that everybody feels involved or that there is enough attention for each student,” Amer said. “I think the beauty about Greenhill is they have enough time for each student, which I don’t think will change.”

Graphic by Christan Park

15 Ever Evergreen Record Cast Size for “Mean Girls”

September 27, 2023

Rory Liu

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he theater department saw a record number of students try out for its upcoming performance of the musical “Mean Girls,” a production only recently made licensable to North American high schools.

“This is probably the biggest group of performers I’ve ever had,” said Upper School Drama and Theater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith.

With the cast’s growth, the difficulties and excitement over managing the production have similarly increased.

Because there are no cuts in the cast and the number of named characters is capped at 40, the directors have taken unique measures to ensure that all members of the cast are accommodated and accounted for.

“There’s literally not enough space to put everybody here, but we’re going to make it work,” said Hauss-Smith.

One such change is splitting the ensemble, a group of unnamed characters and performers who play an integral part in the background of scenes, into three parts.

Another aspect of maintaining a well-functioning cast was rigorous auditions and rehearsals. This year the audition process took place over the course of two weeks where cast members practiced dancing, singing and reading scripts.

The first part of the auditions was dancing. Auditioning members were split into five groups to rehearse the song “Apex Predator” until they were designated to perform it shortly after. Middle School and Upper School Dance and

Photo courtesy of Valerie Hauss-Smith

SINGING SENSATIONS: Choral Music teacher Lucik Aprahamian works with cast members of “Mean Girls”.

the

Drama teacher Kelly McCain was in charge of overseeing their dancing executions.

“Ms. McCain would do a combo and we would do the combo too,” said sophomore Laura Presley, who was cast as Mrs. Heron in the musical. “It’s actually insane how people can pick it up so fast; there were some people who would get it right away.”

The second part of the auditions was for singing.

Students who wanted to sing solos during the musical were required to submit videos of their singing to Flipgrid, an online video platform, where the directors could review their performance. There were more than triple the amount of submitted videos compared to previous years, according to junior Ellery Sherwood, who was cast as Regina George in the musical.

“There was a lot of participation for the singing solo auditions,” said Sherwood. “Typically, in previous year there has not been, so it’s nice to see a lot of participation this year.”

The third aspect of auditions was the process of reading through different characters’ lines with other cast members.

While that concluded the audition process for the actors, technical theater students went through a separate audition process. Will Turbyne, who teaches technical theater classes for Middle School and Upper School students, began by creating a design for the show with Hauss-Smith over the summer.

“From there, we bring the design into the room with the students and figure out how we’re going to make it all come together,” said Turbyne. “We take the students and we try to match them as best as we can with their abilities and their desires for what they want to work on.”

Tech students interested in lighting, carpentry, painting, sound design and other roles are then interviewed and assigned different positions.

“We figure out who’s best for what role and it’s like building a team,” said Turbyne. “You might have three people that are qualified to do this one job, but you have to pick one of them and move other people to where they can best be part of the team.”

Arts

After the two weeks were over, the directors went through an intense process of deliberation before sending out the cast list.

“It’s a big puzzle that we work on,” said Hauss-Smith.

“We spent a weekend working on it on our own and making notes and then Tuesday we ended up finally being able to post the cast list.”

While finishing the auditions is an accomplishment in itself, Hauss-Smith acknowledges the disappointment that might have occurred with the release of the cast list.

“If you have your sights set on something you always wanted to do and you don’t get it, it can be a little rough,” said Hauss-Smith. “I always feel for the performing students because I have been in their shoes.”

While the feeling of rejection may be difficult to cope with, the supportive environment of the theater community aims to alleviate that stress and build an environment that prioritizes fun. Studentchosen theater deputies were also elected during the audition period to oversee social activities within the department and facilitate communication between cast members and the directors, according to senior Sanjna Kalisetty.

Similarly, “theater families” were also created as seniorled groups that helped guide newer students.

“The philosophy of Greenhill theater prioritizes the fun in the community and the family aspect,” said Sherwood.

“The Greenhill theater family is extra big this year and I think unity and being a united front is really important to putting on something that’s big and cohesive.”

All these audition processes and leadership roles will be instrumental in coordinating and presenting such a large production. With diverse roles and opportunities for every student, everyone will have a part to play in executing the performance.

“I think [Hauss-Smith] and the diversity, equity and inclusion team have taken a lot of steps to make sure the show is iconic and fun, but also to make sure that everyone is safe and comfortable performing,” said Sherwood. “I’m excited to see Greenhill’s spin on ‘Mean Girls.’”

Graphic by Chloe Nguyen

16 Arts

Evergreen Ever the

Taking the Stage

Aaron Kuang’s Journey to Carnegie Hall Christan Park, Justin Wu

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ver a summer of practice and performance, sophomore Aaron Kuang reached new heights of success in music through multiple achievements in statewide and international competitions.

Beginning his cello journey as part of the music requirement in fifth grade, Kuang continued to dive into his passion for music after joining the Middle School Orchestra.

Though initially split between playing the violin and the cello, under the guidance of his parents he chose the cello.

“My parents really liked the cello,” Kuang said. “And since I liked how the cello sounded and thought it was a cool instrument, I picked it.”

Orchestra and strings teacher Nick Paraskevas remembers when Kuang first joined t h e Greenhill Orchestra.

“He played with confidence, was goal oriented and was a hard worker,” Paraskevas said. “That was something that his Lower School music teacher mentioned was a character trait that he exhibited.”

After joining the Middle School Orchestra, Kuang wished to pursue the cello further. He began practicing with a private teacher, Chengyin Lu, who remains Kuang’s private teacher.

Lu has guided him to his plethora of achievements, Kuang said.

“Aaron had started cello a bit late, but he was a very smart and gentle boy,” said Lu. “After a few lessons, he showed a great talent in the cello study.”

When COVID-19 made all lessons virtual in 2020, Kuang switched between three different teachers.

“I had multiple teachers, and my third teacher was not the greatest,” said Kuang. “At the time, I didn’t like to practice, and I didn’t do anything for weeks at a time.”

After facing difficulty with his third teacher, he returned to Lu and resumed in-person lessons.

“When I went back to my original teacher, we just put it back together,” said Kuang. “Other teachers had forced me to focus on basic things that bored me, but [Lu] knew how to motivate me.”

By the time Kuang returned to in-person lessons, he was able to pick Aaron Kuang up technique and skills at a faster pace.

Within a year, he had advanced to the sixth of 10 levels in the Royal Conservatory of Music education system – a level that typically takes several years to achieve.

Paraskevas says he was amazed by Kuang’s rapid development.

“He was virtually at home the entire year, and I only saw him on the screen,” Paraskevas recalled that first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. “He was working on a Vivaldi cello sonata that he was going to play for solo and ensemble and [even though] it was a difficult time for everybody, [COVID-19] did not affect his progress.”

