V35 Issue 2

Eagle

Edition • Episcopal School of Dallas • Nov. 3, 2017 • Vol. 35 • Issue 2

Homecoming court announced at dance for first time, Page 3

Nannies help raise students, become part of the family, Page 6

In the wake of Las Vegas, gun legislation sparks debate, Page 17

Eagle

Varsity Volleyball sets eye to SPC despite loss to Hockaday, Page 20

New actors take the stage in "Anatomy of Gray"

Fall play sets scene in

1880s, draws metaphor from townspeople with plague to past HIV crisis

By Lauren Egger

The

“Anatomy of Gray” will hit the stage one final time in the Bray theater tomorrow at 7 p.m., with several actors new to the Upper School play scene.

“In general, it is a coming of age story of a young girl in the 1880’s in Gray, Indiana,” theater teacher and play director Dusty Davidson said. “This play shows her experiences during this time period and how she is growing up and becoming a woman.”

The play stars junior William Hargrave, junior Alexandra Everbach and sophomore Gracey Thomas. Hargrave portrays Dr. Galen P. Gray, who arrives in the small town following a balloon crash. He is saved by the townspeople and becomes the doctor of the town.

“He’s stoic, warm, not terribly difficult to frustrate, but keen enough to make patience a priority with his sometimes dull or arrogant patients,” Hargrave said. “I’ve been acting in student films for almost a year, but this is the first time I’ve been in a theatrical performance since a course I did at the DCT when I was 11.”

According to Davidson, the leads have adapted to their characters and fit well in their roles.

“They all have different strengths and bring different things to the show,” he said. “Character wise, they fell into those characters and the strengths that those characters have. They hit those roles really well, and it was kind of obvious from the auditions that the casting was pretty cut and dry. It was nice to see them come out and have something fit them very well.”

However, Everbach found relating to her character to be more of a challenge. She plays Rebekah, the mother of June Muldoon, the main character of the play. Rebekah has just lost her husband when the play begins, and soon Dr. Gray falls in love with her.

“I feel grateful to have received this role, but this is probably the hardest character I have ever played,” she said. “Rebekah is going through so many things all at once, and it has been difficult to find her character and true personality while also thinking about all the

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emotions she’s feeling, but I’m always up for a challenge and it’s getting better and better each rehearsal.”

This play has also provided the opportunity for inexperienced actors to have a part, like Thomas, who plays June Muldoon, a young girl who recently lost her father and is learning who she wants to be.

“It’s a little nerve wracking because I’m a new sophomore, but I’m also excited because this is the first play I’ve been in, and it’s a good opportunity to work on my acting skills,” Thomas said.

The play, while comedic, also has an underlying meaning specific to 1995, when the play was written. The playwright wrote it as a response to the judgment a friend of his received when he was diagnosed with HIV and later died of AIDS.

“It was written as a direct response to the whole idea of people judging his friend and saying that his lifestyle made him deserve to die,” Davidson said. “It has some very comedic moments, and I felt like we needed some comedy this year, but there are also references to more modern times.”

Tickets can be purchased online at www. seatyourself.biz/esdallas and will also be available for purchase at the door for $5.

“

It’s a little nerve wracking because I’m a new sophomore, but I’m also excited because this is the first play I’ve been in, and it’s a good opportunity to work on my acting skills.

— Sophomore Gracey Thomas

Prism

Health North Texas food drive to help HIV patients

Every year, the entire ESD student body and faculty work together to provide food and supplies to those with HIV or AIDS.

Previously known as AIDS Arms, Prism Health North Texas reflects a wider purpose. Now, instead of just treatment for those diagnosed, they are also trying to spread awareness in order to prevent the disease.

"No one should have to worry about putting food on the table, especially during holidays," senior and Community Service Council President Emma Cabrales said. "I'm glad that our drive helps take away that worry for HIV positive people that are helped by Prism Health."

ACTING OUT: During a dress rehearsal, sophomore Gracey Thomas and junior Alexandra Everbach run lines as June and Rebekah Muldoon. Thomas' character has fallen in love with Dr. Gray. "Dr. Gray and June understand each other in a unique way that no one else can because of the way that they work together when treating patients," Thomas said.

Photo by Lauren Egger

CENTER STAGE: Junior William Hargrave practices his lines for the first time in costume on Oct. 30. He plays Dr. Galen P. Gray, a quirky doctor with an aversion to blood. A love triangle develops between the doctor and the two Muldoon women. "As June attempts to initiate a courtship with the doctor, he and Rebekah only become closer," Hargrave said. Photo by Lauren Egger

Choir concert brings Lower School, Upper School together

The Annual Fall Choir Concert on Oct. 24 in the All Saints Chapel featured Lower, Middle and Upper School students.

“The Fall Concert is special because grades 4-12 perform, and the fourth graders can look up to the Upper Schoolers and set a good example for them,” chapel organist and choir teacher Joe Snyder said.

The lead singers were seniors Wesley Banks and Julia Beckel. Juniors Christopher Talbot and Emma Viquez, as well as Banks made All Region Choir in past years. The singers, along with performers from lower grades, sang pieces such as “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel,” “Erev Shel Shoshanim,” “Exalted Great I Am” and “Fairest Lord Jesus.”

“All of the grades of the ESD choir came together to sing and entertain the parents, students and guests,” Viquez said. “As an 11th grader, my role in the choir has not been mainly leading as a singer, but more of an example of how to act in class.” –

By Sohaib Raza

Lower School spooktacular comes to campus, again

The annual Lower School Spooktacular led by Lower School mothers Christine Paddock and April Cook took place on the Upper School campus for the second consecutive year on Oct. 21.

“Spooktacular is a community-building event to say thank you for being part of the ESD Lower School family,” Cook said. “This amazing Lower School tradition is held every October and is well loved by both students and parents.”

Several carnival games led by student volunteers and parents––bounce houses, such as obstacle courses and a petting zoo––were all installed for the autumn event. The Bat Cave Jail, Eerie Emergency Room and Teacher Fortune Teller made their appearances as traditional Spooktacular activities.

New additions allowed students to participate in a dance battle with DJ Vex, taste test Halloween-themed drinks at the “spooky drink” table and play on a variety of inflatable obstacle courses.

“My favorite part is seeing the excitement on all of the kids’ faces when they enter Spooktacular,” Cook said. “Our decorations team does an amazing job of transforming the ESD Upper School campus into a Halloween wonderland.”

– By Emily Delgado

Robert H. Dedman speaker Kevin Laue inspires audience

The Robert H. Dedman lecture series showcases speakers with special stories brought in to provide students with new perspectives. The series is held twice each year on a Special Programming Day in the fall for seniors and in the spring for juniors.

“Two things in life will make you successful,” Laue said. “One, change your routine, and two, stop making excuses. Happiness comes from purpose and love. What do you stand for?”

Kevin Laue, the first player in the NCAA to play with one limb, spoke to seniors on Oct. 12 about his journey and how he was able to overcome odds to do what he loves.

The lecture series was formed in 2004 in honor of Robert Dedman, the grandfather of three ESD graduates.

“He made the situation relatable, even though I cannot relate at all,” senior Brenda Diaz said. “His whole message was, don’t let your adversities and setbacks define you and stop you from doing what you want to do.”– By Sohaib Raza

Homecoming King, Queen crowned at dance this year

Activities, themed dress

days

in honor of Homecoming Dance

By Meredith Moran

Homecoming court nominees strut onto the dance stage, surrounded by all of their peers and “Wizard of Oz”-themed decorations as Head of Upper School Henry Heil announces seniors Emma Cabrales and Wesley Banks as Queen and King.

In a strategic move by the Student Council, the winning pair was announced at the dance instead of the previous night at the football game.

“We really wanted to keep up the attendance at the dance, and we thought that it would be fun and get people to stay a little bit longer if we announced it [at the dance] instead of at the football game,” Cabrales, who is also Student Council President, said.

“Homecoming

representing a different theme from the “Wizard of Oz”: wisdom, heart, courage and home.

Senior and Executive Secretary Quincy Lynch gave a chapel talk Tuesday on the value of heart, detailing her initial reluctance to open up to those around her and how her semester away at City Term changed her outlook on love.

week is a great tradition that allows the student body to unite and celebrate school spirit, whether it’s with costumes, snow cones, snack shack or anything else.“

– Senior Sarah Kate Massey

In addition to Cabrales and Banks, seniors Ellery Marshall, Sophia Stener, Alexa Lutz, Cierra Gordon, Hudson Woods, Patrick Duffner, Patrick Skalniak and Braden Rhone were voted onto the Homecoming Court, which was announced Nov. 23 at Town Hall.

Both the crowning of the king and queen and the dance itself were the finale of a week-long celebration of school spirit. Students donned themed apparel daily, turning heads with looks ranging from a head-to-toe Vineyard Vines on Surfer vs. Preppy Monday to a full-on flying monkey costume on “Wizard of Oz” Thursday.

These themes were voted on and chosen by Student Council. The school united in a spirit dress day on Friday for the big game against Casady High School.

“My favorite theme is dream job day because you can literally be whatever you want,” senior Sara Tacito said. “Whether that’s a mermaid or Hannah Montana or a lawyer, it gives me the opportunity to express myself.”

In addition to the festive dress days, the Community Service Council and Booster Club held the annual Fill the Bus campaign throughout the week. Students donated new sports equipment to the St. Philip’s Community Center’s sports programs.

“We’ve been doing the Fill the Bus for St. Philip’s as long as I can remember, and even though we have a new community service director, we’re trying to do the same thing as previous years, because it’s been really successful in the past,” Community Service Council co-president Hudson Woods said.

Members of the Student Council Executive Board gave chapel talks throughout the week, with each talk

“We all thought it was pretty ironic that they gave me heart because I’m not the most loving person, and I kind of talked about that and how I’ve changed over time,” Lynch said.

“At the beginning of junior year, I didn’t really care about anything and City Term changed that perspective for me. Without me even knowing it, my ideas of love were slowly changing and I realized that love doesn’t always inevitably come with disappointment, like I had previously concluded, but that it builds a community and makes it stronger than I ever believed it could.”

Homecoming week not only serves as an excuse to dress up and show school spirit, but also acts as a way to strengthen the community.

“Homecoming week is a great tradition that allows the student body to unite and celebrate school spirit, whether it’s with costumes, snow cones, snack shack or anything else,” Senior and Executive Treasurer Sarah Kate Massey said.

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT: In freshman hall, Jack Beck, Ben Lowry and Liam McIntyre

Each

level decorated their

for

each

sit on the stairs in the Cook building, surrounded by “Wizard of Oz” theme decorations.

grade

areas

Spirit Week to compete with

other. Juniors Annie Sawers and Claire Koonsman (bottom left) don surfer apparel on Surfer vs. Preppy day Oct. 23. Photos by Gillian Campbell MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE: Seniors Wesley Banks and Emma Cabrales dance to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” after being crowned by Head of Upper School Henry Heil at the Homecoming dance on Oct. 28. Photo by John Calvert

Film, photo classes take New York City

By Peyton Jeter

Film and photography students traveled to New York City in early October to improve their skills and enter their work into competitions.

The film team had to prepare in the two months leading up to the two-day competition. As one of only 27 teams from across the nation to be invited by the All-American High School Film Festival, the challenge was something the team of nine students took seriously.

“We’d have practice on-set days in Dallas to make sure we had team chemistry,” senior and film director Ellery Marshall said. “We storyboarded out everything, so we knew every shot we had to get.”

Marshall never did expect to see one of her actors on a poster for a Broadway production. Through connections from film teacher Bobby Weiss, students had the opportunity to cast “Come From Away” star Tony LePage in their film.

going to make this a weird movie.”

