October 2019 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

the volume 55, issue 1

october 2, 2019

Everything Greenhill

National spotlight intensifies focus on learning differences

The TikTok obsession

Amber Syed Executive Editor

Leah Nutkis

Managing Editor

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Graphic by Areeba Amer and Sera Tuz

he national college admissions scandal that exploded into public view last spring turned a spotlight on an issue that has long spurred debate at Greenhill: how classroom accommodations are granted to some students who are diagnosed with learning disabilities.

Experts say that “extra time” is one of the many equitable solutions for learning disabilities—referred to as “learning differences” at Greenhill—that a student might have.

Critics, including several Greenhill students interviewed for this article, believe that the abuse of accommodations by wealthy parents is giving certain students an unfair advantage.

A series of federal indictments and guilty pleas earlier this year highlighted the revelation that college admissions consultant William Singer had offered to help families by “getting them” a medical diagnosis that would give their students extra time on standardized tests.

Head of School Lee Hark recognizes

cont’d on page 8

New divisional equity & inclusion directors named Cameron Kettles News Editor

T Walking around the Upper School during snack break or lunch, it’s become a regular occurrence to come across students dancing in front of their phones or staring at their personal devices while a short blast of a catchy song plays out.

This is the result of the international social media app TikTok. From its creation in 2016, TikTok has served as a platform for people to post content and gain virality within the app by sharing dance videos, memes or other humorous content. TikTok also serves as the inspiration for most hot trends among Greenhill Upper and Middle School students. From VSCO girls to E-boys, from Hydro Flasks to puka shell necklaces, a new generation of trends has been born.

Photo illustration by Jeffrey Harberg

It’s the new social media phenomenon sweeping campus.

he answer changes from year to year, but the question remains the same: How does Greenhill create an equitable and inclusive environment for students?

For the 2019-2020 school year, Greenhill has expanded its equity and inclusion team to increase faculty education and student support. The Middle School and Upper School appointed additional directors from existing faculty and staff.

“Living our core principle of compassion requires that we are empathetic, first and foremost,” Director of Equity and Inclusion Karen Bradberry said. “This ability to be empathetic and compassionate gives us newfound knowledge and strength.

And, it is this strength that helps us build a

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See page 5 Views

Staff editorial about awareness of policy changes p. 15

News

Priya Krishna ‘09 publishes a cookbook about food and family p. 4

Informing Greenhill since 1966

Features Seventh grader Ava Hignite competes on Chopped Jr. p. 6

Arts

Staff duo reviews “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” p. 11

Sports

Football adds 20 players to roster for 2019 season p. 12

4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison, TX 75001

News Lower School updates math curriculum program really goes for is a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. Instead of just teaching an algorithm, it’s really building on the experiences and knowledge you have so you really understand it. “ In order to better suit every Lower School student, the Bridges program teaches a variety of techniques to approach each type of math problem.

Sumana Kethu

Arts Editor

F

or the first time in two decades, the Lower School Math Department has implemented a new curriculum for Primer through fourth grade students.

A program called Bridges is replacing Everyday Mathematics, which the Lower School has used since 1999. Teachers decided a change was needed because students would skim the surface of a variety of concepts without going in depth on any given topic.

“In any program, there are gaps,” Head of Lower School Michael Simpson said. “There are things that programs do well and there are things that programs don’t do well. Everyday [Mathematics] was releasing an updated edition and we would’ve had to purchase all new materials, so we decided to evaluate our options.”

Last year, the Lower School formed a Math Adoption Committee led by Head of Lower School Math Caroline Kim. The committee discussed changes they desired from the math program and obtained different curricula from various publishers to see which would fit the Lower School the best. Teachers also tested various lessons from each of those curricula on their students.

The committee decided on Bridges in Mathematics as their new program.

“We all agreed that [the Bridges program] was the best program for Greenhill right now,” Lower School math teacher Miles Andres ’14 said. “It just kind of changed the Greenhill Lower School math program from kind of a stale Everyday Mathematics, which was what I used when I was at Greenhill. “

“

It just kind of changed the Greenhill Lower School math program from kind of a stale Everyday Mathematics, which was what I was used to when I was at Greenhill. “

Photo by Caroline Greenstone

LEARNING REIMAGINED: Second grade students practice addition with learning tools. The new math program, Bridges, uses a variety of different techniques to help students.

According to the program’s website, Bridges is a Prekindergarten through fifth grade curriculum that equips teachers to fully implement the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in a manner that is “rigorous, coherent, engaging, and accessible to all learners.”

The recommendation to investigate Bridges as an option for a new curriculum came from YouCubed, a math initiative led

by Stanford professor of mathematics Jo Boaler. The Math Adoption Committee met Boaler during a training program at Good Shepherd Episcopal School.

“We really like this Bridges program; we really liked what [Jo Boaler] had to say about math,” Kim said. “They had high praises for the program and when we investigated the program further with the Math Adoption Committee, we agreed that it fell in line with what the Lower School needed.”

Kim shifted from teaching third grade math to becoming the Lower School math specialist in order to ease the transition and help teachers implement the new curriculum.

“Because of the school Greenhill is, there are going to be a lot of parents that want a challenge for their kids,” Kim said. “What this

“I think the biggest difference [between Everyday Mathematics and Bridges] is that they’re now able to find that there are different ways to get to a final answer,” Andres said.

“With Bridges, what we’re covering is every different method to get to a final answer, because some methods work better for other kids. Brains work differently and it builds flexibility to understand numbers in a more meaningful and thoughtful way.”

Bridges in Mathematics is currently implemented in Primer through fourth grade, but the Preschool is doing a year of study to determine whether they will make similar changes.

“I think this program really falls in line with our vision for equity and inclusion,” Kim said. “The feedback so far from the teachers has been very positive.”

Hark digital handbook initiative unveiled Sonali Notani

Managing Editor

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reenhill administrators are focused on breaking down the barriers between divisions to allow for a more unified institution. An important first step has been the unveiling of a 105-page online handbook.

Since the founding of Greenhill, each of the four divisions — Preschool, Lower School, Middle School and Upper School — has had its own handbook with slightly different policies and guidelines. Last school year, Head of School Lee Hark proposed an all-school handbook that covers the separate divisions, making Greenhill’s policies more streamlined and cohesive. Over the summer, the division heads worked together to make this a reality.

“I am always going to look for ways to make our school, which can feel very large and fragmented, feel more coherent across all four divisions,” Hark said.

Another goal was to create a place to put out rules and policies that pertain to the entire school, Hark said. He hopes to create a platform for division heads to work together and look at policies to make sure they build off each other.

A uniform honor code is another policy objective.

“The way we talk about the honor code needs to be the same in the Lower School, Middle School and Upper School,” Hark said.

“Our policies should be synced.”

Hark said he got the sense that the division heads were working hard to create policies that made sense for their divisions, but there was not a lot of coordination across the school.

“Division heads will be more purposeful throughout the year when looking at divisional parts of the handbook to see similarities,” Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester said. “Eventually, more of the divisional sections can be incorporated into the all-school portion of the handbook.”

St. Mark’s School of Texas, an all-male

private school in Dallas, also has an allschool handbook. The handbook should reflect the culture of the whole school, St. Mark’s Head of Upper School Colin Igoe said.

“Every handbook should be unique and tailored to the school,” Igoe said. “At St. Mark's, our handbook reflects our values and cultures.”.

Since handbooks are mostly built incident by incident, they tend to have a haphazard feel in general, Hark said. The goal is for the new handbook to be formatted more coherently, designed to prevent incidents from happening in the first place.

“Once all the division heads sent me the revised versions of their handbooks, I moved parts around and played with the format,” Hark said. “The goal was to make it flow.”

This year, for the first time, there was no physical handbook distributed to students at the beginning of the year. Instead, the online handbook is accessible to everyone. This also has allowed Greenhill to reduce its expenses.

“

I am always going to look for ways to make our school, which can feel very large and fragmented, feel more coherent across all four divisions.”

“Having an online handbook means we don’t have to wait another year to make a change if something comes up,” Head of Lower School Michael Simpson said. “It is also more accessible for parents who have children in multiple divisions.”

Although most of the changes to the handbook are structural, many of the policies have been slightly tweaked. The school has made huge strides with the new handbook, but there is still more to do, Hark said. He envisions a process of revitalizing and updating the handbook to make sure it reflects the school every year.

