New state law prohibits texting and driving, students react, Page 3
Game of Thrones brings Winter home in new season, Page 7
Removal of confederate statues in Dallas sparks debate, Page 17
Varsity Football aims high at start of season, Page 20
Special donors announced, eagle released at Fiesta
By Sohaib Raza
With high hopes to relocate the Lower School to the Merrell Campus, the annual Fiesta celebration on Sept. 22 announced major donors and helped raise awareness and funds for the Capital Campaign.
This year’s Fiesta began in “God’s front yard,” the lawn in front of All Saints Chapel. Families and teachers gathered to eat tacos, snow cones and socialize, and children and students
danced to music played by a live DJ on the basketball court. The Fiesta then moved to the Jerry Jones Family Stadium. Spectators followed the cheerleaders and the Mavs drumline to the stands to watch them perform before the speeches. In between speakers, middle school students presented a card stunt, spelling out ESD and the campaign’s tag line together we will. Following the performance of the National Anthem by the middle and upper school choirs, a live eagle was released.
ESD with this campaign. ESD is such a reputable school, and it’s amazing that ESD has grown to where we are. Together, this is it. Together, we move forward.”
ESD is such a reputable school, and it’s amazing that ESD has grown to where we are. Together, this is it. Together, we move forward.
“ ”
Meredyth Cole, Head of School
Oct. 3
Nita Clark and Suzanne McGee, co-chairs of the Comprehensive Campaign, along with Board Chair Don Carty spoke about the mission of ESD’s Capital Campaign. Three surprise special donors were announced: The Perot Family, Suzanne and Patrick McGee and the Jones family. Head of School Meredyth Cole brought the pre-game show to an end announcing that 100 percent of all ESD faculty pledged money to the annual fund, contributing to the school’s future.
“In order for the campaign to be successful and to secure the future, everyone needs to participate and spread the word,” Cole said. “I have seen ESD grow with regard to facilities and programs. This is ESD’s defining decade, and we will see the path and the course for the future of
MS/US “Art in Motion” Dance Performance
Oct. 6-9 Fall Break
October 10
Senior/ 5th Grade Buddy Lunch and Chapel (Twin Day)
Oct. 17 US Band Concert
Oct. 21
Lower School Spooktacular from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 24
The Campaign is composed of three major parts: The Endowment, the Comprehensive Campaign and the Annual Fund. The Endowment raises money for the school savings account, with a hope to increase its budget to $30 million. It supports students, families and faculty. The Comprehensive Campaign raises money to move the Lower School to the Merrell Road campus. Construction on the Lower Campus building will begin next year, and the building could open as early as the Summer of 2019. The Annual Fund makes up for the cost of educating students, which is not all covered by tuition.
Ruth Burke, Assistant Head of School and the director of the program, along with her team of volunteers, raised $41 million with $9.5 million going toward compensation benefits and professional development. It will also enrich community service, daily programs, outdoor education and more. The rest will be distributed evenly among the Endowment, the Comprehensive Campaign and the Annual Fund.
“I love this school, and to see the Campaign to its fruition and comple-
News to Use
4th Grade, MS and US Fall Choir Concert and Reception
Oct. 27
Homecoming Game against Casady at 7 p.m.
Oct. 28
Homecoming Dance from 7:30 to 10 p.m. in the Commons
**Send us your events! Please email upcoming events to the Eagle Edition at eagleedition@gmail. com.
tion is my dream,” Burke said. “It has been the vision of the future of the school.”
According to Burke, the idea for the Campaign started in 2012, when a strategic plan was developed as Father Swann was retiring. She was a part of ESD Tomorrow, a group formed for the vision and initiative of ESD’s future.
Chelle Wabrek, Head of Lower School, has envisioned the relocation of the Lower School as well.
“Because of the location switch, we feel a part of one bigger campus,” Wabrek said. “The opportunities for us to team up with Middle and Upper school students who come and
Annual Concert Choir performance in October
work in our classrooms and teach things to Lower School students, as well as for Upper School teachers to come and work with us, is incredibly exciting.”
Wabrek is overjoyed that the Lower School is finally making the transition to the Upper Campus.
“It fulfills the vision Father Swann had, for us to be united on one campus,” Wabrek said. “It is also important to the way our younger students impact the world of Middle and Upper School. The end goal for all of us is to provide the best learning environment for our school. It’s not about the building. It’s about us, about the people.”
The Upper School Concert Choir will perform at the annual Fall Choir Concert on Oct. 24 along with the Middle School choir and 4th graders Singers in All Saints chapel at 7 p.m.
The choirs will sing sacred and classical music along with folk songs. The concerts will sing individually and then all come together for the final performance.
“It’s one of the few events during the year where all three schools, Lower, Middle and Upper, [are] involved in something together,” Snyder said.
TOGETHER WE WILL: Head of School Meredyth Cole and her husband pose with the live eagle that was released at Fiesta, Sept. 22. The school is focused on raising money for the construction of the lower school and increasing the endowment. Photo by Emily Delgado
SPEAK UP: Co-chairs of the Comprehensive Campaign, Suzanne McGee and Nita Clark, along with Head of School Meredyth Cole listen to Board Chair Don Carty speak about the $75 million comprehensive campaign on Sept. 22. Photo by Caroline Massey
SHOW SPIRIT: The student section cheers for players during the Fiesta game. They wore Hawaiian clothes to celebrate the game on Sept. 22. Photo by Emily Delgado
Volunteers help Hurricane Harvey relief efforts
After Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in August, students and St. Michael parishioners assisted in a donation drive, filling almost two buses.
“We came together as a community and just started taking into account the students’ ideas and tried to figure out what we could do to help,” said new Director of Community Service Courtney Phelps.
All donations were transported to warehouses of the Trusted World organization, then sent to Houston directly or distributed across Dallas to Harvey victims. Students of the Lower School wanted to help, too. After seeing photos of animals in need, the students donated dog food, toys and beds to the SPCA. This was Phelps’ first project as the new Director of Community Service.
“It was a crash course introduction to a school-wide project,” Phelps said. “It was great seeing everyone excited to help others.”
Phelps is currently planning more projects for the near future, such as the Walk to End Alzheimers and events at the North Texas Food Bank.
“We are always thinking of who we will partner with because the need is constantly changing,” she said. – By Melissa Rivera
New a cappella club provides unique outlet
In its first year, the a capella club provides a space for students with various experience and talent levels to collaborate creatively and improve their vocals.
The co-presidents are juniors Kennedy Banks, McKinley Lawson and Elizabeth Konradi.
Twenty five students joined the club, 11 of whom are freshmen.
“Singing is really one of my passions, and I think it’s underrated because the sports get so much funding and people don’t really give the arts as much credit as they should,” freshman Sumner Wooldridge said. “It’s a very collaborative process, more than choir. We are all suggesting harmonies, and we’re all about trying new and different things.”
The club is currently rehearsing You Will Be Found, a song from the Broadway show “Dear Evan Hansen.”
“At this point, it’s recreational, but I think that there could be a possibility to participate in competitions in the future, which would be really exciting and fun to be a part of,” Konradi said.
Club meetings are in the choir room, and next practice is today, Sept. 29. – By Meredith Moran
Robotics Club finds new sponsor from Lower School
The Robotics team, assisted by Academic Dean Dr. Eric Boberg, found a new adviser and temporary working space, needed after the retirement of former robotics teacher Deb Goudy.
The Robotics Executive Council, a student-elected body set up by Goudy so that the team could function in her absence, is currently organizing meetings and overseeing general affairs. Michael Cogliandro, a Lower School technology specialist, is the team’s current adviser and is expected to stay so for the rest of the school year.
Boberg said Cogliandro and the upcoming Lower School building provide a chance to improve the engineering program at ESD.
“I’m optimistic about the future,” Boberg said. “Upper School robotics will be able to help Lower School robotics, and vice versa. This new building will provide lots of opportunities for robotics and engineering in general.” – By John Calvert
TABOO TEXTING: Senior Ellery Spencer unlocks her phone before putting her car in drive. In January, Spencer got involved in a fender bender while texting and driving. “After my accident, I did not text and drive, but over time, I went back to my old habits,” she said. “I don’t really think the law will change anyone’s behaviors.”
New anti-texting and driving law enacted, proves vague but a step in the right direction
By Meredith Moran
Senior Ellery Spencer was stuck on Central in standstill traffic when she pulled out her cell phone to text her boss that she was going to be late. After hitting send, she looked up, only to rear end the car in front of her.
House Bill 62, a new anti-texting and driving law, went into effect Sept. 1. The bill’s aim is to cut back on the 1.6 million wrecks, like Spencer’s, that happen annually because of texting and driving. First time violators can be fined up to $99 and repeat offenders up to $200. One in four car accidents is caused by texting and driving, resulting in 330,000 injuries each year.
“Texting and driving cannot only hurt and affect yourself but also the people around you,” senior Amelia Danklef said. “But I also don’t think this law is going to change anything at all.”
Prior to the new law, Texas was one of only four states in which a texting and driving ban wasn’t put into place. Past attempts at increasing driver safety either didn’t make it out of the Senate or were vetoed by former Governor Rick Perry.
“Texas is a unique place,” Head of Security Jody Trumble said. “Texas likes people to have their individual freedom. They still haven’t enacted a helmet law for motorcyclists. So that’s your individual safety, your individual circumstance that Texas prides itself in—kind of hanging on to that ability for each individual to make their own decisions. I think that plays a big part in why it took so long for us to move forward with something like this.”
Although the law may be a step in the right direction for driver safety, it may be difficult to enforce because of its limitations. Drivers can no longer text while driving, but they can still use
GPS on their cell phone, change their music or even take a call.
“I think [the law is] smart theoretically, but I don’t really think people will abide by it,” Spencer said. “It goes along with all of the driving rules, like you’re supposed to stop at a stop sign for three seconds, but does anyone actually do that? It’s a rule, but I don’t think the law will stop anyone from doing it in the future.”
Despite the final bill receiving criticism for being too difficult to police, it’s actually a much more clarified version of the original proposal, which outlawed everything from eating to interacting with a passenger while driving.
“When you look at [the original bill], it’s extremely vague,” Trumble said. “Interacting with a passenger? Does that mean talking to them or touching them? That’s as vague as it gets, so they did get more specific when they got to the end.”
The new bill may be more clear, but it still has limitations.
“One of the things that this does do, is from a police officer’s perspective, when you see a car swerving or failing to maintain a single lane, you kind of have to judge if that person is showing signs of intoxication or are they distracted,” Trumble said. “This law gives you that probable cause as a police officer to make that stop, pretty much based off of either one of those scenarios.”
In a recent poll of 177 students, 23.9 percent reported texting and driving.
“I don’t text and drive because I think it’s dangerous,” sophomore Abby Ragan said. “I think [the law] will probably help most people because it will make them more cautious.”
Snapping and driving has become prevalent among teens as well. According to a Sept. 23 poll of 179 students, 29.2 percent of students Snap and drive. Senior Jake Charnes grazed a car in front of him while Snapping and driving, but that didn’t stop him from doing it again.
WILL NEW LAW PROVE EFFECTIVE?
Section 8 of the bill states that a police officer who stops a vehicle for alleged texting and driving is not allowed to take the driver’s cell phone and go through it to see whether or not they were, as part of the driver’s Fourth Amendment right. Although this will most likely make policing texting and driving challenging, it does give an officer a legitimate reason to pull a car over.
46 percent say too difficult to enforce
27 percent say a step in the right direction
27percent say maybe, but too vague survey of 179 students, Sept.23
“I opened my Snapchat and wasn’t paying attention and took my foot off the brake,” he said. “There was no damage, but I still Snapchat and drive.”
Despite Spencer’s fender bender, she also continues to snap and drive.
“I know that I shouldn’t, but I do it anyway,” Spencer said. “I open up Snapchat and use it at red lights, but if I have not finished responding, I’ll continue to do it as I’m driving. I don’t really know why I can’t wait, but I’m kind of addicted to my phone so that could be a reason.”
Youth and Government makes gains in summer conferences
By John Kuehne
This past summer, senior Wesley Banks and sophomore Brian Jones traveled to Chicago for the YMCA National Judicial Competition, and junior Anastasia Sotiropoulos attended the Conference on National Affairs in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
To qualify, Banks and Jones initially competed in the state Youth and Government competition in Austin, while Sotiropoulos applied to be accepted into the national conference, having to submit multiple essays and an application video.
“I had to go through a really intense application process,” Sotiropoulos said. “Texas is one of the most competitive states, being so big, so we had tons of kids apply, but they could only accept eight from Dallas and 25 from the whole state.”
nority’s religion being ignored in government meetings. Banks earned high marks as an attorney, while Jones received strong scores as a judge.
The Conference on National Affairs that Sotiropoulos attended was centered around the legislative branch. Students formulated original proposals and presented them in advancing committees.
“I cannot emphasize enough what gems the people were, how civil they were when debating opposite viewpoints, how open and honest they were, and how much I learned from them.”
– Anastasia Sotiropoulos, ‘19
Jones and Banks’ competition focused exclusively on the judicial sector of Youth and Government.
