The Panel - November 2022 - Volume 71, Issue 4

350 Prospect Street Belmont, MA 02478

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Volume 71, Issue 4

A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School

November 10, 2022

SPEAKERS AT THE CHAPEL

Molly King and Ryan O’Callaghan continue BH Speaker Tradition

By Ezra Lee ’25 Panel Staff On Friday, October 7th, 2022, Molly King, the Greenwich Academy head of school, honored the academic accomplishments at Belmont Hill with a speech at the annual Cum Laude Chapel. The Chapel recognized the Cum Laude honor society, Middle School Academic Achievement Awards, Donato Monaco American History Prize, and Advanced Placement Scholars. To begin the Chapel, Mr. Schneider spoke about Belmont Hill’s culture of excellence: “this is when we pause as a community to celebrate the primary importance of academic excellence within the culture of Belmont Hill.

This fall we have spoken a great deal about the power of culture, and one critical aspect of that is the celebration of academic excellence and the work ethic associated with intellectual exploration.” He then introduced

Mrs. King, the guest speaker of the event.

Mrs. King graduated from Bowdoin College with a BA in American history and an EdM in administration, planning, and social policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Early into her professional career, Mrs. King coached and taught at Taft School and Greenwich Country Day School, also serving as director of secondary school placement at Greenwich.

She then served as the director of admissions for St. Mark’s School for seven years.

Before joining Greenwich, she spent five years as a member of the senior leadership team at Fay School. Since 2004, Molly King has been the Greenwich Academy head of school, an independent day school for girls from grades pre-K to 12. From 2012 to 2015, she served as board chair for SPARC and continues to serve as a trustee.

In her speech, Mrs. King stressed the impact a teacher can have on a student.

Continued on Page #.

On September 30, 2022, the Belmont Hill Community welcomed Ryan O’Callaghan, a former NFL player and founder of the Ryan O’Callaghan Foundation, to the Hamilton Chapel. He discussed his battles with mental health and his challenges in opening up to the world about his sexual orientation.

Mr. O’Callaghan, a gay man, is one of only 16 current and former NFL players to publicly declare that they were and are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Belmont Hill, an all-boys school with currently no students who have publicly come out reflects a similar pattern to that of the NFL. They are both difficult environments for men to declare their sexuality because of their archetypal portrayal of manliness and how men should conduct themselves.

While the view that men cannot be a part of the LGBTQ+ communities in these environments prevails, it is difficult to argue that boys and men do not exist in the same realm. Mr. O’Callaghan’s mental health crisis led him to adopt a plan after his NFL career in which he would commit suicide.

His experience and difficulties with his own mental state can be compared to the hundreds of thousands of student-athletes who suffer from depression or other related troubles with their home lives, performance anxiety, or just simple stress and anxiety about an undetermined future.

Mr. O’Callaghan’s poignant talk encouraged students to seek counseling and conversations with trusted adults on any of these issues. Mr. O’Callaghan’s stature in the athletic and LGBTQ+ worlds helps those who are in both communities. The Panel thanks Mr. O’Callaghan for his speech and wishes him well in his efforts to continue the conversation. ☐

parliament, crew, field hockey, piano, and singing. Recently, he gave a Woodbury and rowed for his school, Bishops Diocesan College, at the Head of the Charles.

In Cape Town, his school is 8th to 12th grade, with around 700 boys. The classes, he said, are slightly bigger than at Belmont Hill, with around 25 students in each one. He told me that while both schools share a “similar sports in tandem school emphasis,” Bishops holds a “bigger emphasis on culture, like arts and speaking.” While Ben and his family have enjoyed

vacations and he has been to camps, this is his first time boarding and being away from home for so long. Nevertheless, he has adapted well to the new situation and is integrating himself into the school culture.

He and his family have been in the US since the middle of September, getting a chance to tour parts of the country. He joined the Keefes in early October and will begin his stay with the Hagedorns in early November.

When I asked about the differences between each school, one of the first things he mentioned was school security. He was

surprised that we “could leave our bags on the ground,” contrasting it with Bishops. There, either things might get taken, or security would whisk them away to the lost property center. Ben also commented on the landscape and scenery. Even in the peak New England fall season, he told me that Bishop’s campus is surrounded by mountains and other incredible natural features and he prefers that setting. He added, too, that he was impressed by the culture of “wanting to do stuff, wanting to push your Continued on Page #.

By Luke Guleserian ’24 Panel Staff

Belmont Hill Welcomes Ben Anderson from Cape Town

By Luke Trevisan ’24 Panel Staff

Belmont Hill welcomes Ben Anderson from Cape Town, South Africa.

He will be staying until the beginning of December and is living with James Keefe ’25 and Henry Hagedorn ’25. Ben told me that the climate in Cape Town is quite similar to here, except it is a little warmer, and the seasons are inverted. He is interested in debate, public speaking, politics,

Look Inside The Panel

Opinions 5 Debate of the Issue: Dr. Davis vs. Mr. Leo

News 3 Belmont Hill Changes Lunch Schedule Aaron Stanger ’24 writes about Belmont Hill’s changed lunch system and schedule that introduces more flexbility into the day.

Do students like the new schedule?

Luke Trevisan ’24 and Lev Tolkoff ’24 debate about which teacher would win in a fight against each other.

Arts 3 Artist of the Issue: Jeremy Eaton ’23

Brian Lee ’24 writes about Jeremy’s acting achievements in the BH theater program.

Sports 9 Athlete of the Issue: Luca Mezzanotte ’23 Daniel Xie ’24 writes about Luca’s athletic accomplishments on the varsity Alpine Skiing and Crew teams.

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Liz Truss Resigns as Prime Minister of the UK

By Daniel Xie ’24 Panel Staff After just 44 days in office as the British prime minister, Liz Truss announced her resignation on October 20th, 2022, officially making her the shortest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.

Truss’ brief tenure was marked by sharply-criticized economic policies, including tax cuts for the wealthy during an energy crisis. Truss’ time in office, during which she hit the lowest approval rating of any PM, not only saw the tanking of the British economy and the forced intervention of the Bank of England, but also left the Conservative Party divided and gave the opposing Labour party a significant lead in support.

Truss’ tenure began with the resignation of Boris Johnson, who was forced to relinquish his office due to numerous scandals.

The election for prime minister within the conservative party following Boris’ resignation was primarily between Truss, the then foreign secretary and an avowed libertarian, and the then chancellor Rishi Sunak, a more moderate conservative (and the man who would replace Truss following her resignation). A key point of contention between the two was the issue of taxes. Where Truss ran on the platform of tax cuts for all, Sunak warned that Truss’ policies would amplify inflation. Ultimately, Truss’ existing popularity within the membership of the Conservative Party, combined with her tax policies, triumphed over Sunak. On September 6th, 2022, Truss became the prime minister of the U.K. with a +4% net approval rating.