When the pandemic restrictions were lifted, Kuang returned to the in-person Middle School Orchestra and

Photo courtesy of Aaron Kuang

RISING UP TO THE STAGE: Sophomore Aaron Kuang practices the music he will play at Carnegie Hall on Dec. 7. spent a majority of his time practicing and learning at school.

At the same time, he continued to take lessons with Lu.

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Aaron had started cello a bit late, but he was a very smart and gentle boy. After a few lessons, he showed great talent in the cello study.”

“[The Greenhill Orchestra] helped me learn to play with other people and learn from other perspectives,” Kuang said.

At that point, Kuang says he felt ready to audition for the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra as a freshman.

Kuang had originally planned to audition for a lower level in the GDYO system. When the audition results were announced, Kuang was placed in the Philharmonic orchestra – the second highest GDYO orchestra. This year, he was selected for the Philharmonic orchestra again.

“We don’t know why [he was put in] the higher level, but it is great,” Lu said.

Last year, Kuang was also chosen to be part of the Texas Private School Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra and the Texas Music Educators Association All-Region Orchestra. “[These experiences] were eye opening,” Kuang said. “[The people there] were very good, and opened my eyes to see how other people were playing, how they practiced and what they chose to practice.”

Competitive Tests This

summer,

Kuang

participated

in

multiple

competitions.

The Texas Music Teachers Association Performance Competition is a statewide contest for musicians of all instruments. The contest begins with a preliminary round of judging followed by a semi-final and final round. In June, Kuang was awarded an honorable mention for his performance of Cello Concerto No.1, 1st Movement, by Camille Saint.

“This competition is more competitive because they have three rounds and Aaron had to beat out all the other instruments in the orchestra,” Lu said. “So, Aaron’s achievement is really great.”

Following that competition, Kuang earned first place at the Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition, an online competition.

As a result of this achievement, Kuang will play in Carnegie Hall in New York City on Dec. 7.

“I am excited, since it’s one of the best places to play in America and maybe [even] the world for any instrument player,” said Kuang. “It’s very cool to go and finally get to play there.”

Lu noted how Kuang would be able to learn a lot from playing there.

“When I was young, I always wanted to play there,” said Lu. “It’s amazing that Aaron will be able to, and I want him to try his best to show the audience what he wants to show.”

Finally, in July, Kuang won first place at the Charleston International 19th Century Music Competition, which is open to all ages and instruments. Kuang submitted a prescreening video in early June, followed by a final round that required posting a video on YouTube.

Kuang is one of only 13 participants to get over 1,000 views as of Sept. 14. With a criterion of technique and musicality, a jury of judges evaluated both his prescreening and final round, eventually awarding him first place.

In preparation for all his competitions, Kuang had to practice at least an hour a day for months leading up to the event. To maximize the efficiency of his practice, he says that he focused on certain parts of pieces, greatly improving his playing.

“Playing through the whole piece doesn’t really help that much,” Kuang said. “So, I just work on certain parts that I need to work on. Going over it little by little instead of just

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I am excited, since it’s one of the best places to play in America and maybe [even] the world for any instrument player.”

Photo courtesy of Ivory Li

EARLY BEGINNINGS: At his home, a young Aaron Kuang meticulously plays and performs the cello for his teacher and parents. This early practice honed his skills and set the stage for his love of the instrument.

running through the entire piece is more effective.”

After this successful summer, Kuang says he is excited to continue playing cello and is more confident than ever before. He aims to continue improving and competing with his cello.

“When I have a taste of success, it drives me to win other competitions,” Kuang said. “It makes me want to continue practicing and improving.”

Graphics by Camila Hanson

Sports

17

New Football Coach Revamps Program

Payton Blalock, Jin Huang

W

ith an almost entirely new coaching staff and a roster of 38 players, this year’s varsity football team is looking to end the program’s instability and restore a positive reputation.

And the early returns are encouraging.

On Sept. 1, the football Hornets defeated Coram Deo Academy 49-20 – the team’s first win since 2017.

Players and coaches say that the win is a preview of better times ahead under new Head Coach KJ Williams.

“It feels like there is a crazy level of intensity in the locker room at all times,” said senior Nick Trimmer. “Whether it is 5:45 in the morning or halftime on a Friday night, we have the same attitude and mentality.”

Greenhill football faces a long road back to respectability in the Southwest Preparatory Conference.

The team accumulated a record of one win and 38 losses from 2018-2022. Only two out of the last 10 seasons have resulted in winning records, and during that period the team didn’t win any Southwest Preparatory Conference championships.

Additionally, four head coaches have cycled through the program in the past decade, with none staying for more than three years.

“It wasn’t a good environment, knowing that you come into the season where the team already feels defeated,” said junior Bryson Watt.

Turnaround The turnaround began last spring.

After an 0-9 season in 2022, Greenhill decided to part ways with previous head coach Tony Banks and make extensive changes. The first of these came in the form o f hiring Williams as head coach.

Williams spent four years coaching at Nolan Catholic High School, including two as the head coach.

After his hiring, Williams introduced Greenhill to one of his Nolan Catholic coaches.

The end result was the hiring of Bobby Vadnais for the position of football defensive coordinator.

“At first when Coach KJ called me up and asked if I was interested, I told him no, because I looked up the record and they had

lost 29 games in a row,” said Vadnais.

However, once Vadnais did more research and visited the campus, he was sold on the school.

“When I came over, I was super impressed,” Vadnais said. “I was super impressed by the academics, and I was very impressed by the campus. I was very impressed by the diversity as well.”

Williams was drawn to the Greenhill football program for similar reasons, but more so for

Photo by Nora Ahearn

VICTORY: The Greenhill football team celebrates on Brinkmann Field after defeating Coram Deo Academy 49 - 20 in their first appearance this season on Sept. 1. After the win — the team’s first since 2017 — students rushed the field in celebration. the strong desire to build something around his presence.

“There’s a drive and a hunger here that I haven’t seen for a couple of years,” Williams said.

Heightened Expectations That drive and hunger could be seen from the stands of Brinkmann Field on Friday, Sept. 1, when the Hornets took down Coram Deo Academy.

Students and players flooded the field in celebration of the end of a losing streak of more than 20 games.

It took Williams one game to accomplish what previous coaches have struggled for years to do.

The early success has been widely attributed to the discipline and accountability Williams has emphasized.

Vadnais explained that the biggest reason behind the failure of the Greenhill football program in the previous years was the lack of organization.

Practice wasn’t filmed, and so mistakes made during practice weren’t corrected. Furthermore, only a few coaches were active during practice in the past.

“Our team this year is much more disciplined and organized,” said senior Tom Reger. “There’s a lot more communication between coaches and coaches, between coaches and players, and amongst players as well.”

