V40 Issue 2

Photoillustration by Abby Baughman, Iris Hernandez, and Charlotte Traylor

p.2-7

4

Flu season coupled with Covid-19 affects school community, infections rise

More than meets the bin

Food waste crisis in America heightened during the holidays

S tory by Easterly Yeaman Arts Editor and Social Media Manager

According to Brightly Eco, 200 million pounds of turkey are thrown out during Thanksgiving. That’s the equivalent to the weight of 10 Eiffel Towers worth of food.

“In America, we waste a lot of food,” biology and environmental science teacher John Gallo said. “In terms of an environmental issue related to food waste, what does not end up in our stomachs or in compost bins, typically ends up in landfills.”

Especially during the Thanksgiving holiday, copious amounts of food are thrown away. Once it ends up in landfills, its decomposition process can have a large impact on the environment.

“Should the methane reach the atmosphere, it is great at trapping heat there,” Gallo said. “The bottom line is reducing, recovering and recycling food, keeping it out of landfills, is a good way to reduce our impact on the environment.”

According to BrightlyEco.com, a blog that talks about being conscious consumers, some of the most popular dishes on the Thanksgiving table such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pie are the most toxic to the environment due to the high amounts of carbon they emit during the decomposition process. The biggest contributor of all of these is turkey as the carcass and excess meat is often thrown out.

Although food waste is most prevalent during Thanksgiving and the holiday season, the United States, in general, has a huge food waste problem year round. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that there is a 31 percent food loss at both the retail and consumer levels.

Waste Today, grocery stores overstock shelves and put restrictions on sell-by dates forcing them to throw out food after a short period of time.

The best way to reduce food waste is to redistribute it to food banks to feed the hungry, according to the International Food Policy and Research Institute. Food banks tend to receive increased food and monetary donations during the holiday season.

“The community tends to be more in tune with community needs during the holidays for both giving funds and volunteering,” Jeff Smith, senior manager of communications at The North Texas Food Bank, said. “The NTFB generally raises about 50 percent of our operating funds from Sept.Dec., due to fundraising efforts and year-end gifts.”

“

Although this increases the amount of food NTFB that may be wasted if not used, the food bank’s “client choice” operating model decreases food waste as clients only choose food they are likely to eat.

7

Ongoing Iran protests affect community’s family and friends

or collecting excess food and redistributing it to those in need.

“For the food bank, we do work with food manufacturers to rescue food that they might not be able to sell,” Smith said. “[They collect] irregular shaped, dented cans, etc.”

In 2015, the USDA and The United States Environmental Protection Agency proposed the United States 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal which seeks to cut food waste in half by 2030. EPA reported that long term solutions to reduce food waste includes policies and actions “to promote successful interventions and tools to advance the sustainable management of food.”

The community tends to be more in tune with community needs during the holidays for both giving funds and volunteering.”

Jeff Smith Senior manager of communications, North Texas Food Bank

“From the Food Bank’s perspective, I think we are consistent in making sure that food is not wasted throughout the calendar year,” Smith said. “The NTFB partners with more than 400 food pantries and organizations across North Texas and most of the food pantries in our network had a ‘client choice’ operating model. That means that individuals that go to that food pan-

Students can reduce their personal impact on the environment by saving and recycling food. This can include packaging leftovers and saving them for the weeks to come, having more vegetables and less meat on the table and more. In addition, students can practice buying only the foods they need or less food overall.

“The bad news is that we’re extremely wasteful,” Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland said in an interview with the New York Times. “The positive side of it is that we have a real role to play here, and we can effect change. If we all reduce food waste in our homes, we’ll have a significant impact.”

Senior Amelia Sinwell celebrates Thanksgiving with her family of six plus eight more extended family members.

“Usually everything gets eaten at dinner— partly because we know how much to make at this point and partly because we all eat ridiculous amounts for a family of girls,” Sinwell said. “Everything that doesn’t get eaten is used for meals over the next week, and at that point, the rest is thrown out.”

Leftovers at Sinwell’s house are eaten, though inevitably, there is some food waste by the end of the week. As for turkey leftovers, they usually make soups or sandwiches.

“We love Thanksgiving food though, so most times [we don’t] even need to be creative— we just eat straight stuffing and mashed potatoes for every meal,” Sinwell said. “Things go bad, though, so there is usually a fair amount of food waste as the stuffing gets soggier and the turkey gets staler.”

In addition to helping the environment by preventing food from ending up in landfills, students can volunteer for local nonprofits such as NTFB.

“There are a number of ways students can give back during Thanksgiving,” community service coordinator Courtney Phelps said. “Most soup kitchens, meal delivery organizations, etc. will have opportunities during Thanksgiving.”

$161 billion

worth of food waste in 2010 in the U.S.

80

billion pounds of food waste every year in the U.S.

160 million

pounds of veggies thrown out each Thanksgiving

219

pounds of food waste per person in 2022 in the U.S.

14 million

pounds of bread rolls thrown out each Thanksgiving

Source: Brightly

Photoillustration by Easterly Yeaman

DOWN TO EARTH

Global warming heightens allergy season

In recent years, the prevalence of allergies and allergy season have affected the human population more than usual.

Coupled with the warming of the earth and an increase in the span of the allergy seasons, allergens have had more opportunities to flourish and, in turn, affect us.

Global warming has shifted the seasons towards a longer allergy season. As a school we’ve seen how badly people can be affected by allergies especially with increased time outdoors. While normally warm weather would encourage students to spend time outside playing games or eating lunch, allergies have caused students and teachers to reevaluate that decision.

“[In the spring], it seems to get warmer earlier,” upper school biology and AP Environmental Science teacher John Gallo said. “And then in the fall, it tends to stay warmer later. Because of that, the time period when plants can produce pollen and produce flowers and pollen increases. So that logic tells me that your pollen loads [are] bigger.”

These increased pollen loads have affected our student body and faculty. As the weather gets warmer and classes spend more time outside, the sickness that comes along with that increases.

“The season for allergies can be longer, and so then you’re going to see more people responding to that,” Gallo said.

“Allergy season usually is throughout when it starts getting warm in the spring, through the fall, because there’s a trigger in plants to flower in the springtime. Once they flower, then the male parts produce the pollen.”

As November comes, Dallas is seeing warm changes in the weather, and some plants could be triggered to produce pollen twice instead of the normal once. All existing allergens have been in this region for years but, to add to this anomaly, there could be new species producing new types of pollen as well.

“When you have an earth warming up, you might get new species of plants in areas where they weren’t before, and they can be producing their own pollen and introducing even new allergens,” Gallo said. “Maybe humans who were not allergic before [were exposed to] a new species that they’re now allergic to. When you do get new species grown in these warmer areas, then in terms of ecosystems, you can have new interactions starting between those plants and other organisms in the environment that never occurred before. That could set up a whole new area of concern in terms of human health because you can see [new] interactions.”

The symptoms spurred by allergies affect students and their ability to focus and do work inside and outside the classroom.

“I normally get allergies at the end of the spring and into the summer,” senior Eleanor Vig said. “Around this time and a lot of times from winter into spring, [I struggle with] stuffy nose, sore throat, and a cough. I have definitely noticed a lot of upper school students struggling throughout this allergy season, more than usual.”

The increased temperatures have been an example of why some allergens,

Shifting Seasons

Some people warn the temperature is rising, others say it’s not a sure bet. But June bugs in April it seems to me, is as real as a warning can get!

John Gallo AP environmental science teacher

prompted students to visit the nurse or seek over the counter medications at local pharmacies to help minimize the reactions. However, when it comes to specific allergies it’s important to understand which medications will actually help your symptoms.

“Acute allergy symptoms are typically mediated mostly by an antihistamine,” Brenski said. “Symptoms often include things like itching, runny nose, sneezing, eye irritation, watery eyes and sore throat.”

According to her, chronic symptoms include nasal congestion, thick nasal drainage or post nasal drainage, throat clearing, sinus pressure and cough. This may necessitate more frequent or regular use of a medication.

While visiting the nurse’s office at school is a good first step in attacking allergy symptoms, if the symptoms prevail it’s important to see a specialist in order to get proper long-term care.

“[My treatment options] depend on whether or not that kid knows they have allergies and if they know what they’ve been exposed to that’s causing them such grief,” Nurse Marcia Biggs said. “I don’t keep things like Aspirin on hand so really, all I have here to offer them would be Claritin, which is an antihistamine that doesn’t make you sleepy, and Sudafed, which is a decongestant in case they’re swollen.”

such as ragweed, have been much more obvious this allergy season. However, simple weather changes, such as rainfall, can impact a person’s allergies and how their symptoms differ.

“A person’s particular allergies and the severity of their reactions are closely linked to the volume of that allergen in their environment, often greatly influenced by changes in weather,” pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon Dr. Amy Brenski said. “For example, if you are allergic to any particular kind of pollen, a year with greater rainfall can typically produce more growth and subsequently more pollen and more symptoms.”

Because of the variety of plants that produce allergy symptoms with an allergy

season, people with multiple allergies can have heightened symptoms because they are allergic to more than one allergen.

“Environmental allergens that occur together, such as summer grass and weeds, may intensify symptoms more than if one occurred without the other in large numbers,” Brenski said. “In other words, low level, steady stimulation of the body’s inflammatory symptoms by daily exposure to grass can intensify one’s reaction to another allergen like a weed that is growing at the same time. More generally, for nasal and respiratory symptoms, anything that causes inflammation in the airway can aggravate reactions to allergens.”

This increase in symptoms has

Some temporary solutions for better sinus drainage include decongestants like nasal saline spray or rinses to help reduce stuffiness. While they can be really helpful in reducing these symptoms, it usually only brings about short-term relief. Some can, in fact, cause worsening of nasal congestion if they induce “rebound congestion” after repeated use. This is often described as a “habit forming” side effect seen in products such as Afrin.

“The classic example of an allergy medication includes an antihistamine — designed to block histamine, the inflammatory mediator that typically precipitates most of the acute allergy symptoms,” Brenski said. “These might include: Benadryl/Diphenhydramine or loratadine/Claritin. A good example of a treatment [that] targets chronic symptoms of nasal allergy is corticosteroids — either topical or systemic. They tend to block multiple mediators of inflammation, and so are often more effective at treating the chronic symptoms of allergy.”

Another reason for the allergy increase this year is attributed to a weakened immune system after Covid-19. The use of masks and quarantining, which protected us from outside influences, made us less tolerant to seasonal allergies.

“I would say [allergies] are more common right now because we’re not masked up like we were for Covid-19 for the last couple of years,” Biggs said. “That mask not only kept germs out, it also kept pollen out. We have had a lot of wind, and as cold fronts come through and stir all of that up, so you get more allergies. Quite often, these things actually release their pollen in the morning, so you’re gonna see people who are more itchy, scratchy and leaky from watery eyes in the mornings than in the afternoons.”

Regardless of what may be the exact cause of worsened allergies this season, students have felt its effects. According to a October 31 poll of 160 upper school students, 63 percent of students have heightened allergy season or are affected by seasonal allergies.

“I’ve definitely seen a change in the classroom as well,” Vig said. “I’ve noticed more of my friends going to the nurse or being completely sick from school for days because of allergies.”

SMALL BUT MIGHTY Pollen and ragweed are among the most common airborne allergens

Photo provided by publicdomainpictures.net

HERE TO HELP Nurse Marcia Biggs distributes allergy relief to students during this intense allergy season.

Photo by Katherine Mote

SENIOR SNIFFLES

Photo by Katherine Mote

S tory by Katherine Mote Business Manager

by Katherine Mote

Health experts concerned with flu season

An impending twindemic, possibly turning into a tripledemic, threatens immune systems

S tory by Jamie Henderson Staff Writer

Anormal flu season did not exist during Covid-19. The lower school nurse, Carla Thomas, reported no flu or even strep cases when the community returned to school after quarantine. A few cases started to emerge during the spring season after masks came off, but still not the rush she was used to. Thomas was relieved because with the Covid-19 precautions lowering the Covid-19 cases, they also lowered the flu cases.

“This is because of the mask mandate, so much of [the flu] is spread by the aerobic contact,” Thomas said. “And so, social distancing and masks are two factors that contributed to allowing flu season and strep to be abnormal.”

Now that social distancing and masks are mostly phased out, Thomas and other medical professionals have new concerns for the younger generation.

According to a study published in 2020 in Clinical Immunology entitled “Development of child immunity in the context of Covid-19 pandemic,” a newborn becomes exposed to an enormous number of antigens in the first few minutes that require a quick immune response. However, this system remains underdeveloped and does not fully mature until 7 to 8 years of age. This means that the first seven to eight years are crucial to building up immunity to illnesses. Kids born in or around Covid-19 time did not have the chance to build their

Garcini on Immigration

Upper School Spanish teacher and senior dean Marcela Garcini developed a new class called Immigration in America last year. She only had one semester class with 15 students then, whereas this year, the semester-long class is offered twice, once during the fall and again during the spring.

“My dream is for the kids to be able to understand the history of immigration in the United States,” Garcini said. “And I think it’s extremely important that you know what’s happening in your country and in your state.”

Garcini often brings in speakers to talk to the class. On Oct. 5, Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs Division Officer

Christina Da Silva spoke to Garcini’s students and engaged them in an important conversation about what she does and how important learning about immigration is.

“Understanding how immigration operates will help build more understanding and empathy, especially for immigrants and refugees who are fleeing war, persecution or poverty,” Da Silva said. “Learning about how immigrants make significant social and economic contributions.”

Students who take this course often have a motive for enrolling.

Seniors Lily Tollison and Katherine Hess have a passion for this class but for different reasons.

“I chose to take this class because my nanny, growing up, Vicky, was an immigrant,” Hess said. “We are super close so I wanted to know what she went through.”

Tollison, on the other hand, took a broader approach and chose it because, in her opinion, immigration is a growing issue in Texas.

Garcini agrees that one must choose the right class and make sure one can uphold the expectations before making a decision.

“This is a class where you argue and discuss to participate, challenging yourself and your peers,” Garci-

immune systems because they were in quarantine, wearing masks and taking precautions to stay safe instead of being outside, in the world and getting accustomed to normal germs and sickness.

With those precautions dimming, other illnesses are starting to come back including a normal flu season that is impending as the Northern Hemisphere starts the winter season.

“You have the 1-year-olds, the 2-year-olds and the 3-year-olds who will all be seeing it for the first time, and none of them have any preexisting immunity to influenza,” Dr. Helen Chu, assistant professor of medicine, allergy and infectious diseases and an adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington, wrote in the same article.

Covid-19 and use more ‘germs’ and ‘the sickness,’” Darnell said.

“I would tell my kids we were wiping stuff down and washing our hands because of the sickness and had to get rid of the germs so that they would understand and not be scared.”

Assistant Head of Middle School Allison Darnell, who is also a lower school parent, does not see a difference in middle school absences due to sickness but notices how Covid-19 affected her own children.

“We decided to not use the word

briefs a deeper look at current events and happenings on 1400 Merrell Road

This was so her kids, ages 3 and 6, would understand in simple, harmless words, why they were not allowed to go to school, see friends and family, and the importance of cleanliness.

But now, many medical professionals are becoming concerned about a “twindemic,” which concerns both the influenza and Covid-19 viruses hitting at once, or even a “tripledemic” including a third pathogen; respiratory syncytial virus also known as RSV.

“This could very well be the year in which we see a twindemic. That is, we have a surge in Covid-19 and simultaneously an increase in influenza,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease professor at Vanderbilt University, said in the same article. “We could have them

ni said. “But if you are a very quiet person or don’t like to participate, maybe this is not a class for you.”

The students appreciate how inclusive Garcini is.

“Ms. Garcini is such a great teacher for this class because she, herself, is an immigrant and is inclusive of all ideas and opinions,” Tollison said.

Fill the Bus Drive

ESD had its annual Fill the Bus Drive during homecoming week. The annual drive supports the St. Philip’s School and Community Center where over 700 children participate in a variety of sports: cheer/dance, football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, swimming and wrestling. The St. Philips School is a K-8 Christian private school that teaches kids who come especially from low and moderate-income families.

“This drive has taken place for at least 10 years,” ESD Director of Community Service Learning Courtney Phelps said. “The items support the students in their athletics programs and families in the community.”

From Oct. 26 to Oct. 30, ESD students were asked to donate new sports equipment. Upper school students earned one service hour per sport equipment donated with a maximum accumulation of three service hours.

Freshman Maggie Pickens donated 15 pairs of cleats to the Fill the Bus drive this year.

“I wanted to help people at St. Philips,” Pickens said. “[It gave kids at St. Philips] an opportunity to do something and do sports that they wouldn’t be able to do without the right equipment.”

Last year, ESD donated over 300 items during the Fill the Bus Drive.

“The goal was 600 [items] this year, “ Phelps said. “We collected roughly 200 items.”

Anyika McMillan-Herod, chief philanthropy officer at St. Philip’s, sees the impacts that these donations have on children involved in their athletics program.

“The supplies ESD is able to provide us really allows us to make sure that the equipment and the items that the students and the community center kids are using are new [and] in good shape because we have so many kids who participate and things can get worn out a lot and quickly,”

both affecting our population at the same time.”

Since the Southern Hemisphere has its winter from April to September, medical professionals determine how bad the flu season will be in the Northern Hemisphere based on how it affected the lower hemisphere. When the winter season ended in the Southern Hemisphere recently, it was found that the flu peaked earlier than normal with more cases in number and severity.

ESD hosted a clinic on Oct. 14 from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. where friends and members of the community were able to get the flu and/ or the Covid-19 vaccines to help protect the community against the twindemic. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines advised that people should be up to date on their vaccines, masking and physically distancing when necessary, along with testing when they think they have symptoms or before going into big group settings is crucial to staying safe and fighting this.

According to Thomas, ESD’s lower school cases are rising with flu A and the concern grows as the season is early, but the case numbers are increasing rapidly. The school’s nurses are now required to report the number of influenza-like-illness in the school community to Dallas County on a weekly basis. Thomas warns all faculty and staff to be cautious and watchful for symptoms and report cases immediately.

“Flu comes on like a freight train,” Thomas said. “You feel fine one minute and horrible the next.”

Herod said. “ESD’s support makes it so that St. Philips is able to be that safe haven for kids, a fun place and a safe place for kids in our community to come and play.”

Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern Dead at ESD

Every year, the school puts on three theater productions: the fall play, the winter musical and the spring play. This fall, the school performed Tom Stoppard’s play, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” The show was held in the Bray Theater at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27, 28 and 29.