Truss’ time in office was immediately impacted by the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, 2022, just two days after she became prime minister. The Queen’s passing thus began a period of mourning that lasted until September 19th, only after which Parliament was able to resume on September 21st. However, on the 21st, and 22nd, Truss was occupied with a U.N. meeting in New York, and only arrived back in England on Friday, the 23rd to hear the announcement of her mini-budget.

Truss’ mini-budget was also known as “The Growth Plan”. It aimed to increase eco-

nomic growth through tax cuts which would be paid for through the U.K. national debt.

However, some of these tax cuts were not pre-announced, and in total, these tax cuts were set to cost the treasury around £45 billion. Furthermore, despite these, Truss did not plan any spending cuts to help fund the plan, and as a result, the markets recoiled at her plan, and the value of the British pound plummeted to a 37-year low against the U.S. dollar. However, this debacle was only the beginning of a quick descent into instability for the British economy. The markets then closed for the weekend, stopping the value of the pound from decreasing any further.

Despite the market’s closing, there was a significant public uproar regarding the mini-budget, which disproportionately benefited the wealthiest people through significant tax breaks in the top tax bracket. As a result, the Labour party began to pull away from the Conservatives in support, and the

Truss failed to walk back any of her policies, the markets began to react negatively again, and the Labour party further solidified its popularity lead over the Conservatives.

Truss then attended the Conservative Party Conference, but what usually was a straightforward affair quickly descended into chaos, with several Tory members of Parliament (MPs) criticizing Truss’ tax plans, ultimately leading her to walk back her policy for the top rate of tax. Unfortunately for Truss, however, this move didn’t help much, mainly because the tax breaks for this top bracket only amounted to around £2 billion out of the total £45 billion hole she had dug. Coming out of the conference, she had a -44% approval rating, the lowest ever for a sitting PM, and had all but solidified the Labour party’s lead.

However, this was not enough for Truss, and on Wednesday, October 12th, she announced that she would not cut

Liz Truss speaking Labour party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, officially surpassed Truss in best PM ratings.

Upon the reopening of the markets on Monday, September 26th, the value of the pound fell again to a new low. The Bank of England was forced to intervene with a £65 billion emergency plan to buy government bonds, or “gilts’ ‘ in order to prevent the panic selling of these gilts in the aftermath of the mini-budget announcement. However, after

MSNBC

public spending to fund the tax cuts, another move which the markets balked at.

Desperately, in an attempt to alleviate the markets, Truss fired Kwasi Kwarteng, the finance minister of the U.K., on Friday, October 14th and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt. The next Monday, Hunt announced that almost the entire mini-budget would be reversed, and in direct contradiction to Truss’ earlier statements, Hunt said that

public spending cuts would be necessary.

Though Hunt’s swift actions did appease the markets, this complete 180 essentially nullified Truss’ entire plan, thus weakening her authority and decreasing even further her approval ratings to -61%.

For comparison, Prince Andrew’s approval rating is around -65%. Ultimately, with Truss’ key campaign promises being walked back, and her entire political agenda being discarded, on October 20th, 2022, Liz Truss walked out of her office on 10 Downing Street, and announced her resignation as prime minister of the U.K. However, the end of Truss’ tumultuous tenure did not mark the end of her controversies, as many were quick to point out that the former PM would be able to collect £115,000 annually from a U.K. law. Given the brevity of her time in office, numerous calls were made for Truss to decline this annual allowance, including one by Sir Keir Starmer, who told Good Morning Britain, “She’s done 44 days in office, she’s not really entitled to it, she should turn it down and not take it.”

Following Truss’ time in office, the Conservative Party elected Rishi Sunak as the replacement PM, their 3rd in less than two months. Sunak is the first PM of color, the first Asian PM, and the first Hindu PM. However, despite running on a platform of unity and financial stability, the turbulent political climate in the U.K. will likely prove difficult to navigate for Sunak, especially amidst growing calls for a general election which would likely result in a landslide Labour victory. Being worth £730 million certainly does not help Sunak’s cause in terms of trying to be in touch with the desires of working-class Britons, and the overall bleak outlook for the Conservative Party, especially with regard to necessary tax hikes and spending cuts, will force Sunak to make tough decisions as PM. Trying to balance the unity of his party and the stability of the British economy, alongside inciting growth in his economy, is certainly a challenging position and definitely not an enviable one. Only time will tell if Sunak’s policies will be enough to save the economy, and if so, whether or not he will be willing to pursue them. ☐

NASA Successfully Changes the Course of an Asteroid

By Kevin Weldon ’24 Panel Staff There is a common saying that “the dinosaurs went extinct because they didn’t have a space program.” Scientists have long used this argument to advocate for the funding of NASA and other extraplanetary endeavors, arguing that the dinosaurs would have survived had they possessed the means to defend themselves from the asteroid that hit Earth 66 million years ago.

However, this point has always seemed to have an asterisk due to the fact that our defense from asteroids and meteors has been

theoretical at best or ineffective at worst.

According to the official NASA website concerning planetary defense, an estimated 60% of asteroids, which pose a threat to Earth, remain undetected by satellites; thus, their course and potential for hitting our planet are unknown. What would we even do if an asteroid was heading for Earth?

Being one of the most potent and dangerous threats to our survival as a species, this discussion has garnered much debate from the scientific community since the reality of the threat was realized with the Alvarez Hypothesis that an asteroid caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Many solutions have been proposed, the main two being

DART hitting Dimorphos

exploding the threat via nuclear weaponry or altering the object’s course with a highspeed force that redirects its course away from our planet. The former, according to The New York Times, has the potential to effectively push the asteroid off course but would require the impact to take place at least two months before it would threaten Earth and many more months for planning in advance. These restrictions limit the feasibility of using nuclear weaponry and leave us with trying to deflect the asteroid with an impact from a man-made object.

With the added advantage of being more easily accessible and less potentially catastrophic, NASA planned for the first

launching of a spacecraft for the purpose of knocking an asteroid off course. They launched DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) last November, with no more than abundant speed for kinetic impact and navigation tools. The impact date was set for September 26th, 2022, when the spacecraft would crash into the Dimorphos, a moon of Didymos. Although the second launch, which would have sent a similar spacecraft into orbit around Didymos for the sake of measuring the impact and its effects, was canceled, the launch of DART proceeded without issue. This year, on the exact date planned, during a near passing of Didymos, DART successfully hit Dimorphos. During the following days, the effect on the orbit of Dimorphos was proven via ground telescopes, and thus the mission was successful in altering the course of an extraplanetary object by using a man-made spacecraft.

This development represents a massive progression for defending our planet.

Although the exact date or threat remains unknown, it is postulated that the human race, if we are to survive on Earth for an extended period of time, will eventually face the danger posed by impact with a Near Earth Object (NEO). With the success of the DART mission, NASA has established that our technology has progressed to such an extent that we are now able to, in theory, ASI/NASA defend ourselves against such a threat. ☐

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Artist

of

By Brian Lee ’24 Panel Staff Jeremy Eaton ’23 has become a prominent leader of the theater program during his time at Belmont Hill; in each of the past four years, he has won Drama Prizes for his roles in over ten productions.