“I really like the idea,” Head of Middle School Susan Palmer said. “I commend Mr. Hark, who has probably read a lot of handbooks, for seeing this vision to bring all of us together.”

Graphic by Sarah Luan

wednesday, october 2, 2019

the

Evergreen

news

Trustee grants enable faculty enrichment

Jeffrey Harberg

Editor-In-Chief

D

uring a bus tour through Peru this summer, Middle School history teacher Parker Ainsworth was already imagining new ways to inspire his fifth grade students. Gazing on the old buildings of Cusco and other sights, Ainsworth was able to visualize the civilization’s history in a way that could only occur by being there.

For 30 years, the Trustee Fellowship Grant has given faculty members extraordinary opportunities to enhance their classroom experiences and teaching skills through funded trips.

The Trustee Fellowship Grant’s stated mission is “to provide for Greenhill employees’ personal growth and renewal through educational opportunities or enriching experiences which could not be funded by more conventional means.”

The committee that chooses grant recipients includes a representative from each Greenhill department, as well as Assistant Head of School Tom Perryman, Director of Finance Brent Wheelis and Assistant to the Head of School & Assistant Head of School Kasia Faber.

“

It’s exciting seeing how faculty members are trying to stretch themselves in order to better the student experience on the hill.”

The Bauman Family Faculty Enrichment Endowment and the Arun Stewart ’07 Memorial Faculty Enrichment Fund are benefactors of the Trustee Fellowship Grants. The grant program is an endowed fund, meaning the annual grants are drawn from the interest earned off the three funds’ principal. The committee had $30,206 available for grants this year.

“The faculty here are lucky to have an administration that supports teachers wanting to grow in their craft,” Upper School English teacher Joel Garza wrote in an email.

The maximum grant amount varies based on the employee’s length of service. It ranges up to $1,000 if the applicant has completed a year of employment at Greenhill, and up to $4,000 if he or she has completed three years.

Director of Academics Jason Yaffe, who also serves as a trustee grant committee member, said the committee bases its decisions on the potential impact of the trip and how the proposal aligns with the school’s mission and core principles.

Decisions are also based on the needs of the employee’s

division or department of work, but the committee encourages employees to be creative with their trip ideas.

“It’s exciting seeing how faculty members are trying to stretch themselves in order to better the student experience on the hill,” Yaffe said.

Upper School science teacher Barry Ide was already planning to spend a week attending a professional development program at the Milwaukee School of Engineering when he decided he could get more out of the trip. He applied for a $3,000 grant to cover the costs of an educational road trip to Milwaukee. Ide described how he wanted to visit museums that would benefit the Big History class he has co-taught with History Department chair Amy Bresie ’96.

On his drive to and from Milwaukee, Ide stopped in Norman, Oklahoma, to visit the Sam Noble Museum, the University of Oklahoma’s natural history museum.

Other stops included: a public observatory in Kansas City, Missouri; the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois; The Saint Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri and the Grohmann Museum and the Discovery World Science and Technology Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Big History class wasn’t offered to students this year, but Ide said the knowledge he gleaned from his trip helped expand his view of science.

“The terms we use to sub-divide sciences are largely artificial,” Ide said. “Existence doesn’t treat matter differently if it’s talking about physics rather than biology. All of those interconnections are easier to see when you have a chance to step back and look at it in its whole rather than ‘I’m just going to teach biology every period, every day.’”

Garza received a grant to attend a weeklong personal essay workshop in July at Bard College in Annandale-OnHudson, New York. This is the second grant he has received to improve his writing and teaching of personal essays.

The program was rigorous, he said. He wrote from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a typical day and discovered new things about himself and his teaching.

“I learned the importance of keeping a pencil moving,” Garza said in an email. “You don’t get better at shooting free throws by shooting free throws only every three weeks.

Students don’t get better at writing by writing only every three weeks.”

Drawing on his workshop experience, Garza has nixed technology in his freshman English classes. Instead, he has students write daily in longhand, with their devices closed.

He also found it gratifying to see his workshop classes at Bard being run similarly to those he teaches at Greenhill,

3

Photos courtesy of Parker Ainsworth

IMMERSION HISTORY: A Trustee Fellowship Grant enabled Middle School history teacher Parker Ainsworth to tour Peru by bus to deepen his understanding of the South American country he brings to life for his students.

with lots of time to think and write.

Ainsworth used his grant to fund a bus tour through Peru. He hoped that his direct exposure to the culture would enliven the fifth grade ancient civilizations class he teaches, he said. He came away with ideas on how to directly teach based off his experiences.

“Having seen so much of the country on the bus ride, it felt like it was really three distinct countries,” Ainsworth said.

“How geography made all these civilizations so different is amazing. We will try to incorporate a project that uses the geography of those different civilizations.”

Lower School Spanish teacher Nora Garcia applied for a grant for the first time in her 15-year Greenhill tenure last winter. She received money to extend her two-week long trip to visit her daughter in Barcelona, expanding it into a fiveweek immersive opportunity.

Garcia came away with new appreciation for Spanish culture and language. She was fascinated by public transportation, diets and even such daily rituals as city-wide siestas. She brought aspects of her trip back to Greenhill.

She brought back new Spanish picture books for collective reading, as well as a more extensive knowledge of Spain’s culture and history; with her sharpened eye for all things Spain, she even found a mistake in one of her classroom posters, she said.

“Being able to have the experience I had, it was invaluable,” Garcia said. “I hope this grant will continue to be available for a while.”

Alumni

Indian(-ish): The culture of cooking

Priya Krishna ‘09 publishes book with family recipes and stories

Photos courtesy of Priya Krishna

THE KITCHEN CHRONICLES: Alumna Priya Krishna ‘09 and and her mom Ritu Krishna make their own versions of modern Indian food. Her second book, “Indian(-ish)” is a highly praised cookbook that gives readers insights into her recipes and her family. Priya, who now lives in New York, writes about food for the New York Times and the New Yorker.

Caroline Greenstone Features Editor

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rom having homemade Indian lunches to being the only person of color in some of her classes, Priya Krishna ’09 tasted the feelings of “otherness” during her years at Greenhill.

Today, the cultural identity that once set Krishna apart from most of her Greenhill peers has propelled her to national renown as a food writer and author.

Krishna’s “Indian(-ish): Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family” was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in April to positive reviews. It has been a whirlwind few months for Krishna, who recently completed a nationwide tour to promote her book.

“It was amazing going on tour and meeting people who were making Indian food for the first time, or who grew up with Indian food and were able to recreate flavors of home,” Krishna said. “It was cool that they felt like the book made it all doable.”

She has received glowing feedback from media outlets such as Food & Wine magazine and the New York Times.

“It is a joy to cook from and just as much fun to read,” reviewer Margaux Laskey wrote for the New York Times.

“Indian-ish” is not just a cookbook.

It’s the story of an immigrant and her family, written by both Priya Krishna and her mother, Ritu Krishna. “‘Indian(-ish)’ is obviously so much more than a cookbook,” Erin Booke wrote in the Dallas Morning News. “It is

part memoir, part family heirloom, part love letter and part coming-of-age story for a second-generation American who has come to appreciate and eventually celebrate her heritage.”

The book chronicles Ritu Krishna’s experience immigrating to the United States and Priya’s experience growing up in her household.

“The point of the book is to be true to my mom’s experiences,” Krishna said.

The arc of Krishna’s journey to becoming a published author began at Greenhill in Trey Colvin’s Upper School English class.

“I learned to write at Greenhill,” Krishna said. “I don’t know where I would be without [Colvin], for example, who taught me how to write a paper.”

When she entered Colvin’s class in ninth grade, Krishna was already an impressive student.

“In some ways I felt like there was never anything I could do to bring her along more than she already was,” Colvin said. “She came to me as an excellent student and my job was to make sure that she didn’t get bored and that I could in some ways challenge her.”

As a ninth grader, Krishna’s writing was already far ahead. Her teachers noticed both her enthusiasm to learn and write, and her ability to recall and store minute details from large amounts of information. “[Her writing back then] was very advanced,” Colvin said. “She always wanted to figure out ways of writing something better and what was difficult for her to understand as a ninth grader was that even at her most mediocre work, [she] was head

and shoulders above most other ninth grade writers.”

Krishna has predominantly positive memories of her time at Greenhill. She had a few teachers who were integral to her success. However, the lack of diversity on campus during her years on campus also informed her experience.