As the first ESD students to ever attend NJC, Banks and Jones persuaded the judge to favor their side of the case by using case law to support their arguments. They competed in six total trials, three as judges and three as lawyers. The team went 2-1 in their trials as attorneys, succeeding mostly in a case surrounding a mi-
“My proposal centered around a more effective approach to how we fund the arts,” Sotiropoulos said.
Sotiropoulos is the first from ESD to attend CONA.
“Both years, she has presented a bill that she didn’t even write from one of our seniors on the floor of the House,” club adviser Mark Oglesby said. “She’s very sharp, well-spoken and personable.”
Sotiropoulos spent a week alongside high school delegates who have a passion for debate and topics near to them.
“I cannot emphasize enough what gems the people were,” Sotiropoulos said. “I made friends from Arizona, to Massachusetts, to Hawaii that I still keep in touch with. They were so incredibly civil when debating opposite viewpoints and I learned so much from them—whether it be about debate or just being a productive member of your community.”
Banks spoke of his experience at the judicial competition in Chicago in a similarly positive light.
“It really did help me make both friends and connections for the future,” he said.
The team has set the bar high at state and national level competition, and frequently attain Premiere Delegation status. Premiere Delegation is awarded annually to youth and government programs that stay up to date on deadlines for proposals, bills and fees.
“The club getting that recognition at the state conference is our first and foremost goal,”
Oglesby said. “We’ve had that for four years in
a row and we’d like to keep that,” said Oglesby. Youth and Government meets regularly in Ogelsby’s room on Tuesdays. Their meetings consist of practicing arguments for cases and drafting bills and proposals. The team has the upcoming District Conference in November and State at the Texas capitol building in January.
“Every night of CONA, the Texas team would gather for a round table discussion about our day,” Sotiropoulos said. “I’ll never forget what our Texas Youth Governor said one night—that we’re not the leaders of the future, but that we’re the leaders of today.”
Laying Down the Law: Senior Wesley Banks and sophomore Brian Jones pose for a picture while waiting to compete in their judicial competition in Chicago this past summer. Both Banks and Jones performed extremely well going 2-1 in their trials as attorneys. photo courtesy of Brian Jones
Henry Heil strides into new position
By Anastasia Sotiropoulos
BELLE! BELLE!”
For new Head of Upper School
Henry Heil, his extensive knowledge of Disney princesses may be surprising.
“One of my kids’ favorite dinner games is ‘Who am I?’” Heil said. “My daughters love doing, ‘I’m a princess with brown hair and a yellow dress.’ Ask me any question about a Disney princess and I bet I can answer it—hair color, dress color.”
Heil, his wife of nine years and three young children, the two oldest of which attend the Lower School, moved here just a couple of weeks before school started.
Growing up in Lynchburg, VA, Heil attended a public elementary and middle school. In ninth grade, he entered an Episcopal, private high school—the only one of his family of seven to do so.
“I was struggling a little bit in public school,” he said. “I recognized the fact that I was not living up to my potential. The attention that I got [in private school] is what I needed and I thrived. I just exploded there in terms of my academics, athletics— everything was right.”
Inspired by his positive experience, he decided to try out teaching.
“When I was in college thinking about what I wanted to do, it seemed like an easy thing to me,” he said. “I took the bait and it was awesome—hook line and sinker.”
After receiving his Master’s, he decided
to take a different route: coaching college baseball. But once he realized that he wasn’t connecting with the age group as well as he had hoped, he returned to teach at the high school level. At Woodberry Forest School, Heil was teaching and coaching full-time, which is what he had initially set out to do.
“I have a hard time sitting still, so teaching and coaching was great for a couple years, but I just needed to do more,” he said. “Slowly, I got to be a full-time administrator.”
Little did Heil know after graduating that he would one day return to a private, Episcopal high school, much like the one he had attended. On April 5, 2017, he was announced as new Head of Upper School.
“A lot of my decisions are based on intuition,” he said. “I can tell a lot by how people interact with each other. Just walking in here, the interactions are outstanding. It was the culture of the school—just the energy and vitality felt good walking through the building.”
To Heil, the most important quality of an administrator is relating to the students.
“You have a lot more schools out there that are hiring people to administer them like a business,” he said. “I think, though, in order to have a school like this where the relationships are just paramount, you have to have administrators who can connect with the kids.”
To Heil’s delight, Business Management teacher Amy Livingston invited him to teach two of her classes for a day.
“He’s in a position of management, not just
of teachers but also students,” Livingston said. “His position is integral to my students’ understanding of management. The kids loved him.”
After Heil walked the students through his decision-making of granting the seniors two study halls, the class felt a personal connection with him.
“He really knows how to captivate an audience of teenagers,” senior Cameron McGee said. “He had a strong teaching style that kept everyone in the classroom engaged.”
In his free time, Heil follows Davidson College basketball intensely and runs three to four times a week to stay motivated.
“I’m a big believer in that everybody needs to get their oxygen somehow,” he said. “If you’re on an airplane, what do they tell you do before you put it on the kid? Put it on yourself first. That’s my theory in life: I can’t help anybody until I feel good. Running for me is a way that I energize.”
This is the first of Heil’s 20 years in education not working directly with students in a classroom setting.
“Even when I was a full-time administrator, I was teaching one class, history,” he said. “This is a really weird year for me because I don’t know students like I usually do. I’ve never been in a place where students don’t walk in and out of my door constantly. That’s not happening right now, which is fine—I’m new. I’m hoping that will change.”
Upper School welcomes new directors
Elizabeth Goatley Diversity & Inclusion
From: Atlanta, GA
Worked as an assistant professor at Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work in Waco, TX
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?
Diversity speaks about the honor and dignity we give to the differences we all have. Inclusion speaks to the way in which we accept those differences and still allow ourselves to be a part of our larger community as global citizens. You usually hear about diversity and inclusion when something bad happens, when there’s an incident. My hope is that this office is never seen as just a crisis response office.
Why did you decide to pursue this job?
A lot of my students were having a really hard time talking about diversity. I was working with people who wanted to become social workers, so it was very important for us to make sure to be empathetic. I felt like it would be easier to tackle some of that while students are younger, so by the time they get to college, it’s an easier transition.
What do you appreciate about deeper conversations with people our age?
Most of the time, my Upper School students aren’t jaded by the world yet. You are still young enough where your perspective on life still is optimistic. Even though really bad things happen to people, you can find the silver lining. My hope is that we can encourage that and grow that in our conversations, because you all are going to be the change-makers.
What’s an interesting fact about you?
I’ve skydived [four times], mountain climbed, white-water rafted. The only thing I haven’t done is bungee-jumped. There’s a level of fear that can stop you, and in the work that I do and the life that I’ve chosen to live, I know that there’s a fear can stop me from doing things. Each time that I go ahead and do whatever it is that I’ve been called to do, I take a leap off of that fear. You just got to get out of the plane.
Dan Gill Athletics
From: Buffalo, NY
Spent the last 11 years as an athletic director coaching Division I and high school mens basketball in NY, FL, OH
What brought you to ESD from
Ohio?
Finding that work-life balance between being a good athletic director as well as being a good father was important to me. Having my son in a K-12 environment where him and I can be on the same campus was important, but at the same time, getting into an athletic environment that supported the safety and wellbeing of the student-athletes was a priority.
Do you have a favorite sport?
Actually, I don’t. I like to watch just about everything, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be a good athletic director. For me, it’s just the opportunity to get out and watch as many games as I can and interact with the kids. In my free time, I’m an avid sports fan. I’m a loyal Ohio State, Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabers fan, as well as the Yankees. I like spending time watching my own son play.
What makes a good athletic director?
Communicating with student athletes, coaches, parents, alumni and certainly the faculty and staff. No two days are the same. One day you may be dealing with developing programs and personnel. Other days, you’re helping with fundraising initiatives, but the main component is to provide a great experience for the kids. The opportunity to work with kids on a daily basis is one of the greatest pleasures in this position. Seeing them succeed and being an influential role in their development is something I take tremendous pride in.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I’ve gotten pretty used to losing to my 7-year-old in video games, especially some of those sports games. He knows I don’t play often and he can beat me when we do play.
Courtney Phelps Community Service
From: Los Angeles, CA
Worked as an AmeriCorps member for three years with Reading Partners, the national literacy nonprofit, in Atlanta, GA
How do you define community service?
Meeting a need and really understanding the need, not what you perceive the need to be. Immersing yourself into the community as best as you can and from a place of compassion from your heart. Just wanting to make things better—not for your own personal gain but for the people themselves.
What has stood out about ESD so far?
I was going to say something funny, like I love that I can eat every day for free, but it’s just the people—the students, especially. It’s very welcoming. People are always willing to say hi, stop and talk to you. That’s different for me and it’s nice. What do you think we can improve on in terms of community service?
Sometimes students can get into a routine of just doing things for the hours or receiving an award, and I really want us to move into why we do service, so you’re not even thinking of the hours when you do them. They kind of are on the back burner. They add up along the way, but you are invested in the community. I also want students to be committed to just a few organizations, rather than so many, because I think that’s more empowering and the partners in the community would appreciate it a lot more.
What about you would surprise others?
My favorite show right now is Dr. Pol on National Geographic Wild. My husband and I watch it together—that is like our Saturday night at 9 o’clock. It’s a show about a doctor in some far off land, a veterinarian, and he does all kinds of weird stuff with llamas and pigs and cows. I’m into things like that. I could sit there and watch Tornado Chasers and the Safari and Animal Planet.
Roasting: a glorified form of bullying?
By Peyton Jeter
At the end of football season last year, junior Andrew Griffin was out of luck. He lost in his fantasy football league. As a punishment, he had to dye his hair bleach blonde, and the “roasting” from his friends commenced.
“I got a hard time with [my hair],” Griffin said. “Good friends give each other a hard time. No one has a best friend that is always complimenting them. You don’t want a fake friend that never gives you a hard time.”
““If they’re my good friend, I’ll make fun of them or roast them for anything,” he said. “But for people I don’t know as well, I won’t roast them as hard.”
However, in a recent poll of 187 students, 40 percent said they roast whoever sets themselves up in the moment, no matter how close they are to the person. Consequently, 45 percent of students have also admitted that they have been roasted to the point where it hurt their feelings.
for them to put themselves in each other’s shoes and think how would that feel.”
Standing up for oneself during a roast isn’t as easy as it may seem. Because roasting is usually among a close group of friends, they may respond insensitively. If it’s supposed to be harmless, the group will think feelings shouldn’t be hurt.
You can’t just go up to someone you don’t know and mess with them. That would be bullying.
The concept of a “roast” is a well-timed joke to playfully pick on a friend, but it is not something meant to actually cause any harm.
“It’s kind of always been my sense of humor,” Griffin said. “I’m a jokester.”
Senior Brody Baird said you have to be able to take what you dish out.
“I roast hard,” Baird said. “I get roasted, too. It’s a back and forth thing. You got to take some roast and you got to give some roast.”
”
Andrew Griffin '19
Oct. 6-8 & 13-15
Roasting may seem like a harmless form of comedy but for many, there is no defined line for where to stop. Since it’s meant to be back and forth, it’s easy for it to get out hand. Emotional Wellness Counselor Mary Ellen Davison has seen this happen.
“I can see a group of guys who think it’s funny, but it wasn’t landing funny to the [roastee],” she said.
But Griffin insists he recognizes what’s off limits.
“Typically, something that’s not in someone’s control, like looks or something about ethnicity [crosses the line],” he said. “I dyed my hair myself. I wasn’t born with my hair like this. You can’t just go up to someone you don’t know and mess with them. That would be bullying.”
Baird agreed that roasting depends on the type of relationship one has with a friend.
The Austin City Limits festival runs all day, taking place at the American Express stage. Performances include Vance Joy and Chance the Rapper.
Oct. 14
Texas and OU will fight for bragging rights at the Cotton Bowl. Get ready to be rowdy.
Oct. 7
The Walk to End Alzheimer's will take place at The Dallas City Hall Plaza with registration at 7 a.m., ceremony at 7:30 a.m., and the walk at 8 a.m.
Sept. 29
It is often possible to push the wrong buttons when roasting, making it imperative to recognize when it’s time to slow down.
“I tell myself it’s time to stop when [I sense] someone is getting offended or hurt, which is often not the case,” Griffin said.
45 percent say roasting has hurt their feelings 40 percent say they roast whoever sets themselves up in the moment, no matter how close
Baird, on the other hand, insisted that apologies aren’t necessary.
“It’s a roast. It’s not harmful,” he said.
Davison believes that it is up to the roaster to be thoughtful enough to recognize when it might be time to stop once the joke might have gone too far.
“I think, sometimes, it’s a matter of maturity and empathy,” Davison said. “It’s sometimes hard
Main Events
National Coffee Day is celebrated today, and Starbucks new hit fall drink, the Maple Pecan Latte, is a good way to get into the groove of the season.
Oct. 6-9
Fall break will kick off with a half day on Thursday followed by a four-day weekend.
Oct. 29-Nov. 22
The Arboretum presents "Autumn at the Arboretum," a pumpkin village with 90,000 pumpkins, squash and gourds. This year's theme is The Wizard of Oz.
“A common response for when they do speak up is like, you can’t take a joke, or it’s their fault for being too sensitive, or they took it the wrong way,” Davison said.
Davison also emphasizes that power is a major factor in roasting.
