53.4 by BB&N Vanguard

Knight Games

‘uknight’

Students bond during first week back at school

Yancheng Zhao

Features Editor

The bleachers, ﬁlled with students sporting their team colors, erupted in cheers as the green team pulled the blue team across the line in a game of tug-of-war.

“Knight Games was to get the ball rolling with something we all enjoy,” Upper School (US) Student Body Co-President Aparajita Srivastava ’25 said.

Kicking oﬀ the ﬁrst Knight Games of this school year, students gathered at the Nicholas Athletic Center on Friday, Sept. 6 of orientation week for a rock, paper, scissors tournament and a tug-ofwar game between the four Knight Games teams—red, green, blue, and gold— before choosing one of many activities to participate in, such as basketball, soccer, or “drop everything and read” in the library. Student Body Co-Presidents Niyam Badani ’25 and Aparajita planned and facilitated the schoolwide assembly.

“Student Council has a fair amount of input into Knight Games,” Aparajita said. “Niyam and I deﬁnitely want to have that be more student-driven.”

Student Council ﬁrst started planning at the end of last school year. The original plan was a 30-minute schoolwide activity, the rock, paper, scissors tournament and tug-of-war, followed by two 30-minute activities where students split oﬀ into smaller groups.

Continued on Page 4

Upper School community considers phone use Teachers

implement new policies

Gabe Cooper On Campus Editor

Stuﬀed in a student’s pocket. Placed face down on the desk. Checked into a “phone hotel.” Tucked into an overﬂowing backpack. Plugged into a charger. Upper School (US) students enter their classes this year under the jurisdiction of their teachers’ personal phone policies. Teachers may use their full discretion to consider how to minimize cell phone distractions in their classes, US Director Jessica Keimowitz said.

Some have decided to utilize designated areas of their classroom to collect phones, while others request that students keep their phones face down on their desks. Some teachers allow their students to manage their phones under the expectation that they will not use them in class unless speciﬁcally directed. The school has not mandated that all classes follow the exact same phone policy, Ms. Keimowitz and US Dean of Teaching and Learning Michael Chapman said.

Nationwide, 72% of high school teachers surveyed by Pew Research reported that “students being distracted by cell phones is a major problem in their classroom.” In

response to these concerns, more than 13 states have implemented bans or restrictions on students’ cell phone use, according to Education Week.

According to the All-School Student and Family Handbook, which was last updated prior to the 2024-2025 academic year, “Cellular phones and other communication devices may not be used during the academic day other than in speciﬁc areas that the school has designated as appropriate.” Ms. Keimowitz clariﬁed that these appropriate areas exclude classrooms, the servery, the Commons, and hallways.

Ms. Keimowitz acknowledged that, outside of classes, phones can prevent students from seeking out social interaction.

“The goal of any policy is to improve human connections and interactions by optimizing the learning environment,” she said. “Adults generally worry about communal time and encouraging face-to-face conversations. It’s really easy to hide in one’s phone if one is sitting out in a public area. A question that I have is, ‘How diﬀerent would it be if students didn’t have that crutch, or support, to rely on?’”

Continued on Page 7

Students take round trip to Colombia Round Square members exchange cultures

Whether watching the sunrise from the mountains of Minca at 4 a.m. or listening to music on the beach in Palomino at 9:30 at night, members of the Upper School’s (US) Round Square club immersed themselves in local cultures while attending a conference in Colombia from Sept. 14 to 28. Round Square, an organization composed of schools from around the globe, holds an annual conference in a diﬀerent country each year, giving students the opportunity to travel to Kenya, Tanzania, and London in recent years. At the conference this year, keynote speakers spoke to the attendees about Colombia and their experiences with regard to the Round Square IDEALS: Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, and Service. Students from 28 countries took part in the conference and participated in activities, such as speaking with indigenous people, participating in environmental eﬀorts, and learning about Colombian society.

DEIG Oﬃcer and trip chaperone Leila BaileyStewart said that one of the most memorable experiences of the trip was watching the students use natural resources to create art.

“One of the special moments of the trip was watching students paint a mural in Tibasosa using paint that they made from the earth,” she said. “Using elements from the earth like sand, stones, clay, and cactus allowed students to be connected to the land they were visiting, learn a skill from locals, and practice the skills that they can use in the future. It was also really fun.”

Continued on Page 9

Buckingham Browne & Nichols Upper School, Cambridge, Ma

2024

Ayana Karthik Off Campus Editor

Staff Photo by Olivia Richter

In some Upper School classrooms this fall, students are required to place their phones in holders to prevent distraction. The school, however, does not currently have a policy on taking phones.

Matthew Walsh Sports Editor &

The buses are a bust!

In a semi-urban setting like Cambridge, it is understandable that parking would be an issue. There is some level of convenience that must be sacrifi ced in order to have the prime location that the Upper School does. Could parking be closer and more accessible? Sure, we wouldn’t complain, but that argument is overdone. We’ve made it before and will probably make it again. The real problem, however, lies in transportation between the school and the Grove Street parking lot. The infrequency of shuttles combined with surges of morning traffi c means some students need to get to the parking lot by 7:30 to ensure they will make their 8:15 class. Forty-fi ve minutes seems a little excessive for the average time needed to arrive before class. Given this reality, the shuttle system needs to be updated.

The current shuttle schedule oﬀ ers four

morning shuttles that will deliver you to school in time for the ﬁ rst block: 6:30, 6:55, 7:20, and 7:45. The most appealing option of these is the 7:45 departure from Grove, which typically arrives at school by 8:00. Yet, rumor has it that this shuttle packs three students per seat. Students also report crouching in bus aisles when seats run out.

Students shouldn’t have to risk their safety to make sure they arrive on time for school. Sure, could students arrive earlier to make the 7:20 shuttle? Yes, but at a cost to sleep and well-being. Why should students have to arrive at the parking lot a full 55 minutes before their ﬁ rst class to be on time? Students can either lose sleep or risk showing up late to class.

Additional shuttles between 7:30 and 8:00 would aid this dilemma. Adding a shuttle leaving Grove Street every 10 minutes

Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138 vanguard@bbns.org, vanguard.bbns.org (617) 547-6100 Ext. 2171

Volume 53, Issue 4

Editor-in-Chief

Chloe Taft

Projects Editor Beckett Dubovik

Managing Editor Emilia Khoury

beginning at 7:35 until 7:55 would reduce the volume of students on each shuttle and prevent missed-shuttle induced tardiness.

While many teachers are sympathetic to the balancing act of the average student, parking dilemmas included, there is no doubt that some are less than understanding. This isn’t to say that it should be acceptable for students to show up late to their classes regularly. It isn’t fair to waste teachers’ valuable time, but we’d encourage teachers to recognize that students’ lateness is not always entirely their fault.

Instead of getting upset at a student who “should have woken up earlier,” realize they are most likely just as frustrated as you. If you really want to walk 1.2 miles (the distance to Grove) in one of your student’s shoes, we encourage you to switch parking spots with them for the day.

School spirit is a twoway street

There are many possible explanations for our school’s lack of spirit. We have no boarding students, and the student body commutes from 95 diﬀerent towns across New England. Geographically, we are not designed for large crowds at every weekend game.

Opinions Editor Lea Freiin Von Hilgers

Editorials Editor Kate Rice

On Campus Editor Gabe Cooper

O Campus Editor Ayana Karthik

Features Editor

Yancheng Zhao

Sports Editor Matthew Walsh

Arts Editor

Sonja Peetz-Larsen

Faculty Advisor Kim Whitney

Digital Media Editor Doug Zhang

Audio Editor Will Benjamin

Production Manager Kathryn Martin

Asst. Production Manager Charlotte Garrity

Asst. Production Manager Carl Chen

Photo Editor Krishna Patel

Asst. Photo Editor Olivia Richter

e Vanguard’s mission is to examine and engage the school community by providing news and information about events affecting it and by featuring the diverse range of people and perspectives that comprise it. We strive for fairness and accuracy in our content, and we strive to present that content with integrity and respect.

e Vanguard is the official student newspaper of the Buckingham Browne & Nichols Upper School, which has 543 students, 96 faculty members, and 64 staff members. Affiliated with the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the paper is a forum for differing views and welcomes comments from its readers in the form of Letters to the Editor. No anonymous letters will be printed. e Vanguard reserves the right to edit all letters for length. e Vanguard publishes eight issues per annual volume and prints between 600 and 900 copies of each issue. About 200 of those are mailed out; the rest are distributed around campus. Copyright © 2024 e Vanguard

Staff Writers:

Fitzgerald Hung, Aparajita Srivastava, Alex Lev, Tillie Fischoeder, Hailey Jiang, David Xiong, Lucy Song, Annie Zhu, Finn Konary, Vartan Arakelian, Christine Tao, Scarlett Hawkins

Staff Photographers: Quentin Higgins, Emilia Khoury, Gil Cavalieros, Keenan Billings, Caroline Kovacs, Ash Surati, Ashleen Pierre, Hailey Jiang

Staff Artists: Victoria Nassikas, Isabel Doricent, Kate Rice, Lea Freiin Von Hilgers

Still, we have a deﬁnite school spirit problem. Take Friday Knight Lights, for example. On a Friday night, when no one has homework due the next day and everyone is already on campus, visiting teams bring fan sections that rival the size of our own. Our athletics program could beneﬁt from more united school support, but how do we achieve this? We propose a remedy: a culture of support across both sports and arts.

There is an apparent divide between the arts and athletics at school. It’s not that every student needs to participate in both, which would be nearly impossible given the structure of the athletics requirement, but all students would benefit from supporting the other. If athletes want a better turnout at their games, they should offer the support they want to the arts. If students in the arts want more seats filled at their performances, they should consider cheering on their classmates on the field.

For those who argue that they simply do not have time to support their peers, we’re here to help. Take a look at the fall sports and arts schedules. Each fall sport has games one to three times a week. Friday Knight Lights takes place almost every week, and Homecoming is an entire weekend dedicated to celebrating the athletes. Pick any day. There is most likely a game you can attend.

On the other hand, the fall play rehearses all trimester for four performances in mid-November during Mud Week, giving athletes the perfect opportunity to support their peers and watch the play. Even if you cannot attend the performances this fall, have no fear; there is also a winter musical, a spring play, and various student-run shows throughout the year.

The bottom line is that we are one school, so let’s act like it. Our peers accomplish so much. We should celebrate each other when we can.

Letter to the Editor: On large class sizes

“The largest class size is typically 16” (BB&N Tour Guide Handbook (US) 2024-2025).

Class size plays an important role in the success of students, teachers, and our learning atmospheres as a whole. A point of pride for BB&N, the inﬂuence of a small class extends beyond academic excellence to improved student engagement and development. The typical class size of 12 or even 13 students are a testament to the credibility of this approach. This year, however, you unfortunately might ﬁnd more classes in the 17 to 18 range.

Smaller classes allow students the opportunity to be and stay engaged. With fewer peers crowding a classroom, students can easily participate, and the ability to hide behind a large group of classmates vanishes. Increased engagement leads to more conﬁdent individuals who feel at ease when expressing ideas and developing their intellect. It also gives way to more profound learning, as the conﬁdence students develop in these classrooms often fosters a conversational environment that promotes for a deeper understanding of content. Small class sizes often see more progress in information retention

Students

discuss

and academic performance as students are forced to stay present in class. This intrinsically makes collaboration simpler and terminates the need for an entirely lecture-based class. With fewer students, teachers can manage group work and projects, which is more diﬃcult with a larger class size as time is stretched thinly. Teachers can also experiment with diﬀerent teaching methods and approaches in hopes of appealing to the needs and interests of their students.

A larger class makes the creation of this learning environment challenging, both literally and ﬁguratively. BB&N teachers frequently teach in classrooms with a singular round table or a circular desk formation, which, by nature, encourages a conversational environment. With a class of 18, teachers often need to arrange desks in columns directly behind one another due to spatial limitations, which can eliminate that meaningful ﬂow of dialogue. Student engagement inevitably decreases because of these kinds of classroom formations. A focused, collaborative environment is less achievable because of the time it takes to organize and settle a large class into a group.

AI amid

Small classrooms allow teachers to better understand each student’s learning style. With fewer students to divert attention to, teachers can hone in on understanding complex classroom dynamics and individual learning needs. From there, they can assess and update their curriculum and tailor class time to accomplish speciﬁc goals. Teachers and students are also able to establish trust, which helps students feel supported and encourages them to seek help when they need it. This support is extremely valuable, as teachers can ensure students stay motivated throughout the learning process if a student doesn’t yet feel conﬁdent taking initiative.

