The Fourcast // December 2013

Alumnae Recount Wartime Stories p5

Stadium Lights Installed p19

Alexandra Randolph Ice Dances p15

THURSDAY DECEMBER 19, 2013

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

news p2

features p7

photoessay p11

infocus p12

arts & entertainment p14

sports & wellness p18

perspectives p21

11600 WELCH ROAD DALLAS, TEXAS 75229 VOLUME 65 ISSUE 3

castoff p24

Survey Results Spark Discussion Administration, Student Council review HSSSE survey results as part of the new “Whole Girl” initiative

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TOTALLY SPIES

Alumna Runs for Dallas County District Judge Staci Williams ’77, one of Hockaday’s first black graduates, is making headlines.

Williams is running for Dallas County District Judge of the 101st District. She began her campaign no more than two months ago and is already busy in preparation for the first primary in February 2014.

Williams has come a long way since her days as a daisy. After graduating from Hockaday, Williams received her J.D. from Georgetown University.

WILLIAMS continued p7

DEMOCRAT DAISY Staci Williams ‘77 will face her first primary in February of next year.

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I haven’t seen students who have struggled to the point where we should address it.

Director of College Counseling Carol Wasden p6

ILLUSTRATION BY KATE COOPER

»» The Fourcast investigates how female spies are portrayed in the media and how they influence girls’ perceptions of themselves. p12

PHOTO PROVIDED BY STACI WILLIAMS

he Upper School Student Council reviewed data received from the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE). All Hockaday Upper Schoolers took the survey last spring, which was the first time that Hockaday participated in the survey.

“After looking at the data, I think that on the whole, girls here are active, engaged and feel connected,” Upper School Head John Ashton said. “However, there are certainly other areas that we want to dig deeper in and know more.”

One point of concern was that, according to the survey, 25 percent of Hockaday Upper Schoolers have sometimes or often considered transferring schools.

“That would be something I would want to know more about,” Eugene McDermott Headmistress Kim Wargo said.

“It doesn’t tell us enough to know if that’s a problem because I would say that there is no high school student out there has been 100 percent satisfied with their school 100 percent of the time.”

However, this is on par with the HSSSE public schools where 27 percent of students reported considering transferring schools sometimes or often. Independent schools have similar numbers; 28 percent of students responded the same way.

Though Wargo acknowledged that it is encouraging that Hockaday is not different than most other schools, she still wishes to investigate.

“I think that any school would want all of their students to be happy where they are, not just the majority,” Wargo said.

The Student Council also analyzed the data and noted trends from the survey during November.

Senior Meredith Mihalopoulos, Student Council President, said that some of the data indicated the perfectionist mindset that Hockaday girls tend to have.

According to the survey, 62 percent of Hockaday Upper School students strongly agree with the statement “I am motivated by my desire to get good grades.”

In contrast, only 52 percent of HSSSE school students and

SURVEY continued p3

02/03

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

Hockaday’s kindness is one thing that makes us sure of victory.

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Now that the year is almost over, take a look back at the highlights of 2013 p4

Margaret Storm Jameson p5

Briefing Day of Service Metrics

Texting and Driving, a Rising Epidemic PHOTO BY EMILY YEH

More than 11,000 hours of service were completed by members of the Hockaday community at 17 organizations for the Centennial Day of Service on Nov. 13. As they worked on various projects throughout Dallas, participants sorted 1,374 pounds of donated food at the North Texas Food Bank, constructed more than 3,000 angel kits for the Salvation Army Angel Tree Project, painted 34 ceiling tiles at Medical City Children’s Hospital, made 26 fleece blankets at Dallas Furniture Bank, and more.

Claire Fletcher Staff Writer

Jade Plant Babies Eight years ago, maintenance staff member Foro Rodriquez cut small pieces from the jade plant and buried them in his own combination of fertilizers.

He has cared for them ever since, and now the young plants, slightly smaller than the original, have found new homes around the campus.

These plants, along with their mother, which resides outside of the cafeteria, are all descendents of Ela Hockaday’s original jade plant.

Avita Anand Sports & Wellness Editor

PHOTO BY AVITA ANAND

THE FAMOUS JADE PLANT This jade plant baby is located in the Lower School commons.

Weathering the Storm Hockadaisies reflect on their reactions to the destruction left by Typhoon Haiyan

Running a red light. Speeding. Loss of vehicle control.

said. After the incident, StewThere are many reasons why car accidents accounted art was diagnosed with a as for approximately 33,000 U.S. deaths in 2010, according concussion a result of her brain ricochetto the U.S. Department of Safety and Transportation. Yet ar- ing off her skull when both cars guably the most preventable cause is currently on the rise. crashed into the back of her car.

Her ponytail made a physical Physical Consequences dent in the back of her head when On a February afternoon this it slammed into the car seat. Stewart year, sophomore Anastasia Stew- was required to stay at home from art was in her mother’s car and on school to recuperate for five weeks. her cell phone’s Instagram applica- Only recently, eight months after the tion when she felt the vehicle sud- collision, has she begun to feel that denly jolt and come to a screech- she has regained her strength.

“I’m finally back on track where I ing stop in the middle of Interstate 635 Highway’s leftmost lane, inches need to be,” Stewart said. away from a car that had also suddenly stopped in response to a car Curbing the Habit cutting into the lane. Another car Texting and driving has been crashed into the Stewarts’ bumper, sending Anastasia lurching forward, popularly described as an “epidemic.” protected from flying through the According to the Federal Communiwindshield only by her seatbelt. This cations Center, 40 percent of Americar drove away, and yet another one can teens claim to have been in a car collided once again. A chain of eight where the driver used a cell phone collisions resulted, one car ramming in a way that put people in danger.

Eleven percent of drivers ages 18 to 20 into the bumper of another.

Later, the driver of the car that who were involved in an automobile had first stopped admitted to texting accident and survived admitted that they were sending or receiving texts and driving.

“If he was paying attention, he when they crashed.

In a survey conducted of Upper wouldn’t have made the choice of stopping in the middle of 635,” Stewart School student drivers last month,

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ne of the strongest storms ever recorded in history killed 5,680 people, rendered 631,795 homeless, left 2.5 million in need of food and damaged $2.38 billion worth of infrastructure, according to The Washington Post. And these numbers continue to rise.

Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, struck the Philippines on Nov. 8. An estimated total of 4.9 million people were affected in the Philippines, including one of Hockaday’s own, Isabella So ’12, currently a sophomore at John Hopkins University.

So received word of the coming Typhoon Haiyan via her CNN Updates mobile app and immediately grew concerned about her relatives in the Philippines. Fortunately,

the Metropolitan Manila region where much of her family lives did not suffer much damage from the typhoon. Provinces Alkan, Capiz, Cebu, Iloilo and Palawan, however, did.

Even as an American citizen, So described being Filipino as a “huge part” of her personal identity. “I have always felt close to my heritage, and I constantly carry [the Philippines] with me,” she said.

In response to Typhoon Haiyan, the John Hopkins University Filipino Students Association, which So is a part of, hosted an on-campus Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 23. All funds from the dinner were donated to the Philippines Red Cross. So highly encourages others to become involved in Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts.

“Everything counts,” she said.

IT CAN WAIT Texting and driving has beome a serious problem for drivers across the country, including those at Hockaday.

84 percent of students said that they have been in a vehicle where the driver has texted while actively driving. Ninety-nine percent said that they have been in a vehicle where the driver has texted while at a traffic light, stop sign or place where they were otherwise stopped.

Senior Allie Love decided to focus on this subject for her AP U.S. History Junior Research Paper last year after observing a friend checking her phone while backing out of her driveway. After months of researching the topic, she determined that legislation dealing with the issue was essentially ineffective.

“The new preventative measures such as bans get the point out there,” she said, “but it doesn’t do anything to curb it. People don’t really listen.”

Forty-one states and 24 cities in Texas enforce bans on texting while driving, yet efforts to implement a statewide ban have continuously failed. According to the National Safety Council, cell phone use accounted for 3,283 Texas car crashes in 2012. And that number may be higher in reality. At the scene of an accident, state troopers or local police officers can often suspect cell phones as the cause of the crash.

“Food, clean water and clothing are important for the victims right now, but it’s easy to send something as small as a letter or a card—it still means a lot.”

Upon hearing of Typhoon Haiyan, senior Kendall Ernst tried to contact her friend Krishna Goswami from the Philippines, who she met at a month-long program at Cambridge University in England last summer. “[Typhoon Haiyan] was one of the only times that I have actually known someone closely involved [in a disaster],” Ernst said. “It was kind of surreal to think that someone who I’d been studying with just months earlier might be in danger.”

Like So’s relatives, Goswami lives in Manila, so his area did not suffer much damage. Goswami’s school, the In-

TEXTING continued p5

ternational School of Manila, has been involved in collecting canned food, clothing, diapers and water for the victims.

“The relief process has been extremely difficult because so many of the roads have been damaged or destroyed,” Goswami said. “Even when aid is flown in to local airports, they often have trouble transporting supplies to people in need.”

It is clear that there is still more work to be done in the Philippines, but So is confident in its recovery.

“What happened in the Philippines is tragic,” So said, “but I’m so happy to see communities and nations come together to help a country back on its feet.”

Faith Isbell Staff Writer

news

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

The Fourcast welcomes any comments about published information that may require correction or clarification as well as any news tips. Submit to Molly Montgomery, Public Relations Director, at mmontgomery1@hockaday.org.

LOWER SCHOOL

Lower School Implements Young Global Leaders Lower School teachers are planning a program where all fourth graders will participate in an initiative centered on integrating the Lower School

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rawing inspiration from the Upper School Student Diversity Board after visiting one of its forums, Racism 2.0 on Nov. 21, Lower School teacher Tresa Wilson created the Young Global Leaders initiative and currently focuses on advancing the initiative in the spring.

The initiative engages all fourth grade students in age appropriate experiences and encourages them to ask questions and seek answers about various global communities.

After Wilson attended the forum, she was able to step back and look at her fourth graders.

“When I teach about a certain multicultural novel…I see how the [students] want more.

I see how they want to ask the questions deeper into the topic, but I have to stop.” Wilson said. “I need to give them an outlet to ask those questions,

to wonder why.” groups of fourth graders to disNot only will Young Glob- cuss issues significant to the culal Leaders give the students ture and community of Lower such an outlet, but it also will School. The girls will implement provide them with the three types of proopportunity for leadergrams organized for ship in supporting the the Lower School: Mixschool’s commitment to It-Up Day, Structured diversity and inclusion.

Play and Act-It-Out. Under Wilson’s su- I need to Wilson hopes pervision, the fourth through these prograders will lead the give them grams the girls will initiative in addressing an outlet to learn that “It’s okay to issues primarily dealall different. Yes, ask those be ing with friendship. we are all the same in “A lot of these girls questions, some amazing way, have been together but those differences since Pre-K, and so, to wonder are just as important they’ve had that same why. as those similarities.” connection, that same Lower School The opinions that relationship,” Wil- teacher Teresa Lower School girls son said. She hopes Wilson develop about one girls will branch out another and about dito build new relationversity issues are ofships as they move forward ten merely reflections of those into Middle School. of their parents.

Throughout the school Katie Mimini, a junior year, Wilson will meet with representative on the Student

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Diversity Board, said the initiative will influence students to be open to different perspectives early on. “That way, they would not be stuck to the one their parents have,” she said.

Young Global Leaders is similar to the Student Diversity Board in its focus on integrating the community.

Upper School history teacher Steve Spencer, a sponsor for the board, said each year more students have applied to be grade representatives on the board. The increase in the number of applicants, with the creation of Young Global Leaders, reveals a budding interest in diversity issues.

However, while mainly students will drive the board, Wilson will direct Young Global Leaders to ensure that the topics discussed are age appropriate.

The two groups will also differ in their scopes of poten-

tial participants. While sponsors assign positions on the Student Diversity Board from an open group of interested Upper School students, this initiative will include only fourth graders.

This characteristic stems from Wilson’s hope to spark girls’ interest in the Middle School Kids Stand Up elective and the Student Diversity Board, which all share the same goal to raise awareness of various issues.Wilson wishes all three groups will meet and discuss various issues, which she says will give the girls tools to learn to accept others.

“The world is changing,” Wilson said, “And the more prepared the child is, the more successful I feel she will be in the future.”

Catherine Jiang Video Editor

Student Council Reviews Survey Results SURVEY continued from p1 35 percent of NAIS school students strongly agree with that statement.

“I think that most people would agree—and I definitely can contest to this—that at Hockaday, although the students are very high-achieving, they try to excel at everything, and there is a lot of stressed involved with that,” Mihalopoulos said.

The Student Council hopes to change that mindset at Hockaday.

“I think if we can alleviate the stress and alleviate that idea of being perfect and instead emphasize learning and trying to be healthier and happier, we can build a better culture at Hockaday,” Mihalopoulos said. “Finding the balance between excellence and perfection is something we all have to do.”

In order to spark discussion to find solutions to these concerns, the Student Council coupled together advisories within each grade to discuss questions that stemmed from the data collected. From these discussions, which are set to take place on Jan. 21,

the Student Council hopes to understand better why there was dissatisfaction among some Hockaday students. “We thought that this was a way to initiate healthy conversation,” Mihalopoulos said.

“What I hope ultimately comes out of the discussion groups, and what I hope the student body feels, is real ownership in being a part of helping construct an environment that is healthy for the girls,” Ashton added.

Through the discussion, Wargo hopes to see change in the culture.

“I think a lot of change that happens at school comes from asking the right questions and creating a culture where people are willing to ask questions,” Wargo said.

“Even if we don’t change anything, I think we’ll see change out of the fact that people are talking about it.”

The discussion groups will be only a small part of the Student Council’s new Whole Girl Initiative, which promotes the idea of a “whole” girl who is healthy, happy and leading a balanced lifestyle.

“I’m really looking to this partnership with the Student

Council and our teachers and our administration to come up with some ideas about ‘Whole Girl,’” Wargo said.

The Student Council will work closely with the administration and students to strategize how to make the idea of a “whole girl” into a reality.

“I, and I think I can speak for most of the Student Council, am excited to be a part of this initiative and leave this legacy,” Mihalopoulos said.

“It’s just something really cool that we can be a part of, and once the change happens, we can look back on and be really thankful for it and be really proud that we were the ones to start it.”

The 135-question survey was given to 27,048 students in 25 states. Hockaday was provided with comparison data from spring 2013 for two groups: HSSSE public schools (including Charter, Alternative and Magnet schools) and National Association of Independent Schools schools (both residential and non-residential private and independent schools).

In order to track improvement in the following years, Hockaday has committed to taking this survey for the next

Number of Hours Needed to Complete Homework 80% 70% 60%

Hockaday US

50%

HSSSE Public

40%

NAIS

30% 20% 10% 1 or less

2 to 3

4 to 7

8 or more

Source: HSSSE ISAS Executive Summary GRAPHIC BY AMY TAO

three years. “One of the real things we want to see is what the trends are over time,” Wargo said. “We’re really taking a look at the data to see what we can learn from it.”

The administration hopes that the student-led initiative can help identify areas that Hockaday should continue and other areas that Hockaday could strengthen, and Ashton said that the HSSSE and the subsequent discussion will

help with that.

“We want to be the best school for girls, and not to be the best in just achievement, but we want to be the best, most healthy environment for girls to develop into young women who will lead meaningful lives,” he said. “That, to me, is our mission.”