Once they entered their film in the competition, they got to watch it at the AMC theater in Times Square.

“That was interesting because we got to see other films and compare them to ours and see what we did well and what they did well,” Marshall said.

Photography students spent the week branching out to different photo opportunities found only in NYC. They spread out their itinerary over various spots such as Central Park, Chinatown, Brooklyn and Coney Island.

“I’m very glad I went. I decided to go to see my art work [in a gallery] and to experience, if I ever were to live in New York and be a photographer, what it would actually kind of be like.”

– Senior Shae Bass

“We were walking back to our hotel, and we saw a poster with his name on it and his picture for a Broadway show,” Marshall said. “It was the craziest thing.”

Inspired by the prompt “The Last…,” the film the team created follows two siblings who lose a mug of extreme sentimental value, only to eventually realize that they could find another one just like it online.

“We didn’t want to do anything other people were going to do,” Marshall said. “We had a quirky team, so [we thought], we’re just

“Everyone is so used to shooting in a studio and not so much in a street or in a city,” senior Shae Bass said.

Photography students entered their favorite pieces into a competition, ESD being the most represented out of all schools that entered. Seniors Shae Bass and Carly Weisberg were finalists and had the honor of seeing their photos in a gallery. Overall, both photography and film students were grateful for the once-in-alifetime opportunity, even if it meant missing a few days of school.

“I’m very glad I went,” Bass said. “I decided to go to see my art work [in a gallery] and to experience, if I ever were to live in New York and be a photographer, what it would actually kind of be like.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BREAK:

The photographers stand in front of the Statue of Liberty while taking a break from exhibitions and work.

“Because of the trip, I bonded with people that I wouldn’t have known, and they are like family to me now,” senior Jake Charnes said. Photo courtesy of George Fiala

WELCOME TO NEW YORK: In New York, film students made a movie and had the chance to cast actor Tony LePage. Their film was shown at the AMC in Times Square. “It was such a great experience, and being a major role in making the film has given me a new perception of scoring video,” sophomore Brooks Butler said. Photo courtesy of Bobby Weiss

Grandparents Day returns to campus

By John Calvert

After a one year hiatus, the Upper School will once again host Grandparents Day.

The festivities, on Nov. 17, will serve as an opportunity for Head of Upper School Henry Heil to improve on the holiday in the future.

According to Heil, there were a few scheduling issues that made hosting grandparents difficult in previous years.

“It’s hard to not mess up classes too much,” he said. “We have so many days off, half days or special programming days that teachers cannot take many more disturbances in their class schedules.”

Kam Bakewell, the Director of Annual Giving and Special Projects, is of the same opinion. According to her, a few teachers were unable to administer tests planned for Grandparents Day in previous years, showing that it had too large of an effect on the curriculum.

“I’m

and have the opportunity to visit their grandchild’s first period class.

“This will be much better for teachers,” Bakewell said. “Only one period is going to be taken up, so the impact will be smaller.”

Heil wishes to use this year’s visit as a way to find out how to best continue the tradition in the future.

“I was previously at a boarding school, so things ran a bit differently,” he said. “I don’t really know how something like this would work here. I’m pretty optimistic that I can figure out a lot from this and make Grandparents Day much better in years to come.”

pretty optimistic that I can figure out a lot from this and make Grandparents Day much better in years to come.”

—Head of Upper School Henry Heil

Because of this, the administration decided to temporarily shelve the holiday last year. Only the grandparents of the senior class came, with the rest of the Upper School following their normal schedule. During this intermission, the administration thought of a new way to receive them.

A reception will be held in the Frank building on the night of Nov. 16 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. After this, they make their way into the Bray theater, where the school’s division heads will give a presentation on recent developments in their field. The next morning, grandparents will arrive at the school around 8 a.m.,

Having grandparents visit is important to both students and the school.

Ruth Burke, the Assistant Head of School, feels that Grandparents Day helps students retain connections with their families.

“Teens start to lose that relationship they had with their grandparents when they were younger,” she said. “It is still important to make sure a connection is there during their high school years, and having them visit school helps with that.”

For students whose grandparents came every year, they are very relieved that the tradition will continue.

“My grandmother has always loved the chance to come visit my school and see the environment I’m in every day,” senior Grace Crenshaw said. “I’m really glad that the school is making the effort to keep that tradition alive.”

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A GRAND OLE TIME: Alumni Elizabeth Reid and Sam Williams from the class of 2017 pose with their grandparents in Swann Courtyard. Last year’s Grandparents Day was held exclusively for seniors and the Middle School, while the rest of the Upper School had regularly scheduled classes. Photos courtesy of Emma England

NANNY

54 percent of students grew up with a nanny 61 percent consider their nannies a part of the family

Extra care proves positive asset in student upbringing

By Kathleen Hobson

With Mom grabbing a quick dinner with friends and Dad catching up at work, a six-yearold Shae Bass turns to the extra link in her family—her nanny Precy. Finding it easy to confide in and spend time with the woman who has played a major role in her upbringing since she was one, Bass recognizes Precy as a valuable addition, not a replacement, to her family structure.

“[She’s] like a second mother to me,” senior Bass said.

The concept of nannies has long been a taboo topic. It is all too easy to shame a parent who turns to a nanny to pick up some of the child-caring responsibilities. An Oct. 27 poll of 220 students shows that 54 percent of students grew up with a strong nanny presence. It may be easy to view this statistic negatively, but many students have found that growing up surrounded by extra the help actually improved their childhood instead of

percent of students said that they consider their nanny to be a part of their family. The nannychild relationship is a unique one that formative effect

growing up with

For senior Alexa Lutz, growing up with a nanny only strengthened her family and added to her childhood.

“Sometimes, when people have nannies, they think it weakens the relationship with their parents, but I wouldn’t say that; we were kind of like all one family,” Lutz said. “We had a separate place in our house where [our nanny] lived, so I was literally with [her] all the time.”

There are times when nannies have the ability to teach children something that parents don’t, offering an entirely separate perspective and exposing children to different experiences.

“Precy’s the reason I starting believing in God, because she’d always pray and sing to us every night,” Bass said.

Beyond religion, Bass attributes Precy as the person who helped her see the prejudice within the U.S.

“Sometimes, when people have nannies, they think it weakens the relationship with their parents, but I wouldn’t say that, we were kind of like all one family.”

– Senior Alexa Lutz

several siblings, Bass was thankful to have her nanny there to vent to when something was upsetting her.

“Whenever something was going wrong in my life, she was always the first person I would go to,” Bass said. “She would always figure out how to help me with my problems. When I was younger, I sometimes had a harder time coming to my parents because I was the middle child, so it felt like they were either paying attention to the oldest or the youngest.”

Sophomore Sarah Smith found it easier to confide in someone other than her relatives, too.

“When I got older, it was easier to talk to [my nanny] instead of talking to my parents sometimes,” Smith said. “It didn’t change my relationship with my

“[Being around Precy] made us open our eyes to different cultures and how people treat minorities in the United States,” Bass said. “We witnessed firsthand how disrespectful some people [are]. She taught us, not meaning to, how bad minorities were treated and what we could do to help.”

An ice-skating trip to the Galleria ended in tears when Precy attempted to rent skates for the night, but the worker could not understand her thick Filipino accent.

“Precy has good English, but it’s hard to understand her if you’re not around her all the time,” Bass said. “This woman couldn’t understand her, and she was like, ‘Excuse me, can you please learn to speak English if you’re going to live in the United States,’ and I was like, ‘Precy, we don’t need to do this; let’s go,’ so we ended up leaving. She started crying in the car, and she was like, ‘Don’t ever treat people like this.’”

Although students acknowledge that growing up with nannies may not be the “typical” style of upbringing, they don’t regret that part of their lives. Instead, they are grateful that their parents had the option of extra help.

“It’s definitely a privileged [upbringing] to have a nanny, but it was a helpful one,” Lutz said. “It helped

Main Events

Today The movie “My Friend Dahmer,” about the infamous cannibal who killed 17 people, Jeffrey Dahmer, played by Ross Lynch, hits the theaters today.

Nov. 5

The Cowboys, ranked 19th according to the NFL, have a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, ranked third, at 3:25 p.m. at the AT&T Stadium.

Nov. 10

Taylor Swift’s sixth studio album “Reputation” will be released. For $15, the listener will get all 15 tracks.

Nov. 11

PurpleStride, a charity to raise money for pancreatic cancer, is sponsoring a 5k run/walk at Klyde Warren Park. Opening ceremonies start at 7:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 8 a.m.

Nov. 17

“Wonder,” the book everyone who was here in Middle School had to read, is coming to theaters. The cast includes well-known actors such as Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.

Nov. 23

The Annual Dallas Turkey Trot is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The 5K or 8 mile run begins at 9 a.m. at Dallas City Hall.

Trains at Northpark 30th anniversary

The Trains at Northpark, a popular destination for students to volunteer, will open Nov. 18 to Jan. 7. All proceeds will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House, an organization which provides a home environment and accessible health care for families with severely sick children.

Since 1987 the Trains have raised over $13 million for over 37,000 families. Senior Emma Cabrales volunteered as a greeter, walking around the mall informing visitors about the trains.

“It was fun seeing the kids get so excited,” Cabrales said.

ALL INKED UP

Ease of access leads to an increase of stick and poke, traditional tattoos amongst the student body

he needle pierced her skin as the ink seeped into her pores, leaving a heart on her left wrist. In a Michael’s parking lot, senior Leta Flores used newly purchased needles and ink to tattoo herself. There she gave herself the first of five tattoos. After seeing pictures of the new tattoo trend, stick and poke, Flores had decided to try it out for herself.

“I want to get real tattoos when I’m older,” Flores said. “This is just for fun. They are probably going to fade, anyway.”

Stick and poke tattoos, also known as prison tattoos, are self imposed inkings using a sharp object such as a needle and ink. These DIY tattoos have become increasing popular because of ease and access. However, the lack of sanitation and cleanliness normally used among self-tattooers poses a health risk.

ink. Flores’ experience with stick and poke tattoos has been mistake— and infection— free.

“Other people do it and they fade because they don’t go over it or do it very deep,” Flores said. “I did all of mine pretty well, so I don’t know if they are going to fade.”

Although stick and poke tattoos are a cheaper and easier way for minors to ink themselves, some students have chosen to get real tattoos.

“We’re growing as a society, and people want to express themselves differently, and if they want to do that through a tattoo, they should be able to.”

— Junior Gianna Pope

Senior Mark Minissale got his first real tattoo last spring, and although Minissale’s parents refused to let him get one, he found someone willing to do it. The scripture verse “If God is for us who can be against us from Romans 8:31 is tattooed on Minissale’s chest as a permanent reminder of his faith.

thing that I’ve had to worry about,” Pope said. “So I really wanted to get something that represented my mom and me.”

She drew her own tattoo design of a phoenix with a purple cancer ribbon woven into the design almost like another feather— flowing out of the bottom.

“The phoenix means to rise from whatever drags you down and to cope with your problems,” Pope said. “So I’m soaring and flying from what is dragging me down, which is cancer. And then purple represents all cancers and all caregivers because I’ve been both a caregiver and a cancer survivor.”

Pope doesn’t care about other’s perceptions of tattoos, and being artistic she knew a tattoo was the perfect way to illustrate her battle.

Infections and diseases such as Staph and Hepatitis B can come from unsanitized tools and improper aftercare. Despite the danger of getting an infection or a bloodborne pathogen, Flores was not deterred.

“I thought about the health risks because there are so many pictures where they turn out bad, but I didn’t really care,” Flores said.

