December 2019 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

the volume 55, issue 3

december 18, 2019

Everything Greenhill

Page 8

Views

Staff Editorial: Robotics deserves academic credit and funding p. 15

News

Historic campus farmhouse to give way to new events pavilion p. 3

Informing Greenhill since 1966

Features

Students travel to Seattle for Student Diversity Leadership Conference p. 7

Arts

Drumline revived with help of students and faculty p. 11

Photo illustration by Amber Syed

Sports

Seniors Hatfield and Ness lead Girls Cross Country to SPC title p. 12

4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison, TX 75001

News

New program seeks computer conformity

Riya Rangdal Managing Editor­

“I think that, for us, a goal is standardization,” Rosa said. “We want to create consistency so that the teachers and students are all learning and teaching on the same page, and if there were any technological issues to arise, we would be able to not just fix the issue for one person, but for all users.”

D

uring the 2020-2021 school year, Greenhill will be implementing a new computer policy named the Greenhill 1:1 Laptop Program for its students.

The policy states that Surface Laptops will be distributed to incoming fifth and ninth graders. Every following year, each incoming grade will be issued laptops until all participating Middle and Upper School students will have a device.

The device chosen was the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2. While choosing the device was a lengthy process, the committee in charge of the policy felt the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 will cater to the students’ needs the most after careful evaluation of the teachers and students who currently utilize either a Surface Pro or a Surface Laptop.

According to Director of Technology Scott Rosa, the one-on-one platform will also create more mobility and easier communication between users, faculty, students and the technology office. Having a one-on-one program will allow the technology department to push out new software and updates to interact with all participating devices on the Greenhill network. Greenhill will be receiving the devices themselves through a package with Microsoft with additional benefits. The laptops will also include two cases and a four-year warranty, with two instances of damages covered.

According to Middle School Computer Science & Engineering Coordinator and Upper School Educational Technology Specialist Don Myers, the implementation of this program is not only beneficial to the students, faculty and technology offices, but also the parents. Currently, there is a list of specifications available for parents upon request. From there, parents can go and personally purchase a device for their child. A goal of this new program would be to lessen the stress on parents for buying the “right” product.

“There are a lot of devices and a lot of questions and pressure put on parents who want to get the right device for their students,” Myers said. “With the new program, there will no longer be a question of what type of laptop to get for their student. Now there’s a vetted system and a school approved device that can take some of the anxiety off of some of the parents.”

For the past year, the fifth grade and a handful of ninth graders have voluntarily participated in the computer policy’s “Pilot Program.” These grades had transferred from individually assigned netbooks to Surface Laptops that the students were able to take back and forth between home and school.

“

There are a lot of devices and a lot of questions and pressure put on parents who want to get the right device for their students. With the new program, there will no longer be a question of what type of laptop to get."

“The move from fourth grade students having a school-owned and school-issued laptop to their own device in fifth grade, which started last year worked very well,” said Lower School Computer Science & Engineering Coordinator and Upper School Educational Technology Specialist Lauren Marold.

Myers noted that, under his

“

Every student is coming to class with a different user experience, some better than others, and in order to combat this, we are trying to create consistency to the entire school. This will reinforce the sense of community at Greenhill."

Graphic by Sarah Luan

NEW AND IMPROVED: Students will be receiving Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 devices.

These devices work with OneDrive and are compatible with Greenhill printers.

supervision, the fifth-grade pilot program has been executed well. For his classroom, the devices have been working very well with the Microsoft programs that the school already utilizes, such as OneDrive, a Microsoft file storage and synchronization service.

“I’ve got to see 40 to 50 fifth-grade students and their experience with it,” Myers said. “It’s very nice to have uniformity while setting up devices. For example, when I was helping the students set up the printers for the year, I wasn’t required to have instructions for Macs and Windows; I was able to just show the students once and have them all be on the same page. It’s been a good experience so far.”

Marold also emphasized that she is looking from prekindergarten through 12th on what would be most beneficial for the teachers and students and what is going to create consistency within the learning environment.

“Something we have seen as a trend across independent schools is that they are moving away from a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) program due to the management problems that arise,” Marold said. “Every student is coming to class with a different user experience, some better than others, and in order to combat this, we are trying to create consistency in the entire school. This will better reinforce the sense of community at Greenhill.”

According to Rosa, the current plan for the program is that it will be rolled out, which means that incoming fifth and ninth graders will receive the laptops until all Middle and Upper School students have one. The current students who aren’t in possession of a device will eventually get one in ninth grade. For current Upper School students, they will not be participating in this program. Therefore, under this system, it will be a couple of years until all students are on the program.

“The hope is that, through the roll out of this program, it will create an ability for teachers to know what students are coming to them with, and possibly push the curriculum further, rather the teachers needing to go through the basic steps and instructions for each device,” Marold said.

According to Head of School Lee

Hark, the administration and technology offices wish to streamline the educational experience for all of their students online.

Having a multitude of devices creates confusion and difficulties for the technology offices.

Hark believes that being able to provide a high-end device to all of our students is an added advantage, and through this program, Greenhill will be able to help ensure that all of its students are having a great experience with their technology.

Alongside uniformity, Hark noted that the new laptops will allow for greater online and network safety measures to be in place.

“Students are hooking up to our network every day, but we have very little insight into what students are actually doing,” Hark said. “This new adjustment is meant to act more as a precaution than a device for monitoring students. Some of the parents have said that they provide significant restrictions on technology at home, but at school there don't seem to be any. Taking this added step further ensures the safety of all of our students."

wednesday, december 18, 2019

the

Evergreen

news

3

Historic Farmhouse to be removed for new pavilion Natalie Gonchar Views Editor­

P

lans are moving ahead to dismantle the 164-year-old Parents’ Association Farmhouse, the iconic structure that has been a Greenhill symbol throughout the school’s history, administrators said.

The 19th-century building, which occupies a prominent spot near the Spring Valley entrance, is going to be replaced by an events pavilion capable of hosting gatherings for students, administration and alumni, administrators said.

“This is one of the hardest decisions I have had to be a part of in my 33 years as an employee here,” said Tom Perryman, Assistant Head of School. “That building is 164 years old, it has historic value, it has symbolic value, it’s got sentimental value, and I am absolutely convinced that at this point we had no choice but to move on. It came down to safety.”

The building has become increasingly expensive to maintain because of structural deterioration and health hazards such as toxic black mold, school officials said. As a result of various issues, much of the original structure has already been refurbished or replaced. A building preservation specialist recently determined that little of the building could be salvaged, said Head of School Lee Hark.

“Literally and figuratively, you shouldn’t bulldoze tradition, but at the same time the school has to grow and evolve,” said Hark. “The things that students need to be prepared for college and live in the world and be successful are different from the needs the school had 50 years ago. It has changed, and we have to evolve with that.”

Due to the building’s historical value, several special preservation processes must be followed during renovation, school officials said.

Over the decades, the Farmhouse has evolved from an administrative building to a teachers’ lounge to the senior hangout spot.

In recent years, the Parents’ Association

has used the building for storage and the occasional meeting, school officials said.

In a letter to the Greenhill community this fall, Hark explained the decision to remove the Farmhouse. Despite his explanation of the structural concerns and rising maintenance costs, the announcement prompted surprise and some criticism.

Hark recently addressed student concerns and questions about the Farmhouse and other campus changes at a sophomore class meeting.

“I think that if people are concerned about something then they should reach out to [Hark] or try and schedule a meeting with him when he has free time, because I think that he really is open to hearing what people think,” said sophomore Ashton Higgins. “It’s just often people don’t tell him and complain elsewhere.”

Greenhill Director of Alumni Relations Katie Young has set up an online response forum to allow graduates to share their favorite memories of the Farmhouse.

Additionally, Perryman said some sort of ceremony or tribute will be held to honor the building’s history and contribution to Greenhill.

Attempts are also being made to evoke memories of the Farmhouse in the design of the new events pavilion. For example, current plans call for the new building to have a wrap-around porch and metal roof similar to that of the Farmhouse, school officials said.

“When alums come back, I want the school to feel familiar to them, and a part of that is visual,” Hark said. “You want them to see the experiences that they had when they were here as students.”

The new events pavilion will fill a pressing campus need. With 14,000 events on campus each year, the school is often displacing students from certain areas on campus, like closing the Montgomery Library early for the Board of Trustees meeting.

The new space will no longer be an exclusive space for the Parents’ Association,

Photos courtesy of Katie Young, Photo by Caroline Greenstone

REMAKING HISTORY: Two different versions of the Farmhouse; above, during the 1960s and below, from 2019. The now-slanting structure is Greenhill’s oldest building.

but will also offer working spaces for students and alumni events, officials said.

“From an alumni perspective, it really makes me excited to think that we could use the space as a gathering point for alumni when they come,” said Young. “So we could do alumni dinners in that space, or we could have a Homecoming reception in that space so people could still be a part of the action

[by the field] while still enjoying this new space.”

Removal of the Farmhouse will leave only two original buildings on campus: Crossman Hall and the Agnich Science Building. The latter is targeted for replacement in the next few years.

Whatever the physical changes at Greenhill, “it’s the relationships in those spaces that seem to last,” said Young.

Youth and Government team qualify for state tournament Sonali Notani Managing Editor­

T

he legislative and judicial branches of Greenhill’s Youth and Government team qualified for the state tournament on the basis of their success at the North Dallas District competition on Nov. 16.

In years past, Greenhill’s legislative team, headed by senior Alexandria King and alumna Christine Wu ’19, has competed in the YMCA Youth and Government tournaments. This year, senior Nicole Stachowiak started a mock trial team for students more interested in the judicial side of government.

“Sometime in the future I plan to go to law school,” said Stachowiak. “I wanted to get a feel of what trial court was really like and I wanted others to have that opportunity as well.”

Upper School Latin teacher Laura Hudec was a sponsor of Youth and Government when she taught at Highland Park High School before coming to Greenhill. When she started working at Greenhill, she got the chance to continue.

