october 3, 2018 volume 54, issue 1
the Everything Greenhill
evergreengreenhill.org
A Campus Under Watch Greenhill implements new security procedures
See story on page 5 Photo by Jeffrey Harberg
Assessing Greenhill’s concussion protocol Harrison Heymann Executive Editor
Caroline Simpson Views Editor
Concussions lie at the heart of an intense national debate. Our understanding of sports-related head injuries has grown exponentially over the last decade. But that expanded knowledge has raised questions about what we still don’t know about concussions. The discussion is roiling the world of sports at all levels. One example is the U.S. Club Soccer Association, which has banned heading until the age of eleven, when the brain is more developed. Parents across America have pulled their children from football and other sports with a high risk of head injuries. Closer to home, Greenhill varsity football head coach Casey Selfridge now teaches a new tackling technique aimed at minimizing the risk of head injuries. Concussions are particularly insidious because they involve trauma inflicted on the most vital and complex organ in the human body. Despite advances in identification and treatment, concussions often go undetected, simply because these injuries cannot be seen by others. The burden falls largely on the
athlete to self-identify and report symptoms. At Greenhill and other schools, concussions are a vexing injury. They defy a traditional regimen of ice, immobilization and anti-inflammatories, demanding instead an all-encompassing, ever-vigilant strategy: timely recognition, customized treatment and rigorous follow-up, from the field of play to the classroom to off-campus life. For Greenhill coaches and training staff, the challenge is a deeply personal one as they try to ensure that the student-athletes in their care identify, minimize and overcome these life-threatening disruptions.
Greenhill’s Policy Greenhill officially has two protocols for students when it comes to recovering from concussions. Students must fully return to the classroom before they can begin the process of returning to the field. The policy was adapted from sources that include Texas Orthopedic Associates and ACE Care Concussion, which is a CDC resource. Students start with simple cognitive and physical rest as they begin the recovery process. They don’t attend school or do any work at home. Then, students begin working
Informing Greenhill since 1966
Views
Staff editorial on expanding collaborative learning spaces in the Upper School p. 2
back into partial days of school. They attend and listen during each of their classes but have other students take notes for them and don’t do any work outside of class.
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When you return back to play after you receive a concussion, if you don’t let the athletic trainer know exactly how you are feeling or you don’t tell anyone at all about your symptoms, a secondary blow can potentially be life-threatening.”
As students move into Phase Three of the Return to Classroom Progression, they try to ramp up their workload and see how their brain responds. They attend a full day’s worth of school, begin making up homework and quizzes, and eat lunch in a quiet place on campus. Passing periods are still considered too raucous, but students begin working with Learning Support on a plan to get back in the classroom. Finally, students return to their full academic course load. They do everything during the day with other students, including eating lunch and sitting in noisy spaces. cont’d on page 10
News
Greenhill students intern on local political campaigns over the summer p. 4
Features
Lee Hark assumes role as Greenhill’s fifth head of school p. 7
Arts
Examining the #MeToo movement’s effect on the Greenhill campus and curriculum p. 14
Sports
Checking in with fall sports teams midway through the season p. 17
4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison, TX 75001
Views the
Rants & Raves the
Evergreen staff editors-in-chief Jeffrey Harberg Hayden Jacobs
executive editor Harrison Heymann
A RAVE to the sick new bathrooms! The remodeling looks so good when I’m sitting on the toilet, pondering the meaning of life instead of going to Calculus. Plus as an athlete (#RE) the new water bottle filling stations are more fun to use when I have to fill my water bottle four times a day.
A RANT to the super long lunch lines! Listen, I realize that underclassmen want to eat, but could y’all do that at a more convenient time so I can get my chicken and rice before graduation? Or, as was suggested to me by a brilliant classmate, we should designate three of the lunch lines for Seniors only and then one for the remaining three grades.
A RAVE to the new fans at the Buzz. Since fall in Texas feels like 100 degrees, these portable bad boys can keep you cool all the time. This fan is so versatile it works with iPhone and Android, ending that classic debate.
managing editor Amber Syed
copy editor Leah Nutkis
design editor Riya Rangdal
journalism assistant Ross Rubin
arts editor Sonali Notani
backpage editor Shreya Saxena
features editor Lane Herbert
A RANT to the lime green that the poles in Upper School South have been painted. I guess now it’ll keep freshmen and wandering peacocks from running into them, but judging by the amount of freshmen I’ve seen pull on the push doors this week, EVEN with the stickers, I’d rather take my chances with the old gray.
A RAVE to the Homecoming theme of Harry Potter! Who doesn’t love revisiting their Middle School selves’ favorite book series for a whole week? I can’t wait to see all the creative costumes of… black robes with your choice of four colors … so many options! Accio noicemaker, Stingers Up!
A RANT to the Buzz for not selling coffee anymore. I understand you don’t want us to stunt our growth, but it’s unreasonable to assign us this much work and then expect us to do it all without caffeine!
news editors Mira Jungerman Raag Venkat
sports editor Jake Middleman
views editors
Natalie Gonchar Caroline Simpson
asst. arts editor Alyssa Miller
asst. features editor Brent Ladin
asst. sports editors Davis Gutow Victor Le
A RAVE to the Voter Registration Drive on September 27!!! If you are a senior and/or will be 18 by November 6th, get registered to vote! Thank you to Ms. Hopkins, PAC and everyone else who is helping with this drive, it’s so important, especially for this election!
A RANT to the C-day check-ins. Why do we have to check in on our one day of sleeping in when less than ten minutes later we are counted in our first period classes? Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing I’d rather see first thing in the morning than Mr. Lowen’s face, but it seems like just one more unnecessary step in my day.
A RAVE to Topo Chico in the Buzz! I know it’s not in the glass bottles, but thank you to the Buzz for giving us something good in exchange for coffee. Now if we could just get some kombucha….
online executive editor Mila Nguyen
Tej Dhingra
Staff Editorial: No Group Study Spaces find them.” However, students find themselves being denied from using these conference rooms and classrooms. These spaces are often empty, yet students are constantly looking for spaces to use for group work. Without available group working spaces, students can’t benefit from talking through their ideas. As stated by the Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching, group work allows students to develop proper communication and teamwork skills by expressing their ideas to others. If students don’t have a space to vocalize their thoughts, then groups cannot work through their ideas efficiently. Not only does the lack of an accessible group space on Greenhill’s campus limit communication between students, but it also lowers the quality of group projects, as students can often only do group work during the school day. Jerry Weissman from the Harvard Business Review wrote that ideas and projects are daunting without the ability
Sonia Dhingra
online broadcast editor Content courtesy of Sam Bovard Photos by Natalie Gonchar and Caroline Simpson
The Learning Commons turning into an individual study space has left Greenhill US students with little to no spaces for group work. The Student Center, while it allows students to work together, is designed as a hangout space and full of chatter, making productive group work incredibly difficult. The library is a quiet learning environment, which doesn’t allow groups to vocalize their ideas. The library study rooms are almost always filled by other students searching for group work spaces. Even in these spaces, students are constantly reminded to lower their volume to whispers. While students are encouraged to sit outside, the combination of dirty tables and harsh Texas humidity limits students to asking faculty for access to their rooms. “You can easily go to a teacher or a department head and say, ‘Can we use this classroom this period?’” said Jack Oros, Upper School Dean of Students. “There are spaces on campus, you just have to
online editor-in-chief
to express them. If students don’t have spaces to discuss and develop group projects, they can’t make progress. Group spaces allow students to talk through their ideas for an efficient game plan. While many classrooms are acceptable, many of the common spaces on campus that should be available for group work are inaccessible or uncomfortable, so students have no viable options. Faculty are telling students to take the initiative and ask teachers to use their classrooms, but also denying students from using these spaces. The freedom of students is being hindered. They need the Learning Commons to be a group work space. The Academic Resource Center is available as a quiet learning space with enough seating for students who use the Learning Commons as study hall. Instead of wasting the Learning Commons as a silent, individual studying space, it should be revamped into a group work space, allowing students to discuss and express their ideas.
social media editor Emma Light
staff writer Sarah Luan
business manager Ryan Wimberly
adviser
Gregg Jones
asst. adviser Dr. Amy Bresie
staff artist
Kaethe Thomas
Have a response? Opinion? Original Idea? Email us at: evergreen@greenhill.org For the editorial policy visit our website at evergreengreenhill.org
wednesday, october 3, 2018
Evergreen the
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The Evergreen asked our seniors and teachers to weigh in on why it’s important for everyone to vote... I can’t take anyone seriously who doesn’t vote but com-
I am voting this November! I’m voting to make a difference in the people
plains about the outcome of elections. Also, I want to help
who represent me, because the ones I have right now aren’t doing squat.
raise the percentage of 18-30 year olds who vote, since
Section 21.06 of the Texas Penal Code, which makes gay sex a Class C
we’re underrepresented in elections, particularly mid-
misdemeanor and was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court
terms. Lastly, I took AP Government and after doing all
in Lawrence v. Texas, has yet to be removed from the Penal Code. Bills
that reading/studying I would feel pretty lame if I didn’t
to remove it have been introduced in every legislative session since 2005
even vote. I’m excited about the US Senate candidate I’m
but haven’t made it past committee. This is just one ridiculous example
voting for. He skateboarded at a Whata... That’s a candi-
of what the people running this state are doing wrong and deserve to be
date for the people.
booted out for. I also am extremely excited to vote for one of my personal
-Kylie Quinn, Senior
heroes, Lupe Valdez, who is an openly gay elected official in the state of Texas, and is the first Latina and first openly gay person to win a major party’s nomination for governor. – Sam Bovard, Senior
I register to vote in two days and I have been counting the days for months. My birthday is two days before election day and I feel
Yes, I’ll be voting. As an 18 year old, I do not have much in-
#blessed. I feel it’s the obligation of all those who have the opportu-
fluence in the democratic process. I don’t have money to do-
nity to vote, to go out and vote. Voting is one of the easiest ways to be
nate to campaigns nor time to volunteer on them, so voting
politically active and, honestly, it’s the most important. In addition to
is truly my only political clout. That is why I intend to vote
the importance of using your voice, I feel as if I owe it to all those who
this election and every subsequent one.
came before me. Many women (and some men) risked their lives so
- Barrett Russ, Senior
that women like me could even enter the polls. Voting is the way I can pay my respects. – Katie Bendalin, Senior
Students should vote because elections matter. Without being a participant in the electoral process, students are abdicating the decisions about their futures to others. Elected officials only respond to the groups that vote and young people have historically not voted, so those elected to office often discount the wants and needs of younger Americans. Voting gives everyone a chance to tell our government what is important and what is unnecessary. However, along with voting comes the need to be an informed voter.
I was raised in a politically active family, so conversations at the dinner table were driven by what was happening in the world and how we as a family felt about it. My parents always encouraged me to find my own voice and thus ideology, so I not only felt politically charged but free to express my own views. Sometimes those were in sync with my family and sometimes not, but when I tuned 18 and voted in my first presidential election, I felt empowered and that my voice mattered. Even if my voice is not the majority, I cannot imagine not exercising a privilege others before me fought hard for.