Courtney Le Features Editor

FOURWARD Dec. 19 Form Day Competitions All-School Early Dismissal

Jan. 15 US Admission Visitation

Jan. 25 SAT Exam

Feb. 7 Boarder Visitation

Jan. 18 Math Competition

Jan. 27 - Feb. 17 Community Service Food Drive

Feb. 8 ACT Exam

Jan. 10 End of 1st Semester and 2nd Quarter

Jan. 20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day No Classes

Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 Winter Play, “The Miracle Worker”

Feb. 10 - 12 Exam Review Sessions

Jan. 11 Coffeehouse at Hockaday

Jan. 24 US Student Council Town Hall

Feb. 6 Class Fair, Forms I-III

Feb. 11 Student Council Speeches & Elections

Dec. 20 - Jan. 5 Holiday Break - No Classes

Feb. 7 - 9 US Musical, “Anything Goes”

04/05

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

2013 Year In Review As this year comes to a close, Public Relations Director Molly Montgomery recounts some of the biggest national and local events of 2013

Super Bowl Blackout

Boston Marathon Bombing

Feb. 3

Super Bowl XLVII, a match between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Fransisco 49er’s, featured an entertaining plot twist when the power went out for about 30 minutes in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Before the blackout, Beyoncé had an extraordinary half-time performance in which former pop group Destiny’s Child was reunited.

T IF F ANY L E ND

VA A IG OR YE

GR UD YL SB

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This combination led to an onslaught of tweets nationwide; here is one from junior Harper Clouston (@haaaarpeercl), “Looks like someone didn’t pay those electric bills, bills, bills”

April 15

S ILLU

N TIO TRA

June 19July 23

Wendy Davis Filibuster Democratic state senator Wendy Davis made national headlines for her 11hour filibuster of a measure proposed to limit abortions in Texas. As Davis spoke continuously, she drew more and more attention nationwide; by midnight, 100,000 people were watching the parliamentary debate, and President Obama even tweeted a link to the livestream, saying, "Something special is happening in Austin tonight," which echoed the then trending twitter hashtag, #standwithwendy. Though her success was short-lived as the bill was called into question again that following Monday, Davis’ actions were notable as she and her pink sneakers attempted to make a difference.

George Zimmerman's Trial Though the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin occurred on Feb. 26, 2012, the trial of George Zimmerman did not take place until this summer.

Martin, a 17-year-old African American, though unarmed, was reportedly shot by Zimmerman, and the resulting months lead to one of the greatest national controversies of the year, concluding when Zimmerman was found not-guilty by the jury in a criminal court in Florida.

The decision incited widespread discussion of the role of race in modern society.

Junior Anesu Nyatanga, a member of the Student Diversity Board, reflected on the implications of the trial: “It was a huge testament to where Americans stand today in regards to racism, and that it certainly isn’t dead."

Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance June 26

Aug. 25

For freshman Audrey Black, watching Davis was inspirational, "She stood up for her beliefs. That is an impressive action regardless of what side or view a person supports. And past that, I personally appreciate that a woman politician that supports women’s rights, marriage equality and a large amount of other important issues is gaining authority and influence."

Washington Navy Yard Shooting

An act of terrorism, the Boston Marathon bombing was one of the most infamous moments of 2013. Two pressure-cooker bombs exploded as runners neared the finish line, leaving three dead and an estimated 264 others injured. The manhunt for suspects Dzhokar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev that ensued lead to an unprecedented number of police officers searching within a 20 block radius of Watertown, Mass. The city of Boston was shut down and residents were put on lockdown during the event, as the country watched. One of the alleged terrorists was killed and the other captured on April 19.

Cyrus fan senior Tai Massimilian reflected on the performance, “Her performance had something like what, 300,000 tweets per minute? I think what she’s doing is brilliant; her spiral really boosted her album sales. People think she’s a hot mess, but honestly, she’s just a strategic mess.”

Sept. 17

2013 marked a historic year in the number of mass shootings in the US; at least 13 people were killed after a U.S. naval reservist embarked on a shooting rampage in the heart of the Navy Yard in Washington D.C. A year filled with questioning of current gun laws, 2013 saw an additional 11 shootings that made headline news. The Washington Navy Yard shooting was a reminder of the growing controversy regarding gun regulation in this country.

Cyrus did her best to shock audiences before the drop of "Wrecking Ball," the second single of her October album "Bangerz," during her MTV Video Music Awards performance. Grinding on Robin Thicke and thrusting with a foam finger while singing her summer blockbuster, "We Can’t Stop," the former Disney star left jaws on the floor as Twitter exploded in reaction.

The performance, on par with the likes of Britney Spears’ "Oops…I did it again" and Madonna’s "Like a Virgin" that were both shocking at the time, achieved Cyrus’ self-proclaimed goal of "giving people something to talk about."

In fact, the performance was so noteworthy that it generated more tweets per minute than the supposed 2013 Twitter frenzy of the Super Bowl blackout.

Sept. 28 First Known Unicorn Sighting In a year of Centennial events like the Centennial Day of Service and special centennial sports games, perhaps the most notable was the Centennial Kick-off Parade and Concert held at Hockaday. It featured a concert, food trucks, fireworks and one very special guest--a unicorn.

Catching Fire The long-awaited movie of the second book in the "Hunger Games" trilogy released Nov. 22, at midnight, right before Thanksgiving break began. For many students, the premier meant a late-night trip to the movie theater to see one of their favorite books adapted to the big screen.

For junior Camille Szelc, the movie premiere meant only 26 minutes of sleep that night. "Midnight premieres are always fun but "Catching Fire" was especially because everyone dresses up in Capital clothes because they’re so excited," Szelc said. "I was one of the few people there that decided to go even with my JRP mini draft due the next day. I knew it would be worth it, and it was."

Senior Grace Gilker asked, “When else am I ever going to get the chance to take a selfie with a unicorn? Probably not for another 100 years.”

Oct. 1-16

Nov. 22

Government Shutdown The second major blackout of 2013, the government shut down on Oct. 1 due to Congress' inability to compromise on a spending plan for the fiscal year. This shutdown led to the postponment of the Civil War class trip until December and threatened to cause the cancellation of the sixth grade annual trip to Williamsburg.

Civil War teacher Steve Kramer reflected on the trip: “The government decided it would close everything the people liked so the battlefield parks were closed. Instead of seeing the leaves changing, we saw snow and sleet and enjoyed the freezing rain at Burnside's Bridge. At Gettysburg, the soldiers feared heatstroke; we feared frostbite."

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

CENTENNIAL

Alumnae Recount Stories from World War II To commemorate the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, The Fourcast reveals how Hockaday responded to the global war crisis

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lthough separated by thousands of miles and the Atlantic Ocean, English writer Margaret Storm Jameson, her sister Dorothy Pateman and founder Ela Hockaday corresponded with each other during World War II, working to ensure that Pateman’s young children, 2-year-old Judith and 4-year-old Nicholas Pateman, were kept out of harm’s way during the aerial bombings of English cities such as the children’s home in Heathfield.

In August 1940, the Pateman children, along with their mother, arrived by ship in New York City and boarded a train to Dallas to meet Hockaday at the school’s Greenville Avenue campus. Dorothy Pateman then returned to England to live with her husband Robert Pateman and her sister Jameson during the war.

Responding to the plea for American caretakers, Hockaday acted as the Patemen children’s official guardian, as appointed by the Canadian government, and as the guarantor of their visas.

This was Hockaday’s answer to a telegram that had been sent to 13 national and regional associations of schools and colleges, including The National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls, to which The Hockaday School belonged. According to the telegram, the British government planned to move 200,000 children in “urgent need of haven” to the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

According to the July 1, 1940 issue of the Evening Standard, a

British newspaper, 3,000 evacuation inquiries were submitted daily at the U.S. Embassy. The Pateman children and their mother were a part of the fleeing masses.

In Dallas, the two children stayed at the Greenville campus until Betty Skillern Leake, mother of Nancy Leake Abelanet ‘68, read an article in The Dallas Morning News written about the Pateman children and offered to house them in her home in old Highland Park on Versailles Ave. Although Hockaday remained the children’s official guardian, according to Jameson, the children’s aunt, Pateman approved the Leake family as caretakers because “their kindness, their warmth of heart, was a young kindness, a young warmth.” Leake and her husband were roughly the same age as Pateman and her husband, but they had yet to have children of their own. Soon, however, the Leakes had two sons of their own, Sam and David, which made a full house.

To assure the children’s well-being, Hockaday frequently invited them to the school for special occasions like the tea party Life Trustee Margaret McDermott arranged for them.

In a letter to Dorothy Pateman on Nov. 9, 1940, Hockaday wrote that the children “looked happy and seemed very much at home and thoroughly enjoyed a tea party which Miss McDermott had for them in Trent House.”

Hockaday also wrote of the children’s interest in books and record-making.

“Both Nick and Judy, the

PHOTO PROVIDED BY EMILY EMBRY

Ela Hockaday, Guardian of British Children

HAPPY AND HEALTHY British children Judith (R) and Nicholas (L) Pateman, who moved to Dallas to evade German blitzkrieg, enjoy the company of Hockaday teachers on the Greenville Avenue campus as young children in 1941. minute they saw the [record] machine, began to talk into it saying, ‘Hello, Daddy!’, again and again. It was so cute of them.”

Overseas, the children’s father, Robert Pateman, was about to join the Royal Air Force while their mother worked in the Community Kitchen in Reading. At this perilous time, the Patemans made post-war plans for their children should they die. After the war, official guardianship of their children would pass from Hockaday to Jameson should both the Patemans be deceased.

Even in the midst of war, however, Jameson was inspired

by Hockaday’s generosity towards her niece and nephew. “[Hockaday’s] kindness is one thing that makes us certain of victory,” she said.

Despite writing that England was “menacing” as early as July 10, 1940, she remained optimistic. “In a world in which people can be so kind to each other,” she wrote in a letter to Hockaday, “how can evil triumph?”

Tragically, in February 1943, Dorothy Pateman was killed when German planes bombed

Reading, England. When the war ended, her husband joined the children in the U.S., got a job, remarried and made a new life for his family.

On Jun. 8, 1945, they moved to Port Huron, Michigan as documented by Detroit Border Crossing records. According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index, Nicholas Pateman died in California in April 2000 at the age of 64. Judith Pateman The Pateman family did what all British people in WWII were called to do—Keep Calm and Carry On.

Experiencing the Threat of War First-Hand: Alumnae aboard a ship torpedoed by German U-boats

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erman U-boats torpedoed the British liner Athenia, which carried Hockaday alumnae Betty Jane Stewart ‘39 and Judith Scott ‘39, west of Northern Scotland on Sept. 3, 1939, according to that day’s issue of The Dallas Morning News. The ship was the first one sunk by Nazi Germany during WWII. At least 246 Americans were aboard including a group of 12 young Texas socialites who had traveled to Europe for the summer, the article said.

The ship was heading from Liverpool to Montreal, carrying passengers and refugees but no munitions, according to Stephen Early, secretary to President Roosevelt. Official reports said the ship sank quickly.

Stewart told a more personal story of the vessel’s demise in the Oct. 13, 1939 issue of The Fourcast.

Just after she had eaten dinner, Stewart said the torpedo struck the boat. “[M]y first thought was to get my lifebelt and money in my cabin before going to my lifeboat station,” she wrote in the article. “However, the rush of people from the lower decks was so great that it was impossible for me to reach my cabin.”

Instead, the 18-year-old climbed down the side of the ship into a lifeboat.

Although Stewart commented on “how quickly time passes when you are under a strain,” the passengers spent nearly eight hours on the water, waiting for a rescue party.

To pass the time, Stewart wrote “Polish refugees prayed and cried” while Stewart and her friends “tried to get people to sing” until their voices grew too hoarse to sing any longer.

Soon the stranded passengers were rescued by the Knute Nelson and had to climb up the ship’s gangway to safety, which was not an easy task, Stewart wrote.

Because of the wind and choppy waves, the sailors helped Stewart steady her balance and pulledher aboard the ship. On the ship, Stewart and eight others slept in a room meant for two people. However, the next morning they woke to see the coast of Galway, Ireland.

Because of the harrowing experience, Stewart wrote that she realized something important.“It’s mighty good to be home again,” she said.

Mary Clare Beytagh Web Editor

Students Face the Texting and Driving Epidemic TEXTING continued from p2 However, they need the driver to admit that they were actively using a cell phone when the crash happened in order to legitimately confirm distracted driving through cell phone use.

Thus, it is often difficult to determine whether or not texting while driving has taken place during an accident.

Recent public awareness campaigns have attempted to broadcast the dangers of texting while driving. For example, AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign features video testimonies of people involved in crashes caused by texting while driving and calls for drivers to take a pledge to commit to limiting their cell phone use during driving.

Texas laws prohibit drivers who are under the age of 17 or hold only learner’s permits

from using their cell phones while operating a motor vehicle, let alone texting. Drivers who fall under these categories and who are caught texting while driving are issued a ticket. Yet 64 percent of Upper School students have used their cellphones while driving. In September this year, Love personally experienced a collision caused by texting and driving.

Heading home from a practice ACT exam and stopped at a red light, she witnessed in her rearview mirror the man driving behind her focused on his cell phone. Moments later, he crashed into the rear of her car.

Although Love sustained no serious injuries, she recognizes the severity of the distraction caused by texting while driving.

“We just don’t think about the consequences,” she said.

Oftentimes, many teenagers check their phones un-

consciously and out of habit.

“We’ve become so used to texting and responding immediately. It’s a natural response,” Love said. “It’s just your natural inclination to reach for your phone.”

Forty-eight percent of Upper School students say that they check their cell phones at stops and/or red lights often, most of the time, or sometimes.

“The idea [of getting into an accident] scares me, but I’ve gotten used to it over the years.

I usually check my phone at red lights,” senior Anna Herbelin said.

Other Upper School drivers share the same sentiment.

“You’re sitting there doing nothing, so you check your phone,” senior Paige Goodman said.

Accordingly, some drivers believe that waiting until a stop to check one’s phone is acceptable because it does not

involve cell phone use while actively driving; thus, it is less dangerous.

“You’re waiting at a light, so you check your phone because when you’re driving, you can hear the texts and calls, but you’re obviously not going to answer,” senior Raheela Ahsan said.

Only 17 percent of Upper School drivers say that they text while actively driving often, most of the time or sometimes.

driving develop.

“I’m very scared to drive. I’m 16, and I don’t have a permit. I don’t know when I will,” Stewart said. “[The accident] showed me that you can drive as safely as you can, but you still can’t control anything around you.”

Amy Tao News Editor

Future Emotional Impact A quick text message while on the road may seem like an inconsequential action, but Stewart says that the accident will continue to affect her decisions and actions in the future, a sentiment many people who have been involved in accidents caused by texting and

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to take AT&T's It Can Wait pledge to not text and drive at the same time.

news

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

06/07

Counselors, Students Reflect on College Prep Some counselors and students question if more or less focus is needed in certain areas of the college preparatory process prior to senior year

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or Form IV students, December is a time defined by applicant notification emails and the submission of regular decision applications. Many will be nearing the end of the college process. But for Form III, it’s just the beginning.

“People often come with questions that sort of lead you to believe that there is a magic formula [to the college process], but it is much more organic than that,” Director of College Counseling Carol Wasden said on the initial months of Form III college preparation.

The Resume There are a few things that each student will do in the spring of their junior year: take standardized testing, compile a preliminary list of colleges and create a resume.

But for this year’s applicants, the Common Application did not include space for an online submission of the resume, unlike years in the past, and what used to be a significant part of college prep turned unnecessary.

“What we decided last spring was that we didn’t know how many colleges would take the resume because that information wasn’t made public,” Wasden said.

However, the Hockaday College Counseling Department decided to continue with the same resume workshops offered in past years, so that if requested by schools, the students would already have them completed.

Some students, like senior Lekha Pathapati, believe that there was too much time spent on the resume.

“I wish I would have known that there was not a specific place to insert it for all universities, and I don’t think we need to spend so much time junior year working on it.”

Despite the time spent on her resume, she later added that she did not regret putting one together. For her early application schools, Pathapati liked having the ability to send it in as an additional document in order to supplement her application if needed.