Despite stick and poke tattoos’ negative stigma and health risks, many believe that they can be just as well done as professional

“I went to this sketchy guy who does it in his house, although he recently got in trouble for it so he can’t do it anymore,” Minissale said. “I told my parents after I got it and my dad didn’t care, but my mom kicked me out of the house the first day and didn’t talk to me for three days.”

Junior Gianna Pope got a professional tattoo on her 16th birthday to represent the struggles she has overcome. At four years old, she was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and when she was 15, her mother was diagnosed with cancer as well.

“Throughout my life that’s what’s brought me down and has always been this prominent

“There is still that judgment, ‘Oh if you have a tattoo, you might not get the job’,” Pope said. “We’re growing as a society, and people want to express themselves differently, and if they want to do that through a tattoo, they should be able to. I drew the tattoo myself and I don’t know a better way to represent what I’ve overcome and been through. I just wanted something to remind me that no matter what I’m going through, I’ve been through worse.” 23 47 $45

percent of students plan to get a tattoo when they reach 18. According to a survey of 220 students Oct. 26.

is the average cost of a small tattoo according to Inked Magazine. Supplies for a stick and poke cost less than $10

percent of Americans from ages 18-29 have a tattoo

ESD INK: Senior Mark Minisales’ bible quote tattoo is an always present reminder of his faith. “I wanted something that would stay with me my entire life,” he said.

False Thinspiration

Story and graphic by Anastasia Sotiropoulos

Fad diet culture encourages rapid weight loss, proves dangerous

Calorie tracker app Lose

It! opens as senior Jake Charnes flips through the Hopdoddy menu. After some quick number crunching, he settles for a chopped up black bean burger and side of lettuce—the only meal option that will allow him to stay under his max “budget” of 1,300 calories a day.

For Charnes’ entire sophomore year, caloriecounting was a part of his paleo diet. Fad diets, characterized by their crash diet nature (intense food and drink restrictions), are increasing in popularity for those seeking rapid results.

“I was just unhappy with my body,” Charnes said.

“I saw that the paleo diet would help people lose weight. I was only eating things cavemen would eat— greens and meats, no processed [foods], no bread.”

plate of meat slices for dinner. That took some changing.”

Fad diets have proven particularly hazardous as they can make it hard for some to tell when they have crossed into eating disorder territory. Red flags include not having the flexibility to make exceptions when appropriate, increased irritability and less energy.

“Some of those early signs that we may be getting into trouble is if we had initially just planned to be healthy, but we modified that goal and set that standard for our weight to be even lower and then even lower,” Sacco explained.

fails to see the purpose in cleansing, especially for those at more of a genetic or personality risk for developing an eating disorder.

“It may take doing that threeday cleanse, and that’s enough to kick-start what could end up as an eating disorder,” she said. “For someone else, it may not be a big deal, but we don’t always know until after the fact.”

1 in 4

students have fad dieted*

The rigid menus of fad diets and their tendency to label certain foods as strictly “good” or “bad” add to their danger. When cutting out entire food groups rather than moderating them, there is the “elimination” mentality that effective dieting must involve deprivation.

“Just like you don’t want to be eating fried foods or cookies all day long, you also shouldn’t be eating broccoli all day long,” Sacco said. “I’m a proponent of not necessarily limiting things, but having an appropriate balance.”

22 percent of fad diets last two+ months*

It wasn’t just his nutritional content that Charnes altered but also how much of that content he consumed, adjusting the diet’s recommendation of 2,500 calories a day to 1,000.

In a matter of months, he dropped from 185 pounds to 130.

“It made me have the idea of, ‘It’s not enough,’” Charnes said. “I think that’s what spiraled into my eating disorder.”

Dr. Briana Sacco, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and eating disorder specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says that dieting in any shape or form is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder.

“Any time you’re changing your diet in any kind of meaningful way, you want to make sure you get medical professionals involved,” Sacco said. “One thousand calories per day is not sufficient for a teenager. You could be a completely sedentary person, and a thousand calories won’t be enough.”

Health concerns from his parents led Charnes to seek intervention from a specialist.

“She said I was healthy but on the verge of anorexia,” Charnes said. “Because I hadn’t eaten a lot for a year, I was very accustomed to a thousand calories a day, like a

Although Charnes has since moved on to healthier eating habits, he remembers what that year of fad dieting was like, still inadvertently counting calories in his head.

While some turn to fad diets for rapid weight loss, others like junior Kelsey Wittman try short-term ones out of curiosity. After routinely ordering smoothies from the Juice Bar, she undertook two separate three-day “cleanses” or “detoxes” from food, during which she only drank three 16 oz. juices a day.

“I wanted to test my willpower, honestly,” Wittman said. “I wanted to see if I could actually not eat food for three days and just drink juice.”

The Juice Bar recommends drinking only water in addition to juice, their website stating, “If you need to chew something, eat thinly sliced raw veggies.”

After each three-day cycle, she experienced a numbness to hunger.

“It just made me feel sick every single day,” Wittman said. “After that, it kind of hurt to eat food. The first morning, I felt really energized. Second morning, not so much. Third morning, I just felt horrible.”

Fad dieting comes down to its speed— something particularly handy during Homecoming season.

According to an Oct. 27 poll of 220 students, 43 percent admit to having dieted for an end goal like looking their best in their Homecoming dress or Spring Break swimsuit.

Sacco recognizes the external pressures behind teens’ tendency to resort to extremes for social events.

“That identity development is really what happens in adolescence,” she said. “You are trying to figure out who you want to be—a vulnerable place.”

Stars ranging from Gwyneth Paltrow and Blake Lively to Anne Hathaway and Beyoncé have sworn by cleanses like Wittman’s, attributing to their popularity and further propagating their cultural aspect.

43 percent of students have dieted for a dance, vacation*

Sacco advises against cleanses, no matter how innocent they may seem compared to long-term diets.

“[Cleanses] can have major changes in terms of your body’s electrolyte balance,” she said. “You guys shouldn’t need to be doing any type of cleansing. Eating over the holidays is great, but there shouldn’t be something you need to do to negate it.”

From a physiology standpoint, Sacco

“Some of these things don’t have a real science behind them,” Sacco said. “Kids are getting this arbitrary expectation based on what Hollywood is portraying, what we are seeing in the news media, in magazines and billboards.”

Although 71 percent of students find fad dieting healthy, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics insists that risks not be overlooked.

Muscle cramps, dizziness, fainting, dehydration, mood changes and constant hunger are just some of the effects.

“Thinking back when I was in high school, I don’t think [fad dieting] was something that was even crossing my mind, but things are different now,” Sacco said. “It’s definitely a conversation worth having.”

* according to an Oct. 27 poll of 220 students

THE LIST

1

2

3

Netflix show “House of Cards” is canceled after sexual allegations are made against Kevin Spacey, who plays Frank Underwood in the hit TV series. Actor Anthony Rapp claims Spacey sexually harassed him when he was 14 and Spacey was 26.

Where did the abs go? Justin Bieber gets fresh ink to cover his entire stomach.

Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein is called out by over 50 women who claim to have been sexually harassed. A sisterhood is forming to take this pervert down.

4

5

6

Ezekiel Elliott, running back for the Dallas Cowboys, was supposed to be out of the first six games, but has yet to miss one.

Playboy not playing anymore. Founder of Playboy, Hugh Hefner dies on Sept. 27 at the age of 91.

Standing up and kicking: Colin Kaepernick files a grievance against the NFL and its team owners for blacklisting him because he kneeled.

7

8

Big money hoping for HUGE results. Tom Steyer is spending more than $10 million on a national TV ad campaign calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment.

What goes around, is coming back around. Justin Timberlake is taking on another Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis.

9

top10 TAKEDOWN

Gorgeous by Taylor Swift

Third time’s the charm from Swift’s third lead single from Reputation. It’s a return to the Taylor Swift formula with her relationship problems. The song loses its punch with the addition of your typical Taylor Swift lyrics about loving someone, then hating someone then crying home to her cats. At this stage in an illustrious career, I would’ve thought that the songwriting would’ve taken a different route.

Age is just a number. George HW Bush apologizes to Heather Lind after she came forward about Bush groping her from his wheel chair.

We did not feel it coming. Selena Gomez and The Weeknd call it quits after dating for 10 months. Selena can’t keep her hands to herself and was spotted hanging out with ex, Justin Bieber. 10

Rockstar by Post Malone

This sounds like the song Post Malone has been waiting to write his entire career—a super catchy trap song with a little too much bass and some wise commentary about how rappers are the rock stars of our generation. I dig this song right until 21 Savage murders it. And no, I don’t think it’s a really good verse. I mean the song actually starts digging its own grave.

Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift

I’m not a die-hard Swift fan, so naturally, I don’t really like this song. It feels more like a publicity stunt rather than a song. It’s bland, oddly structured and lacks any real statement on her reputation. How do you listen to this, anyway? It’s more of a head-scratcher than a head-banger.

What Lovers Do by Maroon

5

I want Maroon 5 to stop making music effective immediately. I think the general population is done with Adam Levine. Just act your age, dude. You’re almost 40, and you’re teaming up with SZA on a lead single to your new album. Also, stop using recycled beats—you stole that one from The Weeknd.

Not all top selling songs on iTunes are worth the attention they recieve

Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man

Groovy, funky and quirky, it’s everything you’d want in a song. Despite its brevity, the bass line sticks with you. While it is super catchy, the world has seemed to go blind on the fact that it’s a rip-off of “Please Mr. Postman” by the Marvelettes. At first glance, you might think I’m insane, but add a few beats per minute, and it’s identical.

Does anybody really look forward to an Imagine Dragons song? Nobody waits in anticipation for a band that’s tailor-made to be in a Fitbit or lite beer commercial. While the production value on this song is really high, I don’t think they say “thunder” enough.

Havana by Camila Cabello

The Cuban-influenced piano and the hip-moving horn with some sassy lyrics makes for a good pop song. Young Thug is barely on this song, and it doesn’t really make a difference because Cabello dominates the whole track. I would expect a lot of these Latininfluenced pop songs coming up after the success of “Despacito,” but this one is a worthy follow-up.

Perfect by Ed Sheeran

So I guess Ed Sheeran is just gonna keep writing the same song. I don’t really have anything wrong with this one, but it just feels so average. It’s the perfect slow song for every middle school dance. It has lyrics that are meant for middle schoolers, too. It starts to lose its emotion when Sheeran actually says, “perfect” because it’s so blatantly obvious.

Bodak Yellow by Cardi B

I’ve never heard anyone want to be Nicki Minaj more. It’s a little aggressive. I get it, you’re Cardi B. That’s what it says on the artist name for this song. The beat is solid but repetitive. I kept asking myself who messed with Cardi B. Whoever they are, they really screwed up.

Just Like You by Louis Tomlinson

It honestly makes me a little happy that other One Direction members are making careers for themselves. Louis follows the Justin Bieber formula in that he sings over a beat that sounds like any of the copy-and-paste big name EDM artists. This one is pretty forgettable if you’re comparing it to the other One Direction members and just Top 40 tracks in general.

Thunder by Imagine Dragons

rewind

From the cheesiest to the most iconic, the top Disney Channel Original Movies

By Ellery Spencer

Sticking to the status quo is common during high school, but at East High, basketball player Troy Bolton and scholar Gabriella Montez aim to change that. Despite their friends’ interference, Troy and Gabriella defy societal norms by snatching the lead roles in the school play and becoming friends with students outside of their clique. Although the acting is sub-par and the movie has a handful of cliché scenes, the story breaks barriers and inspires viewers to not let society stop you from pursuing your interests.

