The Bolles Bugle March 2019

The Bolles Bugle Staff Editor-in-Chief: Kennedy McKinney Special Issues Editor: Claire Cywes Online Editor-In-Chief: Salma Shalaan Copy Editor: Havana Frakes Writing Coach: Jisette Baquet Design Editor: Anisa Patel PR Editor: Jacqueline Emas

Letter from the Editor

Dear Valued Reader,

Thank you so much for reading this issue of The Bolles Bugle.

Environment is defined as the surroundings or conditions in which a

person lives or operates. This edition covers the different environments students experience, from their musical and athletic surroundings to their social and mythical environments. Our staff also covered ecological issues, exploring topics such as idling and the benefit of solar panels. To prepare for this issue, we toured and interviewed people at Lutheran Social Services and saw a side of Jacksonville we were not aware of. We hope that this issue makes you more aware of your surroundings and educates you on how to help your environment.

Sincerely, Kennedy McKinney Editor-in-Chief

Perspective Editor: Avani Bansal Coffeehouse Promoter: Gabe Bassin Contributing Writers: Ellie Anderson Kloe Brill Su Ertekin-Taner Taylor Ford Julia Johansen Thomas Keaveny Ian Peiris Soraya Rafat Anya Raheja Sarah Scherkenbach Ava Sickler Adviser: Ms. Jacobson Questions or comments, contact: jacobsona@bolles.org or bollesbugleonline@gmail.com

Table of Contents

Academics pg. 4-10

News pg. 24-30

Sports pg. 12-16

Arts pg. 32-38

Student Life pg.8-23

OP-Ed pg. 40-43

Cover Design by Anisa Patel

Editorial Policy: The Bolles Bugle is the newsmagazine created by the journalism class atThe Bolles School. Our publication focuses on increasing community awareness of in-school events and topics relating to the five news values: relevance, proximity, timeliness/novelty, conflict/controversy, and human interest.

Content in the Bugle is the responsibility of the editorial staff and not meant to reflect the views of the school’s administration or the student adviser. Please reach out to our faculty advisor, Ms. Jacobson, with any questions or comments. She can be reached at jacobsona@bolles.org or at bollesbugleonline@ gmail.com.

Copyright 2009-2018, The Bolles Bugle

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How to Change the Environment From the Environmental Science Honors Class Ian Peiris Contributing Writer Making a difference in the environment has always been the goal for Dr. Moyer’s Honors Environmental Science Class project. When it comes to planting native plant gardens (areas with plants indigenous to its location) or adding an extra bottle-filling station on campus, each project impacts the school environment and the natural environment in its own way.

According to Dr. Moyer, every year students who take the course come up with an idea to help the San Jose Upper School environment. They put themselves in groups, and each group acts upon their idea to change the community.

Moyer recalled that “a couple years ago” one group created nd postedbluebird nest boxes on many of our campuses and surrounding neighborhoods. “Those have produced well over 100 bluebird babies in the past couple of years.”

“You don’t have to completely change your lifestyle to help better the environment, but you can start doing small things and it will make a difference in the long run.”

- Catie Murphy (‘19)

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The bluebird boxes have influenced many people living in San Marco, including Mr. DIckson, English and Art

History teacher. Dickson has noticed an “increase in bluebirds in the parks, and in surrounding neighborhoods.

I’ve seen them places I haven’t before, namely my own street.”

Dickson describes the bluebirds as “charismatic little guys…. astonishingly blue, with red and white chests.”

A significant feature which these bluebirds share are their blue color. When you point them out to neighbors, the response is always the same: ‘Wow! They’re REALLY blue!’”

“If you just do a Google search whether you like native plants or anything else, put that and Jacksonville and I bet a lot of nonprofits that are focused on those subjects will pop up.”

- Dr. Moyer The bluebird homes are an example of the project, which makes up “5 to 7.5% of the course in terms of time and grade,” Moyer said, as most of the material is learning about topics such as ecosystems, biodiversity, air quality, and climate change. However, Moyer also recognizes it is not the basis of the curriculum. He thinks the “course can just be memorization and ‘repeat back,’ so it’s nice for something that is a little different than that.”

Catie Murphy (‘19), a senior and Environmental Science student, is working on a project to add an extra bottle filling station near the track and field area. Murphy said, “The goal of our

project is to really push students to make it a habit to bring and use a reusable water bottle at school and utilize the refilling stations.”

Her partners, Maddie Wilson (‘19), Maeve O’Riordan (‘19), and Louis Ballantyne (‘20), are also working with Murphy and enjoying the experience of the project. According to Murphy, “Changing the culture of a school and attempting to discourage purchasing single-use plastic water bottles is difficult, but even if just a small number of students make a habit of using reusable water bottles, it could really help.”

Each project makes a difference in Bolles community, especially a native plant garden which is on campus.

“That is still out between the baseball field and tennis courts. It is still blooming and attracting pollinators,” Moyer explains. Additionally, there was a raffle from February 25 to March 1, which supported the construction of a new native plant garden, due to the significance of native plants on campus.

At the end of the year, many new changes will be added to the Bolles environment, and these students will graduate from the class. Dr. Moyer wants the class to leave a legacy with his students: “[I hope] that they have some interest in environmental science and they pursue that interest as they go on in life.”

The Environmental Science students are making a change at Bolles one project at a time, but it is easy for anyone to do the same. Dr. Moyer suggests, “If you just do a Google search whether you like native plants or anything else, put that and Jack-

sonville and I bet a lot of nonprofits that are focused on those subjects will pop up.”

Catie Murphy advises every student to make a change, no matter how small. “You don’t have to completely change your lifestyle to help better the environment, but you can start doing small things and it will make a difference in the long run.”

Some students are asking teachers to stop using paper handouts and move to Schoology online copies to save trees.

Some students are using social media to warn everybody about the dangers of plastic waste in the river.

Catie Murphy (‘19) and her group are working to get another bottle filling station by the track and field area.

Some students are working to get people to use silverware rather than plastic utensils.

Students have produced a native plant garden between the tennis courts and baseball field in the past.

A successful project in the past were the implementation of bluebird boxes around all campuses, such as this one outside of Ulmer.

Photo Illustration: Ian Peiris Background Photo from The Bolles School

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Bolles History: Salma Shaalan Online Editor

Around the World?

Above: This graphic shows statistics of the 9th Grade Ancient World History Textbook. Approximately 46% of the book is dedicated to Europe, 22% is on Asia, 18% covers North and South America, while 15% covers Africa.

“There is a framework, or bones and the teachers fill in meat on those bones,” Mrs. Marks, Principal of Upper School, says, speaking about the structure of the World History curriculum.

There are nearly 200 countries in the world today and only two short years to cover the entire world’s history, during 9th and 10th grade. Due to these time limitations and vast amount of information to cover, the history department teachers must choose which specific events to cover in depth and which to skim.

The history curriculum generally stays the same throughout the years but is often affected by faculty turnover and any new textbooks, according to Marks.

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Most classes use “backwards design”, a practice in which an end goal is chosen, and the lessons are planned backwards from this goal to create the curriculum.

These goals are often not just the exam at the end of the year; many classes are not standalone courses. For the History

Department, 9th grade Ancient World History builds into 10th grade Modern World History.

Marks and several World History teachers explained that the curriculum often changes to reflect student interest. Mrs. Marks says that teachers focus on, “what students need to know and what students want to know.” Mr. Ferrari, a World History teacher, explains that although there is a basic framework which he must follow, the year is often dictated by, “what the students ask me and what they are engaged about.”

Ferrari stated, however, “anything can be engaging if you approach it from a storytelling perspective.” He cited Napoleon’s love letters as an example. These letters help build a story behind the events opposed to the students just memorizing events chronologically.

Dr. Kostandarithes has found that students tend to prefer modern history because it has more videos which helps students stay engaged.

Caroline Shore (‘20) explains that large debates or activities, such as the ‘Nazi Hunt’ in Mr. O’Riordan’s 10th grade history class kept her engaged. “Mr. O’Rioridan hid pictures of Nazi’s that were out on trial at Nuremberg around the river campus and we split into teams to see who could find them first.”

Charlie Davis (‘20) said he most enjoys learning about historical events which relate to modern day policies, “10th grade Modern World History was more useful because it covered the major world wars which influenced policies still in use today.”

Along with student interest, teachers’ educational backgrounds and interests also shape the curriculum. Marks explained that “teachers can be specialists; part of the curriculum is based on teachers’ background and degrees.” While each teacher generally covers the same material, individual teachers may choose to go more in-depth into a topic they specialize in.

For example, Dr. Kostandarithes, the History Department Chair, most enjoys teaching early US history, focusing on the Puritans. In contrast, Mr. Ferrari prefers teaching ancient Rome.

The exact time spent on each chapter differs depending on the teacher, but the textbook used remains the same across most classes. 9th grade uses the textbook Ancient World History: Patterns of Interaction by Holt McDougal, which covers

“Anything can be engaging if you approach it from a storytelling perspective.”

- Mr. Ferrari

2500 BCE- 1900 CE, while 10th grade uses Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction by Holt McDougal, which looks at 500 CE to present day.

While it is important to recognize there is no perfect textbook, this textbook does not equally represent each continent. Of the 24 chapters in Ancient World History: Patterns of Interaction, 45% of the textbook is dedicated to European History, 22% covers Asian History, 18% covers North and South America, while 15% is dedicated to Africa.

This data excluded pages which were not dedicated to a single area of the world.

Furthermore, data was not collected on the 10th grade Modern History textbook, because a substantial amount of the book discussed the World Wars. Thus, resulting in a multitude of countries being discussed on a single page.

Mr.O’Riordan chooses not to use a textbook for his Honors Contemporary World History and AP European History class and instead writes his own textbook for his students. He found that the textbook “tended to dig a mile wide and an inch deep.” It did go far enough in depth into topics and often left out the “juicy details that students tend to enjoy- stuff like the personal lives of various figures.”

