The Fourcast, February 2024

The Hockaday School

Dallas, TX 75229

11600 Welch Rd.

February 14, 2024

Fragments of

v.74 issue 3

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fourcast A LOOK INSIDE

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FABulous fine arts

Fine Arts Board debuts first Upper School Arts Festival.

Read full story on pg. 4

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A New (York) type of gamer

Recent additions to New York Times’ “Games” section attracts millions of new users, including Hockadaisies.

Read full story on pg. 7

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Black history at Hockaday: a month of education and reflection.

Read full story on pg. 17

by 6 A Galentine’s guide 14 Living leap years hockadayfourcast.org

@hockadayfourcast

Living history in the Rotunda made 21 TikTok me buy it

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by the numbers The number of different fine arts each advisory got to participate in on Fab Fest.

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

Votes that passed Senate Bill 17, which prohibits DEI offices in public education institutions.

Conversations about conservation

Science students explore ecological projects on and off campus

by Sophia Lou | Staff Writer

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unior Cassidy Golden and her APES class trek through the forest, observing the switchgrass, yellow Indian grass, little blue stem, and big blue stem grasses, which are the four main types of grass in Blackland prairies. Red shoulder hawks, beavers, turkey vultures, and Carolina wrens flock about as Cassidy tries to record it all in her notebook.

Environmental projects have been happening all year both on campus and around Dallas through Upper School science courses. From restoring prairies to testing for water contamination, students explore ways they can make an impact in the Dallas community and be more environmentally conscious.

“My hope is that students walk away more informed consumers and also have an appreciation for the natural world,” Crowley said.

“Because if you don’t have that appreciation, you’re not going to be interested in saving it.”

The class partners with the Trinity River Audubon Center (TRAC). During monthly field trips to the nature reserve, specialists at TRAC teach students about the restoration process of a prairie. So far, APES students have propagated plants and placed them back into the habitat for restoration, removed invasive species to increase plant diversity and introduced native plants.

“We have amazing instructors at TRAC who will go and take walks through the prairie, and they will help us identify the different plants and animals,” said junior Cassidy Golden.

APES hopes to implement the restoration experience they have gained at TRAC and apply it to

Beside the Bachman Creek Outdoor Classroom lies the plot for the pocket prairie.

the “pocket prairie” on campus at Hockaday. The 2,500 square foot prairie lies behind the softball field.

“There is a lot of potential back there. The hope is to draw some sort of wildlife to our campus,” Crowley said.

Crowley created her Conservation Biology class, a semester course, to delve deeper into questions students have and the resultant projects rather than being restricted to AP curriculum. Conservation Bio students began by researching the flora that inhabitants a Blackland prairie, the ecosystem that existed before Hockaday. They then visited the Clymer Meadow Preserve, an intact Blackland prairie, and talked to specialists about how they manage their property.

After learning about seed

The Beehive is located outside of the Lower School Garden and is home to European honeybess, a foreign bee species. PHOTOS BY SOPHIA LOU

class before collecting data in the propagation, the class created a West Dallas community. project proposal, picked species Last year, the Environmental of flowers that were host plants for Chemistry class took water samples butterflies and chose grasses that from the Wesley Rankin Community would make good habitats for birds Center and a few of the community in the winter. Crowley hopes future members’ homes, Conservation Bio and from their and AP Biology data concluded classes will visit there was an issue the area and see with water quality. what was able The class then to grow. created brochures Environmental and posters to Chemistry is communicate their a first-year findings to the West Chemistry course Dallas community. designed to give This year, the students a realstudents have taken world application one field trip to West of traditional chemistry topics.

Jessie Crowley Dallas to get a sense of the community’s “The big APES Teacher needs. Although they thing about this have not yet started course is that their project, they it is more about plan to build on the previous year’s experimental design and real-life findings and test specifically on application of chemistry,” Dr. Jen where in the community this issue is Fore said. “They are still learning fundamental chemistry, just through most prevalent.

“Last year, it was more like, is a different lens.” there an issue?” Dr. Fore said. “This The class partners with the year we know there is something West Dallas community, which has historically been an area of pollution going on, so can we isolate the issue? There is a lot of chemistry caused by a lead smelter and that happens in water.” concrete factory.

Other Hockaday science classes “We are focusing on West visited the Hockaday bees, an Dallas because it is in an initiative started by Laura Day, a underrepresented area where there are a lot of factories that are close to leader in the Institute of Social Impact. All proceeds from the honey neighborhoods with lots of children sold at the bookstore goes back into and families,” sophomore Allie Gerber said. “This has caused health beehive maintenance, contributing to Hockaday’s continued efforts for problems for these families that conservation on campus. have gone back generations, such as asthma.”

Students study air and water in

“

My hope is that students walk away more informed consumers and also have an appreciation for the natural world.”

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February 14, 2024

LOOKING FOURWARD

PHOTO COURTESY OF LILY ROBERTS

Hockaday’s Upper School and Middle School Choir will be performing a joint concert on Feb. 28 in the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Theater.

GRAPHIC BY JESSICA BOLL

Winter Break is coming up soon. Students will enjoy a four-day weekend to relax and enjoy a break from stress and tests.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN LACSAMANA

The Fine Arts Board is hosting a coffeehouse March 2 in the Blackbox Theater. Hockaday and St. Marks students will showcase their artistic and creative talents, such as singing and improv.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Hockaday will participate in the 2024 Colloquium Feb. 21 at Jesuit Preparatory School. Students will present essays composed about books like “1984” to students from schools across Dallas, hoping to foster discussion about literature.

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FABulous Fine Arts

Fine Arts Board debuts first Upper School Arts Festival

by Anya Aggarwal | Staff Writer

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he Upper School Fine Arts Board (FAB) hosted its very first FAB Fest during retreat week on Jan. 17. In a single day, performers and artists from theater, choir, dance, studio art, film and much more came together to showcase their unique talents and engage Upper School students in fine arts across campus.

Fine Arts Board chair Ava Shipp explained that the idea took form in the summer of 2023 and gained traction after being pitched to Head of Upper School Lisa Culbertson.

It earned unanimous support from the fine arts teachers.

“I really wanted FAB Fest to increase exposure and interest in the arts within our student body and to show students that there are so many different types of art,” Shipp said.

Fine Arts Board members worked with Student Council on logistical planning, including mock schedules and budgets, with the help of board sponsors Christie Sullivan and Alex Farrior.

“Our sponsors gave us a lot of creative freedom so we could really

kick off the program with as much Ms. Griffiths, who gave us some fine arts representation as awesome music to accompany our possible,” Shipp said. choreography.”

Sophomore As part of the Nadia Guevara, festival, the entire who performed Upper School in the dance student body program’s participated Alice in in visual and Wonderland, performing said being arts able to workshops share her to get an passion appreciation with Upper for the School diverse fine students arts offerings led her to at Hockaday. appreciate “We Hockaday’s fine understood arts program that students more don’t always than ever. have the “You get opportunity The Laywell/Mosley junior advisory poses with the Lip to build a to immerse community Sync battle first place trophy. They were awarded the win themselves with people after a finale face-off at the end of the day. in all that that you may never have gotten Hockaday arts has to offer and that to engage with,” Guevara said. a full day to experience the variety “We even got to collaborate with of fine arts on campus is super History of Arts and Music teacher, impactful,” Shipp said.

Junior advisees participated in a crocheting workshop.

Seniors Tarini Gupta and Julia Small make bracelets at a workshop.

F A B F E S T

The program serves as a potential long-term enhancement to existing FAB programs like “coffeehouses” and “lunchboxes,” where students have opportunities to demonstrate their talents in less structured environments.

“Our main goal was to increase visibility of the wonderful work being done in Hockaday’s arts departments because there’s so much creativity happening around us, and my goal was to showcase it at the festival,” Shipp said.

FAB members received strong feedback to continue their efforts via post-program surveys and hope to make it even better going forward.

“Since this was sort of the pilot year for FAB Fest,” Shipp said, “We envision including different performances, workshops, other divisions of Hockaday and even teaming up with other schools like St. Mark’s to expand it and take it to the next level.”

Upper School dance teams performs for FAB fest

PHOTOS PROVIDED AVA SHIPP

Bella Raymond, Lilly Simons, Ariana Wang and Maya Malik participated in a silver workshop.

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The DEI Divide

Texas Ban on DEI offices in public universities goes into effect

by Melody Tian and Alexandra Dassopoulos | JADE Editor and Arts & Life Editor

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tate Senate Bill 17, which imposes a state ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices, initiatives and training at Texas public universities and colleges, went into effect Jan. 1.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, after successfully making its way through the Texas House and Senate. Though Texas’ new law bans DEI offices, it does not affect student organizations, academic courses or student admissions.

Over the years, DEI offices have developed into a pillar for colleges and universities across the U.S., with efforts to amplify campus diversity and ensure success for all students. DEI offices have a wide range of functions: they organize programs to aid underserved or marginalized students professionally, search for diverse faculty candidates, and create initiatives and centers that benefit LGBTQ+ students, ethnic and racial minorities, and students with disabilities.

According to the Texas Tribune, when laying out his version of the Senate bill on the House floor, Representative John Kuempel stated that there is scarcely any proof that DEI initiatives have bridged the gap in minority student achievements or the recruitment of minorities. Additionally, critics accuse DEI programs of disseminating left-wing ideology onto students and faculty and argue that such programs emphasize inclusivity and diversity over merit and achievement. They further argue that the elimination of these programs would result in millions in taxpayer savings.

Yet, Texas students and faculty members have resisted these efforts, asserting that DEI offices and initiatives should be retained to enhance the inclusion and success of all people on campus. Some critics have stressed that without university sponsorship, an overwhelming responsibility will fall onto students to plan DEI-related events.

Dr. Tracey Tevis, the Director of DEI at Hockaday, said that attending a small, private institution made her fall in love with DEI work, and it’s disheartening to know that students may not have the same opportunity that she did. She believes that DEI enhances the sense

of welcomeness students feel and has since added a B at the end of DEI for belonging. However, she also believes people are entitled to their own opinions.

“The wonderful part about DEIB is that we’re not trying to make you necessarily change your mind,” Tevis said. “Part of it’s about hearing a person’s perspective and understanding where that person is coming from.”

In addition, Tevis said she thinks it’s also important to look at DEI offices through a holistic lens and realize that they go beyond benefitting people of color.

GRAPHIC BY SAANVI KUMAR

“Being around people with diverse cultures, not just racial, but religions and socio-economic location, increases creativity, critical thinking skills and helps you learn how to have that civil discourse,” Tevis said. “The goal with a DEIB office is to make sure that we are equipping you all with the skills needed to become global citizens after graduation.”

Tevis emphasized that DEI is not just achieved by one person, but rather, it takes the work of all. She hopes students will listen to both sides of the argument regarding DEI by reading books, listening to podcasts, and talking to friends to formulate their own opinions.

“I highly encourage you all to go to things like the Dallas Area Diversity Youth Organization and go to college and independent school websites and see what these offices offer,” Tevis said.

Seniors Ashley Chemmalakuzhy, head of Student Diversity Board (SDB), and Leila Tarighi, president of Affinity

Council, represent student DEI interests at Hockaday and have their own perspectives on SB17.

Chemmalakuzhy said SDB promotes DEI primarily through conversationbased activities on current events in forums and “Chit Chats.” Their goal is to make students reflect on their identities and understand how this shapes their outlooks on global or national issues.

Like Dr. Tevis, she emphasized the impact of the feeling of belonging that goes alongside DEI, and how this is an integral part of any school or university.

“Having discussions makes people a lot more aware about their identities and how that influences their daily life and perspectives,” Chemmalakuzhy said. “Bringing identity into the forefront and making it a part of conversation enriches the Hockaday community, and makes people think about inclusivity and belonging and how we can best promote that.”

Tarighi leads Affinity Council representatives through a variety of initiatives and by addressing student issues, ensuring everyone’s identity is represented at Hockaday. This year, Tarighi, has worked to create a Prayer Room and publish bi-monthly newsletters. She believes that Affinity Council’s DEI work transcends into the larger student body to create an uplifting environment.

“With Affinity Council, it’s about sitting at a round table, putting a face to an identifier and feeling like we are all working together in tandem on these really deep issues,” Tarighi said. As a board, we’ve aimed to curate a compassionate and empowering environment, even within an emotionally tiring space like school. It’s important to create safe spaces where students feel comfortable and confident within their identifier.”

With their leadership experience at Hockaday, both Tarighi and Chemmalakuzhy believe that DEI offices are necessary at public universities and strongly disagree with Abbot’s most recent law. Though Tarighi believes student-based DEI work will continue to thrive, efforts won’t be as productive or united without strong administrative support. She expressed that such student organizations will be somewhat restricted to their own microcosm of work and explained that while Hockaday’s DEI office was temporarily absent, Affinity Council couldn’t make as much progress on their goals.

“I still think there will be affinity groups and initiatives on college campuses, but there won’t be a sense of connection between each of them,” Tarighi said. “There’s no working together, collective effort or administrative backing; everyone will be working in their own bubble and isolated and we will lose a lot of the necessary ingredients in creating an equitable space.”

Chemmalakuzhy emphasized that the DEI ban has vast implications for college students – which go beyond life at university. She said that not only will this law diminish students’ sense of belonging, embracing of their differences and exchanging perspectives at college, but that such an educational experience will translate to when graduates enter the real world, in a negative way.

“As we’re educating our youth to go out into the world, a lot of what they’re going to do stems from what they’ve learned,” Chemmalakuzhy said. “DEI needs to be considered in the larger global context of how we are going to account for each other and accommodate each other as we’re all just living and working together.”