Senior Julian Meyer echoed these sentiments.

“I think it’s made me much more disciplined and makes me think about working differently than I did before,” Meyer said.

This discipline began with summer practice, which started at the beginning of June and until fall camp started in midAugust. Summer practices ran from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and attendance was much more consistent than it had been in previous years.

“For our kids right now, this is the first time they are experiencing true football expectations,” Williams said. “This is something new for them.”

Players were receptive to his teaching and ready to adjust.

“Coach set expectations for us and defined what it meant to work,” Watt said.

“We didn’t really work last year in the way that we do this year, and I feel like it’s paying off.”

Personal Relationships In addition to the redefined sense of intensity, Williams has worked to build personal relationships with his players and help them to grow on and off the field.

“I lost my father at a very young age and so the coaches in my life kind of directed my path,” Williams said.

“I had really good men in my life, and I consider this paying it forward.”

Through potluck dinners, team lunches and frequent team meetings, Williams hopes to achieve his goal of getting to know his players on a personal level.

Junior Kaden Castillo is a prime example of someone who has grown close to Williams in a personal way. Castillo attended Nolan Catholic High School while Williams coached there, and when administration at the school started to shift, he was looking for a change.

After visiting four schools, Williams told Castillo to check out Greenhill.

“From the moment I arrived, it felt different,” Castillo said.

He made the choice to join Williams at Greenhill and play for him for his last two years of high school.

“Coach KJ helped me develop KJ Williams my mindset,” he said. “Character, consistency and daily improvement are all things he believes, but most importantly, he believed in me.”

Williams says that having Castillo’s humble leadership contributes greatly to this Greenhill team.

“His role is to work and to lead by example,” Williams said. “He is going to help people buy into the program. For me, he has been the sounding wall on what success can

be like, because he’s been with me before.”

Rallying Point Another aspect of football culture is to unite the community by allowing students, faculty and parents to come together to celebrate the moment.

“Friday night football was like this rallying point for the whole community,” said Associate Head of School for Mission, Community, and Culture Tom Perryman ’81.

Various events happen during football games. The band signifies the dynamic of the game through music, cheerleaders perform during halftime and the student body comes along to hang out with friends.

“People come to hang out, and they feed everyone beforehand.

The game really brings a community together,” said Vadnais.

Community involvement has seen a significant increase since Williams took over.

The band, an important part of football games, has in the past been asked to play softer so coaches can communicate on the field. However, during the first game against Coram Deo Academy, Williams waved at the band and asked the drumline to turn it up.

“I was surprised because if it was last year, the coaches would never do that,” said junior Prabath Girish. “I felt more involved, and I felt like I was actually cheering and excited for the team that night.”

Football has a reputation of centering communities in Texas, and Perryman said that it is one of the main ways that he stays in contact with his former classmates and teammates from his time as a Greenhill student. The Friday night lights on Brinkmann attract a bigger crowd than almost any other event on campus, and Perryman says he believes that it is the community’s responsibility to show this crowd what Greenhill is all about.

“The energy has been completely different this year,” said senior Ben Schackman, an avid fan who regularly attends games. “The student section hasn’t been this big or energetic in years, so it has been a great thing to be a part of.”

Graphics by Christan Park

18 Sports

Evergreen Ever the

Cheer Program Looks to Raise Its Game Daniela Hallack, Riya Kommineni

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s the Greenhill football team embarks on a rebuilding effort under a new coach, the cheer squad is engaged in its own makeover after years of coaching turnover and internal tensions.

A new varsity head coach, Elyse Bailey, has incorporated a new set of guidelines, leadership roles and team-bonding efforts.

Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine says that he and Bailey are committed to creating a more rigorous environment in which the cheer team participates in national competitions.

“We just wanted to bring some more excitement to the program,” Shine said. “Not everything is perfect, but we’re still trying to make adjustments.”

The cheer program rotated through four coaches in four years prior to Bailey’s hiring, team members said.

Bailey has a background in competitive dance and is a former cheerleader for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. She says she is incorporating her expertise into the team’s cheer routines.

“I definitely want to build a championship program and have the Elyse Bailey girls be more dedicated and want to work hard so that we can start building a bigger and better team,” said Bailey.

General Changes With a new set of guidelines, there has been a bigger sense of community and responsibility on the team, Bailey said. A handbook now lays out expectations, including a tardy policy and a dress code for High Performance Center activities.

Bailey is being assisted in her efforts by a new assistant varsity coach, Madelyn Griffin, a former University of Memphis cheerleader.

“It’s definitely a new change from last year,” said junior Ashley Weinstein. “I know tardiness has been an issue for our team, but now that we have a policy in place that makes sure we’re at practice on time, it feels like we’ve been able to have more productive sessions.”

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I definitely want to build a championship program and have the girls be more dedicated and want to work hard so that we can start building a bigger and better team.”

To enforce the new rules, the coaches also implemented a strike system. If a cheer team member accrues three violations of the guidelines they will be removed from the team, the coaches said.

Senior Ava Klein says that this is one way that Bailey can enforce discipline within the team.

“I think it’s just her way of keeping things in order,” Klein said. “Before, people were going directly to Shine [with concerns] and just surpassing the coach. I think this way she has more power and people can just go to her.”

In addition to the handbook, the coaches have organized team committees covering Homecoming, Little Hornets, pep rallies, banners, social media and “sunshine.”

“As for the committees, it’s helpful to have people that are delegated to do certain things so that n o t

everyone has to be scrambling to do the job,” senior Bella Widodo said.

This year, both junior varsity and varsity cheer squads

Photo by Christan Park

FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT: Varsity cheer team members practice their routine for the Pep Rally before the first football game. The routine was choreographed by senior captains Bella Widodo, Shaina Starr and Ava Klein. will be cheering at not only football games but other sporting events. The JV cheer squad will also cheer at field hockey and volleyball games.

Also, the coaches have begun emphasizing High Performance Center sessions to promote better fitness and bonding among team members.

“I feel like other sports teams at Greenhill have a much larger emphasis on HPC and that is something that the cheer team is not really used to, but we are getting into a rhythm,” Weinstein said.

Shine says it is important to create a widespread system of support between the cheer teams and the rest of the Athletics Department.

“We’re going to have the Jarrett Shine cheerleaders cheer at almost all the games this [year] to support our other teams,” Shine said.

Shine says the changes have increased motivation for the cheerleaders. The goal is to turn the cheer program in a more positive direction.

“It’s taking time for the [cheerleaders] to get adjusted to Coach Bailey’s style, but she’s trying to make it a real solid program where people take it seriously,” said Shine.

Reactions The changes have raised some concerns and questions within the team.

Widodo says the changes were rapidly implemented without extensive conversations with team members.