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,” which was written in 1996, is a tragic comedy that takes place after the events of Hamlet. In the production, seniors Hunter Hurt and Liam Pham played Rosencrantz and Guildenstern respectively.

In the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are stuck in a time loop where they have received a mission from the queen and king of Denmark to deliver their son, Hamlet, to England for his death, however, before they are able to do so, Hamlet steals the letter and replaces his name with theirs, ordering their death.

“I was thrilled to get to participate in another one of the school’s theater productions,” Pham said. “I really liked this year’s play because it had so many different elements of theater in it. It had a mix of tragedy and comedy, which was very interesting and exciting to perform.”

Lauren Redmond, who is the performing arts department chair, US Acting Instructor and Director of Performances, directed the play.

“This year, we had an excellent cast for the play,” Redmond said. “It was exciting to see the show develop as we got closer to the production date. The cast this year was full of professional and well-developed actors who I enjoyed working with.”

The cast this year was smaller than in previous years, with only 11 people instead of about 20 actors.

“We had a smaller cast this year, but it wasn’t a problem since I was able to work more with each actor individually,” Redmond said. “I can tell the cast members have gotten very close with each other, which is something I always hope for by the time productions come around.”

Photos by Jamie Henderson, Kaitlyn Holmes and Lauren Redmond . Stories by; Jamie Henderson, Brooke Ebner and Phoebe McMillan.

Illustration by Jamie Henderson

DOUBLE TROUBLE Health Experts become worried about a twindemic of flu and Covid and even maybe a tripldemic with the addition of RSV affecting the U.S.’s immune systems, especially those of younger children.

Substance abuse prevention team visits again

Soundcheck creates goals and plans with students for upcoming year

S tory by Sophia Sardina

ESD is well aware that there is a substance abuse epidemic in teens in the U.S. and that it’s important to provide mental health support to them. So, starting in 2021, the school hired Soundcheck, a team composed of members who had a struggle with alcohol and drug dependency themselves.

Alcohol abuse is usually painted in the older generations as a coping mechanism to deal with work, marriage or life in general. However, more than 12 percent of all high school students meet the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence, according to The Recovery Village.

With this, Soundcheck came to 4100 Merrell Rd. in 2021 to talk to the upper school students, and they visited again this year on Sept. 20 to 22.

“Last year there was a healthy amount of skepticism from the students,” Soundcheck founder and CEO Will Straughan said. “However, we appreciated that because it gave us a chance for you guys to get to know us.”

Soundcheck allows students to connect with people who may have had similar experiences to theirs, they want to engage in a transparent talk with students, one that provides honesty and understanding. During their second visit in September, the students’ energy seemed more prominent. Students were more involved in the conversations, contrary to last year, and there was more student input and participation.

“There seemed to be new or additional energy around the topic; stu-

dents were contributing and asking questions,” Lee Bergeron, who is in charge of program development at Soundcheck, said. “And it was awesome to see.”

This year, Soundcheck focused on getting to know ESD students better and to make it easier to connect and relate to those who may be struggling with addiction. In their previous meeting, they met with all four upper school grades and talked about the basics of alcohol’s effects on the brain and life.

“The September visit was more as a test run to see the openness of these types of conversations at ESD’’ Straughan said. “We got to see the values the students have and this conversation really just put in perspective of where we should start.”

Their long term plan is to go step-by-step to help students and the community in the region of substance abuse. As well as helping to learn about substances the program strives to help students feel more comfortable with the idea and general topic of substance use.

tend to adapt to each student body they talk to. This way, they can get their message across by having unique programs for different schools and different groups.

“One thing that stood out and is important to me was teaching the students about self advocacy and identifying certain aspects,” Ian Groves, a prevention specialist at Soundcheck, said. “It’s important for students to identify who they are and what their goals are.”

“Our mission is to support students and the community, as well as teaching them about substance misuse and prevention ”

Lee

Bergerton Program Developer at Soundcheck

“Our mission is to support students and the community,” Bergeron said. “As well as teaching them about substance misuse and prevention.”

Their plans for ESD have not changed since last year, they just

To Soundcheck it is really important for students to know who they are and to surround themselves with goals they have.

“Usually, if they have their goals planned that they want to reach, it inspires them to stay on track,” Groves said. Since they expressed their mission to the upper school student body, some have expressed their opinion about the program. Students tend to lean towards the idea of this new program with their unique teaching format, while others are not engaged or don’t have an interest in Soundcheck.

“I think Soundcheck is really beneficial,” sophomore Nina Rastin said. “It helps students understand the harmful effects of substances while [their programming is] entertaining”.

Rastin thinks having Soundcheck come to ESD is productive because the students get personal stories

from people who have lived with substance abuse.

“They had substances change the course of their lives and by this they shed light to help try to avoid that in future generations,” Rastin said.

Though some may agree with Rastin, others may not. Sophomore Parmida Zandinejad disagrees with the efficiency of Soundcheck.

“I thought it was a good presentation all in all,” Zandinejad said. “However, I don’t think having a more entertaining presentation makes kids learn and pay more attention”.

Zanbdinejad noticed that students weren’t paying attention by being on their phones or talking to their friends. She said some students did not take it seriously.

“As expected, students were messing around,” she said. “Even though it wasn’t boring, students don’t want to talk about alcohol and its effects for an hour,” Zandinejad said.

Zandinejad also said that the problem of teen drinking has been, and will always be, an issue with teenagers.

“And honestly, I don’t think one program can fix that in total,” Zandinejad said.

While Bergeron believes that alcohol and drug talks are never easy, having a team like Soundcheck prioritize the students well being, relating and having a public bond with them, is a probable solution to help get the message across and have a good time doing it.

“Having trust and relation to the school makes the energy surrounding this topic lighter and better,” Bergeron said. “Our relationship with students is imperative and we value that everywhere we go.”

Voter participation impacts midterm elections

Many view upcoming races as civic duty, many aren’t enthusiastic or registered to vote

To many, it may seem like the next big election isn’t until 2024.

To others, the most important elections are next month. On Nov. 8, during the midterm election, Texans will elect officials for state positions including the governor, lieutenant governor, district-based congressional and legislative offices, Texas Board of Education and judicial seats. Any registered Texas voter could vote early at nearby locations starting Oct. 24. In order to vote by mail, a Texan must be 65 years or older, sick or disabled, out of the country during the voting period, confined in jail or expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election day.

In the country’s early history, only white male property owners were allowed to vote. The 14th Constitutional Amendment, ratified in 1868, granted full citizenship rights, including the right to vote, to all men born or naturalized in the United States. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1869, eliminated racial barriers to voting and the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, eliminated gender barriers to voting.

“I think voting is important because it is your duty as a citizen,” upper school government teacher Lindy Grosvenor said. “We have so many rights that we take for granted... Living in a democracy, [it] is your duty to participate as a citizen in the voting process so that all voices can be heard.”

While the presidential elections

usually take up most of the attention, the turnout of local elections has a profound effect on communities, impacting everything from parks and recreation, police, environmental issues, public health emergency medical services, housing services, municipal courts, transportation, roads and other public works.

“I think that grassroots voting, [community members taking action], is very important because a lot of things are changed at the grassroots within our hometowns and among communities that are then important as well,” Grosvenor said. “In fact, it’s even more [important] than the presidential election.”

One of the most prominent Texas elections right now is the race for governor, with incumbent Republican Greg Abbott running against Democrat Beto O’Rourke. A recent University of Houston poll put Abbott in the lead by 13 points. For more information on the candidates, visit Ballotpedia.org.

tian said. “I would really love for Beto to win, but I honestly don’t think it’s a realistic view, even though I 100 percent support him over Abbott.”

According to an Nov. 1 poll of 160 students, 90 percent of students 18 years and older will vote this November. Among those students is senior Elizabeth Goelzer.

“I am going to vote this November because I think it’s important to show your support for the candidate and also to have a say in the election,” Goelzer said. “You don’t feel like you’re not contributing. I think everyone should vote.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 66.8 percent of citizens 18 years and older voted in the 2020 presidential election. But according to the National Civic League, only 15 to 27 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in their local elections. Only 17.7 percent of registered Texas voters voted in the 2022 midterm primary, 11.4 percent of them Republican.

that affect them are being decided within their own community.”

In some cases, it may not be that Americans don’t want to vote; it may be that they have not registered. If a Texas resident is at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date of submission, they can print, fill out, sign and mail a Texas state voter registration form to their local election official at least 30 days before the election date. The registration deadline for the 2022 midterms was Oct. 11.

“Even though I’m qualified, I just haven’t had the time and I’m not actually really sure how to do it,” Bostian said. “I wish I were registered to vote and I hope I figure it out, but I realize the importance of voting.”

According to the U.S. Census, voter turnout increases as age, educational attainment and income increase. Political participation is highest at 76 percent among those aged 65 to 74 but lowest at 51.4 percent among those aged 18 to 24.

“I think Abbott will win only because of what the polls have been showing recently,” senior Elise Bos -

“I think [some people don’t pay as much attention to their local elections] because they don’t understand the impact that local government has on their lives,” Grosvenor said.

“They don’t understand the things

“I think that one of the things that Texas needs to do is let down barriers and make it easier to vote, but I think that just making voting appealing is the most important aspect of it,” Bostian said. “I think that hosting events that are centered around voting, providing information within schools and in work environments and having poll workers really bring events to the people will increase enthusiasm.”

For more information on how to register and to read about all candidates, visit VoteTexas.gov and DallasCountyvotes.org.

S tory by Elisabeth Siegel

Illustration by Grace Worsham

Community gives thanks by giving back

Students help other communities, service opportunities

S tory by Alexandra Warner Views Editor

Thanksgiving break

2021. Senior Will Searcy wakes up early during in Costa Rica and heads to the construction site. An annual tradition for the Searcy family, he and the many other Dallas families work for two full days with the organization Homes of Hope hammering nails into the wood, framing the structure and painting it to create the perfect house: another home for another family.

During the month of November, Thanksgiving is a known holiday for giving thanks and spending time with family. But for less fortunate families, the holidays can be stressful and they may need extra help. One of the ways community members can help is through community service.

“I know for many people, the holidays is an important time for them because it’s a time to be thankful, it’s time to be with family,” Director of Community Service Courtney Phelps said. “And sometimes those family traditions or activities will include giving back to other people. And so just engaging in that way around a time where the entire country is really focused on community and family and thankfulness. It’s important to give back as well.”

ESD’s Community Service Council prepares pop-ups and food drives that the community can participate in during the weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving break.

“The lower school has their annual canned food drive for North Dallas Shared Ministries in the first

week of November, and the Upper School has the Prism Health Food Drive, which is the week before Thanksgiving, where they’re bringing in Thanksgiving meals,” Phelps said.

With the many projects to be worked on, some students and families, such as the Searcys, also participate in their annual community service trips or organizations they work with. He and his family help recruit members by hosting information sessions at their house.

“My family and I are so excited to go back this year because, during Covid-19, we weren’t able to go, so I’m ready to get back to it,” Searcy said. “I’m not sure how many people are signed up right now, but it’ll probably end up being over 100, and I think we’re going to build six houses.”

ing outside communities as well. Junior Charles Liu has been tutoring a Ukrainian boy named Misha once or twice a week through the program Engin.

“I usually Facetime him for an hour… and we also talk through text messages a lot,” Liu said. “He really likes Taylor Swift and American music too! It’s interesting how much we have in common and his [English] skills are really good… we don’t have any problems communicating with each other.”

“I had never seen real poverty before, so I was really blown away by the impact I made on people’s lives.”

Will Searcy Senior

Searcy’s first trip with Homes of Hope was when he was 10 years old, and since then his perspective on community service has changed.

“My first trip completely changed my outlook on life, and it was that trip that really got me into community service,” Searcy said. “I had never seen real poverty before, so I was really blown away by the impact I made on people’s lives. So now, it has become a passion of mine.”

Other students have been help-

SERVICE SMILES

Families travel to Costa Rica in November to build homes with Homes Of Hope. Searcy and his friends take a photo in front of a house they are building. “Not only do I get to be with friends, but I get to participate in a project that is helping people.” Photo provided by Will Searcy

Liu originally wanted to participate in this program because he wanted a better perspective of the Russian Ukrainian conflict. He has learned a lot about the experiences Misha has been enduring in Ukraine and wants to help him escape the chaos for an hour.

“I remember last week, he was talking about how they didn’t have lights or water because the Russians bombed their water tower that day,” Liu said. “I’m trying to cheer him up and… just hang out with him.”

But one does not need to cross borders to help people, there are local service organizations that offer community service hours such as the Dallas Arboretum.

“I was the vice president [of the teen board] last year and I planned group days where I would get like

10 people to come and then work for four or five hours,” senior Cren Boyd said. “I really enjoyed doing it because I like the environment and being outside. I also like little kids and [I] would walk around in the children’s garden [with them] or talk with parents and get to know them.”

For anyone looking for community service opportunities, Phelps reposts on Schoology community service help requests from organizations nearby.

“I know every year Meals on Wheels hosts a major Thanksgiving delivery, and so if anyone might be interested in serving with their family, that’s a good option,” Phelps said. “It’s what I do with my family before we eat Thanksgiving dinner, and most of the time, all of the ongoing opportunities pretty much stay consistent in the same, so it’ll all be on Mobile Serve, and I’ll be sharing them in email.”

Co-President of Community Service Council senior Bridget Wang said that the less fortunate are often overlooked, especially during the holidays because everyone is focusing on enjoying their own time with family and friends. But we should be more mindful of others.

“It’s also very important to realize that we’re very fortunate and very privileged to live the life we live, Wang said. “And I think just doing community service for others who may not have the same privilege is really important.”

For more information on finding community service opportunities during the holidays, contact Community Service Director Courtney Phelps.

In Liz, we Truss

Great Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took office on Oct. 25, after Liz Truss, former prime minister, resigned after only 49 days in office. His inauguration makes him the third prime minister in office within the past seven weeks. Sunak is the first Prime Minister of color in Great Britain’s history and the youngest in the past 200 years.

On Oct. 22, Hu Jintao, China’s former president, was escorted out of closing ceremonies for Xi Jinping’s coronation. While the moment was clarified as a departure due to bad health through Twitter, China’s censored social media had little to no coverage of the incident.

Hernandez

Stampede In Seoul

On Oct. 29, at least 153 people were killed in a crowd surge in Seoul, South Korea, many of which were young adults. The surge occurred in a narrow alley in the Itaewon district. The area drew in about 100,000 people, which is a sharp increase from the previous years due to the lack of Covid-19 restrictions. Officials were not expecting a large number of people in this area resulting in very little police presence. The South Korean Prime Minister set a period of national mourning.

Brazilians went to the polls on Oct. 2 for a general election to choose their next president; Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or current President Jair Messias Bolsonaro. Neither candidate gained over 50 percent of the votes during that first round. Brazilians voted again during a runoff election on Oct. 30 and da Silva was declared the winner. The leftist former president won 50.9 percent of the votes while Bolsonaro received 49.1 percent. This was the narrowest margin of any Brazilian presidential election. Da Silva’s inauguration will take place on Jan. 1, 2023. Hu said you could leave Battle for Brazil

Revolt in Iran affect community members

Ongoing protests and political dissension lead to uncertainty

S tory by Maddy Hammett Co-Editor-in-Chief

Mahsa Amini, a 22-yearold Iranian woman, was killed on Sept. 16 in Teheran while in police custody after allegedly revealing a small part of her hair. The young woman’s death has caused major political waves in Iran and protesters have been taking to the street in opposition to the country’s conservative theocracy. In response to Amini’s death, Iranian women have been cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in protest.

Since 1979, the country had been under the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Since then, the enforcement of conservative Islamic dress including the Muslim headscarf, known colloquially as the hijab, has been one of the country’s most contentious policies. Iran’s notorious morality police (enforcers of the hijab and other laws regarding dress) have been detaining and sending Iranians to reeducation camps since the dress policies were first implemented at the inception of the theocratic rule. Since Amini’s incendiary death, Iranians have taken their frustrations to the streets and have been engaging in some of the largest protests in the country’s history. What makes this particular revolt unique is that, according to Middle East journalist Robin Wright during a recent interview with Fareed Zacaria, is that we are witnessing the world’s first counter-revolution led by women.

Members of the ESD community with family living in Iran have recently felt the effects of the rising political dissension and the oppressive nature of the government. Claire Brail, a student of the community who has chosen to keep her identity private for this article, has family living and visiting Iran while the protests continue. Her mother initially went to Iran with the intention of learning how to manage the family business and family assets.

“She is [in Iran] dealing with the

when they froze [my grandfather’s] money,” Brail said. “They were able to unfreeze the money shortly after the revolution, but now they are working on trying to transfer the money out of the country into a safe spot.”

Following the start of the protests in Tehran, authorities cut off access to mobile internet. Authorities in Iran did this in order to hinder the organization of protests via social media, as was previously seen in the country during the last instance of major political dissension, the 2009 Iranian Green Movement.

“I couldn’t call [my mother] or text her on her iPhone,” Brail said. “So first, I used WhatsApp to contact her, but that didn’t work, so now I talk to her over Google Meet. Last night I tried to talk to her, but the internet is so spotty and glitchy that I can’t really hear her.”

has grown up with Islam and is anti-hijab and does not believe that it should be enforced. My friend who was going to go [to the protest] is a white, Christian American, and she felt just as enraged as I was. It’s a human issue.”

WOMAN,

Brail is wary of discussing the details of the protests in Iran with her mother. She fears that if criticism of the government is discussed over the phone, her mother would face punishment.

“We’re really careful about what we say on the phone because it’s so strict over there that they’ll probably be listening,” Brail said. “[My mother] just says, ‘we’re okay, we’re feeling great.’ She says she normally just stays home, and maybe they’ll go out to coffee.”

The news in Iran is affecting more than just students with relatives there. For upper school French and Arabic teacher, Laila Kharrat, this is news that is pertinent to everyone. To her, it transcends background and ethnicity.

“It hit me so profoundly,” Kharrat said. “Even though I am not Persian, I am Middle Eastern and I am Pal-

“I

Kharrat took to protesting with hundreds of other Dallas residents on Oct. 1. Dallas’ protest was one of many that occurred all around the world, as individuals took to standing in solidarity with women in Iran.

“The main chant [of the protests] was women, life, freedom,” Kharrat said.

“That’s the main message. Women, life, freedom, saying women should have the freedom to wear whatever they want.”

Since the protests began in September, Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian competitive climber, competed in South Korea without wearing the mandated hijab. She cited the ongoing protests and the passing of Amini as reasons for this choice. Despite this being an unprecedented revolt, the oppressive nature of the government and its effects is not new, nor has it felt new for those affected. Brail recalls her life as having included multiple instances of worry for her family and their safety.