Chemmalakuzhy said that SDB’s goal is to embrace a wide range of viewpoints, making their activities an area to exchange ideas rather than a battleground for persuasion. Dr. Tevis reinforced Chemmalakuzhy’s stance, expressing that an aspect of DEI offices involves offering understanding to everyone, including individuals who might be skeptical or opposed to the principles of DEI.

new on welch

A look at what’s happening on campus

PHOTO COURTESY OF AISWARYA KORATALA

Texas Private School All-State Members of Hockaday Choir and Orchestra attended TPSMEA All-state. Students competed to receive placements in different choirs and chair.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHIFA IRFAN

Winter Formal Every year, Hockaday hosts the Winter Formal dance in the spring. Girls use the event to invite dates outside of the school to join them for predance photos, late night dancing, and overall fun.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRITTANY PENDLETON

Robotics Tournament Robotics team won all five qualifying matches and reached some of the highest scores in the entire tournament! The team obtained 3rd place in Design Award for their design and the Motivate Award.

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Arts & 8 Life fourcast

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

Divorced, beheaded, live onstage

New director Jeremy Hays takes on twist on annual musical, while crew works hard behind scenes.

A Galentine’s Guide W

& Hanna Asmerom | Web Editor

BRUNCH

MAKEUP

Lab Stores like MY X Blend Bar and Lip tick , lips tom cus allow customers to create r offe y The . des sha lip gloss or lip balm w allo and s nce erie exp up gro interactive or flav and customers to choose the color and ngs ravi eng of their lip produc t, add ally name the shade. This activity usu ing end dep rs, hou two to one lasts for and up, on the size of your gro will cost bet ween $50 to $10 0 depending on the type of lip produc t you customize.

As as the end of the school year approaches, try some of these late-night bites to keep you going.

by Kailey Bergstedt | Editor-in-Chief

ith Valentine’s Day approaching, many students opt to celebrate the holiday with their friends – rather than with a romantic partner – by participating in “Galentine’s” activities. As you plan your Galentine’s celebration, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best activities.

G oing to brunch to celebrate G alenis a classic way trendy Dallas rest tine’s. Several perfect place to aurants are the take and enjoy Valent cute pictures in food and drinks. e’s themed Th Room, Edith’s Frene French and Bistro 31 are ch Bistro all places wor th checking ou t.

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Around Dallas

NIGHT-IN

G N I K A B

ookin g bakin g or c -on ’s e n ti n le a aG ands Organizin g ur friends is a fun, h mories . me yo class with at will create lastin g h Recipe renc e th ex perienc Sur L a Table or M y F d in-store e e Plac es lik ral Valentine’s them f February. e v e th s mon o offer ghou t the n ge from $ 6 0 to u ro th s e s y ra clas ses usuall nd len g th These clas din g on the recipe a ety of n ari $10 0 depe s and they cover a v your s nd la a c u e o y th f g o llowin a , ls il k s e ry niqu s and culina y new tech r. tr to s d n frie gethe recipes to

yet t in is a laid-back,e’s. tin Having a girls’ nigh to celebrate G alen underrated, way classic rom-coms, bake You could watchhave a potluck . Movies something or Hate About You” and like “10 Things I ed ” are staples for “Never Been Kiss ovie marathon. The any G alentine’s med “Anyone but You” recently releas tion and is being is another op theaters as a re-released in core” with “Valentine’s En ent. bonus cont

JEWELR Y G etting ma tc

hing perm is a tangib ane friendship le way to celebrate mnt jewelr y s . eaning ful Several loc Love Weld al store and permanen TOI & MOI jewelr y, s, such as of the jewet jewelr y experienceoffer group style and tylr y will var y dependins. Prices g on the bracelets upe of metal, but perm sually cost anent betw to $15 0. Th e longevit y een $10 0 jewelr y ca of the n symbolizin be signif icant, g the nature of yenduring o friendshipur .

Anything but new

“Anyone but You” features romance and repetition

by Kailey Bergstedt | Editor-in-Chief

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tars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell graced movie theater screens as the main love interests in the romcom “Anyone but You.” The movie, which came to theaters in late December, is loosely based on Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing.”

The story follows law student Bea and investment banker Ben, whose initial romantic encounter sours when Bea overhears Ben insulting her. Six months later, they reunite for the wedding of Bea’s sister and Ben’s family friend in Sydney, where they devise a plan to pretend they are a couple.

Although I do love the occasional cheesy rom-com, this movie fell flat for me in a few different ways.

The chemistry, or lack thereof, between Sweeney and Powell felt awkward and insincere at times.

Sweeney’s portrayal of disdain toward Powell seemed more convincing than her moments of

falling in love, leaving the overall connection between the characters somewhat unconvincing. There were a few glimpses of chemistry between the characters, but it overall felt like something was lacking.

The movie relied too heavily on the cliche “rom-com formula” and did little to offer a unique storyline or perspective. It features two of the most attractive (in my opinion) rising stars, Sweeney and Powell, as the main characters and centers its entire plot on the “fake dating turns into real feelings” trope.

Even the comedic

scenes, while entertaining, often drew from familiar sources or felt overly manufactured. For example, when Bea first meets Ben, she accidentally sprays sink water over her pants and relies on the bathroom hand dryer to dry herself off. Of course, there is a reason the triedand-true formula has stuck around for so long in the industry, and I was entertained by the movie, but I kept finding myself hoping for more.

That being said, the movie did manage to deliver laughs through

several well-executed comedic moments. Powell and Sweeney were fun to watch, and I really enjoyed the banter between their two characters. Their performances injected a playful energy into the film, creating moments of genuine amusement that provided a redeeming quality to the overall viewing experience.

I enjoyed watching the movie and, if given the opportunity, would watch it again. But I didn’t find myself overly impressed by it. “Anyone but You” stands as a familiar addition to the rom-com genre, featuring charismatic leads and moments of humor, but it ultimately falls short of delivering a truly distinctive and memorable love story.

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A New (York) type of gamer

New York Times’ “Games” section attracts Hockadaisies

by Elizabeth Truelove | Sports Editor

T

o honor the principle of journalism and remain transparent to all “Fourcast” readers, I have to admit: many times, I have found myself playing the New York Times games when those 100 class minutes start to feel closer to 1,000.

For a few minutes, I redirect my attention to my laptop, type in my signature start word and attempt to complete the Wordle in fewer takes than my mother, who likely sent me her score a few minutes prior. Sure, the games are mind-numbing, but at the same time they consume my every thought until I finish, complicating my attempt to multitask in class.

To my humiliation, earlier this school year, I forgot to mute the sound on my laptop before I completed the Mini Crossword, blasting the short jingle signifying my success to my law class (Sorry, Mr. Klassen). Even though my teacher had no clue what the sound meant, my classmates obviously recognized what I had been doing and laughed as I rushed to press mute.

However, after the laughter died down and attention returned to our teacher, I recognized how many of my classmates typed “mini crossword” into their search bar Even a friend sitting nearby slowly tilted her laptop to display her score on the screen.

“And I beat you without sharing it with the entire class,” she said.

So, despite my embarrassment, I then realized the Times games were not my niche obsession, they were everyone’s.

While the New York Times remains one of the most reputable publications in America, their “Games” section has garnered a larger percentage of readers’ attention after the additions of Wordle and Connections, alongside the fan-favorite crossword.

Wordle While the NYT crossword has earned an esteemed reputation over the years, the newly acquired game Wordle took the world by storm in early 2022.

Invented by Brooklynbased software engineer Josh Wardle, the new word game brought in “an unprecedented tens of millions of new users” to the Times according to Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien.

While Wordle originally created the game in 2021 for his partner who loves word games, the game rapidly gained users and, in a little over two months, Wardle’s creation had over 300,000 players. Soon after, the Times took notice and acquired the game for a seven-figure sum.

Since then, the game has received global attention with roughly 2 million daily Wordle players according to the New York Times. Each day, players have six chances to correctly guess a fiveletter word in the English dictionary.

When a player enters their first guess, the letters will either appear gray, yellow or

green. Grey means the letter is not within the word at all, yellow means the letter is within the word, but is incorrectly placed and green means the letter is a part of the word in the correct location.

As an avid Wordle player, I can attest that the biggest debate regarding Wordle and its fans lies in which word a player chooses as their first guess. From 2022 to 2023, the Times recorded the starting words of 515 million games completed.

They found that the most popular word was “adieu” given the large number of vowels. While the strategy allures many Wordle players, Times discovered that those who use “adieu” as their starting word needed roughly a third of a turn more to solve their Wordles in comparison to those who use the word “slate.”

“I use the word ‘raise’,” daily Wordle-player and junior Naviya Reddy said. “Then, if I don’t get any letters from that, I use the word ‘cloud’ then go from there.”

Reddy explained that while there are varying strategies for a lot of the Times games, Wordle is relatively straightforward.

“The only strategy there is for Wordle is to use the same starting word and know what your second option is if the first one doesn’t work out,” Reddy said.

When the competitiveness surrounding Wordle grew during its

early stages under Wardle’s ownership, dedicated fans posted their answers by making their own wordle text box with gray, yellow and green emojis on their phones. Therefore, a player could brag about their success or have others empathize with their failure without revealing the words they chose.

However, after the Times bought

Wordle, they created an option for users to send their games to others.

This allowed players to create endless group chats and Facebook groups to collaborate and compete over the word game.

My mom never fails to rub it in when

she beats me (she wants me to add that she beat me the day this article was written). As the competition and popularity of Wordle grew, players around the globe made variations of the game to provide new challenges such as solving for eight different words at the same time or words in different languages.

“Wordle Español” Although Wordle Español is not an option under the Times’ “Games” section, web developers across the globe have created different websites to include their language in the popular game. At Hockaday, multiple language teachers have utilized this spin-off during class.

“I started doing [the English version] in my advisory and then I got a little curious and wondered if there was a Wordle in Spanish,” Spanish teacher Samantha Krasne said. “That’s when I found Wordle Español.”

Krasne loves to incorporate Wordle Español in the preliminary activity for her students. She said that it’s a great activity that sets the rhythm of the class and involves friendly competition. After trying it out in her classes, Krasne has received a good response from a lot of her students.

“It’s a good activity to get the blood flowing and get the students excited about vocabulary,” Krasne said.

While Krasne typically chooses a preliminary group activity to start her classes, she has seen a repeated interest in Wordle Español from her students.

“I thought maybe my students would get a little bored after doing it once because it’s too repetitive, but every time they play, they get so into it and excited,” Krasne said.

Connections After the Times witnessed the influx of users that Wordle brought to their newspaper, Times Puzzle Editor Wyna Liu was assigned the job of creating

Connections: a category matching game.

Liu decided the game would have 16 cards meant to be organized into four sections based on their niche categories.

For example, Liu included the words “ball,” “base,” “bat” and “glove” on Jan. 26 to be under the category of “baseball equipment.” However, not all categories are this easy to predict. Out of the four categories, each is assigned a color to determine the difficulty of uncovering that category. So, “baseball equipment” was the yellow category, meaning it was the easiest to find. After yellow comes green, blue and then purple, the hardest category. On Jan. 26, this category was a fill in the blank: “____ bunny.” The four answers were “bad,” “bugs,” “dust” and “honey.”

Since the categories change every day, most players believe there is no strategy in Connections, there is only luck. However, junior Mae Flanagan believes that, after playing for a while with her advisory, she has learned some techniques to help her succeed.

“Now, I can usually see one or two categories just by looking through the words,” Flanagan said. “Then, after guessing the easier categories, I usually try to think of fill-in-the-blank words just because that is a popular purple category.”

While she believes word games very rarely can make someone “smarter,” Flanagan thinks that Connections has helped other aspects of her learning.

“It requires more critical thinking than I would say Wordle or the Mini Crossword does,” Flanagan said. “There’s no starting word or hint to help you out.”

Connections has millions of daily players who enjoy learning the odd trivia facts included in the Crossword combined with the competitiveness of Wordle, as both games have limited attempts. While the debate over whether word games improve brain function remains unsettled, no one can argue that the thrill of getting those five green letters in Wordle or guessing the right category on your last guess in Connections isn’t worth 10 minutes of your day.

TRY OUR GAMES!

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

Arts &Life

Divorced, beheaded, “SIX: Teen Edition” brings unique, LIVE onstage historical twist to annual musical

by Caroline Bush| Editor-In-Chief

U

pper School students are bringing life to the story of Tudor England’s Henry VIII’s six wives in “SIX: Teen Edition,” for the annual winter musical.

On Feb. 11, 12 and 14, new Director of Theatre Jeremy Hays will debut his first show with Hockaday.

“SIX: Teen Edition,” though shorter than past musicals the Fine Arts Department has presented, has been just as tall of an order for the cast and crew, featuring around 10 full musical numbers with scenes in between.

“SIX in particular has its own challenges because it’s not a traditional book musical,” Hays said. “ It’s bringing history into the modern age in the form of a pop concert. It’s basically like trying to put on a mini Eras Tour in Dallas.”

Unlike the Broadway production, the teen version of “SIX” features an ensemble that helps bring the story to life. Each of the six wives has their own unique story to tell through script and song, and the ensemble is there to back them up with singing and dancing. The wives also have understudies within the ensemble to step in during rehearsals or in case an emergency happens on show night.

Junior Emily Yu serves as one of the two dance captains for the show. In her position, she leads the cast in learning new dances and choreographs parts to help dance teachers Christie Sullivan and Alex Farrior.

“I’m kind of the liaison between Ms. Sullivan and Mr. Hays, bringing together his vision with the choreography,” Yu said.

Because all of the characters have different personalities, senior Erin Antes said every scene is dynamic and fun to perform. Antes plays Catherine Parr, Henry’s sixth wife.