“I feel like, when I was at Greenhill, I didn’t know who I was,” Krishna said. “I tried to present as white to people, because I was simply embarrassed of the language we spoke at home and I tried to leave that behind.”

“

Indian(-ish) is obviously so much more than a cookbook. It is part memoir, part family heirloom, part love letter and part coming-ofage story for a second-generation American .”

It wasn’t until later on that she started becoming comfortable with who she is.

After graduation from Greenhill, Krishna began writing at Dartmouth College. She started a column where she shared tips regarding college food. These “food hacks” eventually got her a book deal.

Krishna loved food writing in part because she was able to find ideas and inspiration everywhere. After college, she got an internship at the Food Network.

From there, she got a job at her favorite food magazine at the time, Lucky Peach.

“I loved everything that they were

doing,” Krishna said. “They were disrupting the norms of what a traditional magazine could look like.”

Today, Krishna writes about food for the New York Times and the New Yorker.

She also contributes how-to food videos for Bon Appetit.

“I don’t have a preference and I don’t want to choose,” Krishna said. “I love writing stories and I love filming the videos.”

Krishna was approached by a publisher who had come across her mother’s recipes in a cookbook to which she [Krishna] had contributed, “Power Vegetables.” The publisher loved both their story and their recipes.

The result: Krishna and her mother ended up writing “Indian(-ish).”

Krishna’s success hasn’t come without some critiques. Her unique versions of some Indian recipes have received criticism from members of the South Asian community. Some critics have expressed dismay over Krishna’s practice of putting feta in saag paneer, or sometimes using olive oil instead of ghee, for example.

“I feel like those people don’t really understand,” Krishna said. “The point of the book is to be true to my mom’s experience. So obviously it hurts to get that feedback. But you have to kind of keep doing you; they are never going to be 100% on board with it. But that is okay, that’s what happens when you put something out to the world.”

As her journey unfolds, Krishna shared some advice on how to be authentic to oneself: “Lean into those specifics of what makes you, you.”

Special Report

TikTok: An international sensation Students at Greenhill are absorbed in the social media app

SOUND: “Gordon Ramsay” by H.L Wave

SOUND: “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey

SOUND: “Already Dead” by Lil Boom

SOUND: “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey Graphic by Sarah Luan Pictured clockwise from upper right : Sheena Kwon, Kelly Meng, Alexandria King, Sana Jaleel, Kilo Kapumba, Victoria Le, Chloe Wetzler, Esha Julka, Sheela Vasan

Riya Rangdal Managing Editor

W

alking around the Upper School during snack break or lunch, it’s become a regular occurrence to come across students dancing in front of their phones or staring at their personal devices while a short blast of a catchy song plays out.

This is the result of the international social media app TikTok. From its creation in 2016, TikTok has served as a platform for people to post content and gain virality within the app by sharing dance videos, memes or other content. TikTok also serves as the inspiration for many hot trends among Greenhill Upper and Middle School students. From VSCO girls to E-boys and from Hydro Flasks to puka shell necklaces, a new generation of trends has been born.

Take VSCO girls for example: everything from the words they use (popular phrases include “sksksksk” and “and I oop!”), the way they act, the movements they post about (Save the turtles!), to the clothes they wear (big t-shirts, short shorts and a scrunchie on their wrist), the memes originated and went viral on TikTok. Sophomore Jordan Levy’s viral TikTok video was a meme focusing on her parents’ reaction to a popular TikTok sound.

“I just thought it would be really funny to share my parents’ reaction to the sound,” Levy said. “I didn’t expect for it to blow up like it did. My friends always point out now that I’m ‘TikTok famous’ as a joke.”

TikTok is the second incarnation of the once popular app Musical.ly. The Chinese company Beijing ByteDance Technology Co Ltd. bought Musical.ly for $1 billion in 2017

and merged the features into their preexisting app TikTok, (referred to as Douyin in China with all Musical.ly accounts being transferred over and converted into TikTok accounts).

One of the most recent TikTok trends occurred over the summer: the “school starts tomorrow, so get me TikTok famous overnight” trend. This trend emphasizes the social effects and status elevation that could potentially be attained in real life by the app. The term for this status elevation is “TikTok clout,” and users would ask for views and “likes” so they could receive the status elevation. Clout can refer to numerous things from personal follower count, number of likes, amount of views to the most coveted level: “influencer status.”

Senior Esha Julka has been posting on the app since March. By late September, she had amassed more than 4,800 followers, more than 498,000 “likes” on all of her posts and more than 1 million views on two separate TikTok posts.

“I was really surprised when my first TikTok blew up,” Julka said. “I was using the app more to share content I thought was funny rather than get ‘TikTok famous.’ I think I received so many likes and views because, on TikTok, people like and view what they enjoy, and they just happened to enjoy my content.”

Julka also subscribes to TikTok Pro, a free account upgrade which allows users to analyze their accounts and figure out what content tends to perform best on the app. The program allows users to cater to their audience and learn more about their audience’s demographics.

“TikTok is almost an algorithm of sorts,” Julka said. “Certain trends occur in their own times, and people’s view times could vary.

Although I create content that I personally find funny, I think it’s interesting to see what people

enjoy as well.”

Junior Sheela Vasan noted that, while she had a TikTok account, it was mainly comedic videos and thought-out skits that performed the best on her account.

“When I had a TikTok, I noticed that a lot of the videos that were either me dancing or doing crazy things were viewed and liked the most,” Vasan said. “I think if people are able to find something that they can relate to, they are going to like it and follow the user in order to get similar content in the future.”

TikTok has created a subculture among the teenage demographic with access to the app.

This is especially true at Greenhill. Students all over campus are either creating their own content or viewing others. They are also able to observe how TikTok trends dominate casual conversations.

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I think it is really important that people utilize spaces like TikTok to help cope with their insecurities. I’ve noticed that people use the app to post really well-thought out videos or the most random things.

Sophomore Chloe Merriman started her account in February. Seven months later, she had amassed 593 followers and more than 24,000 likes on the app.

“I think it’s really interesting to see how conversation topics between friends have shifted to TikTok,” Merriman said. “Even last year during lunch, we would make TikToks.

Now it’s just more normalized. Since its popularity has risen, people are embracing the

app.”

Junior Chloe Wetzler has been on the app since October 2018 and has accumulated about 2,760 followers with more than 199,000 likes.

Wetzler described her account as appealing more to the comedic side of TikTok rather than dance content.

Senior Caleb Smith has only been making TikToks for around a month. In that time, he has built a following of 91 people and 522 likes.

Some of his content has already reached the coveted ForYou page.

“I started TikTok like most people did, as a joke, and then from there it’s just something funny that I like to do,” Smith said. “I’m not trying to blow up, but it’s a great thing to do in your free time.”

The “For You” page is TikTok’s equivalent of a social media explore page. When a post includes the hashtags #fyp, #foryou or #foryoupage to its caption, the post has a higher chance of beung uploaded on someone’s “For You” page. As more people view, like and share the post, it appears on more “For You” pages and gains popularity.

For some people, TikTok has gone beyond being a social media app. It’s also a mechanism for dealing with personal insecurities.

“I think it is really important that people utilize spaces like TikTok to help cope with their insecurities. I’ve noticed that people use the app to either post really well-thought-out videos or the most random things,” Julka said.

“But when someone you don’t know likes a video of yours, I think that really helps boost that individual’s confidence and makes them feel happy. That is why I believe TikTok has become as popular as it is and it is continuing to grow.”

Features

On the chopping block

Seventh grader Ava Hignite competes on Food Network's Chopped Junior Sarah Luan

Photos and Graphics Director

S

eventh grader Ava Hignite stands behind her cooking station with a basket full of mystery ingredients in front of her. Her heart beats quickly as she wonders what could be inside. Before she has any more time to think, host Ted Allen says, “Open your basket.”

Over the summer, Hignite appeared on the show “Chopped Junior,” where she and three other contestants between the ages of 9 and 12 competed through three rounds of intense cooking.

Hignite, who has been cooking since she was 5, said that participating in the show was a dream.

The selection process for the show was long and tedious, Hignite said. She spent a lot of time perfecting recipes, sending in videos, taking phone calls and participating in Skype interviews. When she received the news that she would be participating in the show, she was very excited, Hignite said.

“When we were sitting in the car, it was really dark while my mom was checking her email,” Hignite said. “We got the awesome news and we just started screaming.”

