The Pharcyde, 42.6

the

PHARCYDE

THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

@thepharcyde_tbs

4875 Grandiflora Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

12 March 2021

@thepharcyde_tbs

Volume 42

Issue 6

365 Days Since Our World Took a 180º Reflections on the One-Year Anniversary of COVID-19

Skyler Zur Co-Editor-in-Chief

If someone had told us that Mar. 13, 2020 would be the last day of school as we knew it, no one would have believed it. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of when COVID-19 started to truly impact our world: it’s when we began attending online school, practicing social distancing, wearing masks, and staying in rather than going out.

There were a number of tragedies in 2020, including the forest fires in Australia, George Floyd’s murder, and widespread violent protests, but looming over all was COVID-19.

There have been over 500,000 deaths in the United States alone according to worldometers.info, the most casualties the country has experienced from a single event with the exception of the Civil War. Families had to go through the holidays isolated from relatives and friends in order to stay safe, and patients in hospitals have died without being able to say goodbye to their loved ones.

Due to the isolation people are in to keep themselves safe, faceto-face interactions are much less common. Job interviews happen virtually through Zoom or other media platforms. People are going on Zoom dates instead of meeting in person at restaurants. Even education has changed drastically, with most schools operating at least partly online. Having no live interaction has had a major effect on mental health; throughout the pandemic, four in ten adults have reported feeling more anxious or depressed according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on health care issues.

Freshman Carolyn Vernon feels that having little face-to-face interactions is having a negative effect on

her social life.

“The worst thing about COVID for me has been not being able to travel freely and be with big groups of people,” she said.

When COVID-19 first became a concern, businesses and individuals buckled under its weight. In just the first week of the pandemic, a record 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment and many businesses either temporarily shuttered or went bankrupt.

The popular Taco Tuesday host, Tijuana Flats, which was near PGA and US-1, was replaced with a Chipotle due to the economic distress caused by COVID-19. Hangry Kitchen, a local restaurant, opened and closed within months due to the pandemic. Similarly, Bunulu, the popular swimsuit store, went out of business at The Gardens Mall. All of these stores have been successful in the past, but COVID-19 changed that.

Junior Ali Brown said, “Bunulu was one of my favorite places to buy bathing suits, and it has been a really reliable store in the mall for years. I was really sad to see it go out of business because there is no other store like it near us.”

Without a doubt, COVID-19 has negatively impacted almost every single person in the world, but with the bad, there has been some good.

First and foremost, we have become more globally united. Medical facilities all over the world have come together in order to create a vaccine to beat the virus, and now, these vaccines are being distributed everywhere. Doctors from China are working with medical professionals in America, and people are communicating more than ever to reach a common goal: the end of the pandemic. During COVID-19, the medical community stepped up. Doctors, since March, have been risking their

health more than ever in order to help people fight COVID-19, and people all over the world are showing their appreciation.

During the various quarantines, lockdowns, and other restrictions, people had to stay inside and there was really nowhere to which they could travel. As a result, our air quality increased significantly. Scientists at earthsky.org found that, since Feb. 2020, “pandemic restrictions have reduced global nitrogen dioxide concentrations by nearly 20%.”

In addition, social media has taken on a new meaning. Tik Tok is one platform that has become extremely popular in the past year, and while parents and other people aren’t necessarily happy with the amount of time their children spend scrolling through the app, it actually has allowed people to connect, especially through a time of social isolation. On Tik Tok, people create their own content, and, in a time where there aren’t too many positives, watching a funny or cute video can provide a much-needed laugh.

There is no doubt that COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it, and, similarly to 9/11, we likely will never be able to go back to pre-pandemic life; however, the vaccine is now being widely distributed throughout the United States and the rest of the world in order to gain some semblance of normalcy.

“I’m hoping for things to go back to normal by the end of 2021. I want to have a normal college experience without all the COVID restraints, given that I missed out on a lot of fun in my senior year,” senior Aidan Neidoff explained.

Despite the difficult circumstances and challenges we have had to overcome, we have also grown and made incredible developments as a population.

How to Zoom with an Author Like a Professor

New York Times Best-seller, Tom Foster, Visits Senior English Classes Molly Fried Co-Editor-in-Chief The senior class had the privilege of having author Tom Foster address them on Mar. 4 regarding his works and their significance beyond the pages.

An English professor at the University of Michigan Flint, Foster has written many books with the purpose of guiding students to read and interpret literature, non-fiction, poetry,

etc. with a critical eye. His works include How to Read Literature Like a Professor, How to Read Poetry Like a Professor, and Reading the Silver Screen: A Film Lover’s Guide to Decoding the Art Form That Moves, the latter of these serving as a key text for the Film Analysis elective offered by the Benjamin English department. In his talk, Foster detailed the benefits of literature and how it can help decode the current world.

Focusing much of the discussion

Author Tom Foster spoke to the senior English classes during the activity period on Mar. 4. He spoke about some of the books he has written and how they apply to the world today.

(Photo by Molly Fried)

on his latest book, How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor, Foster cited inspiration from all of the books about Donald Trump in 2018. “It went from the truly terrible with Michael Wolf’s Fire and Fury to James Comey’s book A Higher Loyalty and then to Bob Woodward’s Rage,” Mr. Foster said. “They were all diametrically opposed in terms of journalistic efforts and journalistic integrity and rigor.” By analyzing how the three books were written, he had a basis for his own book and how to guide the average reader into understanding the modern political climate.

“I thought his comments regarding nonfiction and being aware while reading were interesting,” senior Danai Makoni commented. “It did make me think a bit more about the impacts of social media usage and reminded me of the Netflix film The Social Dilemma.”

English teacher Mr. Feyk also found Foster’s discernment of the media to be insightful.

“I was struck by his observation about social media. We all have been critical and upset by the tone and fallacy of social media posts, but Mr.

Foster took us deeper by reminding us that social media is for profit, and that its success is determined by the number of eyes the site or post attracts, as those numbers translate into advertising dollars for the company,” Mr. Feyk said. “It was sobering to realize that fake news, rants, and deformation are better for business than truth. As the writer Alan Sorkin said, ‘everyone has a voice; not everyone should have the mike: that is what the internet and social media do.’”

It was sobering to realize that fake news, rants, and deformation are better for businesses than the truth.

Mr. Feyk Recognizing the use of analytical thought beyond the classroom, Foster hopes students will “use [his books] by eventually forgetting it and incorporating whatever lessons they need from it into their day-to-day life.” He continued, saying, “When students can get to the point where they can

simply say ‘how do I think about this’ but they can think about it in the kind of depth I’ve suggested is available, that’s my goal.”

Mr. Feyk especially found that part of Foster’s speech to be beneficial, saying “It was nice to hear that the author had the same goals in writing that we as teachers do in teaching. He basically said that he wants his readers to process the information about how to read literature and nonfiction, so that they can then think for themselves.”

Regarding the overall experience, Mr. Feyk was glad both the English Department and the Class of 2021 had the opportunity to hear Tom Foster speak.

“I enjoyed my time with Mr. Foster,” Mr. Feyk said. “I have read his literature book (and taught chapters from it), and have read portions of his non fiction book. It was nice to know a published author in Flint, Michigan has similar thoughts and ideas on literature and nonfiction, and his insights were illuminating.”

How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor (HarperPerennial, 2020) - $17.99

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12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

Putting on Prom in 2021: The Big Easy Committee to Host “A Night in New Orleans” Jane Boyland Staff Writer

After a long year of traditional school events being altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prom committee has been trying its best to return the student body to normalcy with “A Night in New Orleans” on Apr. 24.

While the event will be held on campus in and immediately outside of the Benjamin Hall lobby rather than at an off-campus venue, the committee promises an event that is glamorous and memorable, perfect for pictures, and worthy of attendance.

Prom is overseen by Visual Arts Department Chair Ms. Melissa Ford and planned by a committee of juniors led by junior Caelan Brindise, who is responsible for leading each committee meeting and approving any prom-related decisions.

This year has been particularly difficult for the committee due to the little leeway it has, but Brindise is determined to make it the School’s best prom yet.

“Of course it has been difficult to navigate the logistics of everything because there are so many restrictions on what we can do and not all businesses/venues/etc. are able to accommodate us during COVID-19

times like they have in the past, but I really think we were able to make the most of what we had to work with,” added Brindise.

With last year’s prom being canceled, the senior class is now eager to have the traditional high school experience.

Senior Hailie Miller describes her feelings towards the upcoming event: “I am really excited to finally be able to go to prom. It’s a tradition at Benjamin, and I have been looking forward to it since freshman year. I was disappointed last year when it was canceled because I helped plan it and wanted to experience it with all of my friends.”

Ms. Ford has also been a big help to the committee as her years of experience in planning prom has allowed her to plan around the obstacles; however, she stated that there is still a significant difference between this year and years past.

“COVID-19 has made planning for prom significantly more challenging. First and foremost, we have to consider the health and well being of all the students, while balancing the desire to host a fun and interactive event. We have to allow for more space, fresh air, and eliminate some of the extra activities offered at previous proms. Raising money has been

an additional challenge this year as most of the fundraisers usually involve food. However, the school has agreed to fund the gap between the cost of the prom and the fundraising.”

With the exception of a few students who have already attended, the junior and senior classes are ready to experience their first prom.

With all the debate as to whether or not Prom would be a possibility this year, it has finally been decided that the event will be held in Benjamin Hall Lobby and may only be attended

by Benjamin students from 10th-12th grade.

(Photo by Jane Boyland)

Students Compete in State Debate Competition Speech and Debate students Molly Fried and Christina Taylor competed in the Florida Forensic State Varsity Tournament this past weekend after placing second at the Macaw regional competition on Feb. 6.

On the roster for Benjamin’s Speech and Debate team are many State tournament-eligible novice stars, but these fresh standouts would only be allowed to compete at the Novice State Championships if representatives from the Varsity team competed at regionals. Because of this rule, Taylor, who is a sophomore and the secretary for the team, and Fried, who is a senior and the president, decided to participate in Public Forum debate(PF), a two vs two showdown on a topic of international importance.

“Considering how busy this year was, I wasn’t necessarily planning on doing PF given how hard it is to conduct it online,” Fried said. “However, I figured it would be more fun to do PF with Christina than just standing up and giving the same speech by

myself over and over again as I normally do in Original Oratory.”

Both Taylor and Fried had competed in PF before, but it was with different partners and in-person before COVID-19 transformed the speech and debate landscape. Despite the challenge of working with a new partner and navigating debate virtually, Taylor and Fried finished regionals only one win behind the championship duo from Dreyfoos.

“The Public Forum topic changes every one or two months, so for qualifiers we debated rapid urbanization in Western Africa,” Taylor explained.

“For the actual State Tournament, we debated the harms and benefits of the creation of a US Space Force, which was definitely more difficult since it is more recent and therefore has less research and fewer terminal impacts to back up either side.”

For every round, Taylor, who was the first speaker, delivered a four minute constructive speech and two minute summary speech while Fried, who was the second speaker, present-

ed the four minute rebuttal speech and two minute final focus.

“The hardest part is definitely having to write speeches during the round,” Taylor commented. “We go in having the constructive speech done but since we don’t know exactly what the opposition will argue, the other three speeches are all reliant on what happens during the debate.”

Unfortunately, after six tough rounds of debate at the State Championships, Taylor and Fried failed to qualify for the octafinals.

“Despite our not so great placement, I’m proud of how far we made it,” Fried said Club adviser and coach Dr. John Peruggia is also happy with the performance of the School this season.

“This marks the third year in a row that our team has qualified for the Varsity State Tournament.” Dr. Peruggia said. “We continue to show the rest of the state that despite our team’s small size and its existence as a club and not a class, we can compete at a high level.”

Along I-95 GA: A Georgia man, Keith Simpson, credits his apple watch for saving his life after his watch alerted him that his heart rate was too low.

Upon arriving at the ER, Simpson was notified that he had several blood clots in his lungs, none of which he would have known if his watch hadn’t alerted him of his low heart rate.