Though this is possible in larger classes, it’s much more diﬃcult. It’s harder to assess a group’s strengths and weaknesses, especially if engagement decreases because students don’t feel challenged or are struggling with content and are no longer easily identiﬁable. The relationships teachers are able to develop with students tend to feel impersonal in a crowded classroom. Students feel a lesser sense of belonging and connection with their peers and teachers, and a

changing policies New school year opens with reminder on artiﬁcial intelligence

Vartan Arakelian Staff Writer

During the first regular School (US) assembly of the 2024-2025 academic year, Upper School (US) Dean of Students Rory Morton ’81 and US Director Jessica Keimowitz spoke to students about academic honesty and the school’s policies on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Mr. Morton provided specific examples of scenarios in which students might decide to use AI against school rules to assist them in completing assignments. These situations can be avoided if students manage their time well and reach out to teachers for help, he said.

For Brandon Xie ’27, Mr. Morton’s comments reminded him to prioritize planning ahead of deadlines and communicating eﬀectively with his teachers.

“Mr. Morton said that often, when it’s late at night and there is a project due the next day, you get desperate,” Brandon said. “The better thing to do is to ask your

teacher for an extension because using AI to complete the assignment will lead you into a deeper hole.”

Students who use AI dishonestly deprive themselves of learning opportunities, Brandon said.

“Even if you don’t get caught when using AI, you hop over learning processes that you need to achieve at certain times.”

Leo Song ’27 likened the use of AI in school to taking shortcuts while cooking a meal. Students who rely on AI to complete their work will ultimately face consequences, he said.

“It’s like setting a rice cooker at 500 degrees Celsius to heat it up faster, but in the end it just gets burned.”

Hannah Rosado ’26 said she has noticed the school’s focus on academic honesty in response to the increased brainstorming capabilities and intelligence of AI chatbots.

“With ChatGPT, you can brainstorm ideas such that they aren’t truly yours. It’s become a question of, ‘Are your ideas actually your own?’ rather than merely, ‘Are the words that you’re using actually your own?’”

Hannah agreed that AI is detrimental to students’ education in the long term, she said.

“You can plagiarize your way to a job, but once you’re there, you’ll discover you can’t use AI to brainstorm ideas. You need critical thinking skills in order to be successful.”

This year, Hannah, among other students, has noticed the implementation of new policies and guidelines to mitigate the use of AI in her classes, most notably the “One Doc” policy utilized by some English

collaborative and active learning environment begins to feel less attainable.

A diﬀerence of six or seven classmates might not seem to inﬂuence a class’s success, but it does. With each additional student, the personalization of a class’ content and the potential for positive student-teacher relationships diminshes. To preserve the education BB&N students are used to, it’s crucial to retain the smaller class sizes that promote deeper learning. Maintaining this important element of the BB&N experience will continue generating positive academic experiences and successes in ways larger classrooms simply cannot provide.

-Rania Mankodi ’25

teachers, she said. One Doc writing assignments require that students complete all of their brainstorming and drafts in a single Google document without any copying and pasting.

Sensing confusion from students, US English Department Head Ariel Duddy said her department met to create clear rules regarding AI, including the One Doc policy.

“Given the ubiquity of AI and our sense that students felt confused about the English Department’s views on AI, we wanted to craft a policy and pledge that made our expectations clear. The English Department has always prohibited the use of secondary sources. We view our AI policy as an extension of that long-standing policy.”

Josh Curhan ’25 said he has observed other new policies related to academic honesty in his English class.

“Once we turned an essay in, my teacher went through our version history and looked at all of our peer edits, which I don’t think any of my teachers have ever done before.”

Josh said he believes these policies will be successful in helping teachers prevent AI use.

“If the teachers are really looking into the version history and checking it for every student, it will scare people into not using AI.”

Josh added that students are now oﬃcially not allowed to use Grammarly, a generative software that has AI-powered features. Increased academic honesty regulations, however, may be an indicator of deteriorating relationships between teachers and students, he said.

“Maybe we don’t deserve their

trust, but they’re doing all these things to watch us and survey us. They do not seem to have any trust in us.”

A sophomore, who requested anonymity to protect her classmates, believes the school is increasingly focused on preventing academic dishonesty because many US students use AI without their teachers’ permission, she said.

“Before, the school didn’t know much about AI-related academic dishonesty, and it was hard to navigate because AI was evolving rapidly. They thought honesty would work, and it doesn’t necessarily because I know a lot of people who use it.”

AI use among students is a more prevalent problem than many teachers and students think it is, she claimed.

“Last year, in my history class, about 50% used AI for outlining or for their drafts. Some of them actually got caught, but I know other people who did not get caught. The people who are using AI have always been ﬁnding a way to cheat.”

Eﬀectively monitoring and preventing students’ AI use is diﬃcult, she said.

“I think BB&N is doing the most it can, but it’s so easy to maneuver around even the strictest rules. It doesn’t help that the AI writing detectors online don’t work all the time.”

Students who are less interested in learning than receiving a high grade are often the ones who use AI, she said.

“Some people work to get a good grade and some people to gain skills. The people who work only for a good grade are the ones who are using AI.”

Drawing by Lea Von Hilgers

Too many kids, not enough seats.

Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons ChatGPT is only allowed with express permission from a student’s teacher, which varies from assignment to assignment.

On

‘Life is better without a combination’: Student opinions split on locker use Inconvenient locations make lockers less desirable for some

Sonja Peetz-Larsen Arts Editor

Passed down through generations of the school’s elite athletes, successful business people, and skilled actors, the navy and tan metal lockers lining our hallways have held the belongings of the Upper School’s (US) most distinguished alumni for decades. These lockers have seen it all: 1990s overalls, 2000s concealer lips, and 2010s One Direction and Justin Bieber posters.

That is until now.

Today, most of the school’s lockers are ﬁlled with cobwebs and forgotten textbooks.

US Dean of Students Rory Morton has his own hypothesis for the decrease in locker use.

“Looking around, students’ backpacks usually have everything they need in them, whereas before, kids used to store the rest of their stuﬀ in lockers, but they don’t do that anymore. I think it’s generational.”

Mr. Morton acknowledged that location is the primary locker-related problem for students.

“The ones who use their lockers would rather be in centrally-located areas. Some of the far-located areas of the school, if they don’t have a class or their advisor up there, that is probably the most consistent complaint. Kids don’t think they have enough time to get to their next class and comfortably get

what they want.”

Mr. Morton said he takes this issue into account when assigning lockers.

“We try to rotate them through. We know we need to keep ninth graders by the Freshman Center because ninth graders move in that area. And then here on the first floor near the College Counseling Office and the Commons, we try to use that for the seniors.”

Despite his eﬀorts, a portion of the school ignores their locker entirely, he said.

“I would probably say 60 to 70% of kids use their lockers in some capacity.”

A lack of locker usage worked out for the better, however, when 17 seniors oﬀered to give up their lockers this school year due to the increased size of the freshman class with 137 students.

“We have far more students this year than we have lockers,” Mr. Morton said.

Merit Hodgson ’25 was one of the students who gave up her locker for a freshman. She said that it wasn’t much of an issue, however.

“I don’t have a locker this year, but it’s always been super out of the way.”

Since her locker served minimal purpose in the past, Merit said she has decided to try a new method: the shared locker. She plans to take over that of Max Laibson ’25.

“I only ever used it to put my coat in it. I’m probably going to

use Max’s, instead.”

Max, a daily locker-user, visits his locker to ease the weight of his heavy backpack while embarking on his daily commute to the school. Admittedly, his locker is in a convenient location, “right next to the College Counseling Oﬃce,” he said.

“I use my locker to store my books. It makes transit easier because I walk to school.”

Lucy Song ’26 also uses her locker to help with her walk to school, saving her from future textbook-induced back problems, she said.

“I usually keep my binders and my sports stuﬀ in there,” she said. “I really like how my locker can store my items that I don’t need every night for homework, so that I don’t have to bring them back and forth to school.”

Erin Yu ’27 also regularly visits her locker, located in the ﬁrst ﬂoor Science Wing. The ideal location plays a role in her locker habits, she said.

“If my locker were on the third ﬂoor, I’d probably just leave my stuﬀ by the couch or something. I’m not walking all the way up there.”

Still, Erin acknowledges the locker-related challenges both she and others have encountered. In fact, her friends use Merit’s shared-locker method, she said.

“It’s honestly kind of diﬃcult to open sometimes. It takes me a hot second to get it open. The rest of my friends use my locker, actually. They just think it’s too

Co-Presidents balance time and community engagement Students choose Knight Games activities

Continued from Page 1

However, when the allotted Knight Games block was shortened to 85 minutes at the start of the school year, Student Council’s original plan was changed to feature diﬀerent activities after the school-wide event. Still, the change did not prevent Knight Games from being successful, Aparajita said.

“I think the biggest success from my perspective is that people could choose where they could go. I went to the marshmallow tower, and that was really successful because people were excited to be there.”

Students were able to choose how they engaged with Knight Games, which was especially important to making it enjoyable, Aparajita said.

“That’s something that we want to prioritize—a chooseyour-own-adventure type rather than ‘here’s a spreadsheet, here’s what you’re assigned’ because Knight Games should be fun.”

The games have been less successful in the past when people were assigned to an activity, Aparajita said. This time, she felt that they were more engaging, even if the choices meant some

activities had higher numbers of participants than others.

“I think we accept, and we take on that level of chaos, such as the unpredictable numbers. We take that on so that people are a lot more engaged and happier.”

The goal of the school-wide activities is to rally enthusiasm while everyone is together, he said.

However, the organizers had to ensure they didn’t overdo it either, Niyam said.

“One of the biggest diﬃculties we face is there are always more things we want to do, but there’s a psychological aspect of students where even if there are more fun games, if it’s too long in their eyes, they’re going to enjoy it less rather than if there were a few nice things and a shorter block.”

Student Council is still trying to ﬁnd the right balance between games and a typical school day during Orientation Week, he said.

“More is not always better, and so we have to: think, ‘On that

hard to get into their lockers.”

Matthias Paulson ’26, unlike Erin, has had his locker located on the third ﬂoor in previous years, an area he considers not easily accessible between classes.

“It’s in an inconvenient spot, and I don’t want to have to walk to it all the time.”

When it comes to the issue of opening his locker, Matthias’ locker code has also caused some previous trauma.

“I forget how to put the code in half the time. I’ve actually locked stuﬀ in the locker and couldn’t get it until the end of the year.”

In place of a locker, many students store their belongings by the ﬁshbowl, causing the infamous mountain of backpacks during the lunchtime rush. Emma Kirk ’26 is one of these students because going to her locker is inconvenient, she said. She has never even touched her locker, she said.

“No, I don’t use my locker. End of interview.”

speciﬁc day, what do we want to do?’”

That’s why a big focus of Knight Games is creating team spirit within the four color teams, Niyam said.

“If your color sticks with you for four years, and you’re doing enough games with it each year, then it should be something that you’re pretty proud of and enthusiastic about. We have to make sure that we can build community in that type of way because that’s a big goal.”

Some of the people responsible for drumming up that support are the Knight Games captains. Haley Hicks ’25, a captain for the green team, said her role was to help organize the team and inspire spirit during the school-wide events.

“We were motivators. We wore green. We yelled at a lot of people.”

She said that this year’s Knight Games was one of the most successful she has experienced.

“There was deﬁnitely a good vibe for the student body. We’re really excited to get the freshmen in there as well.”

Allison Wang ’25 enjoyed seeing the community support each other during the schoolwide activities.

“I liked seeing everyone in the school together having a good time. Watching tug-of-war was especially fun, and I liked how much each team cheered for the person representing them. It gave me a strong sense of community.”

However, she found that the

activities were not as well-run as she had expected.

“I was in the marshmallow tower activity, and it took almost more time to just set up than to build the towers,” she said. “I had fun, but the restrictions in the materials, such as the limit of one marshmallow per tower, made it so challenging that the activity was almost just not as fun. I think it would’ve been better to have fewer restrictions so that people could come up with a concrete idea and just have fun while meeting new students.”

Lorenzo Blackston ’26 said he appreciated being able to spend time with his friends, rather than in class, during Orientation Week.

“Knight Games is a really great opportunity for everyone to get to know each other. Everyone’s so caught up in schoolwork sometimes that they just forget to hang out with their friends. I really appreciate that BB&N sets up these opportunities for everyone to get to know each other and become a ‘commuKnighty.’”