After school, rehearsal begins with signing in Senior Ava Shipp, who plays Catherine of Aragon, and greeting fellow cast rehearses her song about her queen’s story while the members. Then, the cast ensemble and other wives back her up.

PHOTO BY CAROLINE BUSH does a warm-up to boost energy before focusing on For Antes, the time commitment show,” Antes said. one or two songs and scenes for the can be a lot at times, but she said all Although Hays has only been with day. Antes said some days are more of those challenges ultimately make Hockaday for a few months, he said he vocal-heavy, while others are focused participating in the musical an even is already impressed with how the cast on dialogue or choreography. more special and valuable experience. has brought “SIX” to life.

“At the beginning of the process, “The cast is just such an amazing “Musicals are a tall order for such we would practice our runway walks group of people,” Antes said. “I’m a successful student body and active or have a dance-off in order to get our looking forward to having a great faculty, but confidence up and get into character,” time with the audience and that’s kind of Antes said. “I love how we’re able to be showcasing all of the hard work the amazing I love how super hyped and energetic on stage.” we’ve put into the process.” thing about we’re able to theater,” Hays The show is also features an allAntes said she appreciates female cast, a change from past years how devoted Hays is to his be super hyped said. “No collaborations with St. Mark’s. Antes direction, showing the cast the matter what, it and energetic said even though she’s sad not to have energy they should be putting always comes the boys there, it’s easier for everyone into each line and instilling onstage” together.” to express themselves freely. confidence along the way.

Erin Antes ‘24 The six wives stay on stage for the “He’s been really supportive, Plays Catherine Parr entirety of the performance, meaning and I love how he’s always that Antes and the other queens have coming up with new and to constantly stay in character. creative ideas for his vision of the

“

Tech theater takeover

Cox’s crew takes show to next level with lights, builds and more Even though the audience only sees the final product, there’s so much work behind the scenes that goes into putting on a musical like “SIX.” Senior Alex Cox is head of technical theater crew, organizing everyone’s tasks and making sure everything goes smoothly during the production process.

“I start each day after school by updating the crew on what needs to get done that day, whether that be finishing something from the day before, starting something new or painting a build,” Cox said.

While there is a general design crew and build crew, Cox said there is not a strict divide. The build crew tends to focus on the actual construction of set pieces, while the design crew will normally finish up the builds.

With a shorter production period, which started in December, the crew does not have as many big scene pieces for the show. They have

Students in tech crew paint set pieces, the floor design of the stage and other builds.

spent a lot of time building the main platforms for the stage as well as other hanging decorations.

Cox is also the Upper School student

lighting technician, meaning that she designs and runs lights with the professional designer during the show.

She said “SIX” in particular has very heavy lights, which has meant adjusting

the crew for performance days.

Cox said tech crew definitely comes with a learning curve. Students must learn how to use power tools and build pieces that are structurally sound while not using too much wood. Another challenge with the builds is learning what looks good on stage and what doesn’t.

“While some paint colors might look good when they’re right in front of you, they could end up looking completely different under stage lights or from further away,” Cox said.

Cox, who was Build Head her sophomore and junior year, said her favorite parts of tech crew are the builds and lights. She loves being able to create certain emotions through different lighting colors.

“The set can look great, and the actors can look great, but when you put them all together with the lights, you really have a production,” Cox said.

PHOTOS BY CAROLINE BUSH

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Q&A with Mr. Hays New Director of Theatre Jeremy Hays reflects on his journey, teaching experience and musical process Tell me a about your background.

I grew up in Oklahoma and went to an independent school. I discovered the arts in school. Before that, I was a baseball player, and the arts kind of stole me away. I stutter, so my theater teacher in high school was amazing, helping me with my speech and giving me confidence.

Because of that, I made theater my profession. I went to Oklahoma City University, majored in music and moved to New York after that. I have been an actor for 20 years. I did a couple of Broadway shows, and I’ve done TV and film work. Despite the fact that I stutter, I speak for a living.

What drew you to Hockaday?

My family relocated to Dallas during the pandemic. I have always taught – I was the acting coach for my agency in New York, and, when we first moved here, I taught at SMU and TCU. At Hockaday, I saw a place to build the theater program into a home. I want to give the same experience I had that changed my life to other students. I understand the power of the arts and what they can do for us no matter what profession we go into. I want to create those environments for students for whatever it is they choose to do.

With Hockaday being an ISAS school, I was somewhat familiar with how things work. Really, it’s just the talent and intelligence of the faculty

and students. It’s not like any other school. It was kind of a perfect fit.

What has been your favorite part of teaching at Hockaday?

The malleability of the students.

The arts (theater in particular) require you to be flexible and open to new ideas. Hockaday has a culture of experimentation, which is necessary in acting. I’ve loved seeing the impact of that openness and willingness to experiment.

Whether you are an athlete, a mathematician, whatever, that willingness to create is universal to anything, not just the arts. Watching that unfold is amazing.

What has been the biggest challenge in putting on the musical?

Putting on a musical is difficult no matter what. They require music and a music director, dance and a choreographer, storytelling and a director. The cast must have a good grasp of all of those concepts as well.

There’s a lot of cross-department collaboration, and everyone runs their own components, so we don’t always have the luxury of time.

Our process has been fast and furious. Everyone has been working so hard. I’ve been blown away by the work ethic and talent of the cast and their eagerness to give everything they have to it – that’s ultimately what always makes a show.

What are you most forward to with the show?

I am looking forward to sitting in the audience and watching the Hockaday community take the show in. I think they’re gonna be blown away. Everyone knows that we have talented students, but maybe they don’t know just how amazing they are.

This show is definitely gonna showcase the incredible talent we have and I hope it’s going to knock everyone’s socks off.

What’s your favorite part?

I love how we open the show. It really smacks you in the face.

There’s also a really great part near the end of the show where Erin Antes sings a solo as everything comes to a head.

It’s the penultimate moment of the show, and it’s just classic storytelling with music – one actor, a song, and a message.

That’s really impactful.

female characters. There’s usually a female character who’s in love, and the purpose of her being in the story is to pursue that love. You could say the same thing for a lot of male characters, but we tend to write female characters in the same way that we do children’s stories – the entire existence of them is a man.

This musical acknowledges that while saying: “We may be related because of the male character, but we have our own stories.”

That’s what the show is about. To showcase this musical in that light is what’s great and different about the show. If you think you’ve seen a musical at Hockaday before, you haven’t seen this.

What makes SIX so special?

Content, for sure. It is a pop concert with a storyline, not a musical with pop music. Also, there’s no boys. It’s an all-female show, and what better place to showcase that than at an all girls school? That’s what is going to make it so special.

Historically, in musical theater Hays directs Erin Antes, Lauren specifically, we haven’t always Lockhart and Ellery Works in the song done a good job of writing “Don’t Lose Your Head.”

PHOTO BY CAROLINE BUSH

Alexandra’s Fashion Fourcast

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Arts & Life Editor Alexandra Dassopoulos is a self-proclaimed fashionista, ready to report the latest news of the fashion world.

hile Hockadaisies follow uniform guidelines at school, they express themselves through their style beyond Welch Road.

Senior Sophia Afzalipour’s interest in fashion stemmed from her older sister’s inspiring wardrobe development – now, she values styling her own unique looks and has a true passion for clothing.

“Wearing the same thing to school every day forces me to take advantage of any opportunity I have to curate an outfit with pieces I connect with,” Afzalipour said.

Alongside Afzalipour’s own fashion development, she’s cultivated a distinct view on what the fashion industry looks like today: in particular, she believes the heavy presence and influence of fashion on social media has resulted in a lack of individual style.

“I think TikTok has changed the meaning of what a fashion trend is and taken it to a whole other level,” Afzalipour said. “People have lost their individuality by immediately purchasing something that is trending in the media.”

Afzalipour highlights the

undeniably quick turnover of recent trends on social media: the “coquette” aesthetic, with its short reign of feminine clothing and bows this past winter, already seems as though it’s going out of style.

“Following these trends on TikTok feeds further into consumerism and touches on the unsustainable aspects of the fashion industry,” Afzalipour said. “I hope our society can move towards developing a relationship with their “fashion style” by finding what they like, not what the media tells them, and valuing their pieces more.”

Sophomore Evelyn Yau, who is an influencer for the brand Edikted, shares outfit ideas on her TikTok account. Contrary to other influencers, Yau is conscious to make sure that she is not promoting microtrends to her audience and believes that her content doesn’t completely shape her watchers’ fashion choices.

“I don’t feel like I’m limiting people from having their own individual style, but I feel like the point of posting my videos is to give other people outfit inspiration,” Yau said. “I try to make sure that I’m not projecting microtrends and tend

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOPHIA AFZALIPOUR

to stick with the including animal print same aesthetic and other aspects of 70s of clothing that I punk fashion.” always wear.”

Echoing Afzalipour’s As far as trends, opinions, Yau thinks that Afzalipour believes leopard print will be on the sophisticated, trend – but not for very clean style will long. She predicts that begin to fade in international looks will 2024 - and her come to the forefront of predictions are fashion – specifically the reflected by the vibrant Australian and rise of the “mobminimalist Copenhagen wife aesthetic:”a aesthetics, which are style popularized contrastingly simple as this year that compared to the “mobemulates the wife” look. female fashion of No matter what fashion “The Sopranos,” might flood our feeds characteristically or fill magazine pages, featuring oversize Afzalipour hopes that faux-fur coats 2024 will be the year and sunglasses, we harness our unique dark makeup and fashion identities. chunky jewelry.

“I think it’s time for Afzalipour experimenting in her closet “This year I people withinin the fashion with a sherpa jacket, sheer dress, and think people are community to embrace edgy pointed toe shoes. going to get tired their personalities and of the “clean girl” step outside of the aesthetic and move towards a messier “trending “ box,” Afzalipour said. look,” Afzalipour said. “I think the trends will move towards more “wild” looks by

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“Percy Jackson” makes a splash Disney+ demigod adventure impresses audiences

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by Aadya Kuruvalli | JADE Editor

S

eason one of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” which wrapped on Disney+ at the end of January, featured a cast of talented actors and a production quality that attracted an audience of all demographics. The eight-episode miniseries follows the events of the first “Percy Jackson” book by Rick Riordan, “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.”

The show’s actors, who are all teenagers, are the show’s biggest highlight. Walker Scobell, who portrays the titular Percy, brings a new level of depth to the lovable childhood character. As the show has a much darker thematic motif than the book, Scobell conveys Percy’s humorous, sarcastic nature while also sharing his more emotional side.

Other notable young actors were Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri, who rounded out the main trio the series followed.

Although there was some controversy surrounding the casting of Jeffries and Simhadri, who didn’t physically resemble their book counterparts—Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood, respectively— there is no explanation needed for why Riordan chose the two to portray such important characters in the series. Jeffries’ reserved and serious but caring portrayal of Annabeth perfectly balanced out Simhadri’s hilarious and clever Grover. Both were excellent actors when paired

with Scobell.

Given creative license while scripting the show, Riordan expanded the “Percy Jackson” universe and introduced characters’ stories earlier than the books did. This allowed for a lot of powerful changes in the storylines.

For example, in “The Lightning Thief,” Percy, Annabeth and Grover are on a quest to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt before the summer solstice to prevent war between Zeus and Poseidon. Riordan chooses to make them miss this deadline in the show, causing war to break out between Zeus and Percy’s father, Poseidon.

At first, many fans, including myself, were confused by this minute but heavily impactful change.

However, in the finale, when Zeus is about to kill Percy for his insolence, Poseidon steps in and willingly surrenders to his brother for the sake of his son. This was a beautiful change from the novel that accurately captures the tumultuous yet strangely lovable and compassionate personalities of the gods.

Despite all of these effective and entertaining changes, the pacing and dialogue of the series were two major low points. For most of the series, the trio seem to know, and even express, which ancient monster they were facing before they faced it, such as in

stars

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY+

New “Mean Girls” can’t sit with us

by Harper Harris | Editor-In-Chief

When I saw that one of my favorite movies, “Mean Girls,” was getting a 2024 remake, I was so excited to see the classic revived. I was also eager to see one of my favorite singers, Renée Rapp, as Regina George in the film.

Even though I am not a huge musical fan, I still wanted to see the movie.

In 2017, years after the immense popularity of the 2004 “Mean Girls” film, the story was written as a musical for Broadway – so the songs in the 2024 version are not new. I was not familiar with any of the songs going

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

into the movie, but I thought they were a fun addition.

The movie follows Cady Heron, who was home-schooled in Africa, and her transition to a public high school in Chicago. Cady befriends “The Plastics,” the popular group of girls at school, who constantly cause drama within and outside of the friend group.

The original movie was written by Tina Fey, who also played Ms. Norbury, Cady’s math teacher, and she came back to rewrite the screenplay, serve as a producer and reprise her role.

Since Fey was involved in the process, I assumed the main story in the film would stay the same.

While the main plot of the movie did not change very much, some iconic scenes and lines were either altered or cut out completely.

Also, the amount of advertisement placement felt awkward and embarrassing. It makes the movie feel like a huge commercial and distracts from the various scenes.

For example, in one part of the movie, Cady is putting on lip gloss from e.l.f. When someone asks what the shade is, she says the product’s full name. It was just uncomfortable to watch and obviously out of place. In addition, Regina George, the “Queen Bee” whose personality is centered on being rich and better than others,

WITH HARPER Editor In Chief Harper Harris is a pop culture fanatic, and she’s here to address what’s trending.

the Lotus Casino or in Medusa’s lair.