SC: University of South Carolina plans to return to in-person learning by fall 2021 as more vaccines are being distributed around the state and country.

NC: DaBaby is a four time grammy-nominated artist native to Charlotte, North Carolina who will be hosting an event during which he will gift over 200 children with various toys and household items. This will be his second annual gift-giving event VA: A newspaper based in Richmond, Virginia called Northside Vibes was recently featured in an NBC article for its unique motive of delivering only good news. It highlights global positive news as well as people who have had a positive impact on the community.

DC: Washington Police recently arrested a 12-year-old boy for multiple attempts of armed carjackings. Police are still looking for his accomplice. They are offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who can provide information about his whereabouts.

MD: The Maryland Department of Environment recently threatened to drain a pond in Hampstead because of the damage it is causing to a dam when it overflows. If the neighbors don’t fix the $150,000 damage themselves, the Department is set to drain it.

DE: Delaware was able to expand vaccine availability to educators.

The state will be holding an event at Dover International Speedway, meant to vaccinate educators, school staff, and child care workers. The Department of Education with Albertsons Pharmacy has vaccinated more than 5,500 educators and school faculty/staff.

PA: The natural gas industry in Pennsylvania is suffering from financial distress due to the ongoing pandemic plaguing the country. Due to this, commissioners were forced to raise property taxes for the first time in 10 years as counties that host natural gas wells are struggling to balance their budgets.

NJ: The Monopoly board game streets are named after streets in Atlantic City. Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world at a whopping four miles. The Jersey Shore, part of Atlantic City, is known for its popularized reality tv show “Jersey Shore” with skimpy women and fraternity-like boys.

NY: Montauk, New York holds the state park Camp Hero which is known for conspiracy theories that the government had previously been doing scientific sketchy research as well as experiments on people. It is now abandoned and trespassing is not allowed though many still do it.

CT: A father was taken into custody in Hartford, Connecticut after shooting his son in the abdomen. The son is suspected to survive as no fatal injuries occurred. The gun was found on the scene according to police.

RI: Lawmakers in Newport Rhode Island are pushing to pass a bill to construct barriers on three bridges to deter sucicide attemptes as suicide was the second biggest cause of death last year. Although it would be expensive, lawmakers believe it will saves lives which are “priceless”.

MA: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will be implementing service reductions in the fields of commuter and ferry services due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic starting Mar. 14.

The pandemic has resulted in a dramatic drop in ridership and the city is attempting to save money.

NH: Nashua, New Hampshire police recently found a man named Kenneth Gurski, who had been missing for weeks on end. His family last had contact with Gurski on Dec. 31, 2020 and he was last seen on Feb. 6, 2021. The family filed a formal police report on Feb. 9, 2021.

ME: Cliff Island, Maine, has prioritized public health rather than vacationers, and taken the necessary precautions to still not have a COVID-19 case almost a year after the pandemic started. The low population is also a factor, but the small city has banded together to stay safe.

Seniors Celebrate Grandest Friends With Virtual Tribute Tvisha Goel News Editor

Traditionally, The Benjamin School has held an event for seniors in which they have the opportunity to bring their “grandest friends” to campus. But due to the School’s COVID-19 era policy on visitors to campus, the event will be in the form of a virtual student project.

In place of inviting the seniors’ grandest friends to campus, students instead are creating a video, each with their personalized message expressing their gratitude and love. Grandest friends include grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other supporters. Despite the virtual nature of this year’s experience, seniors are being encouraged to meet up with their grandest friends off campus to spend time with them, safely of course..

The video will begin with senior Andrew Weisz giving an introductory message that explains the reasons behind the video. Weisz is followed by senior Nichaela Williams, who delivers a heartfelt recitation of Alberto

Rios’ “When Giving is All We Have,” a poem about love and selflessness.

The entire senior class joined to create a performance of Celine Dion’s hit, “Because You Loved Me,” which is followed by a closing tribute by Alex Kahn.

The musical performance will consist of each senior class student speaking a single line of a song, called spoken music. Last year, as a result of COVID-19, which cut their senior year short, members of the Class of 2020 did the same during their Baccalaureate film, to the song “I Lived” by OneRepublic.

Because COVID-19 has hindered the ability to travel and bring visitors on campus, seniors are very much appreciative of being able to follow through with this tradition that shows their supporters how thankful they are for them.

Senior Julie Moquin said, “Especially since my grandma lives in Montreal, Canada, and I am unable to visit her, it’s nice to be able to send something to show her that I’m think-

ing of her.”

For senior Aaryan Somadder, “Grandest Friends is an incredible opportunity because it brings happiness and unity in a time of great despair. I am very grateful that we are able to make a difference in the lives of our grandest friends.”

Senior Madde Hart attaches a similar meaning to the event. “The Grandest Friends Day project is so important because it reminds us to take a moment and show gratitude for the people in our lives who love and support us. Especially now, with all of the chaos going on in the world and many of our grandest friends at increased risk, traditions like this one show just how meaningful these connections can be and allow us to once again focus on what’s really important: the people we care about.”

“I love the way we are celebrating our grandest friends this year. With my grandparents living in Zimbabwe, I’ve never been able to celebrate with them, but this project gives me that opportunity if we are over 8,000

miles apart,” senior Danai Makoni thankfully said.

Clearly, this event means a lot for seniors, giving them a way to still show their grandest friends how much their support has meant

to them. While COVID-19 has been detrimental to the way in which certain events are conducted, it certainly has not been detrimental to the spirit of the Benjamin community.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s Grandest Friends Day will be celebrated by a project featuring the senior class. Above, Senior Niichaela Williams recites Alberto Rios’ “When Giving is All We Have.”

(Photo by Dr. Peruggia)

12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

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JSA’s Featured Speaker, Stacey Abrams, Strikes Care Among Students Molly Fried Co-Editor-in-Chief The end of February usually sees members of the School’s Junior Statesman of America (JSA) chapter heading north to attend the Winter Congress in the Washington, DC. Indeed, last year’s JSA trip was among the last taken by students before COVID-19 sent everyone home for months of virtual learning. With the pandemic still ravaging communities, JSA moved its Congress online.

The resulting virtual gathering, the first in the organization’s history, was notable not only for its platform, but also for its keynote speaker: Stacey Abrams.

The theme of this year’s mock Congress was “Healing a Nation.”

In a published address discussing the selection of the theme and its application to America’s youth, JSA Mid-Atlantic State Chief of Staff Chase M, commented, “With a nation in crisis, young people are tired. From civil

and racial unrest, a global pandemic, and constant political dysfunction, young people are severely impacted by the recent events of the past year.”

Stacey Abrams was selected as the Keynote speaker due to her devotion to voting rights and social justice. After serving as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, Abrams became the 2018 Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia. In a highly competitive and publicized election, Abrams lost to now-Governor Brian Kemp. Despite this, Abrams is still dedicated to civic engagement, founding Fair Fight to bolster the underrepresented in the election system and Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the census.

In her speech, Abrams talked about the importance of religion, education, and service shaping her into the person she is today.

“My parents worked hard, but still struggled to make ends meet,” Abrams said. “No matter how little we had, there was always someone

with less and our job was to serve that person.”

Building on the experiences she had in her youth, she urged the many young members of JSA’s Winter Congress to contribute to their communities, advising, “service isn’t about giving back but rather giving to.”

Abrams also talked about how she has taken one of her lowest points and used it to create a positive impact.

“I was embarrassed. The whole world saw me lose,” she said of her highly publicized loss in the 2018 Gubernatorial Election. “I didn’t leave my house for two weeks, but I took that embarrassment and used it to motivate myself to focus on service and giving to the community.”

Sophomore and member of the School’s JSA chapter Christina Taylor attended the virtual event as part of the Winter Congress and found it highly enjoyable.

“I felt somewhat star-struck listening to her speak because her story is just so motivational and inspiring,”

Taylor said. “I think she was the perfect choice to be the keynote speaker because of all her work to unite Georgia’s House of Representatives despite party lines.”

All in all, Stacey Abrams summarized the need for unity and tackling the divided nation, “not by taking

sides, but by taking stock of where we are and what we need.”

Anyone interested in joining the Benjamin chapter of JSA should contact juniors Gerald Bissell or Christina Taylor for more information. The group intends on returning to an-person Congress next winter.

Stacey Abrams was selected as the keynote speaker for JSA’s 2021 Winter Congress. She talked to hundreds of young change-makers about the importance of service and humility.

(Photo by Molly Fried)

College Counselors Reflect on Last Semester, Look to the Future Jane Boyland Staff Writer Even after COVID-19 caused some hiccups during the first semester and the application process for the senior class, the college counseling team has been working hard. As the school year has progressed, more information regarding the college process has emerged for the college counselors to navigate.

Head of College Counselling Mrs. Anna Wright summarizes the number of applications the seniors sent out over the course of the first semester.

“We have some students who apply to one [school], and they’re done.

This year, I think there was a lot of anxiety about what the process would look like because so many factors changed. So we definitely had some students who applied to more than they maybe would have. On average, I would say, our students each applied to around 8-10 [schools],” said Mrs. Wright.

Mrs. Wright described the impact of COVID-19 on this year’s application season now that decisions have been rolling in and more statistics have been released.

“Nationally, there was about a 30% increase in applications. I think that a lot of that had to do with the removal of testing requirements. This led to a lot more students applying to more schools. I think one because they didn’t know, but two also because the testing wasn’t standing in their way. My favorite statistic is MIT had a 62% increase in applications.

So did it impact our students? Sure, it

impacted our students and every other student in the country.”

At this point in the second semester, stress levels are fluctuating among the senior class. Although the applications themselves have been completed, the process is not quite over. Some students know where they are going to college, but some are still waiting on decisions.

“I think there’s still a lot of uncertainty,” Mrs. Wright said. “We still have a lot of decisions coming out in March and April. I think if you talk to our seniors, I think they’re tired. I think the work is done and that’s a relief, but sometimes waiting is harder, so we’re trying to help them manage that stress and keep them positive and support them in any way we can.”

Although there is still additional work to do with the seniors, their process is starting to slow down in the final months of the second semester.

College counseling has recently begun their work with the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to discuss plans for the future.

Mrs. Wright describes second semester as “the time of year where we get to think about the other classes.

We’ve met with all the 10th graders, and we’re assigning them college counselors. We’re meeting next week with all the 9th graders, and we’re also trying to help our juniors really dig into this process and get to know them. This is the time of year where we have pretty consistent meetings with the three different grade levels and are trying to make sure that everybody feels like they have our time and attention.”

Director of College Counseling Ms. Anna Wright answers a phone call while checking her email. While the seniors have submitted their applications, the college counselors have a lot to do before summer. (Photo by Molly Fried)

In Chinese astrology, your zodiac sign represents how you view others and how others see you. To find your inner animal, you look at the month you were born in. To find your true animal, you look at which day of the week you were born in. To find your secret animal, you look at which hour you were born in.

(Photo courtesy of Express. co.uk)

Bringing in the Chinese New Year Clara Schor Staff Writer The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a time to celebrate the traditional lunar new year in the Chinese culture.

The lunar month contains the winter solstice as the eleventh month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This year signifies the year of the Ox in zodiac signs. The Ox is significant because these people have a hard work ethic.

It also signified that this new year will be forward moving.

The cycle repeats every 12 years with 12 different animals each year and their reputed attributes. The order of the Chinese zodiac or “Shengxiao” is Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Normally, junior Will Zhang celebrates the New Year by gathering with his family, sharing joy, and reflecting on the previous year. Due to COVID-19, Zhang is unable to go on a family vacation, but will celebrate by enjoying hot pot, a traditional Chinese dish.

“Hot pot is special in the Chinese New Year because it means ‘all in one’ which symbolizes family reunion,” Zhang explains.

Zhang, born in 2004, has the zodiac of a monkey. “I feel connected to it because I am very active physically and psychologically,” Zhang says.