“When one person has more power over the other person or one person has more friends around compared to one person that is by themselves, to me, that’s not really good spirited,” she said. “It’s sort of meant to intimidate.”
Through GroupMe, group texts, Instagram and other forms of communication, roasters can receive “likes” from friends, making the roastee feel even more targeted.
“The hard thing is you guys never leave the social environment,” Davison said. “It can feel like you can never get away from it.”
Junior Hannah Nwakibu agreed with Davison on how social media adds on to the harshness of roasting.
“It’s worse because it’s going to be there forever,” Nwakibu said. “You can hear the tone of how someone’s roasting in person, so you know if it’s mean or joking. In group chats, everyone starts ganging up on you and it can go bad. You really egg someone on with the likes.”
When feeling trapped as a common roasting target, Davison advises to find help.
“The best thing to do would be to find an adult they trust—me or an adviser, someone they can talk it through with,” she said.
State Fair celebrates 131 years
Forty-seven new foods will make their debut at the State Fair this year, such as crawfish lollipops, deep fried fruit loops, deep fried breakfast cupcakes and more. Come with an appetite.
"[Claire Groves] and I go to the fair every year together, mostly for the food," sophomore Sarah Smith said. "We try to find the grossest fried thing we can and go on the scariest rides, which is so much fun."
With opening day today and free tickets for the student body, it's an easy diversion.
graphic by Madison Willox
WINTER
is here
This article contains spoilers. If you have not yet watched “Game of Thrones” season seven, stop reading and start watching.
Season seven of Game of Thrones can be described in one word: EPIC. This shortened season of just seven episodes (usually ten) was packed with action from start to finish.
Though the season has a lot of tablesetting storytelling, this onslaught of dialogue builds up the action of the show.
Within minutes of the first episode, Arya Stark, now a man of many faces, put on the face of Walder Frey, the man who previously killed her mother and brother in the Red Wedding Massacre of season three. Assuming Walder Frey’s appearance, Arya made a toast to all Freys celebrating the death of Robb Stark, her brother. The speech, however, quickly turned into a roast as Arya ripped off her mask in time to witness the agonizing deaths of the Freys whose Arbor Gold wine was laced with poison.
As the season progressed, more and more of the Stark children gathered together at Winterfell, preparing for the winter ahead. Bran Stark, the “Three-Eyed Raven,” waits to tell Jon Snow that he is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. In other words, Jon is a Targaryen by birth, making Daenerys Targaryen, the “Dragon Queen,” his aunt.
Knowing this information did not stop a majority of the viewers from wanting Jon Snow and Daenerys to end up in the same room. A hopeful audience has long wanted the two to join forces against the White Walkers and eventually Cersei and perhaps claim the Iron Throne together.
There are two scenes that are the most iconic of the series. The first is the death of Olenna Tyrell. Tyrell was awaiting her end at the hands of the Lannisters but was determined to go out on her terms.
After drinking poison generously provided by Jaime Lannister to ensure a peaceful death, she discusses, in detail, the murder of Jaime’s son (and nephew) Joffery, who Tyrion was suspected of killing.
“Must have been horrible for you as a Kings guard, as a father. It was horrible enough for me, a shocking scene. Not at all what I intended. You see, I had never seen the poison work before. Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” After this, she drops the mic and is out.
Viewers cannot forget about “The Spoils of War” episode, where in the last ten minutes, a loud thundering sound grabs the attention of the Lannister army. This was the second most iconic scene of the season.
Daenerys rode Drogon high and mighty, creating mass destruction of the Lannister supplies and army. Watching this episode, I was in awe but quickly became frustrated at
WHAT’S THE BUZZ
@Episcopal School of Dallas
“Braden Rhone ‘18 says the Studio Art room is his favorite spot on campus because ‘It’s a place where I can put in headphones and get away from stress of my other classes, sports, and duties as Class President.’”
Bronn, Jaime’s sidekick, for shooting Drogon. Tyrion, Jaime’s exiled brother and ‘Hand of the Queen’ to Daenerys, watched from a hill above, repeating under his breath, “Don’t be an idiot, Jaime.”
Sure enough, Jaime (an idiot) charged toward Daenerys, spear in hand, in hopes of destroying her for Cersei’s benefit (even if it was a suicide mission), just to have his life flash before his eyes in Drogon’s flames.
As season seven’s seventh episode came to an end, viewers were left on the edges of their seats when the Army of the Dead’s new ice dragon, Viserion—who was slaughtered by the Night King and subsequently turned into a walker himself, exhaled blue fire and took down the ice wall, which was defended by the Sworn Brothers of the Night’s Watch.
Viewers are now left to speculate whether or not the formation of the walkers, as they trudged toward the Seven Kingdoms, is meant to depict a dire wolf. If so, could this mean that Bran Stark, the “Three Eyed Raven,” is also the Night King? Or could the two simply have a deeper connection that’s yet to be revealed?
The eighth and final season may not air for up to two years, and fans can expect limited spoilers, considering only two people know the ending of the show. For now, the Internet is littered with fan theories that should keep ‘Throners’ momentarily preoccupied.
@Mark Oglesby
“So the paint sprayer blew up during priming of @EpiscopalDallas Senior Lot... This is after I wiped off most of it”
House Poll
60 82 percent finished Game of Thrones Season 7 percent want Jon and Daenerys to get together
22
percent said Arya was the most savage character
49
13 percent said Arya was their favorite character percent want Cersei to die
According to a Sept. 23 survey of 179 students
@Episcopal School of Dallas
“Congratulations to Tarushi Mittal ‘18 and Katie Smythe ‘18, both named National Merit Semi-Finalists. #morethanadiploma”
By Gwyneth Zogg
graphic by Madison Willox
By Madison Willox
POPTOPIC Travel mishaps
From recreational to educational adventurers encounter travel complications shaping their experiences
“I was coming home from a summer program at Notre Dame, and I was flying alone and was supposed to land at 10. My plane broke down, and we had an eight hour layover. Once we finally got on, the plane couldn’t land in Dallas because of a storm so we had to go to Oklahoma. When we finally got to Dallas, it was 4 a.m.”
SENIOR Lauren Levy
“It was a fateful night in New York City. I just walked out of my hotel room to go work out, and then I came upstairs to shower. I had to go across the hall to another room, where my friends were to shower, because someone was showering in my room. But they locked me out of both rooms, and I was just in my underwear.”
SOPHOMORE Malcolm Herod
“We were on our way back home from a lacrosse tournament, and halfway into the trip, they realized we didn’t have enough gas to continue, so we had to turn around and go back. I had eaten a bad sandwich in the airport, so by the second time we took off, I was violently ill and had to spend most of my time in the bathroom. When we landed, they wouldn’t let us get off the plane, so I sat there praying for it to be over.”
JUNIOR Gianna Pope
“We were walking across the border from Thailand into Myanmar and because we were blonde, and it was rare to see blonde people, we kept getting strange looks from this tall guy for about 30 minutes. He finally approached us for an awkward picture with his family, followed by an even more uncomfortable kiss for my little brother.”
FRESHMAN Gardiner Vose
THE LIST
1
2
3
Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian cause a frenzy with their sudden, unexpected socalled “pregnancies.”
Tension is rising between Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump. Jong-Un recently identified Trump as a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”
NFL teams displayed unity after President Trump’s divisive tweets by kneeling or locking arms during the national anthem. Some Cowboys fans were shocked to see owner Jerry Jones join the team on one knee for a moment of unity.
4
5
6
“IT” broke September box office records with a $117 million debut.
Taylor Swift shocks the world with the pettiness of her new not-so-hit single, Look What You Made me Do.
iPhone X(tra?) is $999, making it the most expensive iPhone ever made. Why does Apple hate us?
15
By Gwyneth Zogg
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond was released in 1969 and written about John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, who was only 11 years old at the time.
Don McLean’s hit American Pie was written about Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richter Valens, who died in a crash in 1959.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell became a hit in 1967 and again in 1970 when Diana Ross sang it.
7
Refusing to go south of the border, France, Germany and Austria threaten to not attend the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea because of security fears ignited by North Korea.
Oldies but goodies
I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Female Pop Performer at the 30th Grammy Awards.
Quickly after being released, Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations was certified “Gold” by RIAA for sales of over a million sales.
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time) by Elton John was inspired by the short story, The Rocket Man by Ray Bradbury.
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson is undoubtedly one of the King of Pop’s most popular songs which he states was written about groupies he met.
John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads, released in 1971, has since become an iconic symbol of West Virginia.
First released in Sweden, Dancing Queen by ABBA soon became a worldwide hit and ABBA’s only number one hit song in the United States.
Piano Man, Billy Joel’s signature song, was selected by the Library of Congress in 2016, for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, said Dream On was the only song on the album where he used his real voice.
Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest was unlike any other music at the time because of their use of a Wurlitzer electric piano.
Don Henley, member of the Eagles, said Hotel California, which was released in 1977, was about “a journey from innocence to experience.”
The UK’s thirdbest-selling single of all time, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, was released in 1975 and was quickly on every radio station.
Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles was written by George Harrison in 1969 and was inspired by his relief at the arrival of spring.
Top 5 summer indie tracks
By John Kuehne
Holding On by The War on Drugs
Everything Now by Arcade Fire
Midnight by Jessie Ware
911/Mr. Lonely by Tyler the Creator J-Boy by Phoenix
8
Getting a treat this Halloween season doesn’t require anyone to get out of bed. Season two of “Stranger Things” comes out on Oct. 27.
9
QuesNO. Chipotle should have stuck to guacamole. Customers are calling it “the most disappointing thing that has ever happened to them.”
Eating good tonight became that much easier—Eatzi’s, Shake Shack and Sur La Table are making an appearance in Preston Royal Village. 10
This wasn’t even a debate. Adam Granduciel and company pull out all the stops for the biggest sounding song of the summer. Granduciel takes what made Bruce Springsteen great and adds about a dozen layers of instrumentation. The never-ending drumbeat and spellbinding slide guitar create a rock song that gives kids of this generation a reason to listen to contemporary rock. Holding On doesn’t take no for an answer, and The War on Drugs solidify themselves as one of American rock’s greatest artists of this decade with this track.
Not shying away from the disco, the biggest indie rock band from the past two decades echoes the success of ABBA on Everything Now. It has all the key ingredients to succeed as a summer song. The enchanting piano, punchy drums and intimate vocals of Win Butler combine to create a spacious disco song done Arcade Fire style. The “Na Na Na’s” make this the pop song of the summer, and the pan flute adds a whole new layer of appropriate craziness to the lead single from Arcade Fire’s first album in four years.
Jessie Ware returns with a bombastic pop song that feeds from its highest highs and lowest lows. Ware’s euphoric voice leads the way, dropping vocal bombs throughout the track as she tries to get back with her boyfriend. The sassy beat drop and backing vocals are gut wrenching, and as a result, Ware leaves me wanting more. Ware strips the song down with piano that empathizes with her relationship problems and is just as emotional as Ware herself. By the track’s end, I am rooting for Ware to get back with her boyfriend.
Tyler takes a lighter and flowery side on the hip hop track of the summer. The heavy bass feels at home, and Tyler exposes himself to his most listen-able track to date. It isn’t until Frank Ocean chimes in, sampling Outstanding by The Gap Band, when the track feels rhythmically and lyrically funky. Around the halfway point, Tyler switches to the Mr. Lonely portion of the track. Tyler has never been so vulnerable, yet so established. He raps over a heavier and rather lonely beat to give the best rhymes of his career.
French band Phoenix returns after a fouryear break with a sugary, gelato-inspired track about breakups. The boisterous dance floor track explodes numerous times, and not once does it feel off. Phoenix dances on the sun with J-Boy and makes their presence known almost instantly when the track kicks itself off with a refreshing “Ah.” J-Boy feels like a dazzling, futuristic roller coaster that I never want to get off of. It keeps the listener engaged throughout the song with a disco beat and catchy lyrics. 1 2 3 4 5
Vanalet Rusuriye
Position: Teaches
AP Physics II, Physics and PreCalculus
Background: Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Oak Cliff
Where have you worked outside of a school setting?
“I worked at MD Anderson in the physics and radiation department. There is research and also treatments of patients with cancer. I checked to make sure that the treatment and dosage of radiation and angles of the beam were going to work within a certain percentage.”
What is something that people do not know about you?
“I have had some really nice conversations with students, so I think that a lot of them know me, but I do ride motorcycles, and some other teachers ride here and we were talking about maybe going for a ride.”
Mary Jo Lyons
Position: Upper School Librarian
Background: The University of Texas at Arlington for 19 years
Have you worked anywhere besides a school setting?
“My freshman year of college, I was bored and the girl across the hall was going to get a job at the library, and I had never had a job before, so I went with her to the library and I have not left since. For the first seven years, while I was an undergraduate and after, I didn’t see myself as a librarian–it was just a job, not a career.”
What is something that we don’t know about you?
“I am a librarian, but I don’t love to read. Obviously I can read because reading is important and there is value in it, but I love ideas and connecting people to ideas. Following the breadcrumb trail of research excites me. It’s about a love of curiosity, and that’s what I love about libraries.”
Matthew Varvir Position: Teaches
AP Physics I and a class of eighth grade Earth Science and Physics
Background: Arnold Turner High School in Carrollton, Eastfield College in Mesquite
What drew you to ESD?