This does not happen in the books as Percy is not supposed to know much about Greek mythology. Overall, their seemingly omniscient knowledge contributes to the idea of “telling” instead of “showing” throughout the series. This makes the dialogue feel choppy and separated while also taking away from the humor and thrill of the plot. The show would benefit from letting the actors act instead of making them say everything out loud, and the audience would be able to experience the emotions of the characters alongside them.

I hope the show continues to retell “The Sea of Monsters” next, with more “showing” and less “telling.”

The actors have proven themselves talented enough to portray exact feelings and scenes described in the book, and the scriptwriters and directors should give them more liberty to act, bringing a more meaningful story to viewers.

2024 remake fails to surpass original

POP CULTURE

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is seen holding and wearing e.l.f. products. While e.l.f. is a great makeup brand, it is a cheaper drugstore one that the 2004 Regina would not be caught dead wearing or endorsing.

Shopify, Motorola and SeatGeek were other brands that heavily influenced the movie and made the viewing experience feel odd.

Although I felt uncomfortable watching a majority of the film, I did enjoy the performance of the song “Sexy,” which takes place during the Halloween party scene. The song’s unique dance accompaniment made it my favorite scene in the movie. Other songs, especially the ones sung by Cady, were far from passionate and hard to watch. Some of the musical numbers are odd, including the uncomfortable “Apex Predator” scene that featured characters acting like animals - it made me laugh at how strange it was.

Another song, “Stupid with Love,” which Cady sings when she meets her love interest Aaron, was very monotone and missing the passion and fun that “Sexy” brought to the movie.

Overall, it was entertaining to watch, but this movie will never live up to the original. If I am in the mood for “Mean Girls,” I will unapologetically indulge in the 2004 version.

With the new year comes new responsibilities, opportunities and — of course — resolutions. If you have been on Instagram or TikTok recently you may have seen your favorite creators making their “ins and outs list” for 2024.

The premise of the lists is simple.

Create a list of things that you like and want to adopt in your life or daily schedule and then a list of things you want out of your life for whatever reason. The lists are meant to be personal and creative.

As a Senior nearing the end of my 13-year career at Hockaday, I decided to make my own “ins and outs list” (Hockaday version) for my final semester as a Daisy.

In s

ajama . Wearing p ur skirt nder yo the sh.orts uing right into Turn ce e entran he n a L t s e For ut in t . Hanging o ring mons du m o C r o Seni nd WIN Lunch a ords . Saddle Oxf ur car for yo . Staying in le before s possib as long a first period to walking e g the Fin in t r o p p . Su ay Hockad Arts at

Ou t s

. Sitting outside during the Winter . Not supporting our student athletes . Disrespect ing the Hockaday uppercla ssmen . The line to turn left into carpool . Buzzin g into school when your badge doesn’t work . Leavi ng your computer charger at home

GRAPHIC BY ELLE MYERS

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Late-Night Bites

by Larkin Clouston | Staff Writer As second semester commences, most Daisies will be staying up late or even pulling all-nighters to achieve our academic comebacks. I’ve compiled a list of four of the best places to grab a late-night bite to refuel our grinds while getting on top of schoolwork and finishing the school year strong.

2. Zalat Pizza PHOTOS BY LARKIN CLOUSTON

1. Shug’s Bagels

Located at 3020 Mockingbird Lane, the iconic Dallas staple Shug’s Bagels has recently introduced “Shug’s Bagels – After Hours.” From 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, you can get any regular bagels and sides on the breakfast menu plus the new “After Hour Specials.” Some of these specials are fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, mac & cheese bites, truffle fries and onion rings, so there’s With over 10 locations around DFW, Zalat Pizza is modeled after really no wrong way to go. Whether you’re looking for one of their the famous New York Style pizza and is currently ranked as one of classic breakfast bagels or an “After Hour Special,” Shug’s is the the best takeout pizzas in Dallas. Open 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Fridays place to go to get some of the best late-night bites in Dallas. and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to midnight every other day of the week, Zalat delivers the perfect pizza for Hockadaises eating over their computers, finishing their English essays and booking the next available Writing Center appointment. From the classic pepperoni and cheese to an elote pizza, Zalat has something for everyone.

3. Insomnia Cookies

4. Velvet Taco

If you’re looking for a sweet treat, Insomnia Cookies is the way to go. Insomnia Cookies is open from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays and their cookies are made to be delivered right to your doorstep. Insomnia Cookies takes the classic chocolate chip cookie to a whole new level with over 15 different cookie flavors, cookie sandwiches with icing in the middle, cookie sundaes made with their own ice creams, tons of toppings and different brownies to choose from.

Velvet Taco, a classic Tex-Mex staple, has over 10 locations around Dallas, a vibrant atmosphere and a diverse menu. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays. The restaurant offers multiple meat, vegan and breakfast tacos with chips, queso and loaded tater tops as sides. They bake a delicious red velvet cake as dessert with cream cheese frosting and cajeta drizzle on top. Not only is ordering online easy and efficient here, but it also provides an electric atmosphere that invites crowds of customers until close.

As teens, we often find ourselves surrounded by social media as we spend every waking moment engulfed in its false image of perfection. This perfection can be an escape from our ugly reality, but at what cost?

Tainted standards:

Fragments of

Girls’ perspective

Larkin Clouston, Staff Writer, and Elle Myers, Photos and Graphics Editor

Form III students Sofia de la Pena and Vanessa Ma reflect on the beauty standards social media portrays and how the standard affects their lives.

Both Pena and Ma got social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat around fifth grade. Pena admits she got Snapchat to fit in, as it was the main form of communication among her peers and felt excluded without it.

Ma, on the other hand, got TikTok to simply watch videos, however she began making her own videos soon thereafter.

Pena believes being skinny and having injection-filled-lips, button noses and blonde hair are features that social media highlights the most. With curly brown hair, Pena believes she doesn’t fit the standard of beauty society has set.

“Most feel like hair doesn’t matter much, but I feel like blonde is what many people want to be,” Pena said.

Social media has made Pena disappointed, especially as she sees the comments on viral videos on TikTok of conventionally attractive girls. She sees comments such as: I would kill to look like this and why can’t I look like this. These comments cause her to wonder: “Why are we all trying to be this one person?”

In addition to social media, Pena

also notes the importance of people at parties who often try to fit a certain standard of beauty.

“I have definitely felt insecure at party settings,” Pena said.

“Especially when people don’t talk to me, and I start to think it’s because I’m not pretty enough and I don’t look a certain way.”

At parties, Pena is sometimes the only person with curly hair, especially because many people choose to straighten their hair, causing her to feel out of place and awkward.

“Not everyone has to find you pretty and that’s ok,” Pena said.

If you just try to make sure that everyone likes the way you look and the way you style yourself, you’re never going to be happy and feel fulfilled.”

Similarly to Pena’s views on blonde hair, Ma believes bright blue eyes are also a standard that social media sites such as TikTok project.

This standard has influenced Ma to wear blue colored contacts.

In addition to American beauty standards, Ma also is chained to expectations from Chinese beauty standards.

“In China, people think girls are only the prettiest when they have a very small face and I wasn’t born with a small bone structure in my face,” Ma said.

Because Ma believes she doesn’t fit a certain standard, she began using face altering apps to reshape her face. This has caused Ma to feel like she can’t be herself, as she feels the need to edit her waist and legs when taking full body pictures.

“I only feel prettiest if I don’t look like myself,” Ma said.

Both Pena and Ma offer advice to their younger selves and others: “When you’re trying to post a picture or your friends are trying to post a picture, your vision lands on yourself first. You’re like ‘Oh my gosh don’t post that picture I’m so ugly,’ but sometimes it’s just you who thinks you look bad,” Ma said.

“I only feel prettiest if I don’t look like myself.”

Vanessa Ma

Boys’ perspective St. Mark’s senior Noah Cathey and junior Neil Yepuri share their views on women’s beauty standards and similar standards that they face as men.

Cathey is a firm believer that standards of beauty manifest in how a person looks.

So, if a guy is tall and agile then he is most likely athletic, a characteristic he thinks girls find attractive.

“I think there is an intrinsic connection in what a guy looks like and the qualities he has,” Cathey said.

Cathey believes that the bar for men and women are both unattainable, however, he thinks that there is more pressure on women., Cathey said.

Disclaimer: no people that are pictured were interviewed

“The ideal body shape for men has changed less than that of women.”

“In more simple language, the things that girls find attractive manifest themselves in physical characteristics.”

Cathey believes that girls pursue certain traits, and because attractive traits can be tied to physical attributes, they might go after guys that look a certain way.

“What girls look for in a guy is more related to how he takes care of himself and the personal qualities he has,” Yepuri said.

Cathey agrees with Yepuri’s belief.

“The standards for men are often more attainable as they are usually things that they can easily change or do for themselves,” Cathey said. “For example, if girls find athleticism attractive, they might tend to go for more tall and agile guys.”

Cathey attended co-ed schools before enrolling at St. Mark’s for ninth grade.

He believes his interactions with girls outside of his usual allboy environment and how he was raised has provided him a broader perspective. Cathey believes most St. Mark’s students realize there is a broad spectrum of attractive qualities, meaning he could find someone attractive while his friend would not.

Yepuri, who has attended St. Mark’s for 11 years, agrees.

Cathey and Yepuri both said they wished girls knew that men’s preferences in a woman’s looks doesn’t define their attractiveness in general. There is a myriad of reasons guys think a certain girl is attractive, many of them related to personality qualities and not looks.

A counselor’s perspective Ashley Ferguson, Upper School Counselor, helps students and advocates for them socially and academically.

Ferguson’s work experience has included domestic violence, juvenile probation services, medical social work and trauma counseling.

In the domestic violence field, Ferguson has worked with many students and realized many school counselors were not necessarily informed on how to support students who are struggling.

“I got into school counseling because I wanted to change the stigma and support and provide education on counseling” Ferguson said.

Ferguson admits that conversations about appearances and self-image are a large part of discussions that she has.

“I would say that it is a part of a lot of conversations in my office, where my door is open or closed,” Ferguson said. “Some conversations might even be what you are wearing to a Taylor Swift or Beyonce concert.

A lot of conversations I have, and other people have with their friends, regularly are rooted in self-perception and ‘what I look like versus how other people view me.””

Ferguson said that comments and conversations about people’s appearances are woven into the daily threads of conversation.

However, if a student came to Ferguson seeking plastic surgery, she would advocate for them in and outside of the classroom and ensure that the student feels supported academically and socially.

“I would check in on them to make sure they feel supported by their teachers and make sure they don’t come back too prematurely and that they are taking care of themselves,” Ferguson said.“I can also send emails to teachers saying that students are going to be out, and I do not need to explain the reason because I believe that it is your story, and you should tell it.”

“I want plastic surgery” An anonymous Q&A

A current Daisy talks about her desire for plastic surgery and how modern-day beauty standards affect her self-image.

Q: What plastic surgery would you like to have if the cost is not in the equation?

A: If money was not in the equation, I would want lip and face filler, Botox, forehead reduction surgery and a nose job.

Q: How young were you when you realized you wanted these procedures and what made you want it?

A: Since I was younger, I have been bullied for my forehead and nose size, and that is when I realized I wanted these procedures. But I don’t think I would’ve been insecure about those features if nobody had ever pointed them out to me. In middle school, people would make comments like “five head” and “big nostrils” to me.

Q: Do your parents believe you should undergo these operations?

A: My parents don’t think I need them, but at the same time, I want them. Also, beauty standards right now make me want these procedures even more.

Q: Has wanting one of these procedures affected your mental health?

A: Yeah, for sure, it affects my self-image and self-confidence. When I put on makeup, I feel a lot better about my appearance momentarily, but at the same time, I also dislike the way I look and pick myself apart for it.

Q: Have you ever spoken to a medical professional about this endeavor?

A: I’ve spoken to my therapist but not a plastic surgeon, but I for sure would. I would be kind of scared to go through the procedure, but it also depends on what I’m getting done and how invasive the surgery is. For example, in forehead

reduction surgery, the doctors literally slice open your head and you are awake the entire time.

And, for a nose job, the healing process is painful and not very fun to endure.

Conversation with a doctor A medical opinion Joseph Leach is American Board-certified in both Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery.

Leach received his M.D. from the University of Texas Med School at Houston and his specialty in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas.

Q: What role does social media play in adolescents wanting plastic surgery?

A: I think the media shapes our understanding of what looks good and sets the standard of what features a nice-looking face would have. Although there have always been beauty standards, they are now further reinforced by social media.

Q: Among adolescents, what is the most popular type of plastic surgery?

It would definitely be rhinoplasty. In addition, split earlobes are the second most common cosmetic issue I see in young people.

I see problems with ear piercings gone bad or infections and scars that form around the ear from that. As young people, you’re not burdened with things that come later in life like bags, wrinkles, saggy skin on the face so it’s not an issue.

Q: How does having plastic surgery affect someone’s mental health?

A: 95% of people don’t need plastic surgery and the people that don’t need it shouldn’t have it. We do see situations where someone looks totally fine and yet they have an abnormal fixation about a certain body part. There are situations where there is a relatively significant malformation and it’s causing social issues like withdrawal, depression or anxiety.

Q: Can you speak about your firsthand experiences with adolescents coming to you

asking for plastic surgery?

Girls tend to be more open about it and they’ll have stronger opinions about what they want to look like than boys. They’ll bring pictures of celebrities and say I like this about her nose, and I want these features. I try to explain the procedure as well as I can so that they won’t be scared, and so they’ll have the best idea of what their recovery will be like. A lot of younger people want their parents to film the removal of the plastic pieces out of their nose and they will share it with their friends on social media, which is odd for me, but it’s entertaining for them.

Q: What do you believe is the youngest age for adolescents to have cosmetic surgery?