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Some students struggle to open their lockers.

Photo courtesy of BB&N Admissions Jack Rossiter and Matthew Gri n (both ’26) play soccer during Knight Games.

Photo courtesy of BB&N Admissions

Lorenzo Blackston ’26 and Armando Levitt ’27 compete in the rock, paper, scissors tournament.

Seniors recognized with history, English paper prizes Research paper, proﬁle winners reﬂect on their process

Ayana Karthik On-Campus Editor

Junior year is infamous for being the most difficult and demanding year of high school. At the Upper School (US), junior year is defined by the all-important history research paper and English profile. Each year, a handful of students are recognized for their work by two panels of outside judges, who read their research papers and profiles, respectively, and then score students’ work. These scores determine who receives first, second, and third place prizes, as well as honorable mentions. For the first time in 12 years, two students were awarded the first-place history prize: Zoe Li-Khan and Walker Cox (both ’25).

US History Department Head Susan Glazer said that in all her years at the US, she has never seen two students win ﬁrst.

“When the scoring came back, we had two individuals with the same score in ﬁrst place. In the seven years I’ve been doing this it’s never happened, and it hasn’t happened in 12 years at the school either.”

The two winning papers were very diﬀerent, Ms. Glazer said.

“The papers were on very distinct topics, so to have them be recognized in that way was unusual and kind of special.”

Although only a few students were honored for their papers,

‘Approachable’

the history award is meant to commend and encourage all students at the school, according to Ms. Glazer.

“I would love to be able to give every single person who completes a history paper an award. Students should feel like they’ve accomplished a lot with this assignment,” she said.

“We really want to celebrate the students’ hard work, especially because there aren’t a lot of opportunities in the humanities to give students that recognition.”

The third-place history prize went to Ruhan Karthik ’25, whose paper considered how Malcom X’s absence inﬂuenced the fall of the Nation of Islam. His biggest piece of advice for future juniors writing the research paper was to appreciate the process.

“I would just say that it’s important to enjoy researching and writing the paper and to be proud of the work you’ve done,” he said.

Josh Curhan ’25 won the second-place history prize and wrote about the American Zionist movement in the early 1900s and the ongoing IsraelPalestinian conﬂict. He liked the experience and recommended that students choose a topic they can expand upon.

“I would pick a topic that relates to a current day event or a topic that’s really personal to you that you care about or that

you have a lot of opinions on,” he said. “That’s how you’re going to write the best paper, and how you can be most invested in the work.”

Zoe’s ﬁrst-place paper connected the abortion movement in the 1800s to gender and race. Zoe said she was proud of the sources she was able to ﬁnd but wishes she broadened her argument.

“I was most proud of my primary sources because that is something I spent a lot of time researching,” she said. “Something I would change is ﬁnding out more about the general public’s perspective on abortion in addition to the physicians who spearheaded the movement. My paper focused more on the physicians’ arguments, as they were the ones who ran the movement, but it would be interesting to see how the public responded to this and what they thought.”

For his winning history paper, Walker wrote about the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. He interviewed his cousin, who went to war in Iraq as a primary source, which allowed him to gain and convey a better understanding of his topic.

“I got to see his perspective of the war compared to perspectives of newspapers and politicians. Being able to show an actual veteran’s perspective, I felt, was really important for the proﬁle.”

Walker was also honored with a second-place prize for his English proﬁle about a boat carpenter from Charlestown. He was proud to touch on important topics throughout his piece, he said.

“In my subject’s life, she had experienced a lot of anxiety and depression, and so I’m proud that I was able to make that an element of the paper but not deﬁne her by it.”

Sophia Staﬀord ’25 wrote the winning proﬁle. Her subject was a nurse in a dementia care facility. Sophia was surprised to hear her name called out at assembly, she said.

“I was not expecting it. I was very excited to have gotten an honorable mention, so I was shocked.”

Sophia encouraged future writers to pick a subject they’re passionate about.

“I would say pick a subject that you think is really interesting. Try to ﬁnd something really special and unique. Everyone has a really cool story to tell.”

Almy Library interns support students Librarians look forward to selecting new interns for this school year

Elizabeth Wee Contributing Writer

Restocking the shelves, redirecting many students to resources, and checking out books are just a few responsibilities of the Upper School (US) Almy Library interns, a group of sophomores, juniors, and seniors selected to help manage and improve the Library. Rather than socializing with friends or starting on homework, library interns spend one free block a week behind the Library’s front desk to help run a space frequented by students and faculty alike.

US Librarians Maggie Kelleher and Shawnee Sloop started the program three years ago, bringing the idea from their

previous schools. Their initial goal was to establish a way for students to volunteer in the Library during their free time, which has since evolved into the internship program.

The program is also a way for the librarians to be able to hear students’ perspectives, Ms. Sloop said.

“Sometimes they’ll be very honest and say, ‘We don’t think that will work.’ Or they will say, ‘We love it, but maybe you could tweak it a little bit.’ So, it’s really helpful for us with new programming, new events, challenges, and activities to be able to be run it by students when it comes to doing things within the library.”

The librarians, however, are not the only ones who beneﬁt from the interns’ work, Ms. Sloop said.

“It’s great to have students sitting at the library desk because it can be more approachable for them to have a peer to ask a question to, rather than another adult,” she said. “I think this approachability just further permeates outwards into the school community because students get comfortable with us and the space, and that enhances community ties. It promotes the

Library if students like being here. Having interns who want to be here helps further that.”

Finn Konary ’26 spends his E block on Tuesdays interning at the Library. The ﬁrst thing he does is check in with the librarians to start his shift. Then, he makes himself available for tasks ranging from loaning students computers to helping them ﬁnd the word of the day. Finn likes the responsibilities of being a library intern, he said.

“You’re what people see when they walk into the Library, so you have to be a friendly face. You are really a central part of upholding the image of the library.”

Arjun Shroﬀ ’26, one of last year’s library interns, said he was interested in the program because he wanted to impact the US community.

“It’s nice to feel like I can help people ﬁnd things,” he said. “The biggest thing that people ask for is materials or things that they don’t have access to, like staplers. So I’d say being able to give kids that and help them with projects is kind of a nice feeling. It’s nice to just deﬁnitely feel like I’m contributing a little bit, even if it’s only one free a week.”

Ms. Kelleher said she hopes students take advantage of the

Library’s available resources to explore their curiosity.

“The interns will get out of it what they put into it,” she said. “So we’ve had interns who express an interest in learning about the ﬁnancial aspects of running a library. We’ve had interns interested in the event planning side, and we’re always open and happy to sit with them and kind of walk them through, ‘Well, here’s how we manage our budget. Here’s what it looks like to complete a budget report.’ These are skills that might come up in any type of job or ﬁeld that they go into.”

Through the internship program, Ms. Kelleher hopes students will become more comfortable and conﬁdent working with others, she said.

“I want them to get a sense of empowerment out of the position. To feel like, ‘Oh, I am capable of doing these things, and my voice matters,’ and that they can have input into the programming and things that go on in the Library.”

Applications for new library interns will close on October 2, and Ms. Sloop and Ms. Kelleher plan to begin interviews. In the following weeks, the Library will welcome back interns, new and old.

Photo Courtesy of Hope McMillin

The English proﬁle and history research paper winners are all smiles after receiving the results.

Photo Courtesy of Anaïs Kahvejian Maria Zacharia ’25 cleans the Library during her shift as an intern.

On Campus

New Clubs

With each new school year comes an influx of new clubs created by Upper School (US) students eager to make an impact on the community or pad their college résumés. The US Dean’s Office approved over 20 new clubs this year, ranging from backyard games to literature and STEM, ensuring an enticing experience for students with diverse interests. The Vanguard interviewed some of these clubs to learn about their plans to improve the US community this year.

Jane Austen Coalition

Quantum Computing Club

The Jane Austen Coalition, led by Caroline Dudzinski ’26, was founded with the purpose of uniting Jane Austen enthusiasts and celebrating her novels. Caroline, a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, said she wanted to establish a space in school for admirers like herself. Every other Monday in Room 104 the club will read Austen’s works, watch adaptation films, and learn about her life through journals.

“My hope is that people will see Jane Austen not as the genteel and romantic-comedy author as she is so often portrayed but as the witty genius responsible for six of the best novels ever composed.”

-Lucia Longstreet-Lipson ’27

Founded by James Potter and Ryan Clay (both ’26), the Wiffle Ball Club aims to “create an environment where people from different friend groups can hang out with others they might not usually meet, while providing healthy competition,” James said.

In the fall, the club plans to host a series of casual pickup games with plans for a more structured league in the spring, featuring four teams, playoffs, and a championship game.

Slam Poetry Club

“If you’re a fan of sports and want some friendly competition while meeting new people, this is the club for you,” Ryan said. Games will be held on the turf every Monday and Thursday during CAB.

-Ahmad Khalid ’26

Slam Poetry Club, run by Hailey Jiang ‘26 and Julia Wang ‘26, will meet every other Thursday during CAB in Room 258. According to Hailey, the club hopes to provide a place for students to write and share poetry. Plans for slam poetry competitions are also in the works.

“Julia and I both really like poetry and want to create a space for other students at BB&N to write poetry and express themselves without a fear of judgment,” Hailey said.

-Ingrid Schrag ’27

Penny to a House Club

Penny to a House Club hopes to create an enjoyable trading environment within the school. During Friday CAB in Room 183, students will try to trade low-value things, such as a penny, for increasingly more expensive items. The club’s founders, Carl Chen and You-Yan Wang (both ‘26), were inspired by a social media influencer Ryan Trahan and his series called “Penny to a House.” The goal of their club is to get the greatest difference between your starting and ending objects, but more importantly, to have fun in the process.

-Aggie Grant ’26

Held during CAB on Wednesday in Room 112, the Quantum Computing Club was co-founded by Audrey Tsai, Matthew Ding, and Christos Zacharia (all ‘27). Quantum Computing Club hopes to encourage its members to explore the growing field of computer science and discover new, alternative approaches to computing. The founders want to go beyond computer science and work “with more units for a more advanced computing practice and exploration in quantum endeavors,” Audrey said.

-Sally Hoagland ’27

Wings of Impact Aviation Club

Founded by Will Sammons ’27, the Wings of Impact Aviation Club aims to introduce the US community to aviation. As a student pilot, Will hopes to share his passion for aviation by teaching club members about aviation mechanics and organizing field trips to nearby airports. Will plans for the club to support aviation related community organizations.

“If someone wants to learn more about aviation and how it can be used to give back, this is the club for them,” Will added. Wings of Impact Aviation Club plans to meet twice a month.

-Ahmad Khalid ’26

Golf for Care

Christine Tao ’27 started Golf for Care to combine her love for golf and her affinity for helping others in need. To aid people with disabilities and veterans, the club plans to partner with another organization called Golf for All. Golf for Care will volunteer at the clinics and events hosted by Golf for All by collecting balls and giving feedback to the veterans and disabled attendees. Christine said that the club will meet once a month, often off campus.

“Golf is such a fun sport that I think everyone should start participating in it,” Christine said.

-Lexi Mack ’26

Learning Disability Aid

Inspired by her own experience with dyslexia, Scarlett Hawkins ’27 aims to support other students with learning disabilities through her club, Learning Disability Aid (LDA). Every Thursday during CAB, Scarlett hopes LDA can be a designated space to complete homework or advocate for student needs.

“It will also be a mediator between the student and teacher if they need assistance in advocating for their rights,” she said. “Anyone with a learning disability should come by because even if you think you have everything under control with your learning profile, you could learn more about what it means to have that disability and build a community.”

-Meredith Richardson ’27

Wiffle Ball CLub

On Campus

Dr. Price takes leave of absence after cancer treatment Head of school steps aside for three weeks to recover

Chloe Taft Editor-In-Chief

Biking alongside the Charles River on Tuesday, Sept. 24, Head of School Jennifer Price caught up with the Girls’ Varsity Crew team during an afternoon row. It was a spontaneous, symbolic moment: Dr. Price had traveled to London to support the team at the Henley Royal Regatta in June, around the time when she was awaiting a cancer diagnosis. Now, during her last of many bike rides home from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute after her ﬁnal day of treatment, she was accompanied by the very same boat.

“I was over in London screaming for them, and then here I was in my last 100 yards screaming for them as they were basically escorting me down the Charles. It was a cool moment.”

Dr. Price was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in June. She had surgery in July followed by six weeks of radiation. The treatment “took a toll” on her but was successful, she said.