Mr. Diresta, the Director of the Theater Program, notes that from his first comedic role in 15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play, back in 2017, to his current dramatic role in the ongoing production of Twelve Angry Men, Jeremy’s characters have experienced unfathomable loss, ruled a kingdom, performed unwarranted dental surgery, taught science, committed murder, solved murders, and even controlled the heavens them-

the

selves... from the stage of the Kraft Theater.

During COVID, he got to develop his directorial and technical eye, serving as one of our main writers, directors, and filmmakers as we wrote, filmed, and edited an original film.”

In order to give his fellow actors more opportunities to grow, Jeremy decided to take on a minor role in his original film “They Went Remote.” This act was a testament to the profound effect his humble leadership has had on the theater program. Mr. Conway, the Associate Director of the Theater Program, remarks how Jeremy has “unflappably conquered any role given to him and done so with a spirit of generosity and quiet leadership that acquits himself and the program well every day.”

As he reflects upon his time at Belmont Hill, Jeremy notes that several of his

Jeremy Eaton in the musical, “Into the Woods”

New

Lunch

By Aaron Stanger ’24 Panel Staff For the first time in many years, Belmont Hill has changed its permanent lunch system. Traditionally, middle and upper school students have eaten in a family, sit-down style. At this time, students who normally do not see each other in the classroom or on the athletic fields can meet new teachers and students. While this method has worked for decades, a recent increase in the student body size has revealed several flaws with the current system, namely, food waste and time.

Family-style lunch is an extensive process; waiters bring large bowls of food to each table, then students can leave the table to get soup, sandwiches, and salads from around the dining hall. However, when many opt for something not brought by the waiter, the main course will often go untouched, resulting in an incredible amount of food waste. Since these fully prepared main courses cannot be repurposed, the compost bins pile up with unwanted food. On a similar end, sit-down lunch is a time-intensive procedure. Since waiters are in charge of delivering and clearing up the food, extra time has to be left for cleaning before and after the meal. By contrast, on walk-through days, the salad bar and sandwich station lines move faster, as students and faculty grab food as they arrive instead of waiting for the head to begin the meal.

Issue:

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Jeremy

Eaton

greatest memories at Belmont Hill were on the stage surrounded by his friends. When asked what theater means to him, Jeremy answered, “For me, theater has been an opportunity to meet some new people, try something new, and step away from a tough day of academics or athletics. To learn lines does take a lot of time and practice, the same with studying for a test, but the experience of stepping out of my everyday life into that

’23

of a character and immersing myself in a different world makes up for the added effort.”

As Jeremy moves on to college next year, Belmont Hill will certainly be losing a cornerstone of the Theater Program; however, his lasting legacy will undoubtedly contribute to the future success of the program.

The Panel wishes Jeremy the best of luck as he enters the next chapter of his life! ☐

BH Communications

Schedule

The new walk-through lunch plan seeks to limit many of these problems. By allowing upper schoolers to eat at X, the last block, or the traditional 1:35 time slot, crowding has lessened, and most are in and out within 20 minutes. Students must go into the kitchen to get the main course directly, minimizing food waste. While lunch used to take a full 40-minute block, without waiters, students can now clear their places in their own time and can choose to leave when they are finished.

Student reception has been exceedingly positive. Leaving more time in the day allows more clubs to meet, enabling students to maximize their time before athletics and other after-school extracurriculars. Additionally, eating at X-block allows upper schoolers to eat earlier or even twice. So far, the kitchen and dining staff have handled the shift well. Mrs. Wu, the Director of dining, remarks, “We have really liked it a lot. We save on not having to set up tables and plate all the food.”

Still, Belmont Hill will preserve tradition and hold required sit down lunch on Thursdays. While the student body and faculty look forward to a new dining hall in the coming years, the new lunch schedule is a bridge between that time and now. ☐

Online Editor Kevin Weldon ’24

Digital Media Editor Andrew Bittner ’24

Arts Editor Brian Lee ’24

Sports Editor Noah Farb ’24

Graphics Editor Luke Trevisan ’24 Daniel Xie ’24

Editors-In-Chief Mac Bobo ’23 David Cho ’23

Executive Editors

Faculty Advisors David Hegarty Juliette Zener

Alex Lo ’23 Cooper Nelson ’23

News Editor

Assistant Editors

Opinion Editor

Tommy Folan ’25 Ben Hack ’24 Duncan Kilbride ’24 Alex Laidlaw ’25 Aaron Stanger ’24 Lev Tolkoff ’24

Daniel Cho ’23 Aidan Lee ’24

Article Support Editor

Luke Guleserian ’24

Back Page Editors Jason Cannistraro ’23 Trey Penna ’23 Turner Rayment ’23

Staff Artists/writers Nick Andersen ’24 Matthew Flaherty ’24 Jake Kornmehl ’24 Garrett Theberge ’24

The Panel, founded in 1953, is the official school newspaper of the Belmont Hill School. The Panel is the voice of the student body. We publish articles that are of consequence to the students, as well as the school communities. The views expressed in The Panel belong solely to the authors and editors and do not necessarily represent the student body, faculty or administration of the school. Any comment about the content should be addressed directly to the editors. The Panel encourages responsible opinion in the form of Letters to the Editor. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for length and content. Copyright © 2022 The Panel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the Editors-in-Chief. Published by the Belmont Printing Co., Belmont, MA 02478.

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PLAYLIST OF THE ISSUE

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DOTI: Showdown of the Century: Dr. Davis Vs. Mr. Leo borg. What could be better than that? One wrong punch and Mr. Leo’s hand is broken.

His plan for the matchup is circumventive: he is going to utilize the ancient FaPro Dr. Davis, Luke Trevisan: Who bian tactics “given the likelihood of defeat would win in a hand to hand fight between in a full frontal assault” from Mr. Leo. Dr. Dr. Davis and Mr. Leo? It may seem like a Davis would wear him out by delay and evatough question, but it is quite the contrary.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Davis, and he provided me with some evidence as to why he would emerge victorious. For those who don’t know him yet, Dr. Davis is a Latin and Greek teacher as well as a fourth football and Varsity wrestling coach.

He is also known for his extensive adventures and impressive classroom armory.

Dr. Davis brings many skills to the table that would solidify his chance in this contest. First of all, due to his classical background, he has “deep understanding of strategy and tactics derived from life long study of ancient literature.” While these styles of combat wouldn’t be as practical in modern warfare, they still could prove handy in smaller, pre-gunpowder engagements, where the result comes down to each man’s mind and body. In addition to being a venerable wrestler, he is proficient Mr. Leo and Dr. Davis in Aikido, a Japanese martial art that is similar to Judo. The method is inherent- sion rather than direct confrontation. While ly defensive and he may be able to utilize in Peru, doing who knows what, Dr. Davis this along with certain tactics. Finally, and learned an important lesson of avoiding I believe most importantly, he is equipped conflict, as “some people can be surprising with a bionic hip, making him part cy- with what they know” and so he doesn’t By : Luke Trevisan ’24 And Lev Tolkoff ’24 Panel Staff

want to take any chances. He recognizes that Mr. Leo is a force to be reckoned with and is in “freakishly good shape,” and so an edge would be mental attrition and subterfuge.