While 2 years may not be enough time to dive deeply into the entire world’s history, the History Department aims to teach the themes which apply to most historical events. Kostandarithes understands that “you cannot cover everything” so instead history classes “focus on themes

or concepts.”

The History Department hopes to not only cover a wide range of topics, but also examine a single topic from multiple perspectives. Ferrari explains that “every single view is bias and there is no universal truth in history. Everything is written by the winners.”

The World on Our Walls

Students are taught to recognize this bias through role play. Students break into different roles and must examine a situation from that person’s perspective. These classes are run by debate and dialogue, thus showing the complexities of each event.

The goal is not for students to leave Bolles having every historical event memorized, but instead the history department encourages critical understanding of historical concepts. Ferrari encourages “More interpretation and understanding of bigger themes, get away from chronology and memorizing.”

Ferrari says there are specific concepts students must learn, however, such as “why civilizations succeed and fail in each region.”

Above: Mr.Tepas feautures currency from all around the world on his walls.

Although it may appear that the World History textbook primarily focuses on European history, the goal of World History classes is not to teach every country or culture. Instead, teachers strive to teach universal themes which can be applied to many historical events. History classes teach students debate skill and how to formulate an opinion on complex historical events.

Kostandarithes wants his students to be able to “think critically about themes.” He believes teachers should “teach kids how to think, not what to think.”

“Every single view is biased.

There is no universal truth in history. Everything is written by the winners. ” -Mr. Ferrari

Above: Mr.Gebauer has world maps on his walls.

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What Does the Academic Office Do Claire Cywes Editor in Chief of Special Issues

Above: When Mr. Hodges was out of town, “We did an experiment today with Mr. Hodges’s daughter!”

When the bosses are out of town, the front office (Mrs. Nettles, Mrs. Harcrow, Mrs. Pash, Mrs. Pickren, Mr. Hodges, and Mrs. Marks) likes to have a good time. All the available front office staff play “pranks” where, while the boss is gone, they act like something has gone wrong, they are relaxing in the office, or even that they are escaping to some other fun activities around campus. The following photos are only a few examples of the fun the front office has. All quotes and pictures in this article are from Mrs. Nettles and Mrs. Harcrow.

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When the Boss is Out of Town?

“We would like to act like we are boarding with y’all (the girls soccer team) and going to Orlando” for the state semifinal!

“Trying to alleviate Mrs. Nettles’s toothache...great teamwork!”

(Bosses out of town)

When Mr. Drew and Mrs. Marks were out of town, “Mr. Hodges invited us for a little nap...studies show that power naps improve performance in the workplace!”

“We had to call on Mrs. Cussen to soothe the Academic Office when Mrs. Nettles was out having knee surgery...we miss her so much!”

“We were all caught up on our work so we booked a Boat Ride on this beautiful day! Hope you are enjoying your vacation!”

(Mr. Hodges & Mrs. Marks were on vacation)

“Too pretty to work inside today...made a Sweet Frogs run & enjoying the great outdoors!” (Mr. Hodges & Mrs. Marks out of town)

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Eulogy for an Axolotl

Claire Cywes Special Issues Editor in Chief

An Ode to Darwin:1 Not the scientist,2 Darwin, the axolotl3 “Brought light to the school” “He is a piggle,”4 What Dr. Halloran says, To all, “he means love.”5

1. The following Haiku and series of footnotes are a eulogy for the beloved pet of Dr. Halloran, Darwin the axolotl. While many students knew about him, Dr. Halloran never directly told them of his existence.

At the beginning of the year, she would do a lab activity that brought the students near the aquarium. She watched and waited for students to take notice. Unfortunately, Darwin passed away around Thanksgiving of 2018. Yet, to the end, Darwin kept his strong personality. As he grew older, Darwin became sick and Dr. Halloran tried to improve his condition by putting him in the fridge to “cool him down.” According to Dr. Halloran, Darwin was unhappy with this because he “could not see his people.” To grab the attention of “his people,” “he started splashing.” Darwin was always excited to see students come in.

2. This line refers to Charles Darwin, the famous scientist best known for his discoveries on evolution.

However, the Darwin spoken of in the poem refers to Darwin Squishy Puff, the name affectionately given to the axolotl by a combination of Dr. Halloran’s students and her grandchildren. Her students decided the name Darwin fit best because they were in a biology class after all and Darwin is the mind behind evolution. Dr. Halloran’s grandchildren, came up with the name “squishy puff.”

3. Darwin the axolotl lived in Dr. Halloran’s Biology lab. Axolotls are amphibians related to salamanders.

They retain a juvenile nature throughout life. This means they grow in length, but their features remain the same. Despite Dr. Halloran’s love of Darwin and all axolotls, she never thought she would own an axolotl. In fact, her students bought Darwin for her. The AP Biology textbook features a picture of an axolotl and Dr. Halloran admires this photo every year when she teaches. So, her students decided to surprise her. Her students waited for her to leave the room, and then the “group of four students comes in and carries in an aquarium and a 2-inch axolotl.” At first, Dr. Halloran did not know how to care for Darwin, as they don’t exactly come with a manual. So, she googled how to take care of an axolotl and learned more about taking care of an axolotl than she thought she ever would.

4. Dr. Halloran means this as a term of endearment. However, Dr. Halloran said, “he loves attention” just like any other pet or child. Like any child, Dr. Halloran has a favorite aspect of Darwin: his smile Axolotls always look happy, as their mouths turn up into a smile towards the end of the jaw.

5. Darwin was loved by all, but upon first glance, he is not the classroom pet you would expect. There were some interesting reactions. Dr. Halloran’s favorite was, “What is that?”

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Venturing Off to Collegiate Sports Kennedy McKinney Editor in Chief

Left: Airstream Ventures hosted an event on February 12th at Wolfson Highschool to answer questions involving Sports Recruting.

On February 12th at Wolfson High School, parents and athletes filed into the auditorium, some kids still in their practice clothes, eager to learn more about the proper steps to take toward their athletic future.

The audience’s majority was freshman and sophmores with only three junior and senior families. The event was hosted by Airstream Ventures.

Airstream Ventures, a company founded by Bolles Alum Alan Verlander (‘90), specializes in sports marketing. Deshawn Ruffin (‘14), recently started working for Airstream Ventures as the Event and Operations Manager. He is responsible for the coordination of all events, including the day-to-day operations of the High School 9-12 program.

The two alums now work together to educate the community through their program High School 9-12 where they focus on aspects away from the field such as academics, life, and recruiting.

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Part of the program is educating the public on sports recruiting, “The goal is to have a better understanding about how this recruitment process works,” said Adam Verlander, “they feel like if I can’t get into a D1 college I’m just not gonna go... we want to dispel this.”

Deshawn Ruffin explained the event and what they were trying to accomplish in the community, “This event is just one aspect of our program.

We want to put on these different seminars where we educate the community. One of our main topics is athletic recruiting because that tends to be what young athletes and parents have the most questions about.”

Lakavia Washington was one of these interested parents at the seminar. She has a 17-year-old son who plays football and wants to know how to get him to the next level, “I really want to understand the process and how recruitment works. My son has offers and I don’t know what to expect so I’m hoping to get more info tonight.”

“They feel like if I can’t get into a D1 college I’m just not gonna go... we want to dispel this.”

- Alan Verlander (‘90)

Many high school athletes have the mentality that if you don’t go D1 you aren’t good enough to play at the collegiate level. But for football there are only 300 D1 schools and the amount of kids who can play are numbered. However, there are over 1,000 opportunities for athletes to play at the D2, D3, or NAIA level.

“A lot of people have this concept that if you don’t go D1 then you’re not a good athlete but I played NAIA

Left: Mother of a prospective athlete takes notes during the panel.

at Dalton State and I got a National Championship ring, a free scholarship, and free education. There are just so many opportunities for kids to have that they don’t know about,” said Deshawn Ruffin.

Ruffin played basketball at Bolles and wishes he had a program like High School 9-12 when he was in school, “I would have loved to have something like this when I was in high school. Especially the academic part ‘cause I took the SAT and I was smart enough to use it for a competitive sport but if I would have had a better score it would have helped me get other scholarships.”

“We are focusing on helping students in aspects besides sports.

They could be an exceptional athlete but could have a problem academically. So with our HS 9-12 program we are filling gaps where the student would need it to help them better themselves,” said Deshawn Ruffin.

High School 9-12 helps athletes with

their SATs to ensure they have every opportunity, “We have our SAT portion where we help train kids and help them look for scholarships. So they can take an SAT prep course from other places and we actually pay for them to take the test and we are testing them along the way.

And the studies show that they have boosted their score 300 points so that’s just one aspect of the program,” Ruffin said.

Deshawn Ruffin says his experience with Airstream Ventures has been very rewarding, “We were meeting with an athlete from Lee High School and he had offers from big time D1 schools. He was an exceptional athlete and he was in our SAT program.

He asked if he could meet us ‘cause he really wanted to thank us for the program because before he struggled academically and he didn’t feel like he would meet the test score he needed. The program really helped him and it really affected me. To feel like someone is thankful and know that I can be useful to somebody’s

life is really nice. There could be a room full of kids and as long as I touch one that makes me feel alright.”

At the end of the panel, I asked Washington if she felt like she had learned something. Washington said, “It wasn’t anything I didn’t know, but it always feels good to hear it again.”

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Bolles Swim Team: Family or Chlorine Cult?

Ellie Anderson Contributing Writer

variety of distances, the team fine tunes all assets they need in order to beat out their opponents.

The Bolles Swim (and Dive) team. In the world of swimming, this name holds immense weight: invoking awe, admiration, and, sometimes, jealousy.

“On freestyle, you want to have high elbows, long arms, and catch as much water as you can with your hand. Like an ice cream scoop, except we do it with a water scoop,” said Danaj.

Why? Well, the team holds such prominence as a result of the incredible feats they have achieved. With representatives from most continents, excluding Antarctica (not the most ideal swimming conditions, I suppose), the team combines diverse athletes into a single force. Thirteen Olympic swimmers, and thirty years of holding the State Championship title on both the boys and girls teams create a sustaining tradition of high expectations and performance.