News the
Students work on Political Campaigns over the summer Jeffrey Harberg Editor-in-Chief
Tej Dhingra
Online Broadcast Editor
Greenhill Upper School students worked on political campaigns spanning the ideological spectrum this past summer. Thirteen students represented candidates such as Republican Morgan Meyer and Democrats Nathan Johnson and Colin Allred. Some students will continue working on campaigns through the November elections. The candidate that attracted the most Greenhill students is the Texas Rep. Johnson’s run for the State Senate District Sixteen seat. Eight Greenhill students worked for the Johnson campaign, performing such tasks as conducting research, building databases, making signs, and knocking on doors. Rep. Johnson is the father of Greenhill senior Finn Johnson and sophomore Theo Johnson. “I’ve seen campaign managers and politics on television, but the average person really doesn’t understand how much work it takes to run a campaign,” said senior Megan Olomu, whose work for the Johnson campaign included compiling voters’ personal information and their response to surveys. “It was cool to see the intricacies of a campaign because it’s not just one candidate running [the campaign] It’s a hundred people behind him or her helping that happen.” On the opposite side of the political
spectrum, senior Kate Gould worked on the campaign of state Rep. Morgan Meyer, a Republican running for re-election in Texas District 108. Her duties included helping to plan, organize and run Rep. Meyer’s events. Kate is interested in pursuing a career in public policy, and the campaign gave her insights into what that path entails.
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I’ve seen campaign managers and politics on television, but the average person really doesn’t understand how much work it takes to run a campaign
“You can take classes and read about [public policy] online, but getting to actually participate in an organization with a candidate is completely different than what I thought,” Kate said. “It was honestly pretty stressful at times, but overall, it was a very positive experience.” Megan thinks that student participation in political campaigns will help spark more informed conversations at Greenhill. “I find no use in being an echo chamber where I am just validating other people,” she said. “I feel people working on both sides of the spectrum, even though it might be uncomfortable for some, is the best thing because it’s clear to see that this country is not all one idea.” Junior Katie Brodsky interned for the campaign of Colin Allred, a Democrat running for Congress against Republican incumbent Pete Sessions in the 32nd district.
Photo courtesy of Megan Olomu
FAMILY PORTRAIT: Senior Megan Olomu poses with her parents Patrick and Neeta Olomu and Texas State District Representative Nathan Johnson, who is also a Greenhill parent.
She is interested in keeping up with politics and having a political voice as she gets older, but she doesn’t plan to make a career of it. All the Greenhill students involved with political campaigns said they viewed political participation by teenagers as crucial to understanding the surrounding world. “Whatever policies are in place, either federally or locally, affect how we live our everyday lives. If you are unhappy with those policies, it is up to you to go out and change that,” said junior Alexandria King, who worked on Nathan Johnson’s campaign.
Regardless of party affiliation, these Greenhill students felt that the campaigns that they worked on were great learning experiences. “This experience taught me more about politics and government than any class I’ve ever taken,” said Kate Gould, the Meyer campaign intern. Senior Ron Hall agreed. “The smallest things can make an effect,” he said. “If I input some wrong form of data, that is one voter that isn’t contacted. The little things do make an impact, even more so in local elections.”
Boundless Creativity Lower School tears down upstairs wall to create Makers’ Lab Shreya Saxena Backpage Editor
It’s the never-ending quest in education: how to unlock the forces of creativity and collaboration to enhance a child’s learning experience. That quest led Greenhill to renovate the second-floor Makers Lab in the Lower School this summer, making it a more open space for creative thinking. “The overriding theme in this room is flexibility, as you can rearrange it however you want,” said Head of Lower School Michael Simpson. “The team and I decided on not limiting the possibilities with this room by putting too much in the space as we didn’t want to shape learning in a predetermined way with the furniture.” The biggest change in the room was the removal of the wall between the kitchen and the old Lower School computer lab, creating a space large enough to fit a whole grade level. Additionally, wheels were added on all the furniture to encourage collaboration between students. Lower School Technology and Engineering Coordinator Lauren Marold said that other changes include the addition of whiteboard tables, an interactive touch board with a video-conferencing system and a new green screen—all contributions to a more collaborative and creative learning experience. “Thinking changes when you put kids in a space that doesn’t look like rows of desks and teachers at the front of the room,” Ms. Marold said. “It fosters a different and better kind of creative thinking in students.”
Mr. Simpson agrees, stressing that the overriding theme of the Makers’ Lab is flexibility. Ms. Marold played a leading role in the designing process of the Makers’ lab. With Mr. Simpson, fourth grade teacher Greg Krauss, third grade teacher Valerie Rhomberg, fourth grade teacher Melissa McNally, second grade teacher Maggie Parry, and Lower School Science teacher Regina Yunker, Ms. Marold helped formulate a plan to improve the room. The team met monthly to discuss possible changes and create the design plan. Over the summer, the Greenhill Facilities crew carried out the renovation. Mr. Simpson said this school year will be a “prototype year” where the faculty will observe how the room is being used and make adjustments accordingly. “This idea is that space can disrupt a traditional learning environment,” Ms. Marold said. “The area can be a lab for both students and teachers, and it can definitely help teachers see what is possible when you don’t have a traditional classroom set up.” With the addition of space in the Makers’ Lab, teachers now have the ability to implement a more modern curriculum. The new space is a hit with students as well. “I think this is a great space for learning,” said fourth-grade student Briana Solomon. “I also think that this will be a great space for working together. If teachers need to have a meeting with all of us, they could just call us into the space.”
Photos courtesy of Lauren Marold
BACK IN BUSINESS: (TOP) Lower school students use the brand new computer for their class in the renovated Makers Lab. (BOTTOM LEFT) An overview of the Makers Lab’s new furniture that includes new whiteboard tables and chairs. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Lower school students and their teacher working on an interactive project in the Makers lab.
the
Evergreen
wednesday, october 3, 2018
news
5
Campus security undergoes changes
Photos by Jeffrey Harberg Photos courtesy of Emily Wilson and by Mira Jungerman
SAFE AND SECURE: The three new security guards that patrol Greenhill’s campus during school hours (Left and Middle) were hired from the Dallas-based security firm Trident Response Group (TRG), which conducted a comprehensive security audit. A Greenhill parking tag is required of drivers on campus (Right) to ensure the security of vehicles that enter Greenhill.
Amber Syed
Managing Editor
Greenhill has launched a sweeping upgrade of campus security against the surge of school shootings across the United States. The announced measures will include automated gates, toll tag identification, three fulltime armed guards and new safety drills. In the first five months of 2018, the nation witnessed more than twenty school shootings. The deadliest of these resulted in seventeen deaths at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14. These tragedies have led schools nationwide to reassess their security. “Parkland really put everything to the forefront,” said Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester. “It’s not that we weren’t [already] thinking about it, but [we were trying to find] the line between changing the culture of us as a school, but also [implementing] things that just make common sense to have.” Greenhill’s open campus, with numerous entrances and exits, presents specific challenges. “It’s a little unnerving as an administrator to think about how open our campus is,” said Head of School Lee Hark. “Of course, it’s one of the greatest things about our campus too; you feel like you’ve got
space to breathe. You don’t want to lose that.” A notable change will be a curtailment of Greenhill’s long tradition of maintaining an open campus. In the past, visitors drove onto campus without restrictions and presented a driver’s license to an office coordinator for a quick security screening by the nationwide Raptor Visitor Management System used by many schools.
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It’s a little unnerving as an administrator to think about how open our campus is. Of course, it’s one of the greatest things about our campus too; you feel like you’ve got space to breathe. You don’t want to lose that.
Under the new system, entrances to the campus will be restricted by an automated gate closed during the school day outside of carpool hours. The gate will open automatically for toll tags registered with Greenhill or manually through an intercom system. The gates will be open during the morning and afternoon carpool periods. Kendra Grace, Greenhill chief operating officer and chief financial officer, said the school’s security measures have been periodically improved over the past five
By the numbers: Security
years. This past spring, Greenhill hired the Dallas-based security consulting firm Trident Response Group (TRG) to conduct a comprehensive security audit. The changes Greenhill is making are based on TRG’s recommendations. “I think the world we live in now is different than it was even five years ago when we did the last assessment,” said Ms. Grace. “[The reassessment of Greenhill’s security was] more of a holistic look of where we are at and where we should be.” Aside from these new electronic systems, the security changes also include having three full-time armed security guards on campus. These guards--Jason Case, Joshua Donald and Josh Gonzalez--work for TRG and are trained to protect students and staff from potential threats. They are specifically targeting perimeter security, student accountability and student awareness. The three men served in the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq and also worked as police officers and security contractors. This is their first school assignment, so they have spent their first few weeks familiarizing themselves with the Greenhill student body. Their goal is to create a highly advanced security system that goes unnoticed, which will enable them to provide the best security possible. According to Mr. Gonzalez,
70%
of Greenhill students think the security changes made are necessary
part of working at a school is about interacting with and getting to know the students. “We are here for [the student’s] protection and resource, not to control or police [students],” said Mr. Gonzalez. “It’s about approachability [and] blending in with the already established community.” Mr. Hark, who previously worked at Durham Academy in North Carolina, said it was important for the new security team to feel as much a part of the community as possible. Durham Academy had a very similar layout to Greenhill in terms of its large, scattered campus, but their security team members were employees of the school, he said. Since Greenhill was looking at hiring a separate security company, Mr. Hark made it a priority to choose people who wanted to work in a school environment and could fit in with the community. “The way [security] works most effectively is [by] knowing each other well,” said Mr. Hark. “Because the chance that someone’s going to come from off campus-who is not connected to school in any way--and do some harm is much smaller.…It’s still real, but it’s much smaller than someone who we know in this community who might do something.” It was also important to Mr. Hark for Greenhill to have armed guards. He said although he has
78%
of Greenhill students think the guards on campus are necessary
never been a gun carrier himself, he believes that having armed security trained in the use of firearms is the only way to ensure safety in a dangerous situation. Along with closing the Hornet Road and Spring Valley gates and adding armed guards, the school has implemented a new doorlocking system. The Upper School doors will be open during passing periods, but only a few doors will remain unlocked during class time. A black key panel has been installed on each door, and teachers have been given key-cards to open locked doors. The few doors that are open at all times have faculty members offices’ nearby, so they can be monitored. The feedback from parents has been almost unanimously positive so far, according to Mr. Hark. The only negative feedback has come from some alumni who don’t want to see their old school change. “People who haven’t been back to campus in a while have a memory of the school they love and don’t want the core of what that experience was to change, so [these security changes] probably sounded a little threatening to them,” said Mr. Hark. “Hopefully, they will come back and see what’s happening and notice [that what we’ve done] doesn’t feel that different from [the old] Greenhill.”