“I wanted a full-time teaching position and I stumbled on an ESD job post. It is a religious private school, but I liked how open minded it seemed and how there were people of different faiths. It seemed to be much more about raising people ethically and with good morals.”
What is something people don’t know about you?
“I did martial arts a lot when I was younger and even practiced in Korea. When I got back to the states, I practiced mixed martial arts for two years.”
Anne Fahrenholz
Position: Teaches Latin I and III and a class of eighth grade Latin Background:
Taught at Jesuit, stayed at home with her children for the past six years
Have you ever had a job outside of a school setting?
“Only in high school and college, but otherwise I have always been a teacher. I knew what I wanted to do.”
What is something that people don’t know about you?
“One thing I have done and am interested in, is a friend and I have started flipping houses. We have done one, and have put in some offers on some other houses. I do the designing and staging of it.”
Caryn Rossiter
Position: Teaches AP
U.S. History, World Cultures and Intro to Economics
Background: ESD, Ursuline, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, John Paul II
Why did you decide to work for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis?
“It was my dream job, and my background is in economics, so it was an economic and education job together. And as an economic education specialist, working for the Federal Reserve Bank was a dream come true.”
What is a motto that you live by?
“Life is short. Don’t stress over things that you can’t control.”
School year brings fresh faces
Nine teachers added to Upper School staff
By Lauren Egger
Department
Background: John Paul II
Have you ever had a job outside of a school setting?
“I originally didn’t want to be a teacher. After college I worked as a music minister at a church. There I played guitar, piano, sang and directed the choir. I did that for a year and then started teaching and have been teaching since.”
What is something that people don’t know about you?
“I tend to be a pretty open book, but I did learn Spanish really well working at a pizza kitchen in high school. It started with the owner of the pizza place trying to tell the cook that the water he was using to cook the dough was too hot, and they couldn’t communicate. So I was forced to use Spanish there.”
Barton Burnett Position: Teaches Engineering and Robotics
Background: Spent ten years in the United States Navy, taught for 28 years in public education
What drew you here?
“I decided I had been teaching in public education a long time, and somebody told me that ESD had an opening, so I decided to see what private education would be like.”
Who inspires you and why?
“My old company commanders when I was in boot camp. They were all Vietnam veterans. My heroes are the type of people they don’t talk about in the news. It is the people who do great things ,but they don’t ever get the stories–they are my inspiration.”
Matthew Figlestahler Position: Teaches English I and II
Background: A military school near Fort Hood, John Paul II
What is something that people do not know about you?
“I am a runner. I usually run 100 plus miles a month. I am training for a half marathon and then am going to do a full marathon. It’s a place for me to clear my head and just go.”
Who inspires you the most and why?
“I feel like I draw a lot of inspiration from my dad. He was always a hardworking person, and he got laid off and was working three or four part time jobs for a while when the economy dipped. We were kids, and we didn’t know, and life was always the same and he took care of us. So he inspires me to keep that hard-work mentality.”
Bryan Cupp
Position: Teaches World Cultures, US History and Ethics
Background: The University of Dallas for six years
What drew you to ESD?
“I was noticing that university students didn’t have the foundations that they needed, and I wanted to really reach out and build foundations at an earlier stage in their educational career.”
What are your hobbies outside of school?
“Spending time with family, I am a big classical music fan and enjoy old school alternative and electronic music. I love art museums as well, specifically 19th century art, which I guess is part of the historian in me. I like how art is reflective of the times.”
Clayton Chmiel Position: Teaches Spanish III Honors and is the Chair of the Classical and Modern Languages
Local ice cream spots offer chance to beat the heat
By Ellery Spencer
Cow Tipping Creamery: 1309 S. Broadway St., Carrollton, TX 75006
The food truck is set in the center of multiple restaurants, but is only open Thursday-Sunday from 5pm10pm. Cow Tipping Creamery has about nine different options to choose from or a build your own category. Each option is built like a sundae: pick the size, pick the soft serve flavor and they will handle the toppings. The “Gimme S’more” was basically a modified version of the classic campfire s’more that everyone loves. It consisted of classic soft serve topped with graham cracker crumble, chocolate chips, roasted marshmallows and finished off with chocolate sauce. The ice cream itself had a very light and creamy consistency, but was not super flavorful. The toppings are really what make Cow Tipping Creamery so unique. The small, medium and large options are slightly over-priced at $5, $7, and $8, but the atmosphere and overall taste of the product were very enjoyable. (4 out of 5)
Milk + Cream: 5420 Ross Ave #160, Dallas, TX 75206
This small shop is all build your own. First, you must choose between a cone/ cup or a donut sandwich; then, you pick an ice cream flavor from the 20 unique choices, like lavender bean, cookie monster, sea-salt caramel, red velvet, etc.; then chose a topping. I left with a scoop of sea-salt caramel, sprinkled with chocolate chips and placed on the inside of two halves of a donut. One bite of the ice cream donut sandwich filled my mouth with loads of sweet and salty tastes unlike anything I had tasted before. I expected the toppings paired with the donut sandwich to be way too much to handle, but it turned out to be a wonderful combo. The overall pricing ranges since they do offer fewer options, but the basic donut/ ice cream/single topping option came out to be $6, which was reasonable. (3 out of 5)
TCBY: 6402 E Mockingbird Ln, Dallas, TX 75214
Although TCBY’s specialty is yogurt, the shop still offers a variety of other options, ranging from a classic scoop of ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes, sorbet, cakes and pies. This location also includes a drive-thru. At the window, my chocolate soft serve with rainbow sprinkles on a junior-sized cake cone was delivered to me in about three minutes. The chocolate soft serve tasted like a less rich version of a standard chocolate ice cream, which in this case was much more pleasing. TCBY definitely does not skimp on the toppings; my soft serve was completely covered with rainbow sprinkles. Priced at $3.50, this sweet treat was not only convenient, but also easy on the wallet. (5 out of 5)
Sprinkles Ice Cream: 8413 Preston Center Plaza, Dallas, TX 75225
In connection with Sprinkles Cupcakes, Sprinkles Ice Cream offers a large variety of choices: sprinkles sundae, cookies/ brownie sundae, double/triple scoop sundae, cookie sandwich, milkshake and so much more. I decided on their famous sprinkles sundae and chose the red-velvet cupcake with their homemade red-velvet ice cream. After paying a striking $8.50, I expected this to be the best ice cream I had ever tasted. The cupcake featured a nice cake to icing ratio and the ice cream was very rich and flavorful, but the overload of sweetness was too much. I couldn’t even finish the small $8 sundae I ordered. The cupcake alone or the ice cream alone would have been enough, but both of them together made me sick. (2 out of 5)
Chills 360: 2646 Elm St., Dallas, TX 75226
The Chills 360 experience begins with your choice of eight different combos: green tea and strawberry, Oreos, banana and Nutella, taro and lychee and more. The Taiwanese-inspired ice cream begins as a liquid cream and a topping that are mixed together on top of a freezing plate. Once spread out into a single sheet and frozen into solid form, the mixture is scraped up into what looks like a rolled tortilla. The rolled ice cream is then topped and served to you. I went with the cookie monster, which is basically just an extravagant version of cookies and cream. After waiting in a small line, I received my ice cream, but there were barely any toppings—two Oreos and two chocolate sticks. The ice cream itself tasted like a fancy rolled up Oreo McFlurry from McDonalds. For a whole $7.50, I would like my ice cream to taste a little more unique and a little less like a $2.00 McDonalds Mcflurry. (1 out of 5)
Life in the bubble
Abundance of wealth in a small private school community leads to distorted perceptions of privilege, normalcy
By Julia Beckel and Kathleen Hobson
It’s a typical Saturday night.
Sort of.
A senior in white jeans, pricey wedges and an Hermes scarf worn as a shirt walks into a restaurant with friends.
They eat dinner. They talk. They order Ubers later to meet up with more friends because they all had a few drinks, thanks to their very believable fake IDs.
For some students, it is the entire private school community of Dallas that seems to show off their wealth an unusually large amount.
Students live their lives and don’t necessarily have to worry about [money–related issues]. So while they worry and care and feel bad for people, they’re not all actively always trying to do community service or stuff like that.
”
–Cameron Johnson, ‘18
The wardrobe, the dinner, the drinks and Ubers are all part of the lifestyle afforded to some students whose families make quite a bit of money.
“Your
view of how poor you are is just about who is around you. So you could have a ton of money, but if all your friends have a ton plus money, you would feel poor.”
Hearing a fellow classmate recount a similar story of dropping almost $100 in a night may not seem unusual, but outside of ESD, the “normal” things that many students do are considered extravagant. With money constantly at one’s fingertips, students are exposed to a much fancier, unrealistic lifestyle.
—Mary Ellen Davison, Emotional Wellness Counselor
A casual neon back-to-school dance calls for hair and nail appointments. Homecoming, JSB and Prom roll around–time to get makeup done as well. The “getting ready process” for school dances has been drawn out and paired with a hefty price tag—one that not all students can afford three to four times a year.
“At ESD, that is just a normal thing, like ‘Hey, have you made your appointments yet?’” junior Jetlyn Toledo said. “At other schools and areas throughout the world, that stuff is definitely not normal and common. People aren’t able to just go get their nails done after school or go get a car wash or even a car. Everyone here has a car, and if they don’t, it’s honestly because they can’t drive.”
“The only reason I ever realized how fortunate ESD was, [was] by going to other places and traveling,” senior Grace Crenshaw said. “Dallas is known to have so much money here in general. So many other places like Connecticut and even Greenwich, which is one of the wealthiest places in the entire world, they don’t flaunt money the way Dallas has. It’s not normal there to drive Range Rovers, but every single car that pulls up here is [a brand like that]. Many people go broke in Dallas, and they say that the last thing for you to give up is your lifestyle. So they care more about showing it off.”
The junior and senior parking lots are full of Range Rovers, Jeeps and Mercedes. A student at ESD with a $90 thousand car is not out of the ordinary. Most students have money on them to spend at all times, being able to buy food, clothes, alcohol or whatever they want whenever they need. However, at other high schools, students have a completely different experience.
Senior Cameron Johnson transferred from Allen High School sophomore year because his mom was not a fan of his previous school’s teaching style.
“My transition wasn’t difficult, but it wasn’t easy either,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t call it a bubble [here], but students live their life and don’t necessarily have to worry about [money-related issues]. So while they worry and care and feel bad for people, they’re not all actively always trying to do community service or stuff like that.”
Having money at such a young age allows for students to partake in things older young adults do, thanks to fake IDs. Students with money are also fortunate enough to hire multiple tutors and ACT prep classes. Money gives some students access to opportunities such as concerts, vacations and jobs or internships.
When a large portion of the student body comes from the upper class, it creates false perceptions of wealth. Students who are also wealthy begin to feel unfortunate even though their family is upper middle class. Excessive spending can become a problem as students are always out getting food with their friends or buying unnecessary items.
Over half of the high school population comes from zip codes where the average household income is almost $200 thousand. With some students coming from even more affluent households, some wealthy students can feel left behind. Emotional Wellness Counselor Mary Ellen Davison said that wealth is relative as everyone sees life through their own lens.
“Most people here have a very comfortable lifestyle,” Davison said. “Even those who don’t have much money, the rest of the world would see them as they have food, they have a place to live, they are going to a nice school. Even if they feel like they’re scouring for that, most of the world would see it as a very privileged lifestyle.”
Living in a community like ESD can skew a person’s view of wealth, since the spectrum is raised to such a higher standard.
“Your view of how poor you are is just about who is around you,” Davison said. “So you could have a ton of money, but if all your friends have a ton–plus money, you would feel poor. Sometimes a kid will feel like they
don’t have any money and I will have to empathize because that is truly how they feel and they feel like that makes them less than, even if 98 percent of the earth would say, ‘Oh my gosh, you have running water?’ You know, when you think about how people live, we’re doing OK. But it’s just really relative.”
Although 20 percent of the student body is on financial aid, that is still 80 percent of the student body whose parents are able to afford the almost $30 thousand tuition per year.
Although the level of wealth at ESD is generally unusual, it is certainly not the only school dealing with a “money divide.”
A recent New York Times article “Can prep schools fight the class war?” cited a study on 50 well-off Manhattan families. Similar to what occurs at ESD, there appeared to be a group of “Manhattan poor,” or extremely wealthy people who felt as if they were not well-off because they did not own a third house in Vail along with their pricey Manhattan apartment.
The article also spoke about how the concept of modesty might not be as beneficial as it seems. Although there is merit in not obnoxiously flaunting wealth, modesty can turn into hushed silence, leading families to forget and ignore their privilege altogether. This can stall improvement.
different people, but some of that you just kind of have to live.”
In the same New York Times piece, the Head of School at Trinity, a prestigious prep school in New York, wrote a letter to families highlighting this issue.
“Consumerist families treat teachers and the school in entirely instrumental ways, seeking to use us exclusively to advance their child’s narrow self-interest,” John Allman wrote. He continued on, writing that students would ascend to “a comfortable perch atop a cognitive elite that is selfserving, callous and spiritually barren.”