A unique tradition normally associated with the Chinese New Year is

when the children receive red envelopes known as Hong Bao from older family members. They often contain money and symbolize good wishes and luck for the New Year ahead.

Mandarin teacher Ms. Lei Deng Cohen also celebrates the Chinese New Year. Normally she would celebrate with her fellow Chinese friends but this year due to COVID-19, she is unable to properly celebrate.

One specialty she likes about the Chinese New Year is the fish at meals. Whole fish is a staple for New Year celebrations in China and the fish symbolize prosperity for the next year.

As Ms. Cohen’s birth year is the year of the horse, she feels very connected to it.

“Horses forever run, I forever learn,” she said.

Another student, senior Steven Gu, celebrates the Chinese New Year as well. Last year when the pandemic started, China was in complete lockdown, so traveling back home was not plausible under strict quarantine law in China. This year with fewer restrictions, people get to reunite with their family.

Gu shared, “Personally, I cannot travel back to China to celebrate this day with my friends and family due to Covid and School especially.”

He has not been able to celebrate the New Year for the past 6 years because of school .

Also being born in the year of the horse with Ms. Cohen, Steven does not particularly feel connected to his Chinese Zodiac sign.

Whenever there is a Chinese New Year of the horse, it is a traditional thought that at one’s birth year, trouble will come. Steven’s parents force him to wear red pajamas when it is his birth animal year because by wearing red clothes, it will bring one luck instead of the trouble that is supposed to come to one’s self.

Chinese teacher Ms. Cohen would normally celebrate the new year with friends, but this year she is unable to see many of them due to COVID-19.

Her zodiac sign is a horse.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

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12 March 2021

Student Voices

The Pharcyde

Students Should Use Their Voice, Give Feedback

Every semester, the School asks students to complete a survey to gain feedback on the efficacy of its teachers and program. Despite being asked for their opinions, many students continue to feel unheard, as they harbor information and observations that do not fit within the narrow topics of the survey’s questions. Students wish their evaluations were expanded to include other aspects of the School such as the administration, college counseling, and general policies.

The surveys that the School currently distributes have one page of general questions about each class; students can select “strongly agree,” “agree,” “neutral,” “disagree,” or “strongly disagree” prompts that cover a variety of topics from how well the teacher sticks to a lesson plan to how prepared the student feels for assessments. The second section of the survey consists of three short answer questions that each department creates in order to customize the survey to each specific subject.

However, despite the multitude of questions students are asked, much of their most important commentary

remains unprompted. For example, students should be asked if they have book recommendations for English courses, whether or not they have comments about specific grading policies (weighted, points, whim, etc…), and how they think teachers can best support them throughout the school year.

Senior Hudson Hale wishes students were given a space to explain whether or not teachers work with students to accommodate their complicated schedules. Senior Kate Lower wants to be able to express whether teachers actually recognize the stress students have, not just from that teacher’s specific academic class, but in all other classes, extracurriculars, and home life.

Aside from teacher and general policy surveys, the School should implement surveys to solicit feedback on administration and staff. Students should be able to praise our nurse– Mrs. Donaldson–and our maintenance staff–Juan, Anthony, Douglas –in a more formal way. They do a great deal for our school, and students, aside from saying thank you,

do not have a good way to appreciate them. Students should be able to offer feedback on all members of the Benjamin community who affect their daily lives. This includes our Dean of Students, college counselors, student services staff, and coaches. Whether students have criticism or praise about a member of the administration, their voices should be heard.

This year, we have welcomed more new students than in previous years, many of whom transferred from different schools. These new Bucs might have valuable information about how they perceive the differences between their old schools and Benjamin and could offer insight into some of the differences in discipline, the college process, and student counselors. Again, this could be an optional opportunity for new students, but it could give the administrators some new ideas that they could put into practice if they felt it would benefit the School. Being the best means we should be actively looking at what our competition is doing. These new students can help us do just that.

Revising the teacher feedback forms and adding administrative evaluations is a good start to allowing students to speak their minds; however, there are a number of other ways the School can gain invaluable feedback about general school policies.

This year in particular has been full of new policies regarding where students eat lunch, how they get to their classes, and even how they drive to school. These new procedures were put in place due to safety concerns revolving around COVID-19, but students may have opinions on ways to improve these systems in ways that create an even safer, more healthy environment. While the School would be under no obligation to actually implement these ideas, there should be an outlet for students to at least express their opinions.

Consider sophomore Holland Poncy. Poncy recently began driving and believes that the gate’s closing at 7:55 actually causes more harm than good. If a student drives to school and gets to the gate at 7:57, he or she then has to go around to the office, get a temperature check, sign in with

Nurse Donaldson, move his or her car to the correct parking lot, and only then go to class. These tasks make students far later to class than they would have been if they didn’t have to go through that process before 8:00 a.m.. Poncy believes that if the gate were just left open until 8:00 a.m. those students that get to the parking lot slightly later may not be as late for their class. If she had a way to share her ideas through an evaluation at the end of each semester or even each year, the administration may actually be exposed to ideas they hadn’t thought of and be able to implement some of them.

This survey doesn’t necessarily have to be mandatory, but providing the option will allow students to feel more a part of the Benjamin community, even if their ideas are not put into place.

that’s why it’s time to have assemblies in person again.

Just as online learning has made it harder for many to pay attention to lectures, discussions, and even films, remote assembling is a challenge.

The way that the School can solve the assembly issue is the same way it remedied many of the problems with online learning: bring students back in person with necessary COVID-19 protocols. There are various ways the School can make assemblies engaging.

I understand the necessity of social distancing, so there would be challenges in arranging said assemblies. One possible solution is to separate class levels. Either in the gym or Benjamin Hall, the upperclassmen and underclassmen can be separated and successful socially distanced. A rotation would allow two grades to meet on opposite sides of the gym while two other grades socially dis-

tance themselves throughout Benjamin Hall. The lives assemblies would be more engaging and could help rebuild the bonds of community that we have so desperately been missing.

Around half of the time, assemblies have run short due to a lack of announcements. For some days, there could certainly be two different assemblies within that 20 minute time set for the assemblies. If it’s a day where longer assemblies are required, the schedule can be adjusted so that everything works out as needed. Another method could have live performances help fill the time.

Imagine the Dazzlers performing in Benjamin Hall before assembly and then running across the walkway to perform in the gym after that group’s assembly.

The School can also have outside assemblies on the football field with a microphone where students can stand around and listen while soaking up some much-needed sunlight. Stu-

dents would still be able to converse with friends, but they also will be more willing to listen. The drumline can also help liven up the moment.

Some of the most fun assemblies of the year such as those featuring Spirit Week activities were just not as fun this year compared to last year.

Between the shaky camerawork and the overall lack of excitement, many advisories chose their own activities rather than viewing a School-wide one. A gradual return to live assemblies can reengage the student body and result in heightened school spirit.

These assemblies also could be outside on the football field rather than in the gym.

On March 4, the senior class had an assembly in the gym, the first in-person assembly of the school year. Mr. Carr and class coordinator Dr. Peruggia addressed a masked and jovial crowd in-person while also welcoming remote learners thanks to technology.

“It was so much more natural for me to talk to faces than it was to address the camera in the TV studio as I had the week before,” remarked Dr. Peruggia. “I was able to see who was paying attention, to adjust my tone to their feedback, and ask people if they had questions in real-time. It was awesome.”

Students shared Dr. Peruggia’s enthusiasm about the gathering. Senior Danai Makoni noted, “It was nice to be part of assembly with the rest of the Senior Class and sit underneath the 2021 banner for the first time this year. It was confirmation that things were getting better and an in-person graduation could actually happen this year.”

The class meeting’s success made it clear that in-person gatherings can happen when everyone wants them to, follows the COVID-19 plan, and keeps a positive attitude. The School can apply this to other classes, as we look forward to more normalcy.

A common phenomenon among students is a “burnout” as they begin to lose motivation to not only do their work but do it sufficiently and with accuracy. In a survey conducted by The Pharcyde, 82% of upper school students say that they begin to experience a “burnout” by the end of the third quarter.

Common causes of burnout are work-life imbalance, lack of control and predictability, low self-esteem, and of course, senioritis. Once students feel like they’re losing their social life, can’t keep track of their assignments, get frustrated with performing poorly, or get accepted into

college, they tend to slack off and stop prioritizing school.

Students typically blame this phenomenon on teachers and classes piling on loads of work, but what they don’t realize is there are things they can do to avoid and ease burnout.

Burnout comes with too much work and stress, so a way for students to avoid this is to stop procrastination of their work and to get ahead. When teachers assign essays two weeks in advance, try to at least outline the essay when it gets assigned so it is easier to draft once the due date nears.

Another key to easing burnout is to stay organized. Once you have

all your work in front of you, it can get overwhelming to see what you have to accomplish, but if you keep track of everything in a planner and are able to cross things off as you complete them, the workload slowly grows smaller.

Also, the longer period of time that you work, the more tired and unproductive you become. Take short but frequent breaks in your work.

If you’re studying for an upcoming exam, study for an hour then reward yourself with a 20 to 30 minute break during which you have a snack or go outside. Distracting yourself from your work for a little bit of time can

bring you back to your work refreshed and ready to resume studying.

It is easy to blame teachers and the School for the constant flow of homework, but it is also up to students themselves to select a course load that fits their schedule. Athletes may want to lessen the AP load so that they have enough flexibility in their schedules to go to practice and complete their work on time.

While the hard work and dedication may not seem worth it at times, spring break and summer are right around the corner, so try your best to power through these next few weeks and make every assignment count.

EDITORIAL BOARD

GENERAL

ADVERTISEMENTS

QUOTATION POLICY

*The Editorial is the opinion of The Pharcyde and therefore does not have a singular name attributed to it.

It’s Time for Assemblies to be In-Person Again

By Charlie Spungin Sports Editor

If a student is put in the opportunity where he or she can pay attention to an assembly or they can socialize or get schoolwork done, nine out of ten times, the student will elect to do the latter.

Some flat-out ignore virtual assemblies and therefore miss important announcements. Instead, if one walks into any advisory during assembly, you will find people doing homework, on their phones, or conversing with each other. Personally, I tune in and out of the assembly on the smartboard. Assemblies simply are not the priority of students. Despite the high production values of BTV and the admirable intentions of faculty and student announcers, these programs need to be more engaging;

Burnout is Real; Here’s How to Avoid It

By Sophia Liporace Executive Managing Editor

My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends It gives a lovely night.

“First Fig,” a modernist poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, sums up the attitude of many Benjamin students as they progress into the fourth quarter. Students are willing to work hard as long as their motivation lasts, but once they lose their drive, it’s pretty much game over.

the

PHARCYDE

Founded in 1980 as The Spectator

Molly Fried, Co-Editor-in-Chief Skyler Zur, Co-Editor-in-Chief

12 March 2021

Sophia Liporace, Executive Editor

Volume 42, Issue 6

The Benjamin School 4875 Grandiflora Road Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418 Contact Information Phone: 561-472-5998, ext. 2119 Fax: 561-691-8823 Advisor Dr. John Peruggia john.peruggia@thebenjaminschool.org Advisor Emeritus Mr. Kendall Didsbury Media Consultants Mr. and Mrs. Tim Burke

Tvisha Goel, News Editor Grace Kearns, Features Editor Evan Liberman, Photography Editor Charlie Spungin, Sports Editor Nadia Poncy, Social Media/Breaking News Director

STAFF WRITERS Gerald Bissell Catherine Civitella Matthew Marasco

MISSION STATEMENT

The Pharcyde, the Upper School newspaper of The Benjamin School, is published seven times a year. 1,200 copies of The Pharcyde are distributed to 398 students and 57 faculty members and are available in the Upper School office.

The Pharcyde encourages submission of Letters to the Editor. Send your feedback, criticism, or outside opinions in 150 words or fewer to skyler.zur21@thebenjaminschool.org or molly.fried21@thebenjaminschool.org.

The Pharcyde reserves the right to edit all letters for length, grammar, and clarity.