He goes onto describe the difficulty of the IM, saying, “It’s four different breathing patterns.”

Now, obviously, I was curious to ask the swimmers their opinion on that idea of ‘the cult.’

If a swimmer fails to stay on that breathing pattern, the race becomes much more difficult. Garcia described, “If you start fast in a race and then come back slow, we say, ‘we died.’”

In fairness to the swimmers, I did search the definition of a cult, which can be described as a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. So, I suppose I’ll leave it to you all to decide your stance on whether or not the Bolles Swim team is a cult.

Full disclosure: Being a part of the diving team, I still had these questions myself. So, I sought an answer from members of the team.

Unsurprisingly, a team this successful must practice. And they do. A ton.

“We show our pride by doing nine practices a week,” said Danaj.

A typical day of practice, as described by juniors Jackson Kirk and Kara Gavin, starts with morning practices on Mondays and Fridays from 5:30- 7:30 AM, and on Wednesdays from 6-8 AM. Following the school day, the swimmers then return to the pool from 3:30-6 PM. They even practice on weekends, with Saturday practices from 7-10 AM.

Their commitment to the team works internally as well, “It’s a consistent fight to get better,” described Garcia.

“We call Friday practice Fun Fast Friday,” said Bianti Danaj (‘20). “Fast for us, fun for the coach, Friday for all.”

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“The IM is one of the hardest races because its all the strokes combined in one race,” said Neo Garcia (‘20).

See, as a diver, you quite often find yourself in that precarious position where, yes, you are a part of the swim team, yet you must acknowledge that you merely sit on the outskirts of that formidable and closely knit group.

Despite this incredibly difficult atmosphere, the swimmers remain dedicated to the team. Kirk says, “Every single person that I have been around has really shown the pride of being a Bolles swimmer, like, being part of something special so I mean Bolles [Swim] has really meant a lot to me as a person.”

Naturally, one could wonder, what exactly makes this team just so good?

From weights to working each stroke at a

gained the team the reputation of a cult.

And they know it, too. At the recent end of the season banquet, my teammate, diver Kathryn Teofilo, even cracked a joke at them, saying how ‘included we felt in the cult this year.’

An environment where they experience the most gratifying and difficult situations both athletically and personally is sure to evolve teammates into a family.

Gavin described the team as,“my support system [that] I can always look up when I'm having a rough day or I just need a little motivation.”

Their apparent closeness (and total domination of the Bolles Hall lobby)

Jackson Kirk conceded, “I guess you could call it a cult. To be fair, all of us hang out with each other, all of us are really close and all of us are like one big friend group, and we pretty much do everything together, especially at school.”

However, the team could also be described in a lighter sense, as Kara Gavin does, saying, “Kind of just like how you can't stay mad at a family member forever because you have to be there for them.”

Whether one decides to call it a cult, or merely a family bonded by chlorinated water rather than blood, it is undeniable that their relationship contributes to some of their success.

Gavin says, “The bond that we have with each other and just the way we motivate each other makes us who we are.”

What’s in Your Bag?

fins

snorkle

paddles

kickboard

goggles

pull buoy

“...being part of something special so, I

mean, Bolles [Swim] has really meant a lot to me as a person.” -Jackson Kirk

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The Erg Regatta On January 27, 2019 Taylor Ford Contributing Writer

Ford, who won his sprint, beat the second place rower by fifteen seconds.

Chase Haskell (‘19), Richard Sollee (‘19), Zayne Blackwell (‘19), and Campbell Ford (‘23) preparing for the men’s high school relay. Every person gets 500 meters and for that 500 meters, you are rowing for your life.

The 9th grade girls in the middle of their race. There are only two brave freshmen girls on the team.

Some of the Crew team taking a break before or after their races. According to The Boys in the Boat, compared to basketball, 8 minutes of Olympic rowing is equivalent to two non-stop, back-toback NBA basketball games.

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A Chat about Chats Julia Johansen Contributing Writer

Group chats. You probably have one.

Or 50. Or more...

A modern means of communication, group chats are a double-edged sword in how they shape today’s culture. Group chats can be an excellent way of talking to multiple people at once, but can turn toxic.

Mashable.com explains this paradox, saying, “At their best, group texts offer a sense of community and acceptance, enhancing social connections and forging friendships.

At their worst, they provide one more avenue for drama, exclusion, and some downright nasty comments.”

It’s inevitable; in your teenage life, you will see a fight happen over a group chat.

School, family, sport, meme and friend chats are the most common group chats. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2015, 55% of teenagers texted their friends every day, and 20% every few days. Considering the number of smartphone users has increased by 850 million since 2015,the number of group chats probably increases exponentially every day.

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Within larger friend groups, there are occasionally two separate group chats. Teenagers say the typical word-

ing for the separation is considered the “inner” or “core” group and the “outer group.” While varying degrees of closeness between people can be expected in friend groups, this division can be problematic as this partition can lead to exclusion and hurt feelings. On the one hand, the outside group usually consists of core friends, but also friends of friends, and what Christina Klassen (20) summarizes as “the people you sit at lunch with.”

On the other hand, the inner core consists of fewer people but a more intimate circle who typically rant, talk about life, and gossip. Mitchell Henshaw (20) refers to gossip, calling it “tea”, saying “ You gotta love the tea.

You know you just can’t wait for the tea, as soon as tea drops, it’s going to be in the group chat.”

At the same time, the separation is helpful. Having smaller chats with reliable responders can be better. Klassen continues, saying, “I know my two best friends and I have an Inner Circle chat because it’s who I’ve known for a really long time and we are closer friends. We have classes together too so that’s why we talk more.”

Interviews revealed teenagers typically go to Snapchat to fight because the messages delete in 24 hours if

not saved. Furthermore, chat members are notified if someone takes a screenshot, meaning someone is saving evidence of the debate. It is easier to have a protected fight because the messages will not appear in notifications, sometimes blocking parent involvement. Snapchat also shows when someone has read a message, exposing the people who are watching the fight.

During a fight, each person in the chat has a role, whether it is silent or not is up to them. The following are the most typical roles.

The Outsider: The person in the “outer” group chat who is a casual friend of everyone. The Outsider goes silent during a fight and watches the entire thing blow up. They refuse to get involved because they feel as though they don’t have a say in it.

The Offender: The person who brought up the controversy. They may have had a bad day, pent up anger, or are simply angry about a situation.

The topic of conversation hurts someone’s feelings or offends. May or may not be by accident. Either way, now the Group Chat is riled up.

The Offended: The person upset by the conversation. They are likely offering evidence of why the topic

Staged example of what a fight from a group chat can look like. This is a photo illustration and not an actual fight. struck them as wrong and beginning the fight. The Offended sometimesmisinterprets context, possibly taking the topic way out of context, but is also sometimes on point, the Offender was wrong or out of line.

The Entertained: The role that many people take while group chat drama goes down. Most people take on the role of the Entertained. Addie Anderson says, “It is very funny to watch because when you’re not in it, you just sit back and watch it all happen.”

Watching drama happen exposes the cynical part of human nature as people say they love to watch the debate unfold for the same reason why people watch TV dramas and reality shows, Douglas Atkins said, “It’s prime time entertainment and I’m fine with it.”

The “Dragged into it”: Usually the best friend of Offender or Offended, probably part of the core group. They are likely watching the fight happen and quietly forming their opinion of the situation. Then, one of the fighters privately messages them, asking for support in the chat or privately ranting about the other fighter. Henshaw expresses his experience getting “dragged into it”, saying, “I don’t say

anything but it gets awkward because people try and force you to take sides and force you to be in their position.”

The Oblivious: The person in the group chat that says nothing. Yes, they are part of the friend group, but they will never, ever, ever, say anything. The person who hates group chats with a burning passion but nobody wants to exclude them. They are the reason why group chats have a “Do Not Disturb” option. They have no idea the fight is going on.

So how do fights end? Everyone interviewed said it either “fizzles out” or someone leaves the chat. Fizzling out is usually along the lines of a

“It’s more in the moment, emotional decision rather than a calculated one.”

- Adkins silent chat for a day until a neutral person starts a new conversation.

What can be seen as a diplomatic solution can actually be toxic, because the fight never comes to conclusion.

The built up unease and failure to discuss the “elephant in the room”

can lead to phony friendships. Other times, people just forget about the fight. Why ignore the tension? Adkins jokingly gives his reasons, “It eventually does fizzle out because we are all too lazy to make new friends.”

Despite the amount of confrontation that happens on a group chat, it is in essence, the modern platform used for people to express their feelings.

Calum Marsh from the National Post indicates this expression, saying, “group chat has, for many, become a kind of last refuge for shameless or impertinent talk.”

But because of this freedom, people can be candid and even borderline mean. The fact that they are hidden behind a screen can alter people’s online personalities, as Adkins explains, “They’re more empowered to express their true feelings. It’s more in the moment, an emotional decision rather than a calculated one.” Adkins compared how people face the drama in real life, saying, “People just go about it like there’s two different personalities. We have texting personalities which we keep separate. Then people come to school like “yeah!”

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Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Taylor Ford Contributing Writer

Students constantly complain about not getting enough sleep because of homework. But the reasons for lack of sleep may also include procrastinating, watching Netflix, or just plain staring into space. So how much of the complaining is actually related to homework?

To satisfy that curiosity, this reporter created a homework and sleep log for the Bugle staff. The log consisted of eight questions all designed for simple answers.

Our log was in response to a schooladministered homework and sleep log based off the Challenge Success program. This survey tracked 40 students. Their survey differed from the Bugle survey.

The questions used in The Bugle homework and sleep log were given to the 20 students on staff. Our questions appear in the purple box on the right.

Student answers to our survey were not always serious. In our survey, when asked how long a break from homework lasts, a student answered with “IDK, Fam.” Another student replied,“30 minutes to consume food.”

