Feature Samples

8 • Eagle Edition • Nov. 3, 2017

False Thinspiration Story and graphic by Anastasia Sotiropoulos

Fad diet culture encourages rapid weight loss, proves dangerous

C

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

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

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

“I saw that the paleo diet would help people lose weight.

I was only eating things cavemen would eat— greens and meats, no processed [foods], no bread.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sacco advises against cleanses, no matter how innocent they may seem compared to long-term diets. “[Cleanses] can have major changes in terms of your body’s electrolyte balance,” she said. “You guys shouldn’t need to be doing any type of cleansing. Eating over the holidays is great, but there shouldn’t be something you need to do to negate it.”

From a physiology standpoint, Sacco

22 percent

of fad diets last two+

months*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 in 4 students have fad dieted*

43 percent

of students have dieted for a dance, vacation*

* according to an Oct. 27 poll of 220 students

LIFE

LIFE

April 27, 2018 • Eagle Edition • 7

Our time, now Social media sparks activism among teens Story by Meredith Moran Photo by Sydney Rezaie Graphic & design by Anastasia Sotiropoulos

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olding up a sign with “OUR TIME NOW” scrawled across in bold, freshman Ava Thompson was surrounded by nine classmates and over 7,000 strangers––all united to call for an end to gun violence­—in the March for Our Lives protest, held in Downtown Dallas on March 24.

Thompson helped lead ESD’s involvement in the march as a student ambassador, participating in meetings in the weeks leading up to the event and providing information for students who wanted to join the cause.

“I’ve always thought gun control was necessary, but I had never really listened to the people that were crying for it to happen,” Thompson said.

“But recently, as the amount of things that have happened increased, it was hard for me not to listen. Everybody owes it to people affected by gun violence to listen and start doing something about it.”

No stranger to political marches, Thompson also attended the Women’s March in January. She attributes social media to her political activism.

“Social media’s role in young people getting involved in politics is everything,” Thompson said. “For a lot of people at ESD, we grow up in a bubble, and so if it weren’t for social media, Twitter especially, I wouldn’t have been exposed to any mindsets besides those posed in front of me. I have not faced any systematic injustice in my entire life, and if it weren’t for social media, I wouldn’t be aware that this type of stuff is going on in the world and that I have freedom and the power to say stuff about it.”

Senior Trevor Hobbs follows news sources on Snapchat to keep up with current events and agrees that social media has changed the way young people access politics. “[Social media has] changed the entire political scene,” Hobbs said. “Anyone can tweet now, so anybody can be like, ‘This presidential candidate is a total idiot,’ but they can also follow an election a lot easier. It [puts] everything a candidate does, or a lawmaker in general, under a microscope, because everyone has access to it. [Young people] aren’t going to read the paper, but everyone has an Instagram or a Snapchat [account].”

Alum and current SMU graduate student Claire Cahoon ‘13 spoke at the Dallas March for Our Lives, calling for stricter gun control for suicide

prevention. She became passionate about gun control after her friend shot himself. Two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides, with an average of over fifty deaths per day, according to the CDC. “The problem isn’t depression–– studies overwhelmingly show that access to a gun significantly increases the likelihood of suicide,” Cahoon said. “Our country must consider gun control if we have any interest in lowering suicide rates.

Changing policy is an uphill battle, but put simply, if I don’t try, I’ve already failed.”

Cahoon works with the organization StudentsMarch.org that put on the March for Our Lives, and she hopes that young people propel their political passion into actually voting for change.

“If a march is just a bunch of people screaming, ‘I’m angry,’ it won’t effect change,” Cahoon said. “If a march is a bunch of people screaming ‘I’m angry, I’m going to vote and I’m going to keep marching until I see change,’ change might be on the horizon.”