The Pharcyde is a student newspaper produced to foster an open dialogue about topics that relate to The Benjamin School. The issues that appear throughout our pages may be light-hearted or serious, but regardless we aim to reflect the diversity of opinion within our school that we value so deeply.

The price of a quarter-page advertisement is $30/issue. The price of a business card advertisement is $15/issue.

If you or anyone you know would like to place an advertisement in The Pharcyde, please contact Sophia Liporace, sophia. liporace22@thebenjaminschool.org.

OPINION

The opinion articles in this paper are the opinion of the writer or the majority opinion of The Pharcyde Editorial Board. They are not the opinion of The Benjamin School or our advertisers.

Anyone interviewed by The Pharcyde will have the chance to correct and edit their quotations before the paper goes to press.

If they would like to change their interview before the quote confirmations get sent out, they can contact the student who interviewed them and ask to redo the interview.

MEMBERSHIP

The Pharcyde is a member of the Florida Scholastic Press Association, American Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

Student Voices

The Pharcyde

A L U M mem

O I R S

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Christian Baldari: Class of 2020 I’m Christian Baldari, a freshman at Georgetown University. When I got to the Upper School, journalism always interested me. I joined The Pharcyde my sophomore year, and I never looked back. In my first few months as a Staff Writer, I did a lot of observing the news process and not a lot of talking. I gradually became more comfortable with the story conference process, in which every writer brainstorms possible story ideas for the next issue, and I began to speak up more. As I began to write about stories that I had personally suggested in the story conference, writing articles became even more rewarding. Researching a story and interviewing the relevant people, while intimidating at first, became routine, yet always gratifying, tasks.

As I spoke to administration staff, department chairs, sports coaches, and students, I got to learn about different aspects of Benjamin I would not have otherwise known and speak to people I would not have otherwise met.

One of the best aspects of The Pharcyde is the ability for writers to rise in the ranks for doing good work.

I was promoted to Copy Editor in my junior year. As the Copy Editor, I was tasked with proofing all articles in the paper for grammar and style.

By maintaining the grammatical integrity of the paper, I was also able to refine my own grammar and writing style, which helped me in essays for other classes, especially English.

I felt immensely proud that since I had read every word of every article, I had made a direct impact to the publication of The Pharcyde.

In my senior year, I was honored to be named the Co-Editor-in-Chief, which required me to layout the paper online, delegate work to writers, lead story conferences, and write articles and editorials of my own.

Having to layout the paper and make sure that other writers were submitting work on time could definitely be stressful, but it also led me to acquire invaluable skills, such as effective communication and leadership in a workplace environment, promoting a product (the paper) to a large audience (the School), and technological savvy in the realm of Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Sarah Caroline Crall: Class of 2020 When I was a student at Benjamin, I took intro, intermediate, experimental, and AP photography with Ms. Ford. The exceptional art program at Benjamin helped me to not only learn the technical camera and editing skills I need to be a successful photographer, but also how to think creatively and produce unique content.

Ms. Ford always drilled in the idea that we make photos, we do not just take them. She pushed me to therefore make extraordinary photos and exposed me to a variety of different styles of photography. During my four years in her photography classes, I spent lots of time in the darkroom and learning the world of film while at the same time I also got to experience modern artwork through trips to Wynwood, Miami and Art Basel. Ms. Ford encouraged me to always submit photos to scholastic photo competitions, to pursue a photography website, and helped me to play a role in running Geodes, the art and literary magazine on campus.

Meghan Steiner: Class of 1990 My extracurricular activities at Benjamin had an impact on me in college and beyond.

I was a member of the science club my junior and senior years. We spent a lot of time going to places like Jonathan Dickinson to canoe or hike and to clean up litter. I developed a love of the outdoors and an appreciation for the natural world. In college, my good friend Sara Misselhorn and I started a recycling operation in our dorm to bring environmental awareness to our peers, and I chose to take an oceanography course just for fun.

But the best science related activity I was involved in was Alternative Spring Break. I had to interview and apply to be chosen to be part of this service project through the ASB organization. My top choice was a project in the Florida Keys helping various science based and environmental organizations. I actually studied for the interview, since, as a French major, I was not as well-versed in science topics as others who were interviewing.

Every place we volunteered was another chance to learn about ecology and the environment. It was Benjamin’s Science Club on steroids!

12 March 2021

Another extracurricular activity that followed me after high school was soccer. I played competitively after college for many years and coached both high school and travel soccer. Through soccer, I met national team players and coaches, and made friends from all over the world.

I learned enough of a couple new languages to be able to communicate with teammates from other countries, and was able to compete at a high level, where I learned to be resilient and also how to fail.

I’m so thankful for my experience at Benjamin helping me gain the confidence to try new things. It has enriched my life and given me memories I cherish.

Meghan Steiner

This helped me gain experience and confidence in my work and I was able to start my own small photography business, shooting clients for prom, graduation, senior portraits, christmas cards, etc. My training in high school photography led me to many opportunities in college at Ole Miss with photo/video as well. I understand how to brand myself as a creator and I have had opportunities to be on the photography team for my college church and youth group, create photo and video content for a local coffee shop, make the PR video for a retreat on the Ole Miss campus, and I am now on the PR committee with my sorority and have been hired to make the video content for official rush.

I am not presently in any classes involving photography at college right now, so without my background at Benjamin and the help and encouragement from Ms. Ford, I would not have the opportunities I now do and the confidence to pursue these projects.

I cherished my time on The Pharcyde not only because I was able to rise in the ranks of a meaningful organization but also because I was able to express myself through my articles. Whether you are advocating for change in an Op-Ed or bringing light to an issue in a feature, you are able to share your creative voice with your peers, teachers, and the larger Benjamin community. One of the best feelings is writing an article that provokes conversation or debate among readers because it means that you’ve had a genuine impact on the Benjamin community. Writing for The Pharcyde sparked inside of me a passion for journalism, and it inspired me to join Georgetown’s student newspaper, The Hoya, for which I am currently a sports columnist.

However, the most memorable aspect of writing for The Pharcyde cannot be quantified or compartmentalized on a résumé, and that aspect is the people you meet and friendships you make along the way. Being a part of The Pharcyde is a wonderful experience because you are able to develop connections with your peers

Christian Baldari that will last for several years while you write on the paper with them, and hopefully into the future after you graduate. I always looked forward to coming to layout days -- Saturdays dedicated to laying out the paper on InDesign -- because I was able to laugh, joke, and work with people with whom I might not have otherwise crossed paths. The Pharcyde’s tight-knit community -- the Phamily, as it is known among Pharcydians -was special because it made me feel like a part of something bigger than myself, and I hope it will have the same effect on you.

Whether you’re interested in journalism, want to make a difference in the Benjamin community, or just want to meet new people, join The Pharcyde. You won’t regret it.

Andrew DeFerrari: Class of 2019

My participation in music and drama at Benjamin has significantly impacted my current studies in college. I originally got into USC for psychology and I was unsure exactly of what major I wanted to pursue. After a few months at school, I realized how much I missed being so actively involved in music and the arts at Benjamin, and I actually decided to apply and transfer to the music school.

I am now studying Music Industry at the Thornton School of Music

at USC. I recognize how my years of playing gigs with PFP, performing in the variety show, and leading the drum line at Benjamin have helped me learn to collaborate and create with other motivated music students.

This skill that I gained through my time in the Benjamin arts programs has helped me thrive as a music major in college, where I am constantly collaborating and creating with other artists and producers.

Sarah Caroline Crall

Andrew DeFerrari

Isaac Wendler: Class of 2016 When I first enrolled at The Benjamin School as a junior in 2014, I had an inkling that I might want to pursue a career in science; when I graduated two years later, that inkling had grown into a full-fledged passion for STEM. From the start, the faculty were nothing but supportive of my interest in STEM. With the help of Mr. Gardner—the AP Physics teacher at the time—I was given the green-light to establish The Benjamin School Science Club. My friends and I spent that year preparing for the Science Olympiad, an annual competition that pits teams of high schoolers from around the state against one another in a test of scientific acumen and ingenuity. Although we didn’t make it to the top—our homemade RC cars ran out of battery and our Rube Goldberg machine ran amok—the experience showed my team and I that if we worked hard for it, we could compete with the best young scientists that Florida has to offer. Moreover, it assured me that Benjamin would provide the resources to help its students follow their passions.

My first real brush with science came after my junior year when,

thanks again to the help of faculty like Mrs. Szeliga, I was accepted into a summer research program at the Scripps Research Institute. I spent the summer in Dr. Scott Snyder’s chemistry lab, where I was tasked with synthesizing derivatives of resveratrol, a compound found naturally in the grapes used to make red wine. Besides offering exposure to basic science research, this internship introduced me to the many PhD students, postdocs, and PIs at Scripps. My conversations with these folks—even more so than my project itself—showed me that if I was truly passionate about science, I could make it my career.

The culmination of my high school STEM career came during my senior year, when two other Benjamin students and I competed in the 2016 Brain Bee at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.

On the day of our first team meeting, Mrs. Szeliga handed out binders of study material that she had organized in order to help us prepare for the competition. These resources proved to be essential—we ended up taking home the trophy and becoming Benjamin’s first team to both participate

in and win the Brain Bee. Since graduation, these experiences have continued to have a profound impact on my academic and professional choices. Within a month of starting college, I had joined a chemistry lab as an undergrad researcher—something that I likely wouldn’t have done had I not spent that summer at Scripps. After four years in that lab, I graduated and now work in the Yasuda Lab at Max Planck. This fall, I’ll start medical school at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. I can’t say where I’d be if it weren’t for Benjamin, but I can say that its faculty, resources, and philosophy only reinforced my passion for STEM and equipped me with the tools I needed to follow my dreams.

Isaac Wendler

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12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde Catches up with Former Faculty Members Evan Liberman Photography Editor

Every year, teachers will both leave and come to Benjamin. Although recent arrivals are welcomed with open arms, the School community often loses touch with past teachers as they pursue new opportunities.

The Pharcyde caught up with some former teachers to see what they’ve been up to since they left Benjamin.

Mr. Derek Harse, who taught various algebra classes during his tenure at Benjamin and left during the 201819 school year, has been focusing on his new job as Recreation Supervisor for the town of Jupiter.

“Since leaving Benjamin, a majority of my time has been dedicated to my new job including learning daily routines, establishing a new network of colleagues in the recreation field, and developing positive relationships…. I have also had more time to spend with my family and plan an eventual vacation,” Mr. Harse said.

Despite no longer working at the School, Mr. Harse has remained involved with the local community.

“I have been fortunate in my new position to continue to interact with members of the Benjamin community on a regular basis. This has included seeing former students and parents in parks and also keeping in contact with my former colleagues.

Additionally, … I have been able to

attend a couple of sporting events to reconnect,” Mr. Harse added.

Mr. Wesley Logsdon, who was a Social Studies teacher at the Upper School, has, like Mr. Harse, remained a part of the School community.

“I have spoken to [members of the community] via email, many others through text or phone, as well as [through] social media,” Mr. Logsdon wrote in a Mar. 1 email. “I still live locally,” he added.

Since his departure, Mr. Logsdon has transitioned to an administrative role as a Vice Principal at Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach.

Like Mr. Logsdon, Mr. and Mrs. McVicar also taught Social Studies at Benjamin and left in 2018 for The Overlake School in Redmond, Washington.

“We have both been... enjoying time in a different part of the country[,] but we missed our friends and family on the [e]ast [c]oast, so we are moving to the Philadelphia area this summer. I have been named the Assistant Head of School at Germantown Academy, so we are returning to a school that reminds us a lot of Benjamin,” wrote Mrs. McVicar.

Like many other former faculty members, the McVicars have remained a part of the School community.

“We keep up with some of our friends and colleagues from Benja-

New Touring Protocols due to COVID-19 Evan Liberman Photography Editor

In the age of COVID-19, much of what was once considered ‘normal’ has been altered. One aspect that has been overhauled in this new era is that of school touring for prospective Benjamin families.