“It just seems like everybody’s a little bit confused and frustrated, but they understand why we have [the new changes] put in place,” said Widodo.

Klein expressed concerns about whether the cheer budget was sufficient with the new emphasis on competitions.

In previous years, the Greenhill cheer team hired a choreographer for the Homecoming routine. This year, the team will only have a stunt coordinator because the choreographer budget was shifted to the upcoming National Cheerleaders Association competition, team members said.

“We no longer have a Homecoming choreographer that we hired but we are really excited to have an expert stunting coach to come and help us out,” said Weinstein.

Amid the changes, team members expressed hopes for

the year ahead.

“We’re just hoping to have a good season where everyone is happy and all of the games go well,” said Klein.

Leadership Senior captains are responsible for enforcing the new strike system.

“As a senior captain, I try my best to be that median between my teammates and my coaches,” said senior Shaina Starr. “The captains are doing our best to step up as leaders and make the most of what we have.”

Due to the number of new cheerleaders on the team, including several underclassmen, the senior captains say they are working to create a welcoming and structured

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The captains are doing our best to step up as leaders and make the most of what we have.”

environment.

“All of the upperclassmen want the freshmen and new cheerleaders to feel included and we are trying really hard to do this,” said Klein.

The team has continued a bonding effort in which cheerleaders are broken into “cheer families” for sleepovers and practice activities.

“I just hope all the girls can show progress in their skills and feel better as cheerleaders and better as one team,” said Widodo.

As part of the c h a n g e s , Bailey begins each practice with words of affirmation.

She says that for a team to thrive, they should have an encouraging support system.

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We just wanted to bring more excitement to the program. Not everything is perfect, but we’re stil trying to make adjustments.”

“Of course, I want to win competitions, but I also want the girls to have a sense of community,” said Bailey. “I want them to be close with each other, build good relationships and just love being a part of the team.”

Graphics by Camila Hanson and Bette Tomecko

September 27, 2023

Evergreen Ever the

Sports

19

Field Hockey Sharpens Skills in Travel Tournaments Aman Jaleel

T

he field hockey team saw early action in two out-of-town tournaments against stiff competition that highlighted some of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

On Aug. 25, the team traveled to Houston for the St. John’s Play Day tournament to open their season. Just six days later, the team participated in the St. Louis Gateway Classic, which they also attended during the 2021-2022 season.

At the Houston tournament, the team had a 3-4 record throughout the two days of competition., The team had a record of 1-3 in the three days of the St. Louis tournament.

“We’re still improving the fundamentals and fitness," Head Coach Brittany Griggs ’09 said.

Tournament Details At the Houston tournament, the games consisted of a shorter 7-on-7 format for the first day of the tournament compared to the normal 11-on-11. Because of the new format, only half the field was utilized for games on the first day.

During this shortened format, the team played four games, winning three. They were victorious over St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, The Awty International School and Houston Christian High School with scores of 4-0, 3-0 and 5-0, respectively. The team lost 2-0 in a matchup

against Episcopal High School.

On the second day, with standard format, the team lost games against St. John’s School, EHS and St. Stephen’s Episcopal School by scores of 3-1, 3-1 and 1-0, respectively.

“I personally like 7-on-7 more because it gives everyone on the field a chance to touch the ball more,” junior Amanda Park said.

Griggs says the weather was a large factor in the team’s performances at the tournaments. Due to the high afternoon temperatures, field hockey practices in Brittany Griggs late August and early September took place in the morning before school, instead of after school.

“Because we had not practiced in the afternoons at all, I expected that we would see some fatigue,” Griggs said.

Senior Zoe Dzialowski, a team captain, says the squad had new goals and expectations based off the tournament in Houston.

“After Houston, we learned that we have a lot of nittygritty things that need to be figured out, which will come with time,” Dzialowski said.

The team also played on field and water turfs in Houston, which play faster than the natural grass on which a majority of Dallas-

area games are played. . It was the same in St. Louis.

“The water turf makes the ball glide, and it’s a different skill set to be able to play on the water because of the way you receive and carry the ball,” said senior Zoya Iyer, another team captain.

During this tournament, the Greenhill team lost to Villa Duchesne, New Trier High School and duPont Manual High School by scores of 7-1, 4-1 and 3-1, respectively.

On the last day of the tournament, the team won 2-0 against Arrowhead High School of Hartfield, Wisc.

“The St. Louis tournament allowed us to play really good competition on a highlevel surface,” Park said. “It was the first time a lot of players have played on [artificial turf] , which is what we will play on at SPC.”

Looking Forward Both players and coaches say these tournaments have already improved team spirit and bonding.

“At any overnight trip, we spend so much time together that we really get to know each other well,” Griggs said. “In particular, the St. Louis trip adds an extra layer to our team chemistry.”

Additionally, Dzialowski says team chemistry is something the field hockey program places value on.

“Every event we do we try to involve both [junior varsity] players and varsity players,” Dzialowksi said. “I think that helps us become really close.”

This season, the field hockey team has also continued their tradition of implementing a “family system,” which pairs

athletes from all four grades and helps them get to know each other.

Many members of the team also share similar goals, which helps them become more united.

Following these two opening tournaments and looking forward to the rest of the season, the team is striving to improve.

Since playing the tournaments, the team has compiled 3-1 record in headto-head competition.

T h e team has 11 games left before the start of the Southwest Preparatory Conference tournament in early November.

“I think traveling to tournaments has made our team chemistry better, so we are matching up well against Dallas teams,” Iyer said.

The field hockey team has their first “counter game” on Oct. 3. These are games that count towards a team’s standing in the SPC tournament.

“We need to improve every game so that we’re playing our best hockey when we start counter games,” Griggs said. “In terms of skill goals, I would like to be known as a team that has strong individual defense and works as a unit.”

Park says the team has an overall goal of winning North Zone at the SPC tournament this year.

“My goal is that we win North Zone,” Park said. “That’s the goal every year, but I think it’s really achievable this year.”

Graphics by Christan Park

Greenhill Student-Athletes Announce Verbal Committments on Social Media Andrew Mann, Ravi Vasan

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ver the summer, several Upper School student-athlete announced on personal social media accounts their verbal commitments to participate on sports teams at various colleges.

The unofficial list includes seniors Zoya Iyer and Zoe Dzialowski, field hockey; senior Josie Arbuckle, swimming; junior Zoe Gillen-Malveaux, volleyball; and seniors Sienna Richey, Hayden Goodman and Devin Davis, soccer.

“I was really excited that I didn’t have to worry about where I was going to college anymore, and I was ready to be done with the process,” said Dzialowski. “It felt very

satisfying to have that weight lifted off of my shoulders.”

The commitments are scattered across two of the three NCAA divisions. The top two divisions – Division I and Division II – are allowed to provide a set number of athletic scholarships. Competition levels are generally highest at the Division I level, which includes schools such as the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.