Hobbs has grown up in a conservative family and hopes to become more involved in Republican organizations as he gets older. For his eighteenth birthday, his grandfather handed down to him his first shotgun and bought him a membership to the NRA. “Definitely being raised by a deep Southern-roots family and a strong religious foundation helps you to become conservative, also being wealthy, because that’s a factor, fiscally,” Hobbs said.

“It’s like a generational thing, and in college, I definitely hope to join a Young Republicans club.”

With conflicting political perspectives in his family, Hobbs finds civil discourse essential.

“It definitely changed a lot after [my brother] Rankin came out and [sister] Wynne went off to college,” Hobbs said. “It’s important to listen to other people beyond your family because you don’t want to be blind to what other people have to say.”

Although many young people are passionate about policy and social issues, statistics show that youth aren’t taking action by voting. Government teacher Mark Oglesby hopes that youth tap into their passion for social justice and make a change.

“If 18-year-olds to 24-year-olds actually organized and voted upon that organization, [they] could control politics and policy for a long time,” Oglesby said.

Senior Quincy Lynch spent a semester during her junior year in New York City at a program called CITYterm that allowed her to develop a balance in her political views.

“There were some people who were so liberal that they were [closed-minded], and it made me realize that I don’t want to be like that,” Lynch said. “I want to be someone who’s strong in my beliefs but can also have civil conversations with people, and still have opposing views, but at the end of the day, we’re still friends.”

Lynch attended the Women’s March in New York City after President Donald Trump’s inauguration and called attention to the environment in honor of Earth Day. “[Marches are about] getting a community together to feel empowered about something and to spread awareness,” Lynch said. “When more people spread awareness, more people take interest, and when more people take interest, more people do stuff about it.”

percent of students get their news from social media

percent consider themselves politically active

percent of students eligible to vote are registered according to an April 23 poll of 249 students

LIFE

14 • Eagle Edition • March 8, 2018

Technically speaking Meet the four members of the Upper School technology department

By Anastasia Sotiropoulos

MICHAEL Annonson

Michael Annonson was exposed to technology at an early age.

“My father was a programmer back in the 70s into the 80s,” he said. “We always had stuff around, so I grew up tinkering with things.”

For years, he freelanced in web and graphic design and has worked at ESD since 2014, an environment which he prefers over the competitive business world. “[Working at a school] is way less stressful than a corporate job,” he said. “There’s a lot less pressure to just make money, make money, make money.”

Something that may surprise about Annonson is that for about two years, he didn’t have a car, so he rode his bike everyday for his four mile commute to work. On one of Dallas’ scorching hot days, Annonson hopped on the train for most the way and then biked down a back road—until he was hit by an oncoming car.

“I was heading down a back road, and someone came out of one of the bikeways, wasn’t paying any attention, and smacked the back end of my bike and it went off in the street, I kept pulling forward,” he said. “I was sore for a few days. It did ruin the bike.”

Laughing it off, Annonson said he just bought another bike.

“Biking in Dallas was always the worse,” he said. “Nobody paid attention. It was either really hot, or really muggy. You go everywhere with a change of clothes.”

Annonson has been driving to work for a decade now, but his job continues to evolve as technology itself does.

“My job keeps expanding,” he said. “Every time there’s, ‘Oh, hey, we could have technology do that,’ I usually end up being the one.”

AV specialist

ERIC COBB Director of technology

Eric Cobb is a self-proclaimed nerd.

“In high school, I was that nerd, the stereotype,” he said. “If you ever see a TV show with a nerd, the kid who got picked on, that was

me.”

Cobb’s deep interest in technology stems back to before the first Macintosh came out, when he was 13- or 14-years-old. From finding the developing tech community online, to tapping into early versions of American Airlines’ booking system, Cobb found it all fascinating. Back when Windows ‘95 “Chicago” program came out, he tested Beta versions of it and sent reports to Microsoft.

“I still tinker with that stuff today,” he said “I try out new versions of operating systems, different hardware, I put stuff together, take stuff apart.”