A: In my field it’s important for a girl to be at least 14 years old and for boys to be 15. This is because the nose must reach normal adult size before having surgery on it. By cutting into the cartilage of a 10 or 11-year-old, I could damage a growth center, the place where cells are located that are responsible for allowing the nose to get bigger. Damaging the growth center at an early age could cause major deformities or alterations in the growth of the nose.

Q: What are some misconceptions about plastic surgery?

A: One misconception about plastic surgery is that it will solve all of life’s problems. A more realistic goal would be to restore harmony to your face or let a particular feature be in better harmony with the rest of the face.

Another misconception is that

cosmetic surgery is something you can have over and over. Truthfully, every time you have cosmetic surgery on any body part it becomes more and more difficult to have it done again.

It’s always best to do the right operation the first time and then never have that part of the body operated on if you can avoid it.

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Black History at Hockaday A closer look at Hockaday’s first Black alumnae and Black student leadership

Mastering marine biology

Students travel during retreat week to study in Woodshole, MA

by Sarah Moskowitz | Staff Writer

F

rom dissections to is toxic to fish. When the students’ monitoring fish tanks, the water tests indicated levels of juniors and seniors who ammonia, they diluted it by removing spent seven days at the one-quarter of the tank’s water and Marine Biological Laboratory replacing it with clean water.

(MBL) in Woodshole, Massachusetts Junior Jordan Lacsamana said that during retreat week participated the students also learned about the in many STEM activities and nitrogen cycle, which taught them that expanded their knowledge in marine ammonia converts to nitrate and later biology field. to nitrite with the help of bacteria.

To be selected for the MBL trip, Measuring the nitrite and nitrate juniors and seniors filled out an levels helped them see if the ammonia interest form and then filmed a three- broke down. to-four-minute video explaining why At the end of the trip, they they are a good candidate for the trip. presented the findings in a Students began each day by PowerPoint to show how these changing and checking the water in levels affected the water in the fish their fish tanks. tanks. They tested the “The fish tank different levels in the fish was the overarching tanks to check the water project,” junior Naviya quality and ensure the Reddy said. “We fish and organisms had did lots of different the necessary conditions activities, but we to thrive. always came back to Reddy’s favorite activity work on the fish tank.” involved squid embryos.

Throughout the trip, “We had live squid students monitored embryos and we put them their fish tanks under a microscope,” Reddy and tested various said. “Then, we picked off Sarah Duncan and Anne concentrations in the Juniors a film with two forceps to Cahoon pose in front of the Nobska water to create a safe Lighthouse during a snowy walk on see them better.” living environment for the beach. PHOTO COURTESY OF Lacsamana said the NAVIYA REDDY the sea urchins, sea dissections were her stars, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs favorite labs, and she enjoyed using and other specimens. the MBL’s confocal microscopes to “We set up fish tanks with proper observe squid embryos. filtration systems and fed those each “We had dead squid embryos that day,” junior Aynalie Charron said. “We we dyed, and we were able to see the tested the water for ammonia – which muscular system and nervous system is toxic – as well as nitrate, nitrite and because they were dyed different pH levels.” colors,” Lacsamana said. “After In addition to these water staining them, we imaged them and tests, the MBL students tested the looked at them through the confocal percentage of dissolved oxygen, microscope that projected the images temperature and salinity, which is on a computer screen.” the dissolved salt in a body of water.

The next day, the students Ammonia, a waste product of the fish, uploaded the pictures from the squid

embryo lab onto their own computers The students also had the and made 3D reconstructions of the opportunity to see and hold Thomas embryos using an app called Fiji.

Hunt Morgan’s Nobel Prize, which he Charron said that the most notable earned for his work with fruit flies. thing she learned was that some Outside of the activities pertaining aquatic organisms can regenerate to marine biology, students also entire parts of their bodies. enjoyed exploring the surrounding “I found it very interesting that area. During their free time, they this information is used for science in walked to a nearby café, Pie in the Sky, humans, too,” she said. and went on runs along the beach.

In the afternoons, students Throughout the trip, the students listened to said they grew closer participated with one another too. in labs and “Being with each listened to other helped us lectures that get a lot closer, and ranged from now we talk even water safety more than before,” and water Lacsamana said. quality to As a result of butterflies and the trip, Charron, coloration.

Lacsamana and Typically, Reddy expanded their the lectures interest in the Junior Jordan Lacsamana utilizes one of MBL’s confocal corresponded lens microscopes as she observes squid embryos after STEM field. staining them.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHREYA VIJAY to lab The MBL trip activities kindled a newfound during the day, but they also attended interest in dissections for Reddy and lectures on invertebrates inspired her to carry her new passion and vertebrates. into her future classes at Hockaday.

“After the lectures, we went to the “I talked to Dr. Fishel about lab and would implement everything how much I loved the dissections,” we learned into an experiment,” Reddy said. “She said I should take Charron said.

Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy next Although students mainly worked year, which I didn’t think in labs and lecture halls, they took about before.” part in other activities on the MBL’s Charron’s experience on the trip campus too, notably the rare opened her eyes to the expansion of books tour. their biology lessons to humans.

“The rare books tour included “I didn’t realize that there was a collections of different marine way to connect this to humans and species from different centuries benefit both species through biology,” which was really cool to look at,” Charron said. “Now I think about this Lacsamana said. “One of the books a lot more, and learning about the had detailed drawings of various fish animals and what they can do made species and their descriptions, but me more interested in biology.” also a drawing of mermaids and other mystical creatures.”

Living by leap years

Sangapu outlines pros, cons of being born on leap day

by Leyah Philip| Staff Writer

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f the 365 days to have a birthday, sophomore Riya Sangapu was born on the 366th – Feb. 29, known as Leap Day. On Leap Day, which only occurs every four years, Riya will celebrate her sixteenth birthday. And she’s heard all of the jokes about turning four.

Riya loves having something special to look forward to every four years but agrees that there are some disadvantages to being born on the Feb. 29. Many government documents and websites do not include the option of entering Leap Day as a birthday.

As she prepares to get her driver’s license soon, Riya will pick another date for her birthday sincethe Texas Department of Public Safety does not recognize Feb. 29 as a valid birthday.

“On my driver’s license it’s going to say March 1 instead, which kind of sucks,” Riya said.

Popular social media apps like Snapchat also exclude the date forcing Riya to pick either Feb 28. or March 1.

“It doesn’t let me put Feb. 29 as my birthday,” Riya said. “I hope Snapchat will change this soon or everybody will wish me on the 28th instead of my real birthday.”

Both Riya and her mom agree that there are more pros than cons to being born on such a rare day.

Mrs. Sanju Sangapu said when she first found out her daughter would be born on Feb. 29, she was nervous and hoped her daughter wouldn’t be born on that day. Now, as she remembers that day, her feelings have changed.

“I didn’t want her to miss having a birthday every year,” Mrs. Sangapu said. “Little did I know, she now has a special birthday every year, and an extra special one every four years.”

Riya also enjoys having such a unique birthday despite hearing countless jokes about how young

she is. Some tease her saying she is immature for her age or baby her because of this; however, takes pride in being born on such a memorable day.

“I really like being born on Leap Day because I think it’s such a rare date and I’m always looking forward to it,” Riya said. “I still get to celebrate a birthday every year, so I’m not missing out on that.”

One of Riya’s favorite Leap Day memories was when she went to Disney World with her grandparents and parents for her fourth birthday. There she received a birthday morning wake-up call from Mickey Mouse.

“It was super fun because I got to dress up as Sleeping Beauty and get my hair and makeup done,” Riya said.

Riya chooses to celebrate on Feb. 28 during the years her actual birthday doesn’t occur, but she said her family and friends never fail to make her day any less special than her real birthday.

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Independent inquiry

Students explore their curiosities through independent study

by Amitha Nair| News Editor

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ooking through a microscope, delineating [UC] Berkley, and we were standing in the lobby, Asmerom, Margaret Thompson, Aria Bhatki, facts from history and discovering new and there was a ping pong table where you won and Avery Clarke have been planning a joint facts about a lesser-known topic, students a t-shirt if you beat the teacher sponsor, who independent study that determines possible are able to explore their interests outside was Dr. David Kyeu, the head of African studies solutions that are gentle on plants and crops while of the classroom. The at Berkeley.” still being effective in protecting them from disease Student Directed Independent Following that game, she and insects.

Study Program began 10 years talked with Dr. Kyeu about his “It was originally Caroline’s idea to do an ago to help students delve classes and his experience at UC independent study,” Thompson said. “Then we into research. This program Berkely. His Swahili class sparked talked with Dr. Fishel and found one that was provides an opportunity for her idea for creating a translator interesting to all of us.” further research in several for novice students who could All members were set on having a topic that areas and allows students an not keep up with a fluent Swahili impacted the environment in a positive way as well opportunity for further research teacher and would greatly benefit as including a social impact aspect in the project. in several areas. from the creation.

“We are looking at the growth of vegetables, Junior Kushi Gohel sparks her independent study Before this program, students from a single ping pong game with Dr. David Kyeu Other students got their ideas fruits and produce,” Thompson said. “Nowadays were required to work with a straight from their classes. Senior those plants are very immune to the pesticides faculty sponsor who had to commit time to working Zariah Arrington that protect them with the student and mentoring them in their works on translating from bugs and research. However, over several years, it molded and comparing diseases. So, our into something students could do themselves poems from two project is trying to and now Dr. Barabara Fishel, Dean of Studies, famous Latin authors: find new things that supervises all the participants.

Ovid and Catullus. they would react “Our independent study program was designed “I was in Latin positively to and to let students explore topics that are of interest to Literature last year basically not be them that we may or may not cover in our classes,” and I was supposed immune to.”

Fishel said. “It gives students the opportunity to to go to AP Latin, but This program explore things that are of interest to them, in their everyone dropped has been an outlet own time frame and in the manner that they think out and I didn’t for many students would work best.” want to take it by to develop their This program is built to work with any interest, myself,” Arrington passion for a whether that be in fine arts, core classes or an out- said. “Either I could specific area. Many, of-school activity. drop Latin or do an if not all, students Junior Khushi Gohel has been doing an Independent Study, have been able Gohel and her family with Dr. David Kyeu after winning her independent Independent Study since the beginning of her so I sort of did a to use the skills study area PHOTOS COURTESY OF KUSHI GOHEL school year, working on a voice-to-text Swahili continuation of Latin learned in their translator. Currently in her skill development phase, literature on my own.” independent studies in out-of-school opportunities her plan is to have a working demo that can convert This program not only allows one student to and higher education. a teacher speaking in Swahili to written notes in further their interests, but it also allows multiple “Doing this project was a good opportunity for English for beginner Swahili classes in college. students to collaborate while learning about their me to branch out more than what I normally do.”

“The way I came up with my topic was funny,” chosen topic.

Thompson said.

Gohel said. “Me and my family went on this tour to Seniors Emery Stehel, Caroline Warlick, Hanna

Second semester studies

A deeper look into new classes this semester

by Lang Cooper| Staff Writer

I’ll Keep This Short: The Modern Short Story The Modern Short Story senior seminar focuses on modern short stories from 1980 to present.

English teacher Ben Gerdts drew on ideas from his past seminar on Contemporary American Literature and chose to focus on his favorite unit – short stories – when introducing the idea for the new class. Every class, students expand their bravery by reading new

literature and analyzing stories written by authors such as Karen Russell and George Saunders. Students will write their very own creative short story by the end of the semester.

“I love reading short stories because you can learn about a whole new world and group of characters just in one sitting, instead of reading a whole book for an extended period of time,” senior Hayden Marchant said.

The End of the World What is humankind’s fate? Senior semester course The End of the World connects ideas from physics, chemistry and biology to help uncover this question.

Taught by physics teacher Dr. Marshall Bartlett, the class studies how humans are maturing through time and how our decisions will impact our fate. Through group discussions, the class covers different conspiracy theories about the end of time and the scientific likelihood of each idea with additional information

provided so that students can learn more about topics that interest them. Bartlett is excited to teach this class again and hopes his students develop the ability to make difficult decisions with limited information.

“I decided to take End of the World because the conspiracy theory videos I watched in Middle School and the more serious philosophical discussions I’ve had recently have fascinated me with the topic,” Senior Harper Tagg said.

AP World History Modern Studying the history of the world, AP World History Modern is a semester class for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Taught by history department chair Kathryn Hodgkinson, the class analyzes history from all parts of the world through time, preparing students for the AP World History exam.

Hodgkinson, who has helped grade the AP exam for many years, provides her insight into the exam and helps

students set aside their bias when analyzing sources. Sophomore Morgan Bowers, excited to take the AP version of her favorite class, finds the course really interesting through the numerous discussions and readings the class has had thus far.

“This course is not specifically about Robespierre or even Napoleon,” Hodgkinson said. “It is about how people interact with their environment and with each other.”

Astronomy Astronomy, taught by physics teacher Dr. Steve Balog, explores the aspects of space. The class will take trips to the planetarium and learn deeply about the stars, planets, galaxies and more. Balog, an astronomy enthusiast from a young age, tailors the course to study specific topics of interest to the students each

year. With the upcoming eclipse in April, this semester will focus particularly on what is taking place and train students to be guides for others around campus.

“I decided to take astronomy because it’s something that has always interested me, and I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to deeply learn about,” Senior Madelyn Neuhoff said.

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Model UN debates decisively

Team finds diplomatic solutions while competing

by Anika Shah | Staff Writer

S

ophomore Jada Muhia buzzes in anticipation, while sitting at the edge of her seat, hanging on every word the Director General (DG) says. As the DG begins to wrap up, Muhia leans forward, eagerly awaiting what she’s about to say next.