He is actively changing the requirements at Trinity to include more community service hours. The prep school will also be more selective about applicants, only allowing entrance by those who aspire to be conscious of their environment and reality.
Toledo says it may be a shock for some students when they are exposed to a different environment.
“Everyone knows that we’re really fortunate, and I think that everyone says that they know, but people would still be really surprised when they saw the real world,” she said.
“Everyone knows that we’re really fortunate, and I think that everyone says that they know, but people would still be really surprised when they saw the real world.”
—Jetlyn Toledo, ‘19
“I think ESD really tries to break down the bubble and prepare you for the real world,” Davison said. “I don’t want to say it’s an impossible task, but it’s just hard to inform someone from the outside, ‘Oh here’s how the world is’ when you haven’t lived in it yet. I think that ESD wants you all to be able to go into the world and relate to lots of
“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, we are fortunate we do have these things,’ but when people go out to other communities and actually see what’s out there, they are surprised.”
Getting the chance to leave the community and serve the less fortunate in Dallas gives students the opportunity to check their privilege.
“I also think the community service work that ESD has us do really helps,” senior Sophie Henley said. “The fact that we need community service hours to graduate really kind of forces us to be aware of our privilege.”
$18,528 for a lifer in tuition at ESD $447,760
46.4 percent of students feel that money has led them to live unrealistic lifestyles 37.5 more for one year of high school at ESD than one year of in-state tuition at The University of Texas
percent of students worry about money
according to a survey of 179 students, Sept. 23 the bill Fit
Adopting Selam
Sophomore recounts journey from Ethiopia to America
By Sydney Rezaie
As a young child, sophomore Selam
Mekbeb-Gillet had to travel five miles a day to get her water at a river nearby her village of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“I got my food from the market and walked to get everything I needed,” she said. “I did not come from a high society like America—I came from a low society that is known for its hunger, their starvation, their famine.”
Although she was young, Selam has vivid memories of the small, tight-knit community she was born in. Without technology in her city, the kids entertained themselves.
“The one thing I remember is the games that we played,” she said. “Even though we lived in huts and metal houses, all of us children knew that we were going to be OK. It didn’t matter how we grew up. As long as we had each other, we didn’t need the materialistic things.”
adopted grandmother’s house,” Selam said. “We stayed there for a couple months before we moved.”
When Mekbeb-Gillet first immigrated to the US, she did not know one word of English, but with the help of her adopted mother, who was fluent in Amharic, she learned English before she started school.
“It was hard,” she said. “I had to learn that you cannot be afraid to fail.”
Coming from a developing country, Mekbeb-Gillet couldn’t grasp the concept of having running water accessible at your home.
“When I came, I wasn’t thinking about how big the houses are going to be,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking about how the water was going to taste, how the food was going to taste and what clothes I was going to wear. I was more thinking about how I was going to have food and how I could rely on having water.”
“It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what skin color you are. It doesn’t matter what social status you are. It’s okay, and we are all a community here.”
– Selam Mekbeb-Gillet, ‘21
After Mekbeb-Gillet’s birth mother contracted AIDS, she entered foster care and was adopted by her Ethiopian mother and American father in May of 2008, over the process of four years.
“I don’t really remember the process. My mom and my aunt came, and we stayed at my
Attending school in Ethiopia was a privilege and not mandatory, making Mekbeb-Gillet grateful for her education today.
“When I was young, I walked to school, and that was something that I still cherish to this day,” she said. “It reminds me of the gratitude I have for going to a school like ESD.”
Coming to ESD in eighth grade, Mekbeb-
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discovered that some of her customs and values from Ethiopia were distinctly different from ESD.
“I come from a very structured culture, from the clothes I wear to how I talk, what I eat,” she said. “Coming to ESD was a refresher, because here we’re allowed to wear different things. We’re still in uniform—we still have that structure—but it’s not so strict.”
Although Mekbeb-Gillet grew up with few nonessentials, she finds herself gravitating toward them now. But her mother reminds her of her life before.
“I’m not going to lie—I’m not the kid who doesn’t care about the materialistic things, because I do,” she said. “But my mom always remembers to bring me back and say, ‘You
used to be fine living without it; you didn’t even have a purse. Do you need it now?’
Back home, that’s the way we lived. What we did for fun was we had family, people, a community. That is what ESD needs to build up to. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what skin color you are. It doesn’t matter what social status you are. It’s OK, and we are all a community here.”
In the future, Mekbeb-Gillet hopes to go back to Ethiopia and adopt several children, become an orthopedic surgeon and one day cure AIDS.
“The medical help in the world is too low, especially in Ethiopia,” she said. “My hope is that I can somehow help the people there. I don’t know how or when I’m going to do it, but I know I am going to.”
Gillet
MODERN FAMILY: Sophmore Selam Mekbeb-Gillet poses for a family photo in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. Photo courtesy of Selam Mekbeb-Gillet
ACT, SAT tests are not equalizers
Every two months, millions of high school students from all over the country rise at an unusually early hour on a Saturday, sharpen number two pencils, grab calculators and head to testing centers. They shuffle in to take designated seats. Proctors read off the exact same rules, and at 8:30 a.m., the timer is set and students’ pencils hit paper, begin the test that will determine their future. But not every student sits down with the same chances. The scales are tilted and the process is flawed.
With hundreds of thousands of high schools across the country, it can be hard to tell what a GPA means for each school. Some private school students claim they have to work harder for a high GPA.
These factors led to the Department of Education creating the standardized test: one test, with identical questions, given to most students in the country. The original philosophy makes perfect sense.
However, the same students that complain they have to work harder for their A compared to other students will now spend thousands of dollars on tutoring that a not all
On the
students may not be able to afford. There is nothing wrong with preparing for a test and striving for improvement, but people will build businesses off of anything available, and a booming one has been built off of the standardized test industry. Entire tutoring companies have been formed to prepare students for their standardized tests. They charge criminally high prices for group classes – or if you’re really willing to pay – one-on-one tutoring.
Students reap the rewards of this effective preparation and are suddenly spreading the word to all of their classmates: You have to go to this tutor; he’ll get you a 35. Don’t take the test without it. However, these words of advice will fall on deaf ears to those who can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars each month to bring up their score.
And beyond the industry of tutors, there is extended time. Students with legitimate learning disabilities are granted extended time on standardized tests so that they can remain, in fact, standardized. Whether you accept it or not, there are ways to get extended time without truly needing it. Getting tested for a
disability alone can be thousands of dollars, so some who may actually qualify still do not have that opportunity granted.
Standardized tests were a good idea in theory. But the reality is that when those testing center doors flood with students, each individual sits with varying advantages. When that score is sent to colleges, it still isn’t really giving them accurate insight into who that student is. What colleges don’t receive is how much students have paid for the best tutor in their state or how many extra hours they utilized to complete the same test. It simply isn’t standardized.
The great equalizer has become the great divider—and enough is enough. Standardized tests should not be issued in this country. Colleges instead need to focus more on a student’s extracurriculars and awards, their personal essays and recommendation
Do
you think standardized testing is fair. Why or why not?
“The ACT and SAT are in essence basically the same. There’s the same amount of preparation. It might be easier if you have a tutor. Whatever resources you have access to you should be able to use.”
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Julia Beckel
Kathleen Hobson
MANAGING EDITOR
Gillian Campbell
COPY EDITOR
Anastasia Sotiropoulos
DESIGN/PHOTO EDITOR
Madison Willox
NEWS EDITOR
Meredith Moran
asst. Lauren Egger
OPINIONS EDITOR
Melissa Rivera
LIFE EDITORS Margaret Smith Gwyneth Zogg
SPORTS EDITOR Sydney Rezaie asst. Emily Delgado
BUSINESS MANAGER John Calvert
STAFF WRITERS
Ellery Spencer, John Kuehne, Sohaib Raza, Peyton Jeter, Amanda Warren
ADVISER
DiAngelea Millar
letters. If colleges stopped placing such emphasis on an empty number, they would accept well-rounded students who have landed where they are based on nothing other than merit and grit.
“The ACT and SAT are very fair because they are a good way for colleges to separate and differentiate between students’ intelligence, so that prestigious schools can pick the smartest people in their classes.”
Eagle Edition
EDITORIAL POLICY
MISSION STATEMENT
The Eagle Edition is a student-produced newspaper published seven times a year with the intent to educate in a professional manner and provide a voice for the Community. The Eagle Edition earned Gold and Silver Crowns from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Pacemaker Awards from the National Scholastic Press Association and Gold Stars from the Interscholastic League Press Conference. Circulation is 1000 copies, and the student population is 667.
ADVERTISING POLICY
The Eagle Edition is partially funded through advertising. The editorial board reserves the right to refuse ads not in the best interest of our readers. Ads are sold in 1/8 page increments. Please contact the Business Manager: calvertj @esdallas.org.
people can get a tutor. The kids who have extended time actually need it. You have to get a good score but, at this point your score is not a tipping point into getting into a good school.”
The staff abides by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. The opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of the adviser, faculty or staff. This is a student-run publication and a forum for student voices. All images in the Eagle Edition are student produced, republished with permission, are in the public domain or fall within fair- use practices for criticism and news reporting.
BYLINE POLICY
All articles, graphics, photos, art, columns, page design, reviews or other material produced by Advanced Journalism students carry the creator’s byline with the exception of the Staff Stance, which is the official, collective voice of Eagle Edition
“I think the system is not fair because some kids can afford prep versus others who can’t. I don’t know how kids with learning differences get extended time, but that also makes it not fair.”
CONTACT INFORMATION
For editorials, letters, story, photos or subscription information, contact the newspaper: 214-3535899 or email us at eagleedition@esdallas. org. We also accept letters to the editors in response to content or school decisions. These letters will be edited for content and space.
The school address is 4100 Merrell Road, Dallas, TX 75229 Subscriptions to any continental US street address are $25 per year.
FOLLOW US ONLINE Twitter: @eagleeditionesd Instagram: @theeagleedition
Jack Loftus, ‘20
Zander Knight, ‘21
Katelin Gildersleeve, ‘19
Maddie Esping, ‘18
“Most
graphic by Madison Willox
Dear Editors,
What’s up with the dress code? All I hear is that the guys can look like slobs and that the girls would make Kate Upton blush. I mean, seriously, why even bother with a code? Wouldn’t it just be better for everyone if they could flaunt their sweet gear? Think how much more time all the teachers and administrators would have if they didn’t have to enforce this crazy thing. I know of schools out there where kids can wear Lululemon—every day. Heck, why can’t kids just roll out of bed in their jammies for class?
—Henry Heil, Head of Upper School
Dear Editors,
I am sick of backpacks littering the floor, and I’m sick of there not being an adequate place to leave my backpack. Recently, the administration has been asking us students to not leave our backpacks on the floor, but where am I supposed to put it? When I go to lunch, as a junior, I am supposed to either have to walk all the way upstairs or walk to the junior locker area in order to drop my backpack off. I am hungry and I don’t want to do that. When going into the cafeteria servery, every second is crucial. Every student in this school knows the pain of having to wait in a long line in the servery. I don’t have time to walk a reasonably long distance to store my backpack. If they gave us more than 25 minutes to eat, this may not be a problem. I want there to be backpack cubbies on the walls for me to be able to easily leave my backpack there and then easily be able to get it when I am done eating. This solves the backpack problem, and the students have an easy spot to leave their backpacks. Backpack cubbies are not expensive. If we can build an entire Lower School, we can build backpack cubbies for the students. —Walker Lay '19
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
We release this first issue as editors-in-chief with excitement about the new changes in the newspaper.
Traveling to New York City over the summer, we took an editorial leadership class at Columbia University. The class gave us great insight into the type of leaders that we want to be, and we have worked consistently throughout this issue cycle to meet the goals that we set for ourselves during that class.
We kicked off Volume 35 by redesigning the entire paper with the help of Houston Chronicle sports writer Jenny Dial Creech. The redesign allows for more graphic and photo focused content. We added brackets as a repeating element and instituted a spot color that changes every issue.
Changes have also been brought by our new adviser, DiAngelea Millar, who pushes us to come up with fresh ideas.
When assigning stories in the beginning of the issue cycle, we specifically worked to make each story a relevant and interesting topic that the student body would enjoy reading.
We chose our centerspread on the effect of money on our community because of the constant conversations about class divisions.
Our first issue as editors-in-chief is something we have looked forward to since our freshman year, and we can not wait to continue producing the paper alongside our talented staff and adviser.
—EICs
Julia Beckel and Kathleen
Hobson
My dad spent nine months of his life deaf. Or so he thought.
After moving to America from Australia when he was seven, he had only been exposed to my family’s native language of Greek. And with Melbourne’s bustling Greek community, my grandparents weren’t the most proficient in English either. So when it came time for him to enter third grade, they enrolled him at a school in their district. Seemed simple enough, except for the fact that the school was predominantly for the deaf—something only a settled member of the community would know.
DISCLAIMER: My dad is not deaf.
You read that right. My dad spent third grade convinced he was.
Fast forward forty years, and it’s one of his favorite stories to tell at dinner. He would spend days snapping and clapping to test his hearing, developing a complex that there was something wrong with him that everyone was keeping secret. The hearing aids of the other kids would emit the piercing shrill of a smoke alarm—EEEEEEE. The odd thing was, he never wanted to tell his parents. They found out with the rest of us over some spanakopita.