Four high school girls, Galleria, Chanel, Aqua and Dorinda, dream of attaining stardom, but when the girls begin to fight with their parents, a music producer and each other, their dreams nearly come to an end. Then a freak accident occurs with Galleria’s dog and the girls must reunite, reigniting their friendship and dreams. “The Cheetah Girls” exemplifies the power of friendship and family. The outfits are horrendous, the cheesy lines are abundant and the acting would never win an Oscar, but the message the movie spreads, along with the catchy 2000s-style songs, makes up for all of the movie’s flaws.

2006 1 3 Twitches 2005

Twins separated at birth, Camryn and Alex meet “coincidentally” while shopping. The two discover they have magical powers and must extinguish the “darkness” and save the magical land of Coventry. The plot line of Twitches is basically a Halloween version of the classic twins separated at birth story, except that for once, Disney keeps the cliché scenes at a minimum and the acting is actually pretty adequate.

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century 1999

Zenon Kar lives in a space station during the year 2049. After getting into some trouble with the space commander, Zenon is sent down to earth. She longs to return back to space, and after learning the space station is in danger, she must find a way back. Despite many obstacles, Zenon makes her way home, saves the space station and solidifies her heroine status. It is a cute movie for children, and it can be enjoyed by all ages. The storyline is actually intriguing and the acting doesn’t make you want to cringe the entire time.

4

Mitchie Torres gets to attend the camp of her dreams, but as soon as she arrives, she is faced with typical high school drama and petty teenagers. Her camp experience is nearly ruined, but in the end, the campers move past their differences. For once, Disney chose suitable actors to play the characters, so the incessant singing and dancing actually don’t make you want to just turn the movie off. The movie “Camp Rock” is very relatable to people of all

5 6

WHAT’S THE BUZZ

@The Episcopal School of Dallas

“There’s no place like HOMEcoming!”

@Ibifiri, the editor. “hi horde.”

Wu: Homecoming

Wendy is faced with two choices: fulfill her Chinese destiny, or achieve her dreams of becoming Homecoming queen. She chooses to go to Homecoming over defeating evil, but eventually, she is persuaded to save the world. I love Brenda Song from “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody,” but her acting is garbage. The entire premise of this movie is dumb, too—who would choose to go to a school dance over saving the world?

“Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior” begins the demise of Disney and will be remembered in infamy.

@esdfieldhockey

“It should be illEAGLE to look this good playing field hockey. Hope Oakridge isn’t too OWLarmed!”

Wendy

Warrior 2006

The Cheetah Girls 2003

Camp Rock 2008

Worst Thanksgiving memories

By Meredith Moran

SENIOR Murphy Pressley

“When I was 7, my family went to our lake house for Thanksgiving, and my uncle told me and my sister McKenna that we were only on this earth to serve our parents. Then he told us to clean the boats, but instead, we dirtied up the dock and then took the paddle boats out and refused to come back to shore until he took back what he said.”

FRESHMAN Andrew Pfaff

“I have this one crazy uncle that always gets really rowdy at Thanksgiving time. He’s really crazy to be around, and one year at my grandma’s house, he got really mad about an argument and threw her china plates on the ground.”

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful, but things don’t always turn out as planned

JUNIOR Kelsey Wittmann

“We were in Cayman with my whole family, and they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving there because it’s not America, so it was really hard to get Thanksgiving food. But we did, and everyone sat down to eat outside. I was running to go outside, and ran straight into the sliding glass door and had to go to the doctor.”

SOPHOMORE Mary Claire Lozada

“When I was 7, my cousin came to my lake house for Thanksgiving. My golden retriever, who likes chasing animals, came with us. He never catches them, but he happened to catch this rabbit. I felt so bad for the rabbit, so my cousin said he buried it in a nice spot by the lake, but he actually cooked it! He didn’t tell the kids until it was on the table. He said it was

snitchesgetstiches

Guess who? Don’t hate me cause you ain’t me

Finsta

The Fight

Recent Instagram trend turns into bullying platform

By Sydney Rezaie and Madison Willox

Good riddance you nasty evil b***h. See you in hell.

Junior Lilly French stares down at her phone as comments keep rolling in on Margot Boudreaux’s* finsta post—no longer reading the words. French feels numb, frozen in place. She’s such a b***h. I can’t believe she would do something like that. Why are you even friends with her? Tears come to French’s eyes as she runs to the bathroom, locking herself in a stall so no one can see her cry. She gets a sick feeling in her stomach. Now she’s dizzy. The world is a blur. She feels trapped in a transparent box. She stumbles to the nurse saying she feels sick. It’s not a complete lie, but it’s still an excuse to go home. Not even the safety of home will save her from the vicious post that is now forever stored on the internet.

During her sophomore year, junior Lilly French experienced cyberbullying on a post that occurred on what is now commonly called a “finsta” or “fake Instagram,” made by one of her close friends. She was called names and slut-shamed in a post that hundreds of people could see. Although the post did not address her by name, there were enough details and comments for everyone to figure out who the person was.

“When people subtweet, they don’t realize that it is so obvious who they are talking about, especially when they go in depth about it,” French said. “Instead of bullying, people should talk to the person. It is so immature doing it on social media, where everybody can see it.”

might regret,” sophomore Jack Loftus said. “It just portrays you as a worse person because you are not capable to tell the person how you feel.”

Some students do not see anything wrong with the new era of finsta cyberbullying and think of it as a positive way for them to both vent and entertain.

“I feel like it is your finsta, and you should be able to say whatever you want,” junior Emma Name said. “I have three Instagram accounts: a prinsta [private account with only a couple followers], a finsta [“fake” account with a hundred followers], and a rinsta [an account with a thousand followers]. I use my prinsta as a way to get my anger out.”

When smartphones did not exist, bullying was done face-to-face. Now when kids leave school, it follows them in their pockets and glares up at them from their palms. Many teens feel trapped in an endless cycle of cyberbullying they are never able to escape.

In an effort to combat this increase in cyber activity, the Middle School administration no longer allows the use of phones by students during the school day.

“I think the administration made a wise decision that should have been made a long time ago,” Cole said. “Keeping smart phones away from middle schoolers during the school day improves learning.”

“If you have a problem with someone, you should just say it straight to someone’s face— otherwise, you might say something that you will regret. It just portrays you as a worse person because you are not capable to tell the person how you feel.”

–Sophomore Jack Loftus

While many students don’t agree with this recent form of bullying, they don’t think that it is their place to interject.

“Even though I know it is wrong to subtweet someone on a finsta, I don’t think I have any say in telling someone what they are posting is right or wrong,” Boudreaux said. “It is their finsta and they should be able to post what they want.”

“I feel like it is your finsta, and you should be able to say whatever you want. I have three Instagram accounts. I use my prinsta as a way to get my anger out.”

French is not the only one bullied on finstas. Cyberbullying in particular has risen since 2010, with more people actively engaging in social media sites. Finstas, originally created to break the idea of having a picture-perfect life, have become the newest bullying outlet among teens. Instead of posting fun and harmless photos, these second accounts, typically accessible by only the individual’s closest friends, have become a way to gain validation for actions that may be considered inappropriate or hurtful in real life.

–Junior Emma Name

As technology has become more accessible to younger generations, cyberbullying has become a problem for middle schoolers as well. Ten-year-olds are given smartphones and expected to know what to do with them, unprepared for the massive web they are entering.

While educating kids on how to deal with social media is important, the education of parents on the new battles their children are facing is critical to their child’s safety. In order to better help parents understand the risks of being on social media, the school has introduced the curriculum and resources from Common Sense Media, an outlet designed to help parents determine what their child should be doing online and to give them important guidelines to help their child navigate social media.

“I don’t think the answer is saying, ‘Don’t touch it,’” Cole said. “You can’t just take it away, but we’ve got to begin to think about putting parameters and bumpers in place and then making sure that kids are learning the skills to navigate and to self-regulate [social media].”

With cyberbullying rates escalating, mental health problems such as depression and anxiety have lead to spiked teen suicide rates, doubling in teenage girls between 2007 and 2015 according to CNN.

“Anytime someone is publicly humiliated, there is always increased risk of suicide,” Emotional Wellness Counselor Mary Ellen Davison said. “Day-in and day-out, the bullying can really tear someone down. That is what scares me the most.”

When people subtweet, they don’t realize that it is so obvious who they are talking about, especially when they go in depth about it. Instead of bullying, people should talk to the person. It is so immature doing it on social media, where everybody can see it.

– Junior Lilly French

***The graphic shown on the left is fake, but the staged posts are inspired by actual finsta accounts.

“If you have a problem with someone, you should just say it straight to someone’s face otherwise, you might say something that you

“The anxiety of middle school kids is going up nationally,” Head of School Meredyth Cole said. “It’s all based on these smartphones, social media and kids using social media when they don’t have the capacity to process it. They’re just too young. I have an issue with how high schoolers use it and talk to each other, but at least you all have more maturity to process it.”

Because finsta bullying has become a social norm, it is important to know what to do if you or one of your friends is experiencing it.

“My best advice would be to come talk to the counselors or somebody that you trust to strategize what you need to do to get you off the radar,” Davison said. “Bullying is not something that someone is supposed to handle by themselves.”

*names have been changed

1

BREAKING BARRIERS: 1. Chemistry teacher Anneke Ossorio assists sophomore Cambridge Bender during Grudgeball game. “Science does not come naturally to me, so I often ask her for help, and she encourages me to come see her,” Bender said. “Instead of dreading science, it is my favorite class.”

2.

mixed hydrogen peroxide,

for

2

Teacher advocates for fun in chemistry

Anneke Ossorio uses creative approaches to make science interactive

By Margaret Smith

Projects line the walls, 3D molecules hang from the ceiling and chemistry teacher

Anneke Ossorio sits at her desk in the corner of the room, drinking tea out of a beaker.

Ossorio, now in her second year as chemistry teacher and sophomore advisor, incorporates her bubbly personality into her out-of-the-ordinary teaching style.

After moving from her home in Lafayette, Colorado to Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, Ossorio double-majored in chemistry and secondary education. After her freshman year, she knew she wanted to teach science but was debating which science she wanted to teach.

“Everyone seems to really love biology because there’s a lot of desire for that field, but nobody was really into chemistry because they always said it was really difficult,” Ossorio said.

“I really love the community and my coworkers,” Ossorio said. “It’s so nice to work with people who are like-minded but also very different-minded. We have a cohesive work team, and the kids are just really great.”

Ossorio sits next to a white board overflowing with purple fours, a reference from “21 Jump Street.” Ossorio and her sophomore advisee Hadley Smith still continue to add fours, because the board previously had no purpose. Smith enjoys having Ossorio as an advisor.

“She’s really fun and upbeat, and very understanding of what a high school kid goes through because she’s pretty young,” Hadley Smith said. “For the pumpkin decorating contest we lit ours on fire. We go in her lab a lot and basically just blow stuff up.”

“ You can tell she’s enthusiastic and passionate about her work, because everything in her class is so organized and lively.”

“I thought, ‘There has to be a good way to teach this subject and make it fun.’ I think I found that, and I enjoy it.”

– Sophomore Claire Groves

Ossorio’s teaching style is unconventional in the sense she doesn’t use a textbook, and she incorporates many projects and labs involving fire especially during Halloween.

of labs and activities like that where it’s hands on, and you can understand it in the real world.”

For Halloween, Ossorio decorates the lab with skeletons, pumpkins and plays Halloween music. She calls it Halloween Fun Day, and they do experiments such as lighting methane bubbles on fire, making Oobleck (Zombie blood) and filling beakers with different colored substances, putting dry ice in them and watching them change colors.

“Halloween Fun Day helped me to learn about new chemicals and how they react with other chemicals,” sophomore Henry Watson said. “[Ossorio] is much more interactive than other teachers.”