“The 71st session of Harvard MUN is officially in session.”

The room erupts into cheers as delegates around Muhia scramble to collect their belongings and be the first to committee, where they will spend the next several days brainstorming solutions to data privacy and digital transformation in the European Union.

MUN, or Model United Nations, is a simulation of the United Nations General Assembly and other sub committees in which students learn diplomacy and international relations. At a Model UN conference, each student acts as a representative of a country, organization, or person, and must solve a global issue with other delegates, who represent their own respective countries.

Hockaday’s Model UN club has grown exponentially in the past few years, and now has around 75 members.

“When I joined Model UN freshman year nobody really knew what it was and there were only 20 or so members” Model UN Club President and senior Anisha Sharma said. “During my freshman year we would only win two or so awards per conference, but once I became president, I wanted to focus on growing the club.”

With new leadership, club growth and membership has increased. The club attends more conferences and has begun winning more awards.

“I taught students how to do MUN, and hosted mock conferences once or twice a year,” Sharma said. “Now we win eight-10 awards per conference and have around 50 new members per year.”

Conferences are a big part of Model UN. Usually held over a two-to-three-day period, these conferences give students the chance to enhance their diplomacy skills and put what they’ve learned into practice.

“It’s a standard that the club participates in four conferences each year: two local conferences, an away conference in Texas in the fall, and a larger national conference in January,” Emily Mosley, the club advisor, said. “Most of the conferences we attend have basically become a tradition, though we are trying a new conference for our local spring conference this year though, and that’s based on feedback from club members.”

Mosley chooses which members go to each conference, which she says can be a difficult process. She considers club involvement, grade level and experience when selecting delegates.

“I prioritize club leaders first because they have experience, and for our more competitive events, I also prioritize students who have been members of Model UN the longest,” Mosley said.

“For the local events that are more beginner friendly, I try to take newer members. And my hope is that everyone who is interested in attending a conference has the opportunity to go to one!” Mosley said.

For each conference, club members must prepare a pre-written paper on their topic and their representative’s stance, called a position paper. In addition, students must research their topic by reading the background guide, a brief description of the issue and topics relating to it provided by the conference, and do additional research relating to their character or country on

their own.

“I have to read my entire background guide and take notes, which turns into about a 60page document” Sharma said. “Then, I have to do outside research as well, and make a plan for committee.

For Harvard MUN in January, which is the national conference the club attends, Sharma was in a crisis committee. A crisis committee is a fast-paced committee that often emulates small organizations or boards, rather than larger general assemblies. Rather than representing a country, delegates take on the role of a character. Each delegate aims to assert their character’s viewpoint and end the conference having amassed the most social, political, or economic power.

“I also must write a crisis paper, talking about what I want to do in committee, and a regular position paper talking about the background of the committee,.” Sharma said.

For General Assemblies, however, preparation is a bit easier.

“I do research while writing my position paper,” freshman Natalia Salem said. “Then I do maybe an hour more of preparation.”

While Model UN can be time-consuming and involve a lot of research, conferences are also a great way to meet new people.

“My favorite part of Model UN is meeting new people, Salem said. “The people in my committees are always super nice and I enjoy getting to know them.”

During away conferences, there are numerous bonding opportunities. Students eat meals together, attend many of the conference social events together, and even prepare for the conference together. These activities are usually led by the club presidents and other leadership “The club leaders are the true Model UN experts and do so much to support the members” Mosley said.

Many students have noticed an improvement in their diplomacy, teamwork, debate, and speaking skills after participating in Model UN. “Model UN really taught me teamwork, and also confidence, especially for speaking in front of over 200 people,” Salem said.

Model UN team at the Harvard conference in Boston PHOTO COURTESY OF SHIFA IRFAN

The

DAISY STEM

by Bennett Trubey | Editor-in-Chief

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ould a middle schooler understand the similarities between the anatomies of a dogfish shark, a caterpillar and a human? Maybe not, but senior Anisha Puri wants to change that.

Missing the excitement of her junior-year Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy semester, Puri set out to make anatomy accessible for younger students and those in underserved communities by creating a coloring-book.

“I wanted kids to experience the wonder that I felt when learning about anatomy,” she said. “It took me until junior year to do that, so I thought kids should learn it before then.”

Senior publishes anatomy focused coloring book The Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy class consists of multiple dissections, most notably that of a dogfish shark, and emphasizes the connections between the internal systems of many animals with humans.

“I really enjoyed learning about the inner functions and features of these organisms that seem so different from humans, but really aren’t,” Puri said.

She dedicated several months to the creation of “Animal Guts: A FunFilled Anatomy Coloring Book for Students in Middle School.” The book consists of handdrawn, labelled outlines of the anatomy of several animals, including a snake, butterfly, dogfish shark and human.

“I tried to think of animals kids would be interested in and that

A child colors a page of Puri’s book.

they see on a daily basis, so it’d be more engaging,” Puri said.

She paired each organism is its own set of “fun facts” to further engage her audience, but also with the hopes of inspiring them to conduct their own research and delve deeper into what fascinates them about the animals.

Throughout the process of creating the coloring book, Puri focused on making it easily accessible – impacted by her visits to underserved schools in New Delhi, India.

“It’s something they wouldn’t really have the opportunity to learn about otherwise,” she said Puri partnered with an organization that provides for communities and schools in India, sending them over 100 copies of her coloring book and giving students the opportunity to experience the subject that she found so inspiring.

“It’s a fun thing for the students to do while they learn, and anatomy

Senior Anisha Puri spent months designing and publishing her coloring-book, which is now available on Amazon.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANISHA PURI

is something I’m passionate about.”

Puri said. “So, it’s like a win-win.”

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Living history in the Rotunda

Black history at Hockaday: A month of education and reflection

by Elle Myers| Photo & Graphics Editor

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n the fall of 1970, 16 years “We did so many things that after Brown v. Board of were so exciting to me as a student,” Education was enacted, Yarbrough said. “It was different from Valencia Mack, now Valencia my previous experience at the public Yarbrough, enrolled at school I attended.”

Hockaday for the sixth grade. She In addition to her science classes, later became one of Yarbrough enjoyed the first three Black being around likeHockaday alumnae. minded people who In early 1970, a shared her love friend of Yarbrough’s for learning. mother shared “I am grateful to a newspaper ad have been admitted to for Hockaday a school where being admissions. With smart was valued as a that encouragement, priority and where my Yarbrough applied friends and I shared and was accepted a love for reading, to Hockaday. exploring, learning, In addition, and challenging Yarbrough’s friend ourselves and one Josette Kirven, a black another,” she said. student attending “That like mindedness Yarbrough’s yearbook photo from 1975.

Hockaday, who made is what continues Yarbrough’s goals seem achievable. to bring us together 46 years after “Maybe because Jossette was graduation and allows us to participate at Hockaday it didn’t seem like an in race-focused and gender-focused impossible dream,” Yarbrough said. workshops and discussions on Yarbrough’s great aunt, “Aunt Zoom, which we started during Teema,” worked at Hockaday in the 40s the pandemic.” in the housekeeping department.

One thing that Yarbrough found When Yarbrough came to Hockaday challenging was her 30-minute in 1970, there were two other black commute from her home in Oak Cliff. students, Kirven in third grade who With the distance between school enrolled in 1968 and Gina Lackey, who and home, she said she found it hard attended ninth grade. Lackey later left to engage in extracurricular activities.

Hockaday to attend public school.

“I felt because of the drive that I could not fully participate in extracurriculars like I wanted because my parents would have to pick me up later and wait longer and make more trips to Hockaday, but I don’t think they would have minded,” Yarbrough said.

Yarbrough grew up in a middleclass Black community filled with Black professionals including doctors, lawyers and teachers.

However, after seeing the large Yarbrough photographed with her North Dallas homes of some her classmates in the 1973 yearbook. classmates, she didn’t want to invite At Hockaday, Yarbrough enjoyed anyone to her house. her hands-on experiences in her “I felt I could not invite them to my science classes. two-bedroom house,” she said. “I was She said she most enjoyed a junior before I invited anyone to experimenting with circuits and my home.” raising rabbits.

Yarbrough invited her friend in the boarding department, Jennifer, to

spend the night. the Hockaday faculty. Yarbrough did “I got to know her outside of the not feel like a newcomer, however, school world,” Yarbrough said. “I felt because she served on the Alumnae like it was okay to let her get to know Board and attended reunions. more of me.”

Yarbrough is proud of the growth of After Yarbrough’s graduation in the Black community at Hockaday.

1977, she attended Stanford University.

“When there are 12 Black students From what she remembers there was ranging from Pre-K to 12th grade, about 1,500 students in her freshman class at Stanford and only 77 women in the 1977 class.

One thing that was similar to Hockaday was the presence of different cultures.

“At Hockaday, I met students from all over the globe,” Yarbrough said. “I felt like Hockaday was a very multicultural environment and my Yarbrough posing for a student council photo, featured in the freshman dorm at Stanford 1973 yearbook.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VALENCIA YARBROUGH was the same.”

In 1994, Yarbrough was interested in coming back to Hockaday there were not a lot of opportunities to be a teacher, however the timing did for interaction,” Yarbrough said. “I not work out, so she took a job at St. think now that there are more Black Mark’s teaching first grade. Yarbrough students, there are more opportunities is still in contact with many of her for girls to get to know one another.”

Marksmen students.

Yarbrough not only sees more “I attended a senior exhibition last Black students, but more Black faculty, week of one of my former first grade especially in Lower School.

“I think it is wonderful that we have such wonderful representation of black teachers in Lower School,” she said. “I Receiving a Hockaday hope that representation can grow in education opened other divisions as well.” doors for me to be an Yarbrough is also happy to see the “wonderfully diverse collection exchange student with of books” in the Hockaday libraries AFS in 1976, to attend and classrooms.

Stanford in 1977, and The Class of 1977 started an to know first-hand endowment fund to increase the selection of African American books in what good teaching the library. looks like. I am so glad “When I walk into the library every I came day, I see book covers of children and adult books of those who look like me,” Valencia Yarbrough Yarbrough said. “I wish that had been Hockaday class of 1977 the case when I was A student, but those books were not being students,” she said. “I want to let them published then.” know that I’m still in their ‘village.’”

Yarbrough spent 19 years at St. Mark’s and then relocated to California.

In 2017, she and her husband moved back to Dallas, and she joined

“

.”

Black voices in Upper School: A discussion with Black Student Union co-presidents When you came to Hockaday, what was your first impression of the black community?

Alyssa Anderson, Form IV: “I came to Hockaday my freshman year. I came from a school where I was one of the only Black people in my grade. In elementary school, I was the only Black person in my grade and throughout middle school I was one of a few. So, coming to Hockaday it was nice to see an already built community of Black people that I could instantly connect with.”

Why did you want to be BSU president?

Alyssa: “I wanted to be able to continue fostering a welcoming community for Black students. I also wanted to be a part of the planning

process and use my creative ideas to host events and activities where we as BSU could share our stories and opinions with the student body.”

Amalia Evans, Form IV: “I wanted to be BSU president because I have seen the growth of the community through my years at Hockaday. I spent a lot of time trying to remember the ways in which the Black community uplifted itself, so when I got into high school and joined BSU, the Black community felt so much stronger. I realized at this point the importance of upholding the strength of our family and, once I got to my senior year, I wanted to implement my ideas to BSU to maintain all the hard work our past presidents have worked for.”

What do you hope students learn from Black History Month?

Alyssa: “I hope that other members of the Hockaday community can learn more about different important black figures throughout history that they may not have heard of before. I also hope that they can learn about different aspects of our culture and traditions through even just casual conversations.”

Amalia: “I want students to not only know the lives and stories of the large-named activists, but also of the hundreds of people who have done something revolutionary to help get us to the place we are today. My true hope for what students get out of black history month is education and dedication to learn more.”

What is your favorite part of being black at Hockaday, if you have one?

Alyssa: “My favorite part of being black at Hockaday is that I am able to share my voice in such a supportive community. Even though there are so many different types of people here, everyone is receptive to other’s perspectives which is something I think makes our school very unique. As a minority, I personally know what it is like to be judged or mistreated because of my skin tone. However, being in such a welcoming community like Hockaday, I am able to not only share these experiences, but also create change so that others like me won’t have to go through the same thing.”

Amalia: “My favorite part is the community and everyone’s ability to come together and have a good time.

The time for us, as black students, to laugh, rant, and share stories with is definitely my favorite part.”

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Thriving through transitions

Daylight savings and wellness tips for students

Winter season wrap-up

Hockaday winter athletes reflect on their seasons leading to SPC

by Mary Bradley Sutherland | Staff Writer

A

PHOTOS BY MARY BRADLEY SUTHERLAND

s the winter season comes to an end, it is time to recap the highlights of the season.

Soccer sets up for success at SPC As the three-time reigning SPC champions, Varsity Soccer (HVS) has had an impressive winter season. Their team slogan, “Big Reputation,” hints at their SPC history.

They are 9-1 going into the tournament, winning all their home games. Their most notable win ended 9-0 against Oakridge on Jan. 30.

The team has a record of 55 goals scored this season led by senior Jaden Thomas and junior Annabel Callahan.

Head Coach Rodney Skaife focuses on drills that incorporate the whole team so the players know how to communicate and work together when it comes to games.

“We are working really hard at all of our practices and games to put our best effort towards SPC,” sophomore Kaitlyn Adams said.

“It is really important to us to carry on the legacy and win another championship.”

Basketball braces for upcoming tournaments Basketball 7-5 for the season heading into the SPC tournament.

The team is led by new coaches this season: Head Coach Lauren Moss and Assistant Coach Devin Darnell.