Despite the pandemic, the School felt it needed to continue giving tours, according to Admission Associate and Director of Summer Programs Mr. Chris Nordland.

“We are trying to be cognizant of our own population. It doesn’t make sense to have families coming in from different parts of the country or even locally. That’s why we delayed [tours] to after school,” said Mr. Nordland.

As a result, a plan was formulated that would allow the School to continue to provide tours for prospective families and market the school in general, but in a COVID-19 friendly manner that minimized risk for all parties involved. “[Now,] while we tour, we do the opposite of everything we usually do in admission; when we see people we usually walk away from them and certainly keep our distance. There is a demand–it’s as high as it has ever been. People want to see us and ask questions… I think this was a healthy compromise for prospective families and protecting our [own],” added Nordland.

Since implementing the new system, the admission staff, including Mr. Nordland and others, has been busier than ever, according to Di-

rector of Admission Mrs. Mary Lou Primm.

“Our admission office has been busier than any year on record. Our re-enrollment for 2021-2022 is at 97%, which is the highest it’s ever been. In addition, applications for new students have increased by 50%.

This combination results in fewer spaces than anticipated for new students… Many of our grades are at capacity with a waiting list for the coming school year,” Mrs. Primm wrote in a Mar. 2 email.

The Kalian family, who recently toured Benjamin and had to follow the aforementioned School policy measures, had a mixed opinion.

“While we felt extremely safe touring the school, and right at home, it would have been great to see the students in person and in action,” the Kalian family wrote.

Regardless of the School’s current touring and marketing policy, many future plans in this field are up in the air.

“It’s difficult to predict what the coming school year will offer in the way of campus visits and marketing. Right now we are hopeful that we will be able to invite prospective families to tour the campus during the school day and offer prospective students the opportunity to shadow our school community, as these are two of our most effective marketing tools. I can say without a doubt that our admission staff looks forward to the opportunity to showcase our campus during school hours,” Mrs. Primm wrote.

min on a pretty regular basis. I talk to Mrs. Goldberg all the time, and we hear updates from friends like Sra. Tejera Mede and Miss. Miss. I still get professional advice from Mr. Carr. I also follow Benjamin on social media because I really do miss the lovely campus and atmosphere.

We are lucky to be in touch with many TBS alums, including some who will be living in the Philadelphia area when we move,” added Mrs. McVicar.

Last but certainly not least, the legendary Ms. August, whose Benjamin career ended earlier this school year, is leading a prosperous life in retirement.

“I have been playing tennis, riding my indoor bike, taking walks, reading, doing lots of puzzles, crocheting, facetiming with my family, and[,] like most people, watching Netflix,” Ms. August said.

Ms. August added that she is still in touch with several current teachers and noted that The Pharcyde’s very own advisor and English teacher Dr. John Peruggia is her “number one bud.” In addition, she misses interacting with Benjamin students and teachers.

Regardless of where they have ended up in life, it is clear that the School’s former faculty have continued to achieve personal and professional successes after their respective Benjamin teaching careers.

Mr. McVicar

Mr. Harse

Mrs. August

Senior Class Countdown

47 days until...

Sign My Shirt Day!

68 days until...

Grad Bash 2021

70 days until...

A prospective Buc and his family take a tour around the Lower and Middle School.

(Photo courtesy of Mrs. Fromson)

Mr. Logsdon

Mrs. McVicar

Graduation!

5...4...3...2...1

12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

Nadia Poncy Social Media Director Each spring, artists enrolled in the School’s AP Art classes have educated captivated audiences with an incisive, provocative, and imaginative exhibition of their work. This year, due to the restrictions of social gatherings from COVID-19, the AP Art Show will be featured online, hosted

by ThePharcyte.com, instead of in person in the lobby of Benjamin Hall.

Head of the Fine Art Department Ms. Melissa Ford is proud to showcase the AP students’ hard work from this past year, but has mixed feelings with the exhibit only being available online.

“I am excited of the opportunity for [the AP Art Exhibit] to be online, but at the same time, I’m a little disappointed because I feel like there is a certain special quality about seeing art in person. I do feel like we are missing out on some of that element from the show, but I do have a lot of students who are doing remote learning, and it really isn’t logistically possible to make it work this year,” she expressed.

The recent launch of The Gallery, a section of ThePharcyte.com, has made it possible for student art to be highlighted and shared with the wider community more easily and more of-

ten. The virtual AP Art Show should help in publicizing the new space.

“One of the most important initiatives of our new website has been to become a centralized showcase for student voices. The work produced by the members of the fine arts department, and the AP classes in particular, speaks volumes. We’re happy that the ThePharcyte.com can help amplify the attention that these messages so rightfully deserve,” noted Dr. Peruggia, the faculty advisor to the site.

Senior Samantha Sawyer is one student in the art department who has been virtual this whole year. Sawyer, who is currently a student enrolled in Ms. Sarah Rojo’s AP Art class this year, has been working on her pieces from home abroad in the Bahamas.

Sawyer said, “AP Art has been very manageable and enjoyable, despite being abroad. The class is very small, so Mrs. Davis definitely has a lot of one on one time with us and is easily accessible for any questions or help I might need.”

Sawyer, who is unable to be in school in person, is looking forward to the show being online because she loves to see the other students’ works as well as her own on display.

“My favourite pieces that I have created so far this school year are

“Abaco Arise” and “Longing,” but I am currently working on a piece I am excited to share. I have been trying something new and adding collage elements to my work and have been loving it,” Sawyer explained.

The AP Art Show has not confirmed a date for its virtual opening, but those who are looking forward to the exhibit should expect to see it uploaded in the coming weeks.

Though the AP Art show will be online this year, Ms. Ford hopes to continue using the advantage of posting artwork online as well in addition to having in person exhibits in the future because it will allow more people to view the students’ works.

In addition to the AP Art Show, the Art Department will also be hosting its annual display of student work at the Gardens Mall on Apr. 15. All are welcome to come and look at some of the artworks of all students who have taken one or more art classes this year.

Ms. Ford is excited about the upcoming show, remarking, “We still will be able to exhibit 400 pieces at the Gardens Mall so that will still be a nice opportunity for students to see artwork in person. Unfortunately, we cannot host the opening reception like we normally do, but at least students can still see live artwork.”

Teresa Tuong

Jane Boyland

Joey Palomba Sydney Haselkorn

Sophia Smith

Kate Waxman

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12 March 2021

Page 8

A student is

The Pharcyde

Nobody went to school for a day?!

?

Dr. F aus

?!

“That’s a family issue, not a school issue.”

- Dr. Amy Taylor

That would result in some serious phone calls.

H

W

A teacher quits without a warning?

That’s simple ...

Replace him!

A student doesn’t complete their requirements?!

I F

FACED COVID-1 WORLD AN WITH COM VACCINE PRAYE

No diploma!

The school will work with the student and ensure graduation, though it may be delayed.

SO.

THE PHA ASKED SOM FOLLOW

It’s a tie for valedictorian?!

Where there was once one, there would then be t wo!

Valedictorians

12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

?

A student doesn’t get into college?!

“The student would have to consider a gap year, or state/community college.”

- Mrs. Wright

A

I F

WITH 19, THE NSWERED MPASSION, ES, AND ERS.

Page 9

I didn’t get into college!

What am I gonna do?

Somebody runs away from school in the middle of the day?!

T

It’s a call to the police and a breach of our trust!

A famous kid with a bodyguard comes to Benjamin?!

No way they’re stepping foot in a classroom, they’d be too distracting...

...

ARCYDE ME TOUGH W-UPS

It’s not a drill?! What happens next?

D D A A N N G G E E R! R!

There would be a discussion within the administration, which would then guage the wellness of both students and faculty.

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12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

Staff Writer Predicts who will Take “The Final Rose”

By Jane Boyland Staff Writer

With the 25th season finale of The Bachelor quickly approaching on Mar. 15, fans are eager to know who will receive Matt James’ final rose.

After an overwhelming and drama-filled season still with more to come, the final three women currently on the show are Rachael Kirkconnell, Bri Springs, and Michelle Young.

Springs is a 24 year old Communications Manager and lives in San Francisco, California. She quit her job at Facebook just to come on James’ season.

Young is a 27 year old elementary school teacher and former Division One basketball player from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some of her students were lucky enough to meet James on Young’s “hometown” date through Zoom.

Kirkconnell is a 24 year old graphic designer from Cumming, Georgia. There has been some controversy around Kirkconnell because of the rumors spreading about her.

She had been a fan favorite before all of these rumors escalated. Supposedly, she has made several racist remarks, and this is causing uproar among watchers.

Chris Harrison, the host of the

show, announced that he will be taking a temporary leave from the series, including the rest of James’ season.

This announcement is related to the rumors surrounding Kirkconnell, as he apparently defended her side of the story.

Junior Danielle Lancaster makes her prediction about who she thinks James is going to pick and her overall thoughts on the season.

“This season has been such a roller coaster,” she said. “I can usually tell who is going to be in the top four from the first few episodes. This season was a little harder to predict because there were a lot of women on the show, and some women even entered the show a few weeks into the season. I knew Rachael would go far [in the show], and I was right. She may even win.”

The Women Tell All recently aired on Mar. 1 and gave perspective on certain aspects of the show.

Essentially, this episode of the series is where all of the women James sent home come together and argue. The portrayed “villains” of the season spoke their minds on their side of the story. Victoria Fuller, arguably one of the meanest women on the season, was portrayed in a negative light because of the way she treated the other

women. She tried to defend herself in the episode, but most of the women were unforgiving.

The members of The Pharcyde like Springs the most, but predict Kirkconnell is going to win. She has had James’ heart since the beginning of the season. They have the strongest and most obvious connection of the remaining three women.

This season of The Bachelor has been a huge hit amongst students at the School. Matt James, this season’s bachelor, is anticipated to make his final pick in the season finale this March 15th. (Photo by Jane Boyland)

The Value of Shoes at Benjamin: A Review on the School’s Most Popular Footwear

By Clara Schor Staff Writer Shoes are very important in one’s everyday life.

To Benjamin students, the topic of shoe liking varies from trends to making a profit off selling top brand shoes and sneakers.

As the Air Force One trend threads on, many students at school wear different styles and colors of these air force one’s.

Junior Sydney Steinger admires shoes as well as trends. She has two pairs of Air Force Ones but does not rely on trends fully to depict what shoes she purchases.

“I mainly care about the comfort of a shoe but I also like a more plain color or at least one that goes with everything”, she said.

New shoes mean alot to people, for Sydney, she usually tries a new color or style from the previous to change up style.

Junior Eden Josza has no care for what kind or type of shoes she wears and only on the level of comfort.

“I am wearing mens shoes right now because they are comfy and I do not follow trends at all”, she said.

Sophomore Jasper Wright has a different perspective on shoes. He does not follow trends and wear what he likes.

“I wear what I like. It’s a form of expression and shouldn’t be apart of a specific trend. People who wear specific shoes to fit a trend or impress people simply aren’t genuine”, Wright said.

Junior Emeline Smith admires fashion trends ranging from shoes to clothes to hairstyles.

She says “I do usually buy shoes that are trendy, but not if they are really expensive. I am not a fan of Golden Goose because they are so over worn and super expensive for the quality. I try to find cheaper shoes because I wear out each pair easily”.

Air Force One’s are the biggest trend setter going on right now. They are comfortable, easy to style, and come in many colors and styles.

A unique story with sophomore Colin Stangel, he takes shoes into a distinct view and instead of just wearing expensive shoes, he sells them to many people who he then makes a profit off of.

“I sell what has high demand and low supply which helps me fluctuate

the prices and raise my profit margins”, he said, “I feel that I have learned a lot in business with selling shoes and how the economy works as well as supply and demand”.

In his time, Stangel has met many ‘famous’ rappers in which they are perceived to be celebrities, but getting to meet them and know them not just with what the media says about them, Stangel says “most people tend to forget they are people. In real life, they are really nice”.

Working his way up, he said “I was inspired by a pair of Yeezys I wanted that my parents wouldn’t buy because they were too expensive for a 12 year old so I sold my shoes that I had in order to buy the Yeezys for myself ”.