Not long after he began to mess with technology as a kid, writing programs and codes in languages ranging from Pascal to Cobol, Cobb knew he wanted to pursue it as a career.

After he sold off his consulting company of 15 years, he wanted to try something new so joined ESD’s tech department in 2014.

“I had done a lot of consulting in schools, and it looked interesting,” he said. “When I first applied for this, I didn’t realize it was a school because it was through a recruiter.

When I found out, I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be great.’”

Cobb’s passion for technology spans beyond the computer screen and onto the race track.

Before Cobb moved to Dallas, he frequently raced cars on the local race track in Albuquerque. In addition to teaching others high-performance driving, he would modify the computer-based cars by bringing his laptop and plugging into the ports.

“We would have software where you could look at the performance of the car, and say, ‘Oh, we need to change the fuel mapping on this particular fuel injector,’” Cobb said. “It’s a little bit of nerd thing going on…I guess I still am the nerd.”

Since middle school, technology specialist MICHAEL Principe Michael Principe has always found the

Technology specialist

creativity of tech fascinating.

“I got interested back in middle school with ‘computer math,’” Principe said. “It was this programming language called Basic, and I just liked the creativity of it—how do you make this work? How can you control these things?”

As a teenager, he joined his high school’s Computer Science II class, sparking his interest in what developed into his first post-high school job: software engineering.

“I ended up here 10 years ago, working with computers and people,” he said. “I like being able to help teachers use tools to educate and do what they do best, by doing what I do best.”

With technology evolving rapidly every year, so does Principe’s job.

“Technology [today] is more accessible,” he said. “Ten years ago, you’re just doing the best you can with whatever you could afford. Today, things are so integrated—you can take your phone broadcast it on the projector. There’s this level of complexity that you have to pick and choose a classroom that will allow teachers to teach.”

Principe’s talents span beyond solving technology issues on campus, as he used to play the drums, bass guitar and piano.

“I had a digital keyboard, so that whole technology thing was a part of my music stuff, too,” he said.

Although too busy to continue to actively play, he sets up his keyboard for his two daughters to mess with. Passing by the “BE INCRED18LE” sign everyday on his way in, Principe can relate.

“My biggest fun fact is that I have been taking college classes to finish out an IT degree for the past four years, so I am also a 2018 senior,” he said. “I’ll graduate in August.”

Bryan Barnett Network administrator

Coming to ESD as a freshman, alum Bryan Barnett [‘00] used to spend his free time in the computer lab. Little did he know, almost two decades later, he’d be working

there.

“Mr. Peterson was in charge of all the computer stuff,” Barnett said. “The servers lived in his office, and I would always come during all my study halls—any time I could—to mess with the computers.”

Barnett’s job today is to keep the school’s network and servers running.

“I really enjoy the community,” he said, “We have a nonprofit mission, and it feels like I’m contributing to a bigger thing—not just a company that’s trying to make a buck.”

He’s always been able to speak technology’s language.

“I’m trying to bridge the gap for people who aren’t as adept at technology—to be that interface for them,” he said.

The past few years, he’s been getting involved by co-sponsoring Spectrum and hosting a spin class for teachers.

As for something that may surprise about Barnett, colleague Michael Principe said to “go to The Dallas Morning News, and you can find plenty of photos of him in the paper for running.”

About five years ago, Barnett started running seriously. Being asthmatic, it wasn’t easy at first, but at a 5K race a couple weeks ago, he placed second in his age group.

“I’ve grown to love it,” he said. “I like to run—a lot. It’s probably pathological at this point. Most of my friends are also runners.”

As someone who never did sports in high school, the nonathletic teen turned marathon-runner enjoys a good challenge.

“You can ask Coach Schneider,” he said. “I was not athletic at all.”

NEWS

Sept. 29, 2017 • Eagle Edition • 5

Henry Heil strides into new position

By Anastasia Sotiropoulos

B

ELLE! BELLE!” For new Head of Upper School Henry Heil, his extensive knowledge of Disney princesses may be surprising.