After receiving the news, Hignite began to prepare for the show by practicing her skills in the kitchen.

“I deboned an entire chicken,” Hignite said. “I deveined and took the skin off

shrimp, which was also gross. I made lots of steak and baked goods to practice, too.”

The night before the competition, Hignite and the other contestants were able to visit the studio and kitchen so they would get used to their surroundings. “[The kitchen] was incredible,” Hignite said. “The area is a lot smaller than you think and half of it is just filled with camera people.

If you go to the pantry to get some spices, a camera guy will just follow you around the entire time.”

On the day of the competition, Hignite was nervous but felt more comfortable once she started cooking.

“I thought I was going to barf,” she said.

“It was super scary, but in the end it was really fun.”

In the show, each round begins with the contestant receiving a mystery basket that contains four ingredients they must use in their dish. After each round, the judges taste each competitor’s plate and decide who advances to the next round based on taste and plating.

For the appetizer, Hignite’s mystery basket contained a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf, the plant culantro, Texas toast and quail eggs. Hignite was able to transform this group of ingredients into a bacon frittata over Texas toast along with a spinach salad and a tomato culantro salsa.

Hignite’s entrée basket contained cornon-the-cob flavored lemonade, scallops, as-

paragus and breakfast sausage. She made lemon butter scallops with blanched asparagus and corn-sausage crumbles.

“There were a lot of weird food options, but I have to say, the weirdest was probably either the corn-cob lemonade or the bacon cheeseburger meatloaf,” Hignite said. “It looked really gross; it was just like a lump of bacon.”

While the young chefs were rushing to complete their dishes in the kitchen, Hignite’s mom, Sara Hignite, provided moral support from a different room. Only one parent per contestant was allowed to go to the studio and no parents were allowed on set.

“

There were a lot of weird food options, but I have to say, the weirdest was probably either the corn-cob lemonade or the bacon cheeseburger meatloaf.”

“I spent the day in a green room watching the filming on a monitor,” Sara Hignite said. “It was intense.”

Although Hignite didn’t make it to the third round for dessert, she was satisfied with her finish. The judges enjoyed the scallops she made in the second round but decided to eliminate her because her asparagus was undercooked.

On the day her episode aired in July, friends and family came to support Hignite in her television debut.

“We watched with our closest family friends, and it was exciting,” said Todd Hignite, Ava’s father. “We received so many calls, texts of support and congratulations during the show from friends and family across the country. We are truly lucky to have such a great support system.”

Hignite’s friend, seventh grader Fina Heeringa, was excited to watch the episode with her own family soon after it aired.

“I was very impressed with how [Hignite] performed on the show,” Heeringa said.

“She helped a girl with plating because she was running out of time, and I can see her doing that in real life because she is a really kind person.”

Hignite’s parents are glad she could learn so many new things from the experience.

“Appearing on ‘Chopped Junior’ was such a positive experience for [Ava] and our family,” Sara Hignite said. “I think she gained confidence in herself, and she also enjoyed meeting her fellow competitors. The kids had a lot in common!”

Hignite said the experience for her was a reminder that she should continue to pursue her passion for cooking.

“I’m going to keep cooking for my entire life, and this was kind of like a confirmation that I had to keep on going,” Hignite said.

Photo courtesy of the Hignite family and graphics by Sarah Luan

wednesday, october 2, 2019

the

Evergreen

features

Expanding equity & inclusion

7

Greenhill appoints three new divisional directors

“

Diversity is getting an invitation to go to the dance, equity is making sure you have everything you need to go to the dance, but actual inclusion is being invited to dance once you are there.”

Equity & inclusion directors: (front, left to right) Sonja Hayes, Anna Galvez, Karen Bradberry; (back, left to right) Jaye Andrews, Lizzbeth Melendez, Caroline Kim, Greg Browne-Nichols.

cont’d from page 1 The new additions to Greenhill’s equity and inclusion team are Upper School Spanish teacher Anna Galvez ’11 and librarian Sonja Hayes who, in addition to their existing assignments, will serve as Upper School divisional directors. Middle School math teacher Jaye Andrews will continue to teach while overseeing divisional equity and inclusion responsibilities for seventh and eighth grade.

Under Bradberry’s guidance, the new team members will coordinate their work with Greenhill’s existing equity and inclusion divisional directors: Greg BrowneNichols, Preschool; Caroline Kim, Lower School and Lizzbeth Melendez, fifth and sixth grade.

The work is being divided between two faculty members within the Upper School and Middle School to allow each director more access to faculty members. The responsibilities of the directors will include organizing activities that educate students about equity and inclusion issues as well as managing affinity groups.

“You really need to have easy access to both students and faculty,” Andrews said.

“One person cannot do that job divided among four grades.”

Bradberry views inclusion at Greenhill as a work in progress.

“Greenhill has done a great job of diversifying its community, but diversity is about numbers; it’s a beginning, not the end,” Bradberry said. “Think of it this way: diversity is getting an invitation to go to the dance; equity is making sure you have everything you need to go to the dance and inclusion is actually being invited to join in with everyone else and dance once you’re there.

This is our team’s goal: making sure everyone has an invitation to dance.”

By one metric—the racial mix of fulltime faculty—Greenhill still has work to do: 33% of Greenhill’s full-time faculty are people of color, compared to 48% of students.

“It’s optics,” Galvez said. “It’s how students of color feel in this environment. I know we all care, but I don’t think we are expressing that as much as we did when I was in high school.”

How teachers and parents should approach race is an evolving subject. Studies from The Children’s Research Lab at the University of Texas show that generic messages about equality aren’t effective in coun-

tering racial socialization.

In 2017, Jennifer Harvey wrote a New York Times opinion piece in which she discussed how the way we explain racism determines how children see themselves. “‘But we’re all equal’ becomes a rote response that actually blocks white children from recognizing or taking seriously racism when they see it or hear about it,” Harvey wrote.

“I am hopeful we can influence students in our community to refrain from using statements like ‘I’m non-racist,’ ‘I’m not racist,’ and ‘I’m colorblind,’” Andrews said.

“If we are not striving to be anti-racist, there is by default racism in our contribution to the perpetuation of the inequities in our system.”

Children start becoming aware of gender, race, ethnicity, and disabilities between the ages of 2 and 5, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. They absorb both positive and negative biases attached to these aspects of identity from people around them.

“I’ve seen situations that make me know some kids are afraid to openly be who they are, or they can be scared about certain things going on in the world,” Kim said. “It comes out in their pictures and in their writing and even just in the things that they say.”

The equity and inclusion team approaches lessons differently in each division.

In Lower School, children learn through lessons and discovery with their peers. In Middle School and Upper School, teachers say they can have blunt and honest discussions that they think will help their students grow.

“Promoting equity is part of every employee’s job at this school,” Head of School Lee Hark said. “We are all a part of making Greenhill feel more equitable and inclusive.”

The new divisional directors said they are particularly focused on helping new students feel welcome in a different environment.

“When we bring in students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, we have to make sure we support them,” Galvez said.

“Admissions is one thing but giving them an environment they can survive in is a different ballgame.”

Divisional directors and teachers attended equity and inclusion seminars over the summer break to become better versed in navigating the complexities of their work.

“Our professional development sessions are so adults on campus reflect on their own experiences and how they fit into this

- Karen Bradberry Director of Equity & Inclusion

puzzle that is Greenhill,” Kim said.

Andrews also started a book club for faculty members to read and discuss discrimination within the Greenhill community. A book the club read last year, “Stamped from the Beginning” by Ibram X. Kendi, explains how racist ideas were created, spread and deeply rooted in American society.

“There are more white teachers in our book club than teachers of color, and it has been transformational for me as a person of color,” Bradberry said. “To see and hear my white colleagues that don’t have to care or deal with some of the stuff that I as a person of color deal with say, ‘We want to understand your story, and we want to be your ally’ is powerful.”

Each new director said they hope to make an impact on the Greenhill community.

“I am an advocate for all of you whether you affiliate with me or not,” Galvez said.

“I’m not just planning all the diversity events; I am here as a support system and a resource to everyone.”

The directors acknowledge their plan is a work-in-progress. They are still testing new strategies and discovering what works and what doesn’t.

“An informed people is a happy people,” Hayes said. “If we can get one person to become more open to new ideas, then that’s one more person that’s an ally to promote equity and inclusion.”