34%
of Greenhill students students think locking doors during class periods is necessary for security
Evergreen New standards based grading system
6 news
the
Alyssa Miller Asst. Arts Editor
In recent years, Greenhill teachers have begun to implement an new system of assessing classroom performance: standards-based grading. Although it still complies with the traditional letter grading system, it is much more hands-on and feedback-oriented. The system consists of teachers grading students’ work and providing them with individualized feedback for specific objectives for each assignment rather than grading it as a whole. Standards-based grading was first introduced to Greenhill by Upper School physics teacher Nicholas Park Mr. Park first discovered standards-based in a book written by Dr. Robert Marzano about 15 years ago. “You want to be able to provide feedback, including grades that actually mean something,” said Mr. Park. “Something besides good, bad, and in between, and he (Dr. Marzano) also made the argument that a 4-3-2-1 scale makes more sense in terms of the level of a judgment call a teacher really can make on a piece of work. Can you really look at something and tell this is a 96 versus a 97?” He contends that an assessment of a 3 rather than a 2 is more precise assessment. When Mr. Park first began to implement the system in the Science Department, he and the rest of the physics team at the time decided to try it out together. They agreed to begin with a 0-1-2 scale, with unlimited amounts of reassessing. The transition was not an easy task for the team, Mr. Park said.
Graphic by Jeffrey Harberg
A DIFFERENT SYSTEM: The standards based grading system is becoming increasingly popular on Greenhill's campus, using a four-point grade scale instead of letter grades.
“It was hard, because you had to totally throw out the way you were used to grading, and do a completely different method,” he said. “We learned that didn’t work, but it taught us features of that system that really were powerful.” The Physics Department has since modified to a 4-3-2-1 scale, and now takes the median of the students’ scores on individual objectives at the end of each trimester. Since being introduced by Mr. Park, standards-based has become the main method of grading in the language and science departments. More specifically, Latin instructors base their standards system on a 0-3 scale while Spanish is based on a 0-4 scale. Scoring a 0 on an assessment would mean the student needs to devote more time to better understand that skill. Scoring a 3 or a 4, depending on the
subject, would mean the student has reached a level of mastery of the objective. Upper School Spanish teacher April Burns made the transition to begin using standards-based grading in her classes last year. “I started it last year with Spanish II and felt like it went really well,” she said. “I felt like once they got the hang of it, it was a very positive change, and so this year we’ve decided to do standards in all regular Spanish classes.” Standards-based grading has also been implemented in the Latin Department. Upper School Latin teacher Laura Hudec is a supporter of the system, but also recognizes some of the challenges that it poses as a teacher. “It’s definitely a lot more work for teachers, because you start to be more
mindful of ‘are we returning to concepts that maybe we hadn’t returned to in prior years?’ and ‘are we allowing opportunities to reassess?'" Ms. Hudec has tried out standardsbased grading in AP language classes in the past, and found that the system is less successful in that setting. “To score by standards-based grading in an AP course doesn’t necessarily assure a strong performance on the AP exam because of the ability to reassess in standards-based grading, she said.” Standards-based grading has proved to be a positive addition to Greenhill’s academics so far. By eliminating the traditional letter-grading system that is based off a 1-100 scale, teachers are now able to focus on what general objectivebased improvements the student needs to make for him or her to improve on the next time an objective is assessed. The system has also been a positive change from the student perspective, because it allows reassessing until a satisfactory outcome is achieved. Eleventh-grader Esha Julka explains how the transition from not being graded with standards-based to being graded with it in her Spanish class affected her. “The transition was difficult, because we were used to learning the material once, being tested over it, and not being tested on it again until the final exam,” she said. “But with standards-based, you’re constantly retested over everything again and again, so you really have to know it throughout the year.”
Engineering teacher judges First Global Robotics competition in Mexico
ROBOTICS ON THE RISE: Ms. Suarez smiles with students during the competition (Left) and poses with Dr. Woodie Flowers, First Executive Advisory Board Co-Chair (Right). Participating in the First Global International Robotics Competition in Mexico were teams from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and a team of Syrian refugees from Lebanon.
Brent Ladin
Asst. Features Editor
Upper School robotics teacher Maria Suarez has her finger on the pulse of a second industrial revolution: the rise of robotics in the workplace. Over the summer, Ms. Suarez was invited to judge the First Global International Robotics Competition in Mexico. The competition was created in an effort to bring countries with minimal access to robotics together and encourage competition in an environment that would not have been financially, geographically or logistically achievable otherwise. As well as promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) around the world, the competition founders hope to inspire the next generation
to try and solve the world’s most pressing problems. Teams from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti and even a team of Syrian refugees from Lebanon were able to participate in the competition for the first time. Ms. Suarez said the greatest challenge that she encountered while judging the competition was learning how to judge each individual team fairly. Since some teams had access to less resources and teaching than others, Ms. Suarez judged based on how creative and innovative a team was with their materials. "I came away from this competition with a real appreciation for all that |we have at Greenhill.” she said. “This has pushed me to try and help out the robotics community as much as possible."
Ms. Suarez said that her biggest takeaway from this experience was hearing about the difficult journey many of the competitors had to make in order to participate in the competition. Many of the teams had team members who were unable to attend because they weren’t able to get the proper immigration papers from their governments, while others were unable to get passports in time for the competition. Teams from the Philippines couldn’t attend at all because of their government's lack of support for STEM. "One of the more remarkable stories was the team made up of Syrian refugees who are currently living in a refugee camp in Lebanon,” said Ms. Suarez. “It was amazing to see how the team was able to build a robot without any formal training and few resources"
Ms. Suarez said that the experience has inspired her to push herself and the Greenhill robotics team to participate more in community service. "There are so many people that want to learn about STEM, but don't have the resources, and there is so much to be done in the robotics community." she said. Mrs. Suarez said the team not only wants to raise money and resources for others, but also spread their knowledge of robotics and STEM throughout the Dallas community. "I think that the best way to bring an impact to the community is through sharing our knowledge of robotics, along with our resources,” said Ms. Suarez. “I am going to try and put together a robotics team in a rural area of Dallas and try and train them to compete in competitions.”
Features the
A fifth step forward
Looking into the new head of school and his first days on campus
Photo by Rylyn Koger
Photos courtesy of Lee Hark, Greenhill Communications and and Huth Photography
THE BEGINNING OF AN ERA: (Top Left) Mr. Hark standing with Upper School student speakers at the Founders' Day Assembly. (Top Right) Mr. Hark spending time in class with Lower School students (Bottom Right) Mr.Hark spending some quality time with his family (Bottom Left) Mr.Hark reading a book during class to a class of Lower School students.
Sonali Notani
Arts Editor
Lane Herbert Features Editor Lee Hark tightened his trademark bowtie and made his way onto campus on August 23, injecting energy and humor into the back-to-classes ritual as he launched his tenure as the fifth head of school in Greenhill’s 68-year-history. “It’s similar to visiting a college,” said Mr. Hark. “You walk onto the campus and just feel when it’s right, and I had that experience [at Greenhill]”. The departure of Greenhill’s previous Head of School Scott Griggs after the 201718 school year meant it was time for Greenhill to find a new leader on campus. After serving as associate head of school at Durham Academy, Mr. Hark was ready to lead a school for himself. Fortunately, a wellfitting opportunity came along. Greenhill had an opening and Ed Costello, Durham Academy’s former head of school who had previously worked at Greenhill, recommended that Mr. Hark apply. The move was a culmination of Mr. Hark’s dream to lead an independent school, and it took a decade to turn that dream into a reality. Assistant Head of School Tom Perryman '81 met Mr. Hark over ten years ago in New York. “I vividly remember meeting him in the lobby of a New York Sheraton, because my thought at the time was ‘we need to hire this guy’,” Mr. Perryman said. Although the first encounter id not result in a job, Mr. Hark had made a lasting impression. Mr. Hark attended Darlington School in
Georgia and later graduated from Cox High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 1992, he received his Bachelor of Arts in English with honors from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, he began his career by teaching English at Darlington School. Mr. Hark started his training as an educational administrator by earning his master’s in educational leadership from the University of Georgia in 1997. In 2008, Mr. Hark was hired to lead Durham Academy’s Upper School. By 2013, he was appointed Assistant Head of School at Durham Academy. A self-described “theater kid” who performed in school musicals and plays at Darlington School, Mr. Hark left an indelible mark during his decade at Durham School. He became known for wearing bowties, organizing lip sync contests and taping a school cancellation notice that briefly made him a school-wide celebrity. In a notice canceling classes due to icy weather, Mr. Hark and his head of school at Durham Academy rapped out their message to the tune of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice-Ice Baby.” The video went viral on YouTube, getting 5.6 million views across North Carolina and beyond. “It was the craziest 72 hours of my life,” said Mr. Hark. Mr. Hark accumulated countless friendships and fond memories during his years at Durham Academy, but his goal to lead a school remained unfulfilled. Mr. Hark knew Greenhill by its reputation, but he wanted to make sure it was the right fit in all respects. “A lot of school leaders want to be a head of school, but they don’t really care much about where, and that’s a real mistake I didn’t want to make,” he said. “I wanted to
find a school that was really closely aligned with my values and those of my family.” When he finally visited the campus during the interview process, it was the jobhunting equivalent of love at first sight. Mr. Hark said his beliefs coincided with those of Greenhill—his passion for the principles of social equity and inclusion, diversity and a sense of community that extends beyond the campus boundaries. “Greenhill is a great ideological match for me,” said Mr. Hark. In his weeks at Greenhill, Mr. Hark has already made his mark in meetings with faculty, staff and students. In a meeting with faculty before the start of classes, he donned a Greenhill football jersey with the No. 5— his place in the pantheon of Greenhill heads of school. At the all-Upper School assembly on the first day of classes, he sported a 2019 senior class tee shirt presented to him at a breakfast with seniors earlier that morning. As illustrated by his Vanilla Ice impersonation at Durham Academy, self-deprecating humor remains one of the signature marks of his leadership style. “I have tried over the course of my career to maintain a sense of joy,” he said. “I think working in schools is really fun. I don’t take myself seriously. The job is a very serious job but myself, not so much.” Jeffrey Boyd .06, a former Greenhill teacher and alumnus who now works at Durham Academy, got to know Mr. Hark over the last few years. His first real introduction to Mr. Hark was at an opening faculty meeting in Mr. Boyd’s first year working at Durham Academy. The meeting had a “late night talk show” theme. “I was just cracking up, he had me in stitches. I think it’s really tough to have a
room full of faculty who don’t really want to be in the meeting in the first place, and have them belly laughing by the end. I was cramping because I was laughing so hard,” said Mr. Boyd. “It was an incredible introduction to the school and a really awesome way to get to know Lee.” Mr. Boyd, among others, predicts great things for Lee Hark at Greenhill. “When I heard Mr. Hark was interested in the head of school position, and it was reciprocated by the search committee at Greenhill, I was over the moon,” said Mr. Boyd. “Lee is at the top of the list of people I would trust with my alma mater’s future.” There may be no bigger Lee Hark advocate at Greenhill than his deputy, Mr. Perryman. During one of his interviews for the Greenhill position, Mr. Hark articulated his vision for Durham Academy, a school similar to Greenhill, by stressing the importance of the larger community—a vision that is deeply embedded in Greenhill’s founding tradition. “I will never forget what he said,” said Mr. Perryman. “He wanted to make his school more about 'Durham' and less about the 'academy', and that to me really hit home.” As Greenhill’s resident historian and spiritual leader, Mr. Perryman is convinced that his new boss possesses the qualities required to flourish as Greenhill’s fifth head of school. “He is a great question-asker,” said Mr. Perryman. “He asks ‘why’, and he doesn’t do it disrespectfully, he doesn’t do it in a patronizing manner. He really is genuinely curious, which I think is a wonderful quality for an educational leader.”