“My prognosis is really good.

It was caught early, I’m under the best care at Dana Farber—a BB&N parent is overseeing my care—and I’m going to be okay.”

In a newsletter to families sent out on Sept. 6, Dr. Price shared her diagnosis and announced her decision to take a leave of absence for three weeks later that month. Her email received well over 100 replies of support.

“It’s been humbling, frankly, to have so many people reach out and not just say, good luck, but with really personal stories,” she said. “So many people in our community have been impacted by cancer and have oﬀered words of encouragement and stories about how I’ve made their life maybe a little bit better at BB&N and how that’s been meaningful to them. It’s incredible.”

Her decision to take time oﬀ was diﬃcult, but Dr. Price hopes that her leave will give her time to recover from months of treatment.

“The end of the school year is a long time away, and I was anxious about being able to make it to then at my normal energy level and my normal commitment to the school. And I felt like if I could

take some time, I would be able to come back and make that level of commitment.”

Dr. Price started her leave on Thursday, Sept. 26. In her absence, Chief Learning Officer Jed Lippard and Chief Operating and Financial Officer Tara Gohlmann are in charge. Dr. Price said she is fully confident in their ability to lead.

“When a school is doing well, it should be able to function without a head of school for a few weeks, and I’m conﬁdent that the school is going to be able to function well without me for a few weeks. These are the moments where we understand the real strength of our community.”

For the next two weeks, she hopes to completely shut oﬀ. In her third week of leave, Dr. Price plans to visit her daughter in California, as she was unable to move her daughter into college due to her treatment schedule.

“I’m going to spend the ﬁrst two weeks on Martha’s Vineyard, where my wife’s family has a home, and we’re going to just do nothing.”

Dr. Lippard and Dr. Gohlmann were “honored” to support Dr.

Price’s leave, along with the rest of the leadership team and the board of trustees.

“For her to be her best self moving forward, she deserves time away from the hustle and bustle of daily school life, and we are honored to be able to make this possible,” Dr. Lippard said. “We are also grateful to the board of trustees for encouraging Dr. Price to take care of herself, something she always encourages the members of her team to do.”

Both feel conﬁdent in their temporary roles, Dr. Lippard said. They plan to be even more present on campus and at school events in the coming weeks.

“Dr. Gohlmann and I will collaborate on responding to any matters during the three weeks that would otherwise rise to the level of Dr. Price. The good news is that Dr. Price is by nature a collaborative leader, and she habitually consults with us on these matters during our regular meetings.”

Dr. Price plans to be back on campus in time for Head of the Charles and alumni reunions in late October.

The Vanguard recognizes that cancer is a sensitive topic. If any of the material in this article feels overwhelming or difficult to process, please reach out to US Counselors Doug Neuman and Sarah Vollmann.

Phone use policies diﬀer across classes Teachers and students react to increasing restrictions elsewhere

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

However, a total phone ban could be disorienting for students and teachers who have been able to access their phones for years while at school, Ms. Keimowitz said. Instead, the school plans to have conversations with students and faculty this fall as the ﬁrst step to better understand phone usage at the school.

“Having no phones at school is actually really hard to imagine, for adults and students,” she said. “It’s so embedded in what we do. I would approach conversations not as a mechanism for devising policy, but as a mechanism for understanding use and I think policy will come from that.”

This year, Boston Public Schools (BPS) decided to ban students’ phones during the academic day. Although interested in the eﬀects of BPS’s new policies, Mr. Chapman said the US will ultimately tailor its phone policies to meet its own speciﬁc needs.

“Every school community is unique with its students and faculty,” he said. “BPS’s new cell phone policy is certainly an opportunity for us to learn and see how those policies are aﬀecting school communities. As with anything that happens within our community, we want to make sure that we’re engaging with our students, faculty, and families so that we are able to hear all the diﬀerent perspectives before any decision is to be made.”

US Math Teacher Mara Vatz began asking students to place their phones in a designated phone holder on her classroom’s door this year. Ms. Vatz taught at a school in Hawaii this summer that recently decided to ban phones. She observed as her students

adapted to a new policy, she said.

“The school I taught at was just starting an ‘absolutely nophones in the classroom’ policy,’” she said. “The policy was just starting in the summer, and I saw that the kids were not used to it yet. Every day, you had to remind them, and there was nowhere to put the phones. Here, students come into class and put their phones away. It’s just a classroom expectation.”

US History Teacher Matt Turnbull also decided to collect his students’ phones in class this year. Although not an advocate of a school-wide phone ban because he recognizes the connections students form through their phones, Mr. Turnbull said he believes gathering phones during class eliminates a major distraction for students.

“I wouldn’t object to a completely phone-free school day, but I also am not necessarily a huge proponent of it,” he said. “It is important for us all to learn how to make our own healthy choices about how we allocate our time and energy, but I think schools can create environments in which students don’t have to ﬁght against the urge to check their screens during the school day. Short of banning phones altogether, I like the idea that all classrooms could have a space in which phones were stored during class.”

In her classes, US English Department Head Ariel Duddy is having her students place their phones face-down on the table for the second year. Although she has a speciﬁc plan in her own classroom, Ms. Duddy understands other teachers utilize diﬀerent strategies to establish focused learning

environments, she said.

“I feel that, for better or worse, my classroom space is my own autonomous happy land. If cell phones don’t bother other teachers, or if they prefer for students to just keep them in their backpacks, then it seems to me as if the policy is very consistent in terms of no teacher wanting kids texting in class, for example. I don’t have a problem with varying approaches to the policy of not having students on their phones.”

Ms. Duddy said she empathizes with students who might be seeking social connections but are struggling due to widespread phone use.

“Here, I feel like phones are the most detrimental to being a human, functioning community,” she said. “It really bums me out to see everyone in the Commons during a free block or at lunch. I often put myself in the shoes of: ‘I’m a kid at BB&N who doesn’t have a really tight social group yet, or it’s been hard to connect with people.’ How do you do that when you sit at a table and three out of ﬁve people are on their phones?” US Math and Computer

Science Department Head Meena Kaur purchased hanging phone pockets for the math classrooms this year after the department brainstormed solutions to phone use in class. Teachers may use the holders as they wish, and there has been no department policy created regarding phone use in class.

“I see that there are learning beneﬁts to having a phone, and I would like to see more education about how students can stay focused while avoiding the distraction of a phone,” she said. “I would also like to see less students on their phones during lunch or in the Commons. I don’t think a complete ban on phones is necessary, especially because the phone can be a good learning tool with ﬂashcards, uploading assignments, and a calendar.”

David Moon ’27 said his teachers have diﬀerent guidelines for phones in the classroom.

“Teachers’ phone policies vary a lot,” he said. “Some teachers don’t care as much as others, while some teachers care a lot. It’s nice that if you don’t have your phone with you, you’re more likely to be concentrated on your work.”

Hailey Jiang ’26 agrees with the school’s current policy on phones in the classroom but would not support an all-day ban.

“If phones were banned all day and at lunch, I personally wouldn’t like it. It would feel a little dystopian.”

Later this fall, the school plans to lead opt-in discussions with students and faculty to understand the role phones play in students’ learning and the school’s environment, Ms. Keimowitz and Mr. Chapman said.

Staﬀ Photo by Olivia Richter

A phone pouch hangs on the door of a science classroom.

Debate Captains React to The Presidential Debate

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, 67 million Americans tuned in to the second debate of the 2024 Presidential Election between Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Five of those viewers were the Upper School’s own Speech and Debate Team Co-Captains Haley Hicks, Sophia Stafford, Presley Jacobson (all ’25), Tia Reddy, and Salar Sekhavat (both ’26). As experienced debaters themselves, they shared their observations.

The presidential debate was unlike a typical BB&N-style debate

Presley: In a presidential debate, politicians have to both appeal to what they think people might want to hear and do a lot more of emotional appeal because they’re speaking to literally the entire population of America, all coming from different education backgrounds and different opinions.

Salar: You’ll notice in the presidential debate there’s a lot of ad hominem attacks on people’s character, which I think in some ways that’s kind of a part of it, because you want to break down the other person and lift yourself up as like the candidate of choice. But in terms of BB&N debate, a judge would never let that fly.

Tia: For the presidential debate, it was predominantly limited in the questions they were asked, and I think they also had a lot of time and help to prepare for it. It was higher stakes. But for our debates, you really can see any array of topics; there’s a whole bunch. And you don’t have months to prepare. You have 10 minutes.

Sophia: We have one resolution, and everything we say is very focused on that specific question. Versus in a presidential debate, although it’s never explicitly said, the main resolution is: Who is the better presidential candidate?

Both candidates knew their strengths

Haley: What I would say is most effective from any candidates is, can they undermine their opponent and get their opponent worked up? Then, from that emotion, can they hit and have their opponent say something that they probably shouldn’t have said?

Tia: I think both sides did a pretty good job of coming back to their specific talking points, which I feel they wanted to deliver. Sometimes, that was a bad thing because they were not answering the question being asked. At the same time, I think we understood where their party’s lines were, and the candidates brought everything back to their base’s beliefs. That being said, I am not sure if they swayed the voters based on policies.

Sophia: Both people obviously understand human psychology very well. Trump was an actor. I think that’s something a lot of people forget, but he’s kind of a master at being able to rally his side, and so I think Harris’ big challenge was to assert herself as someone who was very professional and able to show him in the worst light possible.

It highlighted a pattern of increased polarization

Sophia: I don’t feel like I really learned a lot about each of the candidates from this very long debate. Twenty years ago, debates were focused on policy. These more modern debates are more focused on optics, which is a little disappointing.

Tia: In past debates, you saw some respect and decorum on both sides. Before, there was kind of some sense that both candidates were fighting for all American people.

Haley: Do we keep pushing to the extremes, polarization and character and fighting for your side, your group, or do we backtrack and start fighting for the American people? And I don’t even know if that’s possible.

The moderators played a role

Presley: The moderators did a great job of fact-checking, which was important in holding the candidates accountable. In our own debates, the judges are instructed to pick a winner depending on accurate evidence. However, in real elections, there are no such rules for voters. The fact-checking from the moderators ensured that when voters make their decisions, they only do so based on fact.

Salar: I am glad the moderators didn’t put the onus on Kamala to rebut those points, because I feel like for her, she spent the whole debate trying to not even bring it back to level ground but rather just keep it on Earth.

Debate is a valuable form of expression, whether in a school classroom or on the presidential stage

Haley: Debate is important because nowadays we can argue so quickly. We can argue not only with our family, our peers, our communities, but we can argue between communities, right? We can share ideas on a broader platform. And I think learning how to debate and learning what matters is important when you’re trying to convince someone of something they might not believe.

Tia: Debate in a classroom and an election helps, if you are openminded, to realize that you’re going to meet people in your life who aren’t going to believe or agree with what you say and aren’t going to want to be on your side. You can’t argue with them, and that’s fine. Debate really teaches you to get curious and try to understand the other side and where they are coming from.

Salar: There’s value in being challenged. And it’s a very different ballgame to see candidates in a debate where they can put forth ideas and have them get shot down or changed, whereas in a rally or speech, all their words are protected and completely planned.

Presley: Debate is also about learning to have a discussion and articulate what you believe and why. You need to have a reason to back what you’re saying. I think it forces you to understand not just the other speech, but also your own side better because you’re having to communicate it to someone.

A ‘wonderful opportunity:’ Round Square unites cultures Members attend conference in Colombia with partner schools

FROM PAGE 1

Cultural exchange is prioritized at the school through various programs, such as Round Square, Ms. Bailey-Stewart said.

“One of the amazing things about cultural exchange is it requires each person to learn about their own identity and culture better,” she said. “Sharing one’s culture is a beautiful and unique experience. Each person is the expert on their own lives. If we approach the world with curiosity, we make space to broaden our perspectives, clarify misunderstandings, and develop appreciation for all that we are yet to discover. For me, there is a freedom in sharing. It makes the load lighter and more enjoyable, and it also comes with the responsibility to care for what others are trusting me with.”

Parker Willett ’25 has wanted to attend the trip the past two years but couldn’t because of her busy schedule.

“I wanted to go last year, but I was away last fall, so I couldn’t,” she said. “This year, it’s during senior fall, so I don’t have the time to leave for two weeks because I have applications and other work to get done.”

Despite being unable to go on the trip, Parker still participates in the Round Square club at the school because she thinks its mission is important.

“Round Square promotes sustainability, global education, environmentalism, diversity, and leadership, which I think are all really important objectives.”