He sells his shoes at a high price tag because production for them is very limited which makes it hard to find them.

“Currently my latest offer on one of my 1/30 [pairs of shoes] was $75,000 which was ridiculous for a pair of shoes; but because of the demand and [there] only being 30 pairs, numbers go up like that”, he said.

Since the School requires students to be in uniform throughout the day, some students look to their footwear as their form of individuality and expression in their style. More popular shoe trends recently have been Golden Goose, Nike Air Jordans, and Naked Wolf sneakers.

(Photos by Sophia Liporace)

AP Exams Just Around the Corner What Books Do We Use to Study?

By Tvisha Goel News Editor

With AP exams just around the corner, the School has decided that students will be taking the exams in-person and on paper, despite the College Board offering an online option. Regardless, students are beginning to study and using a multitude of resources to help them.

Junior Kiley Malmberg studies for her AP exams using Barron’s books. “I choose to use Barron’s and 5 Steps to a 5 as they have multiple practice tests that help me prepare for the exam…. [T]hey also help explain to me any wrong answers I may get during the practice exams so I can learn from my mistakes and get the best possible score on the actual test,” she said.

Similarly, junior Danielle Lancaster said, “To study for most of my AP classes, I use the review book 5 Steps to a 5 because I feel as though the questions are the most accurate compared to the material that is going to be on the test. In addition, 5 Steps to a 5 have practice FRQs and multiple-choice questions.”

While both Lancaster and Malmberg use AP study books to prepare them for AP exams, junior Cameron Salehi and sophomore Skyler Malmberg use alternative resources.

Malmberg said, “I have two AP exams that are back to back that I need to prepare for which are AP Physics 1 and AP United States History. For the latter, I plan on reviewing old multiple-choice questions, my assignments, and notes. I also plan on using websites like Khan Academy as well as videos by tutors such as Steve Heimler. For [AP Physics 1], I plan on doing practice problems and reviewing information that I have been taught in classes as well as seeking outside resources.”

Exam preparation is not only deBooks Amsco

Mrs. Carr: “Life, In a Nutshell”

by Barenaked Ladies

Other Resources

Ubiquitous textbook for AP history classes. Consists of word definitions, short summaries of long time periods, practice multiple choice questions and practice FRQs.

3

Ranked #1 on Amazon in AP test guides category, contains multiple practice tests, giving an exam-like experience, and full content review.

Class Textbooks

3

4

Notes

Sometimes the best, as the content is in the students’ own words in the way they understand it most. After all, they’ve already learned the content. They only need a simple review.

Other Online Resources

4

Quizlet, YouTube, etc can help a student study for their AP exam to learn it in ways they haven’t before.

3

Teachers

teachers know best...

5 Steps to a5

1

A McGraw Hill series, this textbook contains full-length practice tests, practice excersise with thorough explanations, and overviews of the AP Exam content and structure.

College Board Textbooks

3

AP Classroom

AP Classroom provides hard-core multiple choice practice for students and provide them with explanations regarding right and wrong answers

1

Most representative of any exam, since CollegeBoard is the creator of both AP tests and other universal exams.

According to a survery sent out by The Pharcyde, the majority of students use class notes, online resources, help from their teachers, or AP Classroom resources. Some students use class textbooks, Amsco textbooks, or Princeton review books. Either way, students use these resources in order to achieve the best possible score they can on an AP Exam.

(Graphic by Tvisha Goel)

Carr Tunes Mr. Carr: “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys”by Traffic

How Do You Study For AP Exams?

3

Princeton review

pendent on students but is bolstered by how the teachers facilitate further studying in order to help students achieve the best possible score they can.

AP Government and World History teacher Mr. Nicholas Cramer recommends that since teachers know best what the College Board is looking for on the AP exam, students defer to their teachers to see which review book is the best for their specific course.

Mr. Cramer also urged students to provide feedback to their teachers. “You should… let your teacher know of an area you’d like to review more in-depth as the test approaches.

Teachers greatly benefit from students letting us know specific areas to work on and we can craft reviews accordingly,” Mr. Cramer said. Mr. Cramer will be holding review sessions for his AP Government and Politics class after school since that class was taught in the first semester.

Science Department Chair Dr. James Haley also begins preparing his students prior to the exam. “In AP Chemistry, we usually finish the curriculum a few weeks before the exam.

I will spend part of a class period reviewing the material from an earlier unit, and then we will practice with old AP questions. I typically assign a couple of quizzes to motivate my students to review the old units. We also do a full-length practice exam so that they can practice answering the questions in the amount of time allotted.”

AP exams are quickly approaching, leaving students with about two months to prepare for them. While it may be difficult to study due to added stress from the pandemic, Benjamin makes its faculty and other resources readily available to students. So, it is important to take these few months to fully utilize those resources. Good luck!

12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

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Spring Fashion Trends: What’s Hot and What’s Not? Sophia Liporace Executive Managing Editor Spring is a season filled with colorful flowers, sunny days, and trees beginning to grow their leaves, but this year, it is also filled with patterned mini skirts, wide leg trousers, puff sleeves, and ribbed knitwear.

According to Vogue, these statement pieces will definitely be coming from designers like Versace, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, but students can also find similar trends on websites like Princess Polly, Aritzia, and Intermix.

Prada lives by the phrase “as temperatures rise, so do hemlines” which is why a focus piece of their digital fashion show was a jeweled mini skirt styled on Lila Grace Moss.

Chloé followed closely by putting out A-line mini skirts as did Etro applying its signature paisley print to cutoff jean shorts.

After a long quarantine of depending on sweatpants and sweatshirt sets, brands are trying to break out of that reliance and have consumers opt for a classier piece. The most popular pant option as of right now are wideleg roomy trousers designed by Louis Vuitton, Jacquemus, or Raey.

Junior Emeline Smith is very passionate about her work in modeling and fashion, and she is definitely one to look to for fashion trends. Smith has been keeping up with and even predicting some fashion trends for 2021 and is excited to see what the

fashion industry comes up with.

“I’ve predicted the use of mesh in clothing in 2021 and Converse in 2020 which have both been pretty accurate. My favorite trend at the moment is the new line of Coach bags.

For me, the brand has been very outdated and seemed like a 90s fad but they really stepped it up with their 2021 line. I believe that we will see a rise in interest in the brand in the next year,” she said.

So-called “psychedelic” prints are being applied to various articles of clothing pioneered by designers like Tom Ford and Kenneth Ize. Puff-sleeves are also making a comeback. Whether in a pastoral print like the midi dress by Brock Collection or as a ruffled Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini mini, a voluminous sleeve offers a bold new silhouette.

On more affordable and casual websites like Princess Polly, ribbed knitwear seems to be a common trend. Whether it’s being used to make casual dresses or crop tops, it definitely seems to be a popular pick.

A lot of students have also looked to thrift stores to seek out old pieces that have come back in style.

“I shop all over[,] but I think thrifting is the way to go. Clothing always comes back in style and you can find the most unique pieces,” Emeline Smith added.

Despite the school uniform, you might see students integrating these new fashion trends into their every-

day looks while on campus, or you can check their Instagram accounts to see how their looks evolve when they aren’t at School. Regardless, it will be facinating to keep what trends come into fashion.

Model and fashion connoisseur Emeline Smith strikes a pose for a picture after trying on a stylish outfit. Smith has come up with several fashion predictions for this year including the idea that clothes will feature mesh.

She was correct in predicting the return of Converse shoes in 2020.

(Photo courtesy of Emeline Smith)

Review: Niko’s Greek Kouzina Nadia Poncy Social Media Director

The new greek restaurant Niko’s Greek Kouzina just opened a few weeks ago in Tequesta, and it has already received numerous positive reviews, so I had to test it out myself.

It’s safe to say that I was slightly disappointed, as I had been expecting more from the reviews I had read before going to the restaurant.

The atmosphere was cute and encapsulated a Greek vibe from the blue and white colors of the flag to the music that was being played. I liked the vibe, but it was a little too bright in the restaurant for my liking making it not as romantic of a setting as I would have hoped. It was very very white inside the restaurant and almost blinding due to the high intensity of lighting.

Nonetheless, the restaurant was clean and the staff was very friendly and consistently made sure my glass of water was always full. In addition to the staff being very friendly, the service was impeccable as the food was prepared very fast that we ordered and was still very good.

What I did appreciate with the restauraunt was their COVID-19 precautions as they consistently cleaned down tables and maintained social distancing between each of the tables.

As I have ventured to several other restauraunts during the pandemic, some have not been following social distancing guidelines, but here, they did, which I greatly appreciated.

I ordered a bunch of appetizers to split amongst the table all of which explained why the reviews had been so positive as each appetizer was amazing. My personal favorite was the “Spanakopita” because it was perfectly crispy and tasted amazing.

The “Saganaki” cheese dish was also very tasty and came with a bit of fun as the waiter who served it shouted “Opa!” as he plated the dish in front of us. The calamari was a fan favorite at the table, but it was lacking a little flavor. It was still very good, but it wasn’t the best calamari I had.

Unfortunately, the main course that I ordered was lacking in comparison to the appetizers. I ordered the “Gyro’s Platter” which consisted of gyros and sides of fries and green

beans. The green beans did not look appealing at all, but the fries were decent given that it was not their specialty on the menu. What disappointed me were the gyros themselves as they did not taste very good at all and the texture was a bit too rubbery for my liking. They had good flavor and were definitely not lacking in it, but these were far from being the best I have had.

If I were to go back, I would most likely order something different or stick to ordering a bunch of appetizers which I really enjoyed. I most likely will be going back given the close vicinity the restaurant is to my house and how good the spanakopita was. In all honesty, I would just go back for the spanakopita because I loved it was very tasty.

All in all, I enjoyed my time at Niko’s and I’m glad that a new Greek restaurant opened in Tequesta and not another Italian restaurant. While not the best Greek restaurant I have ever been to, the food was still very appetizing, and I would definitely recommend friends and family to give it a try.

New greek restaurant Nikos Greek Kouzina has just opened in Tequesta in the past few weeks receiving many positive reviews in the short time since its opening. (Left photos courtesy of Nikos Greek Kouzina) (Right photo by Nadia Poncy)

photos courtesy of instagram

Editor’s take on Hit Show WandaVision Charlie Spungin Sports Editor Marvel Studio’s first TV series that takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), WandaVision, had its finale episode on March 5.

The show is a combination of a sitcom and action. Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch, created her perfect world separate from reality in order to bring her deceased android boyfriend Vision back to life.

Her perfect world, referred to as the hex in the show, is made up of American sitcoms from the 1950s to the 2000s that she grew up watching.

Because she is so powerful, Wanda is able to create Vision from herself. Because of this, he cannot survive outside of the hex.

SWORD, Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division, led

by Director Tyler Hayward, is stationed outside of the hex trying to investigate what is going on. Hayward frames Wanda to have stolen Vision’s deceased body. Meanwhile, he was experimenting on the body in order to create his own android weapon that he could control, The Vision made by SWORD has no memory of the previous Vision’s life. When this Vision is sent into the hex to fight the hexmade Vision, the Vision from the hex uses his power to give the SWORDmade Vision his memory back. The SWORD-Vision flies off, which could mean that Vision will remain in the real universe MCU. As the show progresses, the seemingly perfect world is revealed to be anything but that. Wanda and Vision’s

neighbor, Agnes, later revealed to be Agatha Harkness, a witch, desires to learn Wanda’s powers and how she got them. Agnes, a trained witch for centuries, is jealous that Wanda naturally has her powers and required no studying to do so.

Wanda possesses chaos magic, a type of magic that is so powerful that it makes her one of the strongest beings in the universe and also makes her the Scarlet Witch. Agnes reveals that the Scarlet Witch’s destiny is to destroy the Earth, according to the Darkhold.

The Darkhold is the most evil and corrupt book of magic in the universe, which is extremely concerning because it is revealed in the post-credits scene that Wanda has started to study the book. Since she was revealed to be in the next Doctor Strange movie, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she could be the villain of the next movie.