“I’ve been worried about the government [in Iran] ever since I could remember,” Brail said. “When I was in the fourth grade, my mom went to Iran, and then they shut all the borders down. So as soon as she went, she had no way of coming back. That moment has always been in the back of my mind. I’m really hoping they don’t shut the borders down now.”

For members in the ESD community who have family living in Iran, discussions of the country’s political trajectory have always been present in their lives. The stories parallel each other, with each one being laced with themes of emigration and discussions of a time pre-revolution.

“It’s always talked about in my

family, Iran and the government,” Brail said. “My parents and grandparents always talk about before the revolution with the shah how their lives were so different and how it all changed when [the revolution] happened. My mom and my aunt had to go to Paris without their parents when they were nine years old.”

Sophomore Parmida Zandinejad also has family living in Iran and has being affected by the turmoil in that country, she feels that the best thing for the community and the world right now is to increase understanding.

“It’s kind of hard to do something from America, but I would say [we need to] learn more about it and learn more about what’s going on and why it’s happening,” Zandinejad said. “Iran really isn’t the only place that has this issue of freedom and women. It’s really all of the Middle East.”

To Brail, this awareness is critical especially given the shutting off of Iran’s internet and social media access.

“It’s about getting awareness out at this point. These revolutions have happened before in Iran,” Brail said. “The Green Movement happened in the early 2000s. [The revolutions] have just always been squashed because there’s never enough big news coverage of it. It’s always just been in the back of people’s minds.”

According to National Public Radio, since the protests, an estimated 200 protesters have been killed, thousands have been arrested and at least 40 journalists have been detained.

There is a silver lining, though, some students feel the hope that this change provides them with is enough for them to feel more comfortable about the country their families are living in.

“The more people know about it, there’s more pressure on the government to actually do something,” Brail said. “As bad as it sounds, I’m really glad this is happening. There has just been so much oppression that has gone on in Iran.”

p.8-16

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As homecoming season comes to a close, mums and garters sparks debate despite it’s lasting tradition.

The art of movie marketing

Studios explore creative ways to advertise their movies

As the eerie white teeth gleam at you in the stands or through the screen, there’s a creepy smile on their face that is pulled from ear to ear. You watch with a sense of foreboding and confusion as if you are the new star of a horror movie.

Though this sounds like the introduction of a thriller, it’s just the new way the horror movie, “Smile,” is advertised. As its paid actors haunt the Major League Baseball stands, Marlins vs. Mets in New York, with their terrifying smiles carved on their faces, it piques the audience’s curiosity about the new movie.

Movie marketing is imperative for studios to gain their audience’s attention and grab hold of watchers in theaters; the primary example being trailers or a newer way, posting on social media.

Edie Dahlander, a senior film student who has created and promoted her own film, “Lights Out,” said that marketing is a crucial part of creating a film.

“Posting on social media, like Instagram, lets my movie reach the people,” Dahlander said. “Instead of the people reaching the movie, the movie reaches the people, which is the best and most efficient way to promote a film.”

During her process of creating her short film, she promoted mostly on Instagram, where she would post banners, short trailers and posters. She would post weekly, so people would view the advertisement and potentially gain a bigger audience.

“I posted a lot about it,” Dahlander said “Because the number one reason why people go watch a film is because they know about it.”

With bigger mainstream movies, creating trailers and the emotions and sensations that abide with them, is the key part of their advertisement. When making a trailer, a studio’s goal is to engage its target audience according to NFI.Edu. This is usually achieved by the tone of the trailer, which can be accomplished by having unique background music, color scheme or shades, expressions and lighting.

“If you tell people over and over

that this movie is exciting, you create an atmosphere of anticipation and a specific tone,” Dahlander said. “This will create conversation and a specific sensation, and they will have a more biased attitude of excitement when watching the film too.”

Different movies strive for different tones. Thus each marketing technique is unique to each genre. This also plays in part with the studios’ competition as it is harder to grasp the audience’s attention. This makes studios strive for better and more efficient advertising. This range of unique marketing can include publicity stunts, interacting with audiences — by creating interactive websites, quizzes, pictures, etc. — hiring popular celebrities and by having an engrossing and compelling trailer according to Vanity Fair Videos.

Horror and thriller movies usually strive to inflict fear and an adrenaline rush in their audiences. They do this by involving their audiences into the movie.

10

really good considering that my favorite genre is horror,” junior Sophia Raveling said. “I thought the trailer for the movie was extremely scary and intense, that it actually made me want to watch it more.” Similarly, comedies also strive for the audience’s participation. This usually consists of making “memes” or short videos either on TikTok or Instagram revolving around the buzz of the movie. These promotions can either be directly about the movie, teasers, making fun of the movie or just a promotion. They usually include slogans, using hashtags, funny scenes, bloopers and ironic comments to create a following for the movie.

“If you tell people over and over that this movie is exciting, you create an atmosphere of sensation.”

“The Blair Witch Project” would post missing person posters along college campuses in 1999, which tied into websites with 20 million page views that detailed the urban legend of an evil witch. To continue this theme, they interviewed a hoax victim’s family making it seem like their storyline was real. They use the audience as their own prop in promoting the film.

“Smile” used its chilling plot to scare and interact with its audience as well. They placed their actors, grinning ear to ear in MLB stands and behind news anchors. This allowed the target audience to feel a part of the movie itself, encouraging them to search for the movie and the plot which gave reason for the people’s terrifying stares.

The frightening publicity stunt along with the intense trailer showcased the movie and allowed for it to gain a following.

“I thought the movie ‘Smile’ was

Edie Dahlander Senior

“Deadpool 2” a superhero Marvel movie, created fake magazine posters, fake rom-com trailers and even a fake Tinder profile to hit the audience’s funny bone. These magazines consisted of Deadpool showing off his home cooking skills for Christmas, learning Portuguese along with advertising free tattoo designs and dropping Valentine’s Day cards.

With the release of “Minions; The Rise of Gru” on July 1, 2022, a huge outburst of teenage boys posted on TikTok about how they were going to see the movie dressed in suits and tuxedos after the studio came out with a post called “Gentleminions.” Not only was this a trend for people to follow, but also allowed for the “Minions” movie to get a free promotion

“I was inspired to do this because I thought it would be a funny idea that not only we would love but the people who were around us would too,” sophomore Roman Jovanovic, a participant in the trend, said.

The trend began because of Illumination Entertainment’s Twitter post encouraging people to watch the movies in suits. Though this isn’t a traditional way for a movie to be promoted, this trend boosted the movie’s gross income to earning roughly $125.1 million according to Variety

New Releases Advertisement Budgets

“Elvis” “Smile” “Don’t Worry Darling” $85,000,000 $35,000,000 $17,000,000

Box Office.

Unlike thrillers and comedies, dramas usually have more moving trailers with a captivating effect. These can be derived from the actors, the music, the cinematography and the storyline.

Baz Luhrmann’s (main director/ producer of Elvis) use of cinematography which includes meticulous transitions between scenes, different coloring techniques, different camera lenses, like using 65mm for spherical effects and musical effects helped attain the goal of feeling and sensation. These techniques were also portrayed in their trailers and advertisements thus allowing for a grasp with the audiences.

Different coloring techniques include using black and white for aged scenes, luminous colors for current invigorating moments and dull/gray colors for melancholic scenes. Using a vast array of camera lenses allows for different effects

“Don’t Worry Darling” also strived to achieve this goal of a dramatic tone. At first glance, the movie seemed to be set in a placid scenery. This was achieved by the warm colors, subtle music and slow-paced scene. However as the trailer goes on, there is a subliminal ominous tone that is fulfilled by the music intensifying, the colors darkening and the quickening of the trailer.

“The campaign itself is pretty good, dipping occasionally from being a straight drama to elements that are more in the realm of psychological thriller,” Chris Thilk, director and film critic for The Hollywood Report, said in his review of “Don’t Worry Darling.”

Accounting for the difference between the ways of marketing, in the end, all movie studios have one common goal: get the movie sold. And as the movie industry grows, a rise in competition is bound to occur. This leaves studios striving for a stand-out, better and more effective way for their movies to leave the audience in awe.

“Marketing allows for the audience to anticipate the excitement of a movie,” Dahlander said. “Even though each movie studio has their own way of doing this, their baseline goal is to leave the audience in excitement and thrill.”

I nfographic by Sophia Sardiña

Source: The Numbers

Seniors and their fifth grade buddies dress up for their annual Halloween morning costume party.

S tory by Sophia Sardiña

A tradition mummified

Homecoming mums and garters continue local tradition, spark conversation

S tory and photo by Elisabeth Siegel Managing Editor

Twas the Friday before the Homecoming dance and all through the school, the sound of bells and the swish of blue and white ribbons jammed the halls. The once tame tradition has grown into an elaborate rite of passage for Texas teens to show off their interests and exude school spirit. Mum’s the word — a large arrangement of chimes, streamers, charms and buttons sewn together onto a fake chrysanthemum flower.

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, junior parents set up a table in front of rows and rows of mums. Most students hang them on their lockers and then attach them to their backpacks once the day of the game arrives.

“The purpose of mums and garters is to really cultivate the school spirit during Homecoming week,” senior Bridget Wang said. “I think it’s just a really fun way to show school pride, continue traditions and participate in spirited activities.”

The mum tradition started in Texas in the 1930s as a simple corsage and some ribbons. According to The Mum Shop, the designer of custom mums and garters that the school uses, the larger, more elaborate designs popped up in the 1970s. Since then, they have only gotten bigger.

But some moms are not sure they understand the mum tradition.

“I’m not from Texas so this has been a very new and kind of weird tradition for me,” Tiffany Loftus, a junior mom who helped with mum

and garter distribution, said. “I do like that the mums at ESD seem a little more simple than some others I’ve seen where they cover your entire body — it seems like the idea is to make each one bigger than the next. I love that at ESD everyone looks essentially the same with the personalization coming from sports or other extracurricular charms.”

Usually, male dates will order a mum for their female dates, and female dates will order a garter for their male dates. Garters are smaller, typically less flashy versions of mums.

“I usually put my garter on my backpack, but it makes too much noise,” senior Sanders Chipman said. “There’s not really a [purpose to garters]; it’s kind of like a ceremonial thing. The only reason [my date and I] got each other a mum and a garter was because it was our last year here. If this was junior year I wouldn’t have gotten one.”

Mums and garters are not cheap. Underclass garters cost $58 and underclass mums cost $70, while senior garters cost $69 and senior mums cost $81. This price doesn’t include extra charms and trinkets, which can range from $0.50-$7 each.

“It’s at a reasonable price if they still want to make a profit while using all of these materials to make our mums,” Wang said. “I think if you have a date, it’s [worth it] to

“It’s just a really fun way to show school pride, continue traditions and participate in spirited activities.”

Bridget Wang senior

participate in the tradition, so I understand the appeal.”

According to an Nov. 1 poll of 160 students and faculty, 34 percent think mums and garters are unnecessary. But a portion of the money from mum and garters funds the Spring prom. If they were discontinued, the school would have to find a way to make up those funds.

“I would be open to somebody saying ‘you know what, it’s time to stop this,’” assistant head of upper school Jeff Laba said. “I’m not suggesting that we [get rid of mums], I’m saying that if somebody were to bring it up, they would find a favorable audience. But I think that would have to come from the students, not from the administration… I would not want to come in and take away somebody’s tradition, especially one that’s based sort of in their geographical area.”

Even though students only wear the mums for one day, they will often last longer. Many who choose to participate in the tradition will keep their mums and garters and hang them in their rooms for years afterward.

“I’ve only had two mums, but I do have them in my closet and they sort of just hang there,” Wang said. “I think it’s a really cute memory. It helps me remember all the parts of the Homecoming experience.”

New chaplain introduces new energy

Matt Stroud hired as middle school chaplain, connects with whole community

ESD welcomed Matt Stroud as the new middle school chaplain in August. Over the past couple of years, there has been some turnover in the middle school chaplain position.

After leaving ESD at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Rev. Tim Kennedy took on the position of senior chaplain and the faith formation department chair at All Saints Episcopal School in Tyler, Texas. Because Rev. Nate Bostian was hired as the senior chaplain in 2021, the school needed a new chaplain for the middle school.

Even though Chaplain Matt has worked with youth in summer camps and mission trips, he didn’t know what to expect coming into ESD as he had not previously worked in a

school before.

“[ESD] feels like a really good fit in terms of being able to have an opportunity to meet with students and talk about matters of faith [and] having chapel every day [where] you get to share a message or help others share a message,” Chaplain Matt said. “That’s just been extraordinary.”

Fr. Nate, as well as students and faculty members, has seen the knowledge that Chaplain Matt has brought into the community.

“I think that what he’s brought is a whole bunch of energy and a whole bunch of knowledge from his 19 years as a youth minister,” Fr. Nate said. “[I] was the youth minister that was [at St. Nicholas Episcopal Church] before him, so I was the one who recruited him to help with the

month: peacemaking. “The ESD community is incredibly unique as far as I can tell, in terms of the closeness and the terms of the attention that is paid to matters of faith. [For example,] we’re going to have

everyday for

school,

school, and upper school, no question about it.” Photo taken by Brooke Ebner

youth group there, and then when I left St. Nicholas, he took the job and was there for 19 years.”

Chaplain Matt has already spoken to the upper school during chapel four or five times, and Fr. Nate emphasizes the importance of all chaplains going to different grades’ chapels once a month.

“So even though Chaplain Toni is in lower school, both Chaplain Matt and I about once a month we’ll go down [to] lower school and teach there,” Fr. Nate said. “And then we also have all three of us go into middle school, of course, and all three of us come up and talk to upper school as well.”

Senior Layne Scheinberg is the liaison of the middle school chapel guild. With this position, she and three other senior members of the guild work with Chaplain Matt in planning sermons for the middle school about the virtues of the month.

“[The guild] talks about once a month, but it takes a lot of planning,” Scheinberg said. So maybe like two or three meetings before we actually do it. We email [Chaplain Matt], set up meetings and he kind of helps us formulate the sermons.”

Through working with him on the guild and listening to his occasional sermons to the upper school, Scheinberg has been able to see the changes Chaplain Matt has brought into chapel.

“[Chaplain Matt] [is] really nice and open to pretty much every idea that you have,” Scheinberg said.

“I really enjoy his humor and his attempt to not be so formal in chapel, and I feel like it’s allowed a lot of high schoolers to really connect with him and really listen to what he’s saying to us.”

Chaplain Matt was born and

raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and grew up as an Episcopalian.

“My mom and dad made sure I went to youth group and they made sure that I got to church every Sunday,” Chaplain Matt said. “To me, it was very formative in terms of understanding kind of what I was meant to do, but it was in my later years that I started deciding, maybe I should go ahead and do those things.”

He started focusing and thinking about faith only after he moved to Texas in 1997, and his friend invited him to a program named Alpha, an organization whose mission is to help churches, ministries and individuals develop a relationship with Jesus.

“[Alpha] meets on Wednesday nights and asks questions about faith and Christianity,” Chaplain Matt said. “At that time, there [were] a lot of questions that were being asked that I, even though I’d grown up in the church, didn’t necessarily have an answer for. And that was really when things kind of became my own. I started really thinking about questions and faith and in answering those [I] realized there’s a better way to do things than what I have been doing. And that really was the start of my journey. That would probably [have] been around the time I was in my 20s.”

Before coming to ESD, Chaplain Matt served as the youth minister for over 19 years at the St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Flower Mound.

“[St. Nicholas Episcopal Church is] sixth to 12th grade and then it became a college ministry too,” Chaplain Matt said. “[I did] different classes for confirmation or first communion. So, much of our ministry was a discipleship component, so that’s teaching the scriptures [and] theology.”

Photo taken by

Elisabeth Siegel

S tory by Brooke Ebner Staff Writer

fashion

Cren Boyd Kate Battaglia Rory Farenhol

Staff writer Jamie Henderson features the buddy pairs who chose the most unique outfits for the Senior-Fifth grade buddy event on Oct. 28. Say moo

Senior Cren Boyd and Kate Battaglia decided on cow costumes because that is fifth grader, Rory Farenholz’s favorite animal. It was a very convenient costume because their buddy already owned a cow onesie and brought cow plushies for the girls to play with. Battaglia notes how it was cool to get a buddy she already knew a little bit about. “She is also the daughter of our latin teacher for the past two years.” Battaglia says.

Rohan Schlehuber Greyson Ellman Hole in One

Sporting golf outfits from head to toe, senior Rohan Schlehuber and fifth grader Greyson Ellman decide to step out from wearing jerseys. Both boys love golf and established their golfing outfits complete with Rohan’s golf club. “Our friendship has been good and it’s been good to connect with someone much younger because he is a really smart kid and is very nice and curious.” Schlehuber describes. “It took him a little bit to get to start speaking at first but now that he’s got more comfortable we’ve become good friends.”

Elizabeth Sawers

Sarah Cabrales

Valentina Calderon

Chipette Trio

Seniors Elizabeth Sawers and Sarah Cabrales originally thought to do superheroes with their fifth grade buddy, Valentina Calderon, but she suggested being the Chipettes from Alvin and the Chipmunks and the seniors quickly agreed. “Sarah and I love that movie, so we were happy to switch!” Elizabeth explained. “Valentina sent idea pictures and links, and she had great ideas, so we mostly followed her lead!”

Grace Exall

Mia Harrington

Kate Greenberg

Princess Times Three

Seniors Grace Exall and Mia Harrington attended the Senior-Fifth grade buddy Halloween event each in a different princess costume with their fifth grade buddy, Kate Greenberg. Exall, decked out in blue, was the Disney princess, Cinderella. Harrington, in pink, was the sleeping princess, Aurora and Greenberg was Belle, in yellow. “We love our buddy Kate!” Exall exclaims. “She is super sweet and Mia and I have gotten to know her pretty well”

crash

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For almost a decade, rapper Kanye West and shoe brand Adidas have held a lucrative partnership. However, due to antisemitic and racist comments, Adidas cut ties with West. West tweeted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going defcon 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” Adidas is predicted to lose $650 million from the split with West over the next two years. West is no longer on the Forbes billionaires list.

On Oct. 20, Hans Niemann, a 19-year-old chess player filed a $100 million lawsuit against Magnus Carlsen, who is regarded as the best chess player in the world, Hikaru Nakamura, a popular online chess player, and Chess.com for liability and slander. On Sept. 4, Niemann beat Carlsen in a match. After the match, Carlsen tweeted a cryptic message that Nakamura publicly theorized was about Carlsen believing Niemann cheated in their match. Niemann denied ever cheating in his professional career, but Chess.com released a statement that Niemann cheats more than he lets on.