8

Evergr the

The learn

How Greenhill’s policies and status affect cont’d from page 1 that these abuses happen nationwide but said the number of students abusing extra time at Greenhill is a “distinct minority.” To him, having students with different learning styles enriches the classroom experience at Greenhill, and the school is committed to providing these students with an environment that allows them to thrive alongside their peers.

“It’s an institutional commitment, but we also have a very talented group of people who work on that issue with our students,” Hark said.

Greenhill’s policy What constitutes a medically certified learning difference? How does Greenhill decide what differences warrant extra time on assessments and other accommodations?

Greenhill follows the guidelines put out by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), said Grace Kiang, one of two Upper School learning specialists. According to Kiang, both pieces of federal legislation provide national guidelines for what is considered a learning difference.

Federal law defines a “specific learning disability” as “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.”

Learning differences cover a spectrum of mental and neurological disorders. Some students exhibit what is known

as comorbidity: the simultaneous presence of two chronic diseases or conditions in a patient. As a result, it is hard to separate a learning difference from something such as a social-emotional disorder or a neuro-developmental disorder, Upper School learning specialist Honelynn Parker said.

Kiang and Parker work hands-on with all Upper School students, whether or not they have defined learning disabilities or differences. Parker is the primary learning specialist for ninth and 10th grade students, while Kiang is the primary learning specialist for 11th and 12th grade students., They tailor their work to each student’s diagnosis. Some students, especially those who have new accommodations, require frequent attention from Kiang or Parker. Other students prefer to go to them for help when they need it, Kiang and Parker said.

“It’s a lot of individual focus and individual care,” Kiang said.

In the classroom Greenhill and other schools assist students with learning differences by granting classroom accommodations.

“It’s about leveling out the playing field,” Parker said.

The Greenhill learning specialists receive the student’s evaluation and put together the in-school documentation.

They record the relevant information and read through the evaluation and put some information on the school documentation based on evaluator recommendations, feedback from teachers and how they can see some things playing out in the classroom, Kiang said.

Upper School math teacher Michael Legacy said the number of students in his class with learning differences varies; this year, one of his classes has five students, another has four, while another has none. He is told who has a learning difference near the beginning of the year, although he doesn’t know the whole backstory of their diagnosis.

“Generally, what we know is which corrective measures we are expected to take,” Legacy said. “We should know enough to where we can actually help.”

Legacy said he has tried numerous techniques to help students with learning differences over the years. Sometimes, it’s placing a student closer to the front of the room,

and other times it’s letting a student record the class or take pictures of the board if they are a visual learner. He has found that saying what he’s writing on the board out loud and asking for questions afterwards is one of the most effective ways to engage his students.

Students who were interviewed for this story asked to remain anonymous so they could speak freely without fear of alienating friends or classmates.

A Greenhill senior who has been diagnosed with a learning difference described the process he went through before receiving his diagnosis. The student underwent six hours of testing with puzzles, with a lunch break in the middle. His evaluator then reported the diagnosis to the Greenhill specialists, who granted the student accommodations based on that information.

One of his accommodations is extra time on tests. He said he usually gets one-and-a-half times the amount allotted to students for the test.

“I’ve used [extra time] a couple of times in each subject, but I don’t always use it,” the senior said. “For hard math tests, I use it, and for physics I use it.”

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wednesday, october 2, 2019

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accommodations for learning differences Another Greenhill senior said he had been allotted extra time on tests since second grade after he was diagnosed with a processing issue.

“It’s always helped me,” the student said; however, he has also encountered situations, “especially in Middle School, where teachers thought it was an excuse.”

Some Greenhill students said they view extra time as unfair in certain instances. One senior, for example, said she believes extra time is justified for students who have challenges such as dyslexia or dysgraphia.

“However, some students are diagnosed with ‘testing anxiety,’” the senior said. “Before some tests, I want to throw up, but I’m not diagnosed with testing anxiety. There are some people who have extra time for things that are universal and that I don’t think that you need time-and-a-half for. In cases like that, it can be unfair. The process is very arbitrary, so I think that they should be a lot clearer.”

Sophomore Kendall Hashimoto said that extra time might not be necessary in all classes for an individual student.

“I know some people that struggle in math, but they’re really good at something like history, but they still get extra time on history,” Hashimoto said. “They get all this extra time that they don’t need, so they do very well.”

On the other hand, some students with learning differences contend that getting extra time is a very selective process.

“Not a lot of people get [extra time],” a sophomore who has a medical diagnosis and receives accommodations said.

“You really need to have something to get extra time. I don’t think that people take advantage of it, but I see how people on the outside could think that.”

While a student may be tested for a specific learning difference, that may not end up turning into an accommodation. The first piece of information that’s almost always required is a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) code. Each DSM code represents a different and distinct diagnosis. A medical coder will read someone’s medical records, find the diagnosis from them, and then translate those into DSM-5 codes, according to the American Academy of Professional Coders (AACP).

“We follow College Board and American College Testing (ACT) guidelines,” Parker said. “Colleges follow that very strictly, so we do as well. However, it’s also a discussion of which accommodations are actually useful for that student.”

After a family provides Greenhill with a proper evaluation with a DSM code, Kiang and Parker then begin testing what works best for the individual student.

“We will trial things out, especially if it’s a new diagnosis, and we will see what best fits the student,” Kiang said.

“If a student has a particular branch of anxiety or a recommender says that the extra time may help, the student can take some of their tests in the Academic Resource Center (ARC) so that we can observe them. Maybe they don’t need the extra time, or maybe they’re feeling even more anxious.

For every student it’s different. We look at the guidelines that the evaluator is putting forth and try things and see if they’re working.”

Standardized testing Accommodations extend beyond Greenhill and into the high-pressure world of standardized testing that factors heavily in the college admissions process. A student may also have to apply for accommodations on standardized testing for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and ACT. College Board, for example, does not automatically provide a student with accommodations, even if those accommodations are commonly present at their school.

With the larger national debate over whether some undeserving students are being given accommodations such as extra time, Greenhill sits in a scrutinized position as an independent, college preparatory private school. The New York Times has reported that 5.8% of students at high schools in the richest school districts held a 504 plan, while only 2.7% have one nationally. A 504 plan provides students with learning differences the opportunity to have certain accommodations.

College Board, a not-for-profit organization that is the administrator of the SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) exams, has its own process for determining whether or not students get extra time on standardized tests. The student must have documentation of their disability. Additionally, the student must show that their disability impacts their ability to take the test. The student will almost always have to have been already receiving these accommodations on tests at their school.

To qualify for accommodations on the ACT, a student must provide documentation that shows that their condition has been professionally diagnosed and that it severely limits a major life activity. The accommodations requested are supposed to match with the condition.

Graphic by Sarah Luan

One of the Greenhill seniors who has accommodations said it was a relatively simple process to get extra time on standardized testing.

“I used [extra time for] the ACT, and I didn’t have to do any extra testing,” he said. “I just applied for it and they gave it to me.”

The senior said he was able to take the ACT over two weekends, with two sections per weekend, as opposed to the average student who takes all four sections on one day.

The fact that data shows a correlation between accommodations and economic affluence continues to fuel the debate over the extent to which wealthy parents and students are abusing accommodations.

In light of the college admissions scandal earlier this year, some teachers, including some at Greenhill, have concerns about how the system is being gamed nationally.

“On the national level, I think there might be people who try to get somebody to identify their kids so that they can get an advantage that is not legitimate,” Legacy, the Upper School math teacher, said. “I think that’s unfair.”

Without hard data, it’s impossible to quantify the extent to which parents or students at Greenhill are abusing the system.

“In my experience [at Greenhill and other schools], the number of people who are irresponsibly seeking accommodations to give a student the chance to earn higher grades or to do better on a standardized test is a relatively small number,” Hark said. “I don’t see this as a huge problem. And even if a student has accommodations at Greenhill, that doesn’t necessarily translate to accommodations with the College Board.”

Arts

Chemistry of Photography: I creating the perfect mix of science and art

Emma Light

Online Assistant Arts Editor

n the photography dark room during sixth period, passionate students mix chemicals and hover over trays of solution as they develop images. Students print the photos on different types of paper and expose them to light, resulting in diverse takes on the image.

Upper School science teacher Kaleb Mathieu and Middle and Upper School photography teacher Frank Lopez have teamed up to bring back the Chemistry of Photography class this year. The class allows students to take photos and learn about the chemistry behind the process.