Before her studying of the book, Wanda ends the hex and the reality.

Because everything that she created within the hex cannot survive outside of it and in the real world, she had to give up her two twins Billy and Tommy as well as her love Vision.

The mid-credit scene reveals Monica Rambeau, who got her powers during the series, to still be in contact with the Skrull race, a race of shape-shifting aliens who have found their way onto Earth.

The show sets up a variety of new storylines that Marvel can use, as it further developed Wanda’s character arc and her future in the MCU. It will be interesting to see what happens next!

Marvel’s TV show, WandaVision, was a success, especially considering it was the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first. The next show, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, will begin on Mar. 19.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

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Senior Turns Moments into Memories with Filmmaking Sophia Liporace Executive Managing Editor

Whether she’s filming a basketball practice, a football game, a segment on Black History Month for BTV, or a tear-jerking documentary on the stories of the School’s students, senior Devyn Dyett can be seen all over campus with a camera in hand ready to capture any moment.

In addition to being a member of the BTV crew, Dyett has created her own platform consisting of a YouTube channel, Instagram account, and small business–all of which focus on her content.

This creativity that once started as a small act of school spirit has opened up a whole new world for Devyn.

“I started last year as a junior by creating hype videos for the football team. They really enjoyed them, and I liked making them so I decided to continue with the idea of creating film. I invested in a camera and kept working on various projects. To showcase my work, I created an Instagram (@DevyFX) and a YouTube channel where I also show the behind the scenes,” said Dyett.

Despite having a full course load and being a captain of the varsity girls’ basketball team, Dyett has managed to develop a process that allows her to create astounding results.

“I shoot with a Sony A6500 camera and edit all of my content on Adobe Premiere Pro. When creating a video, I usually script out a plan but do a lot of improvising on the spot because I’m usually working with real people and not professional actors,” she said.

Mr. Ken Archer heads the BTV program as the Director of Multimedia Productions and has helped develop Dyett’s skills in film this year, and he is certain that she has made an impact on the community.

I plan to major in digital media in college and hopefully land an internship with the athletic department. I love creating and am so glad I found something I’m passionate about.

-Devyn Dyett “Devyn is a model film student.

What separates Devyn from most student filmmakers is her passion to find subjects that most people wouldn’t know about without Devyn using her remarkable abilities to shine a light on them. The fact that Devyn uses her extraordinary film making abili-

Student Wins Playwright Award

Senior Lexi McCulla was selected as one of the prestigious winners of the Young Playwrights Festival put on every year by Palm Beach Dramaworks. Her play, A Fall From Grace, will be featured in a live staged reading over Zoom on Mar. 24.

(Photo courtesy of the Benjamin Archives)

Matthew Marasco Staff Writer Early this year, the Palm Beach Dramaworks hosted a Young Playwrights Festival which the Buccaneers from the drama program participated in. The contest has a goal of influencing high school students to use their creativity in writing their thoughts in their specific plays.

“I think it is so great that they afford students an opportunity from both public and independent schools a chance to have their work reach a wider audience. It’s a prestigious festival in that the ‘judges’ are professional playwrights and theatre artists.” said Benjamin’s Director of Theatre, Mr. Jason Peck.

There were 20 finalists for the contest including senior Lexi McCulla, who ultimately finished as one of the program’s ten winners. Her play took place at Brown University and featured an array of characters.

“My play featured two main characters, Mr. Weaver, a recent Nobel Prize winner and professor at Brown, and Naomi Scott, a college student with an extreme talent for writing.

In the play, it is revealed that Naomi is just one paper away from getting a prestigious internship in England, however she never did the paper. Mr. Weaver then offers her a deal in return for the internship, he wants to

pass Naomi’s work as his own,” said festival winner Lexi McCulla.

Lexi was thrilled when they announced her as one of the winners, and is only looking forward to the future after getting professional feedback on her play. On Mar. 24, her play will be featured on Zoom in a live staged reading from Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Although Lexi was always confident about her work, she did not expect to win and when she did she was thrilled.

“I had confidence that my work was strong, but I had no idea how strong everyone else’s was too. I also knew that my fellow semifinalists at Benjamin had amazing work, so I didn’t know if they would pick my work over theirs. I didn’t expect to win, so when I had actually won I was overjoyed,” said McCulla.

Lexi credits the program at Benjamin for helping her get to where she is today. “I think that Benjamin helped me a lot in playwriting. I’ve been in the drama program here since 7th grade and over time I became very familiar with play format and saw the difference between a good play and a bad one,” said McCulla.

The Pharcyde congratulates Lexi on her amazing triumph and hopes everyone can tune into the Zoom on Mar. 24 to watch it be performed.

ties to help others is a true testament to just “who” Devyn Dyett is: a great filmmaker, and a greater person,” Mr. Archer said.

Needless to say, Devyn has grown beyond her original goals and branched out nationally.

“I’ve worked for local teams and players and last month I was even able to create content for NBA player Ersan Ilyasova,” said Dyett.

One of her videos featuring Ilyasova has managed to gain over 4,000 views in 2 months; however, Devyn’s most influential video to date is her short documentary Triumph Over Tragedy, Trakwon Harris which features the challenges sophomore Trakwon Harris faced after losing his mother just a few months ago.

After dipping her toe in the film industry, Dyett has decided that sports media is something she looks forward to learning more about in the future.

“I plan to major in digital media in college and hopefully land an internship with the athletic department.

I love creating and am so glad I found something I’m passionate about,” added Devyn.

It is safe to say that you might want to look out for Devyn Dyett in the credits section of a film in the future.

DevynGram

12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

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Boys Lax off to Promising Start Clara Schor Staff Writer As the spring season kicks off, the Benjamin boys lacrosse team has come in with two wins against Jupiter Christian and Kings Academy.

Senior Trevor Natalie has been playing on the Upper School team for the entirety of his high school career.

Speaking about his coaches who have had a great influence on him since freshman year, Natalie says “I know all the coaches on a personal level especially Coach Cordrey who I’ve known since freshman year.

Each coach I have a great deal of respect for and value all their opin-

ions. The only new coach this year is Coach Kisslinger who is the sickest defender of all time”.

Many of the players have been injured in the first weeks of the season including Trevor Natalie, Jon Drettman, Jack Regnery, AJ Stratton, Joey Tuschman, and Brett Salach.

Trevor did not have the chance to play during pre season because of his ankle injury and post surgery. Luckily, he recovered just in time for the first game of the season. But on the other hand, AJ Stratton a big impact on the team has broken his ankle the day before the first game in practice.

Trevor says, “he is one of the

Members of the boys lacrosse team celebrate a goal in their Mar. 6 win against John Carroll High School. Though it is early, many members of the team are hoping for a deep-run in the post-season following last years Coronavirus-caused stop. The team will next take on rival Oxbridge Academy this Friday, Mar. 12 at home.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

hardest working kids on the team and I felt horrible. I hope he recovers so he can be back for playoffs or districts” about AJ Stratton’s broken ankle.

As Trevor graduates, he feels very confident with the underclassmen and juniors and believes they will uphold the team.

“I bond with all of my teammates and it is much like a brotherhood.

There is not one guy on the team I don’t know,” he said.

New addition to the team senior Joey Schmidt is already developing an understanding for the game. As this is his third varsity sport of the school year, consisting of football, wrestling, and now lacrosse, he didn’t get to experience preseason due to wrestling as he joined the team two weeks before the first game.

“I love it,” he said, “everyone has been helpful and always willing to lend a hand or advice.”

Brock Roe has been working hard the past three years to become starting goalie as he is in his third year playing varsity lacrosse.

“I’ve been working on my clearing and my leadership skills on the field a lot the past three years to be where I am today”, he said.

Each player on the team has a significant role and special talents. The team foresees that they will have a bright future and hopefully Districts and States.

Senior Gwen Savidge cradles the lacross ball while running to avoid the opposing teams defense. Savidge, like many of the teams players, plays on a club team outside of school. Though the only senior, the team is packed with young talent that Savidge hopes to help grow into a strong, uniform, and determined team.

(Photo courtesy of Gwen Savidge)

Girls Leading in Lax and Life Charlie Spungin Sports Editor

After last year’s season got cut short because of COVID-19, the girls’ lacrosse team is looking to continue the success that they had at the end of last season.

Before the cancellation last year, the girls were 6-2 and on a four game winning streak. As of March 6, the girls this year are 4-2.

After losing four seniors from last year, the team this year is one of the most youthful in years with merely one senior this season, Gwen Savidge. A four year member of the team, Savidge says that she is “going to miss the team”, but she also knows that the team will be both successful now and for years to come.

“I think the team will be amazing and very talented,” she said. “We

have a young team, yet they are so athletic and determined that it will be a winning team.”

As the only senior, Savidge does feel the added pressure of representing the team, but also enjoys her leadership role on the team.

“It’s really tough because people expect more out of you. However, it makes underclassmen not afraid to talk to the upperclassman since there aren’t many,” she said.

Junior Lily Valentini also finds the role of being a leader a very up and down experience.

“Being a leader on the lacrosse team can be difficult yet easy at times. I make sure that our team is on the same page in practice, that everyone is keeping their heads up when we are losing, and most importantly, that we are having fun.”

A spotlight on the twelve lacrosse-playing seniors Luke Cannata

Dominick Devito

Sean Dickens

Jon Drettman

Reed Gahan

Bradley Groffman

Connor Hewitt

Lenny Lindahl

Trevor Natalie

Andrew Pagano

Joey Schmidt

Gwen Savidge

Boys Lacrosse 3/16 vs Ponte Vedra @Ponte Vedra

3/25 vs Jensen Beach HS @Jensen Beach HS

3/19 vs St. Thomas Aquinas @Home

3/26 vs Boca Raton HS @Boca Raton HS

3/23 vs St. John Paul HS @Home

3/30 vs Lake Highland Prep @Home

Girls Lacrosse Varsity Lacrosse

March Schedule

3/18 vs St. Edwards @St. Edwards

3/23 vs Martin County HS @Martin County HS

3/19 vs Kings Academy @Kings Academy

3/26 vs Pine Crest @Home

3/20 vs St. Thomas Aquinas @St. Thomas Aquinas

3/30 vs Suncoast HS @Suncoast HS

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12 March 2021

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The FHSAA’s Lack of Ice Hockey Doesn’t Stop These Passionate Players Nadia Poncy Social Media Director Benjamin has a plethora of sports offered at the School, but one sports team that we lack is a hockey team which is not necessarily popular in the tropical climate of South Florida, but that doesn’t stop several students from finding a way to play it.

Junior Joey Slyh and sophomore Carson Krul are two students from the School who play travel hockey.

Both have been playing hockey from a very young age and continue to play as well as participate in other team sports at school.

Slyh has been playing hockey since he was six years old and also plays soccer for the boys soccer team here at school. Playing hockey, however, takes up a significant amount of time as Slyh says he experiences.

“Hockey is definitely a large commitment as any travel sport would be.

I haven’t had to miss school days this year for tournaments, but I have had to in years past. Although I haven’t missed classes, it does take a lot of time out of my days after school since I play in Lake Worth, and I am often traveling a lot on the weekends, specifically to Tampa and Clearwater,” said Joey Slyh.

Krul, a member of the boys lacrosse team here at school, said that hockey is a commitment, but it doesn’t affect him too much other than missing some Fridays for weekend tournaments much like other travel sports. When it does become an issue, it usually occurs during lacrosse season.

“When lacrosse season comes around I usually have 3-4 weeks of hockey left, so I try to manage both but they overlap constantly so it makes it pretty difficult to attend all the lacrosse games and practices at the start,” said Krul.

In addition to the time crunch, both Slyh and Krul have faced other difficulties playing a “winter sport” in an otherwise always sunny and hot South Florida.

Krul commented, “Generally, in Florida, there’s not many great college hockey opportunities, so if you would want to play at a high

college level, you would have to attend a good prep school up north. I just didn’t feel like living up north for the last two years of high school was something I wanted to do.”