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After 13 years of marriage, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen filed for divorce.

The divorce was finalized on Oct. 28. Brady announced the separation on Instagram with the caption stating, “We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.”

People speculate the divorce is due to Brady canceling his retirement and continuing to play in the 2022 football season.

and karma vibe like that”

At 12 a.m. Oct. 21, Taylor Swift released a 13-track album called “Midnights.” Three hours later, she released an additional unannounced seven songs. One day later, “Midnights” broke the record for the most streamed album in one day, and Swift became the most streamed artist in a single day. Additionally, the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 are songs from the album.

Class Instagrams

Students make accounts for culinary chemistry and fine arts

Junior Margaret Shirey sets up her phone camera in front of the wheel before starting work on a carefully sculpted bowl. After working hard on the piece for an hour, she stops the time lapse and posts it to their class Instagram account: braultsbunch.

Whether it’s for culinary chemistry, sculpture or wheel throwing, student Instagram accounts are an addition to some classes. Art students post pictures and videos of their creations and progress in the class, while, for culinary chemistry, their posts count as a grade.

Science teacher Anneke Albright’s culinary chemistry class has a unique element to it. The student’s assignments are turned in via personalized Instagram accounts. Senior Justin McCray, who is in Albrigt’s class, enjoys the social media part of the class.

“The fun thing is that instead of uploading things on Schoology, like most classes would, we just post our creations on Insta instead,” senior Justin McCray said. “We mostly post foods we make at home, and things like that.”

Culinary students give their accounts fun usernames like “charlie_chops01,” and “jujubeanjustin.”

“Each person has their own account, and the names are personal. It has to connect to cooking while also incorporating your name,” junior Charlie Neuhoff said. “So it’s really interesting, [the way the class works]; I love it a lot.”

Some of the assignments include homework over the weekends where students must post a picture of the meal they were assigned to cook and include a list of steps or instructions on how to prep and cook the meal in the caption.

“We’ll have a lot of assignments on the weekends,” Neuhoff said. “We’re only allowed to follow ESD culinary chemistry — and they follow us as well — which is run by our teacher Mrs. Albright. We’ll post pictures with the instructions of what to cook to show that we’re actually doing the assignment on time.”

Students mainly use Instagram to share their “lab cooks” with family and friends who follow the account. Albright decided to incorporate this into her class as a way to teach her students about internet safety.

“It started as a project for my Masters degree; I had this idea that social media is not going away, so what if we can use it as a familiar platform for educational purposes,” Albright said. “In culinary chemistry, students have a lot of at-home cooking assignments and need to share that work with me to get credit. I think the advantage is students stay more engaged in their learning and excited to share content about class related materials.”

Barbara Brault’s wheel throwing class also recently made a joint account for their small class of four.

The account is for fun rather than being a part of the class like culinary chemistry.

“It was kind of a group decision [to make the Instagram account],”

junior Margaret Shirey, who is in the class, said. “We all post on it and have the login for it cause our class is only four people.”

Not only do they upload pictures of their creations, but they also make videos. A recent video got up to 4,500 views.

“We mostly post progress and if someone finishes something we post that,” Shirey said. “We’re starting to do time lapses and stuff, so we made some of those.”

Similar to the ceramics class, senior Camille Gravel’s sculpture class had the idea last year to make an Instagram account to post their creations as well.

“Our class last year always took

“We post random pictures, mostly funny things that we laugh about during class.”

Camille Gravel senior

photos of our sculptures over time,” Gravel said. “We ended up wanting to post them somewhere, so we made an Instagram.”

In addition to progress updates on their creations in class, the students also post group pictures and funny things that happen in class.

“We post progress photos,” Gravel said. “We also post random pictures, mostly funny things that we laugh about during class.”

Throughout the years, the group has bonded through being in class together and posting amusing things on their joint account, cperiodsculpture23.

“We made the account last year when we were in C period so we named the account ‘cperiodsculpture23,’ not thinking we might have a different period,” Gravel said. “It was luck that we are still in C period sculpture so that we don’t have to change the name.”

Whether it’s used to grade assignments or students create one for fun, class Instagrams add a new and interesting aspect to the class and bring students together.

“It’s helped us to appreciate our unique pieces and branch out from the classics,” Shirey said. “We also have learned to really admire each other and are now close enough to take and give constructive criticism.”

S tory and graphic by Easterly Yeaman Arts Editor and Social Media Manager

CHOPPING CHARLIE

Photo by Jack Neuhoff

Photo by Angela Weiss/TNS

Photo by Kevin Winter/TNS

Photo by Valerie Macon/TNS

arts

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Theater adds to college application process

Seniors Liam Pham and Hunter Hurt prepare for pre-screens and more

S tory by Alexandra Warner Views Editor

After perfecting his songs and monologues with his voice teacher Vonda Bowling, senior Hunter Hurt is ready to film his pre-screen. Setting up his camera in his room, Hurt takes a deep breath and hits the record button. Lights. Camera. Action.

In the fall, seniors are busy applying to colleges. But for senior performing arts students, like Hurt and Liam Pham, their route to college is more complex. They practice more intensely and submit pre-screens on top of writing additional essays to submit to their Common Application.

“Some of our students applying as performance majors are going through a process right now which is required by many colleges that offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater or Theater and Performance,” Director of College Guidance Chris Gonzales said. “They go through a pre-screen process in which they film and upload videos meeting specific requirements [for each school].”

The application process used to be more time consuming because students would have to drive or fly to in-person auditions. When Covid-19 hit, colleges changed their process to pre-screens and submitting videos, and they have decided to keep this routine, allowing applicants to save money.

“When I was a student and going through the auditioning process, I flew to multiple campuses and drove to two regional auditions,” upper school acting teacher Lauren Redmond said. “Because we’re coming out of this Covid-19 era, a lot of places are opening up the option of video submissions.”

Redmond also said that in the past international students could only do video submissions, so it’s

not a new concept to receive applications this way.

“It’s just more readily accessible now because colleges are now realizing that kids are applying to like 20 schools,” Redmond said.

The pre-screens are one of the most important aspects of the application process. After the student has submitted their pre-screens to colleges, the college will review the submission in the fall and inform the student on whether or not they should continue to submit their application for the arts program.

“Student may be offered an invitation to audition for a place in their program [while those denied] would need to select another major before continuing their application to that college,” Gonzales said. “By doing the prescreen process upfront, applicants can learn if the programs they’re interested in would like them to audition, which means they don’t have to complete the entire application process for schools that might not be a match for their artistic talent.”

have what I need to submit as far as monologues and songs and dance goes, and most of them are through this website called Acceptd. I like to load all my stuff into Acceptd, and then I submit to the schools through that for pre-screens. [Sometimes colleges] also use slide room.”

Applying to these fine arts programs can also be difficult because these programs are often looking for a specific look or gender in a performing arts student. Hurt is applying to a lot of programs because “the colleges only accept about 30 or less kinds into their programs” out of around 1,000 that apply.

“As talented as our students are, you have to throw the net wide [in applying to schools], because theater schools are looking for such a specific fit.”

Chris Gonzales Director of College Guidance

Because applying to college for fine arts requires extensive practice, it can be easy to forget or procrastinate parts of the application. Pham and Hurt have found ways to organize the colleges they’re applying to and keep their pre-screens available for submission.

“I have a spreadsheet of colleges, and I keep the school size, the GPA requirement, the ACT and SAT requirements all in that folder so it’s organized,” Pham said. “And then I

“As talented as our students are, you have to throw the net wide [in applying to schools], because theater schools are looking for such a specific fit,” Gonzales said. “Sometimes they’re looking for a very specific type of actor to round out that program, and your prescreen might be wonderful, but you just don’t fit that type. So that’s why BFA theater applicants should generally complete pre-screens for a large number of schools.”

Standing out is crucial when applying to fine arts programs. Not just in the application portion but what songs, dances or soliloquies an applicant uses in their pre-screens and auditions.

“I’m trying to pick songs and monologues that aren’t overdone,” Pham said. “I think what works best to make you stand out is if you just pick things that are good for your

voice and for you, then you’ll show the best part of yourself and that’s what you want to do.”

Pham and Hurt are also using resources to guide them through this process whether it’s help on their pre-screens or the application and essays with guidance counselors. Pham works with Redmond and upper school choir teacher Joe Snyder on songs and monologues where Pham is “acting while singing.”

“I worked with [Liam] throughout the summer, and I’m still working with him,” Redmond says. “We had set times [where] we would meet here at school and we would go over song selections or we would go over monologue selections and work those pieces. I’ve been helping him relearn his dance piece for auditions.”

While Pham has been taking advantage of the school resources, Hurt has been utilizing his voice teacher Bowling. He still asks his school teachers for a second pair of eyes, but Hurt’s main guide has been his private voice teacher.

“I go to my voice teacher once a week [for] an hour long lesson where we work on repertoire stuff [like] when I was filming my prescreens and my audition,” Hurt said. “We picked out songs I was going to sing… and then other songs in case [colleges] wanted to hear anything else.”

As Hurt and Pham continue their journey in submitting college applications, the resources they have are always supporting them and want to make their process easy while having a fun and enjoyable senior year.

“These students are very self-directed,” Gonzales said. “They already have given a great deal of thought about applying to this major, so we find that they are typically very organized, and we’re just trying to keep them on track to make this process less stressful and fun.”

Senior students actors dive into the process of applying to college arts programs

Copy Editor Elliot Lovitt finds fun activities around Dallas to do during Thanksgiving break

4, 2022

POST CARDS FROM DALLAS

Thanksgiving is one of the most beloved holidays in America and one of my favorites. Every year, I eagerly look forward to the week-long break filled with delicious food and time spent with family. On Thanksgiving Day, Dallas offers a wide variety of activities to fill the day. This year, you can spend your day exercising, giving back to our community and watching good football — all before Thanksgiving dinner.

TURKEY TROT

8:30 A.M.

a personal record and walk away with a medal. Photo credit: The YMCA of Dallas

If you can’t attend the parade and while you’re recovering from the race — and the kitchen crew begins preparing dinner — put on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV. Every year, the New York City

There is no more rewarding way to spend the afternoon on the day of thanks than giving back to the Dallas community through Meals on Wheels. Last year, the organization delivered thousands of Thanksgiving meals to the elderly. This is an opportunity to bring family and friends along to support our community and give the less fortunate a warm Thanksgiving meal. Meals on Wheels is not limited to just meal delivery, so don’t worry if it’s not feasible. The organization offers various special projects so that everyone has the chance to serve. Contact volunteer@vnatexas.org for more information. Photo credit: (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

The Dallas Cowboys Game against the New York Giants kicks off have played on almost every Thanksgiving Day since 1966. Either hop on the couch or jump in the car and drive to the AT&T

By 7 p.m., it’s finally time to sit down with family or friends and become stuffed with delicious food while telling stories and reconnecting with family members. My favorite part of the break is getting the chance to contribute to the meal whether it’s a turkey that takes hours to prepare or store-bought crescent rolls. Thanksgiving Dinner is the perfect end to the break.

injury. Photo credit: (Smiley N. Pool/ The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

S tory by Elliot Lovitt Copy Editor

The Hunt is On

For sophomore Johnny Willingham, hunting pigs, deer or birds is a principle family tradition and rewarding sport. Hunting is not only a cultural practice; many hunt to control populations, feed themselves or collect trophies. Some are opposed to the ethics or environmental elements of hunting, such as senior Amber Donahue or biology teacher Max Augé

THE CULTURE A rustle of leaves catches the hunter’s attention. He turns, pulling the string of his bow to his ear and focusing his senses. He signals his tribe members to follow. They all creep towards the sound, hoping this hunt will serve the tribe well.

Humans, in the beginning, were mostly nomadic. When hunting first began, the practice was largely out of necessity and people used all parts of the animal for food, clothes and tools. “Ninety-five percent of our time as humans has been a time of hunting and gathering,” upper school history and religion teacher Travis Gilmore said. “So before the advent of agriculture, we just hunted. We found things through scavenging, we found things gathering and we eventually developed technologies that hunted animals.”

When agriculture and livestock became a common practice, the number of people that hunted dwindled. However, hunting had a resurgence during the European Middle Ages.

“Hunting used to only be reserved for the upper class, for the nobility and for the aristocracy,” Gilmore said. “Because who owns the land? The rich. This was the claim. Whoever owns the land owns the wildlife on it. Therefore, only landowners can kill the wildlife on it.”

Hunting in Europe often is seen as a very “posh” thing to do because it requires land ownership. In the U.S., however, hunting is possible for everyone because of the amount of free, public land.

“In fact, because it’s done by people that are rural in America and because rural people tend to make far less, there’s going to be a lot lower socioeconomic class within the rural communities in America,” Gilmore said. “We associate hunting with [the] lower class, not [the] upper class.”

While hunting is not as crucial to survival as it was in the past, some Americans still rely on hunting for food.

“I actually grew up with people that hunted to eat because it was much cheaper,” Gilmore said. “Could they afford grocery bills? Yes, but it was hard. They were rather poor people that would hunt as a way to alleviate their grocery bill. So they were getting close to subsistence hunting at that point. [This] was not uncommon where I grew up.”

People often hunt for recreation or to spend time with family. According to the College of Natural Resources, only 4 percent of Americans hunt; however, a poll taken on Nov. 1 out of 160 students and faculty said that 73 percent of them hunt.

“I first started hunting with my dad around kindergarten,” junior Stephen Swann said. “I would just go sit with him at first and watch him hunt, but I got my first gun in first grade and harvested my first deer in second grade.”

When people think of hunting they often think of guns; however, in 2021, according to Statista, 4.58 million people bow hunt. Using a bow requires more skill and patience.

“I have picked up bow hunting which makes hunting for me way more exciting because instead of being 100 yards from an animal, I am within 20 yards of it, making every aspect of the hunt more exciting and difficult,” Swann said. “If the wind is wrong the animal will run away if it picks up my scent, but also I get to see the animal up close and personal.”

Even though males make up the majority of hunters are male, a small number of women hunt as well. According to Statista, 15 million people in the U.S. who hunt. Yet, only 1.2 million of them are women, according to National Public Radio.

“I go hunting about four to five times a year with my dad or with my cousins,” freshman Stella Wynne said. “I started going on hunts with my dad [when I was] around 5, and the first hunt I went on was duck hunting.”

But hunting is not for everyone. People often question the ethics of killing animals when grocery stores are available.

“I am anti-hunting unless it is for population control or you eat all of the meat from the animal,” senior Amber Donahue said.

“I have always been an animal lover, and so I naturally don’t like the idea of violence towards animals. I understand its tradition for many kids here, especially in Texas, but I just personally wouldn’t be able to do it myself…If killing is a ‘game’ to someone I don’t support it, especially when the playing field isn’t even close to even.”

Some believe that the ways in which animals are bred and killed in commercial farming are worse than hunting, as they are not able to definitively tell that the animal was treated with due respect. Gilmore used to hunt growing up but he doesn’t do it anymore.

“Hunting really did not appeal to me personally, so it wasn’t an ethical question per se,” Gilmore said. “I did not enjoy taking the life of another animal… I’m sure people in America are completely disconnected from the meat they consume. They have no idea where it came from or what’s going on with those animals or how ethical that is. I think most people would regard factory farming to be way more ethically problematic than hunting is, because there are certain ethics about hunting, where if there’s an animal in your sight, you have

percent of community members do not support hunting endangered species

to take a shot in such for the animal that shot.

That’s instantaneous.”

THE ENVIRONMENT

ESD parent Alexandra from the skies of Argentina. numbers are few compared of doves swarm above ing opportunities. The pact the environment. aging their crops and

“It’s sort of a win-win when Americans and said.

“We’re really helping sonable amount.”

Ecosystems hold such as deer or birds. resources are plentiful, can sustain themselves, temperature drops, able for the members

“The reality is, [during] the fall or winter,” said.

“So it’s a good

Sophomore Johnny siders environmental

“Deer need to be too large,” Willingham many of them will starve. land and can ruin your

Sometimes populations seasonal starvation Parks and Wildlife agement Within Suburban 1.5 million deer deaths explained how large they are a major host herd health.

On the other hand, ment; hunting predators

“The populations because at the top of Gallo said.

“So those because there’s not

In addition to predators, can endanger tree populations. KhaengWildlife Sanctuary Yale school of the environment. frugivores (animals to over hunting, seeds roots. This occurrence sity-dependent mortality just fallen from the parent by rodents, fungal pathogens essential to terminating across forests, and this Similarly, the imbalance prompted environmental

“Being a keystone tation changed and so school biology teacher near removal of a species into the park, the park rivers was restored.”

Because of the need landowners monitor accordingly. Sometimes times, habitat destruction demise.

“Game wardens, sizes,” Auge said.

“[They] to estimate a healthy

The Texas Parks concerning Texas bird creased by 75 and 66 land owners have suspended Similar efforts have been the globe, some ending

“As long as the game ing monitored by scientists, THE ECONOMY Trophy hunting, permit that legally allows The purpose of trophy body or take a photo ample, the head of of a deer.

Trophy hunting differs without a permit. Poaching ple often poach animals The World Wildlife

73 percent of community members hunt

An old way of survival turns into a sport for many, sparking ethical and environmental controversy

S tory by Abby Baughman Life Editor, Iris Hernandez News Editor and Charlotte Traylor Staff Writer

such a way that it reduces the pain to basically zero is, your shot has to be true. It has to be a killer instantaneous.”