When asked how many total hours of homework did you do, on one day, a student replied with, “No homework, bro.”

Five students on the Bolles Bugle also participated in our survey and the homework and sleep log given by the school : Avani Bansal (‘21), Kennedy

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McKinney (‘19), Ian Peiris (‘22), and Salma Shalaan(‘20). Thomas Keaveny (‘21) was invited to participate but declined. They said they took the school’s survey more seriously.

course loads and attitudes toward academics. The school survey followed roughly 40 students from 10 different deciles, ten groups of four students based on their differing GPA.

Bansal (‘21) said, “I was very excited to do the log because I take a lot of challenging classes and I went all out explaining and sharing the struggles of my homework to the school.”

One takeaway from the Bugle survey is that no student falls into an easilydefinable category. Some students take multiple AP classes, do their homework every night, and study until one A.M. But some students procrastinate until one A.M. and then start their homework and maybe do half of it. There are also some students who fit both of descriptions, depending on the day.

Every student participating in both surveys was to log their answers for two seven-day cycles in school days.

So they did not do either survey on weekends, only on Monday-Friday.

Shalaan (‘20) admitted, “I only did it five times and I only did it one time because I was bored.”

Shalaan (‘20) also said, “I originally liked doing the school homework and sleep log because it would help remind me of homework I had to do.”

Keaveny (‘19) declined to participate but regretted, “Looking back, I probably could have done it but at the time I felt like I couldn’t be bothered to do it.”

Several students who participated in both school and Bugle surveys suggested that surveys measuring effort and time spent on task may not always reflect the actual effort but a person’s perception of ideal effort. For example, a 2015 study in Nature magazine found that people overestimate the time they spend

Survey Questions:

When did you start your homework?

When did you finish your A consistent response from all of the Bugle students interviewed was that homework? the school homework and sleep logs How many total hours of designed to accurately record work homework did you do? become, well, work. McKinney said Roughly how many hours of logs were, “very time consuming besleep did you get? cause it was just another thing to do How many hours/minutes did at the end of the day.” you procrastinate or take a Our survey confirmed every student break from homework? has a different amount of homework Do you play a sport? because of their schedules, teachers, In which class do you have and the classes they take. Much as the the most homework?

40 students surveyed by the school Do you do extra work if you differed in age and academic focus, our class consists of every grade have time? range in high school with different

Two Surveys about Student Workload sometimes the response number did not change.

In future class surveys, Bugle will send a reminder text was every morning to help increase consistent responses.

Our survey documented a pattern of forgetfulness or last minute remembering. Often students didn’t remember what homework is due, thus causing them to chose either to rush an assignment or not to complete it.

Our homework and sleep log was supposed to be recorded every night or in the morning after the student has finished his or her homework.

However, having everyone do the log every morning or night turned out to be more complicated than originally thought. We learned from this that it is challenging to get full participation from a survey group.

For the school survey, McKinney stated that without a reminder email from an administrator, she would forget to do the log consistently.

The homework and sleep log was checked every day, morning and afternoon. Sometimes the number of responses had changed by 10 or more, sometimes by five or more, and

Bugle students who participated in the Challenge Success survey and our group interview were surprised by the different ways teachers handle homework. Shaalan and McKinney felt teachers didn’t check homework but other students such as Bansal and Peiris stated their teachers checked homework regularly.

Shalaan (‘20) explained that sometimes when she doesn’t do homework, it’s because she has an A in the class and doesn’t feel homework helps her learning, “We are old enough now to know when work is beneficial and when it is just busy work.”

working by anywhere from 5-15%.

There was miscommunication, people did not regularly do the Bugle survey, just completely forgot, or did it in class last minute. To increase response a text was sent out some mornings by the reporter overseeing the survey to get people to remember and people most of the time still forgot.

outlook on their homework. McKinney concurred, “Students create a lot of drama about their work.”

Keaveny agreed, stating that he valued homework that he felt was truly helpful. “When it’s good, it’s the difference between memorizing and understanding.”

Our survey caused the Bugle staffers to reflect on how teachers and students could remain more aware of upcoming assignments.

Whether logging homework for the school or for the Bugle, students said the practice made them more aware of their actual workload. Shaalan said, “It forced us to think about how much time we were spending.”

Bansal and Shaalan both felt keeping a log gave them a more positive

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The Lurking Question of Lockers Thomas Keaveny Contributing Writer Gabriel Bassin Coffeehouse Promoter

Whether you like it or not, every student attending The Bolles School is assigned a locker for the duration of the school year.

Every year, students are given new lockers and sometimes that will affect students’ routes around campus. Choosing to use the locker and deciding what to use it for locker is completely up to the owner, within the school’s guidelines.

Bugle staffers Thomas Keaveny and Gabriel Bassin took some questions to the streets to find out student opinions on lockers. Scan the QR Code below to watch the YouTube video!

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Refugee Resettlement: As their worlds fall apart, refugees literally fly across the world for their lives, sometimes landing in Jacksonville, with a program like Lutheran Social Services being their only guidance.

“They don’t know.”

While similar programs exist in both Jacksonville and the U.S., one essential function of Lutheran Social Services, located 10 minutes from Bolles, on Phillips Highway, includes their refugee resettlement program.

They use that data to prepare for their initial 90-day program called RnP, Resettlement and Placement.

Cristina Parcell, Resettlement Director and Program Manager of the Refugee and Immigration Services Program at Lutheran Social Services, explains refugees come to the United States because “they’ve lost everything.”

Initially, they find themselves in refugee camps after the United Nations deems their country uninhabitable for them. The UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is the agency responsible in aiding refugees. According to the UNHCR, refugees are specifically defined as such “because the situation in their country of origin makes it impossible for them to go home.”

Here, they wait, for months or perhaps years, until all the clearances, vetting, and security procedures go through.

For example, According to Teen Refugee Program leader Nina Frank, the teenagers and families in the LSS Teen Refugee program have been reviewed by 16 different agencies by the time they arrive in Jacksonville.

Parcell explains, “And then, when a placement is made, they’re not asked ‘Do you want to go?’ They’re told ‘pack your bags, you’re leaving for Australia, you’re leaving for Greece, you’re leaving for Canada, you’re leaving for Jacksonville.’

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About a month in advance, Lutheran Social Services receives the names, ages, and biomedical data of an incoming refugee or refugee family.

When they finally arrive, Parcell explains that LSS employees can easily find them at the airport. “They’re carry-

the apartment and prepare a meal upon the family’s arrival in their new home.

When the family arrives, Lutheran Social Services discusses safety, important cultural customs, and sometimes even how to use a microwave or a toilet. After 24 hours, the refugees go to the Social Security Department to receive a Social Security number to pay taxes upon employment.

In fact, Lutheran Social Services has an entire dedicated employment program.

Here, people like Alaa Alzubaidi work to find entry level positions for incoming refugees. Alzubaidi, an ex-refugee from Iraq, deals with factors like transportation and language barriers because, overall, Lutheran Social Services’s endgame is self-sufficiency.

Alzubaidi says her refugee background can help, “All the processes they went through, I went through, so I can understand.”

Lutheran Social Services Logo ing these plastic bags that are refugee resettlement bags; and we know that that’s what they are; and their paperwork is in them. And, we just walk up to them and say welcome.”

Over the month spent preparing, Parcell makes arrangements, for example, for a family of five. They would need a bed for parents, three beds for kids, sofa space for everyone, and a dining room table with five chairs.

While the apartment, itself, relies heavily on donations, LSS’s grant from the government mandates that these certain conditions are met. In terms of food, they buy some groceries to stock

Local employers want refugees. One statistic Lutheran Social Services provided showed that refugees have a 50% lower turnover rate than U.S. citizens.

According to Parcell, refugees work hard because they understand the value of their work to both the community and their future in this country. As Parcell said, “They will work and get to work on time, and pass their drug test and do their jobs well, because they want to be here.”

One man from Somalia became very successful through their employment service. Parcell explained that he grew up in the refugee camp since he was a one-year old. All he knew was the camp, but then he had the opportunity to come to Jacksonville.

“We put him in an apartment, and he

A New Home in Jacksonville had air conditioning, a stove, and running water;” Parcell said, “He started to work at a car wash; and he’s doing fantastic now, helping support his mother.”

At the end of the 90 days, whether a family has had an easy transition or a rough one, a financial setback arrives in the form of a green envelope.

It contains a bill for every service and item provided to therefugees that is not covered by donation.

Parcell used the example of a family of six. The airline tickets alone costs $1150 per person regardless of age (normally, for example, most children under two can often fly free), and then $1800 in home goods, without donations. So, they start their new lives in Jacksonville with at least $8,700 in debt.

there. However, the current administration’s travel ban has complicated the process. According to Parcell, the process refugees undergo to arrive here safely has been offset.

Despite her dislike for the connotation of the phrase, Parcell explained that the metaphor of a refugee pipeline often depicts refugees flowing into the US through a pipe.

bers as well, “So, three years ago, we received nearly 300 families. This past year, we received 58.”

Within these even smaller groups of 58, high schoolers like us try to resettle into our communities.

Bolles interacts with LSS through the Freshman Make a Difference Day and may have more joint community service projects with LSS in the future.

Jean Emile, the case manager for the youth program at Lutheran Social Services, works with teenagers.

He helps adjusting to the school system, any services, tutoring, or mental health counseling that may be necessary.

Emile worked with one refugee from the Congo, named Soki. Soki came here as a high schooler with no English experiWhile the bill does not ence, but she had plenty of Bolles students working on a community service project with high ambition. bear interest, it places a federal lien on their credit schoolers from three schools who resettled through Lutheran Social Services. score making a task like Now, Soki studies at FSCJ buying a house extremely working towards a degree difficult. in Information Technology. Currently, In a sense, the flow of refugees through she has an internship at Bank of Amerithe pipe, while not always easy, had “They don’t do anything for free, they ca as a computer systems been flowing for a very long time, so don’t do anything on our money,” said anaylst. when the 2017 executive order came Parcell. down to pause all refugee resettlement In the near future, she hopes to transfer programs, the order “clogged” the pipe. to UNF to earn her bachelor’s degree.

