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Overshadowed by an older sibling?
Don’t Worship the Ivy League pg. 5
pg. 6-7
Volu m e 6 2 , Issu e 4
Nov. 2 6 , 2 0 1 3
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
The Elephant on Campus
Talking Turkey about Teen Drinking Culture By Jacob Pagano Panel Staff When an on-campus EMT from Boston College rose to speak at last week’s gathering of Belmont Hill and NCDS seniors, everyone listened. She was young, pretty, a recent graduate of a local high school, and what she was talking about—her experience dealing with binge drinking on college campuses—felt relevant, even urgent, important to a group of college-bound seniors. Yet the college drinking scene she reported was not the
Form IV Field Day By Jay O’Brien Panel Staff While the majority of the student body sat in class on October 8th, Belmont Hill students of the Fourth Form rushed down to the Jordan Athletic Center to prepare for the Form IV Field Day. The students were separated into different teams based on their advisor groups, and then engaged in a variety of competitions. For every first place finish, a team was awarded 5 points, with the amount of points awarded decreasing by one for each descending standing. Those who placed outside of the top 5 earned no points at all. At the end of the day, the scores were tallied, and the advisor group with the most points was victorious. Field Day began on the tennis courts, where the advisor groups were judged based on their uniforms. The various apparel ranged from the jerseys of Boston sports teams, as seen from Mrs. Sweeney’s group, to bright pink tank tops, worn by Mr. Bradley’s advisees. From there, the competition shifted onto the football field, where the relay and Ultimate Frisbee took place. These Belmont Hill upper-schoolers could be seen sprinting across the football field, almost resembling a group of elementary school students at recess. The following event was a two-person egg toss, with each pair of students representing an advisor group. In the end, the final two pairs were at least 60 feet apart, yet the event surprisingly concluded in a tie between the two teams. continued on page 3
glorious, romanticized party scene you hear about in Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night,” nor was it the ecstatic utopia you see in “Project X.” We all know about the debauchery that occurs in a college dorm—the EMT was here to tell us about the aftermath, about what happens after that “really crazy night.” I understand why we glamorize our binging culture—and there’s good reason teenagers hold the creed that the more spirit, the better the night. Hanging naked outside of frat houses while striking at a pinata, escap-
ing the reality of adult life in a few hours of euphoria on Saturday night, feeling big and powerful and loquacious for an evening— it’s all really fun. But going too far, too often, as relatively young college students—there’s nothing cool about that. And for the EMT that’s awaiting calls from drunken freshmen, the blackouts are downright frightening. The coeducational event, led by Ms. David and the cohort of Peer Leaders, allowed us to hear from people like the EMT, who depicted the “life of the party” with precision and
honesty. When describing her job as a first-responder at BC, she said “I get many calls on an average Saturday night, and the vast majority of those are from
Learning to indulge without over-indulging. freshman, who are usually reporting blacked-out friends or buddies who have ‘gone way over their limit’...Yes, I tell them, 14 shots in 20 minutes is too much.”
Veteran Meyer Shares His Story By Michael O’Neill Panel Staff This year’s Veterans Day chapel presented the school with an incredibly rare and exciting opportunity. In a very special gathering of the school, everybody had the chance to hear from Mr. Henry H. Meyer, Jr., a graduate of the Class of 1939 and a surviving World War II veteran. Mr. Meyer embodies much of what Belmont Hill students should aspire to be, and it was truly an honor to listen to such a wise and brave American hero. Mr. Meyer shared several of his experiences during the war, while also honoring the memory of his younger brother, Peter, another graduate of the school, who sadly lost his life during the war. Additionally, he recognized two of his fellow classmates who also fought in the war and explained their roles in fighting the Axis powers.
Specifically, Mr. Meyer discussed what it was like to be involved in the German-offensive Battle of the Bulge, during which more US soldiers were killed or wounded than in any other Wo r l d War II
conflict. He expounded, “it (meaning the Battle of the Bulge) caused the loss of thousands of lives of soldiers not much older than the people sitting in the front row.” As the front row was populated with members of the Senior class, these words especially hit home once it was understood that those who died were the same age as many students. American troops like Mr. Meyer and his brother fought off the enemy forces valiantly alongside British allies. “I was fortunate. I came home,” he stated. Tragically, about 19,000 Americans were killed during the month-long assault, Mr. Meyer’s brother being one of them. However, it was not in vain that these men sacrificed themselves for their country, as an Allied victory proved Bill Mahoney to be a decisive turning point in the
She didn’t want to provide us Sixth Form students with an ominous, overly grim view of our college futures, nor did she promote abstinence. She just wanted to let us know this: most college freshmen simply aren’t very good at drinking. They haven’t developed the ability to wade into tipsiness and the enjoyment of a good buzz while still avoiding a cataclysmic tip into crapulent oblivion. Complete, boundless Bacchanal indulgence and the “library grind” stand as the two extremes of freshman existence. continued on page 4
New BH Website By Andrés Fernández del Castillo Panel Staff
These days, the first step towards learning about something new invariably involves the internet. So, when prospective Belmont Hill parents want to learn more about the school, their curiosity will compel them to make a quick google search. To them, the site is representative of the school, and so the goal of the site is to make a spectacular first impression. The old site had performed this task admirably, but things have changed since the site’s creation in 2008: technology has been constantly evolving, making web design elsewhere much slicker. In response to the need for a more modern approach, the old Belmont Hill website has now been overhauled to create a sleeker, more navigable new site. continued on page 3
Looking Ahead: Varsity Hockey By John Sutherland Panel Staff As the temperature drops and athletes begin to migrate off the fields and into the Athletic Center, the varsity hockey team, led by captains Danny Kelly, Matt Melanson and Tyler Granara, is poised to have a strong season in the alwayscompetitive ISL. Despite losing many offensive weapons from an exceptionally strong graduating class, the team returns a strong core group of seniors as well as some tal-
ented and scrappy sophomores and juniors. This year’s team is loaded with talent on both offense and defense, and there are many young players ready to step into those skates left by last spring’s graduates. The ultimate goal for this season is to win the ISL Championship and return to the New England Tournament. This was emphasized by Captain Danny Kelly: “This year we have a great group of returning players. The common goal we’ve all talked about since the end of last year is making it past the
first round of the playoffs. continued on page 11
Courtesy Photo