Finally, we allowed each fighter to have one weapon of choice from the pre-gunpowder era. Dr. Davis chose the sling, saying that

BH Communications it would best support his Fabian strategy.

Like David against Goliath, it would negate the physical inequality while still being “super accurate, super destructive, with a good range.” I think that with this weapon, along

with his elusive strategy and physical ability, Dr. Davis would be able to win this fight.

Pro Mr. Leo, Lev Tolkoff: The age old question of who would win in a fight, Dr. Davis or Mr. Leo has drawn the intrigue of many. However, it is pretty clear who would win; Mr. Leo is a former D1 wrestler who still runs nearly every day.

There are stories that Mr. Leo has stopped class, gotten up on the table, and done 200 push-ups just for the fun of it…in a blazer.

While both teachers also coach wrestling and are extremely experienced, Mr. Leo expresses confidence that, “I would score more points in a wrestling match.” In a civilized and orderly match, there is no doubt that Mr. Leo would win. Mr. Leo is stronger, more experienced, and better versed in combat, however he still thinks that Dr. Davis has the advantage because, “I think he will fight dirty, so I will give him the advantage.”

When asked how he would win a fight like this Mr. Leo said that it would be very easy, he “will kick him in his artificial hip replacement.” Dr. Davis’ Achilles Heel is his hip, and Mr. Leo will exploit that in order to take him down. So, with a clear weakness and Mr. Leo being stronger and faster it is clear that he would win in both a fight or a wrestling match. Overall, Mr. Leo is bigger, stronger, faster, and more elusive than Dr. Davis, there is no way that he would ever lose in the heat of battle. Mr. Leo does not need a weapon to take down Dr. Davis and he welcomes the challenge against the sling.

Is Sit Down Lunch Still a Key Part of Belmont Hill?

By Aidan Lee ’24 Panel Staff Although there is a mutual consensus that the new lunch plan has had a plethora of benefits, the question of whether or not we should preserve the tradition of sit-down lunch still lingers. Overall, from my interviews with various students around the school, I found that there are some that believe that there are benefits to sit-down lunch, some who do not believe it to be a key part of Belmont Hill, and still others who outright reject sit-down lunch. Ultimately, no one I interviewed believed that sit-down lunch is integral to Belmont Hill, leaving me to conclude that sit-down lunch is no longer needed and is not an inherent or important part of Belmont Hill tradition.

The first group of students that I interviewed believed that, although there are inherent benefits in sit-down

lunch, it is ultimately unnecessary.

Mark Price ’24 observed that, while, “sit down-lunch provides an opportunity to learn etiquette and other life skills. To be honest…I don’t really think it’s that important.” Ernest Lai ’25 declared “I like the new lunch plan better than the traditional sit-down lunch, but I can understand why some would like to keep it; I understand the tradition behind it.” Many supporters of the tradition cite teachers like Mr. Martin, Mr. Sweeney, and the youngster Mr. DeCap, enforcing strict sit-down lunch rules and highlighting the importance of etiquette. Many believe that those lessons are what is lost in changing from sit-down lunch to the new walkthrough lunch schedule, however, they ultimately believe that the more open and fluid schedule is a massive benefit.

Numerous students simply reject the idea that sit-down lunch has any significance to school cul-

ture. Kevin Weldon ’24, stated, “I just elaborated: “I like the new lunch sysdon’t really think that sit-down lunch tem so much more than the other one is important.” Anthony Galvagna ’24 (sit-down lunch). I just think it fits my schedule so much better and that sit-down lunch was too rigid.” Overall, many students did not find that sitdown lunch yielded important life lessons, but that it limited their freedoms and opportunities to get work done before athletics. They value the flexibility to eat lunch during X block and have a longer study hall in the afternoon.

At the end of the day, although there is some dissent and disagreement about the benefits of sit-down lunch, there is a mutual consensus that the new walk-through lunch schedule is ultimately a big improvement.

Cafeteria Room

Source: Aidan Lee

Is The Use of Social Media Beneficial or Harmful? ly proficient in connecting individuals and communities. Additionally, social media also empowers the rapid spread There are many benefits and of news, which if received from trusted drawbacks to using social media. For many, online platforms represent an area where they can share their opinions and activities with their friends and family; for others, it represents a toxic fake society that results in the mental degradation of those who use it.

To begin, the inherent purpose Source: CNN of social media is not harmful. If used Deleting Social Media sources, could be immensely helpful. for its intended purpose, social media Additionally, the great variety of posts allows people to connect with others on social media exposes people to new over distances and allows for potential niches and perspectives.

Thus, if used relationships with people who are far away. Furthermore, it permits you to wisely, social media is an incredible tool.

And yet, social media has been express your ideas and opinions along labeled as dangerous and harmful to with your personal updates. In this the younger generations and society sense, online platforms can be extremeBy Aidan Lee ’24 Panel Staff

in general. Why? To begin with, fake news from untrustworthy sources can trigger hysteria and disagreements over what is fact vs. fiction. Additionally, as most people only post about their highlights, social media can distort users’ sense of reality and lead them to believe that their life is less fun or valuable than others’. Many studies have found that heavy social media usage increases the risk for mental ailments such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness. To add on, social media apps will continuously barrage their users’ feeds with posts they predict that the user will enjoy. This leads to problems such as addiction and procrastination.

Such usage results in people spending countless hours on their devices rather than spending that time on something more meaningful. Thus, when

used incorrectly, social media could become a harmful object in our lives.

To conclude, social media is a great tool when used correctly and when you understand the potential toxicity and falsities that plague it.

Furthermore, by practicing moderation and understanding your susceptibility, you can dramatically reduce the addictive aspects of social media, further mitigating its risks and downsides. Tools such as the screen time app and (for iPhone users, Downtime) offer simple ways to monitor and limit the usage of certain apps or your phone in general. Thus, although it is a difficult line to walk, when used with moderation and savvy social media can be an amazing tool, however, when abused or used without restriction, it can distort public and personal reality.

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Cont: Molly King Speaks Woodbury Continued from the front page.

Throughout her speech, she narrated her experience at Bowdoin College, taking a class from college professor Dr. John Walter.

Mrs. King recalled the rigor Dr. Walter challenged his students to embrace: “He pushed us to not only be better students, but to be better people.” Dr. Walter instilled a deep passion not only for the class Mrs. King was taking but also for learning more broadly.

She detailed the mindset she had towards academics in high school and how it transformed after Dr. Walter’s impact on her. Mrs. King used her example of having a transformative teacher in calling for Belmont Hill students to actively search for teachers like Dr. Walter and commending the teachers and mentors that Belmont Hill has.