Parcell continued, “And, I think that that’s just one of the biggest misinforHer potential from there is limitless.

So, for all the refugees waiting, their mation, fake news, whatever you want clearances are now expiring. to call it that people get. Whereas, we Lutheran Social Services and the United have actual Americans that live generaStates, and maybe even our students, “Now, they go back to square one, and tionally on welfare, you don’t have have do give these refugees a chance to then this administration adds to it. So, refugees on welfare.” build a new home, here, in Jacksonville. if you’re going to meet with a family Gabriel Bassin Normally, Parcell’s rule of thumb is look member, you need to have a DNA test.” to where the wars are, and two years Coffeehouse Promoter This problem is reflected in the numlater the refugees will be coming from

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Shining a Light on Solar Panels Sarah Scherkenbach Contributing Writer What powers the library outlets, the ones most of us use in desperate times of need when our phones or devices are at 2% and we need to do homework for our next class?

over to the city power, so we won’t lose power.”

As of now, the outdated solar panels have not evolved with the advancement of technology. According to Mr. Morgan, from a seller or repairman’s point of view, if anything happens to The power outlets in the library, that them it would be easier to just replace many of us depend on, are actually connected to the solar panels that live the system. on the roof of Schultz. In 2004, a company located in Orlando called Sunny The inverter is the part of the solar panel that converts DC (direct curBoy performed the installations. rent) energy to AC (alternating current) energy. Currently, one of the These solar panels aren’t the first solar panel’s inverters is broken, so Bolles has ever had. Many years ago, therefore, the solar panel cannot there also used to be solar panels on top of Davis Gym, with the goal of function properly. Thankfully, other inverters are able to handle the load heating the pool for the swimmers. that comes into the panel. Mr. Morgan However, the system was removed from the roof due to the panels not “There are a lot of options, functioning properly.

The nine panels we have now are, efficiency wise, not the best. This is because when students aren’t using the library’s plugs the panels don’t benefit anybody.

Solar Panels on Schultz Mr. Morgan, Director of Facilities for Bolles, explained that with the current solar panels, “It is really hard to measure how much energy we are getting from it because when they aren’t working, the system just kicks

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but it comes down to economics, and it is cheaper to just keep using the fossil fuels.”

-Mr. Morgan

recalled that, “At the time it was probably a great idea.” and that overall, “The fact that it is still working, 15 years later, I would say that it paid itself back.” He also explained that it is unknown how much it would be to replace the solar panels because the price is usually based on how many panels are being purchased.

The school has looked into other ways of using cleaner energy, such as getting a geothermal system for the pool, Morgan pointed out. However, the reason the system was not purchased was because it would have cost around 2-3 million dollars while

gas bills would only be, for example, $10,000. Mr. Morgan explained that, “There are a lot of options, but it comes down to economics, and it is cheaper to just keep using the fossil fuels.”

Over at the Ponte Vedra campus, science specialist, Ms. Houston says that, “I think green energy is a fantastic idea for our school. On average, Jacksonville, Florida gets over 220 days of sunshine each year. That is an amazing amount of clean, renewable energy available.”

Houston says solar technology is becoming more available all around the state of Florida. “With the right inspiration and vision, our school could transition from fossil fuel generated electricity to solar generated electricity.”

She explained that, if any of the campuses ever got new solar panels, it would be beneficial for many.

About eight years ago, there was a meeting discussing possible ideas for Bolles to become more environmentally friendly. When asked about the possibility of another meeting with a similar purpose, Mrs. Marks responded via email that she “has not heard of such initiative.”

Perhaps in the future, Bolles will initiate the idea of using other energy alternatives, but there are steps being taken to help our environment around campus.

(Read “How to Change the Environment: From the Environmental Science Honors Class” for more on the environmental projects).

Pros and Cons of Solar Panels Pros: •It is a renewable energy source.

(According to NASA the sun should still be shining 6.5 billion years from now and most of us aren’t thinking that far in advance.)

•It is environmentally friendly.

•Reduces costs of electricity.

U.S. energy consumption by energy souce 2017 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Renewable energy is the least used source.

How Bright are You? Take our Solar Energy Quiz: 1. Who first noticed that solar energy’s photovoltaic effect?

5. What was the first solar panel powered satellite called?

A. Alexander Graham Bell B. Joseph Lister C. Rosalind Franklin D. Alexandre Edmon Becquerel

A. Kalpana 1 B. Vanguard 1 C. Sputnik 1 D. Skylab

2. Who created the first solar cell by coating Selenium with a thin layer of gold?

A. Charles Fritts B. Willoughby Smith C. James Watt D. Dorothy Hodgekin

6. Research teams from which universities discovered sunless solar power?

A. Frederick Sanger; Edward Jenner B. Edward Jenner; Frederick Sanger C. Heinrich Hertz; Albert Einstein D. Albert Einstein; Heinrich Hertz 4. Where was the first solar park built?

A. Hesperia, California B. Atlanta, Georgia C. Paris, Texas D. London, England

•Financial support available from the government/state. (The 30% renewable tax credit was passed December of 2015.)

Cons:

•It is an intermittent energy source.

(It won’t generate energy at night when the sun isn’t shining.)

A. University of California, Berkeley B. Oxford C. Cambridge D. Australian National University E. (A) and (D) F. (B) and (C) G. All of the above 7. In the 1970s why did the demand for solar energy increase?

A. Protests against Richard Nixon B. Elton John, the Beatles, Queen, and ABBA promoted it.

C. It was hippie and cool D. Oil prices were rising E. All of the Above

•They require lots of space.

•Energy storage capabilities are quite expensive.

•The making of solar panels causes some release of greenhouse gases andother pollutants.

•They have high principle cost.

BONUS: By 2022 what three countries will account for two thirds of global renewable expansion?

A. USA, China, India B. France, China, Netherlands C. Canada, USA, France D. India, Netherlands, Australia

Answer Key: 1. D 2. A 3. C 4. A 5. B 6. E 7. D Bonus: A

3. Who first observed the Photoelectric Effect? Who later explained it?

•Widely available across the planet.

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A Solution to Pollution: Avani Bansal Perspective Editor Is idling in your car in the parking lot or while you wait in the car line an environmental problem?

cancer, and asthma attacks. “It’s expensive, bad for breathing, bad for children, an ineffecFor every gallon of gas that is tive way to warm burned, more than 20 pounds of your vehicle, and greenhouse gases are produced. it’s damaging your 391.71 million gallons of gas vehicle,” said the are burned each day in the USA website Climate alone; idling only adds to that.

Change ConnecIdling is the number one cause tion. of air pollution in most areas of the world. It can produce up to There have been efforts to re2 times as much exhaust as a duce the amount of idling in car in motion and it produces Jacksonville. For example, the harmful gases such as carbon Jacksonville Jaguars do not monoxide, which contributes to allow idling while you are dropozone, global climate change, ping someone off at an event and haze. or a game. The vehicle will be towed if caught idling. And in The cost of idling may be more Florida, no school buses are than environmental. The NC allowed to idle while waiting DEQ (North Carolina Departfor their students on a field trip. ment of Environmental Quality) According to Mr. Newman at the said, “Idling is like burning dollar Upper School and Mrs. Imfeld at bills.” the Lower School, Bolles does not currently have any policies Reducing air pollutants can regarding a decrease in idling. prevent heart disease, lung

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says, Duval County currently has a “C” for high smog/soot days. The soot levels in Jacksonville have risen every year consecutively.

To protect the health of the elementary students at Bolles, “the teachers keep the students as far away from the curb as possible during morning drop off and pick up”, said Mrs. Imfeld.

The Clean School Bus project has been introduced to some schools in Florida. So far, 14% of Florida school buses have been

*Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is a precisely mixed solution of 32.5% high purity chemical grade urea and 67.5% de-ionized water that is injected into the exhaust system to reduce NOx emissions in Cat® engines equipped with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system.

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Is Idling a Problem on Our Campus?

Examples of Idling on our Campuses: Lower School Car LineFriday: 7:36 am: 8 cars, 6 idling 7:38 am: 12 cars, 10 idling Wednesday: 7:42 am: 18 cars, 8 cars idling 7:44 am: 1 school bus idling Upper School Parking LotTuesday: 8:15 am: 121 cars, 24 idling 8:17 am: 123 cars, 30 idling Wednesday: 8:20 am: 113 cars, 30 idling 8:24 am: 116 cars, 35 idling

retrofitted with diesel oxidation catalysts. Diesel oxidation catalysts are passive emission reduction devices that do not require maintenance and do not affect fuel economy. These retrofits reduced tailpipe emissions from each school bus by about 50 percent.

“The majority of Bolles buses have been retrofitted with a DEF* system that dramatically helps with bad exhaust,” says Mr. Rob Harrison (Bolles Director of Safety, Security, and Transportation). A DEF system is an exhaust system that uses Diesel Exhaust Fluid to reduce toxicity of exhaust fumes. Harrison also stated that there are only a few

older buses at Bolles that do not have the DEF system. Mr. Fred De La Cruz, who works with Mr. Harrison, explained that the DEF system is “like a water filtering system for exhaust from buses.”

When Bolles buses are waiting to transport students, they stay running because the engines need time to warm-up. Mr. De La Cruz said, “they need time to adjust the internal temperature depending on the weather.”

According to NBC, in Florida during the 1990’s, all major cities required emissions testing.

Now, most modern cars have the automatic engine shut off technology, therefore saving gas and, hopefully, our environment.

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Polluting the Ocean... Sip on That Avani Bansal Perspective Editor Use a straw, murder a sea turtle.

the size of Texas.

How many straws do you use per day? In the United States alone, more than 500 million disposable straws are used every day. That’s roughly three a day per person.

According to GetGreenNow, plastic straws are made from polypropylene, which is recyclable, but most recycling centers won’t accept them. The straws are so small that they will slip through cracks or crevices in the sorting process in recycling centers and end up in the ocean/environment.