Luciana Castano ’25, who attended the trip this September, said that her decision to go was based on her Colombian identity.

“This trip was important to me because of my Colombian heritage,” she said. “I decided to go because I wanted to discover new things about my country that I didn’t know before and because I wanted to show other people how beautiful and how special Colombia is in order to change any preconceived notions that they might have about this amazing country.”

Although the group had many unique experiences, Luciana enjoyed immersing herself in local Colombian culture.

“I think one of my favorite memories of this trip was when we were in Cartagena and we danced with strangers in the middle of a very busy street,” she said. “I felt like everyone I was traveling with was ﬁnally experiencing my culture the way I know and love it.”

Luciana also thought that talking to people of diﬀerent cultures was an insightful but somewhat diﬃcult experience.

“At the cultural night at the end of the conference, we all shared our culture and felt connected through each performance,” she said. “I think something I found challenging was allowing myself to be fully comfortable with the people around me and with the environment I was in. It deﬁnitely took a lot of ﬂexibility.”

Round Square Co-President Hale McGivern ’25, who went to Colombia this year and Kenya and Tanzania last year, also said that making unlikely friends was challenging but rewarding.

“I went to this conference last September too, and one of the best parts is making friends from around the world that I know I would just never meet without an opportunity and experience like this,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges is walking up to people and starting a conversation, especially when you don’t have something in common with them. A lot of people’s ﬁrst language isn’t English, so that can be tricky, but remembering that everyone there wants to talk to each other helps.”

Hale enjoys being a part of the Round Square and going on the trips because it builds community, and she knows that it is a special experience.

“I’ve always found the club interesting, whether it’s in the club discussing the world and its issues or getting to know the people inside the club,” she said. “I think it’s a great community. When presented with the chance to go on a trip like this, I think it’s really important to grab the bull by the horns and take hold of this wonderful opportunity.”

“Planet of the ___”

“Way cool!”

Violets are blue precursor

Story”

At maximum capacity

Photo Courtesy of Viena Desai Attendees on the Round Square trip spent an evening learning the history of Plaza Santo Domingo in Cartagena, Colombia.

On July 16, residents of Nantucket were welcomed to the island’s south shore by thousands of green and white foam pieces, remnants of a wind turbine blade that broke three days earlier. Beaches along the southern coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts were quickly shut down, and an investigation soon revealed the broken blade came from a newly installed turbine in the Vineyard Wind turbine farm, prompting a temporary shutdown of the installation.

South

Volunteers on Nantucket and debris response teams dispatched by Vineyard Wind spent July 16 traversing Nantucket’s south shore, recovering any debris they encountered. Lifeguards also helped out, using trucks and wheelbarrows to transport debris away. Vineyard Wind characterized the debris as “non-toxic fiberglass fragments” that posed no harm to people or animals.

Overview of offshore wind and the July 13 incident

WCAI Journalist Eve Zuckoff ’14

Eve Zuckoff ’14 is a Climate and Environmental Reporter for WCAI, the public news station for Cape Cod and the Islands. She has covered varying topics related to climate change, including sea level rise, erosion, and storms, and she also covers renewable energy and wildlife. In her own words, “I just really love covering the natural world and what we’re doing to it, and how we try to own it or manipulate it or harness it, someti mes to our own detriment.”

In regards to wind energy, what specific stories have you covered?

I have a really deep background in covering North Atlantic right whales, the most endangered whale in the world, so that is often kind of the angle that I approach offshore wind from. And you might think that doesn’t lead to many stories, but there are more than I have time to cover. That’s partly because there are stories about the whales themselve–how they’ll be potentially affected by noise, changing food availability, more boats, for example. But it’s also because it’s really interesting to watch misinformation spread about offshore wind from people who are saying that they’re protecting right whales. And it’s interesting to watch right whale scientists grapple with their feelings about offshore wind.

Based on your reporting, what do you perceive as the main concerns of wind turbines?

1. Fishermen: There are very real concerns from fishermen about whether offshore wind will possibly change what species proliferate in coastal areas. Not only about fish species and stock but access to traditional fishing grounds.

2. Marine Life: The latest news out of NOAA was that they said they believe the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm will not result in the deaths of any large whales, but it could result in the death of a sea turtle a year.

3. Jobs: People want companies like Vineyard Wind to ensure that there are local, high-paying jobs that are being brought to the communities where offshore wind has an impact.

What do you perceive to be the main reasons people support offshore wind?

1. Climate Change: Over the lifetime of an offshore wind farm, it requires 40 times less energy to power than natural gas facilities and about 90 times less than coal operations.

2. Energy Generation: With Vineyard Wind, for instance, they are hoping to build 62 turbines, which should altogether generate 400,000 volts of electricity.

Ms. Zuckoff covered the July 13 Vineyard Wind turbine incident on site. Could you describe how people on Nantucket and the southern coast of Massachusetts reacted to the incident?

When I was on Nobadeer Beach in Nantucket looking at these bits of debris everywhere, I heard a lot of different opinions. About half of the people that I talked to were saying, “This sucks. Seeing all of this debris on our beach is absolutely horrible. There is no excusing that. But in engineering, like we know, things break sometimes, and I am not anti-wind, offshore wind because of this horrible failure.” So, I heard that opinion a lot, and then I also heard the opinion of: “They told us that these offshore wind turbines were safe, that it would make our environment cleaner and healthier, and they don’t even have the farm fully built. And one of these turbines has broken, sending all these bits of fiberglass and like polystyrene foam that are just full of crap onto our beaches, into our environment that is so unacc eptable.” I heard incredibly strong reactions.

Have you noticed any shifts in the perception of wind turbines since the incident? I do think that that event had a souring effect. For the most part, if you were anti-offshore wind or prooffshore wind before the incident, you stuck with that. But then there was this middle category of people who didn’t really know what to make of it. I talked to a lifeguard on the beach who was in his early 20s and didn’t have a lot of opinions about offshore wind before this happened. But after the incident he said, “Now I’m concerned.” I think that the middle shifted more negatively overall.

Do you believe that wind energy and turbines will be more widely adopted in the future? That’s fully the indication, like there’s evidence to back that up, is what I would say. There are something like 30 offshore wind projects in the pipeline right now, making their way through state and federal permitting processes. We will almost certainly see more offshore wind off of the U.S. East Coast in the next 10 years, and the West Coast is moving a little slower, but there’s a ton of activity out there, as well.

PhotoscourtesyofCreativeCommons

Wind Turbines

Proponent of offshore wind

Eco Reps Co-Vice President David Xiong ’26

What do you believe are the most important reasons for us to adopt wind energy as compared to other sources?

Power

“In places with less sunny climates, it’s not going to make sense to do that because it’s not going to be as reliable an energy source.”

“Hydropower is suitable in geographical areas with a lot of rivers.” “Massachusetts

“If you look at the people who work in coal and oil industries and the declining health effects that studies have shown with people who work in those industries, you’ll see just how unclean and unsafe those energy sources are.”

Did the July 13 Vineyard Wind turbine incident change your opinions on offshore wind or wind energy?

Fiberglass fragments: Obviously, the impact and devastation was terrible because you have these blade fragments flying all over and being scattered, and they were washed up on Nantucket. That’s going to have a really bad impact on the local population. Oil spills: But if I was going to just say, ‘see this one incident’ and give up on wind energy, then I could have given up on fossil fuels a long time ago. I could have given up on oil when I heard about oil spills ruining the ocean and killing marine life.

You’ve researched the economic side of renewable energy. What is the practicality of renewable energy as a whole compared to fossil fuels?

I think there are legitimate economic concerns regarding wind e nergy, two of which are jobs and affordability.

Jobs: In coal mining, they’re really worried about their jobs being lost, and that’s a legitimate concern if we’re going to have a transition over to renewables.

Affordability: I think it’s ultimately the company’s own responsibility to do their own thing and let the market do its own thing, and as more companies enter the market, and more competitors, it’s going to drive down prices.

Opponent of offshore wind

Boys’ Varsity Baseball Coach and owner, operator of Boston Fishing Company and New England Fishing Academy Craig McLaughlin

Do wind farms affect fishing around the Massachusetts coast?

Commercial fishing

“It’s going to affect commercial fishing because going around this is problematic and the turbines have cables running along the ground to main land.”

Food Chain

Covering fishing land

“Where those wind

very fertile area for fishing.”

are

“It’ll adversely affect the pelagic fish, tuna, whales, things of that nature. Wind turbines are adversely affecting where these animals have been going for thousands of years with the noises they are making. I have also seen dead whales around the wind farms.”

Did the Vineyard Winds turbine blade break in July affect fishing during the summer?

Speed limits: I wouldn’t say it affected fishing a ton. Massachusetts put up a notice to mariners because, obviously, you don’t want to be driving 20-30 miles per hour and run into blade pieces with a boat.

Overall thoughts:

When it’s working fine, it’s probably awesome, but the reality is that wind turbines need maintenance. They require hundreds of gallons of hydraulic oil which leaks when the turbines are in a saltwater environement. I just think it’s a scenario that there’s no way to repair any of this stuff. So, much like the oil rigs in Louisiana, where I have fished, they just dismantle them, shut them down, and just sit there. So, the same thing is going to happen with wind turbines.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

turbines

located is a

KnightConnnect President Charlie Taft

25 explains:

What is the purpose of KnightConnect and how does it work?

The purpose of KnightConnect was to provide students at BB&N with a whole data list of opportunities for summer programs, internships, and community service that allows these students to better themselves in a professional manner, different from just school. When we were thinking about the I-Grant, we realized that as a private school we are supposed to have a ton of opportunities and amazing programs for students, but there was inequality in accessing them.We wanted to fill that hole in a void by creating KnightConnect, and I feel like we have. We now have over 165 opportunities available.

For students struggling to nd extracurricular opportunities that align with their interests, how do you recommend they utilize KnightConnect to discover new options?

We modeled the KnightConnect website to allow students to filter and sort through opportunities based on type, whether it’s community service, internships, or interests. For example, there are categories like business, law, humanities, and more. I recommend students go to the opportunities tab to sort through these filters. If students have any they’d like to add, feel free to reach out to us. Or if they feel there’s a lack of opportunities in any field, email us, and we’ll try to find them for you. That’s our job here.

had a paid job or internship outside of school, did you have a connection to the employer through family?

Associate

Director of Teaching and Learning

Vanessa Taylor reﬂects on equality during Senior Spring Project:

Do you feel that when students beneﬁt from nepotism, they acknowledge their advantage?

How are you working to help reduce the inequality in student opportunities?

Do you believe that beneﬁting

The school is working to make access to SSP internship opportunities more equitable across the senior class. I work with alumni, current families, and community partners to build and vet a range of internships that all interested seniors can apply for. We offer sessions for seniors, not only to give them a range of opportunities, but to help support them in building the skills to find and be successful in an internship. We aim to share the list of potential opportunities and find a range of ways to be a resource for seniors throughout the process.

from nepotism is prevalent among the student body?

find and be successful in an internship. We aim to share the list of

What do you perceive as the largest barriers preventing students from nding internship and job opportunities outside of school?

As it relates to SSP, I would say lack of access to information about opportunities and perhaps not knowing where to start, which is why we create and share the list for SSP. It’s hard for anyone to write a cover letter and rēsumē when they have not specifically been taught how to do so and, for seniors, while they’re focusing on their college process. My focus is to help build those skills and support all seniors who are interested in finding an internship.

For students who are feeling lost and unable to nd extracurricular opportunities that match their interests, what resources do you recommend they use?

I would recommend starting with KnightConnect. For seniors, I recommend taking advantage of the drop-in sessions and asking their questions.

Anonymous Responses:

I THINK OPPORTUNITIES NEED TO BE MORE OPEN. IT’S NOT THE ADMINISTRATION’S FAULT THAT STUDENTS (8%)

(25%)

HAVE STRONG NETWORKS, BUT THEY SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR TO OTHER STUDENTS THAT THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY AS ANOTHER BETTER-CONNECTED STUDENT FROM A PREVIOUS YEAR. FOR EXAMPLE, A STUDENT WITHOUT A CONNECTION MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE SAME OPPORTUNITY AS A STUDENT WHO GOT IT FROM A CONNECTION THE YEAR BEFORE.

you have ever beneﬁted from nepotism within a work environment?

Do you think nepotism discourages fair competition

among students?

Do you think nepotism affects students’ motivation to ﬁnd jobs or internships outside of school?

What percent of the student body do you perceive as having beneﬁted from nepotism out of school?