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features
Q&A
Evergreen Gabija Danilinite the
wednesday, october 3, 2018
1.What are some of the differences between where you are from and Texas? The climate is different; it is very hot here. In Lithuania the hottest it gets is in the 80’s and winter into the negative 30’s. 2.What are the differences between your school, and Greenhill? At my school the quality of teaching is not the same. Also, we don’t have Canvas at my school. 3.What are you looking forward to most this year? Education. The quality of education is different than it is in Lithuania, here, the teachers treat you better, they treat you like a real person. Like a person who wants to learn. In Lithuania teachers don’t treat you well, don’t respect you and treat you like you don’t know anything. 4.What is your favorite thing so far about Greenhill? The way that teachers look at you and respect you, also there is better quality of material, and better teaching methods. 5. How do you feel about the United States? There is too much sugar here, people are too talkative, and everything here is modern. 6. What are some traditions from home? In the U.S.A. you talk at a table while you’re eating, in Lithuania it is considered disrespectful. People in Lithuania are not very open and don’t eat very much sugar. 7. What made you do a foreign exchange program? I wanted to do the foreign exchange program because I
Photo By Lane Herbert
SVEIKINIMAI Iš LIETUVOS: Lithuanian foreign exchange student, Gabija Danilinite, says hello as she poses by the Clock Tower. Gabija is staying with the Vos family for the next year as she immerses herself into the Greenhill community.
wanted a better quality of education. I wanted to see how it feels to be treated as a real student, in the sense of being treated like you’re smart and equal to the teacher. I also wanted to make some foreign friends and see and experience other religions and cultures. 8. Can you describe your school and hometown? My hometown is a lot greener than Dallas, and the kids at my school are not very open. 9. What types of Texas traditions do you plan on trying? I plan on trying to go to the Texas fair. I also want to try Tex Mex, and I would like to see the Rodeo.
11. What are your favorite hobbies? My favorite hobby is preforming arts; I am a modern dancer. I love acting, creative writing, and slam poetry. 12. What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is “The Shape of Water.” 13. What is your favorite food from Lithuania? My favorite food from Lithuania is Šaltibarščiai (cold beet soup). Reporting by Lane Herbert and Brent Ladin
wednesday, october 3, 2018
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Upper School Spanish teacher Jacobo Luna pursues his master’s through trips to Spain
Ross Rubin
Journalism Assistant
Upper School Spanish teacher Jacobo Luna has a saying in his Spanish classes: “estudiamos español para la vida no para el examen,” which means “we study Spanish for life, not just for the test.” Mr. Luna advocates for this in the classroom, but also in his own personal life as he continues to pursue his education in Spanish Language and Culture. Over the last few years, Mr. Luna has traveled back and forth from Spain to earn his second master’s degree, his first being a Master’s of English from Greensboro College in North Carolina. Mr. Luna earned his degree in Spanish Language and Culture at La Universidad de Salamanca in Madrid, a nine-hour flight and seven-hour time difference from Dallas. Mr. Luna has taught a variety of Spanish courses over the five years he’s been at Greenhill. He’s even created his own courses to better ncorporate cultural aspects into Spanish classes, like Spanish V: Mexican Revolution and Spanish V: Mexican Independence. He values not only teaching the Spanish language, but also the culture of various Spanishspeaking countries to his students. Senior Anaah Abedi, who had Mr. Luna as a teacher in Spanish III Honors, was not surprised to hear that Mr. Luna was continuing his own education journey. “He really lives his motto of ‘estudiamos español para la vida’ in his own teaching and [he’s showing that] by getting his master’s degree,” Anaah said. Mr. Luna chose the University of Salamanca for his master’s degree to remind himself that education never stops and that one can never stop learning. He chose to travel all the way to Spain, instead of taking classes in the Dallas area because he wanted to learn about how Spanish is taught in Spain as opposed to the U.S. or Mexico. He said that he has been teaching Spanish from the perspective of a native speaker from Mexico as well as using teaching methods and strategies that he learned from Mexico, England and the United States. He wanted to learn more about how Spain teaches Spanish as a foreign language to its visitors. Mr. Luna’s newfound knowledge does not only stem from the Spanish classroom but also from his adventures in Spain that allow him to teach his students more about Spanish culture. “When you have had a culturall immersion experience,
Photo Courtesy of Photos courtesy of Jacobo Luna
TRAVEL TIME: (Top Left) Mr. Luna poses for a photo in front of Toledo, Spain. (Bottom Left) Mr. Luna and friends do mountain top yoga: (Right) Mr. Luna tands in front of his graduation sites.
you become culturally competent,” Mr. Luna said. “In other words, not only do you speak the language, but you feel, understand and use the language at a deeper and more complex level.” Although this was a singular case of a teacher studying abroad, Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester encourages faculty members to continue to learn more about their teaching subject so they can share more with their students. “There is some financial support that we as a school can provide faculty, if this is one of your goals, so you can bring
it back to further the experience for your students. I’m all ears,” Mr. Worcester said. Mr. Luna earned his degree to improve his knowledge, but he also hopes it inspires his students to engage with other cultures outside of their own as well. “When you speak a language, you learn in a classroom, we can develop language proficiency and you can communicate effectively with speakers of that language,” said Mr. Luna. “But when you have had a cultural immersion experience, you become culturally competent.”
Education without boundaries
Upper School senior Sophia Rigg takes a year long sojourn to China Victor Le
Asst. Sports Editor
Moving to a foreign nation without knowing a word of the native language, Sophia Rigg spent a school year in China learning Mandarin from the ground up. Sophia had the opportunity to live internationally through School Year Abroad, a program that allows students to spend their sophomore, junior or senior year in another country. They study the language and culture of their host country, which influences their adoptive communities and builds relationships. The countries that are offered are Spain, Italy, France and China. Sophia chose China because Spain and France require prior knowledge of the Spanish and French languages respectively, and Sophia had studied Latin for several years but wished to learn a new language. That new language was Mandarin. Sophia entered China with no experience speaking the language beforehand and she learned through classes offered by the School Year Abroad program. The program offers beginner, intermediate, advanced and honors level courses for Mandarin. Sophia stayed in China for nine months, a normal school year. She stayed with a host family while she spent her year in China. “They both were petroleum engineers that worked for the government, both really sweet people,” said Sophia. “And they had a twelve-year-old daughter.” While she was there, differences from the United States became apparent. One of the differences was the ease of public transportation, which she enjoyed in China. “[One of the things I enjoyed was] efficient public transportation,” said Sophia. “Texas, and even all the way up to New York, they don’t have really good forms of public transportation. In the case of Texas, it is almost non-existent. Whereas in China, they have a crazy efficient subway system
and a high-speed train that actually works.” Sophia said there is a tradeoff, as the main mode of transportation in America is dangerous in China. “Driving would probably be terrifying over there, I wasn’t allowed to do that,” Sophia said. Sophia’s time in China enabled her to become proficient in Mandarin. She enjoyed unlocking a new world through Mandarin “My favorite moment was four or five months in when I realized I didn’t have to look up words to function in their society,” said Sophia “I’m not fluent yet, but I’m competent.” After nine months of living in China, Sophia had gone from zero experience in Mandarin to being able to hold a conversation. This fact was noted by Upper School Chinese teacher David Lui. “I had the chance to speak to Sophia Rigg last week to discuss hosting a Minglun student and plan for the Taiwan trip next spring break,” said Mr. Lui. “Then I learned from Mr. Mills that Sophia was the student who went to Beijing and studied over there for a year. When Sophia started talking to me in Chinese, I was suprised and very impressed with her Mandarin Chinese and her listening and speaking skills.” Learning a language while living in a country that speaks that language has its benefits. The host family system teaches the student to use the language as a household language. “Studying abroad and staying with a local host family is one of the best ways to learn another language,” said Mr. Lui, “It doesn’t matter how much you read or listen in class, you have to use the language in real life to truly experience it.” The amount of time abroad also changes how someone learns Mandarin. “If you study abroad for only a few weeks you might hear a concept once or twice and forget it,” said Mr. Lui, “but if you stay for months, you have a chance to see it multiple times, and remember it for longer.”
Photos courtesy of Sophia Rigg
TAKING ON CHINA: (Top) Senior Sophia Rigg learns how to box for the first time while in China. (Bottom) Participants of the School Year Abroad program pose for a photo with their new Chinese classmates.
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cont’d from page 1 If a student can manage all of that, then they are considered cleared and begin the process of returning to the field.
Greenhill’s Return to Activity Progression is much more straightforward, and has significantly less variability from student to student. Students begin with 10-15 minutes of cardio activity and some light stretching. Then, as students progress through phases of recovery, they increase both the length of time they are active each day and the amount of sport-specific drills they participate in until they are back into full practices and workouts. If at any phase in either the academic or athletic rehabilitation process a student experiences more concussion symptoms or general setbacks, the process will stop until the student is asymptomatic again. Then the process will resume at either the most recent phase of recovery or a previous phase and will stay there until the student proves they can complete the phase they failed in a fully asymptomatic fashion. As students go through both the classroom and athletic concussion protocols, they meet with the sports medicine staff and/or school nurses on a daily basis to go over their progress and discuss individual nuances of their recovery process. Every student progresses at their own rate. There are different levels of concussions, so these daily conversations allow the faculty members to help the student fully recover.
The Academics After experiencing a concussion, students deal with significant cognitive impairment while they recover. After her concussion was diagnosed, senior Megan Olomu removed herself from the rest of the world, so she could rest her brain as much as possible. “After I was diagnosed with a concussion, I took two weeks off,” Megan said. “I had no electronics, no phone, and limited studying. Then I progressed to half days of school with sunglasses and a hat, and if I got over-stimulated or my head hurt I was supposed to go.” Concussions are so difficult to recover from because they create a chemical imbalance in the brain, according to Matt Blimline, one of the two full-time athletic trainers at Greenhill. “In simplified terms, when you get a concussion you are bruising your brain. The brain moves inside the skull, hits the skull, and creates a bruise” said Mr. Blimline.
Students with concussions can only experience a limited number of stimuli at a time, because their brain’s ability to deal with every aspect of daily human life has been severely cut down. Every day of school forces the brain to process tons of information, and students with concussions are physically unable to deal with that. However, students that miss school must complete makeup work to catch up with their classmates and make sure they are learning the same material their classmates are. Grace Kiang, the Upper School Learning Specialist for 11th and 12th graders on campus, said recovering from concussions is different for every student, and there is no set path or time table every student can follow for recovery. “It’s not a completely straight path,” said Ms. Kiang. “That’s why we try to check-in with students every day and create a community of care around them.” Ms. Kiang’s job is to work with concussed students and help them communicate with their teachers to develop a schedule for the students to get back on track with their school work. Working alongside Ms. Kiang is Honelynn Parker, the Upper School Learning Specialist for 9th and 10th graders. Together, Ms. Kiang and Ms. Parker use feedback from the athletic trainers, outside concussion professionals and especially the student’s teachers to project a recovery plan for the student so the student can balance their academic work and their other commitments outside of school. “Faculty are supportive, but sometimes it takes some understanding for them to understand a student’s situation,” said Ms. Kiang. “I do some faculty training. The faculty are supportive of students, sometimes they just need help gathering information.” Several students who have had concussions during their time in the Upper School agreed that the faculty has been very accommodating of them while they were concussed. Senior Allie Burch said that while falling behind at a school like Greenhill was difficult, teachers helped her get back up to speed. “I definitely felt very, very behind. It was overwhelming when I came back to school because Greenhill is challenging, and we have a lot of work to do,” Allie said. “But I had my advisor, Ms. Kiang and Ms. Parker who helped me make a schedule. My teachers were very accommodating. They helped me move assignments around and talked to me about what I could and couldn’t do.” Deniz Evlioglu, a senior who got his concussion near the end of the winter, felt his teachers could have done a better job reacclimating him to school. “I felt like my teachers were in such a rush to get me prepared for exam time that they didn’t really ease me back into the school work. That just added more stress to my life and it definitely wasn’t something I needed at the time,” said Deniz. “If I could have changed something about my return to school, I would
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have asked for more time to prepare for exams. I don’t know if it was really fair for them to rush me back into [school] because exams are stressful.”