“I love to sponsor this club because I enjoy seeing students really coming to love the experience of how politics work,” said Hudec. “It is so important for us as a society to understand the difference between politics and justice, and how to enact justice by understanding the political scene.”

The state competition will be held in the Texas State Capitol Jan. 24-25.

Although both groups compete in the same tournament, the training and material is very different between the two. For

Photo illustration by Raag Venkat

READY FOR STATE: The mock trial team prepares for their next judicial case at state. The case at districts was a dispute over a DUI and failure to yield right of way to a cyclist. Both the mock trial team and legislative team will compete in the state tournament.

mock trial, all teams are given a pre-written case. This year there were two: a collision involving a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) driver and a “failure to yield right of way” crash between a driver and a cyclist. Teams do not know whether they will be the prosecution or defense until the competition, so they must prepare for both.

According to Stachowiak, the students who play witnesses receive an affidavit which contains a summary of everything

each character saw. They have to answer questions in direct and cross-examination based upon their character’s experiences.

“I was a witness this year,” said Stachowiak. “I had to think of new answers for court based on the information I got.

We only got the basic framework and after that we had to extrapolate.”

Students also acted as attorneys who gave objections and opening and closing statements and cross-examined witnesses.

This year, junior Kilo Kapumba played an

attorney.

“Although I was apprehensive at first, I enjoyed the experience,” said Kapumba.

“I loved the intellectual competitive nature and I also got the chance to bond with people I never would have gotten the chance to speak to otherwise. I would give the overall experience an 11 out of 10.”

For legislative sessions, each person drafts a bill of their choice based on YMCA guidelines and competes to hypothetically pass their bills in the State Capitol. At the conference, each student presents their bill with an opening statement and explains why the bill is necessary and relevant.

Other student delegates in the room either support or oppose each bill and propose and vote on amendments. This year, three of the four legislative members passed their bills.

“I have always enjoyed these competitions,” said King. “I am really interested in government and I work on a lot of campaigns. My dream is to study political science and work in Washington afterwards.

Another bonus is that I get to improve my debating skills.”

Currently, both teams are practicing for the state tournament. There will be new cases for mock trial to prepare and the legislative team will have to propose new bills.

“The conferences are so fun and being able to compete with people your age that are sincerely interested in the same things as you are, even if you see different sides of it, is always exciting,” said King. “We can all collaborate and think of solutions to problems rather than just stating how we see the world.”

Alumni Multitasker David Johnson ’67 shines a spotlight on business giants

On the road

Alumni outreach program expands to seven cities

Photo courtesy of Katie Young

A CITY REUNION: Tom Perryman ’81 with alumni in New York City in October 2019.

Valerie Xu Staff Writer

H

Photo courtesy of David Johnson

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: David Johnson, left, interviews Phil Romano, founder of Fuddruckers, Eatzi’s and Macaroni Grill. His current show, “CEO Spotlight with David Johnson,” focuses on the lives and work of chief executives of local and national businesses.

Amber Syed

Executive Editor

E

very inch of Greenhill alumnus David Johnson ’67’s office wall is covered with photographs. These pictures depict him with people ranging from Ross Perot to Mark Cuban to Jerry Jones. On Johnson’s desk sits four or five screens, with some broadcasting the news, some showing business trends and others displaying large Excel spreadsheets.

Johnson’s office is a reflection of his multifaceted job. The pictures are of people Johnson has interviewed for his various radio and TV shows over the past 40 years.

His computer screens are for his job as a financial advisor for the investment bank Morgan Stanley in Dallas. As a business analyst, he talks to clients, buys and sells stocks and manages money.

“I multitask,” Johnson said. “I always get bored easily.”

Johnson believes his diverse skill set allows him to be better at his jobs.

“I can communicate what’s going on in the markets better, because I know the business and I’m in the business,” Johnson said.

“

[Greenhill] was a liberal arts education. I learned to write, and to be concise, and to be able to express myself.”

His current show, “CEO Spotlight with David Johnson,” on KRLD News Radio 1080, gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of people who run well known companies.

From his time doing “CEO Spotlight,” Johnson has noticed successful business owners tend to possess certain qualities.

“One is the ability to delegate,” Johnson said. “[The CEO] may be able to do the job better, but they can’t do everything, so it’s important to hire good people and delegate.

Also, if the CEO is open and pleasant and

easy to get along with, it filters right through the company. By the same token, if the CEO is closed-minded and not an immediately pleasant person, then it filters right through the company.”

Johnson has worked with Morgan Stanley and its predecessor firms since 1972. During that time, he has taken on jobs hosting “Business Edition with David Johnson” on KERA/13, the local PBS affiliate, and was a business analyst for the local WFAA television station for 21 years.

He eventually started working for the public radio program “Marketplace,” a position he has held for 20 years. The nationally broadcast show “is the business news you need to know to start your day,” according to NPR. Johnson said he recalls one time in particular while working for National Public Radio (NPR). A woman emailed him and explained how her husband, who was a UPS driver, is a huge fan of “Marketplace.”

On her husband’s birthday, Johnson called him, and he said they “just went nuts.”

“It was just odd to sit here and know that people in Maine are listening,” Johnson said. “It’s a strange thing.”

Johnson attended Greenhill for Upper School, after moving from Pampa, Texas. He attended college at Sewanee: The University of the South, majoring in English. After college, he took three months off and soon began working with E.F. Hutton, a brokerage house and a predecessor firm to Morgan Stanley.

Later, he was sought out and hired by “Marketplace” for his work on television and KRLD. Despite the fact that Johnson lived in Dallas, he was still able to do his job via a satellite up-link and later on a broadcast line to the studios in Los Angeles. They wanted someone who could communicate business in a way that people could understand, and they liked the fact that he was “a little off the wall,” according to Johnson.

Johnson believes he stood out to employers, like “Marketplace,” because of his ability to take complex business concepts and turn it into a story.

“Business is all percentages and

numbers and buy-out ratios, but if you can put it in a narrative, it becomes more palpable, and that’s what I did,” Johnson said. “And I did it several times a week.”

He traces the roots of this storytelling skill to his educational experience at Greenhill.

“It was a liberal arts education,” Johnson said. “I learned to write, and to be concise, and be able to express myself. They made me read, and it helped me develop a vocabulary so I could really articulate a very specific thought, rather than a generality.”

He continued to develop his story-telling skills at Sewanee. He chose this university because it was similar to Greenhill and fostered a liberal arts education as well.

“The great thing about a liberal arts education is that it goes everywhere,” Johnson said. “It’s portable. It is what made it possible for me to learn how to tell stories rather than regurgitate facts.”

Photo courtesy of David Johnson

SETTING THE STAGE: Johnson as editorin-chief of the 1967 Greenhill Cavalcade.

oping to strengthen the bonds between alumni and current students and faculty, Greenhill administrators have expanded the school’s program of graduate meetups to seven cities this year.

Greenhill’s “On the Road” program previously featured annual gatherings in New York City and Los Angeles. The expanded schedule will result in Greenhill administrators hosting alumni events in Austin, Houston, Boston, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, said Director of Alumni Relations Katie Young.

The expansion was initiated by Head of School Lee Hark, Young said.

“My mission is to try and get to as many alumni as possible to strengthen the ties between alumni and our school,” Hark said. “I’m fairly new, so although most people on campus might know me, many alumni are not aware of who I am. But with this expansion I get a chance to meet more alumni and learn about their experience at Greenhill, as well as some of the opinions or ideas they have on how to improve our school.”

Another goal is to make Greenhill alumni feel more connected to the Greenhill community, Young said.

“Part of our school’s success is because of contributions of time, talent and treasure from alumni, which is why I feel like this expansion is so important,” Young said, “Things like charitable donations and alumni volunteers have helped us so much.”

Alumni also stand to benefit from the increased interaction, Young said.

“

My mission is to try and get to as many alumni as possible to strengthen the ties between alumni and our school.”

“I’ve seen in the past how these events can help bring new connections and friendships,” Young said, “With this expansion, I hope to be able to connect even more people. We noticed an increased attendance at our events last year and this year. I think our alumni around the country are very interested in meeting Mr. Hark.”

The new outreach efforts are already receiving good reviews from alumni.

“With Greenhill alumni living across the country and world, I love that Greenhill has expanded the reach of its annual reunion events,” alumnus Jonathan Fine ’11 said, “I recently moved to Austin and the regional reunion was a great opportunity to connect with fellow alumni in a new city and get updated on the school and its trajectory.”

The feedback gathered from these meetings will help foster positive change at Greenhill, Hark and Young said.

“Alumni are the past of Greenhill, but they are also the future,” Young said, “And since alumni are going to be an important part of Greenhill’s future, I believe that it is important to incorporate as many of them inside our community as possible.”

Special Report

Wired for success:

The nuts and bolts of the robotics program

Graphic by Sarah Luan

Sumana Kethu Arts Editor

Nate Stitt Staff Writer

I

n a glass-enclosed room in Upper School South, more than two dozen students are crowded around a large wooden desk strewn with screws, wires, circuits and other metal parts. Some are sketching designs and brainstorming ideas on how to create robots from the components, while others are already hard at work transforming their ideas into a functioning machine. Still others are using Android Studio software on their laptops to write instructions that will detail the movements they want their robots to perform.

It’s a typical day inside the Upper School robotics room. “[We] design and build robots, work on them, fix things, and then see it work in competition,” said junior Naren Ram, cocaptain of one of Greenhill’s two robotics teams.

The two teams - 9045 Motorheads and 9054 Viridian - compete separately with their own robots, sometimes against each other.

“When we are building, [the two teams] try to help each other, but I always try for each one to have their own ideas,” said Maria Suarez, an Upper School computer science and engineering teacher who also serves as robotics program faculty adviser. “I don’t want them to be a copy of each other. It’s a good balance between [being] competitors and neighbors.”

Since robotics is not a class, students are expected to meet Mondays and Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., and Sundays from 10-3:30 p.m.

However, many students choose to come in throughout the school day, after school and on weekends to work on their projects.

“I spend probably 10-15 hours a week [on robotics],” sophomore and robotics team member Kaden Nathani said.