STUDENTS SAYING THAT THEY DON’T NEED TO DO WELL IN SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY CAN “USE THEIR CONNECTIONS”

I AM DOING A SKI PROGRAM AT A MOUNTAIN WHERE WE KNOW THE OWNERS AND THE PEOPLE THERE WHICH HELPED ME GET A JOB THERE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE OTHER KIDS MY AGE WHO WENT THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS AND HAVE THE SAME JOB, WHICH COULD MEAN THAT IT WASN’T A PART OF NEPOTISM.

TO GET A HIGHPAYING JOB ONCE THEY GRADUATE.

EVERY STUDENT I KNOW WITH A PRESTIGIOUS INTERNSHIP GOT IT SOMEHOW FROM NEPOTISM. I DO NOT KNOW A SINGLE STUDENT WHO GOT A PRESTIGIOUS INTERNSHIP LEGITIMATELY FROM THEIR OWN MERIT. NEPOTISM IS RAMPANT IN BB&N.

MY UNCLE’S WIFE CONNECTED ME TO HER MOTHER’S DAYCARE, AND

I SECURED MULTIPLE EVENTS DOING STORY TIME READINGS AT HER CENTER. IT CAN BE HARD TO GET DAYCARE GIGS DUE TO SECURITY

REASONS, BUT SINCE MY AUNT KNOWS ME WELL,

I’VE BEEN CLEARED BY MANY SCHOOLS, AND PROCESS.

INTERNSHIPS BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS ARE PROFESSORS. I THINK THE KEY DIFFERENCE IS THAT STUDENTS WITH THESE RELATIONS ARE ABLE TO GET POSITIONS THAT PEOPLE CANNOT APPLY FOR.

IT WAS A MUCH FASTER

MY DAD GOT ME INTO A SUMMER PROGRAM JUST BECAUSE HE KNEW THE HUSBAND OF THE WOMAN RUNNING THE PROGRAM.

The limit (of ‘Mean Girls’) does not exist!

Last December, “Mean Girls (2024)” arrived in theaters. Complete with iconic lines like “Fetch!” and “The limit does not exist,” the musical movie was adapted from the Broadway musical, which in turn was adapted from the original 2004 movie.

All of the adaptations and transformations, from film to musical back to film, were written and orchestrated by Tina Fey. The movie musical features the same characters, the same setting, and pretty much the same script. Most of the enjoyment that came from watching this movie was the ability to recite every line along with the new actors.

While the script may be entirely identical to the 2004 version, somehow the new movie is its own work of art. Now set in 2024, the movie brings Regina’s popularity into the digital age with lists of Instagram comments and edits—a thoughtful way to make the movie relevant in 2024 and avoid regurgitating a copy of the 2004 film.

The actors had a tough job in the musical movie because they had to step into iconic roles that have been quoted for 20 years. From Damian to Gretchen, audiences know who they are, how they talk, and what they like. The actors rose into their roles tremendously, doing justice to these characters while also adding their own artistic flair. Reneé Rapp’s Regina George is more outright cutthroat and forceful than Rachel McAdams’. Bebe Wood’s Gretchen is more subtle and nuanced than Lacey Chabert’s. None of the characters are carbon copies of their 2004 counterparts. Even with the same exact script, there is still room for interpretation.

“Mean Girls (2024)” is a perfect example of an adaptation that does justice to the original work while also creating something new. There were very few complaints about changed plot lines—in fact, the Ms. Norbury and Principal Duvall marriage edit was one of the best moments of the movie.

The music, originally from “Mean Girls the Musical,” is an example of the 2024 adaptation’s creativity, setting it apart from the original movie. The most interesting part about this transition, for me, is that the music didn’t feel out of place in the movie. “Mean Girls (2024)” could have felt dramatically different and undermined by the addition of songs and dance numbers. The musical’s Broadway success was nowhere near the original film’s level of fame. It was a risk to combine these two particular versions of the same story. The music or script could have outshined the other and led audiences to resent the addition of the songs. Ultimately, the music actually enhanced and added more to the story. The music did not try to replace anything; it was an appropriate complement to an already spectacular work of art.

I think most of these well-thought-out changes can be attributed to a simple fact: The creative mind behind “Mean Girls” stayed consistent throughout all three versions. Fey authored the original script, wrote the musical, and produced the movie musical. A lot of times, with transitions between different mediums of storytelling, the creative team changes, unintentionally altering not just small details but the underlying message of the story. “Mean Girls” has been loved by so many for 20 years. All successful adaptations take creative risks and challenge themselves, but the best ones always circle back to the very beginning.

Recently, my dad and I have become obsessed with Funyuns—a snack food that my father’s convinced will cause the intestinal villi to gain consciousness and revolt. However, my dad’s “warning” has done nothing to curb my impulses. When we’re in the car and my father asks me what I want for dinner, I’ll just shout “FUNYUN.”

Oddly enough, this isn’t the behavior I’m most ashamed of because, last week, when my father was out of the house, I ate all his Funyuns. I don’t know why—Funyuns are objectively terrible—but I do know that I soon fled the scene to go to my mother’s house. A few hours later, I had this conversation with my father:

Dad: THERE N0 M0RE FUNYUN

Me: LOLOLOL

Dad: MY FUNYUN

Me: SUX 2 B U

Dad: 0mg my car reeks 0f 0ni0ns

This kind of conversation is pretty par for the course when it comes to my parents, but it took me the longest time to realize that no, most dads don’t type in all caps, and no, most children do not sass their parents as much as I do. As for my dad, it only took him about 30 seconds after his keyboard’s “o” key broke to decide that no, buying a new keyboard for his iPad was not worth it, and that yes, using zeros and ctrl+v-ing when he actually needs an “o” was the optimal solution. His new habit manages to both annoy me to no end and brighten my day.

Although I love joking around with my dad, sometimes it feels like a part of my life that I have to hide. Especially during COVID-19, his childish behavior has caused some unfortunate mishaps. My dad and I have been mistaken as friends, brother and sister, and even partners. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love joking around with my dad in public, but I wonder if our immaturity is what leads to this confusion. Honestly, I would love to attribute the entire debacle to the fact that masks make my dad look younger and make me look older, but this phenomenon has happened while unmasked, too.

About a year ago, my dad and I played a Magic: The Gathering card game tournament. Throughout the day, we played, won, lost, and chatted with each other and the other competitors. My dad was being his normal, charming (if not embarrassing) self, and I was joking right alongside him. We launched insults and adolescent humor around like we had no filter.

The next match started, so we went to find our tables. My match finished quickly, and I talked with my opponent, who was somewhere in his early 30s, for a while after our game. We had a pleasant conversation until I saw my dad come over. Two things happened in quick succession. First, I said something along the lines of “Dad, how’d you do?” Second, the guy’s face fell. After that, our conversation became a lot more awkward.

my dad come over. Two things happened in quick succession. First, I said guy’s face fell. After that, our conversation became a lot more

I didn’t know what was happening at the time, but on the ride back, my dad explained that the poor guy was probably “interested” (as he put it), and that the guy maybe didn’t realize I was a teenager or that my dad was… well, my dad. Why? Probably because of our earlier joking. The realization was horrifying in the moment, but, thinking back on it, I wouldn’t trade anything for my dad’s adolescent humor.

So yes, my dad is a bit juvenile, and yes, it’s sometimes too much. But does my dad actually believe that Funyuns will cause intestinal villi to gain consciousness and parasitically take over your brain? No. However, if you ask him about it, he will insist his claim is true.

My dad acts just about as childishly as a 13-year-old prepubescent boy, and sometimes he (intentionally or unintentionally) embarrasses me to no end. But he’s also the one who made my stuffed animals (like Pusheen) come to life. Without his willingness to let loose and be childish, I don’t think I would have the same bravery or creative capacity. I don’t think I would be pursuing the performing arts as a major if he wasn’t as willing to be as undeniably himself as he is. He’s the best dad I could’ve ever wished for because he’s helped me become confident and comfortable with who I am.

Miley Chen

Miley’s Mayhem

Aparajita Srivastava Spoiler Alert!

Other than stolen senior tables and Upper School English Teacher Beth McNamara lurking in the hallways, a primary cause of stress during the lunchtime rush is the ominous question: What should I eat today? Whether that long block physics class drained the last of your energy or you weren’t as prepared for that quiz as you thought, these community-developed lunchtime hacks should solve both issues, filling you with a delicious meal to recover from the trauma of last block and get through the rest of the day! All of these recipes were made possible by Director of Dining Services Jim Fuller and the rest of the dining services team, so be sure to thank them when you try these out!

—Sonja Peetz-Larsen ’26

Annie Zhu’s ’26 Four-Ingredient Spicy Cucumber Salad

1. Take your preferred quantity of cucumbers (in the salad bar) and place them in a bowl.

2. Pour soy sauce (on top of the sandwich bar) over the cucumbers.

3. Drizzle sriracha (on top of the sandwich bar) over the mixture.

4. Sprinkle red pepper chili ﬂakes (table at the end of the sandwich bar) over the cucumbers.

Photo courtesy of Sonja Peetz-Larsen

This salad is so good. It might be one of the TikTok hacks, but I can bring it to school through this awesome food hack.

”

Naomi Hammerschlag’s ’25 ‘Sweet Treat’

1. Place Greek yogurt (yogurt bar) in a bowl. If you are feeling adventurous, add some strawberry yogurt in as well.

2. Add fruit (yogurt bar), but never add pineapple if it is the fruit of the day. Naomi especially enjoys the raspberries.

3. Dig through the granola tub (yogurt bar) and add the smaller pieces of granola. NOT the massive chunks of granola.

4. Drizzle a little honey on top to ﬁnish it off.

It’s like my dessert. It’s a daily thing, and it satisﬁes my need for a sweet treat. “ ”

Shay Patel’s ’26 Go-To Sandwich

1. Grab two slices of the “typical” sandwich bread (bread tower) and place them on a plate.

2. Shay highly suggests the corned beef (sandwich bar), but if you don’t like the look of things, you may go for the turkey (sandwich bar).

3. Add lettuce, tomato, and pickles (all sandwich bar) on top of the meat. It is essential that cheese IS NOT used.

4. Drizzle sriracha mayo (sandwich bar) on top.

5. Toast the sandwich if you please and enjoy, preferably with a beverage (drink machine).

It’s really tasty and just absorbs all the ﬂavors in my mouth.

Alexia Gerogiannis’ ’25 Adaptation of the ‘Scrivner Special’

1. Acquire two slices of whole wheat bread (bread tower) and place them on a plate.

2. Spread mustard (sandwich bar) on each slice of bread.

3. Add square cheese (sandwich bar) to one slice of bread.

4. Add salami (sandwich bar) to the same slice of bread as the cheese.

5. Add lettuce (sandwich bar) on top of the salami.

6. Place tomatoes (sandwich bar) diagonally on the lettuce, and then place pickles (sandwich bar) on the opposing diagonal. This ensures an equal distribution of tomatoes and pickles across the sandwich.

7. Put the other slice of bread on top of the tomatoes and pickles.

8. Alexia does not grill her sandwich, but you may choose to grill it in order to compress the substantial size of the sandwich.

9. Cut at a diagonal.

It really makes me feel like a scholar. It’s got the perfect balance of refreshing with the vegetables, and the mustard tastes healthy with the whole wheat bread. Plus, whenever you make the sandwich, Dr. Scrivner spawns.

”

Ashleen Pierre’s ’26 Corned Beef Sandwich

1. Secure two slices of plain wheat bread (bread tower) and place them on a plate.

2. Put mayonnaise (sandwich bar) on one slice and mustard (sandwich bar) on the other.

3. Put cheese (sandwich bar) of your choice on the slice with mustard (NOT the slice with mayonnaise).

4. Put a thick layer of corned beef (sandwich bar) on top of the cheese.

5. On top of the beef, spread a thin layer of sauerkraut (sandwich bar).

6. Then, add the slice of bread with mayonnaise on top.

7. Grill the sandwich and cut diagonally.

It’s really good. It’s very savory and acidic.

”

Danny West’s ’26 Groundbreaking Ham and Cheese Sandwich

1. Take two slices of the bread (bread tower) of your choice and place them on a plate.

2. Place two slices of cheese (sandwich bar) on one slice of bread.

3. Add one slice of ham (sandwich bar) on top of the cheese.

4. Put the sandwich in the panini press. I like the ham and the cheese.

Staff Photo by Krishna Patel

Opinions

What’s the catch?