“Coach Moss keeps us on a tight schedule, so we are productive in improving our skills and keeping up with conditioning,” sophomore Rabel McNutt said.

With five freshmen on the roster, the team is determined to improve their skills and expand their abilities.

“This year we have started watching our film after every game to see what we need to work on,” senior captain Ashna Tambe said. “We also watch lots of film from playing other teams to decide how to defend them before games.”

McNutt explains the teams bonding off the court.

“We have a great team dynamic on and off the court, seeing as the majority of our players are freshmen has helped us become a lot closer as a team,” McNutt said.

Swimming season recap After competing in five meets this season, Hockaday’s Varsity Swim Team has become closer and improved their skills.

During those meets, many members of the team have found much success in their times and achievements. While they are not competing, the swim team spends hours practicing at the Hockaday pool. Their practices often begin with swimming 400 yards, followed by many 50 yards laps. They all practice together and typically practice strokes unless a meet is coming up, in which they practice diving into the water. The team also spends much time getting together to bond. Their bonding includes team dinners at Torchy’s Tacos, and two events hosted at senior captain Margaret Thompson’s house.

Senior captain Margaret Thompson swims the breast stroke at a meet at St. Mark’s.

“At the beginning of our season we had a white elephant party and we also decorated holiday cookies,” said sophomore swimmer Anya Tewari.

Diving reflects as a team Although they have only competed in one meet, the team continues working hard.

Before entering the pool, the team does many ab and cardio exercises along with stretching. Then, they all practice different dives.

Senior captain Avery Clarke said that every person on the team has learned at least one new dive this season.

The team practices all season, and they are currently working on finalizing lists for what they are going to compete in during SPC. With five returning divers, the team has grown since last year. They have begun focusing on perfecting techniques at this point in their season. With all of this effort being put into diving, the team spends lots of time together away from practice.

“We are very close knit, like a family,” said sophomore diver Abby Snyder. “Lots of times

Junior Mia Matthews runs the ball during her game.

we have breakfasts after Saturday morning practices at Chick-fil-A or First Watch.”

The team hopes that everyone will come together to support diving during SPC, whether they are in the stands, in the pool or cheering from home.

“I know everyone is capable of so much, so I hope they can stay confident in their abilities and perform how they do in practice at SPC,” Clarke said.

sports & wellness

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February 14, 2024

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The superfan stance

Hockaday students and staff share their takes on rules, teams and more surrounding their favorite sports

by Elizabeth Truelove | Sports & Wellness Editor

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hether you were born into a family Super Bowl outcomes by comparing dozens of of diehard Cowboys fans, enjoy statistics and throwing around a lot of confusing band wagoning onto the new hit terminology. If you have no idea what they are team or have only heard of the saying, want to impress your dad or just want Super Bowl, American football to learn more, listen to Cohen’s opinions on all has remained the most well-known sport in the things football: country for decades. Despite the millions of fans Q: When did you start watching football? who watch professional and college football, only A: My family is a big football family, so I’ve a small percent of them claim they follow the watched college football my whole life. For sport closely throughout each season. professional football, I’ve always been a Cowboys According to a survey fan, but I didn’t really start watching a lot of conducted by Pew NFL until eighth or ninth grade.

I wish she’d Research Center, 62 Any predictions for the Super Bowl? percent of Americans say chosen a better Q: A: Personally, I think the refs have they follow professional or been very biased when it comes to the team to be college sports not too or Chiefs, making a lot of calls that were very not at all closely while only associated with, questionable.

Plus, Taylor Swift attracts so 16 percent follow them much attention, so I don’t think the league extremely or very closely. like the Cowboys.” would let the Chiefs lose.

Even though I think Although this statistic did the Chiefs will win, both teams are loaded not ask Americans the with great players skills wise.

-Caroline Cohen specific sport, based on Q: What angers you the most about “fake the statistics, one could fans” of football? assume across the 113 A: The only thing that sometimes angers million viewers of last me is bandwagoning. The only acceptable reason year’s Super Bowl, few of them were watching all to do that is if there’s a cute guy on the team, that closely. which I would understand.

Even junior Caroline Cohen, who has watched almost every regular season game, wouldn’t go as Q: What’s your take on Taylor Swift in the NFL? far as to label herself as a superfan.

A: I like when they show Taylor on the big “It depends on what you would define that as,” screen because it’s cool to see her off the stage.

Cohen said. “By watching almost every game, I But I hate the Chiefs, so I wish she’d chosen learn a lot, but there’s still a lot I don’t know.” a better team to be associated with, like the While Cohen believes she hasn’t reached Cowboys. I also think she would’ve been perfect the title of “superfan” yet, after knowing her for with Joe Burrow if he wasn’t engaged. As for the years, I can confidently say that she knows more media, it was cool for the first month, but now it’s about football than many on Hockaday’s campus. just annoying. I don’t care that much about her or So, as the Super Bowl approaches, football Travis Kelce for it to be clogging up my Twitter all analysts reflect on this season and predict the time.

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lthough football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in America, fútbol takes the title for most popular sport in the world. According to a survey conducted by World Population Review, soccer has roughly 3.5 billion fans, almost half the world’s population, spanning across the globe.

Similar to many soccer fans, junior Ella Williams began following the sport after the Men’s World Cup in 2022.

“My teacher for History of Art would sometimes let us watch certain games,” Williams said. “Then, one thing led to another, and I ended up watching the whole tournament.”

After the World Cup ended, Williams, along with many other World Cup fans, turned to the Premier League to watch the sport.

“I started to watch soccer analysis videos that cover tactics and player selections,” Williams said.

“It’s so much fun to learn about the reasoning behind lineups, positions and passing.”

For Williams, this was when she discovered her favorite team, Manchester City. Here are some of her opinions on players, rivalries and more: Q: Favorite players on Manchester City?

A: I really like Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Nathan Ake and Kevin Debruyne. For Foden, I love how technical he is, and his touch is just beautiful. For Silva, he is so versatile and seems to everywhere on the pitch at once.

Q: Who is someone on the team you believe deserves a lot of recognition?

A: Definitely Pep Guardiola. He is the manager of Manchester City and is the epitome of an innovative, tactical manager. He’s done an amazing job at changing his tactics based on new additions to each of teams he’s worked for.

Q: Aside from Manchester City, what other team do you think deserves a lot of recognition?

A: Earlier this season, I enjoyed watching Brighton. Robert De Zerbi is the manager, and rumored to be a potential Pep Guardiola replacement, which I think could be interesting. His players have really good positioning and the passing and dribbling skills of Mitouma is always fun to watch. _________ Manchester City has clearly acquired a lot of fans in the past few years due to their level of success. However, the most impressive type of superfan is the one GRAPHIC COURTESY OF who never CARYS BRAUN yields support even when their team fails for multiple seasons.

Upper School English teacher Benjamin Gerdts has been a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs for majority of his life.

“I started watching soccer when I was a kid, and the World Cup was on,” Gerdts said. “The Women’s World Cup win in 1999 really was huge for that.”

Similar to Williams, Gerdts enjoys listening to podcasts, watching games and talking with other people about the sport.

Q: What is a rule that a lot of “regular” fans don’t really pay attention to?

A: Obviously, offside is one that drives me crazy

Q: What is a rule that a lot of “regular” fans don’t really pay attention to, or just completely forget about in football?

A: When an offender fumbles the ball in the end zone, right before they’re about to score, it’s a touchback for the other team. A touchback can happen a lot of ways, just most people forget about that rule Q: Besides the two Super Bowl contenders, what other team do you think deserved a lot of recognition this season or a shot at the Super Bowl?

A: Since I’m a fan, obviously the Cowboys.

If Trevon Diggs and Vander Esch hadn’t been injured, we would’ve had a great shot at getting in. But of course, as a fan I’m always going to say that next year will be our year, so we’ll see.

that a lot of people don’t understand. Also, that the ball has to completely cross a line to be out of bounds or a goal. Handball is a rule that is frustrating to all fans of soccer, since it seems that referees change that rule every game.

Q: Favorite player?

A: I’ve always loved Harry Kane because he’s so creative and skillful without being physically dominant. He’s such a smart player, and he played for my favorite team for a long time.

Q: Besides Tottenham, what other team do you think viewers should look out for?

A: The US Women’s National Team is in a very interesting phase of its existence right now.

They used to be dominant and have recently fallen from the top a bit as other countries have improved. They just hired a successful English coach, so it will be interesting how she works to return the squad to greatness in this next cycle of World Cup and Olympic qualification.

Q: What’s your favorite part of soccer?

A: Soccer is so fluid and complex with all the movement and strategy. It’s not stop-andstart like football or basketball. It just keeps going. There are no timeouts. It evolves over a long period of time. It’s like the novel of the sports world.

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

Sports

& Wellness

Thriving through transitions Daylight savings and wellness tips for students

by Melinda Hu | Staff Writer

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aylight Saving Time going to bed 15-30 minutes (DST) is the practice earlier each night leading up to of moving an hour March 10. of sunlight from With the seasons changing, the morning to the ever yone is busy tr ying to evening by advancing clocks. In adjust to new temperatures 1916, Germany was the and the new semester. As we first countr y to use enter the beginning of DST. The U.S. soon the second semester, followed suit, don’t forget to take adopting DST care of yourself. in 1918 under Remember: the Standard we’re more than Time Act. halfway there!

This measure To help get was aimed you through the to save fuel final stretch, costs during here are three World War I by wellness tips that GRAPHIC COURTESY OF adding an hour of might make your EMILY MCSHANE sunlight to the day. days smoother: Today, over 70 countries Following a routine obser ve DST. sleep schedule is one of the This year, Daylight Saving Time most impor tant aspects of your star ts on March 10. In March, health. Consistency in your sleep many people worldwide will be schedule helps regulate your losing an hour of sleep, and, in circadian rhy thm. The circadian order to adjust, many people star t rhy thm is essentially your internal gradually preparing ahead of time. alarm clock that manages cycles Some professionals recommend of aler tness and sleepiness by adjusting your clocks earlier and responding to light changes. To

Follow a consistent sleep schedule Try journaling before you fall asleep Drink more water GRAPHIC COURTESY OF MELINDA HU

help adjust your sleep schedule into a routine, tr y journaling a few minutes before bed.

Journaling can be as simple as writing down your thoughts and feelings. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, journaling can help people gain control of their emotions to improve their mental state.

Another way to implement healthy behaviors into your lifestyle is to

drink more water.

Water intake is an individualized number as it depends on many factors but has many benefits.

Increasing your water intake can help clear skin, increase energy levels and brain function as well as offer many other health benefits.

Heart health and energy drinks Hockaday aims to promote heart health in its students

by Aadhya Yanamadala | Staff Writer

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resident Lyndon B. Johnson designated February as Heart Health Month in 1963, aiming to promote Americans’ health. Despite this, deaths caused by coronary disease have been increasing more than ever.

However, society has been increasingly focused on fixing this problem by improving their lifestyles. At Hockaday, the Fitness Center and P.E. classes are working to establish good heart health practices from a young age in students.

“After students participate in a fitness assessment, we can determine how healthy a student is based on predetermined metrics,” Hockaday Strength and Conditioning coach Elia Stanfield said.

In Upper School, students take running tests like the FitnessGram PACER test, designed by the Cooper Institute in Dallas. They also do weight exercises, including bench press and body weight exercises, to increase muscular endurance. The combination of these two can be good markers of a person’s heart health.

“We aim for students to be a little bit above the minimum [of set metrics indicative of a healthy heart],” Stanfield said.

Outside of the gym, fitness and

cardio-respiratory health can be roughly determined through everyday activities.

“If you can walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, then that’s a really good indicator of heart health,” nurse Erika Herridge said. “It tells you that you’re not putting too much pressure on your heart.”

Diet plays an equally large role in heart health. Good eating habits reduce blood cholesterol and the danger of coronary artery disease. Foods high

in saturated fat have been linked to worse artery buildup, while vegetables have generally been regarded as beneficial.

Sage Dining attempts to help students make healthy food choices by classifying foods with three green dots.

The healthiest foods are dark green, foods that are healthy in moderation are normal green and foods considered unhealthy (in large amounts) are light green.

“You don’t have to restrict yourself from eating fried food. Just eat it occasionally and have an overall balanced diet,” Herridge said.

While poor exercise and diet have perennially been a threat to a healthy lifestyle, energy drinks are a newer product that has been linked to cardiac issues.

Celsius, a popular brand of energy drink among students, has 200 mg of caffeine per can, while the same amount of black coffee only has around 130 mg of caffeine. Studies and doctors recommend that students

and teens drink no more than 100 mg of caffeine per day. Drinking one can exceed the recommended daily limit, but some students drink more.

“On a bad day, I’ll drink two cans of Celsius or Red Bull and two cups of coffee,” sophomore Fendley Obert said.

That’s 660 mg of caffeine, over six times the recommended amount.

Caffeine causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. While some people can tolerate this in moderate amounts, too much caffeine can be fatal. Drinking it consistently can also disrupt sleep, leading to reduced hours of rest, which negatively impacts the body and heart.

“Some students drink energy drinks after school and then they can’t go to sleep,” Herridge said. “It’s just a vicious cycle. And because sleep is so important for the brain and restoring the cells in the body.”

Without sleep, even the healthiest of lifestyles can prove ineffectual for heart health, making energy drinks a direct and indirect enemy to heart health.

GRAPHICS COURTESY OF DIYA HEGDE

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Opinions 21

February 14, 2024

fourcast

Tiktok Made Me Buy it Why microtrends are problematic

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Miserable Monologues The issue with award show monologues like Jo Koy’s

TikTok made me buy it How social media influencers encourage consumerism

by Cece Johnson | Staff Writer

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he link is in my bio!” “You can find it in my Amazon storefront!”