Slyh and Krul put a lot of work into hockey, but not too many students know about their dedication or even their participation in the sport because it is not vocalized by the school. Nonetheless, when asked if they wanted both recognition, they both agreed that it was fine not getting the recognition.

Krul explained, “I think outside sports shouldn’t be recognized at school because most of the time your team doesn’t attend your school. I feel it would be pointless to just rec-

ognize a single kid when hockey is a team sport.”

Hockey is not a sport for the weak as it is a very fast-paced sport with tons of action. Krul and Slyh dedicate tons of time and effort to the sport, but both have a shared passion for it.

Slyh said, “I play hockey because it is my favorite sport to play.

I like the physical aspect of the game and how competitive and aggressive it can get. Also, it has a very unique atmosphere and is very fast paced.”

Those who are interested in playing hockey should reach out to either Carson Krul or Joey Slyh if they have any interest in the sport. Though not very popular in South Florida, it is a very fun sport both to watch and play.

Freshman Carolyn Vernon lands an axel, one of her favorite skills, in competition.

She has been ice skating for many years.

(Photo courtesy of Carolyn Veron)

Freshman Ice Skater Shares How to Perform an Axel Carolyn Vernon’s favorite trick is a jump called an axel. She walks us through how the skill is completed.

First you get speed and skate backwards.

Then, you extend your left leg backwards while having your arms bent in front of you.

Turn forward and swing your arms back while you push off of your left leg.

Hockey player Joey Slyh skates towards the goal with intentions to score. Now a junior, Slyh has been playing since he was only six years old, and currently plays for a team that is based in Lake Worth. Both he and sophomore Carson Krul have spent much of their time dedicated to hockey.

(Photo courtesy of Joey Slyh)

Next, you jump up and forward, pull your arms in, and turn one and a half times in the air.

Then, when you land, you extend your arms and leg.

Celebrate your success!

Two Student-Equestrians Share Their Experiences Evan Liberman Photography Editor

When asked about what sports Benjamin students participate in, a typical response would probably include track, tennis, football, baseball, basketball and so on and so forth.

However, one of the most overlooked sports that Benjamin students, like Caelan Brindise and Olivia Martinez, take part in is horseback riding.

Brindise, a junior who is in her third year at Benjamin, began riding horses at just six years old and her primary motivation for getting into such a unique sport at such a young age was watching her neighbors’ horses.

“I took an interest [in their horses] and have been riding ever since,” Brindise said.

Brindise’s near decade of riding and dedication to the sport have taught her many valuable life lessons.

“Horseback riding has taught me a lot of responsibility because you are not only responsible for yourself but the care of an animal too,” she commented.

The sport, while challenging, has provided Brindise with great and impactful memories that she could not have attained otherwise.

“Going to nationals and getting

reserve champion at medal finals are some of my lasting memories. I have qualified for regionals almost every year in IEA [Interscholastic Equestrian Association] and am going to zones in North Carolina this month,” she stated.

One of the most interesting parts of horseback riding according to Brindise is the preparation and skill

that it involves.

“There is definitely a lot more that goes into it than what I initially meets the eye, similar to many sports.

The movement and position of your body can [drastically] affect the way the horse moves,” she wrote in a Mar. 5 email. “Lots of leg strength is necessary to keep you on the horse as well,” she added.

Sophomore Olivia Martinez jumps an obstacle on top of her horse. Though she started horseback riding at just four years old, she did not realize just how much she loved it until a few years later. From her equestrian life, she has learned many values, such as patience and responsibility.

(Photo courtesy of Olivia Martinez)

Like Brindise, sophomore Olivia Martinez is also a dedicated and seasoned horseback rider.

“I started horseback riding when I was about four and did it for about a year… I was not a huge fan of the original barn I went to[,] so I wasn’t riding for about three years. I was approached by one of my Mom’s coworkers who had a friend that owned a boarding barn. She asked me if I would go out and try riding for a second time. When I rode… again I realized how much I missed the sport and fell in love with it all over again.

I’ve been riding with the same trainer ever since,” Martinez wrote in a Mar. 6 email to The Pharcyde.

Martinez was first introduced to horseback riding through her father’s business.

“My dad is in the exotic car business and has a large number of clients in Wellington. [S]o, from a young age, I was surrounded by horses with him. He and I were occasionally invited to polo matches and large jumping events... where I really learned to value the sport. Seeing all the professionals ride fascinated me and in those moments I realized I wanted to do it too,” Martinez stated.

Olivia’s years of riding have left her with several valuable life lessons.

“I think the most important thing I’ve learned from riding is patience and responsibility. Most people fail to realize that riding is a team sport and the only difference between it and other sports is that your own teammate can’t speak the same language as you. When it comes to you and your horse, communication and connection are most important. …

[Y]ou’re constantly held accountable for the life of a 1,200-pound animal,” she said.

Moreover, Martinez has been exposed to very unique experiences as a result of her sport. For example, just prior to a horse show, her horse was spooked and ran away, throwing Olivia off in the process. Everything worked out, however, as the pony was caught and its rider was unscathed. Martinez believes that the event serves as a reminder that horseback riding is capable of throwing anything one’s way.

Both Caelan and Olivia have come away with many important skills, both athletically and character-wise, as a result of horseback riding. The sport’s many challenges and accompanying life lessons make it just as important as more popular sports in the eyes of Brindise and Martinez.

12 March 2021

The Pharcyde

Page 15

Track Team More Ready Than Ever to Face New Season Matthew Marasco Staff Writer With their first meet taking place on Feb. 20, the track and field team, led by head coach Barret Saunders, has high hopes for the season. After the first meet, in which the boys finished first and the girls finished second, the team assessed what they needed to improve on to achieve their goal of making it to states in multiple events.

“The [first] meet went incredibly well. This early in the season there are a lot of variables as athletes try out a variety of events to see where they can best compete and help the team. While we certainly have room to improve, there were countless performances that the team should be proud of,” said assistant coach Mr. Cramer.

This year’s team has many new faces, including four football players who hope their skills on the field will help them on the track. The team features 55 boys and girls–one of the largest ever.

“Something that is really important for me this year is [that] the 4x1 relay team make[s] it to states. We are all teammates on the football team and it would be really cool to make it to the state level in another sport together,” said runner and sophomore Cole Grande.

Many of the runners believe that their hard work during practice will pay off and help them achieve their goals, both individually and as a team. The team prides itself on prac-

ticing as hard as it can for two hours every weekday other than when there is a meet.

“We have a fairly young team, so my expectations for the team are that we improve all season long and by the end of the year we are peaking....

If we keep practicing, all the other goals will take care of themselves,” said head coach Barret Saunders.

Last year, the team was sidelined due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the team has put that behind them and believes this year is unique, [despite] losing most of the season last year, including districts.

“This year feels special because we will actually have a chance to show off our skills at states without COVID-19 canceling our season.

[Last year’s cancellation] has definitely made the team closer,” said runner Trakwon Harris.

As the season has gotten into full swing, many of the runners credit the coaches for helping them improve their skills.

“This year we have a lot of coaches, which is really nice because we are able to work more in-depth on the events that we are focusing on. All of our coaches are very encouraging and push us hard so that we can be the best,” said runner and junior Emeline Smith.

Teamwork and help from the many coaches are the key factors that the track team hopes to use to succeed this season. Their next meet is a home meet on the Reback Track at 9:00am on Apr. 10.

Freshman Hannah Espensen, sophomore Emily Pietruszka, and senior Molly Fried prepare for their running events by warming up at the track meet on Mar. 5.

(Photo by Nadia Poncy)

The Pharcyde’s Sports Editor Makes His Picks for the 2021 Bracket Charlie Spungin Sports Editor Last year’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, March Madness, was canceled because of COVID-19. This year, the necessary precautions are being taken in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Multiple teams have missed weeks of the season due to contact with COVID-19. Because of this, this year’s tournament will only take place in Indianapolis. In previous years, games took place all over the country.

There are numerous teams that are competing to be the last team standing at the end of the 64-team tournament, but five stand out as the favorites to win it all.

1. Gonzaga: Gonzaga remains the only undefeated team in Division I basketball through Mar. 6, setting the team up for success in this year’s tournament. The AP poll has ranked them number one for the entirety of the season. Led by senior forward Corey Kispert, freshman guard Jalen Suggs, and sophomore forward Drew Timme, Gonzaga has one of the best offenses in the nation and a top 25 defense as well. Over the last two decades, Gonzaga has been a consistent March Madness contender, as they have been a top four seed in the tournament 9 times in the last 20 seasons and has not missed the tournament once during that time.

2. Baylor: Baylor was undefeated until Feb. 27 when they lost to Kansas. Regardless, the team is still a top contender. Junior guard Jared Butler is one of the top players in the country, and senior guard MaCio Teague and junior guard Davion Mitchell are great secondary and tertiary options offensively. Baylor is amazing on both sides of the ball, as they have a top 5 offense and a top 25 defense in

the nation. Baylor has never been a number one seed in the tournament, but the odds this year are in their favor.

3. Michigan: Michigan has been one of the surprises of this season.

They started the seaspm ranked at 25, but they shot up the rankings. Despite a tough schedule, the Wolverines have lost just two games through March 6 while beating five ranked teams, two of which were within the top ten. Freshman center Hunter Dickinson and senior forward Isaiah Livers are the two top scorers on the team. Coach Juwan Howard, who took over for former head coach John Beilein and is in his second year with the Wolverines, has found his groove with the team.

4. Illinois: Illinois is having one of its best seasons in school history thus far. Junior guard Ayo Dosunmu has been arguably the top player in all of college basketball this season, and sophomore center Kofi Cockburn has been one of the top centers in the entire nation. A top 30 offense and great star power is key to success in this tournament, which is Illinois’ first tournament appearance since 2013. They have had an extremely tough schedule, which certainly prepares them well for the rigor of this tournament.

5. Iowa: Similar to Illinois, Iowa is having one of the best seasons in their school’s history. Senior center Luka Garza is arguably the top player in the nation and is also among the top scorers in the country. A quality supporting roster led by junior guard Joe Wieskamp is enough for the team to have a top 7 offense. Just like Illinois and Michigan, being in the Big 12 has offered Iowa’s team a very challenging schedule in order to prepare the team for tough postseason play.

How to Pole Vault: A step-through-jump pictorial 1. Approach

2. Takeoff

3. Twisting

4. Descent

5. Landing

Take four or five strides and then firmly plant the end of the pole at the inner edge of the box.

Jump and use the pole as leverage to get higher in the air.

Push off the pole and start twisting the body to avoid contact with the bar.

Continue twisting the hips and making sure contact with the bar is avoided .

Twist body so back is facing mats with chest and arms slightly raised.

Local MLB Spring Training Games This Week

Saturday Mar. 13

Sunday Mar. 14

Tuesday Mar. 16

Wednesday Mar. 17 Thursday Mar. 18

Friday Mar. 19

Saturday Mar. 20

Sunday Mar. 21

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6:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

vs 6:05 @Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium

1:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

6:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

1:05 @Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium

vs 6:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

vs 6:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

6:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

1:05 @Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium

vs 6:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

6:05pm @Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

vs 1:05 @Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium

the

PHLIPCYDE

THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

4875 Grandiflora Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

12 March 2021

@thepharcyde_tbs

@thepharcyde_tbs

Volume 42

Issue 6

Math Department Chair Mr. Michael Ruggie strikes a pose as he is confronted by a student with a camera during his free period.

English teachers Mrs. Suzanne McCambridge and Mrs. Shannon Anderson share a quick conversation in between class periods.

Associate Director of College Counseling Mrs. Bekka Goldberg works hard Teachers get tired too! Economics teacher Dr. Hope Myers enjoys a to make sure she stays up to date with all of the universities and colleges mid-morning cup of coffee to keep her going on a hectic Monday morning. her students are looking to attend.

Former Benjamin School Teachers: Where are they now? Turn to page 6 to find out!