“One of my kids’ favorite dinner games is ‘Who am I?’” Heil said. “My daughters love doing, ‘I’m a princess with brown hair and a yellow dress.’ Ask me any question about a Disney princess and I bet I can answer it—hair color, dress color.”

Heil, his wife of nine years and three young children, the two oldest of which attend the Lower School, moved here just a couple of weeks before school started.

Growing up in Lynchburg, VA, Heil attended a public elementary and middle school. In ninth grade, he entered an Episcopal, private high school—the only one of his family of seven to do so.

“I was struggling a little bit in public school,” he said. “I recognized the fact that I was not living up to my potential. The attention that I got [in private school] is what I needed and I thrived. I just exploded there in terms of my academics, athletics— everything was right.”

Inspired by his positive experience, he decided to try out teaching.

“When I was in college thinking about what I wanted to do, it seemed like an easy thing to me,” he said. “I took the bait and it was awesome—hook line and sinker.”

After receiving his Master’s, he decided

to take a different route: coaching college baseball. But once he realized that he wasn’t connecting with the age group as well as he had hoped, he returned to teach at the high school level. At Woodberry Forest School, Heil was teaching and coaching full-time, which is what he had initially set out to do.

“I have a hard time sitting still, so teaching and coaching was great for a couple years, but I just needed to do more,” he said. “Slowly, I got to be a full-time administrator.”

Little did Heil know after graduating that he would one day return to a private, Episcopal high school, much like the one he had attended. On April 5, 2017, he was announced as new Head of Upper School.

“A lot of my decisions are based on intuition,” he said. “I can tell a lot by how people interact with each other. Just walking in here, the interactions are outstanding. It was the culture of the school—just the energy and vitality felt good walking through the building.”

To Heil, the most important quality of an administrator is relating to the students.

“You have a lot more schools out there that are hiring people to administer them like a business,” he said. “I think, though, in order to have a school like this where the relationships are just paramount, you have to have administrators who can connect with the kids.”

To Heil’s delight, Business Management teacher Amy Livingston invited him to teach two of her classes for a day.

“He’s in a position of management, not just

of teachers but also students,” Livingston said. “His position is integral to my students’ understanding of management.

The kids loved him.”

After Heil walked the students through his decision-making of granting the seniors two study halls, the class felt a personal connection with him.

“He really knows how to captivate an audience of teenagers,” senior Cameron McGee said. “He had a strong teaching style that kept everyone in the classroom engaged.”

In his free time, Heil follows Davidson College basketball intensely and runs three to four times a week to stay motivated.

“I’m a big believer in that everybody needs to get their oxygen somehow,” he said. “If you’re on an airplane, what do they tell you do before you put it on the kid?

Put it on yourself first. That’s my theory in life: I can’t help anybody until I feel good.

Running for me is a way that I energize.”

This is the first of Heil’s 20 years in education not working directly with students in a classroom setting.

“Even when I was a full-time administrator, I was teaching one class, history,” he said. “This is a really weird year for me because I don’t know students like I usually do. I’ve never been in a place where students don’t walk in and out of my door constantly. That’s not happening right now, which is fine—I’m new. I’m hoping that will change.”

Upper School welcomes new directors Elizabeth Goatley Diversity & Inclusion From: Atlanta, GA

Dan Gill Athletics From: Buffalo, NY

Courtney Phelps Community Service From: Los Angeles, CA

Worked as an assistant professor at Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work in Waco, TX

Spent the last 11 years as an athletic director coaching Division I and high school mens basketball in NY, FL, OH

Worked as an AmeriCorps member for three years with Reading Partners, the national literacy nonprofit, in Atlanta, GA

What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?

What brought you to ESD

Diversity speaks about the honor and dignity we give to the differences we all have. Inclusion speaks to the way in which we accept those differences and still allow ourselves to be a part of our larger community as global citizens. You usually hear about diversity and inclusion when something bad happens, when there’s an incident. My hope is that this office is never seen as just a crisis response office.

from Ohio?