The Athletics If a student-athlete returns to the field too quickly or the proper protocol isn’t followed, the physical symptoms of a concussion can get even worse. It is important student-athletes recover fully and don’t push themselves too hard too soon. Andrea Santos, the Baylor Scott & White SportsCare Representative for Dallas, talked about how dangerous concussions can be for high schoolers, especially if they are not treated properly. “When you return back to play after you receive a concussion, if you don’t let the athletic trainer know exactly how you are feeling or you don’t tell anyone at all about your symptoms, a secondary blow can potentially be life-threatening,” said Ms. Santos. Head football coach Casey Selfridge said people often don’t have a good understanding of how concussions in high school football and the National Football League (NFL) are different. “A lot of information coming out of the NFL isn’t statistically relevant to what happens out at the high school level. The NFL has forced us at the high school level to play catch up” said Coach Selfridge. “What the NFL is doing is not what happens at the high school level, and I think the high school level is ahead of the curve in what they are trying to accomplish in diagnosing and treating concussions.” He also said that concussions haven’t been a big problem for the Greenhill football team since he took over last fall, and that that’s a testament to some of the work he and his program have been doing. “A lot of people think that because it’s Texas and it’s high school football, we go four days a week in full pads and with full contact, but we don’t.” he said. “We’ve even talked about a new way to tackle now. We’ve adopted a rugby based tackling system. It keeps the head out of contact and is safer, rather than the normal head across the body tackling style.” Greenhill’s Return to Activity Progression for students accounts for daily check-ins with the athletic training staff and a steady progression back to full activity, Recognizing a head injury is the most important step to ensuring a student will not struggle with brain complications, such as Chronic Trauma Encephalopathy (CTE), in the
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future, experts say. CTE is the result of repetitive hits to the head over a longer period. It can cause memory loss, impaired judgment, confusion, and progressive dementia. The key to preventing CTE is taking proper care when a head injury is sustained.
The Review Ms. Santos of Baylor Scott & White SportsCare was contacted by The Evergreen to review the school’s concussion protocol for both the Return to Classroom Progression and the Return to Activity Progression. Ms. Santos previously served as a student athletic trainer at both the high school and collegiate level. “I think [Greenhill’s concussion protocol] is adequate. A good protocol needs to be conservative and Greenhill’s is just enough on the conservative side to be appropriate,” said Ms. Santos. “With high school athletes, you’re dealing with maturing brains and this can be a very detrimental time in the growth period. Having reoccurring concussions, or even just a singular one, if not given enough time to heal, will have repercussions later on in life.” Ms. Santos referenced the National Athletic Trainer Association (NATA) during her review of Greenhill’s policy. NATA puts out official position statements for major types of injuries, including concussions, that generally cover how these injuries should be treated. “Despite a significant increase in research dedicated to identifying and managing sport-related concussion, it remains one of the most complex injuries sports medicine professionals face,” reads the NATA position statement on the management sport-related concussions. “[Athletic trainers] are typically the first providers to identify and evaluate injured persons and are integral in the postinjury management and return-to-play (RTP) decision-making process.” Ms. Santos believes Greenhill’s written policy for dealing with concussions is very good and should be used by other schools as a model. “Greenhill uses the team approach, which is something I like and not all schools use,” she said. “Everyone is working together, and athletes have a source for treatment throughout the day if symptoms arise. It looks like what Greenhill has in place would be the ideal program for return to classroom and return to play.”
Graphic by Kaethe Thomas
Special Report the
The History of Science History and science departments add an integrated course EARTH & THE SOLAR SYSTEM
THE STARS LIGHT UP
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THE BIG BANG
Raag Venkat News Editor
The idea had been kicking around in Dr. Amy Bresie’s head for years: a course covering the history of science from the start of time until today, from the creation of Earth to the technology that is revolutionizing the future as we know it. Big History. This dream became a reality in August, with Greenhill’s inaugural Big History course taught by Dr. Bresie, Upper School History Department Chair, and Upper School science teacher Barry Ide. The course breaks new ground at Greenhill: It combines two subjects, history and science, and it spans eons previously uncovered by the school curriculum. The class meets in the AP Biology room to give students access to a lab area. “I love this class, particularly because we are looking at science through a timebased perspective,” said senior Allie Burch, a Big History student. “It isn’t like other core science classes like biology, chemistry or physics, because we are looking at the world and our place in the world.” For Dr. Bresie, the seed of “The Big History Project” was planted while talking to Upper School history teacher Scott Cotton and was fascinated. The project is a free, online course that takes students through all of history from the Big Bang to the future. “I kept thinking about it until Mr. Ide asked me if I had heard about it,” Dr. Bresie said. “We started talking about what it would look like at Greenhill and that’s how the course came alive.” Mr. Ide was also intrigued with the on-
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line Big History Project and wanted to turn the idea into a classroom reality for Greenhill students. “When I first heard about Big History in June of 2017, I thought ‘wow, this something I want to study and learn about’ [because] I wanted to put my knowledge of science in a human cultural context,” he said. “When I approached Dr. Bresie in August, she agreed to do it.” The course is interactive, collaborative and project/lab based. Students are constantly doing different projects and experiments in both the classroom and at different locations on campus. The students recently laid out the history of the universe using Brinkman Field, with the beginning of time represented in one end zone and the present day in the other. Big History has expanded learning boundaries for students by reaching further back in time than any other Greenhill history class. It also puts the history in a scientific context in a way that isn’t covered in the three basic scientific disciplines Greenhill offers, according to Dr. Bresie. Senior Scott Wang said the course has opened his perspective about history in general. “In the past, I’ve been taught that the history we care about is everything since the beginning of language and recorded history,” he said. “But in Big History, we expand the boundaries and recognize that everything else before then is also worthy of being learned about.”. He also said the class is actually as highly collaborative and interactive as it is pitched to be. “You can’t do this course alone,” he said.
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“It’s so project and observation-based that you have to work with others in order to benefit the most.” Dr. Bresie said that Big History has also been a revelation for both her and Mr. Ide, giving them the opportunity to learn with the class every day. “The class is mind-blowing,” she said. “It really struck me when I was on the football field, realizing that our entire history department is the last fraction of a fraction of a fraction of an inch of the history of the universe.” Another fulfilling aspect of the class for Dr. Bresie is the opportunity to collaborate with a teacher from another discipline. She said they have different perspectives of events and issues to share with the class based on either their historical or scientific focus. “Working with a teacher outside my own field of expertise has been very exciting and something that I’ve gained a lot from,” she said. “With the two of us in the classroom balancing each other out, I think we both feel that we can give our best selves to the class.” In the class itself, the students will focus on nine thresholds where the universe became “more complex,” an understated way of describing epochal points in early history. This helps divide the class into nine major units, so students don’t get overwhelmed trying to learn the entire history of the world. So far, students have looked at how different cultures describe the origin of the universe. Their first threshold is The Big Bang Theory, which is the scientific version of the creation of the universe that says the universe started in an incredibly dense state and expanded
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THE MODERN REVOLUTION Graphic by Riya Rangdal
from that state into the current universe and is still expanding today. Mr. Ide is excited about an individual project the students will be working on over several months later in the year, called “Little Big History.” Students will research a particular phenomenon or idea that interests them, studying the idea’s growth over multiple periods of time. “[The students] will take a look at how humans interacted with this idea, but they’ll also look at how the ingredients for it were built over time through increasing complexity,” he said. Both of the instructors said one of the most important aspects of the Big History class is its fusing of disciplines. “I think it’s important for students to truly come up against this idea that all human knowledge is one thing,” Mr. Ide said. “We break it into different categories like science, history or math to help our brains grapple with ideas a little better, but it’s all one thing.” Dr. Bresie agreed. “We get divided into our disciplines or subjects and think of them as separate when really that’s not the way our universe works,” she said. “Big History is a model of how disciplines or subjects can work together.” Dr. Bresie and Mr. Ide see a bright future for Big History at Greenhill. “Mr. Ide and I plan to teach this class again in the future and it’s only going to get better,” said Dr. Bresie. “I can see this class growing and becoming increasingly robust.
Photos by Jeffrey Harberg
ONE STEP AT A TIME: Upper school students perform a lab while conversing with Dr. Amy Bresie (left). Mr. Barry Ide presents the lab while explaining the concept of sound (right).
Arts the
Conquering a new level of comedy Iliza Shlesinger ‘01 reflects on her career as a standup comedian
Riya Rangdal Design Editor
Mila Ngyuen
Executive Online Editor
From Greenhill improv shows attended by 20 people to sellout-out gigs at major venues across the country, standup comedian Iliza Shlesinger ‘01 has charted a stellar rise in show business. The Greenhill alumnus most recently produced and starred in her own Netflix special, “Elder Millennial”, in which she recounts her life experiences through comedy. “Elder Millennial” focuses on Ms. Shlesinger’s life as a 35-year-old, newly married woman as she reflects on her life decisions and adventures and riffs on her acquired wisdom—in a comic medium. The special highlights how she has grown since she was twenty, where she was a single and working woman. A main focus of her jokes is her dating life and tips and tricks to catching the perfect man. Along with her newest Netflix special, Ms. Shlesinger has three other Netflix specials in her performing credits: “War Paint”, “Freezing Hot” and “Confirmed Kills”. Ms. Shlesinger credits Greenhill with developing her work ethic, determination and perseverance. It also honed her trailblazing instincts: She was the only female on the Greenhill Improv Troupe during her years at Greenhill, she was politically aware in her acts, and unafraid to voice her opinions on controversial topics. “You have to be self-motivated,” said Ms. Shlesinger. “And the education I received, having 5 hours of homework every night for 4 years in addition to any fun things
Photo courtesy of Iliza Shlesinger
EVOLVING IN COMEDY: Iliza Shlesinger ‘01 worked her way up from Greenhill Improv to a professional comedian. She recently released her new special “Elder Millennial.”
you want to, instilled a work ethic that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Nothing will ever be as hard as high school was.” Henry Paolissi, Greenhill Improv sponsor, remembers Ms. Shlesinger as a wellrounded student. “Iliza was always indful to keep everything above board and politically correct, so that she would not offend her audience. This is very difficult to do when you are improvising,” said Mr. Paolissi. Ms. Shlesinger was able to balance her workload at Greenhill with other activities she enjoyed. In addition to being on the Improv Troupe, she was involved in several fall dramas and played on the Greenhill Girls Lacrosse Team. “Greenhill is a very academic place, and
especially when I was there improv was really the only outlet I had for comedy,” said Ms. Shlesinger. The skills Ms. Shlesinger learned at Greenhill helped her develop her work ethic, which carried her to her current level of success in comedy. To Ms. Shlesinger, being a comedian is a very strenuous job because of how unpredictable the business is. She believes that because she started performing in comedy at the high school level and also started her career right out of college, she had the necessary amount of energy to endure in the business. “You have to be prepared to work really hard and enjoy it. I don’t know how people start stand-up comedy in their 40’s; I’m 35 and I’m exhausted all the time,” she said.