Belmont Hill is lucky enough to have

a faculty full of Mrs. King’s version of Dr. John Walter’s. Her speech, which was powerful and motivational, inspired both the students and teachers of Belmont Hill to strive not only for excellence but also for the people that will help them get there.

It is important to always remember why the school is as successful as it is. To some, the answer might seem complicated, but in reality, as Mrs. King said beautifully, “Great teachers who recognize your potential, often before you do, and push you to realize it. Make it your goal to find that teacher that inspires you.” ☐

By Andrew Bittner ’24 Panel Staff The Fall Woodbury Public Speaking Contest kicked off as strong as ever with six stellar speeches in the semi-finals round. After passing through a preliminary, one-on-one round of presenting their speeches to Ms. Zener, six speakers each delivered a three to four-minute speech to the entire school in the Chapel.

On Monday, October 17, James Keefe ’25 began by delivering a speech discussing the merits of community service; he was then followed by Ezra Lee’s ’25 speech about loving yourself and Scott Black’s anecdote about finding a world series ring. Four days later, the second round of speeches began

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Semifinals on Friday, October 21, with Will Marra’s ’23 skiing anecdote, followed by Nate Voss’ ’24 discussion of the importance of voting, and finally, a speech from Ben Anderson, a foreign exchange student from Bishops College in South Africa, about first impressions.

Notably, Ben Anderson is a member of the South African national public speaking team and delivered his entire speech from memory! Ben’s captivating speech and impressive oratory earned him a standing ovation from the entire audience at The Chapel.

Though all participants delivered strong speeches, Nate Voss, Ben Anderson, and Will Marra advanced to the finals and will present a new set of speeches on Monday, November 14. The Panel wishes the finalists the best of luck and looks forward to hearing three more excellent speeches! ☐

Cont: Exchange Student Ben Anderson Joins BH ... enjoyed his time at Belmont Hill so far, whether it be singing the national anthem at Homecoming, performing a Woodbury, or just getting to know people. He was thrilled to be able to speak up against James, his host, in the Woodbury contest. Once assimilated into the schedule and topics of the classes, he is excited to be able to engage in them along with his peers and try out new clubs during his free time. He is looking forward to a Model UN conference at Brown University. Ben also mentioned that he was an avid Sheffield United fan, but that, due to his mom being British as well as the fact that he lives in South Africa and is visiting the US, he does not yet have a World Cup team to support and is “open to suggestions.”

Make sure to look out for Ben in the halls, on stage, or even on the water and get to know him better. The Panel welcomes Ben to Belmont Hill and hopes he will enjoy his time here! ☐ Ben Anderson with his host, James Keefe ’25

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Is the Belmont Hill Schedule too Difficult For Students? tra help. Additionally, when teachers coach together, can be tougher to manage. Commiddle school sports, their extra help times pounding this, my schedule also faces chalare reduced to X-block alone, making it lenges due to the unfortunate scheduling of even harder to find the time. Identifying study blocks. During these blocks, I either Is the Belmont Hill schedule too the biggest contributor to workload at Bel- have filled it with a commitment, have to get busy? This is a question that I ponder con- mont Hill, Student #1 found his classes to other work done, or the teacher isn’t there. stantly as I face my daily struggles: Did I be the least exciting part of his schedule, This trend was similar to the responses of do my chemistry homework? What time does football practice start? When’s the next debate meeting? How can I squeeze in some extra help time for Latin? Hoping that I wasn’t alone in these dilemmas, I reached out to a number of students to gauge their opinions on the matter. Student #1 is a freshman, Student #2 is a sophomore, and students #3 and #4 are both juniors.

I first asked students to identify the favorite part of their days. I did this in order to see if there was any overlap between busyness and leisure. Personally, I think that the best parts of the day are free blocks, especially those in which there are clubs taking place, like X-block or the afternoon study halls. They allow me to reduce my workload and let me participate in extracurricular activities. Students #1, #2, and #4 shared the same point of view. Student #4 mentioned that free blocks “provides a unique opporBelmont Hill Students studying

belmonthill.org tunity to get to know your teachers, take as “it’s a lot of work and I often find myself the students.

Students #1 and #4 commentpart in extracurriculars, and finish as much stressed about projects or other pieces of ed on their academic workloads.

While no homework as possible.” Student #2 also homework. ” Especially as students age into one is happy to get homework, they both agreed as he was able to save time for sports more advanced and rigorous classes, the recognized that they set it upon themselves in the afternoon and participate in extracurricular activities whenever he wanted. workload begins to increase, further strain- to choose hard classes. Student #4 added a In a different facet of the school’s ing not merely academic, but also extra- good point, stating that “I think the more schedule, Student #3 mentioned that he ap- curricular and athletic time. Both Students academically inclined students feel a cerpreciated the athletic time that the school #2 and #3 observed that, due to scheduling tain pressure to take all of the most diffioffers. While it may be in itself a few-hour- logistics, it can be hard to participate in ex- cult classes.” There are certainly many other long activity, it is typically more fun and tracurricular clubs. Student #2 expressed pressures as well that could contribute to a does not require outside work as academ- annoyance that numerous “clubs are stacked student picking a more demanding roster ics do. Sport, he explained, “take[s] my at Friday X block, because there are multiple of classes. Students #2 and #3 talked about mind off the challenging school day and al- clubs I would like to do at times that col- the schedule itself, and how it may conlow[s] me to compete with my teammates.” lide.” Currently, there are 10 clubs scheduled tribute to fewer opportunities for outside Whether it be a fun environment like ath- on Fridays at X, and it is frustrating when activities. Student #2 noted that the long letics or extracurriculars or a work- reduc- the opportunity to attend one club is ren- block schedule can lead to homework piling opportunity like study time, students dered impossible by another. In general, ing up on Thursday night, leading to a night typically favor the parts of their sched- students disliked those parts of their sched- that may be more hectic than usual. Stuule that do not add to their homework. ule that restrict their freedom and choice. dent #3 talked specifically about X-blocks I wanted to explore whether the busy- and how they usually are filled with things I also questioned students as to their ness in student schedules can be attribut- to do: “X-blocks are the busiest area of my least favorite parts of the day. Personally, ed to their choices or to the overall school schedule because there are so many difI find the scarcity of extra help to be most schedule.

My schedule, for example, is full ferent things that you might need to do frustrating, as it is always tough to squeeze of obligations I chose; APs, varsity sports, during them, such as eat lunch, meet with in the time. Most of my free blocks are and time-consuming extracurriculars all a teacher, go to a club, or work on homespent in clubs or other commitments, so I require outside work and when combined work.” The Belmont Hill schedule is one can’t give up my responsibilities to find exBy : Luke Trevisan ’24 Panel Staff

that promotes taking advantage of opportunities and exploring new activities. However, it is also one that demands a lot from students and so it can result in a workload that strains students as the week progresses.