ENVIRONMENT

Alexandra Lovitt tallies the number of fallen doves Argentina. Her daily count is above 100, but her compared to her group’s. Unlike Texas, thousands above farms in Argentina, providing bountiful huntThe flocks are a beautiful sight but negatively imenvironment. Local farmers consider them to be pests, damand agricultural success. win-win for the [hunters and Argentinian farmers] and British tourists come down and hunt,” Lovitt helping them keep the dove population at a reaa specific carrying capacity for each population, birds. In the summer or springtime, when food and plentiful, that carrying capacity rises. More individuals themselves, like the Texan white-tailed deer. But as the vegetation growth plummets. Less food is availmembers of a species, inevitably leading to their death. a certain number of animals will die anyway winter,” upper school biology teacher John Gallo thing that [hunters] get rid of such deer.” Johnny Willingham, an experienced hunter, also conenvironmental patterns while hunting. hunted to help keep the population from getting Willingham said. “If the deer population gets too large, starve. I also hunt pigs, because they mess up the your crops.” populations must be managed for reasons other than concerns. Greg Casey, employee of The Texas association, published an article on “Deer ManSuburban Areas,” reporting 200 human deaths and deaths per year due to deer-vehicle collisions. He populations of deer transmit Lyme disease, as host for black legged ticks - all causing a decline in hand, hunting can be disastrous for the environpredators is typically discouraged by scientists. [of predators] are particularly low to begin with of the food chain there are not many predators,” those kinds of critters you’re better off leaving alone that many.” predators, excessive hunting of birds and other prey populations. A study performed at the Huai Kha Sanctuary in western Thailand was reported by the environment. It found that when birds and other that feed on fruit) were absent in a region, due seeds were inadequately dispersed away from tree occurrence can be fatal considering seed’s specific “denmortality rates.” Seeds clumped together that have parent tree have a greater chance of consumption pathogens and insects. Birds and frugivores are terminating this process by eating and carrying seeds this is only made possible by the birds’ abundance. imbalance of wolves in Yellowstone National Park environmental changes. keystone species, other species were out of balance, vegeso did the flow of rivers through the park,” upper teacher Max Augé said. “It’s crazy to think that the species could do this. When wolves were resettled park began to heal, and the flow of water through restored.” need to maintain this fragile balance, hunters and species numbers to adjust their hunting activity Sometimes low numbers are a result of hunting; other destruction or predator prosperity causes a species’ park rangers, etc. have to analyze population “[They] use computer modeling, prior history, etc. healthy number for licensing hunts.” Parks and Wildlife organization published statistics bird species: bobwhites and scaled quails have de66 percent respectively since 1980. In response, suspended hunting to allow population recovery. been made for countless species across Texas and ending in success, others in failure. game is a legal game, and it’s something that’s bescientists, [hunting] is fine,” Gallo said.

when a person pays a government to receive a allows the killing of a certain species of animal. trophy hunting is to acquire a part of the animal’s photo to have a symbol of a successful hunt, for exa lion, the claws of a black bear and the antlers differs from poaching, which is killing an animal Poaching is linked to trophy hunting because peoanimals that are considered trophies like elephants. Foundation estimates that 40,000 elephants are

globally illegally killed every year.

“I see the value in [allowing] someone to protect their elephant population so they’ll [allow hunters to hunt them],” AP Economics teacher Amy Livingston said. “Then you’re allowing hunters to come in because they don’t see another outlet to kill them. That doesn’t mean that you’re never going to have poaching in a legal situation.”

Livingston thinks that there will always be poaching, but when legal hunting is allowed, animal populations grow and there’s an economic benefit to those people who are selling the licenses to give people the right to hunt.

Livingston believes that legal hunting is important to all economies, no matter where, and that it is also important for protecting the animals. In her opinion, it all goes back to the idea of the tragedy of the commons.

“The tragedy of the commons is when you have public ownership of something where no one owns, like, let’s say, White Rock Lake. So no one owns that. It’s public property,” Livingston said. “People have less incentive to take care of it because it’s not theirs.”

She often uses this example in her classes because she lives next to White Rock Lake and sees that it is always dirty.

“And why is that? No one owns it, so no one has an incentive to clean it up,” Livingston said. “But your own front yard, you take care of your front yard. You don’t throw trash in it because it’s yours. You own it. The same can be applied to hunting. When you allow for licenses to be sold, you’re able to control the animal population.”

Trophy hunting occurs everywhere. However, it is most popular among Americans. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Americans make up 71 percent of the importation of trophies. Americans will either trophy hunt in the U.S. or travel to places like Africa, Canada or Mexico to trophy hunt.

“One notion that we need to understand is that trophy hunting still happens in America,” Gilmore said. “It is a term that is fairly pejorative. People don’t like using that term because it brings certain ethical connotations with it.”

Gilmore also said that in Africa, where most people prefer to trophy hunt, hunters catch or kill an animal that is somehow special, rare and very hard to find.

Often the most coveted animals to hunt are at risk of extinction. Because of this, there is a large discourse on the ethical implications of trophy hunting. However, in order to keep hunting these animals, trophy hunters supply the majority of funds that go into conservation. According to the National Rifle Association, ever since Namibia and South Africa allowed the hunting of a total of five Black Rhinos annually, their populations have increased by 67 percent. Black Rhinos are an endangered species, but the money accumulated by the permits to hunt them have gone into their conservation.

“So a lot of people find [trophy hunting] to be morally wrong because you should never kill anything that’s endangered, period,” Gilmore said. “What’s interesting about this is the money that is used by selling the permit is put back into the conservation fund for that country. When countries sell these very expensive permits, they’re doing this intentionally to raise money to help the population of the very thing that’s being killed.”

Trophy hunting in America is only with non-endangered animals, but animals lower in population, like the bighorn sheep, are hunted as trophies.

“Endangered species are basically never, ever going to be killed in the United States,” Gilmore said. “They are protected, and there is no permit that will ever be expensive enough to justify it. Trying to get a really big buck or really big elk bull because at that point, what they’re trying to do is they’re trying to take a male who has really big antlers. Well, that’s a trophy on the wall. So that can be considered trophy hunting.”

In America, conservation departments run by states decide what is allowed to be hunted. These decisions are made to keep a healthy balance of ecosystems and to avoid populations of animals becoming too high or too low. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, only a very limited number of bighorn sheep are hunted annually.

“If there are no hunters, there’s no balance anymore, because then what other methods can you use to keep the population too high or too low?” Gilmore asked. “If there are no hunters, the population is going to get too high.”

Gilmore also said that there could be ways of doing population control without hunting, but it would be extremely expensive. Euthanizing animals, which involves capturing thousands of animals and then putting them down with some kind of lethal injection, would be one way of controlling population growth. In his opinion, hunters are an economical way of giving people what they want: hunters want to hunt and states want a healthy animal population.

Passed in 1937, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act put an 11 percent tax on sporting rifles, shotguns, ammunition and archery equipment, as well as a 10 percent tax on handguns. All of the money generated is distributed to the state based on the hunting population and used for wildlife conservation. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, hunters’ taxes supply $1.8 billion into wildlife conservation.

“[The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act] falls in line with what we call the benefits principle of taxation which is that, if I’m not hunting, then I’m not paying the tax,” Livingston said. “But if I am hunting, then I’m paying a tax based on the benefits I receive from hunting. And, the money goes back into protecting the animals.”

community 1.1 million people paid for Texas hunting licenses in 2020

7.1 billion spent on hunting equipment in 2016

episcopal school of dallas

Copy Editor Elliot Lovitt and Web Editor Charlotte Tomlin exlpore Dallas to review different bookstores. This review features a combination of price, location, inventory and hospitality in hopes that our readers will indulge in and come to share our love of literature.

When I open the bright blue door of Interabang Books, I instantly feel welcomed by the staff and the friendly environment of the store. The name combines a question (interrogative) with a discovery (a bang) to demonstrate how they foster scholarship and exploration through reading. The store is nestled in the Pavilion on Lovers Lane, and though it isn’t very big, it is packed with books of every genre and various Texas-themed gifts. Their employees are knowledgeable, and the store prides itself on having experienced booksellers, setting them apart from other bookstores. Owner Nancy Perot, parent to ESD alumni, said that the store is not just a business but rather an enrichment to the community. One of the few downsides of being an independent store is the relatively small inventory of books compared to a chain bookstore. I also found that the store generally sold more hardcovers than paperback books, making the costs a bit higher. On my most recent visit to the store, I walked out with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new book, “Carrie Soto Is Back: A Novel,” along with a few gifts for family and friends. A trip to Interabang Books never disappoints, and supporting them is supporting our Dallas community.

5600 W Lovers Ln Suite 142, Dallas, TX 75209 Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sunday 12-6 p.m.

Logos Bookstore lies in the center of the threeblock shopping center in Highland Park. It is filled with Bibles, gifts and other Christian-related books. I had never visited this store before, and to be quite honest, I did not realize that it almost only sold Christian literature and gifts. Nonetheless, the store has a lot to offer, and my experience was good overall because of the welcoming and helpful staff. They also have an extensive children’s section with secular children’s books and Christian children’s stories. They have a variety of non-book items like cards, posters, music and movies. The store is pretty small, but like Interabang, it is loaded with goodies. Whenever I make a trip to a bookstore, one of my favorite parts is sitting down with a potential purchase and flipping through the pages; a downside to Logos is their lack of seating in the store. If you’re looking for a Bible, motivational book, Christian novel or a wide variety of gifts, then Logos is the store for you.

6713 Snider Plaza, Dallas, TX 75205

Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Barnes and Noble is a cult classic. For years, every Sunday, my parents would take me to Barnes and Noble to buy books for the week. I’d always walk out with stacks of books — and today nothing has changed. The two-story Barnes and Noble on Northwest Hwy and 75 has an intriguing layout that changes every few months but still remains easy to navigate. The bookstore staff is always eager to help me find what I’m looking for and is quick to provide recommendations if I ask. This time, I bought “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “Verity.” Barnes and Noble is a solid, well-established bookstore, enveloping me in nostalgia, and I’ve always had a great experience. 7700 W Northwest Hwy #300 Monday-Sunday 10a.m.-9p.m.

Just down the road from Barnes and Noble in Dallas is Half-Price Books, another chain bookstore urging people to crack open a book and indulge. Half-Price Books buys used books from the public and resells them at cheaper prices, as well as donates millions of books to local nonprofits and organizations across the world. When I walked in, I almost felt overwhelmed by the size. It felt like there were no walls, just rows and rows of books. Once I got over my astonishment, I perused the stacks. Half Price Books has what seems like thousands of books, in every genre, for cheaper prices than what’s offered at Barnes and Noble. As someone who could spend $200 on books on any given day, the cheaper prices are a huge advantage to buying from Half-Price Books. The displays are engaging, and the staff is ready to help at any given moment. Not to mention, the record collection is expansive, spanning decades and including both used and new records — a definite plus. However, because the store has so many books, the spines of the books are displayed on the shelves rather than the covers. As someone who most definitely judges a book by its cover, this makes it hard to find books quickly. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative for an expansive collection of books, Half-Price Books is the place for you. 5803 E NW Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231

Monday-Sunday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Situated in the center of Deep Ellum is Deep Vellum: a small bookstore with big character. Not only does Deep Vellum sell books, but they also publish books, have a regular book club and host poetry readings. This store prioritizes small, indie writers — an aspect of the store that is refreshing to see. I was greeted by a friendly worker who encouraged me to “touch all the books” when I walked in. Although their book collection isn’t as extensive as a chain bookstore, they emphasize showcasing Dallas authors, which makes up for the small selection. Posters and cardboard rectangles with witty quips cover the walls, and there are a few chairs and a couch that add to the comfortable ambiance of the store. There is also a floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall bookshelf with a sliding ladder that is packed with novels of various genres, and just outside lies a cart with $5 books. Additionally, Deep Vellum is a nonprofit, and as I was leaving, I noticed a bright blue locker around the side of the store that said “Free Store.” This locker has many canned vegetables that are free for the taking, confirming to me how much they value and support the Dallas community. The only downside to the great location is that parking is limited, so a lengthy walk might be necessary on a busy day. All in all, Deep Vellum has a ton of personality and a lot to offer. 3000 Commerce St, Dallas, TX 75226 Sunday-Saturday 12-6 p.m.

G raphic by Charlotte Tomlin and Elliot Lovitt

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p.17-21

Co-Editor-in-Chief Grace Worsham

discusses the importance of implementing excused mental health days for students 18

in high schools and the effects of too much caffeine on teenagers

The Eagle Edition does not agree with the no-shoulder rule

Living in Texas, the heat is inescapable. August and September bring sticky car seats, flushed faces and a growing desire to be anywhere but the South. In September, seniors were feeling the heat. On the morning of Sept. 22, during a state fair-themed rally day for the senior class, a number of girls wore tank tops and cut-off shorts in an attempt to lessen the effects of the 100-degree heat. By the end of the day, however, the girls could be seen red-faced and disappointed, wearing a variety of mismatched sweatshirts.

Page 55 of the handbook states that on casual dress days, “tank tops and bare midriffs are not allowed.” And while we cannot remember a time this was strictly enforced over the past couple of years, enforcement of the rule has seen a resurgence this year, particularly affecting girls in the senior class. A number of female students could be seen on the rally day wearing sweatshirts that they were asked to put on by administrators despite the intense heat that could be felt from the courtyard where the rally day was held. The Eagle Edition staff strongly disagrees with this rule in the handbook and believes it to be unfair and an echo of an outdated view toward dress.

We understand that it is important for a dress code to be in place. Being in a school environment — any school environment,

regardless of whether it be public, private, college prep, etc. — means there is a certain standard of dress for students in order to maintain an element of professionalism. We have no issues with the administration’s hesitancy to allow denim cut-off shorts and shirts that show midriff. The preeminent issue our staff has with the enforcement of this tank top rule is that it is not applied across all divisions within the school.

While it has been made clear by the administration that wearing a tank top to a senior rally day is inappropriate, athletic teams are still allowed to wear tank tops during pep rallies, game days and during sporting events. What the Eagle Edition staff cannot understand is why exactly there is a disparity in those who are allowed to show their shoulders and those who cannot. After speaking with administrators on the subject, they have agreed that to have athletic teams wear their uniforms exposing shoulders while condemning other students for wearing tank tops during spirit dress days is inequitable. After discussions, a widely agreed upon rule was the “three-finger” rule. This rule, proposed by one of our staff members,

“In order to ensure a positive, equitable learning space for female students, swift revision to our dress code must be made. ”

Eagle Edition Staff

would mean that a student would be allowed to wear a tank top to school on a free dress day so long as the strap is at least three fingers wide. In implementing this rule, the school would have a much more equitable dress code, in the opinion of the Eagle Edition. With the implementation of this rule, not only would there be more equality among the students in their dress, but more importantly, a number of female students would be able to feel more comfortable during free and spirit dress days. We understand that asking for something like this can feel nit-picky and unimportant; however, we would like to emphasize the embarrassment that comes with being a female student who has been dress coded.

Our staff is one that is composed of all female students. With that comes a common agreement that getting dress coded for something, even something as simple as exposed shoulders, can make you feel as though you have entered a world of discomfort. The Eagle Edition asks that our school rethink this dress code policy and create provisions that are needed for equity and to better fit contemporary culture.

Our desire to revise the dress code is one that does not stand entirely alone. Schools all over the country have been rethinking the way they view their dress codes. In a 2020 study by Todd A. DeMitchell, a professor at the University of New Hampshire, DeMitchell explored the ways in which dress codes in New Hampshire schools enforced the ideas of unnecessary sexualization of female students by examining the rhetoric of dress code policies in public school handbooks.

“The problem with this theme is the ascribing of ‘provocation’ to female clothing,” the study reads. “In other words, the dress choice of females is presumed to be designed to attract attention from males.”

Schools all over the country have been re-examining their outdated views on dress code and how that perpetuates harmful ideas about female students. We ask that our school, in light of national events and the recent events that have now taken place in our own community, reexamine this rule about dress.

This year, the school changed the handbook policy of skirt length to being a “professional length” from its former “fingertip length.” In the same way that the outdated skirt policy found its way revised, we must now do the same for a rule that we deem outdated and inappropriate. In order to ensure a positive, equitable learning space for female students, swift revision to our dress code must be made.

Lauren Shushi examinnes the energy drink epidemic

Diversity in fashion vs tokenism

S tory by Elisabeth Siegel Managing Editor

Ever since British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful started his journalism career, he has said that fashion is an “inclusive, beautiful thing.” In recent years, the fashion industry has rightfully made strides in attempting to improve the representation of different body types and skin colors. Despite this progress, there is still more work to be done. The fashion industry needs to normalize the representation of all colors and sizes instead of treating models as either outcasts or pawns in marketing ploys.

It is never fun to scroll through a brand’s online store and constantly see the same girl or many girls who look the same: tall, white and skinny. I often find myself thinking, “is this piece of clothing actually cute, or just cute because of who is posing in it?” It’s not that the clothes can only look beautiful on these models; it’s just that the fashion industry has an obsession with the same look.

It is important for customers to see someone who looks like them wearing the clothes so that they know the clothes are meant for them, too. Unsurprisingly, I am drawn more toward companies who have different body types modeling the clothes. For example, Scandinavian brand Djerf Avenue’s ready-towear collections are shown off by models who look like “everyday people.” Although they may not be high fashion’s usual duplicates, they are extremely beautiful, and there is no reason why there shouldn’t be space for them in the industry.

Racial diversity has also been a prominent issue in fashion. For decades, many brands haven’t included many minorities as their models, perpetuating the idea that whiteness is the beauty standard. Enninful remembers attending many shows

where there wasn’t a single black model in a lineup of 40. Frustrated by this lack of representation, he collaborated with photographer Steven Meisel and Italian Vogue Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani to feature only black models cover-to-cover in a 2008 issue of Vogue Italia. The bold move finally offered the world proof that, as Enninful puts it, “Black can sell.” The publisher, Condé Nast, had to rush to reprint and distribute 40,000 more copies due to its popularity. American Vogue’s Chief Critic Sarah Mower wrote that it “electrified” the industry, “forcing the fashion world to reconsider its resistance to using non-white models.”

Because of trailblazers like Enninful and Djerf, the fashion industry has become a more inclusive space. If you compare today’s models with those of only a decade ago, it is evident that there has been a significant change. While there is definitely more work to be done, contemporary fashion is far more heterogeneous than ever before.

“Fashion is art, and art is supposed to depict its environment: a world where there are men and women of all different sizes and skin tones.”

At the same time, it is important to question whether some of these brands are genuine or just trying to capitalize on a facade of inclusivity. “Tokenism” is when companies recruit minorities to show that they are diverse, but their motives aren’t genuine. They attempt to improve their public image to their unknowing customers just so they can avoid accusations of racism, fatphobia and other offenses.

Model Ashley Graham is a spear -

check

Elisabeth Siegel senior

head for representation: she was the first plus-sized model to walk for Michael Kors and to cover an issue of Vogue. While she has been upset at being the only curve model in multiple shows, she hopes that the designers are genuinely using her to create change. Graham says that as long as the client continues to “branch out and say, ‘This was our first time; next time we’re going to add more of the race, the gender, the sexuality, the religion, the disability,’ whatever it is,” she is happy to be a part of their mission. If the industry changes its limited perspective on beauty standards, she says, “that’s where you see the movement really not being a movement, but being really normal.” Now, while appearing in multiple fashion week shows, she continues to advocate for body positivity.

Recent Vogue issues have featured influential women on their covers, such as Serena Williams, instead of constantly only featuring fashion models. Williams also appeared in “Vogue World,” a global livestreamed fashion show and street fair, alongside men and women of all different looks. Instead of only having a few diverse models here and there, the show was filled with them.