Now we double over in laughter at the thought of my dad trying to make out foreign finger formations and doing a flamenco with his own hands to test his hearing, but the transition was rough for him as it was for my grandparents.
Papou toiled night-shifts as Yiayia cooked at a restaurant for the health insurance. Her lunch breaks were consumed by walking the mile back home to pour a glass of milk for
Proud to be an American
Junior recounts father’s immigration journey, encourages patriotism in chaotic times
my baby uncle. Not fun. Even I cried the first couple months of preschool because I didn’t understand the big fuss over this whole “English” thing. Fast forward another 12 years, and a July 5 New York Times survey reports that just 36 percent of Americans can spot North Korea on a map—36 percent. The moment 64 percent of our population is aimlessly wagging fingers at Kazakhstan and Papua New Guinea chanting, “bomb ‘em!” is a telltale sign of the apocalypse if there was one. But what does Americans’ cartographic ignorance have to do with my family immigrating?
It goes to show that America’s not perfect. I’m not about to pretend it is. There is no denying that we’ve got work to do on more than just the geographic-literacy front. More like the mental-health-funding, rampant-obesity-rate, nuclear-bomb-threat, casualties-over-statues, overall-tension fronts. It wasn’t perfect when my grandparents arrived, armed with slightly Australian accents and that classic immigrant dream, and it still isn’t now.
That being said, I’m never one to bluff, “If that cheese puff doesn’t get impeached, I’m moving to Canada.” First off, let’s make sure we all know where Canada is located on a map. Once that’s figured out, is fleeing really fixing? We’re America: currently chaotic, but of capacity. Potential. Opportunity. Patriotism doesn’t nullify the fact that we’ve got problems. Patriotism merely ratifies why those problems are worth solving.
If we approach each situation with a sense of gratitude, through the lens that America has given us opportunities that we otherwise
would not have, we’ll be better for it.
This country is not a literal Betsy Ross flag with every thread trimmed and every wrinkle pressed, ready to be mounted for permanent display. This country will never be ready for a stagnant gallery, but is unfinished, evolving with each generation.
Though she may not always be the land of unopened doors with golden doorknobs waiting to be turned, as described to my grandparents in the ‘70s, she has more doors than some places—especially war-torn Greece of 1947 or Syria of 2017.
Whether or not you stand up for the NFL’s decision to kneel, at least we have the luxury of openly criticizing our government without the repercussions that would follow in another country.
America’s doors may need a good polish, some woodwork and perhaps a new spiffy hinge, but they are still doors that people risk their lives to go through. Doors that people sacrifice life in their homelands to have even the slightest chance of entering.
It’s not everywhere a compulsively snapping third-grader becomes a doctor, or a nervously puking preschooler becomes a junior at a reputable school.
We’ve got heated immigration debates, but they exist because people want to come here for a reason. I know my family did.
We just happen to be the lucky ones.
–Anastasia Sotiropoulos
FCD needs improvement to make impact
Students listen to the same information on repeat every year, wastes time
By Madison Willox
If someone were ever to ask me how to shoot heroin, I would now know the answer thanks to our schoolsponsored FCD talks. The school bring in recovering alcoholics and drug users to talk to us about their real life experiences, which in theory seems like a good idea but in reality is just another excuse to skip class.
FCD is not about telling us not to do drugs– it’s about educating us on how they affect us. I get that they’re trying to be unique and try a different approach, but most of the stories they tell us we can’t relate to. I’ll admit
it is fascinating learning the effects of cocaine on the brain and hearing personal accounts about the rehab process, but that’s really all it is—fascinating.
Walking out of an FCD talk, I don’t feel some new revelation not to do drugs. All I’ve gained are some trivia facts I might use if I one day enter a game show. Maybe in the seventh grade, when we had our first talk, these facts were new and interesting, but now the speakers just sound like broken records repeating the same information year after year.
Life advice might actually be interesting because we all need it, but facts are not advice. Knowing things like how crystal meth is made won’t make students not use it.
I have complete respect for these people who have turned their lives around and are trying to help younger generations, but they need to take a different approach.
I have never encountered cocaine and heroin users–I'm not saying that I never will–
but that doesn’t feel relevant to my current life.
What ESD really needs to do is educate us on the affects of alcohol on the brains of minors and what the difference is between a DUI and a DWI. I don’t even know what the I stands for: intoxication or influence? FCD should also talk about how a minor in possession, MIP, can affect the rest of our lives.
We want to go to a college that will give us a quality future, and we don’t want to throw everything away after one stupid decision made in high school.
FCD does have the potential to have an influence on us, but until they talk about things that are relevant, it’s just another waste of time. I don’t mind wasting time learning interesting facts I’ll forget in a week, but the school prefers us to be productive with our activities. Why not teach us something that would leave a lasting impact instead of giving us something to gossip about for a day?
Statue removal sparks debate over validity of issue
PRO: Confederate statues do not stand Southern pride: removal needed
By Julia Beckel
Continuing the nationwide debate and movement to take down Confederate Statues, Mayor Mike Rawlings and the Dallas City Council reached an agreement to remove Confederate monuments around Dallas, sparking debate among residents. Removing these statues forces Americans to confront the race issues still prevalent in America today.
Those in support of keeping the statues argue that removing them is an attempt to erase history, but while it is important to learn about these historical figures, it is offensive and unnecessary to celebrate them with memorials. One of the statues in contest is of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Robert E. Lee Park. The other monument in question is the Confederate War Memorial in Pioneer Park Cemetery, which pays tribute to soldiers and generals from Texas during the Civil War. It displays statues of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Albert Johnston and Jefferson Davis. The monument was dedicated in 1896, over 30 years after the Civil War ended. Twenty-nine Jim Crow laws were passed in Texas, and the height was during the 1890s with the passage of segregation laws and continued voter oppression of African Americans. It is important to keep in mind the intent of these statues’ construction. Erecting the confederate monuments during that time sent very clear, intentional messages about the racism and oppression the community supported at that time.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 1,503 Confederate “place names and other symbols in public spaces” in the US, but they admitted the study was “far from comprehensive.” The majority of Confederate monuments were not built right after the Civil War. Instead, they were built during the era of Jim Crow Laws, lynchings, high points of KKK activity and in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Many monuments were the response to African Americans receiving any sort of rights to further reinstate a racists agenda. Statues of confederate soldiers do not represent southern pride; they represent people who fought to preserve slavery. Theses monuments are constant of institutional racism, segregation and slavery.
Taking down these statues is not an attempt to forget and hide our history. The evil of slavery and the mistakes the South made along with their leaders should be taught in the classroom. Statues are not educational pieces, and they will serve the public better in a museum or with an art collector.
A happy and diverse crowd celebrated the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue and the elders in the crowd commented on how far Dallas has come. The removal of these statues displays the positive change Dallas is making to be a more aware and accepting place.
CON: We need to accept our past, not erase it: statues should stay
By John Calvert
This issue came out of nowhere. It may seem like an exaggeration, but the outrage and moral indignation caused by those statutes looks to have appeared out of the ether, not the hearts of those who care about injustice and the suffering of their fellow man as the result of years of rumination and/ or philosophizing. These calls for action are silly, quite frankly, and they may result in serious consequences if answered. Removing Confederate monuments doesn’t really help anyone, brings about needless controversy and resentment and gets rid of an important part of our nation’s history.
The time and money dedicated to dealing with these sculptures should be committed to much more worthy causes. The black community is extremely disadvantaged, especially in Dallas, and I can almost guarantee that it is not because somebody made a statue of Robert E. Lee in 1936. Why should we pretend that this is the case? I can understand renaming a school with a majority black student population for propriety’s sake, though going and removing all mentions of the Confederacy and pretending that makes everything fine seems disingenuous at best. Use those resources to improve black education, not the tearing down of something that, at the very worst, serves as a symbol for an institution that collapsed over 150 years ago.
In regards to those protests, I am in favor of keeping them out of Dallas. Sweaty Neo-Nazis straight from their mother’s basement are something I’d prefer far away from me, too. Removing these statues will just attract them, however. Lots of young whites feel that there is a concentrated effort to replace them, and removing what seems to be the last vestiges of the Old South gives them ammunition. We shouldn’t continue to alienate them, because it’s this deafness to people’s wants that causes radical movements like the Alt-right to form in the first place. This controversy will be dead in a month, but the resentment caused by our country’s iconoclasm will be alive
These monuments tell a fascinating story, and throwing them out will just butcher the telling of it. The Civil War is arguably the most important event in U.S. history. By destroying every monument to the Confederacy, you are also getting rid of that history. By putting these statues in a museum, you banish our nation’s past to that one exhibit everyone walks past on their way to the IMAX theater. If we leave all traces of the old South behind, we will end up repeating their mistakes.
FDR, one of America’s most liberal presidents, decided to dedicate the very statute that used to stand in Robert E. Lee park for a reason. It was not an acknowledgment that the South was right, but that most, including Lee, fought for their people and for their states. Those that appreciate these monuments do so because they are proud of the South’s history and culture, not because of slavery or Let the statues stay where they are.
Obsession with news begins at young age for editor
By Kathleen Hobson
At twelve years old, I invited myself into various neighbors homes, sat at their kitchen counters or living room sofas with a notepad in hand and pushed them to disclose their seemingly mundane current events. An eldest son was getting married, a white owl was hiding in their tree, a 76 year old Mrs. White was planning an ambitious trip to Africa. These were the stories that I scribbled down with fascination, and then typed up onto a word document with curly and quirky fonts. Thus was the creation of the first issue of the Potomac Press, a local newspaper for my small, dead-end street. I walked from door to door and placed the thick, printed document on each doorstep. It was the ordinary stories of
the people around me that enthralled me and surprisingly also caught the attention of my neighbors. In the following weeks, I received handwritten letters at my doorstep from various neighbors, recounting a recent piece of news that just happened in their lives and requesting to be interviewed for the next issue of my new local paper.
The Potomac Press never saw a second issue. I suppose that was my first lesson in producing a publication. It can not be done alone. I chose less demanding pastimes to replace interviewing, transcribing, writing, producing and distributing the local paper all on my own.
I used to look back on this and feel real guilt, like the first failure I had in my life. All of my neighbors loved the first issue of the paper, and I let them all down, sweet handwritten requests for an interview left unanswered. I see now that all I really needed was a team. Years passed before I even remembered that first journalistic endeavor, and I found myself at a teacher appreciation party at the end of my eighth
grade year, being introduced to the high school journalism teacher and persuaded to join the newspaper staff the following fall.
That short conversation would end u`p coloring the majority of my high school experience, as working on the newspaper staff became my strongest passion. It was only once I spent hours late at night with about 20 other kids pushing to get an issue off to press that I forgave a 120year-old set for leaving that deadend Potomac street without a paper. It can not be done without collaboration.
Throughout my years on staff, I earned a new understanding of what it means to be part of a team. Not a random team in a group project that a science teacher may be forcing you to complete, but a team of like-minded students who have all chosen to devote their time to a certain cause. And a team involved weren’t forced to, but because they share a passion and desire for the end product. I learned what it means to depend on others, to trust in them and know that they trust in you.
percent of students say the statues at the Confederate War Memorial are offensive. Survey of 174 students taken Saturday Sept. 2.
percent think Dallas should not remove the General Robert E Lee, Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson and Albert Johnston statues.
Seniors Kathleen Hobson & Julia Beckel at Columbia Journalism Workshop
Moments with Margaret
Culture emphasizes social comformity, senior calls for individuality
“It’s called socialculture.” Amy Henderson, my psychologist teacher, directed our attention back to the smart board.
“It’s a theory as to why humans act the way they do. That they are influenced by the people around them.”
A social psychologist studies how we think about, influence and relate to one another. According to Psychology Today, “To learn what is correct, we look at what other people are doing.” It is human nature for everyone to feel the need to do what everyone else is doing. Although it’s our natural instinct, it prevents us from being who we truly are, making us just like everyone else.
After learning about this concept, I realized how much it applies to me. When I was in fifth grade in Ellen Neil’s class, we were doing a unit on water conservation and going around the room telling the class how long our showers last. I take excessively long showers, even back when I was 10. I just like to stand there and think about life for a good 20 minutes, but as everyone went around the room, the answer remained the same.
“Five minutes!” chimed every. Single. Person. It finally got to me, and I felt my pulse begin to race. I panicked. I said five minutes even though that was just a flat-out lie. Then it got to the girl next to me who said, “15 minutes!” and I immediately regretted lying.
Another thought came to mind when thinking back to the days when following the crowd was essential—volleyball. I started playing in third grade and that lasted six years. Every single one of my friends played, so I did, too. I never loved the sport, but it wasn’t until sixth grade that I came to resent it. It wasn’t good enough to just play school volleyball— you had to play club volleyball, too, so I showed up to Sportsplex for tryouts. Sportsplex is an enormous, loud warehouse with tons of volleyball and basketball courts, which smells like sweat and feet.
When I showed up for tryouts, there seemed to be hundreds of girls all running around, screaming and hitting balls at each other. Right as I walked in, it took every bit of strength not to turn around and leave, but I sucked it up, began my tryouts and joined the Sportsplex volleyball team. I hated every second of it and prayed that I could stay on the sidelines. Luckily, that is what I usually did.