Seeking solutions, I asked students to share their strategies for contending with full schedules and conflicts. Each heavily emphasized a purposeful usage of free blocks and extra help times. Student #2 said, “I have used my time during my free block and study hall to do homework which helps my workload a lot when I get home.” Student #4 also brought up the idea of using weekends to do extra work or even get work done that would be due during the week. This year he has started, “over the weekends, doing my homework due Monday and due Tuesday.” He said that it allowed him to then have more time to study for tests, and it would also allow for more availability at free blocks. They overwhelmingly agreed that utilizing time wisely, whether on or off campus, was key to staying on top of a demanding schedule.

After conducting these interviews and reviewing the perspectives of the students, I think that the Belmont Hill schedule is not “too busy.” Since students have the ability to choose their course levels, it is in part their choice to decide how demanding their schedule will be. Additionally, they can use their free blocks however they want.

But, I do believe that there could be a better system for scheduling extracurriculars and extra help availability. A serious fix to the problem would require a full revamp of the schedule, resulting in intense conversations and dedication. Barring that, advisors could emphasize that students could make better use of time before school, when students can finish homework, meet with teachers, or study for any upcoming quizzes or tests.

If teacher availability at this time is high, it may help students gain extra help time they lose from attending clubs during X blocks.

In the end, one doesn’t enter Belmont Hill for the free time it offers. That said, there are many ways that students and administration could improve the “daily grind,” through personal tenacity and improved time management or through administrative support, like improved course selection advising or communication with teachers.

Could The Putin Administration Start a Nuclear War?

By Alex Laidlaw ’25 Panel Staff On February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine, marking a significant escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014.

Since then, Russian and Ukrainian troops have been battling for power in Ukraine, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands. As the war continues to rage on, tensions continue to mount.

Most notably, following a series of losses in late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin released an ominous statement saying that “if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without a doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people.” Although nothing has come out of this and many of Putin’s other threats regarding nuclear deployment, considering that Russia holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal at 6,257 (followed by the United States’ 5,550), one must consider the possibility of nuclear war resulting from Russia’s struggles in Ukraine and ask what that means for the rest of the world.

Throughout Russia’s invasion, the Since Russia first invaded Ukraine, warning shots. The destruction caused Putin has regularly reminded the world by these weapons would largely depend United States’ policy regarding Putin’s of his country’s nuclear capacity and on their size, but regardless, the radi- use of nuclear weapons has been consistent: in the event of a nuclear attack the US would “respond forcefully”. In May, President Biden said that “any use of nuclear weapons in this conflict on any scale” would “entail severe consequences” implying that the US would retaliate in the event of nuclear war.

But an all-out nuclear war with Russia seems unlikely. On October 27, Putin stated that he has no intentions of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. According to Putin, Russia sees “no need for that [nuclear conflict in Ukraine]” and in the past few days, Russia has played down the possibility of nuclear war. While many, including President President Putin of Russia seems willing to use Nuclear Capabilities Google Images Biden, are skeptical of Putin’s claims has even publicly placed Russia’s nucle- ation released from such explosions that he has no intention to use these ar forces on “special combat readiness,” could kill thousands and render an weapons, it is clear that both sides unholding high-profile nuclear drills. area uninhabitable for years. Consid- derstand the risk and ramifications of What, one is forced to ask, would nu- ering Russia’s proximity to Ukraine, nuclear warfare, making it hard to bethat clear conflict with Russia look like? these weapons could have a negative lieve such a conThough the particulars are un- effect on Putin’s homeland as well. certain, analysts predict that if Rus- Depending on the winds, the radia- flict could sia were to resort to nuclear weapons, tion released from these explosions be a posthey would likely use them for small could blow back into Russian territory, sibility. ☐ tactical strikes either in combat or as harming Russian soldiers and civilians.

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Looking

Ahead

By David Luo ’25 and Andrew Hildebrandt ’25 panel staff With the 2022 MLB season coming to a close, it is the perfect time to review the exciting teams, disappointing seasons, and broken records. To start, it is fitting to mention some of the exciting teams in the past season. One of the most exciting was the Dodgers, with 111 wins breaking a franchise record. This also makes them one of seven teams in the MLB to pass the 110-win threshold. Although they had a great season overall, they had a surprisingly early exit in game four of the National League Division Series. Their 5-3 loss to the Padres cemented this game as one of the most disappointing finishes in baseball history. The Padres midseason acquired Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Nationals, adding some young talent to an already star-studded roster. The Astros also had an impressive season by reaching the World Series for the 4th time in six years. The Astros won the ALCS by taking down the Yankees. Credit also has to be given to the Phillies, who, after starting 22-29 at the beginning of the season, decided to fire their manager Joe Girardi. After replacing Girardi with Rob Thomson, the Phillies have turned their season around and reached the world series. Another team

at

the

that exceeded expectations was the Baltimore Orioles. Even though they missed the playoffs by four games, they showed that they are a future contender with new young talent led by catcher Adley Rutschman. At the trade deadline, they gave away veteran Trey Mancini for future prospects making their team even younger and hopefully better for the future. Even with all of this, the most exciting thing this season was a great player who impressed everyone by breaking the American League single-season home run record. Aaron Judge had 62 home runs this season and surpassed Roger Maris’ 61 home runs for the AL record.

Although there were some exciting events, there were also some disappointing performances. Starting these teams off is the San Francisco Giants who had a disappointing season with only 81 wins compared to their previous 107-win season with a similar team. Their pitching and lack of homers prevented them from another playoff season.

Another disappointing team was the LA Angels, who once again found themselves far out of the playoff picture. Even with star talents such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon, the Angels still have yet to find success with this group. These disappointing results also led to the question of whether Trout or Ohtani will be traded. The White Sox also came up short of the playoffs after they lost to the ALDS last year and

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were projected to win their division. The White Sox finished their season by being a .500 team and missing the wild card round.

All of this brings us to the present, where we see the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies duke it out in the World Series. The Astros are returning to the World Series after last year’s loss to the Atlanta Braves and sweeping both the Mariners and the Yankees in the playoffs. The Philadelphia Phillies are back to the World Series for the first time since back to back appearances in 2008-2009. The Phillies were able to pull off upsets against the Braves and Padres and

Offseason

Houston Chronicle

are undefeated at home in the postseason so far. They are coming into the World Series behind NLCS MVP Bryce Harper, who hit over .400 in the NLCS and hit the go-ahead home run in game five to send the Phillies through to the final round. In a thrilling six game bout, the Houston Astros won the world series on the back of young slugger Yordan Alvarez and ALCS and World Series MVP Jeremy Peña. The Astros can finally shake off the belief that they only achieve success as a result of “trashcans”, as now they have won a world series fair and square. ☐

Celtics 2022-2023 Preview Head of the Charles Recap

By Matthew Flaherty ’24 panel staff With their 2022 NBA season culminating in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics are hungry and poised to reach the apex of basketball, hoping to bring banner #18 to Boston. After winning the Eastern Conference Finals, there is no doubt the Celtics can accomplish their goals this season as they got back most of their key roster pieces and added veteran Malcolm Brogdon.