Division III schools aren’t allowed to give athletic scholarships, but they provide financial aid, academic scholarships and other grants. Competition levels have risen steadily in Division III, which includes such Texas schools as Trinity College in

Photo illustration by Emily Hu

COMMITTED: Students announce their verbal committments on their Instagrams.

San Antonio and the University of Dallas in Irving, along with well-known New England schools such as Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Tufts University and Williams College, Many students said they initiated their first contact with their preferred college.

“I started with emailing coaches at the end of my sophomore year and through my junior year and only started taking visits in the spring of my junior year,” Dzialowski said.

Gillen-Malveaux represents the growing trend of student-athletes making verbal commitments as juniors. She announced on Instagram her verbal commitment to play volleyball at Duke University in North Carolina, a Division I program.

Under NCAA rules, athletes are only permitted to start talking to coaches on June 15 after their sophomore year. Prior to that date, college coaches were only able to talk to club coaches and watch their games at tournaments and showcases.

“When June 15 came, it was just like the floodgates opened, and every school could contact me and call me,” Gillen-Malveaux said. “I think when I woke up, I had about 15 messages from coaches asking to talk to me, and I just went through them and decided which ones I was serious about.”

Greenhill coaches support their players throughout their recruitment process, but the student-athletes are responsible for the majority of the work.

“I guide players more at the beginning to let them know that they have an opportunity to play in college,” said Head Field Hockey Coach Brittany Griggs ’09. “However, they work more closely with their club coaches as they travel to tournaments and recruiting camps with them outside of our school season.”

Although students say the recruitment

process is exciting, it also comes with its own set of challenges.

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I was really excited that I didn't have to worry about where I was going to college anymore, and I was ready to be done with the process."

COVID-19 is still affecting the process of college recruiting due to the new eligibility rules. In the recent past, collegiate student-athletes were given five years to play four seasons of their sport. For those who participated during the 2020-2021 season, the NCAA has granted another year of competitive eligibility, allowing athletes to complete the four seasons over six years.

“COVID-19 has affected the number of spots available on teams,” said senior Sophie Schwartz, who hopes to play college tennis.

“A lot of schools offered college kids a fifth year, and they took it, so there are fewer spots open now. Some teams recruit fewer players or none at all.”

Another challenge of the recruiting process is the additional pressure it adds to an already busy workload.

“It adds a lot of stress to playing, which sucks because it’s a sport that you love,” Iyer said. “It was a lot of travel during a really hard time in high school. It’s stressful because you are always overthinking things like ‘Did they lose interest?’ or ‘Did I not play well enough today?”

Despite challenges, Iyer says she enjoyed her recruitment.

“If I had to do the process over again, I definitely would because it’s so worth it,” Iyer said. “I’d go into it with a more open mindset and believing whatever happens is supposed to happen.”

20 Sports

Evergreen Ever the

Alternatives to Athletics John Hurley, Vedant Subramanian

O

ver the last two years, Greenhill has implemented several alternatives for students to obtain their required sports credits. These alternatives are classes that are geared toward students who may not want to participate in the team sports offered at Greenhill.

“We want to support all our students here,” Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine said.

The athletic and academic departments worked together to create four classes: Backpacking and Camping, Dance for Athletes, Workout Challenge and Yoga to supplement the athletic options at Greenhill.

Dance For Athletes The Upper School introduced a new course this year: Dance for Athletes. It was introduced by the Fine Arts department in a joint effort from Head of Fine Arts Terry Martin and Middle and Upper School Dance Head Kelly McCain. In the class, students work on flexibility, footwork and quick-movement retention.

Initially, Martin introduced the idea of Dance for Athletes to McCain and Shine. Together, they agreed that the class would be beneficial to students, so they pitched the idea to Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester, who signed off on the class.

“I did some exploration and met with Ms. McCain and Mr. Worcester and talked about the possibility of starting [a class],” Martin said.

Martin said the class is another Fine Arts option for more physically inclined students, adding another layer of diversity to the range of courses available for students to earn their fine arts credits.

Even though the class provides arts credit, McCain has designed the class to develop athletic ability.

“The goal is to get the needs of the athletes squared away Kelly McCain [by] coming at them from a dance perspective,” McCain said.

McCain says she’s learned from prior experience that dance can improve an individual’s athletic ability in many different sports.

“I’ve had classes in other places where we’ve had boxers, so we would work on a lot of fast foot movement,” McCain said.

“I’ve had wrestlers in class, and we would work on flexibility and how to create longer muscles. As athletes, we hit the weights and we get very bound and very tight, so we

want to find a stretching regimen that will lengthen those muscles.”

Backpacking and Camping Another athletics alternative, Backpacking and Camping, was implemented starting in 2022. The class is taught by Upper School Latin teacher Jason Gajderowicz. During the class, students learn about the fundamental skills needed to backpack and camp. Students then apply these skills on two backpacking and camping trips.

“We are learning skills, like how to tie a knot, that are useful,” Gajderowicz said.

“How to cook outside, how to figure out where you are with a compass and a map.”

As Gajderowicz describes it, this class provides an opportunity for students to step out of their comfort zone.

“It’s not for Photo by Ella Sadka

everybody, but I feel ever ybody should try it,” Gajderowicz said.

“I’m always surprised that the kids who do try it, even kids t h a t don’t think of themselves a s outdoorsy, go camping once and they want to come on more trips.”

Junior Fernando Gupta, who is currently enrolled in Backpack and Camping, finds that the class builds a sense of team spirit that often mimics team sports.

“I think that there is definitely a really big sense of collaboration and team between everyone in the class,” Gupta said.

Alternatives to athletics such as Backpacking and Camping are beneficial to the students at Greenhill, according to Gupta.

“These classes provide novel and fun ways to get that credit without having to go to a sport that you might not be interested in at all,” Gupta said.

Additionally, Gupta emphasizes that Greenhill team sports are commitments, and some students are not able to do that.

“It also alleviates some of the time commitment that a sport would have if you are doing a lot of other intense extracurriculars,” Gupta said. “These

YOGA CLASS: Karen Somer opens her class with journaling to encourage self expression and create a safe environment for her students to have creative ideas. classes alleviate some of the stress of the commitment of sports.”

Workout Challenge Workout Challenge was introduced in 2020 as an alternative to athletics.

The class, taught by Sports Performance Specialist and Physical Education teacher Ramiro Mendez, gives students an opportunity to work out during a structured class that is designed to improve the five components of fitness.

Mendez says the class also aims to help students develop the skills to work out on their own outside of class.

“I hope that our students are able to take the program that we do, the things they’re able to create and then develop healthy habits that they and carry on with them outside of the class,” Mendez said.