A lot of my students were having a really hard time talking about diversity. I was working with people who wanted to become social workers, so it was very important for us to make sure to be empathetic. I felt like it would be easier to tackle some of that while students are younger, so by the time they get to college, it’s an easier transition.

Actually, I don’t. I like to watch just about everything, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be a good athletic director. For me, it’s just the opportunity to get out and watch as many games as I can and interact with the kids. In my free time, I’m an avid sports fan. I’m a loyal Ohio State, Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabers fan, as well as the Yankees. I like spending time watching my own son play.

Why did you decide to pursue this job?

What do you appreciate about deeper conversations with people our age?

Most of the time, my Upper School students aren’t jaded by the world yet. You are still young enough where your perspective on life still is optimistic. Even though really bad things happen to people, you can find the silver lining. My hope is that we can encourage that and grow that in our conversations, because you all are going to be the change-makers.

What’s an interesting fact about you?

I’ve skydived [four times], mountain climbed, white-water rafted. The only thing I haven’t done is bungee-jumped. There’s a level of fear that can stop you, and in the work that I do and the life that I’ve chosen to live, I know that there’s a fear can stop me from doing things. Each time that I go ahead and do whatever it is that I’ve been called to do, I take a leap off of that fear. You just got to get out of the plane.

Finding that work-life balance between being a good athletic director as well as being a good father was important to me.

Having my son in a K-12 environment where him and I can be on the same campus was important, but at the same time, getting into an athletic environment that supported the safety and wellbeing of the student-athletes was a priority.

Do you have a favorite sport?

What makes a good athletic director?

Communicating with student athletes, coaches, parents, alumni and certainly the faculty and staff. No two days are the same. One day you may be dealing with developing programs and personnel. Other days, you’re helping with fundraising initiatives, but the main component is to provide a great experience for the kids. The opportunity to work with kids on a daily basis is one of the greatest pleasures in this position.

Seeing them succeed and being an influential role in their development is something I take tremendous pride in.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I’ve gotten pretty used to losing to my 7-year-old in video games, especially some of those sports games. He knows I don’t play often and he can beat me when we do play.

community service?

How do you define

Meeting a need and really understanding the need, not what you perceive the need to be. Immersing yourself into the community as best as you can and from a place of compassion from your heart. Just wanting to make things better—not for your own personal gain but for the people themselves.

What has stood out about ESD so far?

I was going to say something funny, like I love that I can eat every day for free, but it’s just the people—the students, especially. It’s very welcoming. People are always willing to say hi, stop and talk to you. That’s different for me and it’s nice.

What do you think we can improve on in terms of community service?

Sometimes students can get into a routine of just doing things for the hours or receiving an award, and I really want us to move into why we do service, so you’re not even thinking of the hours when you do them. They kind of are on the back burner. They add up along the way, but you are invested in the community. I also want students to be committed to just a few organizations, rather than so many, because I think that’s more empowering and the partners in the community would appreciate it a lot more.

What about you would surprise others?

My favorite show right now is Dr. Pol on National Geographic Wild. My husband and I watch it together—that is like our Saturday night at 9 o’clock. It’s a show about a doctor in some far off land, a veterinarian, and he does all kinds of weird stuff with llamas and pigs and cows. I’m into things like that. I could sit there and watch Tornado Chasers and the Safari and Animal Planet.

LIFE

March 8, 2018 • Eagle Edition • 11

Twinception

POPTOPIC

By Anastasia Sotiropoulos

From unexplained telepathy to swapped Schoology grades, rare twin pairs on campus have stories to tell

LILY CHARNES, Senior

“I went on a five-week long bus trip with Jake and 50 other kids we didn’t know. We were stuck with each other. We always sat with each other on the bus, and a week later, when we got to know everyone really well, the rest of the kids told us that they thought we were dating because we spent so much time together. That’s when I told them we were twins. I knew a couple other kids that were on the trip really well, and they were all like, ‘What the heck—they look exactly alike. Why would you think that?”