Some of her skits are influenced by her time at Greenhill. For example, in her latest Netflix special, she uses peacocks to symbolize the struggle of being a female. “That peacock noise has left an indelible mark in my memory,” she said. “That bird was at the forefront of my mind just because it’s the bird sound I’ve heard the most.” In the near future, Ms. Shlesinger will be touring Texas. In show business, she said there is a lot of negotiating of contracts, promotions and traveling involved around the performance, so being on stage is where she feels her best. She makes it a point to shake each guest’s hand at the show because she appreciates the support she gets. “Actually, being able to perform my craft, hone my talent and feel all the highs and lows of my craft is my favorite part. And getting to meet all the fans right after, because they are the reason I have anything,” she said. Her strongest takeaways from her education and her current occupation are this: In order to reap the benefits and achieve one’s dreams, one needs to work hard and never give up. She advises other students who wish to pursue a career in standup to be kind and to work hard. “You will come across some horrible people and the only thing you can control is how you respond to them,” said Ms. Shlesinger. “At the end of the day, you have to be the one to pick yourself up by the bootstrap and figure out a way to book another show, reinvent yourself or get another gig. Be prepared to work very hard and enjoy it.”
Fine Arts department adds furniture making class to curriculum
Emma Light
Social Media Editor
Sophomore Aminah Asghar loves both design and furniture. In order to combine her passion for both interior design and 3-D art, she is currently taking Greenhill’s new furniture making class. This year, the Greenhill Fine Arts Program has introduced its first ever furniture making class. The class is being co-taught by 3D Art teacher Paige Furr and the Manager of the Marshal Family Performing Arts Center (MPAC), Michael Orman. By combining wood-working skills in the technical theater shop and letting students have creative freedom, the class gives students the opportunity to work in both technical and artistic elements. “I love to implement that knowledge of how to create things and why we create them,” said Mr. Orman. The idea for the class was first discussed when Ms. Furr thought it would be interesting to teach students about large scale sculpture. However, the current 3D art room does not have the equipment or space necessary to teach a sculpture class that requires more room for work, such as furniture-making. In order for her to make the class happen, she had to become familiar with the MPAC and the technical theater shop. “I thought that doing a furniture design class with the technical theater shop in the MPAC would be a great way to bring in the
technical side of furniture design as well as the creative side,” said Ms. Furr. The class is currently learning how to properly use all the power tools in the tec theater shop. Once familiar with all the aspects of the shop, they will begin small group projects, such as building tables. “Throughout the trimester, our goal is to teach the students simple and complex elements about the design and construction of furniture,” said Mr. Orman. Over the course of the trimester, the students will learn how to join together different materials and become more familiar with making and designing furniture out of serval different materials such as metals, woods and recycled plastics. To end the trimester, each individual in the class will make his or her own chair. The chair project is an idea that Mrs. Furr wanted to bring to Greenhill because she used it at her old school, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she taught AP 3D design. The chair project sounds simple, but it comes with a twist: students have to make the chair a reflection of their own personality using the different materials they learned about during the class. Every student will be strongly encouraged to make a chair that is significantly more than just a top with four legs. “The goal of the chair project is to create something that speaks to students’ aesthetic style and something that reflects them,” said
Photo by Alyssa Miller
HARD AT WORK: Freshman Ashton Higgins works in the Marhsall Performing Arts Center to build a chair for a project in Greenhill’s new furniture-making class.
Mr. Orman. Upper School students are thrilled that a class that highlights both the skills of sculpture and woodwork is now offered. Aminah loves certain types of interior design and plans on constructing her chair around that. “I really like vintage things, so I think it would be fun to design my chair that way so it is custom to me,” said Aminah. While Greenhill’s Fine Arts Department offers several types of sculpture classes, this
class is different because it encourages students to create pieces that represent themselves. “I have taken several fine arts classes and I think this class is really left up to the students because we can choose how we want to design things,” said Aminah.
14 arts
Evergreen the
wednesday, october 3, 2018
In the fall of 2017, the
#MeToo movement
blew up as a hashtag to draw
awareness to sexual harassment, and now it is reverberating on the Greenhill campus... Sonia Dhingra
Online Editor-in-Chief
Natalie Gonchar Views Editor
Multiple Greenhill departments and faculty have made changes to their curriculum in response to the number of artists and authors accused of sexual harassment. The English Department, for example, no longer reads books by Native American author Sherman Alexie after he was accused of sexually harassing women. Video Production classes no longer showcase the works of any accused sexual harassers. These actions raise a question: Can artists be separated from their work? “I’m drawing a line in the sand,” said Corbin Doyle, Middle School and Upper School Filmmaking and Digital Art teacher. “There’s too much great art in this world so I can exclude things from people that are committing deplorable acts. And there’s too much other good art that I can use as a teaching tool where I don’t have to point to their things.” Mr. Doyle has acted on these convictions by removing the films of alleged sexual offenders from his classes. This has eliminated the work of big Hollywood names, such as Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and Kevin Spacey, but Mr. Doyle believes that these changes are long overdue. Mr. Doyle said he believes the banishment of offending artists is correcting a historical wrong. When he was a student, the sexual transgressions of prominent directors were overlooked. Now, he hopes that his decision to remove the works of certain artists from the classroom will teach young filmmakers a valuable lesson: The way they conduct their lives is indistinguishable from their art. The discussions over whether to remove certain work from the classroom can be complicated. Take the case of Mr. Alexie, the Native American author. For several years, English 10 classes at Greenhill have read Mr. Alexie’s acclaimed 1995 novel, “Reservation Blues”. Then, in February, Mr. Alexie was accused of sexual harassment and issued a statement apologizing to those “whom I have hurt.” “Additional revelations and Mr. Alexie’s apology set off a conversation in Greenhill’s English Department,” said Upper School English Chair Joel Garza. Debbie Reese, a Pueblo-Indian author, book critic and professor, penned a critical open letter to Mr. Alexie. Other critics weighed in, and the controversy grew. All of this became part of Greenhill discussions. In keeping with Greenhill’s culture of academic freedom, the discussion didn’t end with a top-down decision to teach or not to teach Mr. Alexie, but English 10 instructors Andrew Mercurio and Karin Thomas decided not to teach “Reservation Blues” in the 2018-2019 school year. The decision to shelve “Reservation Blues”, at least for the current school year, opens the door adding different Native American voices, but Andrew Mercurio
concedes he is conflicted. This opens up the difficult discussion about whose behavior should be tolerated and what restrictions, if any, should be put in place. The question is not just whether an artist is separate from his work, but whether they should be held accountable for their actions. “These books are still impactful and powerful, but now they come with extra baggage,” Mr. Mercurio said. Yet, his actions added a new dimension to “Reservation Blues,” since it dealt with many complicated relationships between females and males, as well as abuse of power. Despite the author’s alleged actions, Mr. Mercurio said that the tenth-grade students discovered a new perspective to his work that wasn’t discussed before. “His [alleged] misdeeds, his actions informed what we did,” Mr. Mercurio said. “They served as lessons for things we were able to pull out of it like we haven’t before.” In response to the allegations made against Mr. Alexie last year, Karin Thomas said she knew she had to take a different approach than previous years. She had her two English 10 classes vote and come to a consensus on whether they wanted to continue to read “Reservation Blues”. One class ended up reading it while the other voted against reading it. Dr. Thomas ended up adopting another novel called “Mapping the Interior” by Stephen Graham Jones. After concluding that Mr. Alexie was a questionable representative of Native American culture, she raised the question of whether any individual could represent a whole culture, regardless of their ethnicity. “I am wary of the public expectation that the author is required to be extra exceptional, almost like a superman. But at the end of the day, I wanted to present my class with information with what had really happened,” Dr. Thomas said. History Department Chair Amy Bresie pointed out that talk of the #MeToo movement has been more widespread in her history classes. In her ninth and tenth grade history classes, the topic has come up almost every week for the past year during current events discussions. “I can’t tell you how many Monday discussions we have had about it as a whole. I think it is something that has definitely crept into our conversation” said Dr. Bresie. Dr. Bresie has also done readings about the movement in her Women’s History classes, especially when the magazine “Time” highlighted the #MeToo movement in their December 2017 cover story. When Dr. Bresie arranged this year’s syllabus for her Women’s History class, she left room for discussion of the movement. “Technology and social media continue to fuel the movement,” Dr. Bresie said. “It’s a little bit frustrating that the issues haven’t really changed at all,” said Dr. Bresie. “What’s different is the Internet. I think the pervasiveness of the Internet matters, and I think that using the Internet to shame people is something that we never had before.”
The spread of the #MeToo movement has also affected performing arts. Upper School Drama and Theater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith said she has always tried to be sensitive to all people, including women and people of different backgrounds in her choice of plays. Although the #MeToo movement hasn’t had much impact on her Greenhill work, Ms. Hauss-Smith pointed out how rapidly it has affected people at the professional theater level. “There are theaters in the Metroplex who had a season published, tickets sold, actors hired and then something happened and they made the decision to not produce that show,” said Ms. Hauss-Smith. “The result was that they had to write to their subscribers about changing the season, and apologize to their actors, designers and technical crews for not hiring them. It’s hard, the situation that we are in, especially in the performing arts.” Ms. Hauss-Smith agrees with Mr. Doyle
that she cannot support artists after they have been accused of sexual harassment. “Personally, I cannot get past what I have found out about an artist once I have found it out. On so many levels, it’s disturbing, and as an educator, I just can’t [direct or watch shows with accused artists],” Ms. HaussSmith said. As a female director, Ms. Hauss-Smith believes that diversifying the number of people in positions as writers, actors, and directors can change the sexual harassment crisis that affects the arts today. “I don’t think we can turn a blind eye [to sexual harassment] and ignore what is happening in the world,” said Ms. HaussSmith. “We’re supposed to teach our students about what is right and wrong. We also have to say [to] young men, young women here get out there, get into the positions that will allow this situation to change.”