It takes 200 years for polypropylene straws to break down. The plastic degrades into microplastics, which can be eaten by microorganisms.

According to the New York Times, microplastics are less than ½ a centimeter in size. These microplastics contribute to the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a cluster of microplastics in the North Central Pacific Ocean that is

Where to buy affordable paper straws: - 200 Biodegradable strawsAmazon Prime- $8.99

- 100 paper straws- Walmart$6.99 - 18 straws- Dollar Tree- $1.00

Paper Straws!

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McDonalds is starting to switch to paper straws instead of plastic straws. Ikea is banning singleuse plastics by 2020. They will be launching a sustainability strategy to happen worldwide before 2030.

The Grape and Grain restaurant (which is a cocktail bar for people over 21) in Jacksonville uses straws made out of pasta.

Starbucks is banning plastic straws by 2020, but they will have compostable plastic straws/paper straws for frappuccinos. Seattle, the headquarters of Starbucks, was the first major city in the US to ban single-use plastic straws.

Starbucks new strawless lids 14 cities/countries/continents that have banned some form of plastic according to Global Citizen: New Delhi- all forms of single-use plastic were banned in 2017 Kenya- using/selling plastic bags means up to four years in prison or a $38,000 fine.

Vanuatu- the first Pacific country to launch a ban on plastic UK- no more plastic microbeads in cosmetic/personal care products Taiwan- beginning to ban single-use plastics, ban will be in full effect by 2030 Zimbabwe- total ban on polystyrene (styrofoam material of to-go containers that takes years to decompose) Montreal- banned plastic bags in 2018 Malibu- banned the distribution and selling of single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and cutlery in 2018 Seattle- first US city to ban plastic straws and cutlery Australia- state-wide bans on single use plastic bags, it is the 2nd largest waste producer to the US Canada- ban on plastic microbeads France- first country to announce a total ban on plastic cups, plates, cutlery.

They banned plastic bags in 2015 Morocco- before their plastic bag ban, Morocco averaged a use of 900 plastic bags per person per year. They have banned the production, sale, import, and distribution of all plastic bags Rwanda- in 2008 banned plastic bags

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Where or When: An Album in AdVANCE Soraya Rafat Contributing Writer Many years ago, there was a young girl who was just a trumpet player in her high school’s jazz program.

That girl grew up to be Maggie Vance, our current band teacher, who released her first album with a group called The Bill Hubbard Orchestra.

the vocalists are really awesome, and the soloists are amazing, so even though it’s an older type of jazz, I think it’s really hip.”

Mrs. Vance and her husband, Matt, are both After thirteen years of teaching members of the band and jazz band, Mrs. Vance ensemble. Acfinally took the opportunity to cording to Mr. make music in her own classroom. Vance, “The Bill She is very eager to release her first Hubbard Orchesalbum, Where or When, which she tra consists of Above: The Bill Hubbard Orchestra’s album, Where or When. recorded with The Bill Hubbard five saxophones, sonville. Mr. Vance has known the Orchestra over the summer. four trombones, four trumpets, Hubbard brothers, Curt and Glenn, and a rhythm section made up of It all took place in the band room, from his hometown, Boone, North piano, guitar, vibraphone, bass, located in Bolles’ fine arts building, Carolina, since he was five years and drums.” Vance was one of the where she teaches band almost old, and they have played music four trumpet players, and Mr. Vance every day. Mrs. Vance said, “The together since then. played baritone saxophone and setup took a really long time, like Where or When was inspired by clarinet/bass clarinet. almost a full day just for the setup, Curt and Glenn Hubbard’s late but it was worth it.”

This album is a lifetime in the makfather, Bill Hubbard, a professional ing. Mrs. Vance has been friends According to Mrs. Vance, this album jazz musician who introduced with most of the musicians from the is filled with the sounds of 1940’s his children and Mr. Vance to jazz album since she moved to Jackbig band jazz music. “Some of music. The album is something

Women in Jazz: Mrs. Vance’s Musical Ancestors

Billie Rogers (1917-2014) American jazz trumpeter

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Ella Fitzgerald (1917-96) American jazz singer First African-American woman to win a Grammy

Nina Simone (19332003) American jazz singer and pianist

Billie Holiday (191559) American jazz singer

that Mr. and Mrs. Vance and the rest of the group had wanted to do for years.

have felt so inspired to learn jazz.

Mr. Vance says, “It is a thrill for me to finally bring it to fruition, and the fact Mrs. Vance and so many of my musical friends were involved makes it even more special.”

Vance gives credit to her mom for introducing her to Miles Davis: “Thanks Recording the album was the best Mom for buypart of the process, according to ing me the Mrs. Vance. box set from Costco thirty She recalls, “We went to U-Haul that morning. I got a bunch of travel years ago!” Above: Vance recording the trumpet part on a track for the album. blankets, and we just made the Not only room as dead as possible. We hung does she listen to trumpet playthem from stands and made little ers, but Mrs. Vance also listens to favorite because Bill Hubbard alcompartments for the rhythm seceverything, even jazz vocalists. She ways played it as his opening song tions.” during his gigs. explains how jazz vocalists have Mrs. Vance mainly plays the trumpet, so most of the influences on her music are trumpet players. One trumpet player she looks up to the most is Miles Davis, who inspired her to start learning jazz.

influenced her: “As an instrumentalist, we really try to recreate what you can do with the voice on an instrument. Anything from the 20’s on, I’m a big fan of.”

The songs from Where or When are all based on older jazz music, but She remembers listening to his album, Kind of Blue, and thinking, “Oh Mrs. Vance believes that the album will be enjoyed by everybody. One my gosh, what is this thing called jazz? I love it! I want more of it!” She of Mr. Vance’s favorite tracks is believes that if she never heard Miles “Blue Moon”, the album’s opening track, which is a sentimental Davis’ albums, she never would

Mrs. Vance explains, “The older folks will remember it from their past, and I think a lot of young people are really digging on jazz right now. It’s kind of a cool thing.”

Although Mrs. Vance was excited to release this album, she felt that the process of recording it was even more exciting. “Releasing it is great, but making it and collaborating it, that was the best part.”

We can expect more music from The Bill Hubbard Orchestra in the future, as they are already planning their second album. Their future plans also include live shows and an album release party and performance.

Where or When by The Bill Hubbard Orchestra is out now on Spotify and iTunes.

Above: Vance and the rest of the band outside Bolles’ fine arts building.

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Luke Kobrin and Will Shepherd: Jisette Baquet Writing Coach The soft strum of a guitar. One of the simplest, but most enamoring sounds in the world. For two seniors, this sound evokes memories of selfdiscovery and the start of a lifelong friendship.

Luke Kobrin (‘19) and Will Shepherd (‘19).

Thosenames are commonly associated around campus with their impressive musical talents.

vation to succeed as an artist,

mom drive me to my friends house so you kinda just have to do it with reckless abandon.”

“I would pull out my guitar and I sucked. I was just TERRIBLE so I was like, ‘I have to get better.’”

Shepherd shared that easy and free technology can help aspiring musicians, “Put the phone down get on the computer, use YouTube.”

The duo first performed together at Coffeehouse their freshman year, and the rest is history.

Music not only brought them together but also created a deep sense of gratitude for their practice.

When asked about their music style they stated, “We bring different things to the table”.

While Shepherd is more pop based, Kobrin is more Blues, Jazz, Folk or “Americana.”

Both Kobrin and Shepherd learned how to play an instrument at a young age, but didn’t delve into their music until Freshman year.

“Actually when I was 8 years old I had a guitar lesson, a single guitar lesson and then I quit immediately afterwards,” said Kobrin.

“About 6th grade I started playing saxophone and guitar didn’t come around until, like, freshman year.”

Shepherd has a similar story. He said, “I kinda re-taught myself around, like, 8th grade, freshman year.”

Kobrin feels returning to music later in life means that the urge to learn comes from a deeper personal level.

Kobrin stated, “I think it’s just knowing what it is because when you’re a little kid, learning an instrument is a skill, and as you grow older you gain some sort of emotional maturity.”

Kobrin continued, “Emotions happen to you and you try to find a way to express that, and I think people find that through music.”

Shepherd also pointed out the moti-

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But Shepherd also acknowledges that too much social media can hurt a musician’s practice. “You could be looking at Instagram or you could be playing the guitar or playing the piano.”

Shepherd said, “I’ve been blessed to put out some music and play a bunch of different shows for a bunch of different people, meet new people, and figure out who I am as a person through music.”

Kobrin agreed that self-discovery is integral in the music world, “To delve into music and to go out there and play shows and be an individual as a musician is a step in a different direction and it singles you out a bit.”

The friends also shared how they got to their current skill level and some advice to any new musicians.

“It was 8th grade summer going into Freshman year and I’d play like 5-6 hours a day until my fingers would bleed,” siad Kobrin. “Then I’d have my

“We just kinda have that fusion, I don’t think there’s a genre we have.. Whenever we can just kinda blend together and play we do and it’s kinda sweet” Shepherd.

Although they bring different styles, the two share one thing in common: John Mayer.

“He’s definitely a musician that I look up to,” stated Shepherd.

Kobrin appreciates Mayer’s holistic approach. “It’s one thing to play an instrument and be good at it and it’s another thing to be a musician ...He’s the rubric for how to put everything that’s good, together.”

The two even went to a live John Mayer performance together.

While Mayer’s is a favorite, both guys listen to a wide variety of musicians.

Friendship Strikes a Chord Kobrin joked, “I listen to some weird stuff, I get down and dirty with some weird genres.”

“The best song I’ve ever heard where like every time I hear it i’m like OH MY GOD is one of two. It’s probably ‘If We Were Vampires’ by Jason Isbul, ‘INSANE’, or ‘Stop this Train’ by John Mayer. Everytime you listen to it it’s like a freight train to the chest, IT’S A SONG!”

going to be in the business world.”