All of my friends were still playing by high school, so I found myself going to tryouts to play my freshman year for the school team. It wasn’t until a few months before school began that I studied abroad in Oxford and found that playing a sport wasn’t the answer to life. I took a creative writing course and spent the entire month wandering around the town and enjoying myself. I realized that volleyball was not the way to go, so I emailed Coach Gomez and quit. Now I don’t play any sports, and when people ask me if I do, I reply with a cheerful “no” instead of an ashamed one.
I still have the occasional urge to act a certain way just because everyone else is, but now I can confidently say that I strive to be like that girl in Neil’s class who had the courage to tell the class she showers for 15 minutes. We should all strive for that kind of honesty with ourselves.
– Margaret Smith
Education is a powerful force
By Julia Beckel
Ashandra’s out sick today and Laura’s stuck in traffic. Do you think you can handle the kids for awhile?” Evelyn asked as she barreled by me in the hallway.
“Yeah, sure, I’m fine,” I replied, but she was already gone. My second day volunteering at an educational summer camp for low-income children started off with a bang. I grabbed the lesson plan and clap-clap, clap-clap-clapped to get the kids’ attention. It took a minute for all twenty third graders to stop yelling and sit quietly in the plastic, orange chairs. I picked up “A Mouse and a Motorcycle” and read part of it aloud. The lesson then directed them to write about a time that they had been brave. After explaining to Pearl that not punching her older brother was not being brave, the room fell silent. I walked around as the children worked.
“Teacher how do you spell brave?” Josue asked.
“B-R-A-V-E,” I responded, but in my head I thought, Shouldn’t he know that? I watched as he wrote and the r and e were backwards. Looking more closely at the students papers, I fell back in shock. Half of the kids could only write their names. None of them could spell. A phrase as simple as “When I was brave…” was almost impossible to write. I wanted to cry. In my third grade class we read books like “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” and “Mr. Tucket”, wrote papers and knew how to write in cursive. Seeing how far behind these kids were made my stomach sick. Math wasn’t much better. I pulled out the white boards to do a multiplication game, but after half the class thought 2 x 5 was 30, I reevaluated the situation. In those thirty minutes of trying to teach multiplication, I realized how hard it was. I was exhausted. The kids’ economic stance was directly impacting their ability to become
educated. The DISD schools that these children were going to were clearly not doing their job. Education is the most important part of a child’s life. An education keeps children out of jail, increases their ability to understand and work with others and helps them find their place in the world. Being a teacher is the most important job in the world. But it goes even beyond the classroom. In those few weeks that I taught those precious kids, I tried as hard as I could to make every possible situation a teachable moment.
So, about a week later, I stood awkwardly in front Evelyn’s desk as she glanced up, her fingers never leaving the keyboard.
“OK, what did you do?” she asked, distracted. “ Laura told me you were inappropriately forcing beliefs on the children?”
I tried and failed to keep from rolling my eyes. Laura was so uptight and dramatic. Tuesday was minion day, so for art class we gave the kids a printed out coloring book page because the camp only had funds for markers. I had decided to color my entire minion pink, so Milani had followed in suit. Next to me Josue looked up from his blue and brown scribbled portrait and asked, “What’s your minions name?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” I responded. “What do you think I should name it?”
“I don’t know, miss. It needs to be a girl name because it’s pink.”
I might have launched into a speech about how there is no such thing as boy colors and girl colors and that gender identity was a spectrum up to each individual. To me that idea is not a big deal, but to others in Dallas, that is as radical as suggesting that we get rid of Whataburger.
Evelyn had bigger things to worry about, so
OR HIT MISS
Senior Hall bathroom fixed
she sent me back to the class with a warning not to stress out Laura. But it made me mad. Teaching kids to be understanding and supportive of everyone is just as important as academics. Nelson Mandela said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I have been blessed with an incredible education and amazing teachers who have inspired me and taught me so much beyond classroom lessons. Everyone deserves a rewarding education, and we should make it our biggest concern to create that for the future generation.
Staffers take on school issues, local events that were either successful or need improvement
After flooding last year, this bathroom was fixed and the flooring was replaced.
Fire burnin’ on the dance floor Technotica featured a variety of popular music and the fire alarm that interrupted the dance didn’t keep people from having fun.
Football wins its first two home games Not only did the Eagles beat Trinity Christian in the first home game, but they also left their first district game against St. John’s Episcopal School victorious.
The yelling of STARS during the 9/11 Chapel When the congregation sang the Star Spangled Banner, a group of students shouted STARS, a tradition at Dallas Stars hockey games upsetting faculty and seeming disrespectful.
Insect infestation needs to fly away
The remains of off campus lunch bags, candy, and drinks attracted a swarm of flies onto the ledges in the Senior hallway.
Clark the Eagle can’t replace Ernie
We love our mascot, but the live eagle at Fiesta seemed like an expensive and unnecessary prop and we felt sorry for the bird.
SPORTS
By Gillian Campbell
Harrison Frazar, Senior Favorite college football team? Texas Longhorns
How did flag running get started? We wanted to start something new to get the senior guys more involved in the spirit of the football season.
What does flag running mean to you? Spirit and being able to be someone that the younger grades can look up to and say that they want to be.
What are the flags? We have the Texas flag, American flag and E, S, D.
Do you have uniforms? We talked about wearing some goofy stuff but then we said we want this to be more respected.
Who is your favorite football player? Jason Witten
Favorite fan section chant/cheer? I Believe or Adam Aronowitz
The Wingmen
New spirit group increases fan participation at games
Braden Allen, Senior
How did The Wingmen get started? Basically I kind of was just like, HP has this thing, the Scotsmen, St. Mark’s has the Spurs. I just thought, why don’t we have something?
Were you given rules? Don’t be dumb
Favorite Flag? The D flag
Favorite college football team? Texas A&M
What is the point of flag running? It’s a good way to get the spirit up.
What is the hardest part of the job? It would be running there and back in cowboy boots.
How do you prepare for game days? We are gonna practice, do pep rallies and all around get everybody ready to go.
Who is your favorite football player? Von Miller or Tom Brady, the GOAT
Favorite sports related quote? “When there’s a fork in the road, take it” or Ron Washington’s “That’s the way baseball go.”
Favorite fan section chant/cheer? Adam Aronowitz
Alec Miledi, Senior Favorite college football team? OU
What is your uniform? Basically wheat jeans with cowboy boots, a cowboy hat and a shirt with our last names embroidered on them.
Interesting fact about flag running? The cowboy boots aren’t necessarily for running.
What is the hardest part of the job? Probably making sure that all of us run out at the same time and carrying the flags at a good height without any of us messing up.
How heavy are the flags? Pretty heavy.
Hopefully I don’t drop ‘em.
Who is your favorite football player? Ezekiel Elliott
Favorite sports related quote? “Whats next?”
–– Dak Prescott
Favorite flag to carry? The flag with the E on it because it goes with eagle.
Favorite fan section chant/cheer? Adam Aronowitz
On Deck
Oct. 28
Field Hockey looks to hit the hornets at home on the turf. The Eagles play at Jones Family Stadium. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m.
JV, 4:45 p.m.
Sept. 30
Cross Country hopes to fly through another race and towards PR’s at the Creek Falcon Fest Invitational Regional meet. The races begin at 7:15 a.m.
Oct. 6
The football team will go head-to-head against the Houston Christian Mustangs in Houston at 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 & 8
Crew rows forward to their next competition, the Head of Oklahoma regatta in Oklahoma City.
Oct. 10
The womens volleyball team takes on Fort Worth Country Day in SPC action in the gym at 6 p.m. JV, 5 p.m.
Oct. 21
The field hockey team will take one of their biggest rivals, Casady on the road at 1 p.m. The team stands one set below Casady in the North Zone standings.
Trevor Hobbs, Senior Favorite college football team? Texas Longhorns
Favorite sports related quote? “If you ain’t first you’re last.”-– Ricky Bobby
What does flag running mean to you? It’s an opportunity to take a leadership role as a senior and be like hey, having spirit isn’t just for seniors, everybody needs to get on their feet.
What is the hardest part of the job? The heat, because we have to be in jeans and a long sleeve cotton shirt, outside, running across the field. I’m not in the greatest shape so we’ll see how sweaty we get.
How do you get ready for games? We do have practice with the cheerleaders to figure out our bearings and get prepared.
Who is your favorite football player? Emmitt Smith
Favorite fan section chant/cheer? Rock with White, Roll with the Blue
Volleyball stomps the Hornets
After losing to Greenhill in last year’s SPC Championship, the Eagles came back with a vengeance to beat the hornets, in four sets on Sept. 19.
“They have always been one of our biggest rivals, for the three years that I have been on varsity we have not beaten them,” junior Caitlyn Henderson said. “Last year they beat us in the SPC finals so this game brought us back to that moment and it felt amazing to come out victorious.”
*Trevor Hobbs not pictured
FIELD HOCKEY
NOTEABLE:
With a score of 6-1-4, the varsity field hockey team won the Episcopal Cup against All Saints on Sept. 23. Junior Story Langston also won the MVP award at the tournament.
“Winning the tournament was so overwhelming and exhilarating,” junior Lilly French said. “Everyone was shaking and hyperventilating because we knew how hard we had worked to get there and we actually accomplished it.”
CROSS COUNTRY
NOTEABLE:
Freshman Henry Hobson beat his best time by three minutes at the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival on Sept. 23.
“I always see Henry working hard in practice and he definitely showed improvement at this last meet,” junior John Heldman said. “He kept a good pace the whole race and was able to lower his time by three minutes because of it.”
VOLLEYBALL
NOTEABLE:
With a 42.8 percent kill rate and 131 attacks, senior Isabella Siragusa has lead the team through 13 wins so far.
“Izzy is a great leader,” junior Kathryn Ferguson said. “[She] is always talking and keeping the team motivated throughout the season on and off the court.”
CREW
NOTEABLE:
Heading into their first meet of the year on Oct. 7 and 8 in Oklahoma City, in the Head of Oklahoma Regatta, the crew team hopes to place in each of their races.
“It’s interesting to be on a team where, as a junior, you’re one of the most senior positions, but it gives us more time to leave our mark on the community,” junior Mason Gosslee said. ”As for how we’re doing, we’re all working hard to get the results we want, but we know the competition is going to be harder than ever.”
FOOTBALL
NOTEABLE:
The varsity football team was able to defeat St. John’s on Fiesta night at a home conference game, with a score of 21-13. The team ran a total of 301 yards in comparison to St. John’s, which ran 291.
“We really had to grind out this week because we were down by a touchdown at half time,” senior Blair Oden said. “We controlled the clock better on offense. We had longer drives that took it out of St. John’s defense. This bye week, we are focusing on Houston Christian and stopping their run game.”
Fresh StARt
Varsity Football wins first two home games, plays
Houston Christian Oct. 6
WAY: Senior Patrick Skalniak, leading receiver, breaks away from TCA defenders Sept. 15. The Eagles won their first home game, 42-21. “It was a character test,” he said. “The TCA game showed who we are as a team, how we continue to fight through no matter what situation. There are still some gaps, but we are always working to get better.”
By Amanda Warren
Eagles’ football is finding their stride with a 2-2 record and win over St. John’s at their first conference game. Their recent success is because of a talented veteran defense and an improving offensive line.
The defense is full of experienced players, with nine returning starters compared to two last season. However, young sophomore quarterback Preston Morway is learning as he goes, and an injury-plagued offense is causing the team to struggle with pass protection and its running game.
“The tides have turned from last year in that our defense is stronger than our offense,” senior receiver and defensive back Patrick Skalniak said. “We have done a really good job at mastering [the coaches’] concepts.”
A senior stacked roster that is familiar with the coaching staff and plays has helped the team improve.
“Our defense clicks so well,” senior linebacker Pearson Riley said. “We have depth at almost every position.”
Riley was nominated for The Dallas Morning News Defensive Player of the week after the Trinity Christian Academy game, having 11 tackles and two interceptions.
Additionally, the varsity team went on a weekend-long retreat at Wolf Run that facilitated bonding.
“The retreat was the best thing that has ever happened to the team,” Riley said.
The defense has been solid, holding both Parish and Trinity Christian Cedar Hill to 100 yards rushing.
Despite spending a lot of time on the field because of an unpredictable offense, they are still able to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
“When our offense puts up points, that gives the defense motivation,” Riley said.
Junior Scott Bower leads the team with 10 sacks.
“Bower is not afraid and hits the holes,” Riley said.
Big play offense, young quarterback
The new to varsity quarterback, Morway, is impressing teammates and coaches with his maturity as he adjusts to the big stage.
“[Morway is] throwing consistently,” Skalniak said. “He is listening more than he is talking. He’s watching the older kids, and he’s becoming a leader more than just on the field.”
Matching the Eagles’ big-play offense, Morway has shown his athletic abilities with a pair of 83-yard and 92-yard touchdowns to Skalniak against TCA.
“Offensively, we are a big play team, so we can get behind the defense,” Head Varsity Coach Richard Williams said. “We have the speed with our receivers to get behind the defense.”
By the numbers: stats as of Sept. 23
As Morway gains more experience and becomes more comfortable as quarterback, the team will continue to improve. He has thrown 521 yards with a 51 completion percentage.