I just laughed and was like, ‘No, you got the wrong idea…’”

MATTHEW MCCOY, Freshman “My sister Madison always loves to predict the endings of shows. Most of the time, she gets it right for some reason, and we’ll just say it at the same time. We call it “twin telepathy.” We were watching Supernatural, and immediately at the same time, we called out the name of a guy who had returned from the very start of the show who we thought was dead. We just looked at each other. Mostly, it’s endings in shows, but occasionally, we’ve had it before where I’m helping her on homework or vice-versa, and we’ll say the answer simultaneously.”

LUKE STANFORD, Junior “When Abby and I were in middle school, we started dating the Kozmetsky twins. Middle school dating was an interesting experience. We couldn’t drive, so dating another pair of twins made it easier to hang out since our mom could just drop both of us off. In sixth grade, we didn’t really think much of it.

When we look back on it, it always makes us laugh because the chances of twins dating twins are so small, but somehow it worked in sixth grade.”

RACHEL MORROW, Sophomore “Last year, Sarah and I had every single class together­—no joke. It was so weird because we had never had classes together before. As you can imagine, teachers used to get us mixed up. One teacher came up with the nicknames ‘Straightchel’ and ‘Curlah’ last year, because I have straight hair and Sarah’s is curly. Now, I have two teachers this year that call us that, too. Once, a teacher also put in Sarah’s grade under my name into Schoology.

I’ve gotten multiple emails from the Ambassadors Club about signing up for tours, but I’m not on Ambassadors—Sarah is.”

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Features April 15, 2016 Eagle Edition

11

Teacher Feature Taking care of business | Global liaison, political manager, feminist,

history teacher, former UChicago dean works to change the world

Rockin’ the world

Arnold visits the Ring of Brodgar in Scotland during a a trip there to visit one of her daughters.

All in read

As Dean of Students at UChicago Law School, Arnold reads names at 2005 graduation.

Full of class By | Annabel Clark & Anastasia Sotiropoulos

E

leanor Arnold was grad- Arnold said. ing a stack of AP European It wasn’t until her teens that her History papers on her desk town integrated students of differwhen she received an email ent backgrounds and ethnicities. from Alex McElya [‘16] asking to This sparked her interest and cube excused for the day to attend a riosity about culture in a world Marco Rubio rally in Klyde War- outside her isolated town in Texren Park. as. Having also been influenced Initially by a government Arnold wasn’t teacher as an upgoing to let perclassman, she McElya get considered purThe more I study away with suing a career in ditching her either law or polhistory, the more I class, but she itics. understand the changed her “In high mind after school, I became continuity of what’s giving it more a Republican behappening. The things cause I had a govthought. “ S h e ernment teachwe view as strange, emailed me er who argued amazing and back and said, very strongly sometimes awful, are that we needed a ‘the one time I went to a raltwo-party sysnot necessarily new.” ly, it was for tem,” Arnold said. a man run—Eleanor Arnold “I gradually driftning for Sened in the opposite ate,’” McElya direction.” said. “‘And that man was George A few years after attending the H.W. Bush.’ She became life- Bush rally her senior year, she was long friends with the Bushes and hired at Bush’s local campaign thought it was only right that she headquarters. let me go.”

She pushed off Law School at Arnold has been a dedicated University of Chicago until 2000 patron of politics since her junior to focus on her three daughters. year of high school.

But she longed to pursue a career Growing up in San Angelo, a in secondary education teaching town of 30,000 in West Texas, history.

Arnold attended predominantly “I gained my love of histowhite schools until high school. ry through politics and current “I went to school with boys events,” Arnold said. “The more who wore cowboy hats and boots I study history, the more I unand girls who wore skirts with derstand the continuity of what’s petticoats and saddle oxfords,” happening. The things we view as

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strange, amazing and sometimes awful, are not necessarily new.”