Even though he acknowledges reality, Shepherd strayed into rock god fantasy territory. “Making it as a musician is extremely difficult. The dream is obviously to go and play for hundreds of thousands of people on tour but if it doesn’t work out it will always be a huge part of both of our lives.”

Kobrin however isn’t as moved by Eminem’s “Rap God.” “I hate “Rap God”

by Eminem. I mean I love Eminem, but it’s just like a punch in the face, it’s bad.”

Not only musically inclined, but the duo are also stellar students. Kobrin will be attending Vanderbilt University in the fall and Shepherd will be attending and playing baseball for Dartmouth College.

Although they will be attending prestigious schools, there is a question on the future for their music.

“It’s an insane privilege to go to a private high school and then have higher education to be the goal, but it also makes the whole music thing a question of is that going to be a career? Or a hobby?” Kobrin said. “For me, no matter what, it’s always going to be a huge part of my life, whether that’s going to be a career or a hobby, I’ll let that happen with opportunity.”

Shepherd also expressed that for him music would take a back seat ot other career aspirations, “Both of us have the opportunity to do really cool things as far as academics are concerned. The next 4 years are going to be crucial in deciding where we’re

So whether it’s in front of millions of people, or in their living rooms to their families, the simple, harmonious strum of a guitar will always hold a special place in their hearts, reminding them of the impact a piece of wood with strings had on their lives and friendship.

Left: Luke Kobrin ‘19 performing Above: Will Shepherd ‘19 performing

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Our Favorite Things: Bolles Talks Books Ava Sickler Contributing Writer Fictional worlds are entire universes constructed by writers and filmmakers, varying from comedical to intensely magical to conjectures (and sometimes predictions) about future technological advancements. People enjoy exploring these worlds through books, movies, and TV shows, whether as an escape from daily life, to relate to the characters, or for the intricacies of details and story.

For further insight into why people find these constructs of fiction so mesmerizing, we posted a survey for the Bolles community (with a little incentive). The survey asked what your favorite fictional universe is, why, and if there is anything from that world you would like to bring into our own. Although unique, the responses carried familiar threads of searching for a sense of identity and inner confidence, and for our world to become more tolerant and accepting of others. And magic. That was pretty big too.

Top Universes: Harry Potter Middle Earth Percy Jackson Marvel Star Wars Above is a graph of what media form people’s favorite fictional forms are in. Below is a graph of favorite fictional genres.

Hunger Games Divergent The Heart of Darkness Brave New World DC Grishaverse The Land of Ooo My Hero Academia Star Trek Throne of Glass

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ne Cli ne

Re a dy Ern Play est er O

Yana Toboso

The Great Gatsby

Patrick O’ Brian

Black Butler

Joseph Conrad

Master and Commander

Heart of Darkness

Suzanne Collins

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hunger Games

The Hobbit

Black Panther

Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Below are samples of the kind of responses we received, and above is each person’s corresponding favorite fictional universe.

In the fictional universe of Wakanda, viewers are forced to stop perceiving Africa as a barren, starving, sprawling wasteland and begin to realize that Africa is a beautiful, resourceful place that has been ravished by greed.

-Fapianey Alexandre, ‘21

In the real world, sometimes social stigmas or stereotypes force us to become things that we truly are not, but the O.A.S.I.S. allows those who use it to truly express themselves without fear or expectations.

Ents, embattlements, eagles, explosive events, escapism, epic enchanters and enchantresses, and especially, Elves.

- Tyler Schimpff, ‘22

- Jake McGraw, ‘21 I would like to see in our world how people in The Hunger games appreciate the small things, small memories, and moments spent together with friends and family.

Relationships characterized by personal honor and mutual regard. Erudition as a mark of pride. A wide ranging interest in the world outside our borders. Leadership as a rite of passage, and a professional vocation.

-Justin Cayenne, ‘21

I grew up on a farm. Such settings typically center around self-reliance and reflection, and the stories often explore the strengths and frailties of men and women.

- Mr. Kostandarithes

Black Butler seems like a stereotypical Victorian London setting. But the manga/anime incorporates factual events (like the Jack the Ripper murder case, the independence of India, and dog fighting) and couples them with supernatural characters like angels, demons, werewolves, etc.

- Mr. Dickson

I wish more kids my age had dreams or aspirations like Jay Gatsby, everything is about college and who has the highest GPA, nothing is about long term happiness.

- Helena Kummings, ‘20

- Julia FuLi Butler ‘19

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Recommendations Malazan Book of the Fallen Series

By Steven Erikson

A high fantasy series with an extremely extensive universe, each book is somewhat self-contained with a few subplots and characters continuing between volumes. The first installment of the series, Gardens of the Moon, follows Sergeant Whiskeyjack and Tattersail as Empress Laseen attempts to capture the last of the Free Cities.

Shadowshaper

By Daniel José Older

An urban fantasy novel that follows Sierra Santiago, who discovers shadowshaping, a magic that infuses ancestral spirits into paintings, music, and stories. Someone is killing shadowshapers, and Sierra, with the help of Robbie, a fellow artist, must explore her family’s past and secrets to take the killer down.

Salt to the Sea

By Ruta Sepetys

A historical fiction novel that takes place in East Prussia as World War II comes to an end and thousands of refugees rush to the Wilhelm Gustloff in search of rescue and safety. Three strangers, Joana, Emilia, and Florian’s paths converge as they are forced to unite and fight for survival after tragedy.

Dune

By Frank Herbert

The Lord of the Rings meets space and sci-fi as young Paul Atreides and his family accept stewardship of Arrakis, the sole planet in a feudal interstellar society that can produce spice, the highly coveted and most important substance in the cosmos.

Welcome to Night Vale

By Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor From the creators of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, this book takes place in the same nameless American Southwest town, where angels, ghosts, aliens, and government conspiracies are all a commonplace part of everyday life. It follows a 19-year-old pawn shop owner, Jackie Fierro, and Night Vale’s PTA treasurer, Diane Crayton, as their mysteries collide. It’s surprisingly poignant, incredibly strange, and is on this list as a personal favorite.

Op-Ed: Think Before You Speak Su Ertekin-Taner Contributing Writer There are always words and phrases that can make people’s tempers flare. Right?

But do those words always insult or can they empower? Speaker and context can be the difference between insult and praise.

As of now, our handbook states, “Examples of some types of harassment include any conduct or expression that demeans or degrades an individual or group based on that individual’s characteristics, color, race, or background, such as when someone uses inappropriate racial language, or teases someone about not speaking English clearly, or makes a negative comment about the country where a person grew up or is from.” This kind of expression is usually called a slur.

The Deans’ office states punishment for such speech should not differ for any race or ethnicity. Dean Newman writes in an email, “As with any student-behavior issue, we strive to treat everyone equally and want to be fair and consistent.”

Should punishment differ for students who say slurs if they are of that race or ethnicity?

According to Newman, the goal of administrators is to ultimately provide “teachable moments” and increase awareness of the meaning of the slurs. Although Newman acknowledges it is hard to enforce with all of these phrases and attitudes thrown around within pop culture.

Mrs. Marks, Principal of the Upper School, points out that nothing about racial slurs even existed in the Student-Parent Handbook until a few years ago. “As the school became more involved in diversity and inclusion, [we realized] we need to educate students that we will not tolerate verbal bullying.”

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Marks also emphasized that the school policy states punishment should be given despite what race or ethnicity the speaker

is from; it is context of the situation that determines what type of punishment this will be. Marks states her personal view is, however, closer to zero tolerance than Bolles’ view because of her background in intercultural communication throughout her years at Bolles.

She gives the example of children who hear racial slurs being passed around in a friendly manner. Marks believes that the young child will believe that he/she can say the word because it was passed around so casually, while not knowing that it is unacceptable to use in daily life.

According to Marks, previous discipline was delivered in response to students coming to school counselors, advisors, or administrators, the concern line, or a social media post that was sent to the school through an email.

Students Lauren MacGregor (‘20), Andre Parker (‘20) and Jake McGraw (‘21) believe that racial, ethnic, and even gender slurs should not be severely punished if both parties agree upon their comedy or if they are used in a friendly manner. McGraw says, “If none of the parties involved express feelings of offense to it, there’s not a need for as severe a punishment.”

All three students also agree upon the fact that the punishment should depend on the context of the situation specifically in which the word or phrase is being used on offensive terms. MacGregor points out, “It should not be a punishment if a teacher overheard [a slur] because it’s just friends talking.” Parker adds, “On agreed-friendly terms it [can] be used.”

Ariella Allen (‘19) mentions that if these terms are used in an empowering way, then it diminishes the offense of the word. Allen stated, “Some cultures like to use certain slurs as colloquially in language not necessarily in a derogatory way.”

If used in a derogatory sense, she believes the punishment should be a research paper on the slur. Allen herself has heard racial and ethnic slurs everywhere,

but most prevalently on social media accounts, “I’m an 18-year-old girl who lives in the United States; I hear racial slurs used inappropriately in this political climate all the time.”

Kenny Sogbesan (‘20) is a member of Metrotown, a diversity education program located in Jacksonville. From participating in the conversations at this association, he has become better educated on the ideas such as Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ, and religious extremism. “What Metrotown does is it opens eyes to the youth generation about different issues and different topics concerning our whole community in Jacksonville.”

In a disciplinary situation, Sogbesan believes the student should be allowed to explain why they are using the term in order to prevent preconceived notions from the Deans. “If the context is not with the intent to hurt, then I definitely think there should be a punishment because it is a school environment, but I don’t think it should be to the same extent as others.”

While one student may be using a slur to empower themselves or reclaim the word, another may be using it to insult another student. Although punishment should differ, the idea of discipline as a teachable moment should not change.

It is important to comprehend fully that “actions have consequences”. Even while you may not be intending to offend anyone, a bystander could hear and be made uncomfortable or hurt by the use of the words.

Furthermore, punishment should depend on previous offenses. In order to provide an effective change in students’ behavior, punishment should increase with each offense.

