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.
“
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