For a few weeks leading up to a competition, some members choose to meet and work on their robots almost every day.

“The real question is how many hours I’m not spending [preparing the week before a competition],” Ram said.

Starting from scratch Although Greenhill robotics students devote the equivalent time of three or four

classes a week to working on their robot, they do not receive academic credit for it.

“I’ve had conversations with Ms. Suarez about how to get credit for robotics, but also in a way where it can become sort of an introductory way to then get into the robotics team,” said Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester. “For example, if the skills learned in the engineering course could be applied to the robotics team. So, we’re working on ways to try and do that.”

Funding is another ongoing issue for the robotics teams. The program is mainly funded by parents of students of the team, students and Suarez said.

Suarez started the program from scratch after coming to Greenhill in 2014. The program has gradually carved out its own space in Upper School South.

“We’ve redone that space three different times,” Worcester said. “The first time to kind of take out the computers and create a space.

The [second time], after changing it from being just a computer lab, it expanded west and took over what was, at the time, the room where Montage used to lay out the magazine.

Then, this past summer, we reconfigured and expanded it again.”

While these changes have played out, Suarez has built a competitive program.

“When we started, we were very scarce [with] parts and we had to work with very little resources,” Suarez said. “So, it was really hard to build something that was robust enough to be a very good competitor.”

Letting them experiment The Greenhill robotics program caught the attention of school administrators early on.

“We won our first competition ever, and I think that was the beginning of the support for the program,” Suarez said.

Suarez coaches both teams and attends competitions with them. To prepare for these competitions, students have to work for months on end.

“My contribution is to guide them,” Suarez said. “They are pretty much independent, but I like them to do a lot of the work. If I see something they are trying to design and I don’t think it’s going to work, I try to convey the idea of why it won’t work, while still letting them experiment. Usually they finally realize that it needs to be different.”

The program has 28 members. By comparison, St. Mark’s School of Texas has 29 members on their robotics team, while The Hockaday School has 15.

“It is really hard to work with so many kids simultaneously, but at the same time it is very hard not to give them the chance to at least have the experience,” said Suarez. “So, it can get a little crazy sometimes with so many people. But I think at the end, the ones who like it stay, and the ones who don’t eventually leave.”

Academic credit or not?

For students at Greenhill and nearby peer schools, robotics is a time-intensive activity.

“The team usually meets every day for as long as possible,” said St. Mark’s freshman Renil Gupta. “On average, we spend three hours on weekdays [and] usually six hours on Fridays and during the final week. In addition, students are allowed to come during free periods throughout the day and work on the robot.”

Although Greenhill students spend hours working to create robots, they do not receive an academic, computer science or sports credit for it.

Jack Oros, Dean of Upper School students, said the robotics program would need more structure before it could be considered for academic credit.

“There would have to be a lot more things that are checked off the list, or they’re learning these things,” Oros said. “Is everyone doing it? Is every person that’s in it doing the same thing? And some kids are working all the time, some kids are working just some of the time.

It would have to be more regulated if it were given a credit.”

Some members of robotics believe they deserve an academic credit.

“I think it should be counted as a computer science credit,” Nathani said. “We do so much involving computer science: we engineer a lot, we program, we design.”

For the time being, the robotics program remains a club-level program. It doesn’t merit academic or elective credit, and robotics participants don’t receive schoolwide recognition like participants in fine arts, sports and academic classes.

“I feel that it is really wrong that every time I try to give students awards at award

ceremonies, they won’t let me,” said Suarez. “It is not right because I have seniors that have been in robotics for four years with full dedication, as much as any people in art, as much as any people that play sports. One of the reasons I want to make it a credit is because I want to recognize them in the awards ceremony.”

Funding robotics

Another issue is the funding of the robotics program. Over the summer, Greenhill expanded the computer science room and bought laser cutters and 3D printers for the program. However, the majority of funding for Greenhill robotics comes from the parents of students on the team, students and Suarez said.

Hockaday “is very supportive of its girls competing in STEM programs and covers the additional costs,” said Hockaday robotics students Caroline Rich and Sophia Yung.

Support is growing at Greenhill.

“I think [robotics] is something that the school is realizing needs to be funded,” Suarez said. “At most schools, this is a very important program. I think anything that has to do with innovation, anything that has to do with designing and coming up with new ways of building things should be promoted because this is where we are moving.”

Greenhill administration is sympathetic to that argument.

“We are trying to rectify that to really create more of an actual budget item for [Ms. Suarez], because I don’t think it’s fair that parents of students that are in the robotics program should be the ones that are giving funds,” Worcester said.

Back in the robotics room, programmers, designers and builders are putting together their robots in preparation for an upcoming competition. In one corner, prototypes designed by students are being 3D printed.

In another, students are testing whether their robot can stack a certain number of building blocks.

“You can never stop what you really love to do just because people don’t recognize what you’re doing,” Suarez said. “I sacrifice a lot of my time for [my students] because I think [robotics] is important. And I think over the years, by doing that, the school has also realized how important it is.”

Features Teacher Mike Bak reinvents Introduction to Game Design Raag Venkat

Managing Editor­

C

1

trimester long

1958 first computer game created

∞

number of programs a student can create

utting-edge technology, hands-on creativity and development as well as a collaborative approach is not what students are accustomed to when they walk into the Upper School. But that has changed in a new take on an old course: Introduction to Game Design.

An introductory computer science course for several years, Game Design introduced students to foundational concepts such as computational thinking.

Now, under the direction of Upper School math and computer science teacher Mike Bak, Game Design has evolved into a much more fulfilling class, students said.

“Coming into the class having no experience at all and walking out at the end of the trimester creating and coding your own game and your own world is such a fulfilling experience that gives you a huge sense of accomplishment,” said junior Kilo Kapumba.

Before Bak arrived at Greenhill, Game Design resembled more standard methods of teaching. The class focused on the foundational concepts of computer science, including the languages associated with game development.

“The class definitely exposed me to computer engineering and concepts I hadn’t seen before, but in general it was a very standard coding class,” senior Sola Omonije said. “There wasn’t much interaction and I wish it would have been more engaging and I wish we were able to be more creative to apply it to the real world.”

Over the summer before the 2018-2019 school year, Bak was able to use his background in the technology industry working for internet startups to transform Game Design into an engaging and memorable experience for students. He finally settled on a program: Minecraft.

“When I arrived, the idea behind Minecraft was that people are free to create whatever they want and I thought that would play extremely well at such a creative and diverse school like Greenhill,” Bak said. “Minecraft was the perfect tool to break away from the typical programming classes that are more lecture-based and have a typical pattern to them.”

Setting the stage During the first trimester of the 2018-2019 school year, students used the computer language Python to code inside the Minecraft platform. Some projects students created included programming a box to move intelligently around a maze, teleporting to new locations inside the Minecraft world and making a disco floor with flashing lights. Students were also allowed to add their own creative components to each of these projects.

“I thought it was awesome how we were able to connect coding and computer science with something that we grew up with,” junior Sami Khan said. “My final project was making Pac Man in Minecraft. It was a very challenging assignment, but I felt that it allowed me to connect everything that I had learned across the trimester and create one big program.”

According to Khan, these initial projects were very ambitious and stretched students.

“It was really interesting to see how much people were able to, even if they weren’t able to solve the projects completely, challenge themselves,” Bak said. “The first trimester gave me a good idea of just how much the students here can grow if they apply themselves on the tasks they are given.”

Refining the course During the second trimester of the 2018-2019 school year, an important change to Game Design surfaced. Students started out on Minecraft, coding in the language Python, but then switched over to the game engine LÖVE where students can make 2D games from scratch in Lua, a language similar to Python.

“The biggest thing that got me was that in LÖVE, students got real satisfaction because they made that game by creating their own world, whereas in Minecraft, you’re adding your small part to a bigger world that

someone’s already created,” Bak said.

It was based on student feedback that Game Design moved more and more toward an actual game engine like LÖVE, Bak said. The transition was also able to allow both the students and Bak to collaborate and venture into LÖVE together.

“The transition was a good experience because we were able to navigate through this new platform with Mr. Bak, and that broke down the teacher-student barriers that you see in other classes,” Kapumba said.

“We were able to give and take feedback from each other as to what was working and what wasn’t and go from there.”

During the third trimester of the 2018-2019 school year and the first trimester of the 2019-2020 school years, students dived deeply into the LÖVE framework, going above and beyond Bak’s expectations for an introductory computer science course.

These classes were structured with five days of learning and five days of a project related to the lessons. The students started out with a simple dot game where students would click on a dot and it moved to another location. Other projects included incorporating gravity and other concepts into games like Flappy Bird and Pong. The last project was completely open-ended, relying on the students’ imagination and vision to make their world come to life.

“In general, the later and final projects were more up to their own ideas and it was interesting to see how far they took it,” Bak said. “Whether it was an animation, storytelling or they tried something really complicated programming-wise, they were all pushing themselves more and more asking questions that I thought were too advanced for a beginning class when I started it a year ago.”

Senior Esha Julka explained that her final project was a culmination of not only her game design knowledge throughout the trimester, but also her physics knowledge from her junior year. Her final project was an Angry Birds-themed program through the LÖVE framework.

“The challenge was that I had to have multiple levels and characters, and instead of just making the birds fly I had to make them crash as well,” Julka said. “I had to learn a lot about collisions through research since it was outside the scope of what we had learned, but it was also cool to apply my physics knowledge with computer science.”

"A 0-to-100 experience" Game design has a constantly evolving nature tied to it, and these improvements are necessary for a successful program, Bak said.

“The neat thing about this class is that it has gotten better and the students have also produced more each trimester with it and it keeps surprising me,” Bak said. “A lot of that has to do with the fact that each class, to a certain extent, tries something. Sometimes they fail, but they are setting the stage for the next class so they don’t have to go down that same road.”

Game design and programming are also great outlets for problem solving skills with technology, and the foundational skills of computer science taught in the class are important for the future, Bak said.