Last year, while Ossorio was setting the Director of Diversity on fire, the bubbles were lit too late, so a ring was burned onto the ceiling.

“I thought for sure that the sprinkler was about to go off,” she laughed. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the fire department is going to get called. It’s my first year here, and I burned the lab.’”

Another creative aspect of her class is the review game she invented called grudgeball.

but it’s a really fun review game. Whoever ends up with the most points at the end gets bonus points on the next test.”

Sophomores Sarah Smith and Claire Groves agree that Ossorio’s teaching style has helped them understand the notoriously difficult subject.

“You can tell she’s enthusiastic and passionate about her work, because everything in her class is so organized and lively,” Groves said. “You’re constantly hands on, so it’s really easy to understand the information and do [well] in the class.”

Ossorio has known she wanted to be a teacher since lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons at the age of 16 in Lafayette. Her passion for teaching and the care she has for the success of her students fosters a positive environment.

“I get far too excited when kids understand things, but that’s why I love teaching,” Ossorio said. “I’m so happy when [they] understand it, because [them] feeling good about [themselves] learning things makes me feel good about myself.”

Sarah Smith calls Ossorio the best teacher she’s ever had because of the light-hearted attitude throughout her class.

After teaching chemistry for a year in South Fort Worth, Ossorio was drawn to ESD because her mom grew up in the neighborhood and she had always dreamed of going here.

“I love Halloween, and every Halloween, I like to take an entire class period and go into the lab and do all kinds of fun, exciting experiments, including setting myself on fire and sometimes other people, if they’re willing,” Ossorio said. “We do lots and lots

“If you make the grudgeball basket, you get to take away people’s stars, so it’s kind of like review basketball, but instead of earning points, you take away points from other teams,” Ossorio said. “Alliances are made, alliances are broken, friendships are ruined,

“She makes jokes all the time during class, and in most of my classes, we’re not allowed to laugh,” Sarah Smith said. “One of my teachers gets mad if I look too happy, but with Ms. Ossorio, we can laugh whenever we want, and it’s OK. Her class is a happy class.”

Photo by Margaret Smith

Ossorio

dish soap, food coloring and water which exploded out of a pumpkin

Halloween Fun Day. Photo by Sarah Smith

Service hours verified, system reinforced

There isn’t a point for us to do community service trips because they aren’t counting those hours anymore. I heard hours submitted onto x2vol two months after you do them won’t be counted. There’s no way I’m going to be able to get the President’s Volunteer Service Award this year.

These are just examples of phrases we’ve heard float through the hallways about the ‘changes’ made to the community service system by our new community service director, Courtney Phelps.

There have been a lot of rumors this year about the way hours are verified, but that is all they are—rumors. Let’s set the record straight.

Actually verifying and approving hours is just more strictly enforced this year, something worth appreciating because students ought to get credit for what they do – not for the loopholes they find to avoid the task.

With our previous community service director, hours were verified within a couple days after being logged. There was no questioning whether you actually did the hours or not. One was just trusted to tell the truth, but that wasn’t always the case. Students often exaggerated the amount of hours they served.

This year, hours that students log into x2vol will be approved if they have a person from the organization or place where the service was done verifies that the students actually did the work—rather than parents, who are

On the

EDGE

How

not always the most reliable source.

The reason most students are worried about their hours being verified is because they want to receive the President’s Award, which is given to students who meet certain requirements of service hours per year.

The number of students that are on track to receiving the President’s Award is around the same number as previous years. In 2017, 266 students received the award, and the year before, 298 did. The requirements to receive the award are the same as years before: 50 hours in freshman year and 100 in sophomore, junior and senior year, respectively.

As for the “pop-up projects,” such as the AIDS Arms Thanksgiving bags and the Angel Christmas Tree donations, Phelps is unsure on the amount of hours that will be given.

For pop-up projects last year, all you had to do was bring three or more bags filled with food, toys or whatever was asked for, and receive up to six hours max, two for each bag. Projects like these were extremely popular last year because they were an easy way for students to receive hours.

We don’t know how many “pop-up projects” there will be this year, as it depends on what the need is. It is also not known how many hours students could receive for donating, as it sometimes became a way for students to buy their hours rather than truly earn them.

Change is said to be hard, but in this case, there isn’t much of a change at all.

do you feel about the process to receive community service hours?

“It’s nice that they are being strict on checking hours, but they should also trust the students to some extent.“

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s that much harder. I think it’s better to put labor into community service rather than just giving items because it shows that you actually care.“

Eagle Edition

EDITORIAL POLICY

“I like how we use X2vol. I think it is useful and does a good job of organizing everything. Not only do you have a place to log in your hours but once you go back you can see your accomplishments.“

“This year it is harder to get hours approved. I think hat’s a good thing and a bad thing, because it might have been too easy before, but I also think that the students should be trusted enough to log in their hours.”

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

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.

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

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

Ben Lowry, ‘21

Ellery Marshall, ‘18

Ethan Nghiem, ‘19

Hadley Smith, ‘20

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Eagle Edition:

After reading the outstanding 1st edition of ESD’s student newspaper, I realize that letters to the editors are not answered... Surprise!

So, in the spirit of voicing unchecked opinions without any fear of written reprisal, I want to talk about something way more important than a dress code. I write to address parking.

How can anyone seriously expect to attend school, much less learn anything, when you can’t park a reasonable distance from class? Our cross country team competes by running 5 K. Some of our sophomores have to start their class day with a slightly longer walk. I’m also wondering why we don’t have the “use it or lose it” rule with senior parking spaces? Why should a late arriving junior have to be inconvenienced by the Bataan Death March when they can just park in the senior lot while those lucky folks are out enjoying a Trailer Park (Trashy please)?

Solution you ask? Rooftop parking at the new lower school... Bam!

—Henry Heil, Head of Upper School

Dear Eagle Edition:

How many times has this happened to you? You realize that you haven’t seen your favorite ESD jacket in two days, you search the 5 different lost and founds around campus, and you never see your jacket ever again. #rt ESD, we need to get a better lost and found system, and this can be done so easily. In the main lost and found, we should label cubbies for different school supplies and books, use labeled bins for clothing/sport bags and the hangers can be used for all jackets found. This would make it much easier for students to find their missing items. Also, we need to establish a system that everyone knows, so that students know which L&F their item ended up in and how long they have to retrieve it. For technology or art projects, the items should go to Mr. Laba’s office. For items in the JL, the items should go to their own lost and found, which we can work with the school to create.

–—Annie Sawers

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

With Issue 2 deadline crossing over Homecoming week, college application deadlines and Halloween, staffers had to work overtime to complete the paper. Story ideas arose as recent events within the country and the school sparked debate among students.

Following heated discussions in the classroom about gun control after the Las Vegas shooting, two staffers who were very passionate about the topic decided to go head to head in the opinion section.

The Staff also decided to tackle the controversy surrounding the new enforced rules for recording community service hours. With a new Community Service Director, we wanted to state the facts and dispel false rumors.

—Editors in Chief, Julia Beckel and Kathleen Hobson

The greatest thing happened today—you won’t believe it,” I squealed into the phone. “I broke my arm!”

That was me, to my best friend, Peggy. It was the first day of fourth grade when I skid off the zipline and saw my life and flying wood chips flash before my eyes. I landed at that perfect angle—on my left elbow—but that’s another story.

Peggy lived a 30 second walk—more like 10 second sprint—through the back alley of my grandparents’ yard. She was also 5’7’’, athletic and sported the silvering hair of a spry 68-year-old.

“No way—that’s awesome!” she shrieked back into the receiver, equally as highpitched.

The fact that I severely fractured my arm, dislocated my elbow so that it jut out and needed four-inch surgical pins was so, incredibly cool.

Peggy had slid and snapped her wrist just the week before. She then slipped on a camo-print cast (so it’d be invisible, duh) and looked so cool.

Now, donning a cast hooked around my thumb and advancing up my bicep, I was just like Peggy. We were twin, splint-sporting warriors. For what more could two best friends ask?

At nine and 68: nothing.

Peggy and I did everything together. And no, she wasn’t a nanny—not the paid or unpaid type.

We were simply best friends and both the same age—just not to the naked eye, that is.

I don’t remember ever “meeting” Peggy. She’d just always been there, behind the alley.

As summers set into years, Peggy, two other

Neighbor nostalgia

68-year-old raises neighborhood kids, makes the mundane fun

girls in the neighborhood and I formed a very exclusive club.

To start off, Peggy was an avid garage-saler.

Name a neighborhood in Old Lake Highlands, and I’ll bet you money I’ve been. Peggy made it clear from day one of our fervent foraging that we weren’t rummaging through junk for her—we were rummaging through junk for her sister. Anne opened a flea market in East Texas’ Lindale and needed stock.

From pre-Christmas sales, to 103 degree hunts, we were out there, massing all from teapots to beat-up Juicy Fruit gum dispensers. Through observation and occasional participation, I learned bartering inside-out. It’s an art, really.

Peggy was also everyone’s—and I mean everyone’s—designated creature-caretaker. From Bob’s chicken coop across the street, Otis the pig two houses over, the Persian at the end, Henrietta the hamster, that fish and my bird during the summer, Peggy had everyone’s key.

And we went with her. It was like hanging with the keeper of a petting zoo.

Alongside the most plastic, laughable Dollar Tree balloon, she’d present you with a poem on your anniversary, birthday, any-day. Your very own framed, rhyming, personalized poem she whipped up—the whole bit. I swear she was a children’s book writer, some kind of Dr. Seuss, in her past life.

She’d take us on walks in the summertime, racing after fireflies.

Truly picturesque, only to be interrupted by monstrous opossum sightings via our keen night-vision on the way back.

When the clock struck midnight, it’d time for me to scamper back to my grandparents’, the alley pitch black. It was sketchy,

no doubt, but she’d wear this dorky blinking headlight as I ventured across. Either that, or she’d drive me around, windows rolled all the way down.

When we weren’t hosting our own garage sales, we would cater lemonade stands—our forays into the world of microeconomics.

Strategically held on the busiest street with plenty of commotion, clients flocked to us with quarters galore.

We would gather every instrument on the block—my clarinet, Peggy’s keyboard, Grace’s violin, Margaret’s drums and recorder—and perform, screech and deafen in the front yard. Our audience were the houses of Leda Drive, who most likely hated us.

But how could anyone hate Peggy? She was the free pet-sitter, the one who picked us up from school. She taught us how to pump gas and use the garbage disposal. She held the keys to the neighborhood (every last one, so that she carried two keychains).

Simply, she was Peggy.

And as middle school turned high school… Nothing changed.

She is Peggy.

Aside from providing a world-class education in all from bartering to the art of musical performance, she taught me something a lot less tangible and a lot less definable.

She could never have kids, but somehow managed to adopt every last one of us. Call her a mother figure, but she’s my best friend. She’s Lake Highlands’ best friend.

The point is, Peggy’s made me…me. A better person, somehow. She finds the fun in everything—everything. God, she made metal pins shooting out your elbow fun.

And I owe her for that.

Stereotypical Texans are not the norm

By Cleo Neuhoff

No, I don’t ride my cow named Petunia to school. No, I don’t farm in my free time. No, I don’t have improper grammar. No, I don’t talk like a hillbilly. No, I don’t whip a pistol out of my gun holster every time I have a disagreement.

I live in Dallas, Texas which is the ninth largest city in the U.S., yet every time I go out of town people always feel the need to ask me if I ride a horse to school and if everyone in my city talks with a country accent. Everytime I go out of state at least three people ask me if everyone in Texas really wears cowboy boots everywhere.