Wasden agreed that the major assignment grade. resume has undeniable value Hockaday’s English Departas a “reference sheet” when ment does not. students sit down to fill out “Our regular, non-AP Engthe activity portions on the ac- lish class senior year does astual application. Some students sign personal narratives to even bring them to college in- get students in the rhythm of terviews. writing those types of essays,” “It also really helps us as we Greenhill senior Nick Kraus write our recommendations said. However, he added that because we don’t want to forget they do not use old prompts. some wonderful award or leadBut at Hockaday, there has ership position,” Wasden said. been little movement to in“It supplements the work we do clude college essay styled writas we really describe you guys ing in the curriculum. to colleges.”

“The students I work with Next spring with the Class are comfortable and familiar of 2015, the Hockaday College with that style of writing,” Counseling Department will Wasden said. “I haven’t seen decide on whether or not to fo- students who have struggled cus as much attention on the to the point where we should resume, especially on address it in a systemthe heavy formatting ic or programmatic of the document. way.”

In similar fashion However, some to Hockaday, St. Mark’s students cite the anakept the session on the lytical work during resume as a portion of I wish I junior year as being their spring seminars would unhelpful in the colon the college process lege process in terms last year. Associate Di- have of style. rector of College Coun- written “I wrote a lot of seling Casey Gendason more analytical essays at thought the informaHockaday, so more tion would be helpful essays in narratives definiteas the resume is not yet August. ly would have been entirely obsolete. helpful,” senior MadSenior Maddie “We couple the Bradshaw die Bradshaw said. essays with the reWhile Gendason sume as a summer project,” likes the Common Application Gendason said. “Even if a lot essay assignment and believes of colleges don’t have a place it greatly aids his students, he to upload it, it can certainly does not regard it as perfect. still be mailed to the colleges.”

“We definitely think it’s a great tool, but one downside is Essay Writing if an English teacher says that it’s an A paper, they sometimes While the resume is an think they’re done.” important part of college prepThe school also encouraration for rising seniors at ages the students to give their Hockaday, essay writing is not. essays to a current or former However, Gendason believes English teacher for additionthat many private schools are al advice during their senior starting to encourage students year, a practice that Hockato write earlier and that essay day does not support for the writing in the spring of junior writer’s sake. year is “becoming a more com“What is a beautiful piece mon practice.” of writing and what is a highly St. Mark’s and the Green- effective college essay are not hill School fit this trend. Both always the same,” Wasden said. of their English departments “They will give feedback and adfocus on styles of writing, such vice based on their own frames as the narrative, that help when of experience, which can somecomposing self-reflective col- times just exhaust the writer.” lege essays. St. Mark’s even asks However, the time to have juniors taking Honors English multiple people read essays to answer an old Common Ap- only occurs when students plication essay prompt for a start early, which for some

“

can be the summer. But some seniors, like Bradshaw, do not regret starting the essay writing process at the beginning of senior year.

“I am glad I didn’t write any essays last spring because my topics probably would have changed by the fall,” she said.

“But, I wish I would have written more essays in August. I didn’t expect there to be such a heavy workload this semester.”

For many students, waiting holds added benefit, as some use experiences post-junior year for material for college essays.

“I changed a lot over junior year. In the summer, I had an idea of what I wanted to write about, and I grew even more,” Pathapati said.

Visits and Research But regardless of the essays and resumes, what can sometimes be the most stressful for juniors is the pressure to go on college visits.

“A college visit is a huge investment of time, money and resources. Colleges know that, so they don’t expect it. It’s not a ding if you don’t,” Wasden said.

Instead, Wasden suggests “waiting to see if those schools become a reality” rather than worrying about schools “that may not be there in the end.”

Some students believe that this pressure to visit a large number of colleges can also be alleviated by doing more re-

search beforehand.

“If given a do over, I wish I would have researched colleges more thoroughly before actually going on a visit,” Bradshaw said. “There’s so much more to picking a college than just location.”

Counselors and students both agree that research is where the reflection aspect of the process begins. When researching what they’re looking for in a school and searching for the perfect fit, students often learn more about themselves.

“I think looking in the mirror and evaluating who you are and who you want to be in college also starts to make those conversations with students much more exciting and rich,” Gendason said.

Those types of reflective conversations lead to a much more productive and exciting experience.

“It’s a great time of year,” Wasden said. “We’re wrapping [the current seniors] up, and it’s so fun to get started with a new class because every person who walks through the door is a brand new story.”

The Form III students will receive their college counselor assignments and junior year PSAT scores in the mail this month.

This will mark the beginning of their college process.

Katie Payne Managing Editor

Do you wish that the English Department assigned practice college essays in the spring of junior year?

31% of Upper School seniors say no

69% of seniors say yes

Source: Hockaday Upper School Student Survey GRAPHIC BY MANISHA RATAKONDA

STUDENT COUNCIL Sophomore/Junior Mixer Changed Annual spring mixer split into two separate events

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fter increasingly low turnouts for the past few years, Form II and Form III Councils decided to cancel the spring sophomore/junior mixer in favor of separate events. Sophomores and juniors will each host their own mixers instead. “[The mixer] wasn’t very popular,” Form II President Frances Burton said.

The annual mixer has traditionally been open to all Upper School girls and their St. Mark’s and Cistercian counterparts. For these two events, only sophomores or only juniors from the three schools will be invited. Girls may still choose to bring a date.

“We wanted to do something just for our grades, especially since there are no sophomore or junior retreats this year,” Form III President Maura McCrary said. Because mostly underclassmen attended mixers, upperclassmen attendance

has declined over the years. McCrary hopes that an event exclusive to juniors will encourage more of them to attend.

While the councils have decided on hosting mixers, they are open to changing the grade-specific events to another type of social activity, such as a movie night.

Whatever the councils choose to plan, the two class presidents hope to start a new tradition. “We as a council are really excited about it, and we hope to start something that will continue for years to come,” McCrary said.

The mixers are set for March. Further details will be announced at a later date. Any suggestions should be directed to Burton at fburton@hockaday.org or McCrary at mmccrary@hockaday.org.

Tiffany Le Editor-In-Chief

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

I mainly believe in giving love to others in an unchangeable way.

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Kyle Vaughn p9

FourSteps

1

Families Overcome Long Distances

Crush mini candy canes in a bowl.

2 3 4

PHOTO BY BOBBIE VILLAREAL

...To Making Candy Cane Marshmallow Pops

Upper School history teacher Joni Palmer returns from maternity leave p10

Skewer large marshmallows with un-crushed candy canes.

Dip the skewered marshmallows into a bowl of melted chocolate and then roll the chocolate-covered marshmallows in the bowl of crushed candy canes.

Place on wax paper and allow to set.

Megan Philips Staff Writer

PHOTO BY ALAINA RODRI

G UE

Z

no private schools near her father’s job. In 2008, at are in a long distance relationship according to the the end of Sarah’s sixth grade Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships. year, Sarah and Denise moved The latest data, from the 2005 census, suggested back to Dallas.

That marked the that more than 3.5 million of those were married but beginning of a commuter relationship with Leroy that lasted more than three years. living apart for reasons other than This was the second time her marital discord. family had done this. When Sarah was These 3.5 million comprise 2.9 very young, Leroy moved from Illinois percent of all U.S. marriages. This to Texas. Sarah and Denise followed percentage represents a 30 percent him as soon as they sold their house increase from the rate of long-disin Chicago, less than a year later. tance marriages in 2000. Given the “As jobs go, you’ve got to go where economic downturn that began in the job goes, and it pulled me from Dec. 2007, the numbers have likely here to Iowa,” Leroy said. “Working for continued to grow. a company like John Deere--it was a These numbers include many pretty stable company, pretty big comHockaday parents. Parents who are pany, all the signs lined up that that’s now in commuter marriages. where we needed to be.”

However, in 2007, the financial Two Times Each Way crisis caused John Deere to restructure, and it became unclear to the Denise and Leroy Startz, parStartz family how stable Leroy’s job ents of senior Sarah Startz, have was. The Startz’s wanted stability and experienced a commuter relationthe best education possible for Sarah. ship--twice. Leroy took a job in Iowa Though Iowa public schools rank in in 2006, halfway through Sarah’s fifth the top five in the country, Hockaday grade year at Hockaday. At the end of challenged Sarah more, and Denise the school year, Sarah and her mothsaid, they did not like feeling that she er followed him there, selling their was “backsliding.” house in Dallas and buying one in “We decided to make the sacrifice, a public school district in Iowa that both financially and distance wise, looked the strongest, since there were

Between 14 and 15 million individuals in the U.S.

WILLIAMS continued from p1

Democrat Daisy Runs for Office

She then tried to find work as a lawyer in Dallas. However, most law firms were segregated at the time. But her Hockaday education helped her persevere.

“At Hockaday, there is a great sense of competition, and you learn that you have to work hard to be the best,” Williams said. “I didn’t let [the segregation] discourage me. I kept striving to be the best no matter what.”

After several years of finding and changing jobs, Williams finally opened her own private law firm in Dallas: The Law Office of Staci Williams.

Recently, she decided to begin her campaign for Dallas County

District Judge.

Through all of this, Williams strongly believes that the knowledge she gained at Hockaday inspires her to this day.

Williams’ love for politics stems from her first U.S. History class. After that, she devoted her time to clubs like the Latin Club, Latin Honors Society and Junior Classical League.

“Getting involved was fun. But more than anything, I jwanted to make my school a better place,” Williams said.

This same philosophy carries over to her campaign. Williams chose to run for office because she “knew [Dallas] could do better,” and she believed that she could be the one to do it.

Influenced by Hockaday’s four cornerstones, Williams

REUNITED renting an apartment here for Sarah Senior Alexandra and Denise,” Leroy said.

Villareal and her brother Nicholas A Different Reason visit their dad Andy in New Bobbie and Andy Villareal, parYork. ents of senior Alexandra Villareal, made the decision to have a commuter marriage for different reasons. In Oct. 2009, Citigroup, the company for which Andy works, approached him with an opportunity for a promotion that required him to move to New York City. His family, including then eighth-grader Alexandra and then fourth-grader Nicholas, was fairly interested in moving with him.

“By the time they actually made the arrangements and got the papers done for the move, it was March. We really didn’t know enough about it to decide where we wanted to live,” Andy said. Rather than rushing into a decision, the Villareals decided to wait, and Andy began to commute.

For the first two and a half years, Andy spent weekdays in New York; he flew out of Dallas on Sunday and returned on Thursday or Friday. Then, in January 2012, he received a promotion that has allowed him to work about half of the month in Dallas, usually alternating weeks between the two cities.

Financial and career concerns are often the driving factors for deciding to accept job opportunities in other

is running on a basis of accountability, approachability and affability. She wants the community to know that she is here to help.

“It is a privilege to be a judge, not a right,” Williams said. “This community is allowing you to serve them, so you need to be there for them because that is what they deserve.”

Williams’ campaign team thinks that with this belief, Williams will surely win and make a great district judge.

Young Democrats President Emily Yeh agreed that Williams would fit the role nicely and serve as a great female role model.

“I think it’s very important that we have women who stand for something and aren’t afraid of having a voice on such an in-

FAMILIES continued p8

fluential scale,” Yeh said.

As she works to gather signatures and supporters, Williams sees her background, not only at Hockaday but in tirelessly fighting through oppression, as a large piece of what makes her so qualified for the position.

Williams is grateful that she was able to have such a “diverse, untraditional” experience and looks positively at her future.

“I wouldn’t go back or change my past for anything.

It brought me where I am today and prepared me for this campaign,” Williams said. “I’m ready, and I think the people are too.”

Alexis Espinosa A&E Editor

08/09

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

Curb Appeal Seniors begin a new tradition by painting their parking spots everyone would be happy,” Calhoun said. Under the new plan, every senior will have the chance to decorate her own personal parking spot.

After seeing other high school seniors paint their spots in Coppell, Calhoun wanted to try a new way of delineating the parking areas to eliminate any confusion caused by the invalid, old painted marking. “It is a fun, creative way to start a new tradition,” she said.

Senior Regina Pimentel is also excited by the new parking set up. “I have Instagramed and Pinned multiple ideas for my spaces,” she said.

But senior Mariah Camper does foresee some potential drawbacks, one being the raffle for the painted parking spots. “I get here early, and the whole lottery eliminates one of the benefits of arriving so early. I can no longer park wherever I want and might have to park further away

ILLUSTRATION BY LUDA GRIGORYEVA

G

iving a new meaning to curb appeal, the senior parking spots, for the first time in 100 years, will sport a new fresh coat of paint selected by each senior.

With the ongoing construction on the science building, there have numerous changes to the parking lot: new faculty parking spaces, new senior parking spaces and new overflow parking.

These changes have caused confusion among both students and faculty about whose parking spots are whose.

In order to quell this problem, Rebekah Calhoun, Form IV Dean and Director of Health Curriculum, and Brandi Finazzo, Form III Dean and Upper School science teacher, devised a plan.

“With both faculty and students confused about parking we wanted to come up with a way to redistribute parking in a way in which

even if there are empty spaces closer.”

Each spot is numbered and seniors entered their names in a raffle on Wednesday for the row along Forest Lane or in the center of the

Forest Lane lot. Names were placed into a raffle for each section and chosen randomly.

Girls will have the opportunity to paint their assigned spot after holiday break.

Fifty-seven girls were en-

tered in the raffle for spots in the center of the Forest Lane parking lot, and 27 girls were entered into the raffle for the spots along the Forest Lane fence. Two girls will have spots in the residence lot and seven girls do not need a parking spot at all.

Pimentel also worries because she has trouble parking.

“I can really only pull through.

Backing out may be bad for the car behind me,” she said.

Pimentel hopes that painting the spots as a class will become a tradition that creates unity among the seniors. “I want our senior class to get really into it,” she said.

“It is a really cool tradition that we could start.”

The painting is scheduled to occur after Holiday Break, giving the parking lot a new, more colorful look.

Alaina Rodriguez Photography Editor

Parents Find Ways to Bridge the Distance cities. “I’ve really been able to accelerate my career a little bit since I’ve been here [in New York],” Andy said. “Realistically, I knew that I had to move my career forward in order to be able to provide financially.”

But for the Startz’s the decision was based more on stability and education quality.

Initial Adjustment Both families reported that a routine is often established once they adjust to the change, but it can easily be thrown off by having the commuting parent home.

“I wanted my dad back, but now our whole routine is a complete disaster,” Sarah said.

Bobbie, who considers herself “a strict rule follower,” had to give their nanny more control and had to give her children more responsibilities. Sometimes, the nanny would leave before she could be home from work, for example.

“I would never have left my children by themselves six months before [Andy began commuting], but I realized that they had to be home by themselves,” she said.

Communication Communication is an important part of a commuter relationship. Andy said that while

he calls his family often, he Many other factors have a avoids being overly connected role in how well families make to them. commuting work. The parent “I actually think that the at home may have more stresspeople who struggle the most es dealing with daily life, but with a long distance relationship the commuting parent must are the ones that are almake an effort to ways calling at night or make life work in skyping at night or redifferent ways. Andy ally trying to stay overly suggests that the connected,” he said. “It’s commuter parent almost the exact oppomust be committed site of what you’d expect; to being a part of life they don’t feel the pang at home when they of you not being there, You’ve got to are there. and you don’t feel the make them “You’ve got to repang of not being there. ally come back and realize how You’re not constantly refocus your energy minded of it every day.” mentally and really important There are still times, make them realize however, that he is re- they are to how important they minded of his absence. are to you when you when “We’ve always re- you’re in you’re in town, and ally made an effort to you’ve got to be acput the whole family town. tive,” he said. “You’ve together for dinner, so got to participate in when I call them or Andy Villareal, putting up the tree, reach out to them dur- father of senior decorating the house ing that time, I realize Alexandra Villareal for Halloween and I’m missing that,” he those things.” said.