Ever since Arnold was first hired at ESD in 1988, she has taught AP European History, World History, English and Constitutional Law. “I love helping students understand the relevance of what went on in history to what’s going on today,” Arnold said. “When a student opens a newspaper, I want them to understand how we’ve gotten to this point and how we can get to a better place in the future.”

Arnold doesn’t approach a weighty topic with only her point of view. She makes a note of every perspective to give students a more holistic understanding.

“She wants everyone’s opinions to be equally heard,” McElya said.

“With some teachers, it’s easy to get off on a tangent. With Ms. Arnold, it’s easy get too in-depth. We discuss issues down to a point and mention every last thing about them.”

Arnold’s background does not just include politics and teaching.

She was accepted by the University of Chicago, an “intellectual heaven,” as she called it, where she earned her law degree and later became the Dean of Students.

When she returned to ESD in 2010, Arnold, along with Claire Mrozek, lead the World Affairs Club, focusing on micro lending and awareness of current events.

McElya, an executive member, emphasizes the importance of carefully selecting recipients.

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“[Arnold] always mentions so- the variety of people passing by. ciety improves the most when you To Arnold, considering the social help the most disadvantaged peo- dynamic of a country is just as imple,” McElya said. “A chain is only portant as learning its rich history as strong as its weakest link—if when trying to fully understand a you pick up the bottom, you’re culture. picking up the rest as well.”

After retirement, Arnold plans A world issue Arnold is actively to travel more and become active trying to tackle both in and out- in political volunteering. side the classroom is gender in“I am really interested in the equality.

International Refugee Committee “She is a feminist in all the best and those areas that work with ways in terms of promoting equal refugees,” Arnold said. “There’s rights for women and bringing the a Dallas organization called the idea that not everything is fair,” Human Rights Initiative that World History student Miranda helps asylum seekers who are goBarker [‘17] said. “She wants us to ing through the legal process to help change that.” be admitted to the U.S. because As Directhey’re fearful of tor of Global their lives.”

Education, In every stage Arnold takes of her life, ArAll her opinions, her passion nold has never for world backgrounds and inputs ceased to get issues to the involved and collectively contribute next step as make a difa sponsor to her as a person who ference in the of Student community. She is full of wisdom and Shoulder to hopes to spread capable of improving any her passions S h o u l d e r, an organisituation in front of her.” for culture and zation that change to her escorts teens —Alex McElya [‘16] grandchildren. around to “[Arnold] has countries in had so many need of hands-on service. experiences with different plac“I think through traveling, we es and different people,” McElya find out how similar we are to the said. “All her opinions, backrest of the world, as well as how grounds and inputs collectively different we are,” Arnold said. contribute to her as a person who The most essential part of any is full of wisdom and capable of trip to Arnold is people-watching. improving any situation in front She never hesitates to sit on a park of her. That’s why she’s an incredibench for a few hours and observe ble teacher and person.”

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Arnold poses as a high schooler in the 1960s in her hometown San Angelo, Texas.

Photos courtesy of Eleanor Arnold.

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Features May 20, 2016 Eagle Edition

Sky high | teens take life skills to the air By | Meredith Hessel & Anastasia Sotiropoulos

need to know how to maintain altitude, formulate a plan of action before leaving the ground, ensure idway through his sec- the plane is balanced and avoid ond flying lesson, Tra- weather threats. Flying a plane vis Carter [‘17] heard also requires having a knowledge the buzz-buzz-buzz of of physics and math.

“It’s kind of exponential,” Swift the Cessna 172’s warning system.

He looked over at his instructor said. “It’s like 2D versus 3D. It’s a with a bit of fear. The warning lot more complicated, especially siren continued to blare, so he as you get into higher levels.”