Most people in the U.S. think that all Texans are hillbillies with improper grammar, when in reality, most of us live in welldeveloped cities and are just the same as everyone else. Although we might occasionally say y’all, no one in my city walks around in cowboy boots and jeans with a cowboy hat on their head and a piece of straw in their mouth at all times. Sure, a few do. But most don’t. Honestly, there is more lululemon in our city than cowboy boots.

I don’t expect them to believe me. The fact that they often do believe my exaggerations makes me realize how prevalent the stereotype of a typical Texan is.

31 percent of Texans are born out of state

4.8 million people moved from other states *

I like to joke around and tell people from out of state that I do ride a cow to school, yet

According to Forbes, Texas has the second largest growing economy. The Texas Tribune said that between 2005 and 2013, 4.8 million people moved to Texas from other states. And PBS said that 31 percent of Texans were not born in Texas. The state is a melting pot of different people. According to the Texas Association of Realtors, 65,546 Texans were originally from California, 33,670 Texans came from Florida, 31,044 Texans came from Louisiana and 26,287 Texans come from New York. The stereotypes forced on Texans make no sense because why would these people from California, Florida, Louisiana and New York resort to these old timey country images?

It truly does not make sense to me why people think all Texans act like cowboys in old timey black and white movies. Next time think before you ask me what my horse’s name is.

* according to PBS & the Texas Tribune

American’sare10xmorelikely tobekilledbyagunthanany otherdevelopedcountry! shouldSemi-automaticgunsonlybeavailableto themilitaryandpolice! Therearetoomany loopholestoobtaining agun!

It’s harder to obtain a driver’s license than a gun license!

It

is a Constitutional righttobeararms!

People,notguns,kill people! Exoticgunaccessories arenotanissue!

wouldn’tRestrictingguns

make us safer!

PRO: Gun legislation is needed to keep citizens safe, mitigate death tolls

By Gwyneth Zogg

I woke up on Oct. 2 to the news: “Massacre in Vegas: 50 dead and over 400 injured after gunman, 64, pours rounds into music festival from hotel window.” I counted the lives lost out loud to understand the depth of suffering and the reach of this act of domestic terrorism. I tried to imagine the grief of the survivors and their likely fear of public venues. My thoughts quickly turned to the government. What are our state and federal leaders going to do to prevent these shootings that now seem like regular occurrences? Why hasn’t the government done anything to better prevent them?

The Second Amendment protects our right as American citizens to bear arms, but what our Founding Fathers didn’t know in 1791 was that in 200 years, guns would evolve from the single-shot muskets that had to be manually loaded with powder and ball for each shot to semi-automatic weapons that can shoot multiple rounds in a matter of seconds.

My argument is not for the government to ban guns outright. I am proposing that semi-automatic assault weapons like the AR-15 be prohibited from sale and for the government to fix the major loopholes in the process of the purchase of guns—the biggest of which is gun shows, where no background check is required. The F.B.I. system has incomplete listings of criminal cases. Many mass shootings were carried out by the mentally unstable, many of whom have family and friends who could testify to the shooter’s obvious mental disturbance. Instead of filibustering and campaigning, the government should write laws that would identify the mentally disturbed prior to their purchase of weapons. For what good are gun laws if they cannot be effectively enforced?

One gun had the force to kill 58 people and injure another 500, whether through gunfire or forced evacuation. Eleven minutes, 58 people. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons and friends, all attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival for a memorable night of fun, witnessed the largest massacre in modern US history. The horrific audio recording of the shooting was distinctly the sound of a semiautomatic gun.

Some may argue that increasing gun presence is safer because one could stop the gunman, but in the Vegas massacre, this argument falls short–he was unreachable. In Nevada, no permit to buy or possess a rifle, shotgun or handgun is required. Bump stocks were found on a dozen of his guns, which allowed the gun to shoot bullets at a faster rate. Why are gun accessories that are designed to create the death toll being sold?

Gun control opposition, what if it was your mom? Your dad? Is allowing people to have semi-automatic weapons worth that risk? We have decided that grenade launchers should not be widely available, so why not say the same for devices that allow bullets to be fired at a rate of more than 400 rounds per minute?

All Americans want the same thing: to live in a safer America. How to do that is where conflict arises. I, along with millions of other Americans, are tired of waking up in the morning to tragedies caused by inefficient gun legislation.

CON: Gun control will not protect citizens from harm, focus should be on mental health

By John Calvert

God, I hate these people.

Every single time a shooting occurs, they, like cockroaches, descend upon social media and television news to pontificate about guns, a topic they know little about. In these people’s minds, the NRA is comparable to groups like ISIS, AR-15s are fully automatic death machines that can punch a fist-sized hole into a tank, and all gun owners are potential killers, lurking in the shadows while wringing their hands and plotting future massacres. Gun control is necessary, they say, how else can we prevent future tragedies? We must not let media talking heads and empty platitudes determine what our rights should be. Gun control serves as a poor method to reduce the amount of mass shootings and would cripple our nation’s most important defense against tyranny.

The idea that gun control would be a solution to a complicated issue like mass shootings is ridiculous. For example, both Australia, which prohibited ownership of practically anything beyond a bolt-action rifle, and New Zealand, which requires only that aspiring gun owners be vetted for criminal history and mental health, have seen no mass shootings since 1996. Almost identical in regards to general socio-economic factors, these two countries help illustrate that America’s frequency of shootings is not the result of an oversaturation of weapons but a culture that produces a great amount of lonely, dissatisfied young men and sensationalizes the horrid actions some of them commit. Further restricting guns won’t prevent these people from killing others, as they can still get past background checks, suppress mental illnesses and buy guns illegally. What can stop, or lessen, the bloodshed is wide ranging education reform to make schools more conducive to positive mental development and fulfillment, increasing the scope of the existing background check system and stricter mental health requirements for purchasing guns. It must be stated that mass shooters rarely, if ever, use the more exotic weapon accessories and types. This is primarily because of the 1934 National Firearms Act, which requires anyone buying certain firearms or attachments to pass a background check and receive an ATF tax stamp. Because this is not a debate about whether certain items covered under the NFA should be deregulated, I will spare you my opinions on the matter. Bump stocks, like those used by Stephen Paddock, should of course be restricted. That being said, this tragedy should not be an excuse to go after controlled items like suppressors, which were never used in any mass shooting to date.

When the right of responsible citizens to own weapons is impeded, so is their ability to defend themselves from a tyrannical government. It is a parity of arms between the people and state that maintains the freedoms and interests of the populace, not a right to protest or the ability to voice an opinion. The Founders knew that a republican government could easily become an autocratic one in the right circumstance. The Second Amendment is not about hunting or self-defense, but ensuring that the American people have the ability to maintain their freedoms in the face of a government that does not care to do so.

72 28 percent of students say the government should increase restrictions on purchasing guns. Survey of 220 students taken on Oct. 27.

percent of students say the government shouldn’t increase restrictions on purchasing guns. Survey of 220 students taken on Oct. 27.

Father’s immigration to the states was a risk, but worth it

To say I’m blessed is an understatement.

I have the privilege to attend a great school that has given me so many opportunities, have a loving family and a place to call home.

You’re probably thinking, “So what? I have all those things, too.”

If that is the case, I’m glad, but my dad didn’t. At 17, my dad never had a birthday present, cake—much less a party. At 17, my dad didn’t go to school, since he dropped out in the third grade. At 17, my dad worked with his father

and brothers harvesting maize, their main source of food and income in El Tejaban, GTO, Mexico. At 17, my dad called three small rooms that he shared with his eight siblings and parents, home. At 17, my dad woke up on Christmas morning, said goodbye to his family and headed to the United States with his older brother and a bag of food.

He didn’t know if he was ever coming back. He only left because his mother asked him to, not wanting his brother to go alone.

It isn’t easy listening to what is said by some “news sources” or by my peers about things that are very close to my heart—immigration and the stereotype of Mexicans.

Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion about immigration, I think we can

all agree that it has its pros and cons. But I do want to get one thing straight. When I look at my dad, I don’t see a “drug dealer, criminal or rapist.” I see a caring, strong, hardworking, understanding, protective and humble person whose sole reason for leaving his entire life behind was to fulfill his mother’s wish.

It has now been 36 years since my dad first came to the U.S. and 31 years since he became a U.S. citizen.

My dad isn’t the only one who has endured a lot and is now successful. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t do what my dad and others have done just for the hope of a better life.

“Crossing the border was the easy part,” my dad says. “It was learning English in two months, constantly being discriminated against

and not returning to my hometown for a decade that was the struggle.”

I, along with other Hispanics here at ESD have been discriminated against in our lives outside of school, called names and been looked down upon just for being Mexican. However, not everyone is like this. Multiple people from different backgrounds helped my dad along the way.

For the past 17 years of my life, I never asked my dad if he regretted coming to the U.S. until recently.

“No,” he said. “Even though we are not wanted by many, I have freedom here. If I never left, I would still be living the same life I did as a kid. America gave my life meaning and allowed me to live the American dream.”

By Melissa Rivera

graphic by Katie Smythe and Gwyneth Zogg

Moments with Margaret

Dedman speaker motivates senior to break routine

I walked reluctantly into the Bray Theater, I was hoping the Dedman lecture would go by quickly, so I could go home and take a nap during off-campus lunch. I sat among my friends, waiting impatiently for whoever the speaker was to appear.

Finally, a documentary trailer filled the screen of a one-armed man running across a basketball court and dunking as the crowd roared. Not a moment after the clip had ended, basketball player Kevin Laue strutted out onto the stage. Immediately, the senior class went completely silent for what might have been the first time ever. He began with stating how tall he is, 6’11, and then addressed his “nub,” which was how he referred to the remaining half of his left arm. The amount of confidence and sense of humor he portrayed kept the entire audience captivated for the entire 90 minutes he spoke.

Although he was light-hearted, his detailed timeline of the struggles he endured brought tears to my eyes. Growing up, he was the slowest person in class, bullied for his nub and lost his dad to cancer at ten years old. He was cut from his high school basketball team, because according to his coach, “basketball is a two-armed sport.” But after all this discouragement, one coach believed in him and he was recruited to a club basketball team.

I can be determined at times, but these motivated streaks will usually last up to a week before returning to just managing to get by. Most of the time, I will trudge through a school day with a limited amount of energy, not really caring about the impact my attitude can have on others. So when Laue was describing his mile runs every day before school, coming home and working out, writing down his weaknesses and what he needed to work on, I felt pathetic.

His persistence worked for him, and he became the star of the team. He became so well known that one day during class, he got a call from the White House because President George Bush wanted to meet him.

Laue insisted that this world is craving leaders, and he urged all of us to quit thinking about ourselves and make a difference in any way we can. To make a lasting impact in this world isn’t to have an appealing Instagram feed with thousands of followers. It’s time we kick the mindset of selfishness and try giving back to the world every once in awhile.

Our generation, engulfed in social media, is known for our heightened egos and lack of remorse for others. Most of us couldn’t care less for the success of our peers because of the competition over test scores, GPAs and college. What Laue repeatedly addressed was that being successful doesn’t make you happy, which he realized after learning that a number of his millionaire friends are depressed. The only way to be happy is by giving love to others. His Instagram, @captainhook4life, features a bio stating his entire talk summed up in a sentence: “Spread a little love every day, and your life will be filled with love.”

– Margaret Smith

With library too loud, senior proposes sarcastic approach Gill’s Library

By Gillian Campbell

The perfect study environment is a crowded library with packed tables and zero quiet corners. In all of the chaos, I can concentrate better. Side conversations at loud decibels help me hit the books.

The key to solving an equation is not silence. It is voices surrounding the conscience to confuse and jumble the facts filed, and therefore, loosen the right one out of the filing cabinet.