“As fun as it is to take pictures and try out different shots, being able to conduct experiments on my work and adjust certain things in my pictures is what really fascinated me about the class,” junior Kate Marano said.

The trimester-long course has 11 students enrolled.

Currently, the elective is only offered to juniors, seniors and other students with instructor approval. Students may enroll in the course for either a science or fine arts credit. However, students are required to have completed the Beginning Black and White Photography class as well as a yearlong chemistry class.

“

As fun as it is to take pictures and try out different shots, being able to conduct experiments on my work and adjust certain things is what fascinated me about the class.”

Photo courtesy of Jordan Gachman

“Students will be able to have more control on what the outcome of their image is if they understand the reasoning and chemistry behind it,” Mathieu said.

Typically, Mathieu starts the class off with a lecture on a basic chemistry concept, followed by students working in the photography dark room. They edit their photos using different elements to enhance diverse aspects of the photo. One way students can apply their chemistry knowledge to their photos is by changing the lighting or making some colors in the prints stand out more than others.

“I have no background in photography, so it’s really cool to learn with the students and teach them how chemistry can be applied to things like photography,” Mathieu said.

Because of the qualifications needed to take the class, most students are already well-versed in editing photos.

However, they’re now able to learn what’s happening chemically when different methods are applied.

Students are graded on the quality of the prints they produce in the dark room, lab reports and a few quizzes, but the teachers are primarily looking for how students apply the chemistry knowledge to their prints. There will be a final project at the end of the trimester where students must develop photos using the techniques they learned and write a lab report explaining the chemistry behind their art.

“The structure of the class is great as we don’t have tests in the class and are mostly graded off our prints and lab reports, which are all super interesting,” junior Cameron Russ said. “I signed up originally because I loved chemistry freshman year and I want to take honors photography next year, but the class has really exceeded my expectations.”

Photo courtesy of Dulany Bloom

Photo courtesy of Helena Shan

Photo courtesy of Lizbeth Ortiz

October 5

Dallas Arts Events in October October 22

Lizzo Concert/South Side Ballroom

October 11

October 5

Kacey Musgraves: Oh, What a World/ LiveNation Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

October 23

Cottonwood Art Festival/Cottonwood Park

October 18

Tyler, The Creator/Verizon Theatre

October 8

Maggie Rogers/The Bomb Factory

October 26

Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, World Tour/American Airlines Center

October 19

October 9

Masquerade & Art Fashion Show/Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas

Mumford & Sons/American Airlines Center

Chance the Rapper: The Big Day/American Airlines Center

Dallas Festival of Arts 2019/ Kidd Springs Park

October 27 Dior: From Paris to the World/Dallas Museum of Art

wednesday, october 2, 2019

the

Evergreen

DINNER & A MOVIE

arts

11

Lane Herbert and Raag Venkat eat at On The Border and review “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” Lane Herbert

Sports Editor

Raag Venkat

Managing Editor

Raag and I were equally grateful that the theater showing “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” was both the farthest from the entrance and the closest to the exits, just in case we needed to escape from Swiper (for all you fans of the cartoon series). As we took our seats toward the back, I began to scan the room. Even though it was dark, I could just make out the miniature silhouettes of about 30 4-and 5-year-olds. Raag felt right at home.

EVERYTHING YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS TRUE. EXCEPT THAT FOXES DON’T SWIPE. THAT IS A HURTFUL STEREOTYPE. These were the opening lines of the movie. Being two unsuspecting viewers (and the only teenagers in the theater), Raag and I were taken completely by surprise. We let out a huge sigh of relief; there would be no swiping today.

The movie follows 16-year-old Dora living in the middle of the jungle with her two explorer and professor parents. Dora had grown up in the jungle and mastered skills such as fleeing a stampede of elephants, utilizing the gifts of poisonous frogs and comforting herself with songs.

Raag and I were shocked when her parents sent her to the city to make friends and “start her life.”

Dora spends a few weeks in the Hollywood area living with her cousin Diego. But while, Dora proves to be a good student, she doesn’t feel quite at home. While she tries to be herself, she notices how high schoolers conceal their true selves to fit in. Her classmates call her Disco Dorka, or just Dorka.

One day, Dora, Diego and their friends Sammy and Randy get kidnapped while on a school field trip. They learn that Dora’s parents have gone missing after their latest expedition to the lost city of Parapata. The city, according to

legend, is made entirely of gold. Dora and her friends escape the box they are held in and begin the daunting task of finding her parents before the mercenaries who kidnapped her do.

Along the way, Dora learns about responsibility, patience, problem solving and, most importantly, friendship.

During the movie, Dora leaps across a canyon. Out of the blue, I see a small silhouette of a child in the row in front of me leap from chair to chair in the theater.

I look at Raag in astonishment.

“What was that?” Raag asks.

“Looks like we have front row seats to Dora, the live action!” I said as the girl finishes her final leap and lands safely into her mother’s lap.

Dora and her friends are led through the jungle by a man who is supposedly a friend of Dora’s parents. But, to our surprise, as soon as Dora finds her parents and the city, he turns on her. Dora is forced to find all the gold or else he will kill her parents.

Although Raag and I enjoyed the action-packed ending, we were shocked that Dora could paralyze two bad guys with a poisonous frog and almost drop one into a pit of fire.

You go, girl!

After the movie ended, Lane and I decided to go to dinner at On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina near the theater. Since we wanted to try everything we could, we shared a border sampler. This appetizer consisted of chicken quesadillas, fajita steak nachos and mini chicken chimis.

I, for one, could not stop eating the mini chicken chimis.

These Mexican appetizers stuffed with creamy chicken and spicy pepper jack cheese had the perfect texture and taste.

After we got our food, Lane and I started by telling our friend Harrison, who came to dinner with us, everything that we thought about the movie — the plot, our thoughts, inferences, predictions and more.

“Dora jumps across a ravine, navigates her way through

Graphic by Jothi Gupta

quicksand, is taken hostage and shipped across the world and outsmarts evil people,” Lane exclaimed breathlessly.

But what we realized in explaining the movie was that Dora was no longer the little girl we knew and loved. We were surprised how this kid’s movie could tackle real world issues of high school and relationships.

Just like us, Dora has grown up and experienced a taste of the real world.

Sports

New Year, New Lineup

Football welcomes 20 new athletes to energized program

Photos courtesy of Patrick Green Pictures

FOOTBALL FRENZY: (Left) Junior Gregory Osler completes a pass during the home game against Cistercian on Friday, Sept. 13. (Right) Freshman Jaylon Hall-Wright tackles a Cistercian player with the help of teammates. Coach Casey Selfridge said he is excited to work with this year’s team, 20 new members from inside and outside Greenhill.

Spencer Jacobs Online Asst. Sports Editor

T

he varsity football team has added 20 new players this year with hopes of improving on a winless 2018 season.

After facing adversity last season, only a year after making the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) championship game, Head Football Coach Casey Selfridge has tapped new talent in his drive to cultivate a new football culture.

“The culture has changed a lot over the past year,” senior and team captain Angelo Drossos said. “We, as a team, are much closer than we were last year. We have a set of core beliefs that we try to follow consistently.”

Nine new players are freshmen who attended Middle School at Greenhill; six

are new to Greenhill and five are returning students who haven’t played football before.

Sophomore Gideon Myers is one of the returning Greenhill students who is playing football for the first time. Myers was attracted to the team after hearing how much fun the players had last year, despite the losing season.

“Some of my friends played last year and they all loved it, even though they weren’t winning,” Myers said. “I wanted to be a part of something that is fun no matter the score.”

Junior Carter Shedd said the returning players were key to convincing him to join the team this year.

“My friends convinced me to join,” Shedd said. “More kids are playing, and all of them want to see their friends on the

team.”

While the team has only 11 members on the field at any time, the entire squad is finding ways to contribute through spirited practices and sideline support, Selfridge said.

“We’ve definitely noticed a competitionlevel increase [at practice],” Selfridge said.

“There are younger guys that are pushing for time and that’s fun. It also changes how we practice because practice looks get better.

That’s an improvement over last year where we couldn’t get great practice looks against our opponents because we didn’t have the guys or the skill level to be able to do that.”