Andy also suggested that Other than day-to-day com- it is easier if a life can be built munication, Sarah said there in both cities. He has developed was one thing that made deal- new friendships in New York, ing with her father’s absence which contribute to the creeasier. ation of a life there.

“The best thing was that he would go on trips and he would Changed for Good find souvenirs,” Sarah said. “We would go to the P.O. Box, and it But not all commuter marwas always the best when there riages work. Junior MaryFranwas a little key—that meant you ces Dagher’s father began travhad a big box. It was like T-shirts elling to Ghana when she was and postcards and all this ran- eight-years-old, often spenddom stuff.”

“

ing a month or two away from home. His mining and resource trading business was in both the U.S. and Ghana, but as it became clear the market was better in Ghana, he began working there more exclusively. “[My relationship with my dad] was pretty normal in the beginning,” MaryFrances said.

“I have friends whose parents travelled, so I didn’t think anything strange of it until it started being longer periods of time.”

In 2011, however, her parents filed for divorce. The process is ongoing. MaryFrances also has not seen her father since that time.

“I loved having my dad at home. I didn’t have any relationship issues with him until recently,” she said. “It was hard for me having him away.”

Overall, she said, his travelling probably did contribute to the problems in her relationship with her father.

However, she believes the experience has been a good opportunity to learn from someone else’s mistakes.

In contrast, Andy believes his commuting has had a more positive effect on his family than he anticipated.

“I thought that it would be hard for them to have me gone, and in a way what it has really done is it’s made me closer to both my kids,” he said. “As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.”

Andy recognizes that this structure only works for

GET A CLUE Match the holiday sweater with the student.

2

1

A) Senior Anna Herbelin B) Junior Elizabeth Michel C) Sophomore Frances Burton D) Sophomore Allie Charlton

3

4

some families.

“I do see examples of where it works pretty well, and I’ve seen others where you can just tell that the family is not happy with it, and the person who travels is not happy with it,” he said.

Andy believes that the acceptance of commuter relationships within companies is on the rise.

“I think it’s great,” he said, “and I think it’s going to be interesting to see how companies adapt to it and how families begin to adapt to it.”

Life for the Startz’s has changed now that Leroy no longer commutes from Iowa, though he still travels a significant amount. For the Villareals, the commuting life still feels normal.

“I don’t have the same, traditional house or home life, but I feel like I do,” Bobbie said.

“I’ve been married to the same man for 20 years, we both are very active in our kids’ lives, we talk every day, we sit down for breakfast every morning, we sit down for dinner every night.”

Sarah is also comfortable with her family’s commuter relationship.

“It’s never something you would choose for your family, but if that’s how it works out, then you make it work, and there’s something to be gained from it,” she said. “I would never change my family story.”

Emily Wechsler Copy Editor

?

Answers: 1C , 2B, 3D, 4A

FAMILIES continued from p7

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

Our Indian Sparrow Former Upper School English teacher Kyle Vaughn plans to adopt a child from India

K

yle Vaughn and his wife plan to adopt a child from India, adding another member to their family of four.

Why Adoption Some people hold the door for others to help out. Some people go out of the way to help within their community. Kyle Vaughn, former Upper School English teacher at Hockaday, is breaking down the barriers and is adopting a child overseas to help the world at large.

Vaughn and his wife Natalie, who have a passion for Indian culture, plan to adopt a child, or even siblings, (possibly a brother and sister) from India, furthering their belief on acting upon issues that the world faces.

Even though Vaughn and his wife have two biological children of their own—a 6-year-old son, Eli, and a 3-yearold daughter, Charlotte, they have long been interested in adopting an orphan. “I mainly believe in giving love to others in an unchangeable way, not just looking at the problem and turning your back on it,” Vaughn said.

In 2005, Vaughn visited Vizag, India, for two weeks working at an orphanage called the Master’s Children’s Home.

In 2012, he returned to India and

visited Kolkata with 10 other teachers as part of a program for American teachers to teach at St. James School for Boys. “Seeing things first hand and getting to work with Master’s Children’s Home orphanage made me realize how I didn’t just need to think about the needs of others, but it made me realize I needed to act,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn’s wife, Natalie, realized at an early age that not every child has a home or even loving parents. When she was six, her parents started caring for foster kids.

Until that point, she had only known happy families with children who were cared for and loved. When the foster kids joined her family, she learned of abuse and abandonment of children by their parents. “My perfect world, where all kids had great lives with parents that loved them and would do anything to take care of them, was shattered,” she said.

However, as an only child, she enjoyed having other brothers and sisters in her world. In college, she aided city kids by feeding and bathing them in the evenings at her own house.

During college, in 2005, Natalie Vaughn went to Kenya twice and visited multiple orphanages. Her visit lasted three months. She volunteered

at Huruma Children’s Home, where she lived in a small guest house with other volunteers.

Her second visit lasted for five weeks and she worked as a short term director in a new orphanage. “This is always what I wanted to do—to love a child who feels they are unloved and unlovable, to show them they are worth more than they can imagine,” Natalie Vaughn said.

In June, Kyle and Natalie Vaughn started researching adoption agencies, working with the Children of the World organization, an adoption agency based in Alabama.

Why India According to the Vaughns, the perfect place seemed to be India because of Kyle’s strong interest in and his familiarity with the culture.

As an English teacher, Kyle Vaughn has enjoyed reading Indian literature as it helped him connect with Indian culture. In particular, he has read Chitra Divakaruni’s “Black Candle,” a collection of poems that chronicles the lives of South Asian women, which helped him open up to this “unique culture.”

Indian culture also amazed both of the Vaughns.

“The culture fascinates me; it’s very beautiful in an artistic

sort of way—their beautiful dress, jewelry and poetry,” Kyle Vaughn said.

Additionally, Kyle Vaughn published his own book A New Light in Kalighat, an anthology of artwork and writing of the children served by New Light, an Indian non-profit organization located in Kalighat, Kolkata’s oldest red-light district.

During his trip there in 2012, Vaughn volunteered at The New Light organization, a nonprofit agency, which strives to promote gender equality through “education and life skill training.”

For him and his wife, it wasn’t about adopting on an international basis, but more of helping out with a problem that humanity faces. “We think of ourselves as human beings, not Americans,” Kyle Vaughn said.

The Adoption Process The Vaughns plan to fundraise in stages. At their most recent garage sale, the Vaughns raised $4,450, putting them a little over halfway in reaching their financial goal of $30,000.

Vaughn’s children are very excited for the adoption. To help raise money, Eli and Charlotte put money they receive from their grandparents into the “adoption jar.” When Eli first found out, he did a lem-

onade stand and raised $35. He produces and sell his artwork to assist in the financial process. “We’re also very excited about becoming a multicultural family, and we’ve been preparing our children for this,” Kyle Vaughn said.

Senior Emily Yeh has gone to two of his sales. Starting her freshman year, Yeh studied in Vaughn’s room during her free periods. During that time, Kyle Vaughn started talking about his adoption to Yeh. Yeh believes her support is a celebration of how much love and commitment has been required of this process from his family. “I think this is a rare opportunity for me to be able to play such a large role in the personal life of one of our teachers,” she said.

Despite their efforts, the Vaughns still have several steps to complete, both financially and in the adoption process itself. “We are definitely getting there,” Kyle Vaughn said. They are officially registered with the Central Adoption Resource Authority that will match them with their child.

Visit the Vaughns’ blog, ourindiansparrow.blogspot. com, for updates on the progress of their fundraisers.

Noor Adatia Staff Writer

10/11

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

FOUR QUESTIONS

Upper School English teacher Brian Hudson answers questions from The Fourcast’s readers

What motivated you to become an English Teacher?

What would you be if you were not an English teacher?

Sophomore Mary Carolyn Sloan

Sophomore Hailey Mount

When I was in seventh grade, I had an Earth Science teacher whom I adored. I thought he was phenomenal, and one time I went to the white board and was explaining something to the class, and he said, “You know what that means? That means that you are going to become a teacher.” And I said, “No thanks, I want to make money when I grow up.” The other answer I frequently give is that I suffered as a student, and so I wanted to inflict suffering on future students; it was my way of giving back. And then there is probably the real answer, which is that I just really like being around people. I love learning; in fact, I am learning a little bit of Greek from Dr. S. right now. I like being in an environment where everyone is interested in learning new things and exploring the world. I like learning from students as much as I like teaching them what I know.

I think the automatic answer that comes to mind is that I would be movie trailer announcer because that guy has the best job in the world. In fact, I think there are only one or two men who do that job, and it is probably a job that is going out of business. But you get to announce exciting films, and you get to make your voice sound really deep and impressive. That’s my dream job.

If you could meet any character from any book, who would it be and why?

Sophomore Rayja Atluri

I hope this doesn’t say anything about me as a person, but I am fascinated by these evil characters whose motivations are hard to figure out. That makes me naturally drawn to somebody like Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello because it is so hard to figure out exactly why he is malevolent. Likewise, in a Russian novel called “Crime and Punishment” there is a character named Svidrigailov, who also is interesting in that he is sometimes kind, but he is not a good person either.

I am fascinated by those complex characters. That doesn’t mean I like hanging out with those kinds of people, but they would be the characters I would want to interview.

Why did you choose to teach at Hockaday?

Upper School Librarian Katy Lake

I knew about Hockaday from a young age. My wife and I both went to a magnet school in Fort Worth, and we competed—we were huge nerds by the way— in Latin, math and other competitions against both St. Mark’s and Hockaday.

We knew about Hockaday’s pretty impressive academic reputation from a young age. Certainly, I knew about it when I became a teacher in Austin because I helped out with the debate team, and Hockaday’s debate team was pretty formidable. Then, when I moved to Dallas, I saw that there was an opening here, and I thought, “This is a long shot, but I will apply anyway.” The administration [was] so kind to actually give me a shot and hire me.

NEXT ISSUE: Anybody—including faculty, staff, students, alumnae and parents—can submit questions for Sharon Wright, Upper School Registrar, to mmontgomery1@hockaday.org by Jan. 31. Please include your name with your question.

PHOTO BY SHELBY ANDERSON

Palmer is Wonderwoman Upper School history teacher Joni Palmer returns from two-month maternity leave and hits the ground running easier due to the proximity of the Hockaday Child Development Center (CDC). With her daughter only a two-minute walk away, Palmer is able to visit her throughout the day and focus on teaching while she’s in the classroom.

“Any time she needs me, they call me and let me know so I’m able to take care of her,” Palmer said. “Because of this, I think my job in the classroom is not much different than before I had a baby.”

However, not all teachers have had as smooth of a transition as Palmer’s. Upper School science teacher Kirsten Lindsay, who took a maternity leave in 2010, explained some of the difficulties of coming back from such an extended period of time.

“It was really hard to drop her off after I had been with her for four months,” Lindsay said. “I spent the first week constantly thinking about her and feeling pretty sad that I wasn’t with her.”

Upper School Head John Ashton is especially empathetic to teachers going on maternity leaves. In 2003, he took a year-long break from teaching freshman English at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington in order to stay at home with his newborn daughter.

“I have a greater appreciation for anyone who’s a new parent,” he said. “I’m a huge supporter of any of our faculty who are trying to balance work and motherhood.”

Ashton always encourages teachers to be patient.

“I really try to remind them to take the time they need to be a parent and ease their way back into working,” he said.

Although returning to work can be seen as a negative, Lindsay pointed out benefits to returning.

“It’s this reminder that you’re not just a mother,” Lindsay said. “You have all these outside things that are part of who you are. And that’s kind of nice because you get a little lost in the day-to-day nursing, bathing, sleeping and feeding.”

As for Palmer, she’s happy to be back. “It certainly makes for a busier day because I am going back and forth from here to the CDC,” she said, “But it’s wonderfully busy. It’s truly all things that I love to do.”

Elie MacAdams Staff Writer BABY STEPS Upper School History teacher Joni Palmer (R) balances teaching history and spending time with her baby, Renee (L).

PHOTO BY SHLEBY ANDERSON

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he teaches two different subjects, holds the position of Form I Form Dean and coaches varsity soccer.

Balancing all of this is difficult enough. But somehow Upper School history and economics teacher Joni Palmer has adroitly been managing all three—with the addition of a baby in tow.

With her daughter Renee born on Sept. 5, Palmer returned to Hockaday on Nov. 4 from a two-month long maternity leave. According to Judy Mortenson, Director of Human Resources, the time for a maternity leave generally varies from person to person.

“Hockaday has something called FMLA,” Mortenson explained, referring to the Family and Medical Leave Act. “Maternity leaves for paid leave is six weeks at 100 percent.

If they have something that would extend their recovery, they get another two weeks of paid leave, but it reduces to 60 percent. They can stay out for as long as three months, and FMLA guarantees that their job will be here when they come back.”

For most teachers, coming back to work after a maternity leave is difficult.

Palmer, however, has found the transition to be much

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

photo essay

ICE DESCENDS UPON DALLAS From Dec. 5 to 9, the Dallas area experienced below-freezing temperatures, resulting in two days off from school. In this icy weather, student photographers captured frozen moments around the metroplex outside the comfort of their homes.

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SNOW SCHOOL

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1. Junior Dominique Sung’s snapped leaves with frozen icicles in her backyard.

2. Venturing out into the freezing weather, senior Audrey Kim photographed berries on a branch. The dark pink berries and the clear icicles contrast with the forest-green background of a bush.

3. Capturing the frozen droplets hanging off of the red leaves, senior Alaina Rodriguez took a picture of the Japanese Maple tree in her side garden.

4. Sung spotted some acorns scattered on the icy ground.

5. Despite the gloomy weather, Sung caught the brightness of marigolds encased in a layer of ice.

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To see more photos of icy Dallas, scan this QR code with your smartphone.

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hockadayfourcast.org DECEMBER 19, 2013

Bullets sprayed across the tarmac in Afghanistan where the flight had planned on landing—fuel was running low. The only option: an emergency landing. As the plane touched down, she fastened her bulletproof vest and prepared for her sprint into the warm, dry air, broken by the chaos of gunshots. Donning black cargo pants, brown steel-toed boots and a hijab, she charged towards the awaiting bulletproof SUVs. This may sound like a movie, but it was not: it was Tracy Walder, Upper School history teacher and former CIA agent, on a mission.

The Fourcast investigates how female spies are portrayed in the media and how they influence girls’ perceptions of themselves.

MEDIA PORTRAYAL Mata Hari was an exotic dancer working in Paris and Germany during World War I. She also doubled as a spy, seducing authoritative male figures for clandestine information. And with her oriental dress, draped veil and daring performances, Hari may sound like the media-driven stereotype of a female spy, but she is no fictional character: Margaretha Zelle Macleod, who had taken the alias of Hari, was, in fact, a well-known spy during the early 1900s.

Her seductive tactics, and those of other real-life spies in history, have influenced the media’s portrayal of female spies for decades.

Junior Madalene Danklef, who is in the process of writing her Junior Research Paper on the role of female spies during the American Civil War, quickly noticed how sexualized women were portrayed in the past. “If you read the male accounts from a general or a common soldier, they describe these women in sexualized terms like ‘the best pair of legs in the Confederacy,’ and their methods of getting information are way more sexualized,” Danklef said.

While the “sexy spy” is a mildly accurate representation of the historical female spy, female spies today, such as those in the CIA, now have completely different tactics to gain information. However, the media seems to have trouble letting go of the femme fatale image that has long been a thing of the past.

Kathleen Moore, who runs the blog “Girl Spy,” said that the media produces the sexy spy as a “natural hook” to reel in consumers.

“The adage that ‘sex sells’ has never really gone away,” Moore said. “Media producers simply do not believe they can ‘sell’ the idea of a female spy without somehow attaching sex to the story.”