wednesday, october 3, 2018
Evergreen the
arts
15
DINNER & A MOVIE
Riya and Amber watch “Crazy Rich Asians” and eat at Yoshi Shabu Shabu Amber Syed
Managing Editor
Riya Rangdal Design Editor
It’s not every day that you see a movie with an all-Asian cast fill the seats of an IMAX theater for weeks on end. But that’s exactly what has been happening since Crazy Rich Asians opened world-wide in mid-August. After watching the movie for a second time at the Cinemark West Plano and XD movie theater, both of us agree that this quirky rom-com-drama directed by Jon M. Chu lives up to the hype. Our movie date began after a small hiccup… (hint: it includes a fashionably late entrance by one of your faithful reviewers.) Riya: After buying our tickets and my concessions, I was left sitting and waiting patiently in the dark, crowded theater. I thought I had been stood up! Twenty minutes later, Amber came stumbling through the opposite side of the theater. I think she said “excuse me” to nearly 20 people before plopping down next to me in seat M9. Drama queen! Amber: While trying to navigate through the busy Cinemark Plano West lobby, I felt my phone buzzing with missed calls from Riya. As much as I wanted my favorite movie snack (chocolate covered
cookie dough with a small Sprite), I knew if I walked in any later than I already was, I would never hear the end of it. So I sprinted to Theater 10, opened the door, scanned the (very) crowded room and saw an angry girl glaring at me…there’s Riya! Crazy Rich Asians is a comedydrama which follows Chinese-American economics professor Rachel Chu, portrayed by Constance Wu, as she accompanies her boyfriend, Nick Young, to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Along the way, Rachel is surprised to learn that Nick’s family is extremely wealthy. In fact, Nick is considered to be one of Singapore’s most eligible bachelors. With only Nick, Nick’s cousin Astrid and her best friend, Peik Lin, at her side, Rachel must navigate the disapproving socialites Nick is related to and win the approval of his mother. What impressed us the most about Crazy Rich Asians is how relatable the characters were. They may have been “crazy rich,” but nearly everyone had endearing quirks. We found the characters to not only be likable, but also relatable. While we both wanted to be similar to Astrid because of her near perfection, in reality, we decided that Riya was more similar to Peik Lin and Amber was closer to Rachel. “Amber, you remind me of Rachel,
because she’s… clumsy,” alleged Riya. “But also because you have a kind-heart I guess, just like her.” “I definitely see a lot of Peik Lin in you,” Amber retorted. “You are both sarcastic and loud, but also make me laugh.” Bottom line: There’s a character in this movie for every viewer, whether it’s Peik Lin’s eccentric mother, the wholesome Nick, or the dominating mother Eleanor. We left the movie craving hot pot, so we headed to Yoshi Shabu Shabu, a trendy Japanese hot pot restaurant in Plano. As soon as we got out of our cars, we could smell the spices wafting out of the restaurant. Hot pot is a Chinese specialty that features a simmering pot of soup in which different vegetables, meats, noodles and other ingredients are tossed in and cooked inside the soup. We ordered two soup “bases” to get us going: the Tsuyu, a seasoned soy sauce base, and the Sukiyaki, a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy base which also came with an egg (cooked to order). After scarfing down multiple plates of sirloin and filet mignon, our craving was satisfied. Let’s just say we thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Yoshi Shabu Shabu. The servers were friendly and patiently guided us through the complicated menu. They even gave Amber some “littlekid” chopsticks since she couldn’t handle the “big girl” ones.
Graphic by Kaethe Thomas
A word of warning: It’s easy to get carried away. The food piles up, and the bill piles up even higher. So, savor every bite of the hot pot at Yoshi Shabu Shabu. We can’t all be Crazy Rich Asians, right?
Sports the
New director of sports performance implementing new ideas Davis Gutow Asst. Sports Editor It’s 8 a.m. on Tuesday on the Greenhill campus and freshman Lily Thieberg has a slight concern. She’s an exceptional field hockey player, one of only two freshmen on the varsity team, but she feels her weightlifting routine isn’t challenging enough. She isn’t looking for a football-style workout, but simply something more. She’s come to seek guidance from an expert in the field, the newest member of Greenhill’s Athletic High-Performance team: Jessen Houston. As Lily gave Coach Houston her opinion on her workouts, Coach Houston listened to her feedback and immediately responded with his own ideas and suggestions. The two bounced ideas back and forth on how to modify Lily’s workouts in the High Performance Center (HPC). After reaching an agreement, Coach Houston explained the pregame meal that the team would be eating before their game later that day. The meal contained pasta with vegetables, different fruits and energy bars. Coach Houston explained how the variety of foods in the meal would help to maximize their performance later that afternoon. Over the summer, Jessen Houston was appointed as the new Director of Sports Performance at Greenhill. Coach Houston has been working closely with athletes, coaches, and staff members to
Photo by Jake Middleman
NUTRITION ON THE RISE: Coach Jessen Houston (right) handing an energy loaded, nutritional bar to a student after a workout. Coach Houstons experience as a dietition is being utilized across the athletic center.
improve the Greenhill Athletic Department as a whole. Coach Houston has integrated many new techniques and methods into Greenhill’s HPC workouts, while also teaching athletes about nutritional values to improve their overall health.
“
I look forward to changing people’s perspectives on what strength and performance is supposed to be, while ensuring they are making progress.” Coach Houston said he views himself as an educator; he is looking forward to improving the student-athletes’ physical and mental health. He would also
like to see more participation from athletes throughout their offseason. “We want more participation, we want kids in their offseason to be doing a version of one of our programs so they are preparing the right way,” Couch Houston said. Coach Houston is also a part of some technological changes in the HPC; Greenhill students and coaches will begin using the “Team Builder” app in the HPC this upcoming year. The app grants coaches the opportunity to send feedback and workouts to their athletes via phone or tablet. The feedback will consist of visual elements and progress reports. “We are going to be analyzing the way our athletes move through
new technology, which will give you and your parents feedback on your performance in the HPC,” Coach Houston said. The “Team Builder” technology will create a more efficient system for athletes when they are not on campus. The app coincides with one of Coach Houston’s primary objectives, which is to make each individual athlete a priority in terms of health and improvement. “I look forward to changing people’s perspectives on what strength and performance is supposed to be, while ensuring they are making progress,” Coach Houston said. Along with practicing sports medicine and fitness, Coach
Houston is also a registered dietician. He believes that with the proper pre and post-game meals, an athlete’s performance will increase tremendously. He wants to make sure each Greenhill athlete’s meal contains the proper amount of carbs, fats and proteins. Coach Houston will accomplish this by preparing a specific meal for teams before most games. “We are organizing and creating meals that are nutrient dense to optimize our athlete’s performance,” Couch Houston said. In the past, pre-game meals were brought by team parents. There was no way for coaches or trainers to ensure that each athlete was receiving the appropriate variety of nutrients before competing. Coach Houston hopes the pre-game meals he designs will lead kids to eating healthier outside of sports as well. Coach Houston is aware that this is a long process and could take time for things to become more natural. However, he is incredibly pleased with the progress Greenhill has made so far and is convinced that Greenhill is on the right track. Coach Houston is looking forward to collaborating with the rest of the Athletics Department, as they are all one team working to make Greenhill athletics the best it can be. Coach Houston appreciates that the rest of the department is also on board and willing to help with his new ideas and methods.
A Family Within a Family Examining Sibling Athletes on the Hill
Jake Middleman Sports Editor Mira Jungerman News Editor Many members of sports teams think of their team as a second family, but some athletes get the opportunity to play alongside an actual family member. At Greenhill, several pairs of siblings share the same athletic interests. The Johnson brothers, senior Finn and sophomore Theo, have been swimming together since they were seven and five years-old. They both swim for Greenhill and the same competitive club team outside of school and have loved the sport ever since they started participating in it. Despite the brothers’ similarities in athleticism, they rarely compete against each other given that their strengths lie in different events; Finn is best at breaststroke and backstroke; whereas Theo is stronger in freestyle and butterfly. They were both on all three Greenhill relay teams and participated in one individual event at the Southern Prepatory Confrence Championships last year. The brothers shared some insight into how the sibling dynamic plays into their summer
training schedule. “Finn never set an alarm for the morning practices, so I had to wake him up every morning,” said, Theo. “If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been there at 6 a.m every morning.” “I don’t think I would do morning practices very often if it weren’t for Theo,” Finn said. Theo said that his transition was different than all of the other new freshmen given his older brother was a junior and already had a well-established reputation as a gifted swimmer. “People think it’s funny that we swim together. Whenever people ask me about my brother and I swimming together, they always want to know who is faster,” Finn said. “Sometimes I’ll jokingly tell them I am obviously faster, but the truth is that we do different strokes.” “When I visited Greenhill, everyone was always talking about how I was Finn’s brother and how I must be super fast because Finn’s really good [at swimming],” Theo said. “There was definitely an expectation from both coaches and teammates, and if I had ended up being a lot worse than Finn, it would have been pretty hard.” Sophomore Preston and senior Hayden Gerard, are both key contributors to the Greenhill
Athletics Department. Hayden participates in varsity golf, and Preston is a part of the varsity track team, but the brothers’ interests overlap when it comes to soccer. The upcoming season will mark Hayden’s fourth year on varsity and Preston’s second year on junior varsity, with both boys playing the forward position for their respective teams. The brothers have never officially been on the same team, but Preston said he still feels pressure to excel in the sport. “I definitely feel like there is a general expectation of me to be good at soccer since Hayden is so good at it,” said Preston. Boys Varsity Soccer coach Greg Krauss has to deal with the difficulty that is coaching two siblings in the same sport. “It presents challenges in terms of recognizing that they are both individuals and that you have to differentiate them,” said Coach Krauss. “You just have to recognize that they are two different people,” Kaiti and Mia Ness are going to be teammates every season this year, with both sisters running cross country, playing basketball and competing in track and field. Kaiti is a junior and Mia is a freshman, but the Ness sisters have been playing sports together since the fifth grade.
Photo Courtesy of Kati Ness
SISTERS FOR THE WIN: Mia (right) and Kaiti (left) just finished competing and winning their cross country school meet.
Since they play the same sports, a sense of competitiveness similar to the Gerard brothers drives both sisters to compete on the next level. “[Mia has] been doing a lot of club basketball outside of school, whereas I quit. So she gets very competitive when we play basketball together…it’s just her nature now,” Kaiti said. Mia said that she enjoys having an older sibling to play sports with because it makes her a better player. “I like that I have someone to look up to. [Kaiti’s] achievements
are things that I set as my goals,” said Mia. Kaiti’s prior experience on the three teams has paved the way for Mia to form a bond with the coaches. Kaiti expects big things from her younger sister in the seasons ahead. “I want to get Mia to enjoy the sports that she is playing while still being respectful to the coaches and dedicating herself to that sport,” Kaiti said. “If she has [that] attitude, she will like competing a lot more.”
the
Evergreen Fall Sports Rundown
wednesday, october 3, 2018
Cross Country
Cross Country started their season off with the Luke’s Locker 6 mile relay on August 25th. The girls finished first in that meet for the third year in a row with an overall time of 37:01.97, with a team of Maddie Hatfield, Kendall Hashimoto, Mia Ness and Kaiti Ness. The boy’s team finished sixth overall with a time of 33:21.25, with a team made of Jacob Shepherd, Pressley Wilson, Carter Truitt and Tyler Pitts. “You don’t necessarily like feeling exhausted from running, it’s more of feeling exhausted from running with the team although the best part is definitely the team aspect and having the feeling of being in a group,” said Senior David Bell. The Greenhill girls had another first-place finish at the Ken Garland Invitational on September 15, while the boys team finshed eleventh.