The increase in players has allowed the junior varsity (JV) football team to schedule more games. Last year, JV played only two games due to a lack of players. These games

served as an opportunity for the players who didn’t play much at the varsity level to get experience. The lack of players meant some varsity starters would have to play for JV and varsity.

“I think having JV games gives valuable reps to those younger guys who don’t get many minutes on varsity so they’re ready when their name is called on Friday,” Drossos, the team captain, said.

The successful recruiting efforts of the past year have given the Greenhill coaching staff a young nucleus to build on next year.

“We only have five seniors on the team, so a lot of young guys are playing right now,” Selfridge said. “To look at the guys contributing at the freshman and sophomore level, let’s just say they have a bright future.”

the

Evergreen The student huddle

sports

wednesday, october 2, 2019

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Fantasy Football culture and competition on the Hill his best friends, Ben Didlake, for the partner league. The two have spent countless hours discussing weekly strategies, Blumenfeld said. On Sundays, the two friends pick up wings and head back to one of their houses to watch the games unfold.

“I set aside my homework to watch football with Ben (Blumenfeld),” Didlake said. “Fantasy football has strengthened my friendship with him and our other friends who we compete against.”

In most of Greenhill’s Upper School leagues there is a cash prize for the champion.

In some leagues, the losers must endure punishments stipulated by the league. In an all-sophomore league, for example, losers will be required to come to school wearing unflattering clothing stipulated by the winner.

The juniors also created a punishment for their ultimate loser: The team that finishes in last place will be forced to sing a song during Upper School community time.

“At first, I wasn’t too worried about singing on stage but after losing a few games, I am starting to stress,” junior Lucas Henry said.

In addition to students, some Greenhill teachers also participate in fantasy football leagues. Middle School history teacher Parker Ainsworth is commissioner of a Greenhill league that includes Director of Service Learning & Community Service Angela Woodson and Assistant Head of Middle School Michael Jenks.

“I think the kids get a kick out of this old lady who plays fantasy football with them,” Woodson said. “It’s just our little way of building community.”

Davis Gutow

Online Sports Editor

Brent Ladin

Online Asst. Sports Editor

I

t’s snack break on a Monday morning.

In the quad patio between the English and History pods, in The Buzz and other areas of Upper School. Juniors and seniors are huddled in small groups—talking trades, discussing strategies and celebrating victories.

It’s fantasy football season at Greenhill.

Some 41 million people around the world participate in fantasy football, an online competition that revolves around individual players who compete in the National Football League (NFL). Each member of the league acts as a team owner and general manager, drafting 15 NFL players for their squad. Teams score points based on the actual performance of their players in the week’s NFL games.

Fantasy football is one of America’s most popular games in the fall. It’s become big business for CBS Sports, ESPN, Yahoo and other companies that host fantasy leagues. League participants typically pay entry fees within their leagues, with the money going into a pot claimed by the league winner. People aren’t only compelled by the potential of earning money, but also the pure enjoyment of competing against friends.

The social aspect of fantasy football is evident around Greenhill.

An eighth-grade league in Middle School was formed three years ago and has the reputation for being very competitive.

One Upper School league is comprised of 20 juniors divided into two-person teams, and they have been playing together for eight years.

“We have been playing [fantasy football] for as long as I can remember,” team owner Ben Blumenfeld said. “I always spend the last

two weeks of the summer preparing for the league.”

Even though the juniors have been playing together for eight years, this is the first

Graphic by Sarah Luan

year that players have teamed up to create a 20-person league. In the past, there have been two different leagues with ten players in each. Blumenfeld is teamed with one of

News editor Cameron Kettles and Asst. Online Sports Editor Spencer Jacobs contributed to this report

Hayden’s hoops and dreams

Senior gives views on the 2019-2020 Dallas Mavericks season

I

couldn’t be more excited to watch the 2019-2020 Dallas Mavericks in action.

They are a young team with exciting offensive weapons.

Hayden Jacobs On the 2019-2020 Dallas Mavericks The first thing I’m excited about this season is—obviously—the foreign duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

Luka, a small forward from Slovenia, is coming off a first season that landed him the Rookie of the Year award. The third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft averaged 21.2 points per game last season along with 7.8 rebounds and 6 assists—all while he was 19 years old. He’s going to need to work on his three-point percentage as last season he shot 4% lower than the league average.

However, I’m not worried.

It was obvious last year as the season went on that Luka became more comfortable shooting NBA threes and started to let it fly more often. I expect him to shoot above the league average this year, especially since teams will have to worry about guarding Kristaps Porzingis at the same time.

Kristaps, a 7-foot-3-inch power forward, shoots the ball like a guard.

He signed a new five-year, $158 million contract this summer and will prove he’s

worth it after sitting out the entire 20182019 season recovering from a torn ACL. During his last season with the Knicks in 2017, he shot nearly 40% from outside the arc. I’m expecting him to put up similar numbers this year. He gained a ton of muscle this off-season and is turning himself into a player who will cause problems for defenders in the post.

Here’s the part opposing teams are going to have nightmares about: Kristaps setting screens for Luka. Luka will be able to attack the basket on just about everyone who stands in his way. He’s shifty and has court vision you can only expect from people way older than he is.

When he does pass it, though, it’ll either be to Kristaps behind the arc, knocking down threes on big men who aren’t nearly quick enough to follow him outside, or Kristaps posting up little guards who have no chance after switching onto him.

Another player I’m excited about is Jalen Brunson. Brunson was drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft after a great three years at Villanova, where he won two national championships and was named National Player of the Year as a junior. He came off the bench for the Mavs at the beginning of last season, but found himself consistently in the starting spot after the All-Star break. After this, he doubled his scoring average and nearly did the same with his assists. His fast and aggressive play landed him a spot on the

USA national team this summer. With even more experience under his belt, he’s going to make big contributions all season long. He managed to improve all through last season, and I think he’ll keep that going all through this year.

This summer, the Mavs extended Dwight Powell with a three-year, $33 million deal that starts after this season.

People close to the organization weren’t surprised that the team wanted to keep Powell around. The coaching staff says that he’s great to be around and teammates praise his work ethic. I don’t think this extension will have a huge impact for the Mavs on the court this season. However, the deal makes sense; it’s a great value for someone of his skill level. The big man is starting to develop a three-point shot, shooting a career high 1.6 threes per game last season and is going to play well alongside fellow big, Kristaps.

Additionally, the Mavs re-signed Maxi Kleber, J.J. Barea and Dorian FinneySmith, three veteran Mavericks who won’t make a huge difference with the team’s record this season.

The Mavs had a disappointing free agency season. They missed out on signing Malcolm Brogdon and Danny Green, free agents with postseason experience who could’ve pushed the Mavs over the hump and allowed them to make a deep playoff run. Instead, they were able to sign Seth Curry and Boban Marjanovic. Curry is

one of the league’s best spot-up shooters and will provide Luka with a strong option if he chooses to kick the ball out on his drives. Boban is a 7-foot-3-inch center who can dunk without jumping.

He will make a difference in the paint for the Mavs this season and provides strong depth to their front court.

Even with an inexperienced roster, I’m confident veteran Head Coach Rick Carlisle will have them ready to compete come the season’s commencement.

Photo by Caroline Greenstone

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senior columns

A (Baby) Grand feeling I work harb every day jeffrey harberg editor-in-chief

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think I learned how to time travel.

The other night, I got into my car. It was the end of one of those days; I felt like I wasn’t getting into any colleges, I was going to fail all my classes and my head was going to explode. So, as the moon lit up my dashboard, I turned the ignition and put my car into drive. The first thing that played through my AUX chord was the opening piano runs of “Baby Grand” by Billy Joel and Ray Charles.

In four minutes, I fell in love.

Suddenly, I wasn’t in my car anymore.

In fact, I wasn’t really anywhere — it was just

the music and me. Just Billy, Ray and Jeffrey, and it was one of the most transformative moments of my teenage years. It wasn’t even my first time hearing that song, but something about those beautiful notes made my heart leap.

Today’s music doesn’t connect with people the way it used to. With very few exceptions (I love you, Daniel Caesar and Michael Bublé), I feel that obnoxious lyrics and a lack of true soul and emotion have tainted the raw passion that should infiltrate songs. It’s truly amazing; I can be whisked away from 2019 and suddenly, genuinely feel like I’m existing in the time of the music — a much simpler time, that is — just from a few notes on the piano. That’s the allure of old music.