These are phrases that have become common sales pitches by content creators on social media.

Open TikTok and you have a new “Shop” tab at the top of your screen.

This is one of TikTok’s most recent updates, another way influencers and brands can encourage consumerism in the app. Now more than ever, influencers are living up to their name as they promote an atmosphere of need and desire.

When a certain vibe or aesthetic starts trending (like “clean girl,” “vanilla girl” or “quiet luxury”), TikTokers everywhere rush to buy an ice roller, a new pair of Uggs, a Stanley cup or a designer

handbag. While I think some of these trends are cute, and I have bought my fair share of Stanleys and perfumes, most of these products are expensive.

I have stopped purchasing anything I see on TikTok because I know that I will end up throwing away the product.

Maintaining this influencer lifestyle of huge hauls and shopping sprees is just not realistic or manageable.

Junior Emmy Roberts has bought a “Grande Lash Heat Curler” and “Veyes Lashes” she also says she “despises TikTok shop.” Roberts even has the hashtag blocked because, “the ads are constant.”

Influencers persuading their followers to buy products has become a new form of constant advertising on social media platforms. They have created a fear of missing out (FOMO) if you don’t buy the products, therefore encouraging you to buy unnecessary things.

However, it’s not only about buying from TikTok shop or an Amazon storefront page. Influencers also convince us to wear bows or the “coquette” aesthetic, leading us to buy items that will inevitably go out of style in a few months.

Roberts agreed, adding that, “it’s so hard to keep up with all of the trends because they’re constantly changing so fast, you cannot keep up.”

Remember cow print and the “VSCO girl” aesthetic?

No one wants to wear something from those trends now, because it’s seen as embarrassing and childish.

I personally just went through my

closet and got rid of so many clothes that are out of trend and out of fashion.

It’s exhausting, so I have started to buy clothing that I can see myself wearing in a few years, no matter what is trending at the time.

Many of these trendy items are often bought often bought from brands like Amazon, Zara, Shein and other fastfashion companies. Many of these companies are criticized for exploiting employees, unethical working conditions, and contributing to climate change.

This surge of influencers promoting consumerism is a good reminder to think before you buy and try not to fall into the trap of TikTok trends, as they are inevitably a waste of money.

PHOTOS SOURCED FROM CREATIVE COMMONS AND COURTESY OF KAILEY BERGSTEDT

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February 14, 2024

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

Let Cupid Live

by Alexa Muñoz | Arts & Life Editor

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have Valentine’s Day plans this year. And this is not the beginning of another malicious anti-Valentine’s Day scheme from the sagacious singletons, nor a selfish attempt at reclaiming the holiday in the name of feminism.

Simply put, my plans are to appreciate the day for what it is...but what even is Valentine’s Day? Historians believe the holiday holds origin in the Roman fertility festival Lupercalia, which was converted to St. Valentine’s Day after Pope Gelasius I forbade the celebration.

According to a common legend, St. Valentine’s feast day is associated with romance because he secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war and separation from their wives, all in the name of love (and rebellion against the emperor’s orders).

While Valentine’s Day has recently expanded to include the celebration of love between friends (Galentine’s Day) and family, it seems the holiday’s haters struggle most with accepting its innocent historical intent and resort to bashing the idea altogether. When I say “haters,” I exclude the singles who admittedly find Valentine’s Day alienating or see it as a reminder of their loneliness.

I refer mainly to those who believe they are “above” Valentine’s Day – those who think every day should be a celebration of love or those who think they don’t need a day to remind them that they love their partner.

Let’s take the most common reason for hatred:

the holiday’s crass consumerism. Yes, the holiday has probably boosted the flower and teddy bear and chocolate markets; but who says these are the only ways to express our love? According to the University of Alabama Birmingham Medicine, physical demonstrations of affection can improve some health factors and reduce risks of heart disease — and according to me, these cost-efficient demonstrations of love can also help your relationship more than any Hallmark card can!

Feeling the touch of a human activates areas of the brain that handle empathy, emotions and certain social behaviors, stimulating positive responses that strengthen bonds. And what’s so wrong with a holiday that reminds us to spend time bettering ourselves and our connections to other humans?

After all, our calendars are filled with special days that remind us to spend time on something — so why not take 24 hours to acknowledge each other?

With my new plan in mind, I want to bring back the days of crafting valentines for our classmates. At the height of the academic season, we sometimes forget to appreciate our loved ones, and making valentines doubles as a stress-relieving, good-for-the-soul activity and an awesome way to celebrate love.

While I once was the girl who hated Valentine’s Day and didn’t subscribe to the so-called outdated, narrowminded views of romance, the holiday has made its way into my heart — and Cupid’s here to stay.

PRO ALEXA

Heard Through the Hocka-halls JANE TATEN “This is my Avengers Endgame.”

KATE GONZALEZ “I don’t know if I will survive this illness. Or this boy.”

STAFF STANDOFF

Romance Requires Resilience

by Danya Risam-Chandi| Features Editor

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he minute Jan. 1 is over and done, a ludicrous plethora of over-emphatic teddy bears, supersized chocolate hearts and balloons begging you to “be their valentine” suddenly descend on supermarkets, stores and all public spaces previously considered habitable.

No longer can you string along that guy that you just might be interested in.

Suddenly, you are faced with a choice: to be or not to be, to love or not to love, to become one half of an overenthusiastic couple or a unloved, hopeless single.

Valentine’s Day creates a month-long atmosphere of loneliness, or for those of you in premature relationships, unreasonable expectations surrounding your romance, which will undoubtedly be crushed by Feb. 14.

So, why do we cling to this ridiculous charade? Perhaps, it is out of a need for performative love. As teenagers, we feel social pressure to engage in romantic relationships and thus, fall prey to the Valentine’s Day narrative that has been shoved down our throats since elementary school.

This holiday, which forces young lovers to measure their relationship with trivial gifts like flowers and chocolate, indoctrinates them with a false narrative: that a true romantic relationship can be encapsulated by the events of a single day.

After reading this far, you might think I do not believe in romance and that I am some unfeeling person who does not value relationships or love. In reality, it is just the opposite. I believe that placing the weight of a relationship on one holiday takes the beauty out of the small gestures that should abound in long-term relationships. What about the time they refilled your car tires before you even asked? That time they brought you snacks after finals? The little text they wrote you in

the middle of the day?

A significant other who truly values your presence in their life should make that known 365 days of the year, as should you. This holiday allows us to accept the bare minimum when it comes to gestures of love and appreciation, placing the expectations of an entire year onto one over-hyped and disheartening day.

In an anonymous survey of Dallas high school students, sixty-six percent admitted to feeling societal pressure to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Instead of forcing love onto high schoolers, Valentine’s celebrations should also encourage celebrating platonic relationships.

Galentines, a celebration of female friendship, should be highlighted by the media, just as much, if not more than romantic relationships.

Think about it, if, instead of stalking couples relationship posts, or wistfully watching romantic comedies, singles across America celebrated their friends and felt satisfied without a romantic partner, then who would care enough to buy those roses, eat the cheap chocolate, or flaunt their new relationship?

Large corporations profit off our dissatisfaction. If they convince us that there is some perceived “hole” in our lives, we are more likely to buy their meaningless trinkets in the search to feel loved. We are also more likely to run to find love, hoping that by finally having a “valentine,” our loneliness will somehow evaporate.

Let’s get this straight: no product, post, or gift will ever satisfy us. The only thing that will end this loop, is finding satisfaction with our lives every day, with or without a partner.

Valentine’s Day does not exist to celebrate love.

Instead, it profits off its destruction.

JORDAN INNERARITY “Wait, when did we get a fish?”

CON

DANYA

RAIYA CLAYTON “Timothee Chalamet’s face looks like a bike seat.”

JEFF HULBERT “I wouldn’t give you a detention if you were bald.”

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hockadayfourcast.org

February 14, 2023

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STAFF EDITORIAL

The staff editorial is an unsigned piece representing a consensus of opinion among members of The Fourcast editorial board regarding a current issue.

Misogynistic Monologues

There is a clear distinction between funny and ignorant

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Kailey Bergstedt, Caroline Bush, Harper Harris & Bennett Trubey

JADE EDITORS

Aadya Kuruvalli & Melody Tian

WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Hanna Asmerom & Anjy Fadairo

NEWS EDITOR Amitha Nair

ARTS & LIFE EDITORS Alexandra Dassopoulos & Alexa Muñoz

FEATURES EDITOR Danya Risam-Chandi

SPORTS EDITOR Elizabeth Truelove

OPINIONS EDITOR Shreya Vijay

PHOTO, GRAPHICS & CASTOFF EDITOR Elle Myers

STAFF WRITERS Larkin Clouston Shifa Irfan Cece Johnson Anya Aggarwal Caroline Ballotta Jessica Boll Lang Cooper Melinda Hu Audrey Liu Sophia Lou Emily McLeroy Sarah Moskowitz Leyah Philip Anika Shah Mary Bradley Sutherland Aadhya Yanamadala

FACULTY ADVISER Kristy Rodgers

EDITORIAL POLICY The Fourcast is written primarily for students of the Hockaday Upper School, its faculty and staff. The Fourcast has a press run of 600 and is printed by Midway Press. It is distributed free of charge to the Hockaday community. The staff reserves the right to refuse any advertising which is deemed inappropriate for the Hockaday community. Opinions will be clearly marked and/or will appear in the views section.

Commentaries are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its adviser or any other member of the Hockaday community. The Staff Stance on the views page reflects the position of The Fourcast staff, but not necessarily the position of the Hockaday administration or community.

The Fourcast staff determines the content of each issue and strives to work as independently as possible in producing the student newspaper, but the content is subject to prior review by the head of Upper School, the communications director and other members of the Hockaday leadership team. Letters to the editor and guest columns are welcome and should be addressed to the editor-in-chief. Only signed pieces will be published. Corrections and clarifications from previous issues will be found as designated in the news section. Any questions or concerns should be addressed to Editors-in-Chief Kailey Bergstedt at kbergstedt24@hockaday.org, Caroline Bush at cbush24@hockaday.org, Harper Harris at hharris24@hockaday.org or Bennett Trubey at btrubey24@hockaday.org.

hether you were watching live or on social media, in the last few weeks, most of us have seen Jo Koy’s offensive jokes from his Golden Globes monologue Jan. 5.

For as long as late-night comedy has been airing, comedians have always walked a fine line between offensive and funny.

However, recently at award shows, comedians have failed to recognize the audiences they are speaking to, resulting in jokes that are no longer even funny.

In the past, the Golden Globes has been hosted

by Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, and Sandra Oh. Their monologues were funny, and they very seamlessly weave in jokes of all varieties. These monologues are excellent examples of what to strive for. Jo Koy’s on the other hand… not so much.

Koy was given two weeks’ notice to write and rehearse his monologue, and that is evident in his performance.

He started off with the basic formula that each comedian takes at an award show - first cracking a joke about actress Meryl Streep. The jokes that followed about the length of the movie “Oppenheimer” were also not well received, and the camera often cut to the director of the movie, Christopher Nolan, who is seen on multiple occasions shaking his head in disbelief.

Then, Koy stepped into some shaky territory, making a joke about “Barbie”, comparing it to “Oppenheimer.”

Describing the movie as one about a “plastic doll with big boobies,” Koy’s joke was completely offensive and uncalled for, showing his ignorance.

His controversial joke about “Barbie” sparked severe criticism, as it highlighted why the movie was made in the first place– to break stereotypes about what it means to be a woman.

As an all-female staff, we find such

jokes in today’s day and age to be very offensive. Koy’s remarks were clearly undermining the success that “Barbie” has achieved over the past year.

However, that was not his only joke about Barbie that night. He also made a joke about the transition that Barbie undergoes in the movie when she moves into the real world, comparing it to what casting directors call “character actor.” The term refers to someone who plays weird and eccentric roles as opposed to lead roles. The joke is extremely offensive because it implies that only people with so-called “perfect bodies” are fit to act in lead roles, which is also not true today.

Koy deflected quickly after the audience’s reactions died down saying “some of these I wrote and some of these other people wrote.” Koy also made a joke about pop music artist

Taylor Swift, calling her out for her relationship with Travis Kelce. Swift was clearly uncomfortable, and the camera cuts to her pursing her lips and taking a sip of her champagne.

While the rest of the jokes were not as offensive, Koy’s monologue garnered intense criticism from news media outlets and social media users in the following days.

However, it is important to note that comedy is not the issue here. A huge part of being a great comedian is understanding the audience you are catering to.

For example, describing the highest grossing film of the year as a movie about a “plastic doll” is not a good move. Looking back on 2023, it was truly a year for women- with Taylor Swift, Beyonce, “Barbie”, and more making history. Taking this into account, Koy’s jokes about the movie are very offensive, and it also shows his outright ignorance of his audience- in which women primarily comprise.

At award shows since then, such as the Critics’ Choice Awards, host Chelsea Handler did a great job of keeping a good balance between her jokes, which at any point in her monologue were not degrading. It’s this kind of hosting that people are looking for, and it makes people want to watch.

In a world where we are constantly plagued by one form of bad news or the other, it is important to have comedy, and to have moments where we can just laugh at what’s going on in the world. But comedy needs to be clearly distinguishable from plain offensiveness, and that’s where Jo Koy seemed to have an issue in his monologue, whether he wrote it or not.

GRAPHIC BY AISLING TREACY

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Fourcast Hearts

February 14, 2024| THE FOURCAST

Castoff

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

Every year, we ask student to design hearts for those they care about

By Elle Myers, Photos and Graphics Editor