Mendez says he also thinks the class provides students the opportunity to take what they learned from the prerequisite, Foundations of Fitness class, and apply it to working out.

Sophomore Parker Lynn says that the class is optimal for students who are not involved in sports.

“It’s really good for conditioning if you’re not interested in any of the sports and you don’t compete in the sports primarily,”

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I hope that our students are able to take the program that we do, the things they’re able to create and then develop healthy habits that they and carry on with them outside of the class.”

Photo by Nora Ahearn

WARM-UP: Kelly McCain instructs her dance students to warm up for class to prepare their bodies for intense stretching and compact athletic movements.

Lynn said. “It is a nice way to keep health in your schedule.”

The class fosters a community within the people who choose to take the class, which is similar to the bond between athletes in a team sport, according to Lynn.

“You’re working out with the same people day in and day out,” Lynn said. “You’re

usually paired up with someone and you get to know everybody pretty well because you are spending the same time with them.”

Yoga Yoga is a class taught by Karen Somer that students can take to learn how to practice yoga as well as to become more connected with their bodies, become more peaceful and learn how to breathe effectively in different situations.

Sophomore Sloan Stagen says that yoga helped keep her relaxed through the stresses of school.

“I always walk out of class feeling very refreshed and peaceful,” Stagen said. “We typically would start class writing in our gratitude journals, which I think helped the people keep a positive attitude and improve their mood.”

Sophomore Olivia Wiles says that yoga helped improve her skills in athletics with flexibility and strength.

“I have felt more connected with my body and my mind through yoga,” said Wiles. “It has aided me in improving my balance and strength.”

Well-Rounded Students Shine says he hopes that expanding alternatives to athletics will allow students to be more well-rounded.

“It’s an opportunity for some of those other kids, other athletes, other students within the school just to have more options to perform and do some things that are more athletic,” Shine said.

Mendez says that alternatives provide students with other opportunities different from traditional athletics.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for students who maybe aren’t interested in competing or being [in] a team-based sport, and they get the opportunity to still be physically active,” Mendez said. “I think it’s Graphics by Christan Park

Views

21

Creating the Santos Vive Promotional Video

Santiago Lopez

I

n March, Associate Head of School for Mission, Community, and Culture Tom Perryman ’81 asked the newly assigned Latin Student Union leaders to help him spread the message that Greenhill would be screening the Santos Vives documentary on July 22.

The documentary discusses a case that Dallas officials have tried to keep secret, as it showed their true colors at the time. What was supposed to be a lawful interrogation to find the culprits who stole $6 from a gas station turned into the murder of a Mexican-American child who was only 12 years old. His name was Santos Rodriguez.

Perryman told us that we were the best fit to help spread awareness about the documentary, as we often discuss injustices in the Latino community.

I was honored that we were selected to help spread awareness about this event. However, as I began to research

Photo courtesy of Santiago Lopez

SCREENING: A film on a Dallas Police Officer’s 1973 murder of Santos Rodriguez aired in Rose Hall in July.

the case that the documentary covers, I began to feel angry and fearful. This was a case that is not talked about at all in the Latino community.

The more I learned, the more parallels I saw between Santo Rodriguez’s story and my own. For example, he was a first-generation Mexican-American, and I am also a firstgeneration Mexican-American. His grandfather did not speak English and could not communicate with officers in the United States. In my life, I think of my parents, who also do not speak fluent English and have difficulty communicating in English in everyday life.

After learning all that I could, I realized that these murders and attacks continue to happen in our community because previous injustices are getting forgotten. It is like a cycle. All we do is hope we aren’t the next victim.

We were given a chance to create a difference, so I chose to promote the screening in video format. The video acted as an invitation to the Greenhill and Dallas community and informed the audience about Latino history and what Dallas has kept secret.

Originally, I wanted to speak directly to the camera so it felt like I was connecting with the audience. I also wanted to show a bit more, as I knew only words wouldn’t cut it. So, I went online and found some archived news reports about the case, and I included a segment where a news reporter was at the crime scene saying what happened. I even had clips of the protest to show that people back then were trying to make sure this case was not forgotten.

Unfortunately, my only obstacle was the time limit of the video. I was only given a chance to make a one-minute promotion, and my edits that included footage from 1973 took too much time. So, I had to go back and create a new format. It took a lot of talks with Digital Content Specialist Sara Ellis and Mr. Perryman, as they knew I wanted to

include some sense of visual history. In the end, we devised a plan that worked.

The first half would consist of text that faded in, telling the story of what happened, and in the background, you would see the protests going on. In the second half, I spoke to the camera and invited families and friends to come to the event. The video was perfect for our eyes and was released to the public.

This video was supposed to catch the eye of the Greenhill community, and initially, it was only going to be sent in emails and posted on Instagram. However, I requested that it be uploaded to every social media platform to spread the invitation more. Fortunately, my request was granted, and views started to kick in.

I realized that we could extend this further to more people, so I asked a couple of my friends to repost it on their story, and this video became, at the time, Greenhill’s mostwatched Instagram reel, hitting 5,000 views.

Even the attendance at the event was good, as we had a lot of families and people from the Dallas community show up. I had friends, teachers and new people I had never met come up to me and tell me how they didn’t know about this incident in Dallas and hoped that events like these could make a big difference in the world. !"#$%"&'()*+%#(,'-./(%0("( 0.#%'1(+2'("30'45$.46(4'7.0( 3.%#&("(-"1$('8(.7.16("0-.9$( '8(:1..#2%44(4%8.;(81'<(=#.( "1$0($'(0-'1$0;(092''4;(94530( "#*(">#%$6(&1'5-0?

The Evergreen Crossword

ACROSS: 3. new measurement method used by the Southwest Preparatory Conference to determine conditions for outdoor activity 7. ____ University, where junior Zoe Gillen-Malveaux has verbally committed 9. Apex ____, song sung by “Mean Girls” cast members during auditions 11. Dr. ____, teacher who leads the Backpacking and Camping course 12. Roy ____ ‘88, the board chair; UX Design teacher Luna ____ 14. type of sensor used in senior Zeffanaiah Sadler-Knight’s invention 15. Robyn Patterson ‘11, the White House assistant press ____ 16. place where varsity field hockey traveled for a tournament; St. ____ 17. Upper School math teacher who previously taught at the Hockaday School, Olga ____

DOWN: 1. ____ Hall, where sophomore Aaron Kuang is slated to perform in December 2. a community of Jewish families that live and share their income 4. number of people on the USA debate team 5. Dallas ____, team that senior Josie Arbuckle swims for 6. ____ Deo, school that Greenhill varsity football beat, ending their 29-game losing streak 8. 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, “American ____” that inspired the film “Oppenheimer” 10. updates were made over the summer to Greenhill’s security ____ system 13. name of one of the cheer team committees Crossword by Evie Kwei and Christan Park

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Evergreen Ever the

How to Be Successful in ...