Boys Volleyball Boys volleyball stands at a 6-8 record this fall. With the loss of eleven seniors from last year, the team is working hard to maintain their status as Southwest Preparatory Conference champions. They started off the season with a win against Trinity Valley and finished second at the Red River volleyball tournament in Oklahoma. The team also traveled to Houston to compete in the St. John’s tournament, earning a win over St. Andrew’s Episcopal School twice and finishing with an overall record of 2-3. While Head Coach Mauro Grasso has led the team to multiple championship runs in recent years, he values the humility and sportsmanship of his players more than anything.
Football Photo by Lee Hark
Football kicked off their season with a 0-4 record, losing their first game 50-26 to Valliant High School in Oklahoma, 3-14 to Austin Saints for their first home game, and 1349 against Cistercian Prep School. While their first three games resulted in losses, the team is still hopeful and learning how to compete at a higher level. “We’ve got a lot of young kids in new spots. We graduated some pretty talented seniors last year, but that allows some new kids to step in and play,” said Head Coach Casey Selfridge. “I think it’s been fun to see guys who think could rise to the challenge.”
Girls Volleyball Girls volleyball started off the season with a 12-11 record. With eleven returning girls and six seniors on the team, the team is confident to take on what lies ahead of them. “I’m excited because there’s something special about this group,” said Head Coach Tatiane Deibert. “The combination of seven seniors that show leadership on and off the court with a group of underclassmen that loves the game, can make this a memorable season.” They have participated in multiple non-SPC games, earning wins over Trinity Christian Academy and Prince of Peace Christian School. While the girls lost two consecutive hardfought matches, they broke this streak when they beat Nolan Catholic High School and Oakridge 3-2. Just recently, the girls defeated Episcopal School of Dallas in four sets.
Field Hockey Field Hockey began their 2018 season with a 3-2-5 record and a trip to St. Louis for the Gateway Classic tournament. In St. Louis, they had a chance to play teams from all over the country and went 1-3 overall, with a win against Arrowhead High School 4-0. The team’s trip helped them improve and bond as a team. “I think we’re learning something every single game. We’re learning so much about ourselves and what we need to do. I’m confident that by the end of the season we’re going to be a really competitive team,” said Senior captain Bailey Bowman. Although this year’s team is relatively young with just one senior, they have pulled out convincing wins over Oakridge and Parish, as well as tying with Hockaday (1-1) and Trinity Valley (3-3).
sports
17
“Some may look at cross country as an individual sport, but it’s the motivation and connection we have with our teammates that allows us to run for something bigger than ourselves.”
- Junior Kaiti Ness
“I just hope these boys will be able to be good teammates as the ones that left Greenhill were. That’s what really would give me satisfaction, more than any title.”
-Coach Mauro Grasso
“No matter the final record at the end of the season, the program will continue to grow with a strong core of players returning for next season.”
-Senior Kevin Hoare
“Volleyball is always the most energetic season for me and I’m really having fun with the team this year. I am excited for what we can bring during counter games in October!”
-Senior Megan Olomu
“We’re coming off a really successful season last year and I know the players that have tasted that success are hungry for more.”
-Coach Brittany Johnson
Standings as of September 27 story by Sarah Luan
Photos courtesy of Joe Monaco and Tim Kaiser
18
sports
the
Evergreen
wednesday, october 3, 2018
Hornets in the nest: looking at school spirit in athletics
Photos courtesty of Joe Monaco and Lee Hark
CHEER ON: (Left) Student Hayden Gerard shakes his homemade noise maker during an important third down play early in the game against conference rival Austin Saints. (Right) Students show their support for the girls volleyball team during a five-set match against John Paul II. The students stayed for all five sets, before heading outside to the football game.
Hayden Jacobs Editor-In-Chief “THIRD DOWN THUNDER!” It’s a Friday night in October and Hornet football players are wearing the wet Brinkmann Field mud from head to toe. The chants of Greenhill’s student section can be heard from across campus. The stands go wild. It’s homecoming, the absolute pinnacle of school spirit. Although few games, races, and meets throughout the year come close to reaching the hype produced by homecoming, school spirit is still a constant part of Greenhill students’ lives. “School spirit isn’t just going to football games on Friday nights, it’s cheering on athletes in all sports for both varsity and junior varsity teams,” said senior Kevin Hoare.
In 2016, the Athletics Board was established as a part of Student Council to promote school spirit. They organize events and activities designed to increase student attendance at sporting events, such as free food or a t-shirt toss. Kevin has been on the Athletics Board since its formation. As a four-year member of the varsity football and track teams, he knows how a spirited student section can influence the performance of players and ultimately the outcome of a game. “At football games, the student section is vital,” said Kevin. “You definitely can feel a difference when we go to away games and they have huge student sections and we just have a few parents in the stands.” Senior basketball player Jordan Simmons also appreciates when the crowd gets involved during games. “The student section is a huge part of
the game. When they get excited the team’s adrenaline gets going,” said Jordan. “I want to keep everyone loud, [the cheers] motivate me to play better.” Lower School teaching fellow Miles Andres ’14 believes that school spirit in sports played a big role in his time at Greenhill. He rarely missed a Friday night football game and could usually be found leading chants at the front of the student section. “When I was in high school, our football team was bad, but we still came together as a school every Friday night to rally around the team…it was really fun,” Mr. Andres said. According to Head of Athletics Chad Wabrek, the Athletic Department has lots of ideas to improve school spirit that aren’t always carried out. He said that conflicts with other activities prevent students from fully committing to certain sport events.
“We definitely have kids that are spirited, we definitely know how to do it, but sometimes spirit is not as consistent as we might like,” Mr. Wabrek said. Greenhill’s Athletic Department looks at every sporting game as an opportunity to increase fan attendance. Whether that means giving out free food, executing a t-shirt toss or planning half-time games, they try to incentivize students to do more than just come to watch a game or match. Mr. Andres always liked the fact that school spirit is applicable to everybody. He thinks that it helps to bring people together and really connect all students. “Not everybody is built for video production or baseball, but everyone can have school spirit,” Mr. Andres said.
wednesday, october 3, 2018
the
Evergreen
senior columns
19
I-N-C-L-U-S-I-V-I-T-Y Ask me what it means to me hey mann, what’s up? harrison heymann executive editor
Students at Greenhill, especially Upper Schoolers who have brains and social skills that are at least modestly developed, are supposed to be model citizens in our community. We’re supposed to and should act with compassion towards others and create a community that includes everyone. But, sometimes I have interactions with students and wonder how many people understand what it really means to be inclusive. Going back to Lower School, this school has had a problem with cliques. I’ve heard
people say, “Yeah, Greenhill’s cliquey, but we’re nowhere near as bad as other places. It’s not something we need to talk about.” But it is. In every grade level, there are people who won’t let other people hang out with their friend group or sit with them. There’s a difference, though, between 6 and 7 year-olds forming their own little group in a corner and high schoolers making an active choice to not invite or refuse people to their homecoming pre-party. There’s a difference between not wanting to hang out with people who you don’t know and being exclusive. If someone who you know you don’t like or who you’ve never had a real conversation with before asks to be your best friend, saying no is a reasonable option. Everyone can’t be friends with everyone, and you shouldn’t feel forced to hang out with people that make you uncomfortable. When I say some people in this community aren’t inclusive or compassionate to others, I’m talking about the people who exclude members of their own friend group who aren’t in their inner-most circle, because
they only want to be with those 5 people and no one else. This is especially evident during homecoming and prom season. There are always people who get told by certain prom groups that the group “doesn’t have enough room” for them, so they have to find another group to go with. The point of this is very simple, and what I’m asking doesn’t take a lot of effort either. Homecoming is coming up in a few weeks. For freshmen, this is your first high school dance. To the Class of 2019, this is senior homecoming; whether you’ve thought about this football game and dance since your first day on campus ten years ago or it crossed your mind for the first time last week, there’s no denying every one of us has thought about it at least once. So, to everyone: make this homecoming, the times you hang out with your squad on the weekend, weekend parties and everything else you do with your friends worth remembering for everyone in the group. If someone asks if they can be a part of your homecoming group or if they
can come with you and your bros to dinner this weekend, is it really going to ruin your time that much if they tag along? It might make that other person’s week just to know they have someone to hang out with. And you don’t have to bebest friends with them afterwards either. We’ve all been told “you can’t sit with us” at one point in our life, and some people have dealt with it a lot more than others. So let other people be part of your homecoming group. If it’s feasible or if you’re really feeling adventurous, maybe even reach out to a few people and see if they want to tag along with you and your group. It really doesn’t take that much effort to ask if somebody needs a group to go with and it’s even less effort to just say yes if somebody reaches out to you first. Someone else will be grateful for being included, and I bet you’ll still have a good time.
high school; the ups and downs and the good and ugly. I also hear about the stress and issues from every one of my friends. We all go through it. I understand how some days you feel on top of the world and other days you can feel like you are at the bottom of the ocean. I have yet to find a distinct solution, but I have found a calming consistency. Every one of us has a different coping mechanisms for dealing with stress. Finding your personal mechanism and consistantly sticking with it is essential to survive high school. Mine is driving with no destination in mind. I just drive. I roll the windows down and belt out all the words to “Dear God” by Hunter Hayes. My stress relief is not
your stress relief. Yours may be napping, taking a bath or crying. Whatever it is, have fun relaxing. Allowing myself to enjoy that time away from school work keeps me sane. Each person has their own stress relief. But more than that, each student has friends to reach out to. Each student should find those people that they care about and vent to them. All of us has our own problems but we can’t move past them if we don’t release our stress and talk to our friends about them. After all, we all have someone to talk to.
Skrt-ing under the stars rossboss ross rubin journalism assistant
Night driving is the most therapeutic thing I have ever experienced. I never feel more alive than when I have the windows down, AC blowing in my face and my “Chill Country Music” playlist on. Music might be the school subject I
was worst at in Lower School and Middle School. I was put in the back of my Lower School choir and could not learn how to play the trumpet, nor the trombone in Middle School band. In fact, I might have been the worst band member in the entire band. Not only that, but even during my improv rhythm games I can’t keep the beat and tempo. Despite my utter lack of musical ability, I love music. I am constantly on Spotify listening to music no matter where I am. Adding the sunset and the street lights plus hearing the instrumental acoustic guitar of a country song brings me back to Earth after an extremely stressful day at school. I have experienced the duality of
Comic by Hannah Fox
Evergreen
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3. Where did Lee Hark work before coming to Greenhill?
1. What is the name of our campus store?
4. Which Girls Varsity team won their state championship in 2017 and 2018? 7. What is the name of the auditorium in the MPAC? 9. What is Greenhill’s mascot?
2.What is this year’s Homecoming theme? 5. What animals roam our campus? 6. What is the last name of the faculty member who has worked at Greenhill the longest? 8. What is the last name of the second headmaster at Greenhill?
wednesday, october 3, 2018
Word Search
Stingers Peacocks Spirit Homecoming Passion
Community Gold Green Hornets Pride
Trivia 1. How many peacocks do we have on campus?
4. What year was Heart on the Hill founded?
2. What is the oldest building on campus?
5. When was the last year Greenhill had wrestling as a sport?
3. What is the name of the hornet mascot?
6. Which Greenhill sports program has the most SPC titles?
Trivia Answers: 1. 17 2. Agnich Science Building 3. Hugo 4. 1997 5. 2002 6. Boys Tennis