At the time of writing, the Celtics are 4-2, coming off a victory against the Washington Wizards. One of the main concerns coming into this season for the Celtics was the loss of head coach Ime Udoka, who was served a one-year suspension for violating team conduct. However, in just a short amount of time, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla has begun showing that he is capable of leading this championship-hungry team.

Of the few underlying issues surrounding the Celtics, another concern has been the lack of big-man depth, with big man Robert

Williams III out for at least eight weeks due to an offseason knee-surgery. With the absence of Williams, the Celtics turn to veteran Al Horford, newly-acquired Blake Griffin, Luke Kornet, and Massachusetts native Noah Vonleh to fill the void at the five-spot until RWIII is able to return.

In the first few games of the season, the young tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been outstanding for this Boston group, averaging 30.8 points per game and 25.3 points per game respectively. Another forte for the Celtics is their depth. Whether it’s Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, or Sam Hauser off the bench, Boston has had success beyond the arc thus far. In the coming weeks, the Celtics look to solidify their standing in the top tier of the Eastern Conference. To do so, they must keep their core healthy and perhaps add a piece or two by way of the trade deadline or buyout market.

The Boston Celtics are no doubt in a great position to finally bring another championship banner to TD Garden. and look to pounce on the opportunity. ☐

By Daniel Xie ’24 panel staff On Sunday, October 23rd, 2022, the Belmont Hill and Winsor boathouse was packed with families and friends to spectate one of the world’s largest rowing regattas, the Head of the Charles. The regatta has become a tradition at Belmont Hill as students, alumni, and others watch the race from one of the best viewing locations on the Charles.

The weather was fantastic for rowing; calm waters were perfect for fast, smooth racing.

This year, Belmont Hill entered into three events in the regatta: the usual Youth Fours and Youth Eights and the newly introduced entry into the U17 Fours category.

In the Youth Fours event, the Belmont Hill boat consisted of coxswain Aaron Stanger ’24, stroke seat Andrew Bittner ’24, Bennett Carroll ’23, Sean Egan ’23, and Luca Mezzanote ’23. With the bow number 14, this boat placed 10th overall in the event out of 90 crews, with a very competitive 16:54.868 time for the three-mile course,

1 second slower than the Ukrainian national team, which was coxed by Belmont Hill’s very own Thomas Danahy ’26.

In the Youth Eights event, Belmont Hill’s boat was coxed by Brian Lee ’24, with rowers Nathan Pappas ’24, Mac Bobo ’23, Ian Schmidek ’24, Connor Smirl ’23, Lev Tolkoff ’24, Joshua Houston-Davis ’23, Ezra Lee ’25, and Luke Guleserian ’24, and achieved a time of 16:49.611, placing 77th out of 90 boats. Finally, in the U17 Fours event, Belmont Hill’s boat was coxed by Max Glick ’24, with rowers William Walton ’25, Jack Kastner ’25, Ryan Pohl ’25, and Will Yakoobian ’24, achieving a time of 18:33.267, placing 16th out of 18 boats.

The Head of the Charles is truly an event that must be experienced in person.

The magnitude of the event is surreal, with the riversides, bridges, and docks packed with spectators, and to be on the water during the race is simply magical. Belmont Hill has always been incredibly strong in the regatta, especially in the Youth Fours event, and this year certainly did not disappoint. ☐

Athlete of the Issue: Rower Luca Mezzanotte ’23

By Daniel Xie ’24 panel staff Coming off of a successful Head of the Charles performance, placing 10th out of 90 boats in the Belmont Hill Four, Luca Mezzanotte ’23 has thrived as an athlete during his time at Belmont Hill. The captain of both the Alpine Skiing and Crew teams, Mezzanotte has had his share of achievements.

Looking back on his time at Belmont Hill and his most recent season, Mezzanotte recalls the team culture which he has enjoyed so much, commenting, “I love the energy on the XC team, being able to wear ridiculously short shorts with cookies on them and run around Boston with the boys is a unique experience.” He adds, “XC is interesting because it is a sport that isn’t fun at all but the people make it fun,” highlighting the people on his teams that have made Belmont Hill sports so enjoyable. Mezzanotte also expresses his gratitude to those who Luca Mezzanotte ’23 rowing in a Belmont Hill 4

BH Communications

made his cross-country experience so successful, saying, “I want to thank the captains and coaches for keeping the team focused and working hard throughout the season.”

Looking at the future, Mezzanotte will spend his last two seasons at Belmont Hill leading both the Alpine Skiing and crew teams, after which he has committed to continue his rowing career at the Naval Academy. Though Mezzanotte does not plan to run in college, he notes that he is grateful for the experiences he had at Belmont Hill and that he is sure that the running will help his rowing endeavors in the future. Mezzanotte’s athletic success at Belmont Hill have been impressive, and he will unquestionably be a valuable member of the Navy Lightweight Rowing team in the future.

The Panel thanks Luca for all the hard work he has dedicated to Belmont Hill’s athletic programs and wishes him the best of luck in his athletic endeavors beyond Belmont Hill. ☐

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A Preview of the Upcoming 2022-2023 NBA Season

By Ben Adams ’25 panel staff

sense, as the Celtics have only improved since their finals run this past season. They have added key players, most notably Malcolm Brogdon. The Celtics took advantage of the Pacers starting a rebuild and traded for Brogdon for little cost. The Nets come in at number four at +700. Fair odds if both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving stay healthy all season. KD has missed many games the past two seasons and is only getting older, but when he is on the court, he is a top-five player. And Kyrie Irving is

The NBA season appears to be very intriguing. There is no clear-cut number-one team that projects to be a massive favorite come playoff time. The Warriors are looking to repeat, while the Celtics are looking for revenge from last year. Many rookies look very promising.

All of this goes without mentioning likely the most unique factor of this NBA season; the tank for Victor Wembanyama.

Betting odds for winning the championship this season have the Clippers with the best chance at +550. It makes sense that the Clippers would be favorites with Kawhi Leonard back from a torn ACL that kept him out all last season. Also, the Clippers signed John Wall, adding to their depth. However, even with these additions, it isn’t realistic that the Clippers have the best odds, as both these players are old, and the team around them isn’t that good.

Second in betting odds is the Warriors at +600. This evaluation makes sense because the Warriors championship squad from last year did not lose anybody significant in the offseason. The incident between Jordan Poole and Draymond Green is worth noting; a video of Warriors practice shows Draymond punching Poole. It seems they have resolved this issue, but underlying tensions could still affect the team. Tied for 2nd is the Celtics at +600. These odds make Victor Wembanyama

Paolo Banchero

Google Images

also a top-fifteen player when healthy. But just like KD, Kyrie misses a lot of games.

Another note about this NBA season is the strong group of rookies. Some notable ones are the first overall pick, Paolo Banchero. He got drafted to the Orlando Magic after he led the Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four. Banchero teams up with other young players like Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony on the Magic. The third pick in this year’s draft was Jabari Smith out of Auburn.

Smith showed in college his ability to shoot and dominate in isolation situations. The fourth pick was Keegan Murray out of Iowa.