Filmmaker Renee Sotile shared a similar view on the mysterious and romantic side of being a spy, which leads to the sexualized portrayal of the female spy. “A spy has to be able to ‘sell’ whatever identity they need to assume—so being sexy sure helps,” she said.

As seen in more recent movies such as Marvel’s “The Avengers,” Black Widow, a master assassin played by Scarlett Johansson, wears a skin tight black suit. Moore believes that this extreme sexualization of the crime-fighting female is due to society’s preoccupation with traditional gender roles like the “hunter/gatherer” from hundreds of years ago. “Society simply cannot get its head around the idea that [a woman] can be a calculating, level-headed person with her own agency—in other words, ‘the hunter,’” she said.

Not only are women in intelligence roles seen as the archaic “sex kitten,” but trends in TV shows and movies sometimes reveal a disturbing portrayal: an unstable mental state. “I think in the media they are either portrayed as crazy and mentally unstable like what I see in ‘Homeland’ or like in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’—mean, not nice females,” Walder said.

In the popular political thriller show “Homeland,” Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent, struggles with bipolar disorder. “She is portrayed as this bipolar crazy woman who can’t control herself,” Walder said. “And are there people at the agency like that? Yes of course. But I think there are people like that in every job.”

In the FX Networks series “The Bridge,” actress Diane Kruger plays detective Sonya Cross, who is tracking a serial killer across the Mexican border. Though undiagnosed, Cross shows clear signs of Asperger’s Syndrome, a pervasive developmental disorder, while also managing to be highly successful at her job.

Moore said that the use of a female who is mentally ill or antisocial, twists into the idea that those are requirements for a woman to be competent at her job.

Walder sees problems not only in the sexualization of female spies but also in their attitudes portrayed in the media. She feels concerned that girls may want to change their personalities in order to become the better image of a female spy. “I think sometimes the media portrays that you either need to look very manly or that you need to be a not very nice human being in order to fulfill this role they have created,” she said. “I don’t want girls to think that they can’t be themselves. It’s the rest of the world that needs to adjust to that.”

EMPOWERMENT

Despite the sexualization of strong females in the media, girls still feel empowered by the idea of being spies.

Senior Emily Yeh sees how shows like TV’s “Covert Affairs” sexualize women, though she looks past the stereotype and recognizes that it is not an accurate portrayal of female spies. “I think that’s what is more appealing about ‘Homeland,’” she said. “It isn’t based on her physical appearance as much as her mental intellect.

She noted how impressive it is that the main charac ter uses her understanding of global relations her advantage and also admires how Ca “doesn’t let her personal life get in the workplace,” she said.

To read mo

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12/13 THE FOURCAST

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A spy has to be able to ‘sell’ whatever identity they need to assume—so being sexy sure helps.

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Aside from the sexualization, these movies and TV programs still capture the idea of a strong female working in a male-dominated world. “Girls can see themselves in a way usually thought of only for men—like astronauts,” Sotile said, adding that seeing women at all in spy movies has given girls a hope to become spies in the real world themselves.

Even when looking through history, Hockaday students see how O C strong and impressive real female spies TE were. Danklef said that while reading KA Y B women’s diaries and documents, she realION AT ized how heroic their contributions as intelR T S U ligence agents in the Civil War were. She added ILL how difficult it was for women during that time period to be involved in the male world, yet women like Hari during World War I were able to push past the stereotypes and be involved.

In today’s world, women are becoming more and more involved in the spy field. But it hasn’t been easy. In 1977, female agent Harriette Thompson filed a discrimination complaint against the CIA after seeing that her male colleagues earned more promotions than herself, even though she had the same experience and skills as they did. After this, the CIA began to change its infrastructure in order to provide more equal opportunities for women.

According to NBC News, in 1980 only nine percent of females were involved in specialty jobs at the CIA. Today, that number has risen up to 44 percent with the help of Thompson’s filed complaint. Women now even fill the positions of deputy director and executive director, the second and third top positions in the CIA. OP E

n .” cs to arrie nvolved in

Filmmaker Renee Sotile

THE BETTER SPY Despite the setbacks that media provides for women, females may actually be the better spies.

“I hands down think women are better spies than men,” Walder said. “I think the [CIA] recognizes that.” Walder believes that women are naturally more analytical and less impulsive. “Women sit down and think about how everything relates to everything,” she said. “I really think women excel at that.”

She also considered the emotional levels of women versus those of men. “People say that women are more emotional, but I think that works for you in ‘spy world’ because you are more attuned to what other people are thinking,” Walder said.

Lindsay Moran, a former CIA agent, recently said in Forbes Magazine that being a spy is not all about being physically strong: it is more about the ability to read potential danger. This is where many women in intelligence come out on top. “Women are already attuned to the security of their environment,” she said. “We are always on the lookout for suspicious characters, people who might be following us, dangerous situations.” Moran said that, in compensation for being the “weaker” sex, women have developed excellent street smarts that greatly aid female spies.

Not only does the CIA acknowledge a woman’s leg-up in the field, but Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, does as well. Tamir Pardo, the head of Mossad, said in Israel’s “Lady Globe” magazine that not only are women “better at playing a role,” but they are “superior to men” in terms of reading situations and understanding their environment.

Pardo, in reference to female spies, said, “When they’re good, they’re very good.”

ore about Walder and one of her CIA assignments, please go to hockadayfourcast.org/?p=7419.

Charlsea Lamb Assistant News Editor

Sydney Yonack Graphics Editor

14/15

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

arts & enter tainment PopChart

I realized what dance actually was.

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Marvel introduces its newest superhero p16

Alexandra Randolph p15

Culinary Media Inspires Hockaday Community PHOTO BY AUDREY KIM

MUSIC

COUNTRY CUTIE

Jake Owen’s “Days of Gold” was released on Dec. 3.

Featuring 12 songs, the album was rated an Aby Country Weekly. This is Owen’s fourth album, following Barefoot “Blue Jean Night.”

FOOD

POM-NOM-NOM

Need a new snack? Try Brookside Dark Chocolate Pomegranates. These soft fruits dipped in smooth dark chocolate promise to be an “exotic taste experience for all.” Look for Brookside’s Dark Choclate Acai and Goji as well.

APPS

TURN UP FOR TRIVIA

Test your knowledge with QuizUp, the digital trivia game that includes over 250 topics to choose from. The app gained more than one million downloads within its first week and is free in the Apple App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

BEAUTY

SMOOTH SMILE

EOS Smooth Sphere is the answer to chapped lips this winter. Starting at $2.99, this small, colorful sphere holds lip balm that comes in seven flavors, including Strawberry Sorbet, Lemon Drop and Sweet Mint. EOS also sells lotion and shaving cream.

Sources: wbwn, brooksidechocolate, phonearena, eos

Junior Raises an Octave

Pot Noodle Generation: the name DailyMail UK

food contests.

Her mother, Grace-Anne recently gave to adults between the ages of 20 Greenblatt, was a contestant on and 30 after a study revealed that, on average, Food Network’s “Bobby’s Dinner young professionals cook their own meals only Battle.” She and her partner, Susan Graas won once per week, unlike the current generation. after three days Current generations are grow- of filming for the Dallas episode. ing up with an influence that the “Pot Although Grace-Anne GreenNoodle Generation” would not have blatt took part in one of the shows, had: heightened culinary media such she does not feel that they are the as The Food Network and culinary most influential to amateur cooks. magazines such as “Bon Appetit.”

“I think your parents can influence On Nov. 8 13-year-old Alexander you more than Food Network or even Weiss from New York took home the some of the media, but I think showfirst title of “Master Chef: Junior.” ing a 13-year-old on TV cooking up a Weiss appeared in the finale of the storm can generate interest and show FOX show, which ran its first season people what is possible,” she said. this fall. Contestants from ages eight Grace-Anne Greenblatt believes to 13 competed in challenge-based that it is important to teach kids cookepisodes in order to showcase their ing skills. “Teaching children even as extraordinary culinary talents. young as five, six, seven how to cook Sophomore Caroline Greenblatt, is a life skill that they will carry with who is inspired by the show, enters them forever, and I always tell my the State Fair of Texas baking com- girls that if you can cook, you will petition every year. She won Best in always have friends because a good Show in the junior division this year cook never lacks [them],” she said. with her Old Fashioned Spice Cake Some kids enroll in culinary with Cream Cheese frosting. classes to learn from experienced Media outlets like Pinterest give chefs. Junior Elizabeth Michel’s her the best inspiration. “Since I do a mother inspired her to pursue her lot of Pinterest, I find a lot of cool rec- culinary talents. A few years ago, ipes on there…I think it is really just she attended a summer camp at the the image of food that inspires me, Kid’s Culinary Camp of Vermont and because when you look at food the learned techniques for basic cooking, first thing you think is ‘Does it look as well as more advanced skills such appetizing?’’’Greenblatt said, “when as cake decorating. you see a TV show and you can see Although Michel looks to her kids making something so beautiful, mother as an example, she also finds you are like ‘Why can’t I do that?’ and culinary inspiration in the Food Netthen you can.” work programs and cookbooks from But Caroline is not the only the Barefoot Contessa and Giada.

Greenblatt who enters and wins “[Media] has made it more exciting

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even years ago, junior Phoebe Smith, then a fourth-grader, had a heart to play the blues.

Under the instruction of Upper School piano teacher Carmen Doubrava, Phoebe stayed with the piano into her freshman year, when she chose to expand her range of musical talents to music composition.

It had been no secret that Smith had always had an affinity for music.

“Music has always been a part of our lives,” said her mother, English teacher Elizabeth Smith, who played piano

throughout high school.

During her sophomore year, she took the intensive AP Music Theory course on the Online School for Girls (onlineschoolforgirls.org). She scored a 5, the maximum score, on the AP exam in May. Doubrava, has taught AP Music Theory as a class in previous years.

“The course is extremely rigorous,” Doubrava said. “It equates to a year and a half of college level theory.” She said she was impressed that Phoebe, as a sophomore, had had the drive to take the class.

MASTER CHEF Junior Elizabeth Michel demonstrates her cooking skills in the Tarry House kithcen.

for younger people. When they see people on TV that are good cooks, it is not just like their mom is a good cook,” she said.

Media can also inspire those who have a profession in the culinary world. Vincentia Civello, sophomore Nina La Barba’s mother, and her brother own a small factory called Civello’s Raviolismo in East Dallas where they hand-make stuffed pastas for retail.

“I love Food and Wine Magazine, and I get inspiration from all places.

People come into the shop and tell me interesting things they have eaten on a trip, and it inspires me to something similar, perhaps. I get inspiration from everywhere,” Civello said.

And when it comes to inspiration, the Hockaday kitchen is no different.

The kitchen staff looks at magazines and websites to find recipes to serve in the lunchline.

“We usually look at the recipes and tweak them, but it is a starting point for us,” Director of Food Services Tori Reynolds said.

Reynolds agreed it is important for kids to start experimenting with cooking early on.

“I think a lot of the enjoyment and art of cooking have kind of gotten lost, and now it has become a kind of fad, and these chefs are rockstars,” Reynolds said. “But, it is really about the enjoyment…and it is just an incredible skill to have no matter what you do in life.”

Through influence from parents and media, perhaps our generation will discard the term “Pot Noodle Generation” and instead begin a new trend with interest in cooking.

This year, as a semesterlong project, Phoebe decided to undertake composition.

“I started composition as part of AP Music Theory and discovered I really liked it,” Phoebe said.

The AP course strictly outlines the guidelines for composition based on rules created during the 17th century. But, when she decided to start composing her own works, Phoebe chose an atonal style of music.

“You don’t have to follow any guidelines, allowing you to be free in the music you’re writing,” she said.

Megan Philips Staff Writer Her first piece, written for piano and titled “Atonal Anarchy” on noteflight.com, was inspired by the work of Arnold Schoenberg. Phoebe is currently working on a second piano composition.

In regards to her future in music, Phoebe said, “Someday I would love to write movie scores, but no matter what career I end up choosing I will always make time for composition!”

Kate Clement Staff Writer

arts & entertainment

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

The Fourcast derives its name from the four cornerstones of Hockaday: character, courtesy, scholarship and athletics. It is also a pun on the weather “forecast.”

It’s the Bomb Hockaday may not offer the bomber jacket anymore, but based on the popular demand, that could change in the near future

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Although these jackets were popular during World War II, during the early 1950s they started to go out of fashion and people lost interest in them.

During the late 1950s and 1960s, upperclassmen decided to replace the bomber jackets with white cardigans in order to stand out from the underclassmen. However, when these cardigans were not well received by the majority of Hockaday students, they were transformed into the white blazers that seniors wear to this day.

Now that old fashion trends are coming back, there is a good chance that Hockaday will begin to sell these jackets again. Embry said the final decision, however, belongs to the students. “It would just depend on whether or not the girls really want it,” she said.

Dean of Student Life Meshea Matthews said, “We have offered students assistance in ordering varsity jackets like Shelby’s in past years, and some have ordered jack-

ets.” Dara Williams, Bookstore Manager, added that the bookstore would not have a problem with selling the jackets as long as enough girls are willing to buy them.

It’s only a matter of time before Hockaday girls will be seen sporting the jackets yet again.

Contact Dara Williams at dwilliams@hockaday.org if you would be interested in bringing back the bomber jacket.

Manisha Ratakonda Staff Writer

PHOTO BY SHELBY ANDERSON

entennial year may be are an essential part of sports a special time to cele- in high school, and so I decided brate the history of our I wanted one,” Shelby, an avid school, but one thing athlete, said.

In the pursuit to bring Hockaday students have always commemorated are old back the jacket, Shelby and her mother met with Director of fashion trends.

Junior Staci Shelby struts Athletics Tina Slinker.

This request the halls in her custom, was much like what forest-green, whitea small group of sleeved, vintage-style girls did at Hockabomber jacket. Shelby [The day less than 100 ordered the jacket onyears ago. line through Ricky letterman According to Carter, who works for jackets] are Archives Manager “The Neff Company.” an essential Emily Embry, the letThe company creates terman jackets were and sells jackets with part of extremely popular personalized patches sports in during the 1930s. on them based on the customer’s athletic high school. Wanting to bring the Junior new fashion trend achievements. to Hockaday, a few The jacket Shelby Staci Shelby girls approached bought is decorated with patches including a Hock- Miss Ela Hockaday in the late aday “H” and Southwest Prepa- ‘30s and asked her to create a ratory Conference patches that Hockaday bomber jacket. Our are in the shape of a basketball founder agreed and the wool and a winged foot from Shelby’s bomber jackets, green with seasons as a basketball player shoulder pads and embellished with Hockaday athletic patches, and track runner. “[The letterman jackets] quickly became popular.

THE BOMB The original bomber jacket featured two zipper pockets and a few Hockaday patches.

DANCE

Dancer Breaks the Ice Sophomore Alexandra Randolph switched from figure skating to ice dancing and now participates in national ice dancing competitions

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ift. Turn. Twizzle. If you thought you knew a lot about figure skating, try ice dancing.

When Sophomore Alexandra Randolph was 8-yearsold, she tried off-ice dancing to help with her performance as a figure skater. She didn’t like dancing at first, but soon fell into the motions.

“It didn’t do anything for me,” Randolph said. “But then I realized what dance actually was.”

At the age of 13, Randolph decided to use her polished dance skills to try ice dancing.

Now, almost three years later, she competes nationally at the highest level.

Ice dancing consists of skating to the beat of music and does not involve overhead lifts, in which the male partner holds the female partner above his head, or jumps.

“Ice dancing is more lyrical, more music-based. [Movements are] more complex; they use more rotation and harder positions,” Randolph said.

Training Randolph practices 15 to 20 hours a week, both before and after school on some days, and does off-ice conditioning.