Fashion is art, and art is supposed to depict its environment: a world where there are men and women of all different sizes and skin tones. When diversity is normalized in shows and photoshoots through genuine representation, real change can be made in how we view beauty.

Mental health, a legitimate reason to miss school

According to the World Health Organization, cases of mental health disorders have increased 25 percent within the past two years. As these cases have increased, a wide variety of demographics have become affected, especially adolescents. Many students are struggling in school and at home while wrestling to find help when the term mental health is still largely viewed as taboo in many communities.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 50 percent of all lifetime mental illnesses begin at the age of 14, and one in six U.S. youth experience a mental health disorder each year. In perspective, that would mean that around 69 out of 411 upper school students in our community are battling a mental health disorder, and that number is rising. With school comes pressure, competition and stress that can amplify these disorders and may require reform in the school system. In its Aug. 30 episode, The Daily, a New York Times podcast, journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner for National Reporting Matt Richtel explains both the change in mental health and the recent rise of adolescents suffering from it.

“In the ’80s, the public health risks were very different. [There was] binge-drinking, drunk driving, cigarette use was still very high, teen pregnancy and early experimentation with sex,” Richtel said in the podcast.

“These were known as externalized risks. They were happening, say, in the physical world… The new set of risks are internalized risks. There [has] been a transformation in the kinds of risks facing adolescents.”

Richtel later explains how pediatricians and hospitals are illequipped to face this growing mental health crisis that surpassed physical health conditions in 2019. He describes how medicine is not the whole answer to the solution, but how the solution relies more deeply on society.

“While medication may be a part of [this] conversation, it can’t be the final answer,” Richtel said. “So where does that leave us? I think — recognizing that given the complexity of the world and the early onset of puberty, the mass of information coming at young people, we have to do a better job providing the structure that acts partly as the regulatory function of the young person’s brain.”

feel more comfortable sharing their struggles or reaching out for help, maybe they would have an easier time staying in classes.

In a Sept. 29 upper school student body poll, 38 out of 141 students said that 25 percent of the classes they miss in a week are due to mental health-related issues.

out of 141 students said that 25 percent of the classes they miss a week are due to mental health related issues

Source: Oct. 5 upper school student poll

This help in providing structure, validating feelings and understanding the changes and growth in adolescent life can be performed both by psychologists, friends, parents and school administrators. If students

Others say they force themselves to stay in class while continuing to struggle internally. I believe there should be mental health days implemented into this school and other schools around the country. A few states have already passed laws, including Washington, California and Illinois, that consider mental illness as a legitimate reason for missing school, while schools within the Dallas area, like Greenhill, have mental health days as well. Under a mental health day protocol, a student is allowed to have at least three excused absences if they have a constant lack of energy, extreme anxiety, a panic attack or depressive episode, dark thoughts or any other related mental health issues that are impeding on their education. A student would experience more

benefits if they went home and treated their symptoms instead of sitting through class where they are preoccupied with their internal issues.

Certain sports, including field hockey, do have mental health days where athletes can miss practice if they are not feeling well emotionally.

During the school day, the upper school office is usually understanding if a parent calls in about a student missing school, but it would be easier if mental health days were established. Some students do not want to miss school for fear of falling behind, Upper School Emotional Wellness Counselor Meredith Stuelpe said there are some alternatives for those students who start to feel stressed during the day.

“I think if you are really finding it hard to focus because of your mental health, getting up and maybe working at one of the standing desks, getting a drink of water to provide a distraction or excusing yourself to go to the restroom to stretch and get some fresh air [is helpful],” Stuelpe said. “At any time students can always talk to the teacher and come to the counseling office… and we are always happy to provide strategies in managing anxiety or depression or something else.”

Our school wants to help us become our best selves, but many are still struggling, and I believe more extensive changes need to be made for the benefit of our students’ well-being.

O pinion by Grace Worsham Co-Editor-in-Chief

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Should people be able to claim space and own it?

By

Pro: yes

Let me preface this by saying I am not a thrill-seeker. Sure, I’ll go on a zip line over a canyon— only because I know I am securely strapped in. But I’ll never lean too far over the edge of a railing lest I go just one inch too far. I don’t like taking unnecessary risks.

The notion of outer space has always made me nervous. This massive, seemingly never-ending area filled with constantly exploding stars and mysterious uninhabitable planets is an area full of unknown. This doesn’t sit well with me. Even writing this, my heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty. I like facts and identifiable boundaries. Part of what makes space so scary to me is that no one really knows what’s out there. Yes, we have pictures from telescopes and video footage of people walking on the moon, but we don’t know what it’s like on the frontier of space. However, just because I, myself, am not a fan of space, that doesn’t mean other people shouldn’t be allowed to explore it.

The “final frontier” is a concept I admire from afar. I applaud the efforts of the 1960s Space Race that landed us on the moon, as well as the modern efforts of Elon Musk and SpaceX attempting to get us to Mars. In fact, I am excited to see what discoveries will emerge from our missions into space. But you will never catch me volunteering myself for a space flight. I am not the only person with a fear of space; according to a poll conducted by the satellite company Inmarsat, 97 percent of the 20,000 surveyed confirmed that they do have a fear of space. So what’s the way to combat this widespread fear of space, and for people like myself, the fear of the unknown? Exploration.

But it’s easier said than done. According to The Outer Space Treaty, “there is no claim for sovereignty in space; no nation can ‘own’ space, the Moon or any other body.” This lack of possibility for ownership of space could be extremely harmful. Just like any other area on Earth where one nation cannot make a claim to it — like the atmosphere or oceans — the area is predisposed to be overused to the point of depletion. If no government is regulating how the resources of a given area are used, then the resources are bound to be over harvested and overexploited. Space is no exception, and the depletion has already begun: according to NASA, approximately 23,000 pieces of space debris, natural meteoroid or human-made debris circulating in space, larger than a softball — which is large enough to damage a satellite or spacecraft — are traveling at speeds up to 17,500 mph in space. The lack of governmental regulation of space is leading to the pollution of space, another example of the phenomenon of “The Tragedy of the Commons.” If governments don’t continue colonizing space of their own accord, then individuals should be allowed to make efforts themselves. Take, for example, the work of Elon Musk. Musk is creating and testing a Starship system for moon landings and hopes to eventually land crewed missions on Mars. The work of Musk is revamping space travel and reigniting a fire for space exploration that the world has been lacking for decades. Additionally, The Outer Space Treaty — a treaty signed by 110 countries around the world that entered into force on Oct. 10, 1967 — specifies that although governments cannot claim areas of space as their own, non-governmental or governmental organizations can partake in space ventures, but the government still “retains jurisdiction and control” over spacecrafts and “any personnel thereof, while in outer space or on a celestial body.” Essentially, this means that although no one government cannot make territorial claims on any area of space, the government can regulate the activities of their citizens there. This clause makes no logical sense. Think of space as another country. If a U.S. citizen migrates to France and becomes a French citizen, then the U.S. government does not retain control over that person— they become part of the French jurisdiction. So why should this apply to space?

Furthermore, allowing for ownership of areas of space would open up ample economic opportunities. Planetary Resources, Kepler Energy and Deep Space Industries are companies that have developed in recent years. They are devoted to mining the useful mineral resources in asteroids. In 2015, the United States passed the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act; this act essentially states that if an American citizen can obtain materials from an asteroid, they effectively own it, and thus they are free to sell it. This act should apply to all aspects of space, including planets. Especially if people like Elon Musk want to continue their mission to colonize Mars, the extension of the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act would allow for people to really colonize and use the territory to their advantage.

If The Outer Space Treaty was dissolved, nations would be allowed to make claims to areas of space and regulate its use. However, this will most likely not happen — instead, people should be allowed to make claims to areas of space and own it. As long as those people have the means to defend the land they claim, then it’s their moral responsibility to take care of it.

Con: no

The year is 4022. Tesla rovers can be found roaming the suburbs on Mars, making their way through the neighborhoods and streets, stopping at North-planet mall. People pay for their comet-books and other items with star bucks, all whilst war rages light years away on the dark side of the Moon as a consequence of territory battles over land.

This alternate universe may seem preposterous or even akin to a science fiction novel, and that is because it is. Humans living in space is pure science fiction as we presently do not have the technology or advancements to accomplish this feat. Additionally, people claiming land in space could possibly lead to the outcomes of human growth or conflict seen above, which is simply speculation based on patterns of the human condition.

Even though the possibility of a human settlement in space could still be centuries away — and still might not ever happen — there are already limitations in place to avoid a future such as the one above.

Talk surrounding the notion of preserving space for peaceful use began as early as the 1950s at the United Nations, and later the United States and the Soviet Union both proposed separate drafts of an outer space treaty in 1966.

The Outer Space Treaty was then open for signature in 1967 after being mutually agreed upon between the UN General Assembly. The treaty details that there is no claim allowed for sovereignty in space, and that no nation can “own” space, the Moon or any other celestial body, among other things. As of February 2022, 112 nations are parties to the treaty, and 23 others have signed but have not ratified it yet.

But even with this treaty and a few others like it, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk still has a vision to colonize and claim Mars, even though Musk agrees with certainty that living on Mars would be a dangerous, cramped and a difficult feat to accomplish.

And yet, Musk’s ambitions are still firm as he has goals of building a full-sized and selfsustaining city on Mars, effectively making humans an interplanetary species. During the U.S. Air Force Day event in California in 2019, Musk said that SpaceX will need to build and fly about 1,000 Starships holding cargo, infrastructure and crew over the course of 20 years to begin building his envisioned city. He has also pegged the project to cost somewhere between $100 billion and $10 trillion.

The most vocal argument for the colonization of Mars or the claiming of space is to prolong the human race in case the Earth ever becomes inhabitable in the future,or to make Mars a glorified backup plan. As of right now — even considering all current technology and innovations — humans are not developed enough to create a sustainable colony on any celestial body.

Every single facet of the Earth is something that humans and other species have evolved around. So, to go to another planet or celestial entity where the climate and environment are not suited for humans is simply not a feasible option.

The combination of a lack of gravitational force in space, infections that could go without proper care, harsh radiation exposure, depression or other mental health issues due to a lack of fresh air and human contact, are all prevalent concerns that would make it extremely difficult for human inhabitants in space to be a reality.

While I agree that space exploration and research are great achievements that should be continued, humans should not be looking outside of the Earth at this time to claim or begin projects on Mars or elsewhere in space. Instead, we should move to progress the planet that we live on and focus on saving our planet while we can as issues of global warming, pollution, deforestation and natural resource depletion riddle our Earth.

These problems that humans have caused on our home planet are the first reason why we should not go looking for another planet or celestial body to repeat the process. If some are looking outward thinking about the possibility of transforming completely inhabitable planets into human homes, why not look internally at the planet we live on and forgo a future where Earth becomes inhabitable altogether?

to own land in space

B y Lauren Shushi Staff writer

Charlotte Tomlin Web Editor

I llustration by Lauren Shushi

editorthe

Co-Editors-in-Chief Grace Worsham and Maddy Hammett give an ode to caring less

In her 1969 hit “Me and Bobby McGee,” Janis Joplin sang “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” It has been made incredibly clear to us that we are tasked with being role models for the younger grades. In having this responsibility, we have been given much more freedom. At the most basic level, we have freedom to wear college sweatshirts, freedom to go off campus four days a week for lunch and freedom to give other students community violations (our friends have been especially enthusiastic about this one). The freedoms that we would like to address, however, are not the ones that can be explicitly mentioned in the handbook policy or relayed via Schoology by our lovely Class Dean Marcela Garcini. The freedoms we would like to discuss are our newfound freedom in individuality and the feeling that we all have the freedom to accept each other as we are. For years, we have been told by our older siblings and parents alike that senior year is a time in which students really begin to come into their own. Senior year brings with it a feeling of being unreachable by judgment and criticism from peers. Couple this with the idea that this will be the last year we get to spend

6:14 a.m. Armed with a wild-berry flavored Celsius in one hand and two heavy backpacks on either shoulder, I drift into the dark Competition Gym on the morning of Sept. 30, ready for volleyball practice. 6:22 a.m. Girls trickle into the gym, bleary-eyed with bricks on their heels. 6:25 a.m. I count five players with identical energy drinks in their hands, rushing to finish the dregs of them as warm-ups begin.

Celsius, Bang Energy, Red Bull, Monster Energy, Rockstar and Aspire are all popular and recognizable energy drinks to most, but especially to teenagers and young adults.

A report from Grand View Research, a consulting and market research company, found that teenagers alone consumed $16.3 billion worth of energy drinks in 2016 and found the worldwide market is projected to increase to $84.8 billion by 2025. Energy drinks, which are characterized by their high caffeine content and nature to give a mental and physical boost in energy, have been integrated into the culture of teenagers and

with each other in the same school, and you get a much more inclusive, individualistic group of students. Our hope is that other grades can begin this process sooner than we did.

Both of us have felt the effects of conformity. A part of being human is trying to find a place where you belong: a place in which you feel loved and accepted by those around you. The existence of this desire creates in us all a longing to fit into the community we’re placed into. High school is definitely no exception to this rule.

A part of beating this desire to conform is to highlight each other’s talents and respective interests. In an Aug. 2 letter to students and parents, Head of Upper School Henry Heil talked about the dichotomy between conformity and individuality. He discussed in the letter that sometimes it becomes difficult for a community as tight-knit as ours to embrace individuality and that the best way to beat this pressure is to, again, highlight each other’s individual talents and interests.

As soon as a community learns to embrace each other’s diverse talents, we lose our sense of fear of what can happen if we aren’t received well by our peers. If you know for certain that you will be supported by your community in all of your endeavors, no matter how they compare to your peers, you are left with nothing to lose. This is when you are finally free from the constraints of conformity. While we are encouraging you all to “care less,” don’t interpret this letter as encouragement for apathy; we are encouraging the opposite of that. As you begin to look more deeply into yourselves and reexamine your individual identities as you grow in age, we ask that you don’t lose sight of the collective. If you take anything from this letter, it is a good thing to care about those around you, no matter how much you may feel you are an individual, severed from the constraints of conformity. Really, we ask you all

“We hope [for the grades that follow ours] that you all accept each other for who you are because it really is a liberating feeling, and it is one that too often comes late.”

Maddy Hammett and Grace Worsham

to find a balance. Find it in yourselves to shed your judgment and your fear of it while also holding each other in your hearts. For the grades that follow ours, we hope that you are able to widen your friend group. We hope that you begin dressing the way you want to. We hope that you begin showcasing all of your talents publicly, no matter how far they may stray from your grades’ perceived version of “cool.” We hope that you all accept each other for who you are because it really is a liberating feeling, and it is one that too often comes late.

Caffeine-craze can cause harm to teens

young adults across the United States.

Reports have shown that adolescents are actually the fastest-growing group of caffeine users in the United States. According to Medical News Today, studies indicate that 83.2 percent of teenagers consume caffeinated beverages regularly, and at least 96 percent consume them occasionally.

With these percentages being so high, energy drink companies have taken advantage of the opening of a new market demographic: teenagers. Craftily placed advertisements in gyms, malls, sporting events, social media and television channels with high teen viewership have taken over energy drink marketing. They showcase the benefits of energy drinks, such as improving physical endurance, increasing awareness and mental focus.

Celsius, which is advertised as a fitness drink with 200 milligrams of caffeine and has gained popularity at ESD, claims the drink is clinically proven to accelerate metabolism, burn body fat and provide a boost in energy. The drink can accomplish this because it contains a unique proprietary blend called Metaplus that enacts thermogenesis, which is the production of heat, to speed up metabolism and increase caloric activity.

While the benefits of the drink are clearly listed on each can of Celsius, what is perhaps

“Energy drinks, which are characterized by their high caffeine content and nature to give a mental and physical boost in energy, have been integrated into the culture of teenagers and young adults across the United States.”

Lauren Shushi

not as widely known is that none of these claims have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Another largely missed fact is that the National Collegiate Athletic Association has actually banned Celsius for containing the stimulants guarana, ginseng, L-carnitine and taurine, which are likewise not allowed by the National Olympic Committee or the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Although energy drinks such as Celsius and Aspire are widely perceived by their consumers as being healthy, other energy drinks have been put in a far more negative light throughout the years.

Red Bull, one of the highest selling energy drinks in the world with 111 milligrams of caffeine, may be linked through studies published on PubMed Central to an abnormal heart rhythm, heart attack, and — in rare cases — death from excess intake of the substance. In fact, the drink raised such a concern for health issues in the past that France, Denmark and Norway all banned Red Bull in their countries.

These bans on energy drinks seem to be an ongoing theme. South Carolina, for example, filed a bill in 2019 to ban the selling of energy drinks to minors under the age of 18. The bill was brought on after a 16-year-old boy died from a caffeine-induced cardiac arrest.

Though doctors that supported the selling of energy drinks argued there were many misconcep-

tions about them, such as energy drinks not contributing significant amounts of caffeine to teenagers by themselves, they pointed out that the boy had triggered an irregular heartbeat only after having a large Mountain Dew, a McDonald’s latte and an energy drink all within a two hour timeframe.

It is clear that abusing the caffeine in energy drinks, and not having them in moderation, may lead to health issues. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children between the ages of 12 and 18 should not consume more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day, while the FDA suggests limiting caffeine consumption for an adult to about 400 milligrams per day.

Aspire, a well liked energy drink that is sold in the Eagles Nest, contains 80 milligrams of caffeine and is advertised as delivering smooth, sustainable energy through it containing green tea and essential vitamins.

You can find many students, including myself, in the hallways with an Aspire, or a similar energy drink, as they have caught on especially in a teenage demographic for being easily accessible, helpful and good tasting.

Though you can have too much of a good thing, sustaining a diet with multiple energy drinks or caffeinated beverages throughout the day could potentially be destructive to your health. Putting a limit on the intake of energy drinks is the smart thing to do.

Photoillustration by Grace Worsham and Maddy Hammett Co-Editors-in-Chief

O pinion by Lauren Shushi Staff Writer

Dear Editors,

We, as a community, all focus significantly on our physical health through different activities, such as participation in sports and physical education classes or doing fitness activities in our free time. Mental health is just as important, and we should start focusing on improving our emotional wellbeing.