Offensive line and the run
Injuries and coaching instability have affected the offensive line, hurting their running game. Coach Scott resigned after the first game of the season because of inappropriate sideline behavior.
There is still room for improvement of chemistry between new running back junior Andrew Henry and the offensive line.
“It’s partly [Henry] making adjustments as well, hitting the holes and then making his moves after he gets through the first level,” Williams said. “But we are also setting him up with new blocking schemes where he is more comfortable and getting some outside runs.” Henry has 286 rushing yards, leading the offense along with Skalniak, who holds 278 receiving yards.
A different O-Line has started every game because of injuries the team has gotten. Star offensive tackle, 300lb senior Ben Taber is recovering from a MCL tear. After the bye week the team is hoping to be at full strength for its Oct. 6 game against Houston Christian at Houston.
ALL THE
Photo by Sarah Smith
Rower sweeps competition at US regatta
By Margaret Smith
Time slows down for junior Katelin Gildersleeve as her oar cuts across the lake water, pulling her forward into first place. Twenty seconds ahead of everyone else, she immediately qualified to row at Nationals. Early June of this past summer, Gildersleeve arrived to Sarasota, Florida with low hopes.
Crew became a part of Gildersleeve’s life her freshman year when she fell in love with the sport. Before this she’d participated in triathlons for 10 years and ran cross country— neither sparked a passion, so she kept looking. After she found crew, it became her escape.
the U17 and U19 single and placed first in the U17 double at Club Nationals in Bethel, Ohio. She’s always striving to improve. Her ultimate goal is to win first in Youth Nationals in her single before she graduates.
STATS:
–Placed fifth in the 1x with a time of 9:18:05 in the 2017 Youth National Championship
-Won the Texas State Championship Regatta
“I’ve had some difficulties with some people who have doubted my ability and that was hard, but I just thought ‘no,’” Gildersleeve said. “That helped me to thrive, because I wanted to prove them wrong. It’s what pushed me to keep going.”
–Placed first in the U17 and U19 1x at the 2017 Club National Championship
“It’s relaxing and you can think about just yourself, because you’re on the water and you’re not talking to anyone and no one’s talking to you,” Gildersleeve said. “When I’m rowing my single, it’s just me alone with every stroke, and you give yourself feedback, but there’s no one staring at you and telling you what you’re doing wrong.”
–Placed first in the U17 2x at the 2017 Club National Championship
–Won the Central Youth Regional Championship
–Best 2k distance erg is 7:26:06
Junior Emma Name, manager of the crew team, and Gildersleeve have been best friends since their freshman year when they began crew together. There were three freshman girls in crew and 15 freshman boys. Name describes Gildersleeve as incredibly humble.
Gildersleeve won fifth in the country in Sarasota for Youth Nationals. She also finished first in
“She doesn’t like to brag about anything,” Name said. “I like to say that I’m the one who brags about her to other people for her. She’s more the leader that will try to be your friend and then help you through
that, instead of trying to intimidate you. It’s nice because she’s always friendly toward everyone.”
Crew requires a large portion of individual effort rather than a team effort, but being on a team has helped her to thrive.
“It’s definitely been a really good experience to have team members by my side, because in triathlons, you’re all alone,” Gildersleeve said.
“If you’re having a really hard time, then you can always look to the person next to you and you’re like if they’re doing it, I can do it. We can go through this together.”
Gildersleeve excelled in both her singles in Sarasota, but the moment she won’t forget was winning her double with partner Halli Holmes.
IN IT TO WIN IT: Gildersleeve rows at the US Rowing Central Youth Regional Championship on May 7. Gildersleeve placed first in the Youth 1x. Photo courtesy of Frank-Paul King
FOR THE WIN: Junior Katelin Gildersleeve raises her arms in celebration after winning the 2x at 2017 Club National Championship with partner Halli Holmes. Photo courtesy of Row2konline
Team unifies for sucess
Field Hockey earns Episcopal Cup, breaks records
By Emily Delgado
The varsity field hockey team clenched first place at the Episcopal Cup in Fort Worth this past weekend.
On Friday afternoon, the team played their first game of the tournament against Casady, defeating them 1-0.
“Although our warm-up was cut short before the Casady game, we started off with high energy and maintained it throughout the game,” junior Melissa Rivera said.
After beating one of their biggest rivals, the team carried this momentum to the rest of the tournament.
The varsity team then faced off against Holland Hall on the second day of the tournament.
2-1, the team then qualified to play in the championship against All Saints on Saturday afternoon.
“Since we have never been able to make it to a championship before, the team gave it our all because this was our chance to win,” junior captain Story Langston said.
Although the team was tired from playing three full games in less than 24 hours, they defeated All Saints, 7-1, in the championship.
“Even if the game outcome isn’t want you want, noticing the little things that people are doing well helps you end on a good note.” –Coach Ashlyn Hudson
“Coach Hudson graduated from Holland Hall so it was a big game for us,” sophomore Catherine Blaylock said. “We took our time on plays and tried not to rush.”
After tying with Holland Hall, 0-0, and defeating Episcopal in their third game,
“It was exciting to play against a team we had tied to the week before,” Blaylock said. “We have never won a big championship before and we are proud that Coach Hudson was able to get a big win during her first year against All Saints.”
In contrast to past years, the team has focused on working as a unit, instead of several players running the show.
“Losing Charlotte North, Elizabeth Reid
and Sydney Helbing was hard because they scored most of the goals,” Blaylock said.
“This year, we had to change the-line-up and now Story and Meg have taken the seniors’ positions as forwards.”
This season, Langston is the leading scorer with eight goals and eleven assists. She is considered a versatile player, serving as defense her freshman year, midfield her sophomore year and forward her junior year. Behind Langston is sophomore Meg Wilson with six goals and nine assists.
One of this season’s most improved players is swing player freshman Lucy Sinwell, consistently scoring in every varsity and junior varsity game she’s played in.
“She’s been a really nice surprise,” Hudson said. “She works really hard, asks really relevant questions and genuinely wants to get better.”
After taking former head coach Katie Vinning’s position, Hudson brought along new changes and goals for the team.
“She knows each and every one of us very individually,” Langston said. “I believe there is a better relationship between all of the players and the coach than last year.”
One of Hudson’s first actions as head coach
was trying to get to know the players better and to bring the varsity and JV teams together.
“A big thing of ours is staying as one big program, as opposed to feeling like two separate teams,” Hudson said.
Based on how much effort every player has been putting in, Hudson believes that the team could place first or second in November’s SPC North Zone tournament.
At the beginning of the season, the girls made a list of goals that they wanted to achieve. Two of the team’s main aspirations for the season are to beat their rivals, Hockaday and Trinity Valley, and win SPC.
While working toward SPC, Hudson has started a new tradition known as “spotlight.” At the end of practice or a game, someone picks a player and says something they’ve noticed that they did really well. That person stands and others join in with positive feedback.
“Even if the game outcome isn’t want you want, noticing the little things that people are doing well helps you end on a good note,” Hudson said.
The team’s next game will be against Hockaday on Oct. 4, on the Daisy’s home turf.
Running the 5k, three-year varsity runner Auden Rudelson placed seventh with a time of 17:48.3 in the 5A race at the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival in McKinney, TX.
“Auden brings an unparalleled energy to the team,” senior Sophia Stener said. “He’s always encouraging and an incredible motivational speaker before practice and meets. Having him as a captain this year is a very fitting role, and I’m so glad to be on the team with him.”
Senior captain Kristen Leland, a 5’4 commit to the University of Virgina for volleyball, has accumulated 383 assist, 26 aces, 143 digs and 18 kills during this season. The team has a record of 13-7, is placed first in the SPC North Zone and is ranked 266 in the state of Texas.
“Kristen is super passionate about volleyball since she is playing in college, and her energy really transfers to other players on the court, “ senior Isabella Siragusa said.
KRISTEN LELAND, senior, setter
AUDEN RUDELSON, junior
FIELD OF DREAMS: Junior Claire Koonsman slaps the ball down the field in a regular season game against All Saints on Sept. 5. The game ended with a score of 4-2. Photo by Kathleen Hobson
Bring it on
Cheerleaders improve skills, perform at competitive level
By Melissa Rivera
Junior Nicole Raines has cheered competitively for five years.
Raines started out with tumbling originally taking classes just for fun at Express Cheer.
“I was exposed to cheer through tumbling,” Raines said. “I tried it, liked it and stuck with it.”
Raines continues to cheer at Express Cheer. She practices about four to five days a week, each practice lasting two to three hours.
“Cheer is a big time commitment especially while school cheer and competitive cheer are both going on,” Raines said. “After school I have cheer for four to five hours a day and don’t start my homework until 10 o’clock some nights.”
Although cheer is a heafty commitment it has provided Raines with unique opportunities.
Sophomore year Raines tried out to be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Raines, along with four of her friends, made the cut and traveled to New York for the week. They practiced six hours a day for the parade and performed the routine along with 600 cheerleaders. Raines was among thirteen girls chosen to do a routine on the Today Show the following day.
“It was a really cool experience,” Raines said. “Cheer is a huge part of my life, and I’m glad I get to have some of my best memories with my second family. ”
Before she began cheering, sophomore Crissy Williamson was a gymnast for eight years.
“I was told I was too tall for the sport and that maybe I should try cheering instead, so I did,” Williamson said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Williamson has cheered at Express Cheer for the past three years on top of being on the cheer squad at school. Express Cheer is a center for cheerleaders that offers training classes and works towards competitive cheer teams for contest.
“Cheer is one of those sports that, once you start, you can’t stop,” Williamson said. “I love competing because it’s so fun to perform and show off your skills with your best friends.”
Including school cheer, Williamson practices about 15 to 20 hours a week.
“Cheer has gotten in the way of my whole social life,” Williamson said. “Before making any plans, I have to check my cheer schedule.”
During the winter and spring, Williamson’s team will have a competition about every other weekend. Each competition lasts about five hours a day.
Although it is hard to compare school cheer to competition cheer because, competition cheer has helped Williamson with basic skills like jumps and stunts.
“Even though it’s a huge time commitment, I love it,” Williamson said. “It’s grown to be a huge part of my life.”
Krispin Caterer
JUNIOR Nicole Raines
SOPHOMORE Crissy Williamson
Scream & Shout: The Cheer squad performs at the first pep rally. The team wore neon themed attire in anticipation for the Technotica dance the following Saturday. “The first pep rally is always really exciting because we get to set the tone for the rest of the season,” senior Murphy Pressley said.
Gildersleeve
2. Oh Baby! Sophomore cheerleader Claire Groves plays with a lower school student during Fiesta. The cheer squad performed at the pep rally, fiesta and football game against St. Johns. “The little boy was climbing on me,“ she said. “But it was so fun to play with the kids and see the whole community come together.”
3. Buddy Up: Seniors Shelby Stansbury and Mary Crow Miller eat with fifth grader Jamie Henderson. The meeting included lunch in the courtyard and play time in senior hall. “I have been so excited to get a fifth grade buddy,” Stansbury said. “If we ever see Jamie around school she gets so excited and gives us a huge hug.”
by Sarah Kate Massey
4. Smarty Pants: Twenty four seniors are named AP scholars. In order to receive this title a student must score a four or above on three or more AP tests. “It was rewarding being announced as an AP scholar,” senior Carly Weisberg said. “It’s great that the school takes the time to recognize us because it’s encourages other students to work hard.
by Melissa Rivera
5. Fan Fair: Students sign up for Zen Club, formerly known as Take Care of Self Club, during the annual club fair. “I’m really excited about Zen Club because during a stressful day at school, it’s a time to take a step back and focus on mind, body and spirt,” junior Story Langston said. Photo by Sydney Rezaie
6. Eclipsed: Freshman Madison McCoy looks at the solar eclipse during freshman orientation. The last total solar eclipse seen from the United States was Feb. 26, 1979. “I ended up having to borrow my friend’s glasses because I was too lazy to get my own, but it was such an interesting way to kick off the year,” she said.
by
DiAngelea Millar
7. What’s in a name: Senior Emma Cabrales and freshman Susanna Newsom name every person in the Upper School. Until the name game is completed the students cannot receive free dress days. “I love doing the name game because it helps me get to know everyone on a more personal level,” Cabrales said.
Zogg
8. Making a Mark: Senior Sophie Holland paints her parking spot along with the majority of the senior class. The tradition began two years ago with the Class of 2016 after their designated parking area was moved. “It was exciting to see how peoples’ spots turned out,” she said. “We have so many creative minds, and I think the senior lot says a lot about us.”
9. The Horde: The student section makes its first home debut loaded with flour and school spirit. The Class of 2018 has revived the student section and hopes to set a precedent for the grades below. “It is our job to inspire our fellow students to take the student section to an unfathomable height that has never been seen before in school history,” senior Brandon Meaux said.
1.
Photo by Katelin
Photo by Caroline Massey
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Photo by Gwyneth
Photo by DiAngelea Millar
Photo by Sarah Smith
10. Meals for Hope: Upper School teacher Colleen Durkin measures out pasta on Sept. 16. ESD partnered with Saint Michael and All Angels to help pack meals for those affected along the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Harvey. Photo by Kathleen Hobson