Using any words or phrases that demean an entire race or ethnicity with this intent does not evoke power, but weakness.

It’s just good to enforce what your mom has been mentioning since you were a child and, “think before you speak.”

How Would You Respond?

A friend of your race and ethnicity approaches you with a smile and greets you with a racial slur of the race that you both identify as. Would you…. a) Greet them back with the same slur b) Greet them without using the slur c) Be embarassed by the use of the slur d) Leave immediately as the slur should not be used e) Inform them kindly that the slur should not be used A student that is already accepted into a college at your school posts on social media to insult your race by using the slur of your race. Would you… a) Retaliate by insulting them/calling them a slur b) Immediately tell an administrator c) Tell no one about it d) Approach the student who has called you the slur and talk through the problem e) Avoid the student entirely f) Alert the admissions office of the college they got accepted into about the problem A student at your school sends you a snapchat insulting you by using the slur of your race. Would you… a) Not respond to their other snapchats b) Be offended, but not tell anyone c) Spread the word that this student has used the slur d) Respond to the snapchat without using the slur e) Screenshot the snapchat and send it to the school What would you have done if you were the students in these scenarios?

Op-Ed: Jokes Gone Too Far? Jacqueline Emas PR Editor Humor is a way of connecting to others. When individuals lack similarity, laughter is a language every person speaks. Humor is in everyone’s roots– it is universal. But when is humor taken too far between people of diverse backgrounds?

I am not a stranger to Anti-Semitism, even in simple forms that almost seem common. As I have found, people are absent-minded when using a minority as an insult. From the people I have heard, their insults are not purposeful attacks on the Jewish community but rather pure

ignorance. I am not saying to insult minorities whatsoever, in fact, most jokes from someone of an outside group should not be tolerated. There are some circumstances that I usually let go without too much judgement which is most of the time, but others that need confronting. Jokingly calling another friend a Jew is a frequent insult that lingers through the school.

I do not understand how the word Jew grew to have a negative connotation among high schoolers, which makes me feel as if it is not purposefully meant to undermine Jews and therefore, I do not confront those

saying the apparent insult. However, another non-controversial word could be an easy replacement.

There are some insults that have zero cushioning space. When peers use the Holocaust or Jewish stereotypes to attack my Jewish peers or myself, I address the situation. Hearing survivors choke out their experiences while in the concentration camps, seeing my Hebrew school teacher shake violently with tears before her class of fourth graders when speaking of the

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tragedy, knowing there was a chance I might not be here today because of the Holocaust makes me unable tolerate jokes surrounding that event.

I’m aware of Jewish girls trying to salvage the last few minutes before school to straighten their curls. I’m aware of many Jewish teens who look at photos, to only fixate on how their nose compares to those around them as stereotypes derive hidden insecurities.

You can look at the world in two lenses: society being open-minded, understanding each other’s differences to make a connection and find common ground or look at society causing divisiveness by focusing on other’s differences.

towards his race, believing people only perceive black students driven by their athletics rather than academics.

big noses, the Holocaust, being cheap, and so on. Her perception falls on the other end of the spectrum.

Crosby observes, “Just little things you notice like another kid gets a C and you get a C, [your teacher will] spend more time with that other kid than you because you’re expected to kind of be fine and happy with that C. You’re not expected to go above and beyond small things.”

“The things that hit me the hardest are joke about the Holocaust because not only is it not funny it represents the extermination of my people and me and everyone I know and love. I’ve been to Poland and I’ve been to all of the concentration camps...I’ve stood right in front of the gas chambers my ancestors were burned alive in. Nothing about that is funny.”

Crosby wonders if, due to his race, his abilities are often tested but the standards he’s held to are not as high as his peers’.

Herman continues, this time speaking on Jewish people making jokes about themselves. “I think it looks so bad when Jewish people make jokes about themselves because then it makes non-Jews think it is okay to make jokes.”

“We’re so comfortable with each other to a point where we know what crosses boundaries and we know where our boundaries lay. I feel like any joke with the same racial group, we are at a point where we know where each other comes from and we just know the boundaries.”

- Jaxon Crosby

Sofia Carreño (‘19) holds such passion for her home country, Colombia, that she wants others to experience the environment she takes pride in. After hearing Sofia is from Colombia her peers bombard her with common stereotypes and subject her with microaggressions they do not realize are offensive.

“People sometimes ask me if I do drugs or if I have drugs.

They ask, ‘Should I hire bodyguards? Will I get abducted? Will I get kidnapped?’ I’m like, ‘No, you won’t,’ and they still think we are just a third world country.”

The stereotypes, Sofia believes, derive from the media. Carreño reveals, “All Latin people in the media are said to be illegally in other countries, or that they just clean houses, or that they’re just dark skin, or that they don’t know any English, or that they only eat spicy foods.”

When minority groups are targeted on the media, with their distinctions unfavorably highlighted among many platforms such as the news and film, viewers receive validation to say these stereotypes and make jokes about others’ ethnicities.

Even in common life, people feel suppressed by stereotypes. Jaxon Crosby (‘19) propped his feet on the table in front of him and explained, “I’m portrayed asnothing more than an athlete who cares only about sports.”

Crosby observes an unconscious bias

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People of the same ethnicity can have polarized opinions about how to relate to ethnic humor. For example, Luke Kobrin (‘19) walked in the Homecoming Pep Rally, revealing the themes for each day.

While Kobrin and Herman disagree on the morals of jokes, they do agree on joke in the media.

“One of my favorite shows is Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Kobrin says, “And that entire show plays off Jewish stereotypes and exaggerates them and in improv comedy context the whole show is improvisation, essentially. That’s Jewish culture like the New York Jew. People find humor in that and Jewish people do as well.

Like, Larry David is Jewish.”

When Mrs. Moyer-Shad revealed that hats are prohibited, Kobrin lifted his hat and replaced it with a kippah. Kobrin reflects on his joke, “It is more just unexpected humor than it is anything else. Then again, if you want to make it into something else you can construe anything to support anything you think.”

Herman agrees, “A lot of the time when the jokes are made it’s either a Jewish comedian or something like that, so it is kind of different. It doesn’t really hit me on a personal level because the things in the media are not specifically at me but more in general.”

Kobrin believes people should not take themselves too seriously in order to avoid tension. With that idea in mind, Kobrin is more relaxed when making and even receiving jokes about his religion.

“I think the best thing you can do is take it in stride. I feel like that is more cohesive than trying to make an issue out of it.”

According to Crosby, “I know with my friends, historically speaking, our ancestors, our people all went through the same struggle. With other people I just don’t know what your family was about back then.”

Naomi Herman (‘19) has also experienced Jewish jokes throughout her whole high school career. The jokes she hears about Jewish people are familiar:

In summary, Crosby finishes, “Just keep it to yourself and let’s have a normal conversation.”

Op-Ed: Apple Pie or Figgy Pudding? The Great Bugle Personally, I absolutely deplore American reality TV shows, especially when they have to do with food, because they drain life and delicacy out of the culinary arts.

I dislike the shallow nature of the contestants competing because I think the producers encourage the chefs and bakers into speaking purely in idioms and regurgitated phrases.

I know this because while I’m in another room trying to hide from the horrors of yet another salty-sweet crisis of confidence, I overhear my mom watching shows like Cake Wars, Sugar Rush, and Nailed It. Every time they’re on it’s the same “we really need to get our head in the game” or “I had to go back to the drawing board when…”

With this preconceived thought that most baking shows are bad, I reluctantly watched some of Netflix’s The Great British Bake Off after my mom recommended it to me.

I fell in love with it immediately.

The bakers took a different approach by talking to the audience in a less staged way and they were more honest when expressing how they felt. Additionally, I loved the kindness of the contestants and the relationships they have with each other.

For example, the competitors wore Hawaiian shirts to commemorate their fellow baker who always wore Hawaiian shirts on the episode after he was disqualified. They bakers also encourage and help each other out when they can. If one baker finishes early, he or she

helps other contestants. That would not happen on Cupcake Wars.

Another reason why I love The Great British Bake Off is because of a contestant Briony Williams.

I love the way the show doesn’t patronize her so I will try not to either.

Briony has what she likes to call a “little hand.” She is not portrayed as anyone else, but herself.

Briony was a positive influence on people with disabilities because she held herself to the same standards as every other baker. Williams said,“Just because you have a disability, you can do just as well as anyone else.”

All in all, I am not saying UK culinary television is superior to the US, but they express the uniqueness of people while maintaining a theme of equality and humanity at the same time which is something American reality TV shows should embrace.

Baking Show

Havana Frakes on her baking experience.

Waking up around 8 to go to Target on a Sunday morning after hitting the snooze button several times was somewhat of a new experience for me. Why was I going to Target at 8 in the morning on a Sunday? To buy ingredients, for two mystery baking challenges I would be completing two hours later.

In the Bugle’s edition of the Great British Baking Show, three students, including myself, competed in two baking challenges: Chelsea rolls, which are basically cinnamon rolls but with raisins, and shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate. We spent the next six or seven hours baking, which for me was less stressful than anticipated. Unlike the real Great British Baking show, our time restrictions were less strict, and there was no concern about winning all of the glory in Britain.

Despite this, we did our best to maintain a similar experience to the actual show. To do this, we utilized active yeast, an egg wash, and a variety of other things that resulted in several delicious pastries.

Anya Raheja on her baking experience.

The Bolles Bugle Bake Off was a new experience for me. I never bake with a time limit, and this was my first time using a stand mixer. I paid less attention to details throughout the process, sometimes not measuring the ingredients perfectly. On the other hand, I spent half the cookie This is an image of the bakers challenge perfecting the chocolate. in season 10 of The Great British What stood out to me the most was Bake Off and Briony Williams is how tiring cooking for four hours was. at the bottom right.

However, the Chelsea bun at the end Courtesy photo from RadioTimes. made all the effort worth it.

Copy Editor Havana Frakes Conributing Writer Anya Raheja Contributing Writer Kloe Brill

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