In order to obtain a license, a jerked the rudder and the plane started spinning right towards the pilot-in-training goes through ground. He followed his instruc- certain amount of hours in dual tor’s orders and successfully land- time (in the air with the instruced the recovery procedure with a tor), a pre-solo exam with feedsmile and sigh of relief. He com- back from an instructor, a signed endorsement of approval for a pleted his first stall.

“It’s hard getting in sync with all solo-ride by an instructor, a writof the controls,” Carter said. “But, ten test, a checkride test and then it’s so fun navigating and flying. a simultaneous oral and checkride You go on planes and don’t think test.

Although the about how cool it most beneficial is until you get up training might in the air and are I practice in the air, but I seem to come in control.”

Carter’s not also do online courses, text- in the air, the the only one inbook homework, instructor ground work is terested in pilotcourses and ground school. just as crucial.

“The hardest ing. For juniors I’ve probably put in around part is the learnRobert Crenshaw 70-80 hours of ground ing curve and and Isaac Swift, school this year, not includ- flood of material flying has been ing study time.” and book knowlpart of their lives that you for quite some —Isaac Swift [‘17] edge need to know,” time. Crenshaw Swift said. “I is close to becoming licensed and Swift received his practice in the air, but I also do online courses, textbook homeprivate license Tuesday.

A pilot’s license requires a set work, instructor courses and amount of logged training time ground school. I’ve probably put with and without an instruc- in around 70-80 hours of ground tor and passing a written exam. school this year, not including Crenshaw, Swift and Carter will study time.”

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The complications begin with the grunt work of creating a flight path that corresponds with weather, air traffic and fuel levels.

“You have to do stuff like weight and balance, which is making sure the plane will actually take off with the runway space you have and then getting into the air and making sure that you don’t run into some weather system that will make you crash,” Crenshaw said. “So there’s just a bunch of planning, but once you get into the air it’s pretty easy.”

Three different types of license certificates exist: sport, recreational and private. Sport pilots, are limited to one passenger, 10,000 feet or lower, local destinations and require 20 hours of logged training time unlike the more advanced recreational and private pilot certificates. Having a driver’s license, being 16 years old and understanding written and spoken English make students eligib to start working towards a pilot’s license.

Freshman Trey Brooks will begin logging training hours for a sport license this summer, although he won’t receive it until summer junior year. His father and grandfather, who work in the aviation business and are certified themselves, unofficially began his training years ago.

“I fly right now with my dad,” Brooks said. “He started teaching me when I was six years old.

It could be a possible career for me as well—private piloting. I just think it’s a good thing to learn for

the future.”

Brooks successfully completed his first take-off at age 10 and his first landing, the most challenging aspect, when he was 12.

Unlike Brooks, Cooper Newsom [‘19] will be maneuvering an aircraft for the first time this summer. Newsom doesn’t see himself following the footsteps of his grandfather, who flew in the Air Force, but wants his sport license for enjoyment.

Crenshaw and Carter want a private license for getaway adventures. But, newly-licensed Swift has bigger ambitions.

After begging a couple years, his parents enrolled him into an introductory class at Samantha Brosler’s [‘18] family’s company, PlaneSmart, a fixed-base operator responsible for passenger handling, aircraft fueling, parking,

maintenance, rentals, flight training and more. These lessons triggered his dream to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe. Once he gets his Instrument Flight Training (IFR) rating and commercial license on his 18th birthday, he plans to take off after graduation. Countless hours of creating flight routes, days of research and cautious—but supportive—parents are key.

“I’ve talked to a ton of people about it,” Swift said. “They think I can do it.”

Swift’s big dreams helped him find his passion.

“I have to do checklists over and over again and going through [them] in my head and on paper to make sure that I have everything done. And just feeding my passion while I’m up there. I found my passion in the sky.”

License to thrill Last Wednesday, Isaac Swift [‘17] added more hours towards getting his private pilot license certificate. As of Tuesday, he became certified.

Photo courtesy of Issac Swift.