Honors Pre-Calculus Irina Li

H

onors Precalculus is a yearlong course that follows Honors Algebra II and prepares students for courses such as Advanced Placement Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, or AP Statistics.

The prequisite for the course requires students to have taken Honors Algebra II with an intructor’s recommendation.

Students who have taken Advanced Algebra II may also take the course if they obtain a recommendation and pass a placement exam. This year, Honors Precalculus is taught by Upper School math teachers Melissa Battis and Kent Thele. Upper School Math Department Chair Darryn Sandler and Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement Jessica Chu have both previously taught the course.

Since the course is taught by different teachers, each class is slightly different..

“I want students to understand that math is more than mechanically doing problems,” Battis said. “I want them to understand the conceptual underpinnings of math.”

Rather than focusing on the memorization of formulas, teachers encourage students to understand the “why” behind complex problems.

“I hope they see more of the beauty in mathematics,” Thele said. “Obviously we haven’t seen it yet, but there’s some really cool things.”

The course also focuses on building collaborative problemsolving abilities.

“I hope they become better problem solvers and think more Darryn Sandler critically, be inquisitive, and be able to take chances and not be afraid of wrong answers,” Sandler said. “I hope they become better at working with all of

their classmates regardless of one’s ability.”

Through applying concepts to unfamiliar real-world problems, students gain a deeper understanding of key concepts utilized in the more rigorous courses to follow.

The Evergreen asked some former and current students about how they found success in Honors Precalculus. Here’s a lightly edited transcript of what they had to say: !"#$% &'&% ()*% +$,*--./% 0'$"% 1)+$% '2% 3)2),+% 4,/5#.5*.*+% #2&% ")0% &'&% ()*% )6/,5)1/%'$7 “I feel like the thing that I struggled the most with was just finding my footing at first, because after you get past the introductory units, it’s very foreign. The important thing is that once you start the class, you want to find ways of studying that work for you, ways that you understand topics, and your learning style. You want to find the way that you can make the math understandable.”

– junior Prabath Girish !"#$% #,/% +)1/% -))&% +$*&(% "#8'$+% $)% &/6/.)97

that I’ve used. I’m actually a tutor there, and it helps me better understand things because I have to rehash it and explain it in a way that makes sense.”

– junior Saida Bidiwala :;%()*%5)*.&%-'6/%()*,%9#+$%+/.;%)2/%9'/5/% );%#&6'5/%#8)*$%3)2),+%4,/5#.5*.*+<%0"#$% 0)*.&%'$%8/7 “Keep your head up and don’t focus on how hard you think it is. Focus more on the basis of the concepts and how to build up off them.”

– junior Kaavya Sampath “I would say have a more consistent studying habit. Do practice problems more spread out instead of trying to fit a whole bunch of them right before the test, because then you’ll just be blanked out.”

– junior Saida Bidiwala “If you don’t get something, ask.

Every unit, there’s a first day with basic, foundational stuff. If you’re struggling with that, make sure you take the time to understand it.”

– senior Ethan Strauss

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

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

“I feel like I wasn’t taking good enough notes and struggled in that sense. There was a disconnect between the material I learned in class and translating that onto the test, and I don’t think I did a good enough job at bridging that gap or getting the help I needed to fix that. Toward the end of the year, I got better at taking better notes in class and also met with Ms. Battis to go over materials.”

– senior Shreya Ram

VIEWS EDITOR Sasha Wai

STAFF WRITERS Cole Feldman Derian Herrmann Jin Huang Irina Li

William Maher Scarlett Song Gracie Tamez Aiden White

BUSINESS MANAGER Kaden Alibhai

!"#$%#,/%+)1/%,/+)*,5/+%$"#$%"/.9/&%()*7 “If I needed more [practice problems], I could look through the textbook, find them, and work them out. Math Lab is also a tool

Evergreen Staff Ever the

ASSISTANT ADVISOR Amy Bresie

Graphic by Emily Hu

ADVISOR

Gregg Jones

Editorial: Celebrating Our Wellness Counselors

S

tudents have faced an uphill battle returning to fully integrated in-person learning in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, depression among U.S. students increased rapidly following COVID-19.

This, coupled with the intense workload that some Greenhill students experience, often leads to increased stress during the school day.

To aid this, Upper School counselors Amanda Frederick and Kathy Roemer work tirelessly to help students with mental health.

We appreciate how both Frederick and Roemer make their offices are always safe spaces for students.

T h e r e , students can always expect to be greeted by snacks, stress toys, and open arms.

Whether students need a calm space or just a listening ear, Frederick and Roemer have always been there.

Furthermore, we appreciate how the guidance counselors have taken intentional steps to integrate wellness talks and presentations into the

school day.

Three years ago, the Community Time block was structured so students received hours of wellness education each month.

When this schedule was changed to free up this period for students, the counselors would often drop by advisories during the designated Advisory block to give quick, comprehensive presentations on mental health and wellness. Through these lessons, we learned valuable information that has helped us with important mental health and wellness topics.

Frederick and Roemer have made it possible for students to remain updated on local and national public health issues.

When the fentanyl crisis hit Dallas in early 2023, the counselors spoke alongside Director of Student Health Services Katie Trimmer during class meetings to talk about the dangers and best responses.

Despite the serious nature of the presentation, their sensitivity ensured that students felt comfortable voicing their opinions and asking questions.

At other times, Frederick and Roemer have invited guest speakers to provide their

own insights and information on important wellness topics, such as speakers from Planned Parenthood to speak about sex education.

Roemer has also devoted considerable time to community programs, such as the Link Crew Peer Mentors program, which seeks to assist the transition of ninth graders into Upper School. Through this program, Roemer and teacher sponsors have created an environment in which the entire Upper School is united.

Whether students need a calm space or just a listening ear, Roemer and Frederick have always been there.

What we admire most about Frederick and Roemer are the small yet impactful ways that they bring comfort to campus outside of designated wellness times. Frederick is in front of the cafeteria doors almost every day at 1:10 p.m., looking for students to greet and outfits to compliment.

Similarly, while Roemer arrived on campus only a little more than a year ago, her warm personality and welcoming arms have enabled her to form close connections with many members of the community. As much as anything, the little gestures are what we admire most about Amanda Frederick and Kathy Roemer.

We’re grateful to have them as our Upper School counselors.

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 staff 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 staff editorial represents the opinion of The Evergreen staff, 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 clarification, please email komminenir24@greenhill.org or sanghvip24@greenhill.org

Evergreen Ever the

September 27, 2023

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23

Rants & Raves A RAVE to the “grab-and-go” line in the dining hall. The new Crossroads section by Sage is a great way to get food fast, and it helps the lunch line go quicker. Whether it be chicken tenders, a sandwich, fried rice or something else, we always know we can find something delicious to grab and go.