“We are already seeing the influence of computers and smartphones, and over the next ten to twenty years, we are definitely going to see more of an influence from artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Bak said. “Even if you are not going into programming directly, it will benefit you to be able to understand that world and have an impact on the use of those technologies.”

In the future, Bak hopes to teach and explore more of what the LÖVE framework offers. He also is surprised by the immense amount of feedback he receives. One common thread is that students feel the class is cut short at the end of the trimester. Bak hopes to combat this issue with another class or even a club.

In general, Game Design adds an element of fun that’s normally missing in the structured classes at Greenhill and allows students to learn and grow in their own way.

“Game design is a 0-to-100 experience,” said Kapumba. “It changed my life by showing me the value of open mindedness.”

Graphics by Sarah Luan, Raag Venkat and Anurag Kurapati

wednesday, december 18, 2019

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Diversity, Discussion, Dialogue Six Greenhill students attend SDLC

Khushi Chhaya Staff Writer

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ix Upper School students were among more than 1,600 students from seven countries who gathered in Seattle, Washington, in early December for the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) organized by the National Association of Independent Schools.

The six Greenhill delegates were: Jothi Gupta; Ashley Shan; Skylar Smith; Alondra Valdez; Faith Williams and Sampson Williford.

SDLC hosts a racially diverse group of students from around the world. The conference is a community-building event in which students gain experience in cross-cultural communication and craft strategies to aid the practice of social justice through dialogue and conversation, according to conference literature.

This year, the SDLC celebrated its 26th annual conference. Greenhill has been sending students to the conference since 2002.

“I had high expectations for what I was going to experience,” Shan said.

“My expectations were not only met, but exceeded. The conference provided such an amazing opportunity for us to really learn lessons that will stay with us forever.”

The students were divided into large family groups consisting of roughly 80 people from different schools and backgrounds, members of the Greenhill delegation said.

In these groups, they explored the various cultural identities of the members in each group.

“The space that we had in our family groups was supportive and open,” said Gupta. “At times we would have discussions that let people have the opportunity to say whatever was on their mind.”

Within family groups, smaller home groups were also formed. These groups had about ten people and allowed for deeper, more intimate discussion, said Williford.

Attendees also met with affinity groups.

Each of these groups had students with similar racial or ethnic backgrounds.

“It’s hard for a person of color to be able to walk into a room and see multiple people

Photo courtesy of Jothi Gupta

STUDENT LEADERS: Six Greenhill students were chosen from a pool of applicants to attend Student Diversity Leadership in Seattle for the 26th SDLC conference.

who look like them,” Gupta said. “Having that space where I felt truly connected just because of my heritage was amazing.”

Greenhill students in grades 10 and above had the opportunity to attend the SDLC. They each had to submit an application detailing their involvement in clubs, leadership roles, and what equity and inclusion work they have done. The students must also be in good academic standing, said Gupta The applications were then reviewed by the Greenhill equity and inclusion team.

Six students were chosen from the pool of applicants. In past years, anywhere from five to 12 students have applied to attend the conference, said librarian and coordinator of Upper School equity and inclusion Sonja Hayes, who accompanied the Greenhill

students on their trip to Seattle.

In conjunction with SDLC, more than 20 Greenhill faculty and administrators separately attended the People of Color Conference (POCC) in Seattle.

The six Greenhill students who attended SDLC returned with new perspectives, expanded horizons and a deeper connection to their own identity, said Williford.

“Being in an environment with so many other people who look and think like me was empowering,” Gupta said. “People helped me understand the struggles I didn’t know I had and I was able to help other people find themselves too.”

“I am in a safe space to be the authentic me, not wearing a mask or afraid that someone will judge me because of my natural hair, light-skin or freckles,” Hayes

said. “At the conference, I am the true me with people who are respectful, loving and supportive.”

The six Upper School students said they hoped to utilize their unique experiences from the conference to reinforce the idea of inclusion and social justice at Greenhill.

“I believe I can use what I have learned to create what I would like to call mini SDLC environments and cultures around the school in different classrooms and other things in nature,” Williford said. “I am really excited to go out and share what I have learned from the conference and bring it out to the classroom because the classroom is so open and so diverse in its people.”

Different ideas have been proposed by the Greenhill delegates to help support students and recognize the differences of each individual. One of those ideas is increasing diversity within the faculty in the future, said Gupta. She said she hopes that this will allow a larger number of students see themselves reflected in their teachers.

The conference was a life-changing experience that will have a lasting impact on all who attended, said Williford.

“The conference further affirmed my passion to make my community, and the world as a whole, a place where all can feel safe, regardless of their diverse background,” Shan said. “That mission is something that will impact all my actions going further, and I hope that I can spread that mission to others in our community.”

Williford expressed his desire to bring the conference and the experiences and opportunities it offers into the spotlight for future Upper School students.

“I hope to see more kids actually go to it,” Williford said. “It is not as well-known and not a lot of kids think that they can go to it, but it is really for anybody and everybody.”

The conference offers the chance for students to discover and embrace their personal identity and gain a sense of belonging. The international stage on which these discussions are taking place sets up a situation where significant change can be made, said Shan.

“I felt a greater sense of hope,” Gupta said. “I hope that there are people out there who are truly passionate about fighting racism and xenophobia, and so much more.”

Evergr the

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Is Greenhill

Caroline Greenstone Features Editor

Sonia Dhingra

Online Editor-in-chief

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ince the Global Climate Strike of Sept. 20-27, high school students around the world have been at the forefront of protests and school strikes aimed at drawing attention to climate change. On Dec. 6, in the latest coordinated action, students gathered by the hundreds in places like Philadelphia, Portland, Oregon and elsewhere to demand political action aimed at addressing carbon emissions and other aspects of climate-related environmental policy.

It’s not as though Greenhill students have been silent amid all the activism. Several Upper School students were among the hundreds of climate change demonstrators who gathered on the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge near downtown Dallas on Sept. 20. They chanted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, fossil fuels have got to go!” and waved handmade signs. There are campus organizations aimed at fostering environmental awareness.

And climate change is regularly discussed in classes.

Yet, in contrast to the campus protest that followed the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the climate change debate has yet to inspire a schoolwide demonstration or similar action at Greenhill. Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester said he hasn’t received any student requests to conduct mass

actions this fall as school strikes have proliferated around the world and #schoolsstrike4climate has trended on Twitter.

“I don’t think it implies that Greenhill students don’t care,” Worcester said. “Upper School students are doing a thousand different things and trying to do them well. I think you have to make choices at times.”

Still, the actions—or lack of actions—by Greenhill students raise questions. Among them: Is Greenhill as an institution doing all it can to build an environmentally sustainable world?

And are Greenhill students doing enough to foster debate and action in what many scientists and activists are calling the defining issue for Millennials and Generation Z?

Youth at the forefront Three days after the youth-led Global Climate Strike last September, Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist whose one-person strikes in Stockholm helped ignite a global movement, gave a speech at a United Nations summit in Manhattan. Thunberg told her audience that she should be in school rather than telling world leaders what to do to address climate change. She told them to listen to the science, which has been “crystal clear” for 30 years.

“This is all wrong, I shouldn’t be up here,” Thunberg said.

“The eyes of all future generations are on you.”

Thunberg began her activism by missing school every

Friday and holding a sign reading “school strike for climate” outside the Swedish Parliament. What started small quickly caught international attention. Her group, Fridays for Future, joined by other youth-led organizations, has grown to create a movement of millions of students.

“I think that the youth movement has been way more effective than people would have anticipated,” senior Jack McDonald said. “Global dialogue is centered around a teenager. That is really, really cool.”

One doesn’t have to have a Noble Peace Prize nomination to make a difference. Some Greenhill students are also at the forefront of the climate movement, campus-wide and nationally.

Greenhill has multiple climate-oriented groups on campus, including the Green Team, a group of teachers, administrators, parents and Upper School students whose goal is to reduce Greenhill’s carbon footprint, and a Sunrise Hub, a club on campus that is a part of the larger Sunrise Movement. The goal is to engage young people in fighting for a livable future.

“There will always be a need for that voice to wake people up, keep them aware, galvanize people, motivate people and uncover things that are being hidden from public view,” Science Department chair Treavor Kendall said. “I think that the passion of the people in [the climate justice] movement are our model, if not anything else.”

DEMANDING CHANGE: Countries by carbon dioxide emissions in thousands of tons annually, via the burning of fossil fuels (with red the highest an scientists had predicted in the past would result from climate change are now occurring, including the melting of glaciers, accelerated sea level ri heat waves. Environmental activism at Greenhill continues to take many forms.

reen

GREEN? Some Greenhill students are certainly passionate about the cause. From testifying at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing, creating division-wide trash pickup days and coordinating with youth-led climate movements for campus-wide engagement, many students are finding their way to do their part.

“

I think that the youth movement has been way more effective than people would have anticipated.

Global dialogue is centered around a teenager. That is really, really cool.“

Sophomore Isabelle Kronick has been engaged in environmental activism for many years, first by co-starting the Earth Day trash pickup in Middle School and now being an active participant in Greenhill’s Green Team.

“I hadn’t thought about joining [the Green Team] before, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to participate in something bigger than myself,” Kronick said. “I have begun to realize what a bad effect we can have on our environment, and what a bad effect that ruined environment has on us.”

On Oct. 17, McDonald testified before an EPA panel in Dallas about the importance of methane regulations. He was asked to do so by the activist group Earthworks, which wanted

to get youth voices involved.

“Why is it so hard for you to act on this?” McDonald asked in his testimony. “Where is the urgency to treat [climate change] as the unmatched emergency it is?”

Later, McDonald said, “My generation wishes we could grow up tomorrow and tackle this. We wish we could stand in your shoes, with your education, your experience, with the levers of power at your disposal to show you how to courageously wield them. But we still have growing up to do.”

Now, McDonald will be writing for the organization’s blog, bringing a youth perspective to environmental issues.

This will be the most impactful thing that will have come from his experience, McDonald said.

Dissenting opinions In America, the topic of climate change has become politicized and thus polarized. As such, there is a lack of political will on the national and international level to take aggressive action. Not everyone agrees that action is needed.