“I could be really dumb and still get into Harvard. Wait, no, probably Brown. Brown is the lower of the Ivies,” I hear a sophomore whisper. This interaction of unadulterated children who have yet to encounter the barrage of junior year helps me to study for my APGOPO (AP Comparative Government and Politics) test. It is the perfect motivation I need. Reading in the library is the best. Instead of just reading Frankenstein and hearing about the monster, other merry monsters are sharing their tales. It is a two for one.

Those who wear headphones, you are missing out. Music at full volume drumming in your ears does not even drown out the chaos, anyways. “I literally looked up dictionario, and there was a guy called Mario,” I hear. Suddenly, I feel a calling to whip out my Spanish and finally master por vs para.

All libraries should be like the Gill Library. They should all eliminate their quiet policies to match the noise in ours. Ours, a

roaring, burgeoning hub.

During college visits, college guides lecture groups about the importance of staying quiet and courteous in the library. But colleges are crazy. An entire floor devoted to keeping your lips sealed with metaphoric glue? Who needs it?

A quiet section in the library would do zero good. No one would flock to it in hopes to do homework. If anyone wanted a quiet place, they should go to Senior Hall. It hums but it does not sing like the shelves of Gill do.

The best time in the social club isn’t after hours like you might expect. It’s in the time before 8:15 a.m. The time when everyone decides they need to be at the “it” place. The library. Around 7:58, I can hear yelling and laughter from the library as I sit in the back corner. It is a sound more melodic than a grand piano spitting out Mozart.

ESD should implement a new policy that requires students to talk in the library. Not to be confused with whisper. Whispering should cause your name to end up on the teacher’s naughty list—the shared Google Doc of troubled eagles that have veered far from the nest.

J.K. Rowling wrote her riveting series in a crowded Starbucks on a paper napkin. Clearly, the chaotic method works. To be great you must learn from the greats. We all need a crowded, noisy,

OR HIT MISS

Robert H. Dedman speaker a hit Dedman lecture speaker Kevin Laue enthralled the senior class with his motivational speech.

HIT

caffeinated working area, too.

Last year, the library was a sullen prison cell with robots roaming around and reading. Thankfully, that has all changed. Students raised to be respectful in the library have now found themselves in the minority. What happened to the middle letter in HRI?

We should add activities,

Staffers take on school issues, local events that were either successful or need improvement

games and gatherings. In fact, we should do another play/ concert that performs in the library. Last year, right before exams, it was the perfect relief from my rigorous studying. Let’s put an end to reading and working in the library. Instead, let’s crank up the volume on this book boombox.

Filming of football game for Twitter @itsIBIFIRI came to the varsity football game against Houston Episcopal and made a short film, posted on Twitter. It has over 175 retweets and over 425 likes.

King, Queen announced at dance Homecoming King and Queen being announced at the dance proved a success. The majority of the student body stayed for the last 30 minutes of the dance, which was the plan.

MISS

Walnut Hill construction a big inconvenience

The construction on Walnut Hill started back up this month. Two lanes have been closed off, causing an absurd amount of traffic with only one lane left open.

Spirit Day themes a repeat of past years

This year’s spirit days during Homecoming Week were not the most creative. Three of the four days were themes done in the past two years, such as the overdone jersey day. The only new theme was the “Wizard of Oz.”

Dance ticket prices increase

The price of Homecoming and Technotica tickets was raised this year, making it even harder for some students to attend.

Fantasy football in full swing

By Amanda Warren

Bleached hair, shaved heads, bowl cuts, retaking the ACT and eating ghost peppers were the unfortunate fates of past fantasy football players who lost their leagues.

As the NFL season is under way, fantasy football is back in full swing. Always on edge, students are constantly checking their phones for injury updates, trade proposals and the waiver wire to see which players are available.

The participant with the best record at the end of the season wins the league.

Although fantasy football started in a Bay Area bar in 1962, the advent of the internet took it to new heights.

“I always loved sports. With fantasy, you can be the GM of your own team.”

— Senior Prescott King

“It’s all about time management,” junior Scott Bower said.“The amount of things I give up for fantasy is unhealthy, but it’s worth it.”

Fantasy football is an online game in which participants can draft their own football team based on active NFL players. Points are scored based on the actual performance of their players.

Yahoo! launched the first online fantasy football in 1999, which spread extensively because people loved the experience of owning their own team. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, there are 59.3 million people playing fantasy sports in the USA and Canada this year.

“I always loved sports,” senior Prescott King said.

“With fantasy, you can be the GM of your own team.”

The season begins with the draft. Strategic drafting heavily dictates a player’s record at the beginning of the season and creates depth on their

roster so they can propose higher-quality trades.

In one junior league at ESD, which originated as a fifth grade YMCA football team, Draft Day has evolved into a formal event.

“We all wear suits and ties,” said junior Keller Casey.

hours looking at stuff like analysts’ articles and picking up players.”

According to a poll of 220 students taken on Oct. 27, 31.2 percent of students play fantasy football.

“At the beginning of the year, it’s all about who you draft, but then later, it’s more about who gets hurt and who you pick up.”

— Junior Scott Bower

“We have a nice meal before and then go to Mr. Stanford’s office downtown. It’s a very prestigious event.When we are adults, we will still all go to the same place for our draft.”

Creative punishments and a sizable money reward keep players motivated throughout the season, causing fantasy to become a major time commitment.

“Watching games, I spend my entire Sunday plus Monday and Thursday night,” senior Brandon Meaux said. “I probably also spend two

“The best players find the sleepers [underrated players that often go un-drafted],” Bower said. “At the beginning of the year, it’s all about who you draft, but then later, it’s more about who gets hurt and who you pick up.”

While hard work does pay off in the world of fantasy, sometimes a little luck can go a long way.

“I know nothing about football,” said senior Maddie Esping. “I didn’t really know what I was doing, and I had a lot of help drafting. I refer to all the people by their first initial and last name like A. Brown and T. Gurley.”

On Deck

Nov. 3

The varsity football team hopes to defeat rival St. Mark’s on the Lion’s home turf for the last game of the season before SPC. The team expects a rowdy student section donning “Beat St. Mark’s” wristbands. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

The varsity field hockey team will take on the Hornets for the second time this season at Greenhill at 5 p.m.

JV, 6:30 p.m.

The varsity volleyball team defeated the Hornets, 3-1, earlier in the season and hope to do so again at Greenhill at 6 p.m.

JV, 5 p.m.

Nov. 8

The mens varsity basketball team will scrimmage the Woodrow Wilson Wildcats in the Competition Gym at 6 p.m.

Nov. 11

The cross country and varsity field hockey team will travel to Fort Worth to compete against rivals such as Hockaday and St. Mark’s at the Southwest Preparatory Conference.

Nov. 16

The varsity womens soccer team plans to defeat Home School at their first game on the turf at 6:30 p.m.

TOUCHSCREEN

TOUCHDOWNS: Juniors Trey Brooks, Andrew Griffin and Cooper Newsom show their 2017 fantasy teams on their phones. One year, the draft was deleted half-way through due to technical difficulties. Brooks was not at their draft and his teammates gave him random players, but he ended up winning. “They attempted to give me trash players and accidentally gave me Devonte Freeman who ended up being a god,” Brooks said. “They call it ‘the year that never was’ but it definitely happened.”

Photo by Amanda Warren

Fantasy FAILS

“When I lost the league, I had to bleach my hair. It took three hours, and I had to pay $300 dollars for it at this salon. But now I get my haircuts there.”

– Junior Andrew Griffin

“I had to eat butter because I had the lowest fantasy score that week. I tried to get it down as fast as I could while eating it, but I couldn’t chew it, so I gave up after a few bites.”

– Senior Barron Fletcher

“I was in the championship playing Scott [Bower]. Jeremy Hill was on the two yard line and he fumbled the ball, so I lost the game. I broke a chair across the room.”

– Junior Keller Casey

Field hockey Senior Night victory

The varsity field hockey team crushed the Hockaday Daisies, 2-1, on Senior Night on Oct. 25. After tying 1-1, the game went into overtime where the Eagles were able to score within the first thirty five seconds.

“We played in a very organized way,” junior Lilly French said. “We never really lost control of the ball because we were so determined to defeat Hockaday.”

EAGLE EYE

CROSS COUNTRY

NOTEABLE:

On Oct. 27, at MoneyGram park, junior Auden Rudelson placed eighth, with a time of 17:09.67 in the 5,000 meter race.

“Auden is always great to watch compete at these races because you can count on him doing really well,” junior John Heldman said. “He killed it at SPC and really lead by example.”

VOLLEYBALL

NOTEABLE:

On Oct. 26, the varsity womens volleyball team lost against the Hockaday Daisies in five sets, ending 3-2.

“The Hockaday game was emotionally draining for our whole team. It was the first time our team has lost to Hockaday in my whole high school career,” junior Caitlyn Henderson said. “It was especially hard for our seniors since it was their last home game.”

FIELD HOCKEY

NOTEABLE:

Thirty four seconds into overtime junior Story Langston scored a goal, winning the senior night game 2-1, against Hockaday.

“The game was super nerve-racking and crazy at the same time, but we connected our passes really well and played well together as a team,” sophomore Julia Hicks said.

CREW

NOTEABLE:

On Sat. Oct. 28, the varsity crew team rowed at the Pumpkinhead Regatta in Austin, TX. Junior Katelin Gildersleeve won the Women’s Youth Varsity 1x event by nearly a minute.

“The fact that she’s beating the competition by that much at her age and how much she’s rowed is quite impressive,” junior Bryce Miltenburger said. “Even last year she was winning by a lot by now it’s just unreal. “

FOOTBALL

NOTEABLE:

The varsity football team won their homecoming game on Oct. 27 against Casady, 4827.

“The homecoming game was a perfect way to end our last home football game,” senior Patrick Skalniak said. “It’s always a blast when you have all of your teammates dominating.”

Team rallies despite injuries volleyball

On Oct. 25, the Eagles faced rival Hockaday in an SPC counter match. Freshmen

Hadley Mattocks, Lily Lutz, Ally Aikman and Liesl Small had butterflies in their stomachs at the start of the match, dropping the first set to the Daisies.

“We expected them to be so much more than they actually were, and we played them up way too much,” Mattocks said. “We beat ourselves in that game.”

These freshmen went on to play the entire game.

“Talented as they are, they are freshmen. They get nervous,” senior captain Kathryn Smith said. “We normally never have four freshmen playing the majority of the game.”

At the end of the second set, the scoreboard read 1-1. Momentum after a talk in the huddle carried the Eagles to win the set, but the Daisies took the third set.

“It was a toss up—anyone could’ve taken the game,” Smith said. “It was a really close one.”

Then the squad went on to win the fourth set. Tied, 2-2, the teams played a fifth and final set to 15 points.

“We were up at first,” Smith said. “It was such a back and forth game. Once they got to 10, it just looked like we gave up. They just had the momentum, and we couldn’t get it back.”

All eyes locked on SPC Championship trophy

The final score, 3-2, was a hard hit for the team, which had previously beat the Daisies in September.

“We now know how it feels to lose, and we can use that as motivation,” Mattocks said.

A mosh pit of green formed on the court in celebration. Hockaday parents with their faces painted half white and half green screamed in excitement. Tears came from the eyes of the navy and white.

“It was a wake up call for us,” Smith said. “We have been really cocky all season. We had been undefeated.”

“We have got to start working harder in practice and taking it seriously because it is not going to be handed to us.”

– Kathryn Smith, Senior Captain

The loss put an end to the winning streak. Several key players were out for the game because of injuries. Captains Izzy Siragusa and Kristen Leland, both four year varsity starters, could not play. Smith said if Leland had been on the court, the Eagles could have won. Back in September against Hockaday, the team won with the two.