I am sure everyone has been locked out of their house at least once and stood sullenly outside the door with a mixture of self-resentment and irritation. The only way out of such a predicament, save from making an ignominious phone call for help, would be to step inside and grab your keys oﬀ the countertop. So, what’s the catch? It is impossible to reach that remote, yet so close, spot on the countertop without unlocking your door, and you cannot unlock your door without your keys. The situation stares you mockingly in the face: a catch-22 at its ﬁnest.

This titular phrase was first coined in “Catch-22,” Joseph Heller’s hilariously satirical war novel set on an island off the coast of Italy. A cornerstone of postmodern literature, the book follows an American bombing group and through them represents a microcosm of the war’s asinine rules and distorted power structure. Yossarian, a malingering member of the U.S. Air Force and antihero protagonist, desperately tries to escape his bombing missions yet is impeded by catch-22. The circular reasoning behind a catch-22 states that pilots are exempt from flying missions if they are deemed insane, but being driven to madness from fear is inherently rational. So the squadron physician, Doc Daneeka, refuses to ground Yossarian for his alleged insanity, as his desire to be grounded demonstrates that he is sane.

Nearly all the characters either leverage or fall prey to the circular logic of a catch-22. Yossarian’s blindly ambitious superior officer, Colonel Cathcart, continually raises the number of his group’s flight missions with the futile hope of a promotion. Major Major, the painfully awkward squadron commander, only agrees to “see” people in his office when he is not there, escaping out his window when a meeting is due. Milo Minderbinder, the opportunistic mess officer, builds a black-market empire through his nonsensical pyramid scheme.

Heller’s injection of absurdist humor and repetition through these characterizations, where everything is almost mocked by its own echo, creates an incredibly dynamic and vibrant storyline. The novel’s gory, tragic undertone and circumvention of logic are almost disguised by its humor. Heller artfully showcases the dehumanizing eﬀects of war and the hypocrisy of human nature with his “Catch-22”—an oxymoronic world where insanity begets sanity.

Although glaringly evident in the novel, such contradictory catch-22s do not manifest themselves as often in our lives as high school students. Without the bureaucratic, Kafkaesque worries occupying many adults’ minds, for us, these moments might just be a pointless school rule or an irritating part of an extracurricular activity. As a language enthusiast, one of my first and few catch-22 experiences occurred when I started learning French. I was hesitant to converse with native speakers and feared their judgment as I dabbled in perplexing French grammar. During a visit to France, I was often scorned for my lack of proficiency in the language—almost embodying a middle school version of Emily from the Netflix show “Emily in Paris.” Yet I also could not gain the skills my peers expected without first engaging with them in French. I somehow needed to reach fluency but had nobody to practice with—a language learner’s worst catch-22.

As we grow older, however, the catch-22 moments awaiting us in life grow all the more apparent and entrapping. A world tied up in red tape with its professional regulations, personal finances, and government protocols looms in our future. For example, when prospective employees apply for entry-level jobs, they must first demonstrate experience in that profession. Yet the applicant cannot fulfill this unspoken requirement without the experience that any such job would have given them and, therefore, is turned down. When a customer attempts to qualify for a loan at a bank, they must first prove their ability to repay the money; so in a way, they assure the bank that they do not need the loan.

After cutting a deal with his superior officers in the novel, Yossarian eventually flees from the inescapable paradoxes of the military. By contrast, most of the other squadron members die or disappear throughout the war. Even though Yossarian’s fate feels rather idealistic compared to our current world, where it is almost impossible to evade government regulations, I think the ending carries a valuable message. Unlike his fellow officers, Yossarian is conscious and reactive to the absurdity of a catch-22, so he is the only one who succeeds in escaping it. As our generation grows older and starts facing similar bureaucratic traps, Yossarian’s self-advocacy and awareness will also become invaluable characteristics for us. So next time it begs the question, don’t forget to ask yourself, “What’s the catch?” Hopefully, the answer is not “a catch-22.”

Stuck in the snow

I never believed in the importance of the buddy system until my friend got stuck in a tree well.

A few years ago, I went on a ski trip with my friend, Will. Cruising down the mountain, we felt unstoppable. We popped in and out of trees, weaving around them with expertise. As we skied over freshly fallen snow, I was grinning ear to ear. I spotted a fresh line and called out to Will, “I’ll see you at the bottom!” We had of course been advised to stay together, but I wasn’t going far. Only to the bottom of the run, and the end of the trees was nearly in sight.

Yet as I arrived at the end of the run and waited for Will, I grew nervous. After a few minutes, he still had not appeared through the trees. I began to grow panicked, wondering what might have happened to him. I continued to sit and wait, my anxiety growing with every passing minute until 15 minutes later he still had not made it to the bottom of the run. I called him repeatedly, and every time the call went to voicemail.

Distressed, I called my mom. Though I wanted her to ﬁx everything and tell me what to do, she couldn’t make Will magically reappear. She told me to call ski patrol if he didn’t show up soon. Even though I knew she was right, I was not willing to accept the fact that he might be missing. I continued to wait at the bottom of the run for another twenty minutes as the situation got more dire.

“How did he possibly get lost?” I thought to myself. “He’s skied here before. He knows his way around.” I ﬁgured if he had crashed, someone would have found him and called for help, so surely he had just taken a wrong turn somewhere in the trees. Maybe he was at a diﬀerent lift waiting for me.

Then, in the middle of spiraling, I caught sight of Will, covered head-to-toe in a blanket of snow, skiing out of the trees. I felt a weight lift oﬀ me: He was ﬁne. I had not, in fact, left him alone in the woods with no way out.

He looked crazed as he skied up to me. “Oh my God,” he exclaimed. “Right near the bottom of the run, I caught an edge. I went ﬂying, and next thing I knew, I was in a tree well! I wasn’t buried too deep, but I was way too stuck to get myself out.”

Mouth agape, I looked at him as he regaled me with the story of what had just happened. “Luckily, after a while someone skied down next to me,” he continued. “I was calling out for help, and he heard, so he came up to the tree and was able to pull me out.”

I couldn’t believe my desire to chase good snow had caused me to abandon my friend, who was trapped in a tree well. I felt terrible, like I was responsible for the crash itself. That day, I learned a very important lesson about the buddy system: No matter how confident I feel that something will go right, I always have to be prepared for the possibility that it could go severely wrong. I feel confident that 99 times out of 100, Will would have made it down that run completely fine. Yet, because I banked on that, I left him alone when he needed me.

Now, I make sure to be there for the people around me. Not because they need my help, but because the more often I am there for them, the more sure I can be that, if and when something does go wrong, I can help them through it.

Martha Balson Moments with Martha

Diba Demir Words with Wings

Knight Knocks

Varsity Football: Staying on top

BB&N 63, Tabor 43 was the final score of the 2023 John Papas Bowl, where Varsity Football (VFB) topped off their 7-2 season with a team trophy. The 2023 season marked the team’s sixth bowl game appearance in the past seven seasons. This season, VFB Head Coach Mike Willey is concentrated on continuing the team’s momentum.

“We had a big win this past weekend against Lawrence Academy in our opening game. Kids are working very hard.”

With their target set, VFB faced Milton Academy on Saturday, Sept. 28 and beat the Mustangs 35 to 14. In addition to their core values, hard work, accountability, and mental and physical toughness, the team’s unique dynamic largely contributes to their success, according to VFB Co-Captain AJ Azuakolam ’25.

“The team atmosphere is great. We’re a young team, but I think that brings energy to the locker room and a modern feel to the game. There’s a lot more celebrations, and overall, we just have fun when we play.”

The team’s early season success is the result of off-season work and should translate into more success this season, AJ said.

“It starts during the summer when we put in the work to be prepared for the season. We won the Northeast 7v7 tournament and capitalized on our first game win. I think the work we’ve been putting in is showing in our game. I hope to win the Independent School League (ISL) and a bowl game this year.”

Varsity Field Hockey: Getting over the hump

“The team is the most hard-working team I’ve been a part of,” Varsity Field Hockey (VFH) Co-Captain Carter Williams ’25 said. During Carter’s time as a student-athlete at the Upper School (US), she has witnessed the VFH team’s growth firsthand: her freshman year the team fell short of a .500 win average, her sophomore year they snuck over .500, and her junior year the team made it to the NEPSAC Class B Championship.

“The upward trajectory of this team has been incredible and so special to be a part of.”

Coming off a championship run, the team wants to pick up where they left off, and a disappointing first game–with six freshmen missing due to Bivouac–has only motivated them, Carter said.

“We want to win the NEPSAC Championship,” she said. “In our first game, we lost to Berkshire, and it was a slap in the face. But we needed that loss to realize we never wanted to experience that feeling again. We just played Nobles and won for the first time in years. This was a huge deal, as one of our goals was to beat as many teams that we lost to last year as possible.”

To Carter, the team’s success will continue to stem from the team’s collective passion for the sport and kind atmosphere.

“We love to laugh and goof around in between drills at practice, but we know when the drill starts, we are practicing just like we play in games.”

Varsity Volleyball: Vying for victory once again

Girls’ Varsity Volleyball (VVB) has completed an ISL “three-peat” with an overall record of 53-8 and a 32-1 ISL record over the past three years. To VVB Head Coach Jeff Emenaker, the team approaches each season with the same goals and their love for the game.

“Each year, our program starts with the idea of winning the ISL and putting another year on the banner in the NAC,” he said. “Beyond that, we want to get into the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) playoffs and see if we can make a run there. But those are just tangible achievements, and our overall goal is to compete and have fun every day.”

Coming off a loss in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NEPSAC (Class A) playoffs, the VVB team has reset and has started this season with a 4-1 record. With VVB amid a six-game stretch over 11 days, Coach Emenaker is excited for the team to bring their core values to the journey ahead, he said.

“I look forward to us developing our cohesiveness as a team and playing a mature level of volleyball as we grow as a team together.”

VVB Co-Captain Erica Biner ’25 has also tried to implement a mature level of play in practices, she said.

“We have made it a priority to set a competitive tone at every practice so that we are spending our time productively. We have won three of our first four games, which gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming weeks. ”

Girls’ Varsity Soccer: New faces, same story

After saying goodbye to a class of ISL Honorable Mentions, ISL Most Valuable Players, and All-Americans, the Girls’ Varsity Soccer (GVS) program starts the season with a new look to the team and a 3-1-1 record. GVS is focused on taking the journey step by step.

“We have had a good start to the season,” said second-year GVS Head Coach Hayley Katkowski. “We just focus on one game at a time. We sat down at the beginning of the season and went over what we wanted to achieve this season.”

Coach Katkowski attributes the team’s success to the new senior captains.

“Our senior leadership has done a really good job of building the team this year. It’s been fun to see them work hard to accomplish the goals they have set for this season, but that starts from the core leadership.”

Despite falling short of the NEPSAC (Class A) title last year, GVS Co-Captain Maeve Theobald ’25 said the team is still working towards championship goals.

“I think we have done a great job continuing on our legacy,” Maeve said. “The past couple of seasons have been filled with adversity, which has just led us to get closer as a team. Of course, as always, we hope to win a NEPSAC and ISL championship, but we are focusing this year on taking days one at a time instead of being so focused on the end result. The GVS culture is truly a family, and we all have each other’s back no matter what. We focus a lot on having a team-before-self mindset.”

Photo courtesy of Ellis Barnes

Photo courtesy of Charlotte Garrity

Photo courtesy of Skylar Hartshorn

Photo courtesy of Aubrielle Amaral

At the Upper School, students spend their free time with earbuds in, listening to the songs that get them through the day. But what is the meaning behind our favorite song lyrics? In a callback to one of The Vanguard’s most popular KIC’s (see Volume 52, Issue 2: “Knights in Conversation: English teachers analyze song lyrics”), we asked three new English teachers, Talayah Hudson, Taneem Husain, and Sam Crihﬁeld to rate viral summer songs and provide their analysis on the deeper meaning behind the lyrics.

“I Love You, I’m Sorry”

by Gracie Abrams

Ms. Hudson: I’d give it a 3 out of 10. It’s a very diaristic song which doesn’t push the envelope in any way. It’s very much, “I love this boy, and we were in a car, and we were driving, and you have a new girl, but I just want her to know that I loved you ﬁrst.”

Dr. Husain: I feel like it’s very teenagery. But since she’s a 25-year-old adult, I’d give it a 3 out of 10. It seems like she is pandering to a certain type of audience, which is 16-year-old girls.

Mr. Crihﬁeld: It does seem like a “Driver’s License” rip-off. I’d give it a 5 out of 10. I liked the fact that she used the word wistfully, although it’s pretty awkward the way she used it.