“It’s kind of an endurance sport,” Randolph said. “One four-minute free dance is the equivalent of running a mile.”

Randolph trains at three different locations: the Dr. Pepper StarCenters in Plano, McKinney and Farmers Branch.

Brent Holdburg is one of Randolph’s two coaches and is also the 2005 U.S. National Junior Silver Medalist, an international medalist and former member of Team USA. He has been coaching Randolph for two and a half years.

“She’s very motivated and hungry to learn,” Holdburg said. “It’s impossible to predict the future, but with [her], the sky is the limit.”

Competitions Ice dancing is judged based on a 6.0 grading system; the dancers receives points based on their performance.

Ice dancing is competitive.

But unlike most, how well the dancer does is determined by a judge.

“A lot of politics go into [it],” Randolph said “The judging is very abstract.”

Currently, Randolph competes in the National Solo Dance Series, which hosts four to five competitions each year.

Compulsory dance test sessions take place every month and determine succession to the next level. The levels are preliminary, pre-bronze, bronze, pre-silver, silver, pregold and gold. Randolph is currently in the pre-gold level.

Formerly an off-ice dancer, Randolph switched because “it really plays on all of my strengths. I’ve always been a very powerful skater,” she said.

will warm up with some basic moves before transitioning into partner dances with Holdburg.

Despite sharp twists and high speeds, Randolph manages to skate with poise and

confidence, making ice dancing look easy.

ICE continued p16

On the Ice A typical morning practice with Randolph brings to light a different perspective on ice dancing.

Randolph opts for protein, preferably scrambled eggs and Luna Bars, when she eats breakfast before or after practice.

Randolph warms up off the ice by jogging and stretching.

She uses a routine before each practice and competition.

After she is geared up, Randolph starts skating. Holdburg trails close behind. Any mistakes that she makes are barely noticeable and easily fixed.

And she knows how to spice up her uniform; Randolph painted daisies and an Eiffel Tower on the bottom of her ice skates. During practice, Randolph wears yoga leggings with a tank top and a fitted jacket.

In a typical practice, Randolph

ICE, ICE BABY Sophomore Alexandra Randolph gracefully skates on the ice

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

arts & entertainment

16/17

Marvel Introduces New Female Muslim Superhero Implications of Marvel’s brand new teenage Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan, affect Hockaday students and parents in different ways

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hen most superheroes take off their masks, a white male is revealed.

But in Marvel’s new comic, Ms. Marvel, an unexpected new superhero is being revealed: a Muslim girl.

In January 2014, Marvel will introduce Kamala Khan, a teenage Muslim girl living in Jersey City, N.J. Kamala is one of three Muslims represented in Marvel comics, but she is the first female Muslim to headline her own comic.

The idea for a Muslim female superhero was conceived from a conversation between Sana Amanat and Steve Wacker, two editors at Marvel. They decided to make the comic after Amanat shared her experiences as a Muslim girl growing up in America.

While growing up as a first generation American, K a m a l a closely fol-

lowed the career of fictional comic hero Carol Danvers, the original “Ms. Marvel.” Danvers is Kamala’s own idol—Danvers represents the “blond haired, blue eyed” ideal that Kamala tries to emulate, and after she discovers her powers, Kamala assumes the name “Ms. Marvel,” following in the footsteps of her predecessor.

As a Muslim growing up in America, Kamala will experience unique obstacles due to

her faith and culture. “Her brother is extremely conservative… her mom is paranoid that she’s going to touch a boy and get pregnant. Her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor,” Amanat said in a New York Times article.

Throughout the comic, Kamala struggles with being a Muslim in America, resolving her cultural and religious differences, all while fighting villains and attending school.

Although Kamala was based off Amanat’s own life experiences, sophom o r e A l e e n a Tariq, who is a practicing Muslim, identified with her social issues.

“Her parents want her to be a doctor. I think that’s relatable to a lot of girls at Hockaday. So [the character] is good if you’re struggling with some aspects [of life],” Tariq said.

Not only is the comic relatable to many Hockaday girls, but senior Raheela Ahsan sees the diversity as a reflection of the Hockaday community. “I think it advances the reputation of independent women, especially in a comic culture... It also embraces the diversity appreciation Hockaday has developed over the past few decades.”

However, the creators are already aware that Kamala’s cultural issues will most likely draw backlash, not only from those who are “anti-Muslim” but from “people who are Muslim and might want the character portrayed in a particular light,” Amanat said.

Even though the ultraconservative, “doctor-minded” family is a common stereotype normally attributed to South East Asians, Tariq does not think these issues apply in the United States.

“Her mom’s view of pregnancy is too extreme… [My parents] have never said that, and I don’t think that’s too common for Muslims in the United States to hold those [kinds] of views,” Tariq said.

However, Tariq’s mom, Aisha Tariq, interprets her social issues in a different way. Even though she recognizes that many South Asian households uphold the “doctor” stereotype, she thinks that the doctor issue shows how “committed her parents are to their daughter’s education.”

While Marvel hopes to promote the equality of cultural minorities, some hold reservations about the comic’s launch.

“It’s refreshing to see a new Muslim character, because it’s a relevant religion, but I think some people will see her oppression [by her family] as too stringent and apply that to the whole religion,” Tariq said.

In contrast, others hope that the comic will display the

progressiveness of minorities.

“I see it portraying Kamala’s family as the stereotypical Muslim family: restrictive and confining of their daughter.

However, I feel that it breaks stereotypes rather than enforcing them,” Ms. Tariq said.

Additionally, Ahsan believes that Kamala’s stereotypes “apply to nearly every person who struggles with blending into the American way of life” and are what “make her more relatable.”

Marvel’s twist on the typical American teenager is what makes her more approachable, according to Ahsan. Even though Kamala is a teenager who lives following the traditions of her faith and has a stereotypical Muslim upbringing, “[she] is living a completely average and normal life [by] facing the struggle that thousands of teens just like her are across the US.” For now, no one knows how successful the new Ms. Marvel series will be. The comic’s total sales, once released, may become the measure of the series accomplishment in the future.

But for Tariq, the story is already an achievement. “It really shows that [Islam] is prevalent enough to be featured in a well-known comic, and that we can change people’s perspectives of [Islam].”

Sunila Steephen Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL

Upper School Student Ice Dances ICE continued from p15

Inspirations

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The Climb Anna Herbelin

YY MIL

As for her aspirations, Randolph hopes to make it onto Team USA and get an international assignment. “It would be really cool to go to an international competition and represent the United States; that would be an amazing experience,” she said.

Randolph has had her ups, but also downs; one of them being the silver level dance session. After failing it once in July of 2012, Randolph failed again in August of the same year by a mere one-tenth of a point.

“I had been working very hard,” Randolph commented.

“It made me so sad, and so frustrated. I got back on the ice Monday morning and said ‘Well, let’s do this.’”

Since then, Randolph has met all of her test sessions with equal determination.

Although ice dancing has proved difficult for Ran-

dolph more often than not, she has learned to “never give up,” she said.

“No matter what anybody tells you.

Sometimes you’ll lose your motivation, but you have to just keep pushing through.”

Aside from the competition, Randolph remains tied to ice dancing through dedication.

“I’m here because I love this sport,” Randolph said. “At the end of the day, it may be hard, but I can’t imagine my life without ice dancing.”

YE OB OT

CARTOON

Looking Forward

PH

Randolph has two role models who have continued to inspire her: the American team of Meryl Davis and Charlie White, both two-time world champions in ice dancing.

“It goes deeper than [ice dancing],” Randolph said. “They always had this perfect balance of skating and education in their lives and are really great advocates. I think their off-ice values are mainly why I love them so much.”

Just like Davis and White, Randolph works hard to find a balance between school and ice dancing. “School will always come first,” she said. “But ice dancing is a close second.”

Randolph receives inspiration from on-ice role models as well as off. Her parents Laura and Ken Randolph dedicate their time to their daughter’s

sport. Volunteering at Alexandra’s ice dancing competitions as announcers and by working at the check-in counter “gives us the opportunity to participate in what she loves,” Laura Randolph said.

“If I ever get off track, they put me right back on,” Alexandra Randolph said. ‘They’re a great support structure.”

Sophomore Madison Smith, one of Randolph’s close friends, has seen her perform.

“I love watching her because I know how hard she works, and it’s so awesome to see the end result,” Smith said.

“She loves what she does, and that’s why she’s amazing at it.”

Randolph teaches dance classes twice a week at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in McKinney to beginner ice dancers, ranging from 3 year-olds to adults.

“I love seeing little girls that have this raw love for skating,” Randolph said. “That’s what inspired me when I was little.”

Erin Thomas Staff Writer ICE, ICE BABY Sophomore Alexandra Randolph, dressed to impress, gracefully glides across the ice during a performance.

To see sophomore Alexandra Randolph ice dance, scan this QR code with your smartphone.

arts & entertainment

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

REVIEWS Just Your Average Burger Joint

It’s Bad, Brit PHOTO COURTESY OF ROLLING STONE

PHOTO BY ALAINA RODRIGUEZ

“Britney Jean” Britney Spears

I Village Burger Bar 12300 Inwood Road, Ste. 210

T

his new and hip restaurant located conveniently on Inwood and Forest Lane offers decent food at a reasonable place.

The interior décor has a contemporary and open feel with silver tables and small booths set up around the restaurant. The simple, modern indoor environment is attractive while the outdoor patio, complete with a TV and two table tennis tables, is great for families.

The menu, displayed over the checkout counter, exhibits not only burger options, but also paninis, onion rings and salads. One salad choice is the “Baby Blue” made with strawberries, oranges, pecans and blue cheese. These items seemed to be the most popular and appetizing on the menu (other than the cheeseburger).

The menu also featured a “Bespoke Burger,” or a “make it yourself” burger, where customers can decide on the meat, sauce, cheese and toppings of their burger. Similar to many

Disney’s trademark recipe for a successful animated Princess film—a likeable heroine, talking animal friends and several lessons to be learned—I left completely satisfied.

With the below freezing temperatures these past two weeks and the four day weekend off due to the snow, I had no trouble relating to the icy predicament of the characters, and I don’t think anyone else will either. Thanks to the warmth of the plot and the personalities of the cast, “Frozen” can melt even the iciest of hearts.

approached the thought of listening to Britney Spears’s new album, “Britney Jean,” with genuine anticipation.

From my knowledge of Britney Spears, I assumed that the songs on the new album would have toe-tapping beats to liven up any Monday afternoon. Sadly, I was mistaken. As I began listening to the new release of the pop star, I quickly became uninterested. Unlike the catchy incantation Spears normally creates, this album was riddled with songs full of empty lyrics and jumbled beats haphazardly thrown together.

This album really exemplified her lack of depth as an artist. The vulgar lyrics and hackneyed tunes make her songs meaningless, and worse than that, pointless. The work done on this album is generally sloppy; she showed no originality in any of the songs. It is obvious that she has exhausted all of her creative outlets.

Throughout listening to this album, I continuously asked myself, “Why another album?” Her previous albums “Circus” and “Femme Fatale,” among others, had done incredibly well and caused her to become one of the most popular pop-singers of the early 2000s.

But then I heard “Chillin’ with You,” and it all came together. I realized why Britney produced this abominable CD: to reinsert her outcast sister, Jamie Lynn, into Hollywood with the addition of their duet on the album.

I cannot imagine how any of these songs could become popular, especially since they lack the qualities that good music possesses, including a decent beat. Each song contains the same structure of overused background sound and repetitive lyrics, which are always enhanced with Auto-Tune.

And, her songs are generally all about one of three topics: break-ups, new love and flings with men. What message is this sending to children? Not a good one, but no one cares.

Why? Because it’s Britney.

These tracks seem to destroy any sense of brain activity a human can have while they listen to this dreadful amalgamation of profanity and repetition. Listening to the album was a chore, and one filled with unsavory mental images at that.

I would not recommend wasting your time listening to this new addition to music history. I was more than disappointed in this album. I had expected more from this Mississippi-raised music revolutionary, but I guess every star has to expire at some point.

Katie Payne Managing Editor

Vivian Armitage Staff Writer

other burger joints, customers order BURGERS GALORE tuce offered just the right amount Village Burger of crunch. The soft bun and fresh up front and wait at their seating area.

Bar offers a wide ingredients were a nice touch. But Although the line for ordering array of specialty something felt off - the turkey patty. was long, it moved quickly. I picked burgers. The Too burnt and dry, the patty threw the “Spin-Art” dip, commonly known one pictured as the spinach artichoke dip, for an above, the Swiss the entire burger’s flavor off.

Of course, no burger is comappetizer, alongside the Turkey Burg- ‘Shroom Burger, is er and the vanilla milkshake. topped with swiss plete without fries. Dusted genercheese, fresh ously with parmesan and chives, the As I sat at the booth, I noticed spinach, sauteed truffle fries looked appetizing, but, friendly waiters chatting with customers and taking orders. They mushrooms, onions to my disappointment, they came and artichoke aioli. off over-fried and unsettling. There promptly served their meals and rewas no way I was eating the rest of mained patient with the customers the batch. who requested special dietary needs.

For dessert, the vanilla milkFor a Sunday afternoon, with shake, topped with whipped cream plenty of homework to complete on and a cherry, was refreshingly cold. the back of my mind, I was notably However, it tasted sort of bitter: posrelaxed. The sunlight streaming in sibly due to an excessive amount of through the windows was a delightmilk or not a proportionate balance ful setting in which to enjoy my meal. between the vanilla flavoring and The spinach artichoke dip, served the rest of the ingredients. warm with fresh salsa, was somewhat The food in general seemed to of a disappointment. For me, it was have a velvety texture, too creamy extremely creamy and after trying it for my liking, that ruined the flavor for the first time, I could no longer with some foods, including the spinfinish it. The tortilla chips themselves ach artichoke dip and the vanilla were quite appetizing and toasty. milkshake.

The turkey burger, unappealOverall, the meal was medioing and greasy with dried cranbercre and did not live up to my exries, mayonnaise, and lettuce spilling pectations. from its sides, was mediocre. The sweet and tangy taste of the cranberNoor Adatia ries complemented the fresh lettuce Staff Writer and tomatoes nicely, while the let-

A Frozen Delight

I

’ll be the first one to say that I thought Disney had run out of the magic that made the films of the 1990’s so beloved and so critically acclaimed. It could have been the fact that I no longer belonged in the target audience for animated movies, but let’s be honest; “Treasure Planet” did not leave any of us with much hope for the future. But luckily for the company and for the art of animation, Disney’s newest masterpiece “Frozen” blows the failures of the past decade away with an icy wind.

Its superiority to the underwhelming family films of the 2000’s mainly rests with the movie’s impeccable animation and artistry most notably displayed in the highly detailed ice castles and frozen terrain. Even the powdery snow mushed perfectly beneath the characters’ feet. Disney outdid themselves

with the details, and this meticulousness succeeded in creating a literal winter wonderland that absolutely dazzles throughout the entire film.

I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I will say that one aspect of the last scene did greatly impress me. In one of the final cuts of the movie, the Ice Queen Elsa does not end up with any male character but rather stands alone surrounded by adoring subjects, thus communicating to the audience that she rules the kingdom by herself. Especially when the writers chose to follow a predictable plot line and allow Kristen Bell’s character Princess Anna to “get” the guy, I found the snow queen’s role increasingly important and refreshing in the film. Though she does not appear quirky, innocent or carefree, the introverted Elsa reaches a level of reality that

no previous character from any animated movie has ever achieved. Not everyone can be the outgoing, assertive and popular princess, and that’s okay.

I do admit that while the witty dialogue and comedic timing clearly took literary skill, the song lyrics did not sound as carefully constructed. Lack of rhyme and originality left me wanting more, and I felt as if one too many metaphors and themes had been placed in “Let It Go,” by far the most promoted song from the movie. And while it may be fun to belt in the car, it certainly won’t be winning the Oscar for Best Original Song any time soon.