“We know how to capture carbon, we know places to store it, we know how to make those processes fairly cheap, we have ideas for alternative energy,” Kendall said. He added, “But really, our barriers are social and political ones.”

On Dec. 1, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guteres told the International Climate Conference that politics was preventing meaningful action on climate change.

“What is still lacking is political will,” Guteres said.

“Taxing pollution instead of people.”

Political conservatives argue that the science is not settled, and so drastic actions would be premature Among the ranks of self-described climate-change skeptics is Mike Krueger, Upper School biology teacher and sponsor of the campus Conservative Alliance.

Krueger considers himself an environmentalist and is a proponent of renewable energy and nuclear power as a way to lower carbon emissions. But he believes there are numerous unsettled questions in the climate debate, including the extent to which humans are responsible for warming temperatures.

“I try to deal with the climate issue rationally and without politics,” Krueger said. “I don’t think it’s possible to predict the Earth’s temperature into the future. Climate-predicting models have been notoriously inaccurate and often by a wide margin.”

Freshman Ian Bock, an avowed conservative, also harbors some skeptical views of the current climate change movement.

“I believe that the climate is most certainly changing and that, to a degree, it is man-made,” Bock said. “I’d say it’s a little more natural than man-made but humans do have a hand in it.”

In Krueger’s view, the movement is alarmist and unjust.

“I don’t think it is moral for first world countries to tell developing countries to stop using fossil fuels,” Krueger said.

The science

Graphic by Sarah Luan Graphic adapted from Wikipedia Commons

nd dark green the lowest). A range of effects that ise, disastrous natural events and more intense

What is indisputable is that a range of effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise, more disastrous natural events and longer and more intense heat waves.

Many scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more than 1,300 scientists from the United States and other countries, forecasts a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.

The global sea level has risen by about eight inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another one to four feet by 2100. This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.

In the next several decades, storm surges and high tides

wednesday, december 18, 2019

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could combine with sea level rise and land subsidence to further increase flooding in many regions, malnutrition and diseases, climate scientists warn.

“Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver,” said the American Association for the Advancement of Science and 18 other respected scientific organizations.

A poll conducted last summer by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a strong majority of Americans — about eight in 10 — say that human activity is fueling climate change. Roughly half of those polled believe action is urgently needed within the next decade if humanity is to avert its worst effects.

A companion survey of teenagers ages 13-17 found that most American teens are frightened by climate change, yet only one in four are taking action.

The path ahead Environmental activism at Greenhill takes many forms.

The Green Team is working to reduce Greenhill’s carbon footprint by encouraging such actions as changing chemicals used to clean the Preschool, enacting a campus-wide recycling program and retrofitting campus lighting to LED bulbs.

Kindergarten teacher Janice LaMendola, who also serves as Green Team chair, said environmental issues are now part of the process when Greenhill builds new facilities. “[Climate issues] are a big deal,” LaMendola said. “It’s science. It can’t be refuted. We feel if we continue to be the leader in sustainable campus initiatives and other schools follow our example, it will spread and we can have a bigger impact on the environment.”

Trevor Worcester, the Head of Upper School, said the new science building under discussion will offer an opportunity to make an environmental statement.

“

[Climate issues] are a big deal. It’s science . It can’t be refuted. We feel if we continue to be the leader in sustainable campus initiatives and other schools follow our example, it will spread and we can have a bigger impact on the environment. “ “Thinking about having a new science and innovation center in the future, I hope that’s a place that will be very environmentally-friendly and bring together students to learn about issues facing our environment,” Worcester said.

Despite Greenhill’s efforts, there is still more to be done, students and faculty said. Many people believe that climatebased education is imperative in bringing about tangible change in the face of the climate crisis.

“I think one of the most important things is education,” sophomore Maddy Schlegel said. “It doesn’t just go for climate change, but it is very important for climate change. False information is very dangerous in most cases. I think with climate change, a very important thing to do is to educate kids.”

However, education can only go so far.

On the most basic level, students need to be recycling and reducing waste, senior Jack McDonald said. But even more importantly, they need to try to shape political changes by going to protests and engaging in activism, McDonald said.

Kendall believes that environmental awareness is alive and well with Greenhill students, but there is more work to be done.

“I think Greenhill students set a nice example of engagement and for really thinking deeply about a topic,” Kendall said. “I think they have the capacity to do it and a talent to do it. But, as an educator, I will always want a little bit more. I want to see my students push themselves a little more, especially when they are passionate about something.”

Arts

The Second Act

Students polish skills with Junior Players theater group Sarah Luan

Director of Photos and Graphics

S

chool’s out for the day, but the second act is just beginning for senior Timothy Owens and junior Ava Markhovsky: a two-hour rehearsal for Greenhill’s winter musical, followed by a three-hour rehearsal for another production in downtown Dallas, then home, finally, at 10 p.m. or later.

It’s another typical day for Owens and Markhovsky, members of Junior Players, a youth theater organization in Dallas.

Since 1955, Junior Players has offered a free arts education to high schoolers around North Texas. In addition to afterschool rehearsals for musicals and shows, the group also provides summer camps that range from acting and dancing to modeling and photography.

“It’s a nice experience to get out of the bubble of Greenhill and involve yourself with other theater kids within the metroplex,” Owens said. “You get the opportunity to do really cool stuff with really cool people.”

As someone who had a great passion for theater, Owens was very interested in the opportunities Junior Players could offer him. He auditioned his freshman year for the winter musical, and since then he has participated in many shows.

This is Markhovsky’s first year with the Junior Players community. She became interested when she saw Owens perform in “Rent” his freshman year.

“I loved ‘Rent’ and thought ‘Wow these kids are incredible, and this is going to be something to work towards,’” Markhovsky said. “I’ve been working really hard to get to their level.”

For each show, the students must reaudition to get a part. They must first perform a song and a monologue, and if they do well, they are called back. At callbacks, the students participate in a two-hour dance call, followed by more cuts. Finally, the survivors are called back to receive the thrilling news.

“It was really exciting when I got in

Photo courtesy of Timothy Owens

PLAY ALL DAY: Students Timothy Owens and Ava Markhovsky perform with the Junior Players in the musical “The Wild Party.” Rehearsals are held evenings and weekends.

this year because I might not have been able to four years ago,” Markhovsky said.

“I was really excited to get in because it was a goal of mine.”

Valerie Hauss-Smith, the Upper School Drama and Theater teacher, was proud that Owens and Markhovsky earned roles in this year’s winter musical with Junior Players. As a former Junior Players director herself, Hauss-Smith knows that getting in these shows is very difficult.

“

You really do feel like you’re doing something and you’re learning and growing every day, which is really cool because I don’t think there are so many other things in your life where you see such immense progress within such a short period of time.”

“This year about 250 people auditioned and they only took about 25,” Hauss-Smith said. “You’ve got to make it among those people, and that’s why I was really proud of them.”

For the winter musical, the cast

rehearses three times a week, from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday.

“Especially during that two and a half week break from school, you’re really immersed in that world of theater and what it would be like to actually be a working actor,” Owens said. “I think a big part of that is managing your time. It really forces a lot of growth in a very short amount of time.”

Hauss-Smith experienced the same busy schedule when she directed the Junior Players winter musical while also teaching at Greenhill.

“Timothy’s and my experience were similar because we would be rehearsing for the musical here at Greenhill until 6:15, drive downtown, and then continue rehearsing until 10 p.m.,” Hauss-Smith said. “That was a little crazy, so this year I decided [not to direct the winter musical] for Junior Players.”

This year’s Junior Players musical, “The Wild Party,” is set in the 1920s and tells the story of a woman in an abusive relationship. In order to get away from her husband for one night, she throws

a big house party and falls in love with a man introduced by her best friend. Owens plays Mr. Black, the man with whom the abused woman falls in love. Markhovsky plays Sam, a Hollywood producer, but also understudies Kate, the friend of the girl in the abusive relationship.

Besides developing acting, dancing and singing skills, Junior Players also imparts life lessons to members. When Hauss-Smith was a director, she discussed important topics related to the musicals they were doing.

“When we did ‘Rent,’ we talked about AIDS, homelessness, and we talked how to fight that,” Hauss-Smith said. “When we did ‘American Idiot,’ there was a whole thing about a guy that goes to war and gets hurt, so we had a veteran, who is also a doctor, talk to us about PTSD.” Junior Players also emphasizes all aspects of diversity in its casting.

“Tim and Ava are in the same cast as people from [Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas], people from Grand Prairie, people from Plano, people from South Dallas, etc.,” Hauss-Smith said. “They get to make friends with people they might not have made friends with otherwise, and I think that’s really wonderful.”

Markovsky is looking forward to being in her first musical for Junior Players.

“You really do feel like you’re doing something and you’re learning and growing every day, which is really cool because I don’t think there are so many other things in your life where you see such immense progress within such a short period of time,” Markhovsky said.

Despite all the long nights, Owens and Markhovsky are embracing the opportunity to grow with Junior Players..

“When you’re in that space, there is a certain expectation of you, and [it] forces you to grow as a professional, an actor, a dancer and as a singer,” Owens said. “A big part of Junior Players is that you’re doing something that’s really hard, and you know it’s hard, but you’re working through it and you’re working with a cast to create something cool.”

wednesday, december 18, 2019

the

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arts

DINNER & A MOVIE

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Hayden and Jeffrey review “Ford v Ferrari” and eat at Torchy’s Tacos Hayden Jacobs

Editor-in-Chief

Jeffrey Harberg Editor-in-Chief

W

e’d like two tickets to ‘Cars 4’ please,” Jeffrey asked the box office cashier. “‘Ford v Ferrari,’” I corrected. “He means ‘Ford v

Ferrari.’”

Jeffrey and I went to see “Ford v Ferrari,” uncertain what to expect. At the time, the movie had just come out, and while it had gotten good reviews, neither of us are fans of racing.