Mental health was first focused on as early as 5 B.C. by Hippocrates, a Greek physician who is considered one of the most outstanding medical figures in history. He was the first person to consider diseases as caused naturally, not by superstition or by the gods. Hippocrates was the first person to use clubbing fingers as a diagnostic sign for lung cancer and lung disease; he was the first to begin to categorize illnesses as acute, chronic, endemic and epidemic; and he was also the first to apply strict professionalism and discipline to his medical career. Hippocrates was a pioneer in mental wellness as well. He was the first to treat his patients with mental illness by changing their environment or occupation or giving them medications rather than using techniques related to superstition and religion. The modern world didn’t begin to focus on mental health until the 20th century. In 1948, the same year the World Health Organization was founded, the first international congress on mental health took place in London. And it wasn’t until 1950, at the second session of the WHO’s Expert Committee on mental health, that “mental health” and “mental hygiene” were defined. Mental health is essential for several reasons. Especially for us, the students, who constantly experience stress from academics and extracurriculars, from our social lives, or the pressure we feel being a teenager and trying to figure out our future. Caring for our mental health can improve our mood, help us cope with stress, increase our self-esteem, work more productively and enhance our academic performance and physical health. All these benefits can not only help us now but can be helpful for the rest of our lives.

Fortunately, there are many ways to improve our mental health, such as exercising, meditation, practicing gratitude, breathing exercises and staying positive. Although many don’t know, ESD students can actually improve their mental wellness every day while on campus. Meditation offerings from Wellness Club, gaga ball, ping-pong or a walk around the Quarry are just some of the activities that can greatly improve our mental wellness and significantly reduce our stress.

Other activities on campus that can help us cope with stress are psychology club’s fun games to relax, art club to express our passions or release stress or have an intriguing discussion while enjoying food about favorite movies at film club. Mindfulness, meditation and breathing exercises can be excellent ways to reduce stress, and participating in clubs can help us find our passion and skills to boost our self-esteem, a major contributing factor to overall wellness.

If students prefer some alone time to release stress, a stroll during big or mini flex are ideal. Our school has a very calming environment. Ambling around the quarry or paying a visit to the chicken coop can help your mental wellness and also help to organize your thoughts. According to research from American Psychological Association, spending time in nature can significantly increase students’ mental wellness.

But there are many activities we can do at home as well that can improve our mental well-being. For example, we can start by spending more time with family and friends. This can help us feel more supported and like part of a community. And music improves mental wellness as well. Studies have shown that listening to music can significantly reduce stress and distract students from the anxiety and stress they often experience. Moreover, we can also improve our overall wellness by expressing gratitude to our community, such as by volunteering for our community or school. Research has shown that volunteering can teach us valuable skills, help us find a new sense of purpose and connect with new people. Besides these activities, the most essential and effortless activity we can do is get adequate sleep, at least seven hours every night. A good night’s sleep can help our body to recharge and start the next day in a great mood.

Many people would often dismiss their mental health. I also did until I learned how beneficial mental health could be to ourselves, our community and humanity. I hope everyone can start raising awareness for their mental well-being now and set a goal to have improved mental wellness, and a less stressed life, by the next Mental Wellness Month in May 2023. Stay happy, stay positive and don’t forget to be awesome.

Milken’s

Wingin’ it with Warner

initiatives

B y Alexandra Warner Views Editor

Irecently had the opportunity to learn about philanthropist and American financier Michael Milken and interview him during a social luncheon I attended on Oct. 25. He has committed himself to using his wealth to help people from funding prostate cancer research to his new building in Washington D.C., the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. He founded the Milken Family Foundation in 1982 with his brother Lowell Milken. Their goal was to find effective ways to lead children through education to a productive and accomplished life. I believe that this program is a positive example of what other fortunate politicians and people should strive to create in order to help high schoolers make an impact on the world in the future.

One of Milken’s goals for advancing the American dream is through education, and the Milken Family Foundation does that. According to their website, the foundation’s mission statement to “reform education initiatives” was founded under the belief that “young people are the nation’s greatest natural resource.” In order for our nation to grow, we need to be involved in educating and helping the younger generations as much as possible. The foundation offers 12 Milken Scholarships for high school students excelling in their classes to ensure their future education isn’t halted due to financial reasons. Teachers elect high school students that they believe excel in their school and deserve the Milken Scholarship Award.

“There are individuals that… have overcome so many challenges in life,” Milken said. “Many of them are first or second-generation Americans and many of them come

are more impactful than handouts

from the lowest socio-economic groups. We are looking for people that have potential leadership qualities who could be role models for their community and empowering them… We’re now going to support them [for] the rest of their lives.”

When students become Milken Scholars, they are now “part of a family” as Milken puts it. Not only will the scholars have people looking after them, but they will create a bond with one another. Many of these scholars are from different countries and have different ethnic backgrounds. One hundred twenty-four scholars were born outside the U.S. which goes to show that the scholarship is open to anyone; one just has to work hard. These scholars now have a support system in college, internships and jobs, and will have resources to learn about their majors or help find internships.

Along with student scholarships, another crucial key in creating a generation filled with educated and experienced students is teachers. But there is a decline in the teaching profession. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 44 percent of public school teachers “will report teaching vacancies at the start of the [2022 school] year, with more than half due to resignations.” Milken is aware that teachers are critical for upcoming generations to change the world. Milken wants to honor the teachers’ hard work through the Milken Educator Award and hopes that they will inspire other potential teachers to guide their students.

At the luncheon I attended, I was able to meet one of the educators who received the award in 2010, Rogelio Garcia. He understands that for low performing schools, some students come from complicated backgrounds and make it to the top, but the “bottom and mid-tier children’’ are the ones

that need more help and courage because they are not confident in their abilities or feel as if they have the odds stacked against them. According to Milken, 26 percent of children believe that they will have a better life than their parents. And so, how can one change their minds to want to learn and want to achieve? Garcia has a response.

“[Not only] do I tell the kids they can do it, [but I] take them by the hand and actually sit down with them and fill out an application, write those letters of recommendation and have them write a self profile sheet,” Garcia said.

Garcia believes that in order for students to believe in themselves, the teachers need to believe in them. We should be creating incentives for students to work hard for their success whether through programs like the Milken Family Foundation or providing mentorship classes for teachers to support their students. Instead of creating government led programs where people are living off of government paychecks, we should be teaching students to want to learn and to have the confidence to want to build a better life for themselves. I know this is easier said than done, but Milken’s Foundation has already changed lives with 502 scholars since 1989 and that is a start.

Currently, the Milken’s Scholars can be selected from high schools in Los Angeles, D.C., and New York City, but Milken wants to expand the scholarship opportunities to other cities like Dallas. Imagine if we could get thousands of others to support or create programs like his.

Foundations like the Milken Family Foundation create students who will excel in college with the potential to change the world. I believe that Milken is showing an example that working hard will pay off in the end.

Submission scaries by Sarah Cabrales

Charles Liu Junior

sports

Intramurals, a way to continue sports in college

Athlete alums resume their journey with opportunities provided at respective schools

S tory by Charlotte Tomlin Web Editor

As Ali Sparrow ’21 wakes up in her freshman dorm at the University of Texas at Austin, she can’t help but feel like something is missing in her life. Her mind wanders back to her high school years at ESD, filled with sports, practice after practice, game after game, win after win. Having played soccer since the age of four, Sparrow misses one of the most formative parts of her adolescence: sports.

While many high school athletes figure their days of games and teams are over once they graduate — unless they commit to a university’s varsity level team — athletes have the opportunity to participate in their university’s sport at either a club or intramural level. Club sports are more competitive, requiring tryouts and playing against other university’s club teams. On the other hand, intramural sports, organized by students, are generally less competitive and only play against other intramural teams.

“Going into college, I knew I was going to have a hard time not playing sports anymore or being a part of a team,” Sparrow said. “So I decided to join the UT club lacrosse team and the intramural soccer team through my sorority.”

Playing sports at an intramural and club level offers athletes the opportunity to continue playing the sports they love, but it doesn’t restrict what they do with their free time.

“The intramural teams are laid back, with the lacrosse team having two optional practices a week,” Sparrow said. “The soccer team [has] no practices and only games every Sunday night.”

Intramural sports also offer athletes the opportunity to put aside their high school rivalries and come together as teammates to play the sports they love.

“Many of the women on my intramural soccer team are people I had played against in high school,” Sparrow said. “So it has been a lot of fun getting to now play with them and get to know them better outside of our regular sorority activities.”

“Going into college, I knew I was going to have a hard time not playing sports anymore or being a part of a team.”

Ali Sparrow Class of 2021

Sparrow spent the majority of her high school and middle school years playing sports through the school, as well as on club teams. The casual aspects of intramural sports allow for her to rekindle her love for the game.

“The intensity of the college level intramural teams is nowhere near as intense as it was in my past,” Sparrow said. “I have enjoyed it this way because now I really love the sports for what they are.”

However, one of the main aspects of intramural sports is that one doesn’t need to have previous

HORNS UP Ali Sparrow ‘21 and her teammates celebrate their win after beating University of Texas San Antonio. “We destroyed the opposing team on a nice Sunday afternoon,” Sparrow said.

“At one point we had all the freshman [playing] attack and it was a blast.”

Photo provided by Ali Sparrow

experience in that sport to be on a team. For Scott Neuhoff ‘19, a senior at the University of Richmond, intramural sports gave him the chance to hang out with his friends, as well as play sports he’d never tried before.

“I actually didn’t want to play [intramural basketball] at first and wasn’t on the team [at ESD],” Neuhoff said. “Then I went to [a] game and saw all my friends having fun on the court and joined the team because they were having such a great time.”

Compared to varsity level or club sports, intramural sports offer other sports to choose from. Some schools even offer flag football and a modified version of Quidditch, the cherished sport at the forefront of the “Harry Potter” series, at an intramural level. Neuhoff and his friends have played intramural softball, soccer and kickball; however, basketball remains their favorite sport.

“We’ve never practiced for soccer, softball or kickball,” Neuhoff said. “We practiced for basketball twice, but I think we were the exception in the league. We really just enjoy playing basketball, so it was mainly just for fun.”

Through intramural sports, Neuhoff and his friends connect with different groups of students

across campus.

“Our team was mostly organized through a ministry group/Bible study that I’m a part of,” Neuhoff said. “We had a huge group of fans that would come to our games which was super fun. Everyone [from the ministry group] who wasn’t on the team would be in the stands.”

And experience is not necessary. For Neuhoff’s team, having played basketball in the past is not the main priority when it comes to forming a team.

“We had four guys out of the nine on our team play in high school,” Neuhoff said. “League wide I think a lot of people didn’t play in high school. It was a fairly level playing field, and if you were generally athletic, you could be a good player. We had a few guys who played in high school, so they kinda coached us and made sure everyone knew what their role on the court was.”

However, some students, like Sparrow, find they enjoy intramural sports better than club sports, as it allows for more flexibility in their schedule.

“The lacrosse team grew to be a little too much for my schedule due to the fact that not many universities in Texas have any sort of lacrosse program,” Sparrow said. “[This caused] the majority of our games and tournaments to take place far away and out of the state.”

But intramural sports are not a new addition to college life. In 1916, Berry M. Whitaker went to the University of Texas to establish one of the country’s first organized intramural programs in the country. Since then, the tradition of intramural sports has continued for over a century. Lesly Mathurin, one of ESD’s athletic trainers, participated in intramural sports throughout his college career in the nineties.

“I played flag football, basketball, softball, soccer and volleyball throughout my seven-year college experience,” Mathurin said. “Every sport I played I liked equally. [We] didn’t really spend time practicing for them. [We] just showed up and played. I had no [previous] experience playing competitively, but most of my teammates played the sport in high school or at the collegiate level as an undergraduate.”

Both Sparrow and Neuhoff can agree that participating in both intramural and club level sports has enhanced their college experience for the better.

“I didn’t play any of these sports in high school, and honestly, it makes me wish that I did,” Neuhoff said. “It’s also fun to get to play different sports and challenge your body in a different way. It’s also really fun to play in an organized sport with referees and a scoreboard. That sounds small, but you really miss that once you leave high school and don’t have it anymore.”

They also advocate for the joining of either club or intramural sports, no matter one’s level.

“Being able to compete and stay in touch with the sport every Sunday is always a great end to my weekend,” Sparrow said. “And a great motivation to continue staying active for the rest of the school week. With all that, both the experiences have been great, and I would definitely recommend signing up for the intramural sport you love at the college you choose to attend.”

This year’s football team brings passion and fervor to the field, led by a zealous senior class.

Controversy surrounds 2022 Qatar World Cup in Qatar as issues spring to the surface.

Devoted program results in successful season

Football

coaches and players inspire each other with a strong bond

S tory by Callie Hawkins Sports Editor

With a record of 7-2, the varsity football team finished off their season strong with a huge 49-6 win against the school’s rival, St. Mark’s, on Friday, Oct. 28. With the passion within this team, together they hurdled obstacles and admitted defeat but more often than that, fought and won together throughout their season.

The past two seasons of Eagles football have been arguably the most exhilarating, successful and anticipating seasons because of a more bonded and diverse group of boys led by experienced seniors.

“My favorite thing about this place is the sense of community, and I always tell people that come visit [that] within these gates it’s like its own town,” junior varsity head coach and varsity quarterbacks/offensive line coach Jordan Swinford said. “And we had to take over a year-long break from our town. Football is very much a community thing, and… I think the success of last year’s team has led more people to be supportive of this year’s team.”

Last year’s team with varsity captains Jake Lewis ’22, Chase Kennedy ’22, Carson Langston ’22, Ryan Ainsworth ’22 and senior Patrick Burke reinvigorated the passion of the team and its fan base by having an undefeated season and making it the Southwest Preparatory Conference championship for the first time in the school’s history. Burke, the starting varsity quarterback for the third year in a row, is a captain for his second year and has taken what he learned from the senior captains last year and integrated it into this year’s team.

“This team and last year’s teams both have great leaders,” Burke said. “Both teams bonded equally well, and it’s resulted in [our] success so far. Obviously, the goal is to win an SPC championship, and we’ve proven that we’re capable of doing that.”

Throughout the season, the fans were an integral part of the team’s many successes and were there for them though the losses.

“When we continue winning, the fans get more and more into it, and there is more attendance at the games and it’s louder,” Burke said. “It’s definitely like a positive feedback loop. The more and more we perform well, the more the fans come out, and then we perform bet-

ter with more fans.”

Football program director and varsity head coach Richard Williams scheduled many pre-conference games against competitive teams that the staff was unsure of the outcome of all of them, but game after game, in pre-conference games, the Eagles came out victorious allowing them to go into their conference games with momentum and confidence.

One unique opportunity that riled up the fans and the team was the game held at the Dallas Star, the Dallas Cowboys football practice facility, on Sept. 24, against Sabine High School, a public school located about two hours east of ESD. The varsity team had never played them before. With three minutes left in the first quarter, the Eagles were up 41-0. Throughout the game, nearly everyone was able to play, and the team was able to celebrate a 54-0 win.

“We wanted our fans and our parents and our players to see that venue because they earned it,” Swinford said. “They don’t just let anybody play there. We went up against an East Texas public school that we knew nothing about this year. In their defense, we played about as perfectly as you could start a game, but I think it showed that we don’t need to know [everything about] the team and the school. We just worry about us, and I think it definitely gave us momentum to go into a place that is obviously an honor to play at and win.”

The following weekend was the homecoming game against Bellaire Episcopal, a team that has always been hard competition.

“I told my coaches ever since week one that I was looking forward to this game because it was going to be fireworks,” Williams said. “I knew that they had extremely talented athletes that they added to their program, but I was confident that we had the talent to match them. We were the number one and number two ranked teams in the conference facing off on a homecoming game, which isn’t typically what you do for homecoming. But I’m glad the way it worked out because it gave our fans something exciting to watch, and it was a huge crowd

“Our players just said, ‘Who cares about [the] score, who cares about how much time is left? Let’s just go be us,’ and we just did what we had to do.”

Jordan Swinford football coach

EAGLE NATION Before the commencement of the home game against St. John’s Episcopal School on Friday, Oct. 21, senior captains hype up the team before running out of the inflatable helmet and taking the field. “Before the game we always say our team prayer,” senior captain Blair Brennan said. “There is a certain energy that is intangible when we kneel down together. This energy is built in the week during practice and carried into our games.” Photo provided by Caroline Ragan

because of homecoming, and the players fed off of that a little bit.”

And he anticipated how it would be. The Eagles scored first and were performing amazingly until about the third quarter when Bellaire came back and were up by two touchdowns. Up until about six minutes were left in the game, the ESD fans had their hands over their eyes, peeping every couple of seconds through split fingers. The score was 25-34, but the team did not give up and came back to win the game 39-34.

“Every person when life is easy, like they’re awesome, right?” Swinford said. “Who you are as a person is who you are when you’re at your worst. Yeah, and we were not in a good spot with six minutes left. But our players just said, ‘Who cares about [the] score, who cares about how much time is left? Let’s just go be us,’ and we just did what we had to do.”

The first time ESD beat Bellaire was last year. And because of that defeat, Bellaire recruited even more players in order to beat us this year. The victory added even more momentum and spirit to everyone supporting the Eagles and built up confidence for the rest of the season.

Sophomore Hutch Chipman scored the winning touchdown of the game and is one of the younger players on the team who will be an integral part of the team for future seasons.

“With 13 seconds left, we were in the red zone, and we called a play that I knew there was a chance I was getting the ball thrown my way,” Chipman said. “I just ran my route and turned around, and the ball was in the air. Thankfully I caught it, and we won the game. It was a crazy experience and something I won’t ever forget. I’m just happy we won that game, and our team was able to overcome the adversity of us being down in the fourth quarter. It showed that our team has what it takes to win the hard games and make it to the championship.”

The younger players are contributing more to the team than

the coaches have seen in years and makes them hopeful for seasons to come.

“I told the current seniors that last year’s seniors…left a legacy, and in my opinion, what the class of 2022 did and what the class of 2023 does will impact not just the football program, but the school for the next decade,” Swinford said.

“The [middle school and younger players] of the school are watching [the captains and the seniors] and not even saying I want to be like those guys, but saying I want to do what they’re doing.”

The Kinkaid School beat the Eagles in the SPC championship in the 2021 season, establishing them as a natural rival for this season.

Going into the game on Oct. 14, ESD was undefeated with a record of 6-0, but there were definitely nerves surrounding the game, especially since it was a home game for Kinkaid. Unfortunately, the team fell to the pressure and Kinkaid came out victorious, winning 24-20, and stripping their undefeated streak.

The next week, on Friday, Oct. 21, the team went up against St. John’s Episcopal School for the Eagles’ last home game and senior night. Unfortunately the Eagles lost 21-3, but the fire built up in their hearts led the team to triumph over the St. Mark’s Lions at their home stadium, ending the Eagles’ season on an exciting and positive note.