Their absence led to more inexperienced players getting game time. Mattocks, third string setter, played in the position the entire game.

“That was something we lacked–an experienced setter,” Mattocks said. “I’ve never been a setter before.”

Siragusa and Leland are expected to play in the Southwest Preparatory Conference Tournament, hosted by Fort Worth Country Day, on Nov. 9. The Championship fell through the Eagles’ talons last year when Greenhill captured the trophy and left the team with a goal for the following season-—win SPC. On Sept. 19, the Eagles beat the Hornets in a non-counter game. But Greenhill is no longer the team to beat. Hockaday will be the top rival from the North Zone heading into the tournament. Undefeated Episcopal High School is one to watch from the South.

An ESD-Hockaday rematch, which counts on both teams making it to the end, is slotted to take place on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. at FWCD, the championship match.

“[Hockaday is] probably going to take first in our conference, and we’ll probably take second, so we will start on the other side of the bracket,” Smith said. “We have got to start working harder in practice and taking it seriously because it is not going to be handed to us.”

Story and graphic by Gillian Campbell

PATRICK SKALNIAK

Dual threat, receiver and tight end, the senior has earned the team 598 receiving yards and 34 receptions.

ANDREW HENRY

The junior running back leads the team in rushing yards with a total of 452. He also has 21 receptions and 205 receiving yards.

By Julia Beckel

FIGHT FOR THE FINISH

As the Eagles reach the end of their season, the team holds a 4-4 record. Despite losing a spot in SPC after a 35- 6 loss to Kinkaid, the Eagles won their homecoming game 48-27 against Oklahoma’s Casady High School. The next game is today at 7 p.m. against rival St. Mark’s on the Lion’s home turf. Standout players are highlighted to showcase the best of the season.

Junior captain and forward Story

Langston won the MVP award at the Episcopal Cup Tournament and was named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s player of the week for the week of Sept. 28.

“Not only is Story super fast, which is a huge advantage to our team, but she is also a really good leader,” sophomore Catherine Blaylock said. “She has definitely taught me how to be a better team player.”

BRADEN RHONE

Proving himself a valuable member of the team, the senior receiver holds 217 receiving yards and 19 receptions.

PRESTON MORWAY

The sophomore quarterback has aided the team with their 4-4 record with a total of 1345 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns.

Freshman powerhouse starting outside hitter, Liesl Small, has accumulated a total of 121 serving point and 354 attacks so far in the season. The team has a record 18-8, and is ranked second in SPC North Zone after Hockaday.

“Liesl always come prepared and is ready to play,” junior Kathryn Ferguson said. “Even though she is only a freshman, she has been able to hold her own since day one of this season.”

LIESL SMALL, freshman

Q&A:

Tennis captain becomes first commit for sport in years

By John Kuehne

How long have you been playing tennis?

I’ve been playing tennis since I was about a year-and-a-half old.

What got you into playing tennis at the competitive level that you are at now?

It has been a goal of mine that has been driving me for years. From the moment tennis starts to become competitive, it is all about playing in college. College tennis brings a team aspect and a different type of energy to a very lonely sport. I’ve been exposed to college tennis and played with many college players and it is something that appeals to me very much.

Anything in specific that appeals to you?

The whole team aspect of the sport makes tennis a lot more fun. Being out there on your own can get lonely, and when you have a team to support and a team to support you, it is a lot more entertaining and energetic.

Have you gone to tennis camps over the summer?

Growing up, I did a lot of different tennis camps all over the coun-

try, however my favorite one by far was at the University of Virginia. It’s better to play different kids that you’ve never seen before, and some kids that I met there played national tournaments with me later on.

How do college coaches reach out to tennis prospects?

Most of the time, you have to reach out to them. There are college exposure camps where more than 90 coaches will come and watch you play. You have to make the effort to get your name out there because of the recruiting rules.

How much of ESD’s coaching and tennis program do you attribute to your success?

ESD tennis and the coaching definitely offered a different perspective. It helped me think about the sport in a different way and supporting others more than I am used to. It definitely helped me become a better player.

You obviously play tennis outside of school, so is there a select league for tennis?

There is the USTA, which I do a lot of tournaments for, and I also compete in ITF, which stands for International Tennis Federation.

Why did you choose Villanova? Had this been a school you were looking at for a while? Were there any other schools in the running? It was the perfect balance between academics and tennis. It has high Division I athletics mixed with great academics. I met the coach, team and visited the campus multiple times and loved it. Villanova has been on my radar for about two years now. Other schools recruiting me were Boston College, West Point, New York University and Carnegie Mellon.

STATS:

– Holds a 26-5 record at line 1 singles

– Ranked 20th in the state of Texas

– Ranked 23rd in the golf states – Ranked 279th in the nation – 31-5 ESD record

– Has been playing tennis for 16 years

GET SERVED: Senior Matt Jones sports his new Villanova tennis gear after verbally committing to their Division I tennis program. “I want to continue playing tennis at the next level, so that’s why I chose to play college tennis,” he said. Photo by John Kuehne

Yoga helps runners prepare for SPC

New coach introduces technique, times improve

By Kathleen Hobson

About halfway through the season, new cross country assistant coach, Kendall Berents, noticed the players getting a little tight. She turned to a method that she had used to loosen their muscles and improve their running times—yoga.

“Runners are naturally really tight because you’re using the same muscles day-in and day-out,” Berents said. “We noticed that their times were slowing down because they were kind of hunching or their legs felt really tight, so we implemented it both as a way to do something different and to kind of help some of their form.”

Berents implemented the new practice style because she had used it to improve her own running times in the past.

“I started as a college runner,” Berents said. “I was supposed to run at William and Mary, and then got two stress fractures in my shins. The only thing I could do was yoga, so I did it day after day and it became my favorite thing. I also noticed that my times were dropping pretty drastically because the muscular [part of] my body was working better.”

The runners have already begun to show positive results from the yoga.

“Especially for the girls, they’re hunching less, so it seems that they are getting a better understanding of how to move their body aerodynamically,” Berents said.

Senior Sophia Stener has found that the yoga sessions during practice has translated to help her running.

“I really enjoy yoga, it definitely helps with our flexibility which makes us run better during the meets,” she

said. “It has helped us become better overall athletes.”

Because yoga has begun to improve performance, Berents will continue it throughout the season.

“We’re hoping to do it about twice a week, and kind of alternate [what we’re working on],” she said. “Half of what we do along with stretching is the core work of yoga, because that’s the most important muscle for runners to work. On days when they’re doing more distance or short intervals, we’re doing either strength or yoga stretching afterwards.”

During the running portion of practice, Berents chooses to run alongside players, which has helped maintain their motivation. The practices can require a lot of stamina, but new Head Coach Scott Lymer offers a secondary source of encouragement.

“It’s definitely nice to have a young person who runs alongside you,” Stener said. “Even though it gets tough, Coach Lymer is so encouraging, you don’t want to let him down. He’s such a motivational person.”

Lymer has proven himself to be a positive addition to the team by tailoring practices to individual runners.

“He’s a good fit for our program because I feel like his expectations are more realistic for a team as a whole and he knows how to change his practices to suit everyone,” junior Auden Rudelson said.

On Nov. 11, the cross country team will head to SPC, the most important meet of the season. While each player is looking to meet their own personal goals, lowering individual times will help to improve the team’s ranking as a whole.

“Everyone’s goals are personal for times, but everyone just wants to help the team out in any way they can,” junior John Heldman said. “I know for me, my

season goal is to get a time below 21 minutes.”

Rudelson, whose goal is to be top 15 in SPC, works more directly with Coach Lymer to meet his expectations.

“He sets more difficult goals for [Auden] because he knows he can push him, but with other people, he sets more long-term goals instead of short-term goals,” Heldman said.

The new methods that have been implemented during practice, along with the close relationships within the team, have left runners with positive feelings towards the remainder of their season.

“Having the guys cheer you on when you’re running a race, or cheering them on while they run– is really helpful,” Stener said. “It just means so much that you have people supporting you when you’re on the lowest point of your race, even if it’s just for ten seconds, you can keep going. On a lot of cross country teams, the girls and guys don’t really support each other, so it’s nice that we do.”

“If we do it wrong,

do it again. It definitely does help stretch us out after running.”

STRIKE A POSE: On Oct. 30, sophomore Alan Benitez and senior Sophia Stener stretch out into a “warrior II” yoga pose alongside coach Kendall Berents. “I like doing yoga with coach [Berents] because she’s very professional about it and tries to challenge us and force us to do the right poses and positions,” Benitez said.

we

Photo by Kathleen Hobson

1. GAME OF THRONES: The homecoming court poses for a photo at halftime. The nominees were seniors Braden Rhone, Patrick Skalniak, Patrick Duffner, Wesley Banks, Hudson Woods, Sophia Stener, Cierra Gordon, Ellery Marshall, Alexa Lutz and Emma Cabrales. “It was really nice to be nominated by the student body and fun to look up into the student section dressed in costumes,” Stener said. Photo by Ellery Spencer

2. ICONIC DUOS: Senior Gillian Campbell dresses up for twin day with fifth grade buddy Lyle Hawkins. Seniors and their buddies went to chapel together and grab a bite for lunch. “Sage served burgers and fries on buddy day,“ Campbell said. “It was perfect.”

3. DRUM ROLL, PLEASE: Freshmen Peter Krispin and Kenneth Borders perform in the Upper School band concert. “The concert had a pretty decent turnout,” Borders said. “I was a little nervous at first, but then I got in the groove and played extremely well.” Photo by Peyton Jeter

4 DANCING QUEENS: Juniors Maggie Lipscomb, Mackenzie Parish, Alexandra Everbach and freshman Claire Everbach perform in the “Arts in Motion” dance show. Middle and Upper school students choreographed their own routines. “It’s one of my favorite shows that we do because it is the first impression people have of the dance program, and it’s really exciting to hear that our audience enjoyed the performance,” Lipscomb said. Photo by Julia Beckel

5. PREP IT UP: Seniors Pearson Riley, Carly Weisberg and Hudson Woods dress preppy for “Preppy vs. Surfer” theme day during Homecoming week. “I liked the preppy look, and there’s so much you can do with that theme,” Weisberg said. Photo by Gwyneth Zogg

6. TRADING PLACES : Freshmen Christopher Hess and Sam Curtis stunt sophomore Austin Russell in the “Wizard of Oz” Homecoming theme reveal. The boys were representing the spirit theme day. “The Homecoming reveal was embarrassing because I had to dress up like a cheerleader,” Russell said. “Overall, though, it went well.”

Photo by Caroline Massey

7. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Sophomore Ned Dockery and junior Bryce Miltenburger take photos in Times Square. Photography students were offered the opportunity to travel to NYC to enhance their skills. “I learned how to be a more confident photographer while taking pictures in New York,” Dockery said. “The people are used to getting their picture taken, so most don’t mind if you get near them for a photo.”

courtesy George Fiala

8. IT”S MY CHURCH: Now that it’s second quarter, students are required to wear blazers to chapel along with the usual formal uniforms. As second quarter begins, the blazers come on. “Blazers make chapel a more serious place,” Vestry member Hadley Smith said. “When everyone wears blazers, our community feels unified, and it creates a formal setting.” Photo by Cierra Gordon

9. PRETTY IN PINK: Cheer celebrates Senior Night with a special routine. Football Senior Night commemorates cheer and Wingmen as well. “Senior Night is a huge deal, and it is incredible actually being in the spotlight, knowing it’s one of our last times performing,” senior cheer caption Cierra Gordon said. “With an amazing team, this year’s routine really challenged our abilities as a squad in the best way possible.”

Photo by Melissa Rivera

Photo

Photo by Kate Flanagan