But on the whole, I would not hesitate to give this movie eight out of four stars. I went into the movie with extremely high hopes from the hype and acclaim it had received. Despite the fact that it simply reused

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY

“Frozen” Chris Buck

18/19

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

sports & wellness FourScore

Track and Field Coach Laboris Bean p18

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Upper School math teacher Rachel Grabow dives into her new role as assistant swim coach. p19

Seniors Sideline Recruitment

PHOTO BY ClAIRE FLETCHER

32

Education is always Hockaday’s number one priority...but athletics create an outlet for stress for our girls.

Number of girls who tried out exclusively for Junior Varsity Soccer. 23 of them made the team.

10

Number of seniors on Varsity Basketball this year.

Three of them serve as managers for the team.

34.87

Sophomore Rachel Becker’s time in the 50-meter freestyle at the swim meet on Dec. 10. This time won her first place in that event.

0-0

The score from the Centennial Varsity Soccer game against Ursuline Academy of Dallas on Nov. 21.

Track Set to be Redone

Finding the perfect combination of campus, location, academic programs and extracurricular activities can be the hardest task Hockaday seniors face, but a student athlete must factor in one more aspect: her new family of teammates and coaches.

Hockaday’s athletic teams are highly ranked; they win local and state championships and conferences. However, this year, according to the College Counseling Department, no student from the class of 2014 is being recruited for athletics. This is compared to the three seniors from Ursuline Academy who have already signed to schools and four others who are in the process.

According to Head of the Athletic Director Tina Slinker, an average of four girls are recruited from each Hockaday graduating class, approximately three percent. At Ursuline, according to Athletic Director Mike Jensen, the average is 13 girls, or approximately five percent of each class.

Senior Evie Peña, Athletic Board Chair, credits this not to girls’ lack of skills, but rather their preference for academic rigor.

“I think the difference is that at Hockaday people don’t have that ambition to be recruited,” Peña said. “I think it comes down to that we want to get into schools for academics.”

Senior Meredith Mihalopoulos is currently in the college application process. A four-year varsity athlete, she considered recruitment for field

J

unior Claudia Hammond has been on the track and field team since her freshman year. Yet, she has never been to a meet hosted at Hockaday.

The school can only host Middle School meets because the track does not meet high school requirements. So, last May, she and junior Olivia Whittaker, also on the track and field team, submitted a petition to the Athletic Department asking to resurface the track.

They received 200 signatures from Upper School students. The administration had not responded. Until now.

Coach Tina Slinker con-

hockey or lacrosse her junior year before deciding against it.

“It’s really hard to find a school that’s both exactly your level both academically and athletically and you often have to pick one over the other,” Mihalopoulos said. “Most girls pick academically.”

Jackie Choucair ‘13 was recruited to Stanford University for track and field. While absolutely satisfied with her decision to be recruited, Choucair remarked that its not for everyone.

“My whole life is the team… it’s really defined my entire college experience, and not a lot of people want that,” she said.

Associate Director of College Counseling Courtney Skerritt said that though Hockaday doesn’t have a high recruiting average, many girls still play sports in college, whether by walking on to teams or playing club sports.

“At Hockaday, I think [we have] many varied interests and are very diverse. We have outstanding athletes, and I think many more of our girls go on to play athletics [than get recruited],” Skerritt said.

Junior Mimi Asom is currently in the process of being recruited for soccer. She describes the process as extensive and more intimate than regular applications. Since freshman year, she has been emailing coaches, sending them videos of her play-

firmed that the track will be resurfaced before the start of the 2014-2015 school year.

Hockaday’s track was resurfaced more than 10 years ago, but since then many cracks have appeared in the cushion. The uneven terrain can lead to stress fractures and shin splints. According to Track and Field and Cross Country Coach Laboris Bean, 20 percent of his girls last year were benched because of these types of injuries.

“We realized that the injuries we kept getting weren’t caused by the type of training, but the track itself,” Whittaker said.

SPRINTING TO THE GOAL Junior Mimi Asom (L) is being recruited by Divison I schools for soccer.

ing and inviting them to watch her play at upcoming tournaments. The process also has spanned her entire high school life rather than just senior year Varsity Volleyball Coach Adaku Achilefu, who herself was recruited

by Texas A&M University for volleyball in 1998, has helped many of her athletes in the process.

“The girl’s coach can write recommendations, make phone calls, but the majority of the work is still the athlete’s,” Achilefu said. “They really have to take the initiative early and build a relationship with the schools, and no one else can do that for them.”

Mimi Asom’s brother, Yima Asom, a senior at St. Mark’s, committed to Dartmouth College for soccer. He has known since a young age that he was going to use soccer to get either a scholarship or into the colleges he wanted to attend.

“College was always the goal… at the end of the day I knew what I wanted and that made the process pretty simple,” he said. “Watching my friends write essays and play the waiting game, I am so glad I went the way I did.”

Through whichever process, Mimi Asom said that every girl should use whatever advantage they have to get into the best school possible.

“If you want to go somewhere, you are going to do everything you can to get in, and if your athletics are going to help you, why wouldn’t you use them?” she said.

Hammond does not practice on Hockaday’s track because of the potential health consequences. “It hurts my knees to run on it and I have to practice outside of Hockaday, which makes me feel like I’m not a part of the team as much as I would like,” she said.

“Education is always Hockaday’s number one priority, which is great, but athletics creates an outlet for stress for our girls which is also very important,” Bean said.

Last spring, Chief Financial Officer J.T. Coats was approached by Slinker about the issues with the current track.

Coats said that the track

Avita Anand Sports & Wellness Editor

will be resurfaced, not rebuilt. Rebuilding it is a much bigger capital project. “It’s kind of in this pile of things we want to do, but right now our focus is on the campaign priority, which is set by the Board of Trustees.”

But Coats is aware of the importance of having a safe track. “We want to definitely maintain the track. The new resurfacing is going to make a huge difference, and I really wish we could fit it in during a break, but we couldn’t fit it in the schedule,” she said.

Claire Fletcher Staff Writer

sports&wellness

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

Subscribe to The Fourcast at hockadayfourcast.org. Find us on Twitter (@fourcastnews) and Facebook (facebook.com/fourcastnews) for the latest updates around the Hockaday community.

Friday Night Lights

Athletic teams enjoy practicing and playing under newly-installed field lights PHOTO BY AUSTRIA ARNOLD

O

n a cold winter night, freshly hung Christmas lights illuminate numerous houses on Forest Lane. Meanwhile, just across the street, Hockaday also displays its new lights: the new stadium field lights which were installed at the beginning of the summer.

Tina Slinker, Director of Athletics, explained that the addition of lights was advocated for by the entire Athletics Department.

Hockaday submitted the idea of new field lights with the plan for Planned Development zoning changes, which outlines any renovations to the campus.

Hockaday Chief Financial Officer JT Coats was instrumental in bringing stadium lights to Hockaday.

“As this was a huge issue for Ursuline Academy in the past, we wanted to make sure we were very proactive and addressed the neighbors’ concerns about lighting,” Coats said.

A photometric study took place to analyze the effect of the lights on neighbors near the Forest Lane side of campus.

This study allowed Hockaday to calculate the intensity of the lights at different distances from fields.

The Hockaday field lights display around 0.1 lumens af-

LET THERE BE LIGHT Hockaday varsity soccer dominates against Trinity Valley School on Dec. 11, winning 3-0. ter reaching Forest Lane. This is significantly less light projected onto Forest Lane than a lit parking area or office building. A specific light fixture

with a “cut off” shield design focuses the intensity of the light onto the field and away from the street.

Junior Varsity Field Hock-

ey was the first team to play under the new field lights in their match against Trinity Valley on Oct. 9. Junior Niha Choudhury, a member of the

team, likes the lights, believing they enhance the game experience. “You can see a lot further down the field,” she said.

Varsity Soccer Head Coach Rodney Skaife views the lights as a positive change and said that the field lights have improved the quality of games.

“It changes the atmosphere, it takes away all of the surrounds, and it makes it very focused because it is the only area lit,” Skaife said.

Since it gets dark much earlier during winter, the lights also allow for later games. “We used to have to rush out of class, rush to get here, rush to finish,” Skaife said. “Now we can do a proper warm up and we are not worried about running it out into the dark.”

Sophomore Frances Burton, a returning member of the varsity soccer team, has experienced playing under field lights during numerous away games. “I like playing under the lights because it is more like a classic high school under the lights game,” Burton said.

With the arrival of lights Hockaday is one step closer to a Friday night lights scenario.

Austria Arnold Staff Writer

SWIM

Math Teacher Adds Swimming to the Equation Upper School math teacher Rachel Grabow takes on the role of assistant Varsity Swim coach

U

Masters Club, Grabow was able to ease back into training for her marathons.

Patten, who is also Hockaday’s head swimming coach, appreciates Grabow’s background in teaching.

“It’s great to have someone with teaching experience.

There are people who are very knowledgable about swimming, but if they can’t convey that to the athletes, it doesn’t mean much,” he said.

Coaching and teaching go hand in hand, and Grabow believes they are similar to one another.

“In both situations, I’d work with students one-onone and that may be outside of class. Certain students need different things or need things to be explained in different ways,” she said. “Different athletes will respond differently to instruction.”

Senior Elizabeth Krenek, who has Grabow as a teacher for AP Computer Science, appreciates having her coach on campus.

“It’s really cool because she definitely understands the struggle, especially with morning practice because she has to be there too,” Krenek said.

“It’s nice to get to ask someone questions at school, and if you can’t come to practice, you can just go talk to Ms. Grabow about it.”

Although Grabow has only been swimming for a year and a half, she is not new to the coaching experience. Before coming to Hockaday, she taught at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, GA from 2007

to 2011. While she was teaching there, Grabow was asked to be an assistant swimming coach.

“I was the only coach that was full-time affiliated with the school which is the same way it is here,” Grabow said. “It was nice to be the person on campus if someone had an issue--just a familiar face compared to the other coaches.”

Although the season has just begun, Grabow hopes to get more involved with the students, especially at swim

meets and at the Southwest Preparatory Conference meet in February.

“I think I will be a lot more involved in meets because everyone is getting on the block and cheering eachother on,” Grabow said. “My main goal is to make sure the girls feel like they had a good season and improved over the course of our season.”

Before Patten asked her to coach at Hockaday, Grabow was the student in the water learn-

ing how to position her body and perfect her technique.

“For the past year and a half, I’ve been the one in the water and someone else has been telling me what to do.

This experience helps me see things from another perspective,” she said.

This winter, it’s the other way around.

Inaara Padani Staff Writer PHOTO BY EMILY YEH

pper School math teacher Rachel Grabow decided to join the swim team during her freshman year at Midway high school in Waco, Texas. But after enduring the long hours at practice, the stress and the infamous butterfly stroke, she chose to quit after just one year.

“I completely hated it,” Grabow said. “I was really slow, it was hard and I just didn’t like it.”

Little did she know that fifteen years later, she would become a high school swimming coach at Hockaday.

During the school day, Grabow teaches Calculus and Analytical Geometry, AP Calculus BC and AP Computer Science at Hockaday. But this winter, she also attends morning and afternoon swimming practices to fulfill her duties in her new position as assistant swimming coach.

“It definitely takes up more of my time,” she said.

“It’s not too bad, though, since practice is right after school or right before school in the mornings.”

Grabow, an avid runner, got a stress fracture a year and a half ago. In order to recover from her injury, she joined the Dallas Aquatic Masters Club.

“I wasn’t able to do anything else besides swimming, so I was sort of forced back into it,” she said.

Within less than five weeks, Grabow began to enjoy the sport she once hated.

Working with Bobby Patten, a coach at the Dallas Aquatic

DIVING IN Upper School math teacher Rachel Grabow (L) works with senior Katya Lopatko (R) on her technique.

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

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972.239.2626

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

per spec tives StudentView

47% Upper School Library

4% Outside

15% In the hallways

34%

A teacher’s classroom

Senior Anisha Anand p22

STAFFSTANCE Two-Thirds Full

S

enior year is usually recognized as a time of self-reflection marked with memories of the greatest times of your youth.

The end of a huge chapter in our life, senior year means extending beyond our schoolwork and into the other portions of our lives, like trying out for a sport you’ve never played because it’s your last chance to do so.

This relaxation that is supposedly innate to senior year, however, does not include the period where senior grades are still shown to colleges because the pressure is still very real and more relevant than ever.

Seniors unavoidably stress about their grades, yet this pressure pervades through the entire first semester of senior year at Hockaday, but only a third of the year for senior Marksmen.

This discrepancy is due to the fact that St. Mark’s divides its school year into three trimesters, while Hockaday has four quarters.

For many Hockaday and St. Mark’s students, there are no grades from senior year required to be sent to Early Action or Early Decision schools.

But, while the Lions’ grades

Text the code of your answer to 22333 by Jan. 31. Standard data and text messaging rates may apply.

More Than a Tradition Residence Department celebrates the annual senior ornament ceremony

HALF EMPTY OR TWO-THIRDS FULL? While St. Mark’s divides its year into trimesters, Hockaday splits it into quarters and semesters, changing how each school’s seniors show grades to colleges. that are reported to colleges roar to a halt at the beginning of November, when it comes to “real grades,” Daisies continue to work until the first week of January. To a senior, this difference is striking.

This sentiment was best epitomized before a recent AP Calculus AB test in early November, when the night before, one senior asked: “Why am I panicking about my Calculus

grade when I could be watching ‘Homeland’ with my mom?”

Following the same trimester breakdown would not only give Hockaday seniors a much needed break, but would workbetter for synchronizing other parts of the year.

Athletics and community service are often divided into trimesters, and doing the same with our academics would allow for smoother transitions

within the whole community.

This isn’t a plea so that we don’t have to do our homework so that we can watch TV--it’s a request that we have the opportunity to finish out the year without more pressure than is necessary, so that we can focus beyond the classroom in our final year at the school. After all, senior year is a time to learn much more than the classroom can offer alone.

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID The stakes are literally rocketing through the roof and rapidly approaching outer space as my backpack remains unopened.

NEXT ISSUE: What would be your favorite Valentine’s Day gift?

A) A love letter (17050) B) Bouquet of roses (17061) C) Box of chocolates (17063) D) Tiffany’s necklace (17077)

“

Senior Gretchen O’Brien encourages girls to apply for semester away programs. p23

PHOTO BY ALAINA RODRIGUEZ AND MOLLY MONTGOMERY

The Fourcast asked readers “Where’s your favorite place to study?” Here are the results.

While offensive language and gratuitous sex can be deleterious for society, what about sexist ideals that movies often portray?

Where do you finish?

China?

Senior Emily Yeh, reacting to Upper School math teacher Rachel Grabow running 20 miles to prepare for the Dallas Marathon

The only reason I want to get married is to get another initial so that I can finally get things monogrammed Senior Noopi Herle, who doesn’t have a middle name

Junior Phoebe Smith, in reference to the possible snowday, 9 p.m. the night before

FACEBOOK

WHO STOLE MY SWEATPANTS HOW WILL I SURVIVE THIS MISERABLE WINTER WITHOUT THEM Senior Emily Zhang

O

Sophomore Vivian Armitage

E

very year, the week before Christmas break, the Residence Department hosts the senior ornament ceremony.

Although many members of the Hockaday community haven’t heard of boarding’s holiday event, it is one of the resident department’s most cherished events. The purpose of our esteemed occasion, besides having a fabulous holiday party,

is to honor our seniors and acknowledge that our time with them is limited.

Prior to the event, juniors request the senior to whom they wish to dedicate an ornament. A new tradition this year is the junior-senior mixer, which helped connect seniors and juniors before deciding who to request.