“Ford v Ferrari” is the story of Ford Motor Company’s attempt to produce the first American car to win the storied 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. Ford enlists the help of American automotive designer Carroll Shelby to assemble their race team and build the car to compete in the race.

Shelby, along with legendary British driver Ken Miles, worked together to assemble the Ford GT 40 MK II. “I can totally drive like that,” I proclaimed.

“Hayden, to drive that race, you have to swerve in between other cars moving 200 miles per hour,” Jeffrey said. “I’ve seen you hit a parked car. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

In the unfolding storyline, Ford’s biggest competitor is Ferrari, which rejects a deal to work with Ford in the race.

Instead, Ferrari teams up with Fiat. The story builds to an intense race scene with a shocking result.

We left the movie thinking about how the strong friendship between Miles and Shelby transcended their ultra-competitive racing personas. Although neither of us considered “Ford v Ferrari” to be a sports movie, we would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of that genre.

As we started our drive to Torchy’s Tacos, Hayden reached into his glove compartment for his racing gloves.

“I just want to swerve between the cars super-fast now,” Hayden said, hands gripping the wheel like he was about to do something crazy.

“I will literally open the door and jump out,” I said. “My life won’t end like this.”

Hayden ordered a Ranch Hand and tried the Taco of the Month, the Naughty Santa. I got two Trailer Parks and asked for them “trashy” (with queso) because I was feeling dangerous. We were sitting and eating when a Ferrari pulled up to the restaurant.

“I wonder what the horsepower of that one is,” I said, studying the car through the window.

“Jeffrey, do you even know what horsepower is?”

Hayden asked.

“I don’t need to know what it is,” I replied. “I just know there’s a lot of it in that car.”

While reminiscing about the movie, Hayden said he was thoroughly enjoying his Taco of the Month. The Naughty Santa has grilled shrimp, chorizo, pickled onions, jack cheese, avocado, cilantro and poblano sauce on a flour tortilla. I highly recommend it.

My Trailer Park had fried chicken, green chiles, lettuce,

pico de gallo and cheddar jack cheese with poblano sauce on a flour tortilla. Delicious, as always. The perfect ending to a pulse-racing night.

Drum roll, please

Graphic by Sumana Kethu

Band members recreate drumline to pump up fans at football games Hayden Jacobs Editor-in-Chief

A

t halftime of the home varsity football game against Valliant High School on Aug. 30, Hornet fans were struck with the sounds and spirt of the Hornet Drumline for the first time in years.

That evening, by a score of 16-6, Greenhill football secured their first win in 665 days.

“Those guys really brought some energy,” senior Preston Bulban said of the Hornet Drumline. “They were hyping up the student section in a way I’ve never seen at a Greenhill [football] game.”

This year, the drumline consisted of 11 members of the Greenhill band. In addition to the band’s percussionists, some students who don’t normally drum were also invited to join the group. The drumline was composed of four bass drums, four snares, one quad and two cymbals. There was no audition to join the group, so everyone who was interested in learning more about percussion had the opportunity to do so.

The Hornet Drumline was re-formed this summer after an absence of several years. Senior Chirag Bachani, a drumline co-captain, initiated the reboot.

“We had to push for everyone to be a part of this,” Bachani said. “We had to make sure everyone was willing to learn new pieces and show up to the events.”

After Bachani brought the idea to Middle and Upper School band teacher Brian Donnell, Greenhill invested in a new set of equipment necessary to reform the drumline. With support from Greenhill’s admin, the new squad was ready to roll.

While most drumlines perform fulllength concerts, the Greenhill group instead performed shorter pieces.

“We learned a couple of short cadences then just mashed them all up into one” Bachani said.

The drumline was led by Chirag Gupta, a clinician, which is a type of guest instructor in music. Gupta led practices once a week, in which the drumline would work on cadences to perform at football games, pep rallies and other events. The

group practiced during the normally scheduled band period.

“Since we have a drumline-specific director, we can have a greater focus on technique and things that are very specific to that art form,” Donnell said.

This was Gupta’s first year at Greenhill and second year of coaching drumlines.

Last year, he worked with South Oak Cliff High School’s drumline. He was in his high school’s drumline and continued with percussion through college and eventually as a professional.

“I was very excited to work with a drumline in the capacity that I did at Greenhill, as a director,” Gupta said.

In August, before the school year began, the drummers got together with Donnell and Gupta for a two-day mini camp.

“For four hours each day, they got a lot of time to devote to warm up, techniques, hand position, playing techniques, reading music and [getting] used to playing on the instruments,” Donnell said.

They also bonded as a group.

“I know it’s cheesy, but the drumline is like a family,” junior Rakesh Venkat said.

“People mess up, stuff happens, but it doesn’t really matter. We’re all just having fun.”

Sophomore and drum line co-captain Kaden Nathani enjoyed watching other students get into the performances.

“It was great to see everyone get excited about what we were doing,” Nathani said.

Donnell also applauded the strong group dynamic.

“There was a wide variety of experience and skills in the group, but they would all help each other and really bond,” Donnell said. “I was thrilled to see it.”

Hornet Drumline doesn’t have any more performances planned for the rest of this year. However, they are considering performing at the Independent School Association of the Southwest (ISAS) Fine Arts Festival as a part of the drumline concert in the spring. Next year, they hope to play full-length pieces instead of the short cadences they’ve perfected.

“We’re really excited to keep playing and keep getting better,” said Nathani.

Photo courtesy of Brian Donnell

WE’VE GOT THE BEAT: The Hornet Drumline stands front and center among the Greenhill band ready to go onto the field for their Friday night football halftime performance.

Sports

We are the champions!

Seniors Hatfield and Ness guide girls cross country to SPC title

Photos courtesy of Maddie Hatfield

WHO RUNS THE WORLD? Top left, the girls cross country team gathers during the SPC title meet. Bottom left, the team poses for a celebratory photo with their trophy after winning the SPC championship for the first time since 1985. Right, senior captains Kaiti Ness and Maddie Hatfield. Ness finished fifth and Hatfield earned first place in the title race.

Diane Lin Staff Writer Isabel Martinez Staff Writer

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s teammates on the girls cross country team since their freshman year, Maddie Hatfield and Kaiti Ness developed a shared sense of mission.

This fall, as seniors and co-captains, that bond propelled the team to a Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) championship for the first time since 1985.

Greenhill’s girls emerged from the SPC championship race on Nov. 9 with both the individual and team titles. Hatfield won the individual title, placing first, while Ness finished fifth.

“I love having her as my co-captain,” Ness said about Hatfield, “simply because I don’t think I could do it by myself.”

Hatfield echoed that view.

“I think we worked really well together,” Hatfield said. “I’m glad there were two of us.

I love Kaiti. We’ve really grown to know each other.”

“A better captain” Head cross country coach Jason Yaffe said that time and experience have developed the relationship between Hatfield and Ness.

“They know each other, they’ve got classes together, they’re teammates - this was their seventh season running together, counting four of cross country and three of track,” Yaffe said. “They’ve had more time together to understand each other’s gifts.”

Hatfield developed a love for the sport back in sixth grade. Originally only involved in soccer, Hatfield realized that she loved running more than kicking a ball.

In the early stages of her running career, she was the only person on the Dallas Christian Middle School cross country and track teams. She transferred to Greenhill as a freshman and quickly played a key role

in the success of the school’s cross country and track teams.

Hatfield stressed that in sports like cross country, it is extremely important to be mentally healthy.

“If you’re feeling really good and mentally in check, then you’re going to be physically in check also,” Hatfield said. “It’s easy to get consumed with the little things.”

Hatfield speaks from experience. In her recent senior speech, Hatfield revealed to Upper School students and faculty how experiencing bullying throughout middle school led to an eating disorder. For a time, eating consumed most of her thoughts and running became less important, she said.

“Once I stopped eating, I stopped running as well,” Hatfield said. “I didn’t have the energy or motivation to do it. You really have to find a balance of being in check physically and mentally.”

Hatfield believes discipline and motivation are two positives that she has developed from cross country. The sport has taught her how to work toward a goal and to do everything needed to achieve that goal.

Being a co-captain also taught her about respect, Hatfield said.

Early in the fall season, Hatfield said she believed that she could lead the younger runners solely by example. She later realized that it was wrong to expect everyone to respect her without first earning it.

“Afterwards, [younger teammates] started to mean a lot more to me and I started to try to be a better captain,” Hatfield said. “I hate that I wasted so much time, but I sat them down and apologized for being an awful captain.”

Unexpected family Compared to Hatfield, Ness drifted into cross country almost by accident.

“My friend wanted me to do it because her brother was on the team,” Ness said. “I

wanted to do it with her because I thought it would be fun to do it with a friend.”

Ness describes cross country as “slightly mentally draining.” She’s learned to manage it along with her schoolwork after years of experience, but it still can be a challenge, she said. Watching what she eats, constantly stretching and doing well in school is difficult.

Being a competitive person, Ness said that cross country filled a competitive void that she experienced in her middle school years. Over the past four years, Ness became the first girl in school history to finish in the top five in each of her four SPC championship races.

“That’s remarkable consistency and success,” Yaffe observed.

Most importantly, Ness found an unexpected family in cross country.

“I never would’ve imagined being friends with my teammates outside of cross country,” Ness said. “Sharing the same love and passion has really just made us a lot closer. That’s definitely one of the big positives for me.”

“A championship team” One of the most important responsibilities of a successful team captain is pushing younger teammates, encouraging them and seeing them fulfill their potential, Ness said.

Ness and Hatfield said creating bonds with underclass teammates is crucial.

Starting the conversation early encourages younger runners to come to the captains for anything, they said.

Although the team is larger than previous years, Ness said she made sure to get around to everybody during practice to encourage and check up on them.

Interacting with and motivating the team were goals that both Ness and Hatfield prioritized.

“Especially during the runs, I try to make my way around to every girl to see

how they are feeling,” Ness said. “How they felt about it, why they think they could’ve done better, what they think they’ve done really well on.”

Sophomore Kendall Hashimoto praised Ness’s attempts to connect with the team.

“Kaiti is able to really connect with some of the freshmen and sophomores,” Hashimoto said. “It is what makes her such a great leader.”