A

RANT to the varying temperatures in the pods.

When moving from one class to another, constantly putting on and taking off sweatshirts is becoming a hassle. One pod area is freezing, and another area is too hot. Can we have some consistency in the temperatures?

A RAVENT to the delay of the seniors painting the Water Tower. Every year before the first day of school, seniors get to spray-paint the water tower. However, this year, due to the heat, the tradition was pushed back

A A RAVENT to the fruit bar.

This year, we had to say goodbye to Chex-Mix, Jell-O and Goldfish, in favor of a healthy fruit bar. While we appreciate that it is available during all times of the day, we cannot deny that

A RAVE to the start of Friday Night Lights. It is exciting to be able to dress up and support our friends. Could this be the year Greenhill football makes it to the Southwest Preparatory Conference playoffs?

RANT to the lack of parking spaces. Due to the construction of the new Valdes STEM + Innovation Center, as well as growing student enrollment, parking spaces have been limited. It has become a race in the morning to get a good parking space.

And, if you lose, you have a very long walk ahead of you.

Common Ground: Bridging the Immigration Divide !"#$%&'()*+,$%"-'+.''%"/&'(0(''%")+*1" 2'2-'()"3*4+$%"56*6$#7"*%8"9'6,%*" :'8($);

it’s our responsibility to deal with domestic issues first and emphasize the importance of legal naturalization.

Helina: When Trump fired up his supporters with “Build the Wall!” chants, I wonder how effective it was in actually keeping people out?

Helina: Well, immigration is complicated. I am 100% with you when it comes to seeking out legal routes, but I know that it is a lot easier said than done. While it would make more sense for America to help itself first and then reach out to others, since we hold a position of power, I think that it is inhumane to turn away people that need help. For example, conditions in Venezuela gets worse by the day and turning people away is hard to stomach. As of February 2023, the United Nations reported that more than 7.3 million people have left Venezuela since 2014.

Payton: It seemed like more of a mental barrier than a physical one.

Helina: Here’s the thing, Payton. I believe that our proximity to the border gives us more exposure to the problem. We hear a lot about immigrants stealing American jobs and stories about the inhumane treatment at the border. I am the daughter of two immigrants, and I know that my parents chose this country because of their belief in the “American dream.” I believe that without immigrants, there is no America.

Payton: I agree with you that our country would not be where it is today without immigration.

They contribute to the economy, raise business productivity and buy American goods and services.

The idea of immigrants “taking our jobs” is a direct result of Trump’s influence, and I think that it’s easy for uneducated people to cling to this notion.

However, I do believe that

Payton: I also think that we should help

people, but our power and strength are dependent upon order. We’re already failing to uphold this order in cities like New York, and it has resulted in what Mayor Eric Adams is calling a “humanitarian crisis.” Adams said that the immigration influx in New York will cost the city about $12 billion over the span of three years, and the instability this is causing has led him to discourage immigrants from flooding into the city.

Helina: I think it is important to note that this was partially caused by a calculated move from our own governor, Greg Abbott. After all, he has been sending migrants to Democratic cities to try and shift the border issue.

However, America cannot handle this influx of migrants. I think that the problem begins when people start to forget where they come from. We are a melting pot of different races, ethnicities, religions and political backgrounds. That is what makes

America special.

Payton: I agree, and I think that the “melting pot” mentality is important to our country, but people come to America for a better life, and we cannot maintain this kind of life if we let more people into our country than we can realistically accommodate for. We must understand that the “melting pot” cannot function without a rulebook. The high number of students in classrooms in New York City has decreased the quality of education, and the swell of immigrants into large sanctuary cities is leaving government officials helpless.

Helina: I agree that we need a rulebook, but I also think that it needs to be amended to represent our citizens’ best interests.

Migrants are not coming into this country to steal our jobs; they are coming to better their lives. At the end of the day, I also do not think that we should allow open immigration, as we still need to help ourselves before others.

Payton: Our policymakers need to find common ground, and more importantly, they need to realize that this issue is about the people, not the politics.

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Evergreen Ever the

DAY IN THE Life: LEE HARK

T

he 2023-2024 school year marks Head of School Lee Hark’s sixth year at Greenhill. Early in his tenure, the school embarked on a campaign of growth and campus change. With enrollment hitting an all-time high this year, the showcase Rosa O. Valdes STEM + Innovation Center set to open in January, and even the football team showing signs of revival, Hark is on a winning streak.

In a recent conversation with the Evergreen, Hark shared what a typical workday looks like for him.

4:00 A.M. “I wake up 4 AM every day. I do a little bit of work from [that time] until 4:40. Then, I work out in the morning before school.”

8:00 A.M. “This morning started with a meeting for the Buildings and Grounds Committee. It’s a board committee which is responsible for the growth and development of the physical plan of our campus.”

10:55 A.M. “Every week, I walk with [Chief Financial and Operating Officer] Kendra Grace and go to a meeting with everybody who’s working the new STEM building. It’s hosted in a trailer that our general contractors have. Lot of people tuned into that, including the Director of Facilities and Services Mike Willis, the architects who designed the building, and our owners’ representatives. Today we met for about 20 minutes.”

1:30 P.M. “I met with [senior] Iyad [Mohammad] to talk about student council for our first meeting of the year. It was a good opportunity for me to sit down with him and hear what he wants to do and how I can support him. I also wanted to give him some ideas about things I hope he’ll take into account as he moves through the year.”

2:00 P.M. “I had a 30-minute call with my executive coach. An executive coach is someone who gives me advice on how to answer questions, respond to concerns, be proactive, and think strategically. Today we worked on my annual goals, and he was helping me frame them out.”

7:15 A.M. “Now that I don’t have to [drive] a child to school, I get here at about [this time] and just do another check of emails and anything I need to get my head right for the day.”

10:00 A.M. “I met with Roy Kim '88, who’s the board chair. We meet weekly, either virtually or inperson, and he was here for the [Buildings and Grounds Committee] meeting, so we just met in person. We talked for an hour about what’s on my plate, how he can support me, and anything he needs to share with me about things he’s working on.”

4:00 P.M. “I went to preschool carpool, but by the time I got there it was basically over because we are getting better and better every day with our pick-up line! When I get home, I’ve got a couple of presentations I have to frame out, so that will be tonight’s work.”

3:00 P.M. “Every other week, I have a meeting with a subset of the admin team that is externally focused, including our Director of Admission and Enrollment Management, Chief Development Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Director of Marketing and Communications. We focus on the external picture of school admissions and fundraising. This time, we previewed a presentation I had been working on for the board retreat this Saturday. They gave me advice and helped me smooth out rough spots.”

Photos by Chloe Nguyen and Riya Kommineni; layout and design by Christan Park