“End of Beginning” by Djo

Ms. Hudson: I would also give this an 8. makes me feel very fond toward it. I think the imagery makes me remember my own college town. The lyric “I wave goodbye to the end of beginning” feels terribly corny, but if you view university as the beginning of your life, graduating and leaving that town does feel like the end of the beginning.Of course, my college town wasn’t Chicago, but the fondness that he has for Chicago makes me have fondness for my own college town.

Dr. Husain: I think it’s not bad. I would give this a B. The repetition is not doing it for me. It seems a little bit lazy. It also reeks of poetry that I wrote in college, which means that there is a lot of imagery, but there’s nothing behind it.

Mr. Crihﬁeld: I did ﬁnd the stage directions hilarious. Other than that, it doesn’t do it for me. I’d give it a 3 out of 10.

“Apple”

by Charli XCX

Ms. Hudson: I would give it a 6 or 7. I really like the extended metaphor of the apple. I also like how it goes into Charli’s established shtick of a girl who likes fast cars—vroom vroom.

Dr. Husain: I’d give this a 9 out of 10. It’s good. I think the extended metaphor is very impressive. I love taking a trope and spinning it on its head to try to make it something relatable. I think she takes the apple imagery in a variety of different ways, and that is really impressive.

Mr. Crihﬁeld: I also like it. I think it’s silly in the right ways. I’ll give it an 8 out of 10.

“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

Mr. Crihﬁeld: It’s the best kind of storytelling in a song. It’s a 10 out of 10.

How would you describe your music taste?

Ms. Hudson: I pretty much listen to everything that’s not country or metal. I’ll give anything a chance.

Dr. Husain: I’d say the same thing. I like listening to most things. I do love country, though. I like things that I can sing along to.

Mr. Crihﬁeld: I like jazz, some folk, and rock. I like anything that is sung by songwriters and not ChatGPT. The Katy Perry AI song was so bad.

Are you drawn to music with speciﬁc lyrics or themes?

Ms. Hudson: Not really. I think you can like “brainless pop,” but I also think you can like songs with a particular, often poignant, meaning, like Dave’s “Black.”

Dr. Husain: I think songs play different roles in different times in life, and sometimes it’s helpful to feel like a song is relatable, even though some of the emotional input is cliché.

Mr. Crihﬁeld: I like songs that have imagery in them, especially if they have some sort of story or arc. Those are often my favorite songs.

Do you ever analyze song lyrics?

Ms. Hudson: Yes and no. I’m never looking for the lyrics to have a deeper meaning, but I’m always looking for cool things that artists do, especially rappers. I ﬁnd it incredibly cool when artists play with wordplay. Something fascinating about music is how topical it can be and how knowledge of current happenings or pop culture can add a whole new layer of meaning to songs.

Dr. Husain: Sometimes I will pay attention to the lyrics if the wordplay is particularly poignant or funny, like Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed.” I think most often I do overanalyze things, but I think a lot of it is what kinds of messages are we receiving, what are we learning about class and other things.

Mr. Crihﬁeld: I often ﬁnd that I get the lyrics wrong or I make them up, so I don’t think I overanalyze lyrics.

Staff Photo by Olivia Richter

Arts

Art teachers use experience to educate Teachers’

own art influences their work in the classroom

Emilia Khoury Managing Editor

Many students encounter the school’s art studio through visual arts classes or while simply trying to ﬁnd supplies for club fair posters. Students without art experience can relax because, as artists themselves, the faculty in the Arts Department, including Upper School (US) Architecture Teacher Laura Tangusso and US Painting and Drawing Teacher Miyam Lee, have gone through their own artistic process many times. Despite taking diﬀerent routes to a career in education, their work and past experiences have shaped their approach to teaching, inspiring, and engaging students in the arts.

Ms. Tangusso initially didn’t see being an artist “as a profession,” she said.

“In college, I was studying education and other social sciences, but I was taking art on the side for my own pleasure, and I got really good at ceramics.”

After meeting a group of professional artists in Chicago, Ms. Tangusso decided to put faith in an art career, she said.

“I quit my job as a social worker, and started applying to and getting into retail and wholesale shows, and started making a living at it.”

Later, she went to art school to study other art forms and eventually began teaching diﬀerent visual arts at the US, which lead to an opportunity to teach architecture.

“All the arts relate. I feel like my background has helped me a lot in my current teaching,” she said. “It wasn’t such a leap for me to go from being a visual arts teacher to an architecture teacher because of the things I’ve done in the past.”

Using her knowledge and experience, Ms. Tangusso said she can better understand her students.

“Being a practicing artist gives you an experience, a unique experience that can be really beneﬁcial as a teacher,” she said. “You’ve gone through what the students are going through. It puts you in a better position of understanding challenges in the creative process, and knowing how to be supportive to your students, or how to ask the kind of questions that help people move along.”

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Tangusso has used her architectural skills in her own home.

“I bought a house around the same time I started teaching architecture, so my house has been my latest art project,” she said. “I just did a huge project this summer, renovating the attic into a living space. I am not building any buildings myself, other than the work I’m doing in my own house, but I’m constantly looking at other things, learning, and bringing what I see into the projects I choose with the students.”

Architecture appeals to Ms. Tangusso’s interests beyond art, she said.

“Architecture is like science. It’s evolving constantly, and with all the issues of climate and sustainability that are pressing on us, it’s more relevant than ever. It intersects with psychology, education, environment, culture, history, science, and technology, so when you talk about being in a ﬁeld that allows you to keep learning and learning with your students, architecture is the mother lode.”

Currently, her students are designing an intentional community, showcasing spaces meant for a group of similar-core-value people coming together.

Ms. Lee agrees that art can take many forms and is represented in many ways.

“Art isn’t just one thing,” she said.

Ms. Lee initially studied graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design, but upon graduation, she found the transition from the studio to working in front of a computer all day challenging, she said. After she freelanced as a graphic designer for several years, she decided to return to school and major in art education at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

“I love learning new things,” she said. “I take classes all the time, I

practice, and I work on my own personal projects at home.

Ms. Lee uses the experiences she had learning to teach her students, she said.

“Over the summer, I took plein air landscape painting, so now I want to bring what I learned to my students and share the techniques and strategies I picked up to help them draw and paint outside.”

Victoria Nassikas ’25, a current art student, appreciates that Ms. Lee is still learning because she can give the class better advice on the use of color and values in their paintings.

As a teacher, Ms. Lee has to adapt to make sure her teaching style ﬁts her students’ needs.

“Every school is different, so teachers have to learn how to adapt when they are in a different environment. We have to think about how to organize classroom materials, and how we present information or content to everyone. We have to think about how to accommodate different types of learners in the classroom like visual, verbal and kinesthetic learners.”

She wants her students to develop their own ideas.

“It’s not just about making things,” she said. “It’s more about the process, so I want them to just be curious about something and do a lot of research, sketching, and experimentation with their concept, with their composition. Ms. Lee tries to cultivate her students’ individual styles rather than enforce her own on them, she said.

“There’s a certain way I like to draw or a certain way I love to paint, and I love seahorses, but I’m not going to make all my students make seahorses just because I love them.”

Instead, she chooses to focus on individuality.

“You should represent yourself the way you want to,” she said. “I want you to discover your own personal voice. I want to see individuality in my students, and I love all types of art.”

Victoria said she believes her style is her own, regardless of the teacher.

“My own style has changed because I’m trying to make it progressively more realistic,” she said. “I’m not into stylization, but certainly the way that I paint color has been influenced by my teachers, mainly former US Drawing and Painting Teacher Ms. White, and the way I plan a painting is influenced by former US Visual Arts Teacher Ms. Stone, who showed me how to first paint with acrylics.”

certainly the way that I paint color has been inﬂuenced by my teachers,

Victoria learned from Ms. White’s techniques as a chromatic painter, she said.

“She didn’t like using whites or black,” Victoria said. “She explained if you want to mix a dark color, you’ve got to use ultramarine and burnt umber or a diﬀerent color. So, instead of desaturating your colors, you get a really saturated dark color. I know that in a lot of her paintings that she did in her own time, she used that method, and then she taught that to us too which is useful.”

After learning many methods, Victoria has started to use some more frequently.

“When you take what works, you leave what doesn’t work; that’s how you form your own personal style.”

Photos Courtesy of Miyoung Lee Upper School Art Teacher Miyoung Lee’s artistic style ranges from mixed media and watercolor paintings to digital art.

Photos Courtesy of Laura Tangusso Architecture Teacher Laura Tangusso has experimented with many diﬀerent mediums, including drawing to ceramics.

The Back Page

Sabrina Carpenter: The album of the summer?

Sabrina Carpenter has been inescapable this summer—from my friends playing “Please Please Please” at max volume in my car (originally against my will) to messages etched in the walls of Berkshire Running Camp’s bunks: STREAM NONSENSE!!! The 25-year-old pop sensation’s “Short N’ Sweet” sees Carpenter establishing her longevity and hitmaking ability after her breakthrough album, “emails i can’t send,” was released in the summer of 2022.

NotaBle QuotAbleS

“You’re buttering me up, and I love it.”

US History Department Head Susan Glazer in response to Jack Comes’ ’26 praise of her help with his research paper

US English Teacher Allison Kornet: “Who can give me an example of epistrophe in a sentence?” Ellery Olson ’26: “Ms. Kornet, can I go to the bathroom?”

Ms. Kornet: “As long as you epistrophe your way to the bathroom.”

“Short n’ Sweet” is just that. The 36-minute album is filled to the brim with intoxicatingly sweet synths, hooks, and heavily-produced electric guitars. That isn’t to say it’s an album full of repetitive fluff—quite the opposite. Carpenter juggles a myriad of influences throughout the album’s 12 tracks, from borderline country twang (“Slim Pickins”) to full-blown, synthesizer-filled R&B (“Good Graces”). Even the opening track is a deviation from Carpenter’s classic sound. “Taste” is a neo-rock fusion hit filled with irony and wit: “Oh, I leave quite an impression/Five feet to be exact.” Carpenter is not self-conscious about her height, which is explicitly mentioned in the album title as well as in the vinyl album’s description: “a pocket-sized popstar with a larger than life artistic presence.”

Carpenter pulls off this multitude of vocal styles with ease, largely because her voice is huge. Her range is massive, and although her low tones are sometimes breathy, she is able to pull off a borderline contralto during “Please Please Please” with relative ease, a stark contrast to the bubbly high soprano she utilizes throughout the rest of the album.

To my many avid fans, I know. You may be entirely lost if you haven’t listened to pop music in the last two years. That’s OK! Here’s some help:

“The Have a Heart Food Drive you don’t touch— it’s sacred.”—Brett Riley ’26 on not changing the details of US Spanish Teacher Gonzenbach’sGabriela project “Oh,

your car is called Sexxy Red?” —US Math Teacher Christine Oulton to Robbie Baker ’25

Carpenter’s sudden ascent to stardom seems questionable—How is she here? There’s a simple answer: years of painfully hard work. When she was just 10 years old, her father built her a recording studio in their small-town home in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. She immediately began posting acoustic song renditions to YouTube and, within the same calendar year, was scouted by Miley Cyrus’ “The Next Miley Cyrus Project,” placing third in the final section.

Over the next decade, Carpenter would fulfill a fivealbum deal under Hollywood Records (Disney’s record label) while performing live and as a voice actor on many movies and TV shows. “Short N’ Sweet” is Carpenter’s second album under Island Records, a venture from her prior deal that has brought her exponentially more success and widespread fame than she ever achieved with Disney. A tried-and-true Hollywood story but still impressive nonetheless, Carpenter is the first artist since The Beatles to chart their first three top-five hits during the same week.

Beyond the numbers, the album is perhaps the most listenable I’ve reviewed so far. Every song is perfectly smooth, and Carpenter’s wit seeps through her lyrics: You can sense her eye-rolling and painfully sharp humor throughout every second of “Please Please Please” and “Sharpest Tool.” My favorite Carpenter song is (sigh) “Nonsense,” but “Good Graces” is a close second.

“Short N’ Sweet” is packed with the same balance of pop appeal and clever innuendos that has made Carpenter’s rise one of the most entertaining in music in the post-COVID world, and the album has a vitality reminiscent of Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS.” Carpenter is saying she’s here to stay, whether you like it or not.

Photos Courtesy of Mia Andreoli, Gemma Friend, Tess Lessig, Chloe Ta , and Kate Rice. Freshmen bond at the 71st annual Bivouac.