Because they were the only two seniors on the team this year, Hatfield and Ness found their responsibilities as co-captains even more challenging. In previous years, there were more seniors who could bounce ideas back and forth with each other.

Although it was challenging without other seniors, both Hatfield and Ness said they believe they had a good dynamic.

Having different backgrounds and experiences in cross country was helpful when it came to collectively deciding what was best for the team.

Both Hatfield and Ness said there was a more confident mentality throughout the team leading up to the SPC championship race. They were confident that they could win. The difficult part of the season was keeping everybody fit and healthy.

In the end, a team effort secured the SPC title for the Greenhill girls, Hatfield and Ness said.

“Even though Maddie and I were the captains this year, we had a lot of the younger girls step up,” Ness said. “I just want to give them a lot of credit.”

“Younger girls step up,” Ness said. “I just want to give them a lot of credit.”

For Hatfield, winning an individual title and a team title was especially satisfying.

“Everyone knew that we could do it,” Hatfield said. “We’re a championship team.”

wednesday, december 18, 2019

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sports

NCAA athletes: Show me the money?

n Sept. 30, as another NCAA football season was in full swing, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a piece of legislation that could forever change the world of collegiate sports.

Lane Herbert The Sports Lane California Senate Bill 206, also known as the Fair Pay to Play Act, will allow college athletes to profit from their name, image or likeness. For the first time, college athletes will get paid to play.

This topic has caused quite a fuss on a national scale. Professional athletes such as NBA stars LeBron James and Draymond Green have spoken up on social media, praising the decision as a positive change for the rights of collegiate athletes. Others, concerned about the effects of such a bill, have countered that the oasis of the college athletics world would soon become corrupt.

So, should college athletes get paid?

The new law, which will go into effect in 2023, rejects the long-held belief that college athletics should be separate from professional sports. It would overturn the view that, athletes should earn a degree in college, rather than money.

In addition, college athletes in California would be able to profit off advertisements that used their name or image and hire agents who could arrange endorsement deals and sponsorships from business outside their collegiate contract.

As an athlete who has already committed to play field hockey at a NCAA Division I school, I view the Fair Pay to Play Act as a step in the right direction.. However, it creates a boatload of problems that could fundamentally change the nature of college athletics..

Frankly, I’m worried about the repercussions.

For starters, the legislation will primarily benefit high-profile sports with established viewership and sponsors—sports

such as basketball, football and baseball.

Athletes in niche sports will be at a disadvantage when it comes to finding sponsors and marketing their image.

Sports like basketball, football and baseball have a built-in advantage, with popular pro leagues after the collegiate competition circuit. There is a future for athletes in those sports that will result from their success in the NCAA. Athletes who have been graced with talent in a sport that has less of a market will not be able to achieve the same success.

There are also potential unforeseen effects on Title IX sports.

Picture this: A female basketball player and a male basketball player are both competing for their respective teams at the same university. Luckily, said university has a welldeveloped athletics department and offer these students any financial aid or scholarships needed. But when the two players look to market their name with the new Fair Pay to Play Act, who would you imagine to have more success?

Now, imagine one of them plays wa-

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ter polo where there are fewer opportunities and market forces to drive sponsorship deals. How will the water polo player get their name recognized to make a profit?

The answer is simple.

Athletes in smaller, less funded and less viewed sports will simply not be able to reap the benefits of this change in the same way athletes with sports that are well funded and viewed will be able too. Male athletes will have an easier time than female athletes.

And bigger schools will have an easier time with recruiting big-name athletes. And so, the cycle continues; the gap grows.

The Fair Pay to Play Act is great for athletes whose sports offer economic opportunities. For athletes in sports that are not as nationally loved, the economic opportunities are far less. In other words, allowing college athletes to get paid will create a larger financial gap for athletes, based not only on gender but also on sport.

Now, how fair is that?

Views

senior columns

American Born Confused Desi not-ani ordinary girl sonali notani managing editor

A

s a part of the first generation of my family born in the United States, I am a card-carrying member of the hapless American Born Confused Desi (ABCD) community. This has had a multitude of ramifications for me. One of them is feeling “culturally inadequate or unfinished.”

While I mostly understand Indian culture and the Hindi language, I have also been “Americanized.” I grew up immersed in Hindi, however, when I am spoken to in Hindi now, I can only timorously respond in English. It’s as if all the Hindi that enters my brain must first run the gauntlet of a surly and incompetent translator. Only then can my inexplicably English-dependent cognition attempt to unravel the cryptic

translation fed to it.

In my early years of lower school, I was repeatedly made fun of for not being able to correctly pronounce the sound “th.” Similarly, I used to randomly switch the “w” sound with “v” and “v” for “w.”

Over time, I became very conscious of my pronunciations and accent. The more I altered the way I spoke to conform to American speech patterns, the more disconnected I became from my mother tongue.

Whenever I visited India, it was my family’s turn to be alarmed by the drastic change in the way I spoke. There seemed to be no winning this bilingual tug-of-war.

I began to realize that the way I phrased things communicated so much about the person I had become. After I started school, my thought processes, voice, and distinct words I chose to communicate with changed completely.

Although it has been a confusing journey, belonging to the “ABCD” community has had some upsides.

I have learned the nuances of language and how culture impacts language. For

example, in Indian culture, family and respect are two of the most important values.

This is reflected in the plethora of precise nouns used to describe a bewildering array of relatives. Instead of just saying “aunt” and “uncle,” one refers to their paternal uncle by a different noun compared to the one used for their maternal uncle. There is even a distinct noun for the oldest paternal uncle compared to the implicitly less respected but (as compensation perhaps) more beloved youngest paternal uncle. This goes hand in hand with the idea of respect for elders.

In Hindi there are three different ways to say “you,” with increasing levels of formality, which do not exist in English.

When visiting India, I have to consciously avoid my Americanized “casual tone,” otherwise I inadvertently cause offense, or even am outed as an ABCD. Sometimes, I wonder when I will graduate from being an ABCD to being a non-confused “ABD.” But reflecting back on my life experiences, maybe the “confused” part was actually in some ways a strength and its loss would be detrimental to me.

It’s hard to imagine I work harb every day jeffrey harberg editor-in-chief

J

ohn Lennon’s “Imagine” is a cultural masterpiece that has cemented itself as arguably the most famous song of all time.

He makes some compelling and moving arguments in the three-minute classic, but I disagree with one of his statements.

He sings “…and no religion too,” implying the world would be more peaceful without religion. Frankly, I’m not so sure if that’s true.

As a Jew, I really struggle with this. My religion puts a strong emphasis on shalom, meaning peace, tzedakah, meaning righteousness, and tikkun olam, meaning repairing the world. When I sit in services at Shearith Israel, I’m constantly reminded that there’s always room to improve myself

riya rangdal managing editor

D

un dundadun dadun dun!

Four a.m. on the dot, my alarm clock has awoken me.

From here, I commence my morning marathon of finishing all of my homework and assignments just in time to race out the door to school. I first brush my teeth, then I proceed downstairs to the kitchen where I make myself a nice large mug of coffee.

Then, I tip-toe back upstairs to my desk where I open up my laptop to Canvas.

It’s 4:15 and grind time.

I was never a morning person. I had always preferred staying up as late as possible, procrastinating before finally crashing and falling asleep. It took me a long time to realize that I needed to construct a new routine for myself. Honestly, going to

Evergreen editors-in-chief Jeffrey Harberg Hayden Jacobs

executive editor Amber Syed

managing editors Sonali Notani Leah Nutkis Riya Rangdal Raag Venkat

photos and graphics director Sarah Luan

arts editor Sumana Kethu

and the world.

But some people really hate Jews.

Learning about the constant terrorist attacks and hate crimes around the world specifically targeted at the Jewish people makes me sick. Hearing that we’re the cause of financial and political issues just by existing is demoralizing.

There are people on this earth who die or kill in the name of their god or idol, thinking that violence is their path to righteousness or divinity. They think they’ve been told to murder the nonbelievers (from their perspective, of course) or wrongdoers.

But we can’t say, as John Lennon says, a world exempt from religion is better and more peaceful. Some people are only alive because of their religion – their belief in God, Jesus or Allah gives them hope in a time of acute difficulty and serves as a support system through sickness and struggle. Many people give to charity because their religion tells them to; food banks, shelters, and schools and hospitals for the underprivileged only exist because of the generous donations of millions of people, and that’s thanks to verses in

scriptures like the Bible, Torah, Quran, and others that describe charity as an order from divine entities.

Religion gives people a purpose and a sense of pride. It answers questions that are otherwise unanswerable. It connects people from around the world. I think religion is a beautiful thing.

Yes, we have a lot of work to do. The religious system in this world is far from perfect, but not broken. Crimes in the name of a religion are wrong, and far too common, but if religion didn’t exist, those crimes wouldn’t go away; they’d simply be for a different reason and under a different name.

So, feel free to imagine there’s no religion; I think everyone should at some point. But religion does a lot for us that we don’t even notice. We have no idea what the world would be like without religion, but that won’t ever happen. So, I stay optimistic given the circumstances: I hope one day we can live in peace with each other.

But hey, they say I’m just a dreamer.

Greenhill and having a hectic after school schedule doesn’t allow for much room to change (I’m definitely pointing my finger at soccer season, which makes sleeping early ten times harder), but being a student here proved to me that I had what it took to figure out a new plan.

At first, waking up at four was dreadful.

All I wanted was to stay in my bed and go back to sleep for another three hours.

At this point, I hadn’t yet realized that I needed to sleep earlier for this to work. But soon enough, I figured that by sleeping at eight or nine, I was still able to achieve a “healthy” seven-to-eight hours of sleep.

When I first started my new routine, I remember thinking that there was no one to talk to that early in the morning, so I was going be doing my homework in utter silence. For some, that might seem like a godsend, but I was so used to asking questions, listening to music on my speaker or FaceTiming people that it took some time to adjust.