Soon after receiving the assignment, juniors got to work creating a masterpiece.

Decorating the ornament is the most important task, because it is more than just an artistic representation. Every ornament is designed to depict each senior; her favorite color, place, food, anything that captures her essence.

The ceremony proves to be emotional every year. This year the evening began with the ceremony; rather than with dinner. Although each junior was only allowed 30 seconds to present her orna-

ment, which I thought was a travesty, it was still enjoyable.

It did make me yearn for last year’s ceremony, where each junior was free to give as verbose a speech as she liked.

After the ceremony, residence department picture, and hall pictures with Santa in front of the Christmas tree, we moved to a holiday themed dinner in the dining room.

This dinner captured the essence of Christmas; complete with dangling snowflakes, glittering lights and more mashed potatoes than anyone could ever want. And the with the richly colored table runners and warm room, I was especially reminded of Christmas at home.

I love this ceremony, but this year i was a bit disappointed. I feel like the purpose of the night is the speech each junior presents. Now that that is no longer a staple of the festivities and the speeched have been

shortened, I worry about losing the tradition.

Putting the ornament on the tree is definately the pièce de résistance. After every speech, each senior hangs her ornament on the massive Christmas tree in Great Hall.

This highly decorated tree holds ornaments from boarders of years past. I believe this signifies the tradition and importance of the event. After graduating, some boarders even return to Hockaday to visit their ornament.

My favorite part of the night was going back to the dorms.

We exchanged secret santa gifts at each of our hall parties while sipping Hockapunch and hot chocolate. While indulging in this Christmas tradition, we exchanged gifts, reminisced on ceremonies of years past, and swaped stories about our plans for break. This part of the night was my favorite, because I get to bond with my sisters.

perspectives

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

WE LOVE IT, WE LOVE IT NOT

Two unexpected SNOWDAYS kept us without a full week of school between breaks.

The countdown to the holiday break has ADVISORIES DECORATING accordingly, no contest required.

It’s this time of year that makes us miss our BELOVED BLANKETS that are no longer allowed. We will never forget you.

STAFFSTANDOFF

22/23

Does X2VoL Meet Expectations?

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Anisha Anand Business Manager

Katie Payne Managing Editor

vs.

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n a rapidly-advancing world, we need to be prepared to quickly adapt to the changes technology springs on us every day. The Community Service Board has provided girls with the perfect way through which we can learn to be prepared for the daunting adversity and change of our lives.

The switch to a digitized system for community service event signups through OrgSync last year and a quick turnaround to x2VOL this year has kept us on our toes. In the hullabaloo surrounding x2VOL and sign ups, we are more involved in community service than ever before.

First off, while OrgSync required each student to make her own separate account, x2VOL is already linked to Naviance’s college counseling system, Family Connection. Now, we don’t have to re-memorize a username and password for yet another new account.

For several years now, St. Mark’s has been using x2VOL. Because Hockaday has many joint community service events with St. Mark’s, using the same system allows for better coordination between the schools and their students. x2VOL is also easily accessible through an app.

The program’s email reminders don’t give us any excuse to miss events “because we just forgot.” It was way too easy for me last year to hit “attending” on OrgSync because an event looked fun. x2VOL will automatically add an event to your calendar and send you an email reminder before an event.

You can also easily see how close you are to finishing your community service requirement with the percentage bar on the right. Visuals help me grasp how far off I really am from where I need to be. x2VOL’s appearance is also much more pleasing to the eye with the calming colors of dull blue and subdued mango orange. In contrast, OrgSync’s icky green was not inviting to sign up for community service events. Nobody should be discouraged from helping her community by a disorienting color scheme.

It is clear that the switch to x2VOL, though unpopular among minuscule slivers of the Hockaday population, will ultimately be greatly beneficial to our community. Let us embrace this change in our lives and make the most of it for ourselves and for those we serve.

D

ifficulty signing up for community service hours may sound like a first world problem, but before you give me one big eye roll for complaining about x2VOL, hear me out.

When you think about the success of the past systems the board has used, you’ll soon start to agree that our current system, the dreaded x2VOL website, actually undermines the community service program.

Last year, I was a huge OrgSync fan. I liked the ability to view other attendees on the event page just in case I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t be stuck at a preschool carnival for four hours on a Saturday morning without a friend. Each of the opportunities on the website displayed the maximum number of participants that could volunteer, and I believe that’s what initially fueled the fire to click the sign up button. You felt a rush of adrenaline and hastily pressed “attend” before someone else took your spot.

This increased incentive also occurred with the paper system two years ago, an era now long gone. Girls would run in first thing in the morning and spot sign up sheets for the top community service opportunities being pinned up by the board members. And while I don’t miss rushing to find a pencil in my backpack at 7:30 in the morning in order to get the last spot at Jubilee, there were some serious perks to the paper system.

For one thing, it certainly increased student accountability. Crossing your name off was most definitely frowned upon, and students would have to find replacements to avoid getting hours deducted. It was entirely public, and the board could more easily monitor who found a replacement and who didn’t. These days with the computer system, you can easily get out of an opportunity with just a click without any repercussions.

With x2VOL, the rush to sign up for Feast of Sharing, Austin Street or Jubilee has been hindered by the inability to see a list of upcoming activities and number of participants, and the pressure of committing to a particular event has been eliminated by the anonymity of the x2VOL website.

As much as I hate to hate on something that saves both paper and time, x2VOL simply does not cut it. On another note, I still have not figured if it’s X2vol, x2Vol or x2VOL, or why it sounds like the name of a workout machine. But regardless, I vote we return back to the paper system or OrgSync. Otherwise, we’ll see a definite decline in service hours.

MOVIE RATINGS

Rating Women’s Misrepresentation

The never ending slew of LOST PHONES AND CHARGERS EMAILS has reignited our schoolwide fear of “clogging the server.”

It’s time to use Sharepoint.

The BAN ON USING CELLPHONES in the Wellness Center has left us questioning our abilities to functionally walk and talk at the same time.

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Senior Anisha Anand

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arents check movie ratings for language, violence and sexual content before watching films with their children. While offensive language and gratuitous sex can be deleterious for society, what about sexist ideals that movies often portray? Before watching movies, we don’t think twice that they could potentially offensively derogate women.

Sweden’s state-funded Swedish Film Institute has begun to implement a system through which it can rate how women are portrayed in films. The Bechdel test identifies if a conversation

takes place in a movie between two females about something other than a man. If at least one of these conversations occurs, the movie receives an A. While this may seem an easy enough test for most movies to pass, many popular movies you’d expect to pass do not. In fact, the list of movies that have failed the test includes blockbusters like “Avatar,” “The Social Network” and seven of the eight “Harry Potter” movies.

While the test was invented in 1985, only recently is it being implemented in Sweden. Some proclaim the Bechdel test has taken feminism to an extreme.

If the movie is a romantic comedy, they argue that the conversations between females would naturally surround men.

But the film industry instills the idea in society’s minds that two females have nothing better to talk about than a man or love. I mean, what more is there to a woman’s life than finding true love, right? Young women and even men grow up with the notion that they are at their happiest state when they are in love.

Movies that fail this test

aren’t necessarily all about a girl losing her heart to a guy.

But what Hollywood does is tell society that in order for serious business to be conducted, there must be at least one man present. A woman in a position of power in a movie is usually surrounded by male colleagues and only means business when talking to men, not other women. Women are there for her to talk about her love life or other men conducting business. USA Network’s show Suits is a prime example.

Media has the biggest influence on our lives. We may go to school and learn about sexism and tell ourselves we aren’t sexist, but the media portrays sexism in such a subtle way that we internalize the messages we receive until our thoughts and actions become subconscious.

Sexist ideas are more dangerous to society than the act of sex itself. Sexist ideas are what promote the malintent behind sex: female objectification or rape, for example. And when ideas as such are presented in movies, they send society a signal that

such behavior though illegal, is socially acceptable.

While the Bechdel test is a good start to begin evaluating movies and the prejudices they can instill in society, an A rating doesn’t mean a movie is clear of all sexism. It needs to go farther. Compare the number of times men applaud each other for sleeping around versus the number of times women derogatorily call each other sluts . Count how many times a woman is happy in a movie for a reason other than a man or love.

Because what movies project often translate into real conversations and reality. We as a society look to Hollywood to create the “cool image.” The movie industry should be sending positive messages about sexuality and feminism. Not to say that it already hasn’t. Movies such as The Help, The Hunger Games and Divergent are all good examples of female leads who look to accomplish more than just find the perfect guy. I would give those movies an A+.

perspectives

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

A Semester in the Snow

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Tiffany Le

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GRETCHEN O’BRIEN

MANAGING EDITOR

Katie Payne

WEB EDITOR

Mary Clare Beytagh BUSINESS MANAGER

Anisha Anand

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR

Senior Gretchen O’Brien

Molly Montgomery

pring 2013, I left everything I knew, the school I attended for 14 years, and the twin sister I had been attached to for 17 years, packed up and flew to Leadville, Colo., to attend the High Mountain Institute. I went assuming my camping experience would be something like spending three nights in the backyard of the school when in reality, I slept in the canyons of Utah for two weeks, learned how to telemark ski, and built a quiglo out of the snow right under my feet.

Those four months were the most fun, rewarding months I have ever had.

It was not easy to leave, and not only because I was leaving my school, my friends, and my family, but college was a concern as well. For many of us, since the beginning of freshman year, college is always in the back of our mind. Am I getting good grades?

Should I do more community service? How many awards can I win in the span of four years? So as sophomores, when administrators from multiple semesteraway schools come to Hockaday to give a presentation about their semester-away school, we can’t help but think, “Hmm that sounds fun…but would a college like it?”

The answer is YES; colleges really do like seeing students taking risks and being involved in activities that are different.

However, if you are teaching yourself how to play the tuba with your feet because you think a college would like that, you are wasting your time. Do something you love, not that you think a college might love.

I know plenty of you might be rolling your eyes at my ‘naïve’ knowledge of what colleges do and don’t like, but really deep

Emily Wechsler

S

COPY EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

Amy Tao

ASST. NEWS

Charlsea Lamb FEATURES EDITOR

Courtney Le

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Alexis Espinosa

SPORTS & WELLNESS EDITOR

Avita Anand

PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

Molly Montgomery

SNOW BUNNY Senior Gretchen O’Brien chose to study at the High Mountain Institute in Colorado last spring, where she was challenged both inside and outside the classroom. down you know I am right.

I went to HMI to see what life is like outside of Hockaday, to make choices without consulting my twin sister first, and to seize an opportunity that will probably never be given to me again.

Christopher Barnes, one of the heads and directors of HMI, told our semester class that we are one in a million because no one is crazy enough to sleep out in Colorado mountains piled with 6 feet of snow, in below freezing weather, for ten days.

In Colorado, I was not stressed. I did not know I could be in an environment where my stress level did not reach a 12 on a one-through-10 scale. I even took all my AP classes, took three AP exams, and took the SAT without having a major breakdown.

Going to HMI gave me a chance to go to a school which is as academically challenging as Hockaday and still have fun.

I also wrote the majority of

my college essays about this experience, and had fun writing them too. I got to write pages and pages bragging about my experience and, through college interviews and conversations with administrators, I could tell people were really interested in what I did.

I do not regret one thing from leaving junior year half way through to go to school located in a tiny town of Colorado with only 41 other kids. Coming back was not too much of a challenge either; my friends still loved me, the school work was still as hard as it was when I left, and applying to college was as stressful for me as it was for the next senior.

Although coming back was pretty much the same as when I left, I grew so much more as a person. HMI taught me more than I have learned at Hockaday in the past fifteen years. It taught me how to be a leader

and a follower; it taught me not to be disappointed with my failures; HMI even allowed me to play even though I was still in school. For example, almost every day the students would have a free period and instead of stressing about workload, we would go do an activity like rock climbing, walking dogs, or baking cupcakes. Could you imagine everyone at Hockaday being perfectly content with cutting out a Y-period in the middle of the week to go on a walk together?

If you take anything away from my article I hope it’s these two things: one, that semester school is awesome, especially HMI, so if you are interested you should do it. Second, don’t base your high school activities on what you can put on your resume or what colleges like, do something because you enjoy it.

Wouldn’t you like to be one in a million?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

W

e encourage anyone from the Hockaday community— alumnae, parents, faculty, staff and students—to submit Letters to the Editor. Selected letters will be published each issue in regards to the previous issue. We regret we cannot acknowledge all submitted letters, but we sincerely appreciate them.

Letters to the Editor must be signed.

Please email letters to tle@hockaday.org or mail to The Hockaday School, attention: The Fourcast, 11600 Welch Road, Dallas, Texas 75229. All of the letters must be typed, double-spaced and must not exceed 200 words in length. The Fourcast will not alter the meaning or intention of any letter to the editor, but may edit for grammar, spelling and space.

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Alaina Rodriguez

GRAPHICS EDITOR

Sydney Yonack

PROJECTS MANAGER

Gretchen O’Brien VIDEO EDITOR

Catherine Jiang STAFF WRITERS

Noor Adatia, Vivian Armitage, Austria Arnold, Kate Clement, Claire Fletcher, Faith Isbell, Elie MacAdams, Inaara Padani, Megan Philips, Manisha Ratakonda, Sunila Steephen, Erin Thomas STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Shelby Anderson, Miranda Helm, Audrey Kim, Dominique Sung, Emily Yeh, Grace Zacarias STAFF ARTISTS

Sarah Chan, Kate Cooper, Luda Grigoryeva, Anna Herbelin, AnneMarie Hwang, Audrey Kim, Cathy Ma, Katherine Magee, Sofia Mira, Lily Sumrow, Mary Zhong ADVISER

Ana Rosenthal

www.hockadayfourcast.org Better news than your newsfeed.

Updated daily.

EDITORIAL POLICY The Fourcast is written primarily for students of the Hockaday Upper School, its faculty and staff. The Fourcast has a press run of 1,200 and is printed by Dallas Offset, Inc. It is distributed free of charge to the Hockaday community.

Businesses who wish to advertise in The Fourcast should contact Anisha Anand, Business Manager, at aanand@ hockaday. org. We reserve the right to refuse any advertising which is deemed inappropriate to the Hockaday community.

Opinions will be clearly marked and/or will appear in the perspectives section.

Commentaries are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its adviser or any member of the Hockaday community. Unsigned editorials that appear on the opinions page will reflect the official position of The Fourcast, but not necessarily the position of the Hockaday community.

The Fourcast staff may cover student, staff, faculty or alumnae deaths as the staff is made aware.

We reserve the right not to cover a death based on relevance, timeliness and circumstance.

Corrections and clarifications from previous issues will be found as designated in the news section.

Any questions or concerns should be taken up with Tiffany Le, Editor-in-Chief, at tle@ hockaday.org.

The Hockaday School 11600 Welch Road Dallas, Texas 75229

hockadayfourcast.org

THE FOURCAST

DECEMBER 19, 2013

Furry Friends It turns out Hockaday faculty members do have “teacher’s pets.”

Taro, the tabby cat, gets all her attention from Upper School math teacerJessica Chu.

Kim Acosta, first grade teacher, prefers Stryper, her corn snake.

Upper School math teacher Andrew Brown favors his Rottweiler, Delilah.

Lower School science teacher Amy Banks and her snake love hanging out together.

Melissa Curtis, Director of Auxiliary Programs, plays with her Beabull, Winnie.

Richard Taylor, Upper Schoool science teacher, gives his full attention to his cat, Mimsy

Upper School science teacher Leon de Oliveira and his advisory enjoy playing with Kola the hedgehog.

Eugene McDermott Headmistress Kim Wargo and her family look forward to spending time with their six-toed cat, Hermione.

Upper School math teacher Rachel Grabow snaps a picture of her favorite pet Persephone, who is ready for her closeup.