“Falling short of our goal to win the SPC championship was obviously disappointing,” Burke said. “But closing out the season with such a great team win was a good consolation.”

Although these past two seasons have had the quality leadership of the captains and other seniors, the coaches are confident that their future captains and seniors can be inspired by those of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

“We lose good athletes every year; it’s just part of it,” Williams said. “We had to replace [players last year], and we’re going to have to do that again next year. But I feel like we are building a championship program to where every year we’re going to have that expectation to compete at the SPC championship…I like the culture that’s been established, and it’s my goal, it’s our coaches’ goal to continue that. We don’t want to be a one or two-hit wonder. We want to make this something that is sustainable.”

of students

faculty that have attended at

football game

season voted favorite theme by students and faculty chosen by the Horde for the 2022 season players and coaches involved in the high school football program this year

Source: Nov.1 poll of 160 students and faculty, athletic director Dan Gill

New coach inspires change in girls basketball

For the varsity girls basketball team, with a new season, comes a new coach. In the past four years, the team has had three different head coaches, preventing the seniors this year, who have been part of the program throughout their entire high school career, from forming a strong relationship with the coaching staff.

This year, the athletic department welcomes Erma Bryant as the girls basketball program director and varsity head coach.

Senior and varsity captain of the 2022-2023 girls basketball team Madison McCloud has experienced the disarray of the basketball program all while playing at a higher level on a select team.

“I have had three different coaching staffs throughout my four years in high school, and it affects the team,” McCloud said. “Every year [we had] a different set of expectations given to [us], a different system [we] have to buy into, a different coach you have to learn and try to connect with to have a successful program. It was also harder for me because I also had AAU.”

The Amateur Athletic Union for basketball is a time-consuming select team. Having a steady team and coaching on her AAU team allowed McCloud to focus on her school team and act as a leader on the court each year.

“Being in the AAU I have to spend countless hours in the gym, practicing 2-3 times a week and 4-5 games a weekend,” McCloud said. “[I have

committed to this team] my whole life…and I appreciate all of my coaches…and how they have made me grow not only as a player but a person. [One of my coaches] and I were so close and he would call me his daughter because he watched me grow up and was with me the whole way; he was like my second dad.”

With the hiring of a promising new coach, the team looks forward to their season, and the seniors have hope for their final year.

“Seeing as though [coach Bryant] has already come to one of our volleyball games because [some] of her starters play volleyball, I see that she is a very supportive coach,” McCloud said. “My hope for this season is that she…has a team-first mentality, pushes us to grow more and helps us be as successful as we can be both as individuals and as a program.”

“I knew about ESD even though they don’t plan TAPPS, and I knew that they played in the Southwest Preparatory Conference, and I was familiar with the program,” Bryant said. “I know the school is really a great school, so I thought I would apply and see what happens. The interview went really well, and I just loved all the people I met here…so when they offered me a job, I felt like this would be a good fit.”

“[My goal is] building a strong culture. I want them to be able to trust me and know that I’m going to be committed to them.”

Bryant played basketball at Ben Davis High School in Indiana from 1990-1993 and was recruited to play in college at Liberty University in Virginia from 1993-1998. After college, she became a flight attendant but was not satisfied and became a coach. In 2001 she received her first coaching job and has been coaching at different schools within the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools and the AAU ever since.

Erma Bryant

girls basketball program director

The process of selecting Bryant as the new head coach was precise and extensive; a collective decision not only by the athletic director but the entire department.

“Coach Bryant brings with her an impressive resume of competitive and coaching experiences, but what made her truly stand out throughout the process was her personal authenticity and professional passion,” athletic director Dan Gill said. “From the moment we first connected, it was quite apparent why she was the right fit for our program. Gill said that Bryant has the enthusiasm for cultivating relationships, developing student-athletes and teaching the game of basketball.

Bryant hopes to build a strong culture, and the athletic department is hoping to create and build a stable program with her in charge.

“While each situation is uniquely independent of one another, I think

it’s important to recognize that coaches are increasingly becoming mindful of the importance of an institution’s culture when navigating their own respective search process,” Gill said. “The more we can do to create and sustain an environment where coaches feel supported and valued allows us to continue to recruit and develop the best that we possibly can.”

Bryant met with some of the members of the team a couple of weeks ago to preemptively get to know them. Helping her out as an assistant coach is middle school English teacher Jason Snipes.

“I was just really excited to see a coach that seemed like she was happy to be there, coached private school girls previously and been successful at her other schools prior to ESD,” McCloud said. “Seeing as though we are bringing back all of our starters and [other new players], I have high expectations, and plan to be one of, if not the top, seed team going into [the SPC tournament].”

Bryant is also confident in the team’s abilities based on who she has met and what she has seen. She, along with the team, looks forward to this season and future seasons.

“[My goal is] building a strong culture,” Bryant said. “I want them to be able to trust me and know that I’m going to be committed to them. And then on the achievement part. I know they finished second…last year, and I do think that we can have a good strong [team] and that we could possibly finish first…There’s a lot of experience on this team, and we want to capitalize on that.”

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” —Michael Jordan

S tory by Callie Hawkins Sports Editor

Erma Bryant hired as girls basketball program director, plans to build winning program

HALFTIME WITH HAWKINS

Participation trophies detrimental to development

Children use rewards for participation as a reason to perform

S tory by Callie Hawkins Sports Editor

Fall Break. Without fail, every year, it is time to clean around the house. Since the start of school, everyone in the house has gotten lazy, and with two days off of school with not much else to do, we are put to work. I am not going to lie; my senioritis has set in more at home than it has at school. Clothes are in piles everywhere, different items are thrown about my room and my car is full of junk…Finally, my mom had had enough.

So I got to cleaning that Friday morning, getting my hands dirty, filling bags upon bags with trash. When I got to my desk, however, I paused. Eight different trophies filled the top two shelves. I read each plaque of the figurines playing their respective sport, and they span from the years 2009-2015. Five from soccer, two from basketball and one from softball. I do not even remember playing softball. I remembered there were more and so, I climbed up to the top shelf of my closet and saw two 2-feet-tall soccer trophies from 2017 when I played at a higher level.

There has long been a debate about whether or not all kids should receive trophies just for participation. Some argue that trophies act

as extrinsic motivation for children — the desire to perform an action only to receive an award or avoid punishment. I would have to say that, as much of a sentiment as the trophies I kept hold in my heart, trophies and rewards for participation are detrimental to a child’s development of character and are unnecessary. Using softball as an example, did I just do it for the reward? Maybe I played for fun or did it for the company, but sticking with it was probably because of that trophy at the end of the season. Children use trophies and rewards in sports and other activities as an excuse to perform, or at the very least, participate. Motivation is intrinsic. Many of my teammates and I when we were younger, had this motivation for the sports we played. As an extrinsic motivator for some, even if they originally had that motivation, the trophy they received acted as a ticket out and caused them to lose interest.

One of the most famous stud-

“When I saw my old trophies that morning, I was taken back to a time in my life with carelessness and happiness and laughter.”

Callie Hawkins sports editor

ies of intrinsic motivation was performed by Mark Lepper and David Greene at Stanford University in 1973. It was not based on sports and trophies, but the motivation of drawing in children ages 3 and 4. These children were randomly placed in three groups: expected reward, when children were told ahead of time that they were to receive a gold seal and ribbon if they took part; surprise reward, when children would receive the same reward but didn’t know about it beforehand; and no reward, when children were not expecting nor receiving an award whether they participated or not. The results showed that the children in the expected reward group drew for a far less amount of time than those not expecting.

According to an article from Physical and Health Education America in 2021 by Jordan Roos and Brad Strand, many believe that the trophies act as an incentive (or extrinsic motivator) for children to show up to games, but this led

them to not being able to receive criticism later on. Roos and Strand concluded that receiving participation trophies can lead to laziness and dependency, and I would have to agree. This is reinforced by the drawing study at Stanford.

In a poll of 160 high school students and staff, 114 people received trophies when they played sports as a child and out of them, 70 believed they had an impact on whether they continued the sport or not in the future. One hundred twenty three of these continued with their sport, and 33 did not.

When I saw my old trophies that morning, I was taken back to a time in my life with carelessness and happiness and laughter. Now that I look back on it, as excited I was to get my trophy after the last game of the season with all my friends eating celebratory snacks and drinking our Capri-Suns, I did not play a sport for the reward at the end for the sports I truly loved. As I continued to play soccer and lacrosse into my middle school and high school years, when we no longer received those rewards at the end of the season, I observed people slowly trickle out because of the lack of true passion for different sports. Trophies, as sentimental as the memories can be, are detrimental to child development because of the laziness and false confidence they foster.

AQWhat’s your favorite part of being on varsity and how does it feel being the only freshman?

Winning. It’s fun, like being in good games. Getting a set against Hockaday was really fun because like, I don’t think ESD has done that since like 2019 so that was a big deal. We lost to [Fort Worth Country Day] [when we went] there and they celebrated like they had won SPC and then they came here and we beat them in three. So that was a good win.

What has been your highlight so far this season?

The people [are] really nice to meet and we have a good team. It’s fun to be part of it. It’s fun. Yeah. Well, scary [being the only freshman]. [ My teammates] are people to look up to that I look up to all the time. And I want to act like them in their spot.

How did you get hurt and how will this impact the rest of the season?

Since I’ve never really played volleyball before, I haven’t jumped as much. And it’s like a stress, stress injury from jumping so much. Since it was a stress injury, I’m hoping that next volleyball season my ankles will be used to the amount of jumping, so I won’t have this injury happen again. Sadly, the second I heal I will go into basketball season, which isn’t recovery. I’m hoping that the time I am taking off right now will help it heal faster, and possibly be able to play the last week of the season.

Now that you’re playing again, how does it feel?

It feels so great to be back and I’m so excited that I get to finish the season. I am very surprised and glad that I recovered so quickly.

I nterview by Brooke Ebner Staff Writer

Photo by Brooke Ebner

Middle Eastern country will host World Cup for the first time

2022 FIFA games in Qatar spark controversy, set for this fall

It’s minute 65 of the 2018 soccer World Cup final game in Moscow, Russia.

French player Kylian Mbappé strikes the ball past the Croatian defender, through the Croatian goalie’s fingertips and into the bottom left corner of the goal. Swoosh. The ball hits the back of the net. The stadium erupts in cheers as the crowds scream, “Goallllll!” The game ultimately ends in a win for France. This final goal, at the end of the final match, left audiences buzzing for the first goal of the next World Cup.

Every four years, teams from all across the globe are brought together to play the most popular sport in the world: soccer. For the first time in the World Cup’s history, the tournament will be held in the Middle East this November. Qatar was awarded the role of hosting in 2010, and due to the temperatures that typically exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the tournament will be hosted in the fall instead of the summer.

“The World Cup is supposed to be during the summer when people aren’t working,” junior and lifelong soccer fan Dalyan Prieto-Akmansoy said. “It’s easier to visit in the summer, whereas in the fall, many people can’t go. Now it being during the [fall], it’s weird. It’s, like, not what it’s supposed to be.”

Upper school history teacher Marc Salz shares similar sentiments about the change in season.

“I’m so happy to have Thanksgiving break games, but I would have preferred the summer,” Salz said. “Nonetheless, nothing will deter fans from rooting for their nations around the world.”

The tournament will begin on Nov. 20, with the opening match in Al Khor, Qatar, just 30 miles from the capital, Doha. Sixty-five matches will be played at eight stadiums around Qatar, and the city of Lusail

— where the final game will take place — was built for the World Cup. These stadiums have been under fire from the media, politicians and some countries for years as Qatar exploited migrant workers from Nepal, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines to build the massive structures, according to the Guardian. Ninety percent of the workforce (1.7 million people) are migrants.

“I’m concerned about the conditions for workers in Qatar,” Salz said. “I think the 2 million migrant workers supporting the Qatar economy generally, and the World Cup specifically, are being treated in a manner of 19th-century indentures.”

Hundreds of articles across the Internet condemn Qatari companies for their violations of human rights in their preparation for the tournament: the BBC claimed that some workers went unpaid for seven weeks, Amnesty International said that migrant laborers had their passports confiscated and the Human Rights Watch asserted that workers faced illegal wage deductions, among numerous other articles. The workers were sleeping in rooms of eight or more people despite the Qatari law only allowing four to a room, according to Amnesty International. Additionally, the Guardian exposed that 6,500 migrant workers had died since the bid was awarded to Qatar. In response, the Qatari government imposed reforms to their labor laws and wage protection.

“If teams had boycotted, I might have joined their efforts to protest. As it is, I’ll root for the USA at the top of my lungs and figure out which other team I’ll support afterward.”

Marc Salz upper school history teacher

Accompanying the controversy around the stadiums are investigations into the honesty of Qatar’s bidding. Qatar, according to the New York Times, beat the United States for the right to host the Cup in 2022 in a run-off in 2010, and an investigation revealed that three South American officials were bribed to vote for Qatar. In 2014, the Sunday Times reported that Mohammad bin Hamman, the president of the Asian Football Confederation, paid $5 million to soccer officials to ensure that Qatar would receive the bid.

“I also worry about the level of corruption and the ‘purchase’ of these games by Qatar,” Salz said. “They had no stadiums, no weather and no infrastructure, but they won the bid by bribing the nowfired leadership.”

Varsity soccer player and junior Alex Ramirez usually celebrates the World Cup by having family get-togethers. This year, however, will pose new challenges because of the tournament occurring in the fall.

“Normally, you would get together, and you’d have good parties — [it’s] a big event for a lot of different cultures,” Ramirez said. “If it’s during the year and if people live in different areas, sometimes it can be hard to get together for something that you do every World Cup. Whereas in the summer, you get together with family and friends, and you have a good time, but during the school year, people are a lot busier, and it’s harder to do things.”

FIFA recently announced that Dallas will be a host city for the 2026 World Cup, among 15 other cities in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The final match will be played in the heart of Dallas at the AT&T Center, just 20 minutes from school. The tournament will also expand to having 48 teams compete, compared to the 32 teams that will compete this year.

“The way the stadiums were built was inhumane,” Prieto-Akmansoy said. “It’s really wrong, even though the stadiums are really amazing.”

Despite concerns and controversies, millions of fans from all over the world still plan on supporting their countries this November. The U.S. Mens National Team qualified for the tournament, evoking excitement in supporters of the team as they did not qualify in 2018. FC Dallas, Dallas’ Major League Soccer team, has announced that they will host a free watch party at Toyota Stadium. “If teams had boycotted, I might have joined their efforts to protest,” Salz said. “As it is, I’ll root for the USA at the top of my lungs and figure out which other team I’ll support afterward. In years past, I’ve backed Uruguay, Italy and Belgium after our ouster from the tourney. I dream of our victory, but I don’t think we’re nearly ready yet.”

“I think that it’s super cool, although it might bring up some issues just like Qatar,” Ramirez said. “We do align a lot better with South America [in regards to time zones], but the difference to the Middle Eastern and some of the European countries might be difficult as well. You come into these issues no matter where you go. Obviously, being from Dallas, I love that, and I’m very excited.”

For those interested in watching, FOX Sports will broadcast the games, and Peacock, Fubo, SlingTV and Vidgo will stream the games, as well. There are eight groups of countries, and the U.S. is in Group B. Over three match days, a total of 48 games will be played, with 16 each day. These games will determine the bracket which will start with a round of 16, then quarter-finals and semi-finals, finishing with the final game on Dec. 18.

S tory by Elliot Lovitt Copy Editor

corner

Q1) Find the equation of a quadratic function f(x) that has a minimum value of -15 and f(5) =f(-3)=10.

UP FOR A CHALLENGE?

SENIOR TOM QIU formulates complex mathematic equations for each issue. If you think you have found the solution please email a picture of your work to Qiut@esdallas.org The first person who answers correctly will receive a prize. Good luck, it’s as easy as pi.

edition

Q2) What is the sum to this series: 13+29+327+481+5243+.

Q3) How many integers are there between 1 and 1000 that aren't divisible by any one of 2, 3, 5 and 7?

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SCIENCE DEPARTMENT HEAD PROFILE

A DAY IN THE LIFE | SCIENCE DEPARTMENT HEAD AMY HENDERSON

-Step 1 Rise and Run

It’s 6:45 a.m. on a recent Monday, and Science Department Head Amy Henderson hears her alarm begin to ring. She jumps out of bed to start her day with a 15 to 20 minute run around her neighborhood with a sunrise view. She gets back home and wakes her kids, sophomore Jamie and seventh grader Hunter, to get ready for school. After waking them up, she goes through her morning routine of showering, getting dressed and making breakfast for her kids. At 7:45 a.m., she leaves her house to drive her kids and herself to the school.

-Step 2 A Productive Period

On a typical day four, Henderson begins by getting caught up on emails because she doesn’t teach class during her first or second period. She teaches three classes, two AP Psychology classes and one Forensics class while having four off periods during B, C, D and E. When she doesn’t have class, she meets with students that need help and grades papers. Henderson always does her grading during school hours, so she doesn’t have to take work home.

-Step 3 Psychology Surprise

Third period, she teaches her first class of the day, M period psychology. Today, she conducts a fun social psychology experiment with her class. “I put the students into groups and they have to complete this puzzle, and I give this paper to one person. It says taunt other groups,” Henderson said. “It ends up being chaos and groups sabotage each other. In the end, they find out they could have worked together. This teaches them about group dynamics and polarization of facilitation.”

-Step 4 After School Activites

When her work for the day is complete, she drives home to relax. Once she is home, she rests and waits for her son to finish football practice at 4:15 p.m.. Each night, she tutors about one or two students from Hockaday, Ursuline or Bishop Lynch in mainly chemistry or other science and math related subjects. At 6:30 p.m., she picks her daughter up from play rehearsals.

-Step 5 Mom on a Mission

Once her family is all home, she cooks dinner for everyone, and they all eat together. At 7:30 p.m., it is time for her to leave the house once again to drop her son off at basketball practice. For the next hour she reads a book. Currently, she is reading “The School for Good Mothers” by Jessamine Chan. At 8:30 p.m., she leaves to pick her son up, then returns back home again.

-Step 6

Reality and Rest

At 9:30 p.m., she begins her nighttime routine. After showering and getting ready for bed, she ends her day by reading a book or watching a show. She usually enjoys watching reality TV shows like “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” “The Bachelorette” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” She also enjoys watching dramas like “The Handmaid’s Tale.” At 10:45 p.m., she heads to bed

S tory by Phoebe McMillan Staff Writer, P hotos by Phoebe McMillan, Callie Hawkins Sports Editor and Jamie Henderson Staff Writer