Luckily, I had a friend who went to bed around 4:30 (let’s all take a moment and pray for her health). Every morning, we would have a little chat, mainly about random topics, but we’d also discuss what she had accomplished that night/morning

and what I planned on accomplishing.

Eventually, however, I got used to the silence and was able to really focus on the tasks at hand and be a more productive student.

With the newly appointed routine, I noticed a lot of other benefits besides sleeping more. I wasn’t tired in classes; I had better focus; I was actually understanding concepts and the work leading up to them and, most importantly, I was getting better grades. Now, I’m not sure if this new routine was the direct reason for my improving grades, but it certainly did help. I was setting aside three hours at the beginning of every day to study and focus on schoolwork with literally zero distractions.

Don’t worry, I am not saying that you need to start waking up at four a.m. I guess my main takeaway I want you to have after reading this is: don’t be afraid to switch things up.

There’s a lot of good that can come out of trying something new. Although it probably sounds farfetched, waking up at four in the morning is one thing I know has positively impacted my life.

Now, I get to call myself a morning person.

The 4 a.m. grind let’s just be riya-l

the

features editor Caroline Greenstone

news editor Cameron Kettles

sports editor Lane Herbert

views & backpage editor Natalie Gonchar

staff writers Khushi Chhaya Diane Lin Isabel Martinez Jack Moses Nate Stitt Valerie Xu

business manager Vinay Vas

adviser

Gregg Jones

asst. adviser Amy Bresie

Have a response?

Opinion?

Original idea?

Email us at: evergreen@greenhill.org For the editorial policy visit p. 15

wednesday, december 18, 2019

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rants & raves

Rants & Raves

15

A RANT to the path from Upper School to MPAC parking lot.

Walking to the lot from either of the Upper School buildings, I must sacrifice my clean white shoes due to the inconvenient path placement. Now, I know this is a fixable issue that’s as simple as taking a few extra steps to the path, but still, even if you take it, it doesn’t take you to the parking lot. As Dr. Seuss said, “Oh the places you’ll go,” which unfortunately doesn’t include the MPAC lot.

A RANT to Daylight Savings Time. Now I may not understand the purpose behind daylight savings, but I do know one thing: It makes me want to sleep at 6 p.m. when it gets super dark.

Making my way to my car in the gym parking lot after practice makes me feel like I have mysteriously lost four hours of my day. And what do I want to do about it? Avoid all my homework and sleep.

A RAVE to the larger Buzz cookies. You know what they say, everything’s bigger in the Buzz, so it’s only fitting that they started selling bigger cookies for the same price. Not only was this more convenient for the Buzz, but it’s definitely nothing for us to complain about. Now just you wait until the extra fridges are working, because I will be struggling to spend a modest amount.

A RAVE to getting service hours for helping out in the Buzz.

And I know that it seems like I have an obsession with all things Buzz, but they have just been crushing it lately.

What better way to complete community service hours than actually working within our very own community, even if it raises endless temptations. So, I guess it’s true; you can have your cake (or larger Buzz cookie) and eat it too!

A RAVENT to the seasonal coffee cups at Starbucks. Now, don’t get me wrong…. I love seasonal treats and designs just as much as the next girl, but slanting of the “MERRY COFFEE” slogan along with the misplaced colors hurts my head. Now I will RAVE the cute catchy slogan and fun colors, but I will whole-heartedly RANT the fact that it makes me feel like I am learning how to read all over again.

A RAVE to the new “Baby It’s Cold Outside” cover by John Legend and Kelly Clarkson.

Although I myself didn’t know all the controversial content of the original song (because, don’t hate me, I don’t like Christmas music), after learning that the lyrics don’t really respect somebody’s wishes to get the heck out of there, I’m happy there is a version that is more respectful.

A RAVE to Winter Break starting tomorrow. We can’t wait to go into hibernation until the New Year. Please don’t bother us as we will not be performing any tasks unrelated to Netflix, TikTok (peep @nataliegonchar to see Hayden, our editorin-chief), or naps. Unless it snows. Then all bets are off. #ayovibecheck

A RANT to so much work on top of college decisions. Look, I get that this is part of the circle of life, aka high school cycle, to stress over college apps while balancing our classes, but this is too much. I’m not pointing any fingers, but with ED/EA decisions coming out midweek, tests and a plethora of assignments are truly the least of my worries.

A RANT to no frost alerts. Nothing says wintertime like the famous frost alerts sent out by Mr. Wabrek, but now with each passing winter week, my Outlook looks empty.

How will we know when to stay off the grass and why the grass conditions are unsafe for the student body? So, let’s all get together and find a new tradition.

Staff-Ed: Robotics deserves academic credit

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very Sunday, students on the robotics team meet from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. They stay late after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, come in before school begins, and attend long competitions on weekends until the season ends in March.

And they do all that without receiving any academic credit.

Robotics is technically considered a club at Greenhill.

“It’s not really an academic class,” Upper School Dean of Students Jack Oros said. “Even though they’re building stuff and learning things, it’s just part of what they do. It’s similar to JCL [Junior Classical League] or Model U.N. or Youth in Government, where they study and go to competitions and compete, but they’re not

Our Editorial Policy The Evergreen is an independent, student-run

getting academic credit for that.”

However, clubs such as JCL, Model U.N., and Youth in Government only meet every two weeks, during lunch, for 45 minutes. Robotics students can spend 10-15 hours a week on their activity, sophomore Kaden Nathani said.

Additionally, there are other afterschool programs for which students receive fine arts credit, such as debate and the winter musical.

Robotics is perhaps most similar to the after-school debate program, as they both have competitions and dedicate many hours a week outside of school. The winter musical is also a large after-school commitment, for which students can choose to receive either a sports or fine arts credit.

We think robotics students deserve equal The Evergreen welcomes letters and emails from readers. We reserve the right to edit submissions for accuracy, grammar and length.

newspaper serving the community of Greenhill

The Evergreen will not publish material that

School. It is printed six times during the school year.

we judge to be libelous, obscene, invades privacy or

Print circulation is 1,000 copies. Past issues are ar-

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chived at issuu.com/ghevergreen.

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The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of

that values honesty, integrity, accuracy and respon-

The Evergreen staff, not necessarily that of Greenhill

sibility. Our mission is to help the local community

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We welcome advertisements, but reserve the

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directed to Vinay Vas at vasv20@greenhill.org.

status.

Furthermore, robotics participants aren’t allowed to receive awards at assemblies where students are honored for academic, athletic, and fine arts achievements.

Instead, our robotics team members are recognized only during the Upper School Community Time.

That pains Maria Suarez, the robotics faculty adviser.

“I feel that it is not right because I have seniors that have been in robotics for four years with full dedication, as much as any people in art, as much as any people that play sports,” Suarez said.

We feel that robotics is underappreciated at Greenhill. Not only do students in robotics not receive academic credit; robotics students contend their program

does not receive the funding they need to compete against our peer schools. Although Greenhill has supported the program with new 3D printers and expanded space, parents of students on the robotics teams still fund the majority of their activities, students said.

We think that should change. A working understanding of robotics is a critical skill that all students should have. It’s no exaggeration to say that the future of our world will be shaped by robotics and artificial intelligence. The hands-on experience that Greenhill students gain in our robotics program will benefit all of us. For these reasons, we urge Greenhill administrators to fund the robotics program to the fullest extent possible and reward students with academic credit for their efforts.

Corrections & Clarifications On p.16 of the Nov. 13 issue of The Evergreen, the final sentence of Emma Merriman's comments was inadvertently cut. The final sentence should read: Going through runway and preview photos from fashion week, paying extra attention to spot fashionable individuals out and about (especially in the downtown area), or following "influencers" on Instagram always helps me to spark creative outfit ideas.

We pledge to correct our errors.

To request a correction or clarification, please email us at: evergreen@greenhill.org

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Q: Would you be friends with yourself?

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wednesday, december 18, 2019

Q: What movie would be greatly improved Q: Is a hotdog a sandwich? if it was made into a musical?

JF: No. Absolutely not. I’m disgusted that peoJF: “Marley and Me.” Cause I think it would ple actually think that. A sandwich has two help lighten the mood; Marley and Me is such pieces of unconnected bread with something a sad movie, but imagine if everyone came in between. A hotdog is one singular piece together to sing about Marley when he died. of bread. Now, if you tear the bun in half and That would just make you feel so good on the then you put the hot dog in between and put inside. stuff on it, then it can be a sandwich.

JF: Oh, I would date myself. Not only would we be friends, we’d be friends with benefits.

Actually, I’d date myself and then I’d propose to myself and because it’s myself, I’d know just the way to do it, and I’d love it, and we’d have the most extravagant wedding and we’d grow old and retire together and we’d die together because we’re the same person and we’d be buried in the same coffin.

Q: What mythical creature would improve Q: What would you do if you were invisible the world most if it existed and why? for a day?

Q: What’s the first thing you do when you JF: Probably pandas. They’re not mythical JF: I would go around pantsing people. get home? now, but they will be. So, you can count this as JF: Pet my dogs and then I usually go to my commentary on climate change.

Q: Who is a celebrity that you think room, close my door, and scream into my pilshouldn’t be famous? low just to release the day’s stress.

Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that JF: Jake Paul ‘cause he’s annoying. Like so anhas happened to you? noying. And his brother. The Paul brothers just Q: What would be the creepiest thing you could say while passing a stranger on the JF: I pooped my pants in front of my crush in should not be famous. street?

8th grade on the school bus. And now the entire school will know that.

JF: You look just like my grandmother’s big toe if my grandmother was Betty White who had gotten plastic surgery to look like Shaquille Q: What kind of cult would you like to start?

O’Neal.

JF: If I could start a cult it would be a dedicated Content courtesy of Natalie Gonchar fan base to the movie “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”

How many sides does a snowflake have?

What’s the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa?

What city in the world gets the most snow?

How tall was the worlds biggest snowman?

-23 degrees Oregon 122 ft and 1 inch

What state produces the most Christmas trees?

Aomori City, Japan Hot chocolate is made from chocolate bars, hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder 6 ANSWERS:

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in Texas?