The selection was a surprise on draft night as Jaden Ivey was projected to be drafted at four, but the Sacramento Kings took Murray instead. Keegan Murray showed his ability to score at Iowa, averaging 23.5 points Google Images per game. For reference, Banchero aver-

aged 17.4ppg, and Jabari Smith averaged 16.9ppg. Jaden Ivey was the first guard taken off the board with the 5th pick to the Detroit Pistons. The Purdue star led the Boilermakers to a 3-seed in March Madness, but St. Peters cut their possible National Championship run short in the Sweet 16.

Jaden Ivey plays a similar style to Ja Morant; both guards with decent shots but fantastic athleticism. There will be a fight for Rookie of the Year this season, and it could go to anybody. But one thing is for sure; basketball fans will get to watch some good basketball from young players this season.

One thing different about this NBA season is that we will see a lot more teams tanking due to the projected solid draft class coming up. Victor Wembanyama, a 7’4 center from France, is an 18-year-old who plays in a French basketball league. People rarely talk as much about an NBA prospect before the season starts as they have about Wembanyama, showing how much potential he has.

What does all this mean? This means that top teams may have much better records than usual, and bad teams with much worse records than expected. The reason is that any team that does not think they will make the playoffs may decide to tank to try to get the next Lebron James.

In conclude, we have an exciting NBA season ahead of us. The championship is anyone’s game, and we have a strong group of rookies to watch. It will also be interesting to see if teams start to tank to get Victor. ☐

Evaluating Changes to the NFL’s Concussion Protocol

By Christopher McEvoy ’25 panel staff Concussions have been one of the biggest issues for athletes across the globe but specifically for the National Football League. Football is one of the most dangerous sports one can play when it comes to concussions. Every year a couple of million concussions occur in the United States because of sports-related activities. Of those, around 300,000 are related to football. The NFL has been attempting to limit the number of concussions. This has been done through many methods: upgrading equipment (specifically helmets), teaching new tackling techniques, and penalizing players who put other players at unnecessary risks. So far into the 2022 NFL season, the league has seen 65 concussions in their first seven weeks. To combat this problem the NFL has released new concussion protocols.

Despite the large number of concussions so far, the total number of concussions

Previewing

has been trending positively over the last few years. In 2015 the NFL saw a total of 275 concussions, the following year saw a drop to 243 concussions. Despite the progress, in 2017 the NFL saw a rise to 281 concussions.

After that dramatic leap, the next three years showed great improvement and the amount of concussions continued to falter. 2018 saw the number drop to 214 then rise slightly in 2019 to 224. In 2020 the number of concussions dropped to 172 and in 2021 the number was at 187. This data shows great progress in lowering the number of concussions in the NFL. The staggeringly low number in 2020 can partly be attributed to there being no preseason games played, but there was still a marked improvement. If the NFL held its current pace at which concussions were occurring this season, then by the end of the year there would be roughly 158 concussions. However, it is important to note that the data shows that more concussions occur the later the season gets.

Despite improvement in the number of concussions, the NFL still saw it neces-

the

Boston

sary to change the league-wide protocol mid-season. This change was sparked by the injury to Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. In a week three game against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa took a hit and appeared to be shaken up. He was not able to walk without stumbling and had to leave the game. Many believed that Tua had suffered a concussion and would have to stay out for the rest of the game. Despite this, Tua returned later in the game and the Dolphins claimed that Tua did not even have a head injury. In the following week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tua was hit once again but this time he was unable to move. Tua had to be stretchered off the field and taken to a hospital where he was predictably diagnosed with a concussion. This scary event led to the NFL adjusting the current concussion protocol to ensure something like this could hopefully be prevented from happening again.

The new NFL concussion protocol lays out more symptoms that would lead to a player being deemed ruled out for the rest of the game. Symptoms such as ataxia (loss

Bruins’

2022-23

By Ben Hack ’24 panel staff The Boston Bruins have started their 2022-2023 campaign 8-1-0, their best start in their history. This has surprised many people due to the fact that the Bruins were missing forward Brad Marchand, defensemen Charlie McAvoy, and Belmont Hill alum Matt Grzelcyk. Many fans thought the team would struggle after firing Bruce Cassidy (whose Vegas Golden Knights currently have the second-best record in the NHL). However, new coach Jim Montgomery has surpassed expectations and has had a terrific start to his Bruins tenure.

One of the main reasons the Bruins have had such a fast start is the superb goaltending of Linus Ullmark. Although many

of bodily movements), loss of consciousness, confusion, or amnesia are some of the symptoms that will now label a player as not eligible for a return to play. In the locker room, a player must complete an NFL SCAT and a neurological exam. If the player had not been labeled ineligible to return and passed the tests only then they would be allowed to return to the game. If the results of the test are deemed abnormal then the player must stay in the locker room and complete a periodic test along with a further neurological evaluation. These efforts by the NFL should hopefully lead to players being put in the safest environment possible and prevent injuries like the one Tua Tagovailoa suffered. At the end of the day, the safety of players should be number one priority of the league rather than having the best possible players on the field at all times. Certain sacrifices must be made in order to ensure that the players health and safety is put first, and this is one change that the league wisely has chosen. ☐

Boston Bruins celebrating a late goal Google Images questioned General Manager Don Sweeney record with an 1.70 goals against average. upon his signing of Ullmark to 4 years and Another strength of the squad is the scor$20 million, fans have been pleasantly sur- ing, led by David Pastrnak, who is second prised as Ullmark has posted a perfect 6-0 in the league with seventeen points in nine

Season

games. The Bruins have received secondary scoring from Patrice Bergeron, Jake Debrusk, and David Krejci; all of whom are averaging over a point per game. The presence of David Krejci back in the Bruins lineup after a season back in his home country of the Czech Republic has been pivotal to the team’s success. The Bruins finally have a true second-line center back in their lineup who plays a solid full ice game.

The Bruins have a tough stretch coming up ahead with three games on the road in the next six days against conference rivals. But with Marchand and Grzelcyk now back in the lineup and McAvoy poised to make his season debut, the Bruins are in a prime position to continue their success and remain atop the league standings as they try and achieve the playoff success that has evaded them in recent years. ☐

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Page: The Back

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Turner Rayment, Jason Cannistraro, Trey Penna, Cam Connell

The Panel

Centennial Quotes of the Week!

"Uhhuhuhuuhhhummmmuuuummmmmuhhhhuhh-um" - Bobby Cooper "You guys are getting paid?"

- Mr. DeCaprio in a faculty meeting

"When I’m feeling goofy, I just start picking names out of a hat. How do you think Milmoe got in?"

- Mr. Carr on the Admissions Process "This new teacher Dr. Fast is really cool!"

- Student, Class of 1659 Mr. Musler Files: Leaked BH Search Histories Mr. Craig-Curtis Schneider:

Look-Alikes

Lamelo Ball

Alex Gavronsky:

Mr. Brownell

Jeremy Clarkson

Coach Markham: Mr. George

Doc Fast

Mr. Mackey from South Park

Keebler Elf