I often wish I grew up in the 1980s with Michael Jackson, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, George Strait and Billy Joel revolutionizing music in front of my eyes, but part of me appreciates how I fell in love with these melodies thirty years removed. I have

the

the opportunity to daydream, to imagine myself watching these performers on stage in their prime, with anything in the world being possible.

I feel nostalgic for a time I never lived in, and that’s truly magical.

So, as “Baby Grand” came to its conclusion, I returned to the car I had never really left. I wanted to listen again. I wanted to meet Billy Joel, the man who had just taught me how powerful old blues-soft rock music can be; how moving and compelling the tunes can be. Really, it’s stunning how I could be lifted out of the driver’s seat of a moving vehicle, mesmerized by the beauty of a single song.

I’m sorry, Lil Uzi Vert, but your music just doesn’t cut it for me.

So, I urge you all to do something: put on some headphones, lay on your bed or sit in your car, close your eyes, and listen to a blues or soul song or two from the 1980s.

Suddenly, you won’t feel like you’re living in 2019 anymore.

We’re all in this together nat your average column natalie gonchar views editor

E

ntering high school, I had foolishly presumed it would be just like any other teen movie featuring kids our age.

It’d be fun and a breeze; our queen Sharpay Evans managed to pull it all together and burst into a musical number between each passing period. If she could have the fun social life and not fail out of school, then so could I, right?

Let’s flashback to my first week of

freshman year in chemistry class; I didn’t understand any of the material (like what even is stoichiometry) but I remained calm and detached, as being stressed over school work wasn’t a part of any movie I’d seen.

But this wasn’t “High School Musical,” and I did not have a jumbo pink locker and a miniature purse dog.

Coming home to an interim email on your Outlook addressed to both your parents and advisor is an indescribable feeling that will quickly make you check back into reality. Reading that you got a legitimate 27% on your first assessment in high school is quite the wakeup call.

So what did I do? I focused all my time and energy into this one class. I sacrificed time with friends and avoided completing my homework in all the other courses I was enrolled in. I studied for hours for my chemistry exam and decided it would

because i syed so amber syed executive editor

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t times when I find myself stressfully skimming through my overwhelming to-do list, I often plug in my earphones and play an old Justin Bieber album. It’s not exactly his pre-pubescent voice or his long, shiny hair that gets me every time, it’s the fact that each song reminds me of a memory that I cherish to this day. I press play, and suddenly I can see my sister forcing me to sing the background vocals

Our Editorial Policy The Evergreen is an independent, student-run newspaper serving the community of Greenhill School. It is printed six times during the school year. Print circulation is 1,000 copies. Past issues are archived at issuu.com/ghevergreen.

The Evergreen staff upholds a code of ethics that values honesty, integrity, accuracy and responsibility. Our mission is to help the local community interpret campus, local, national and international events through articles and editorials written and edited by students.

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

The Evergreen will not publish material that we judge to be libelous, obscene, invades privacy or constitutes hate speech. Anonymous letters will not be published.

The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of The Evergreen staff, not necessarily that of Greenhill School.

We welcome advertisements, but reserve the right to refuse an ad. Business inquiries should be directed to Vinay Vas at vasv20@greenhill.org.

editors-in-chief Jeffrey Harberg Hayden Jacobs

executive editor Amber Syed

managing editors Sonali Notani Leah Nutkis Riya Rangdal Raag Venkat

photos and graphics editor Sarah Luan

arts editor

Sumana Kethu

features editor Cameron Kettles

be a good idea to cram for Spanish II Honors during the small gap between the morning and afternoon exam. As you may be thinking, it was a bad and unsuccessful idea.

And what did it get me? Stress, anxiety and bad grades.

But then I began to realize that, at a place like Greenhill, or anywhere really, you can’t just focus on one thing. With so many classes, sports and friend commitments, it can be hard to adjust and find techniques that work for you individually. It may take some small sacrifices along the way, but it will make you a lot happier (and a lot less stressed) when you can get the grades you want while also maintaining your personal life. Life isn’t a single commitment, and the small decisions you make can have a big impact on your academic career. But don’t worry, we’re all in this together.

news editor

Caroline Greenstone

sports editor Lane Herbert

views editor

Natalie Gonchar

online editor-in-chief Sonia Dhingra

online executive editor Jothi Gupta

online broadcast editor Tej Dhingra

online associate editor

Take your headphones off! of “One Time” as she takes the lead and steals the show with the chorus (Imma tell you one time, girl I love, girl I love youuu).

Music has this unique ability to make you instantly feel nostalgic. When I’m driving home alone and it’s 11:00 at night, I can’t help but blast Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass,” The Killers “Mr. Brightside,” or Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls.” On occasion, it’s Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” or Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” (depending on the mood).

Sometimes I find myself only replaying throwback songs. While everyone around me is listening to Cardi B’s newest song, I’m stuck listening to Akon’s “Right Now,” which was released in 2008. I can never get the same “feels” from Taylor’s “Lover” album, as I could from her first one. I don’t know if it’s because I loved her old songs more, or if it’s because I feel happy thinking of those memories.

Evergreen staff

Lola Frenkel

Everything looks better in hindsight.

It’s so easy to wish things were how they used to be when the present moment is filled with challenges. The truth is that, even with those “great old days,” there were difficulties I faced then too; I just simply forgot. I’m sure first grade me was dealing with some “tragic” drama on the playground, or seventh grade me was convinced that a bad grade in first period math class was going to ruin my life.

Nostalgia is a beautiful thing. Yes, still listen to throwback songs every now and then; I know I do all the time. But don’t forget to seize the day. Take your headphones off sometimes and focus on the people around you. In ten years, you’ll be looking back at songs from 2019 and thinking about “the good old days.” The best is yet to come.

online arts editor Mila Nguyen

online science & tech editor Victor Le

online sports editor Davis Gutow

online asst. arts editors Emma Light Alyssa Miller

online asst. sports editors Brent Ladin Spencer Jacobs

videographer Chloe Wetzler

Corrections & Clarifications We pledge to correct our errors. To request a correction or clarification, email us at: evergreen@greenhill.org

business manager Vinay Vas

adviser

Gregg Jones

asst. adviser Amy Bresie

wednesday, october 2, 2019

the

Evergreen

Rants & Raves A RAVE to the new stuff at The Buzz! There’s nothing that I love more than walking into The Buzz after many summer months away only to discover a complete restock of new and exciting snacks, drinks, and merch. From waffle knit sweaters to Bubly drinks, our campus store just keeps upping their game. Watch out parents, what happens at The Buzz stays at The Buzz.

rants & raves

15

A RANT to teacher only printers. Since the start of the year, we all have had last minute homework assignments that we were just unable to print on time.

But how come the only printers we know how to find are designated for teachers only? It’s harder for us to turn in our assignments when only the top 1% of the Upper School knows the IP of the printers.

A RAVE to the new doughnut place on Belt Line! We all like to rick it for the biscuit (or doughnut) at 84 point before school, but it's got some serious competition since the opening of a new donut shop on Belt Line. I mean it’s like the neighborhood knows the way of getting to our hearts and our stomachs, doughnuts!

A RANT to no more couches by the Elliott Center...We all remember those semi -comfortable couches by the robotics room that we used to relax in or even admire while receiving our printouts, but that cozy corner is no longer. This year we once again have to explore the campus for a new chill spot where we won't be yelled at for being too loud, or not doing work. Wish us luck on this neverending relocation journey, as we will need it.

A RAVE to FNL! This is a rant yet a rave at the same time.

This may be an Evergreen first, so buckle up folks.

Friday Night football games are back!!! But come on, our student section needs a little bit of work! The world is our oyster so let’s get creative! How about some themes, classic coins in a bottle, baby powder, literally anything to help us cheer on our team!! So let’s #STINGEM

A RANT to no more study rooms... We have all experienced the tragedy that is walking into the library with your friends to do some group work only to discover that all the study rooms are occupied (sometimes by a single person), but now that tragedy is inevitable.

The library has taken over and converted the study rooms into faculty work areas. So as mentioned before, where are we students supposed to go?

A RAVE to the girls varsity volleyball squad.

Props to Meredith (aka Kaylee), Sola and Natalie for entertaining us every community time when we are struggling to keep our eyes open.

Meredith’s poems and madlibs are of exquisite taste and style, and we can’t wait for the upcoming content of the squad. We ask and hope to recieve!

A RANT to the arctic tundra that is Upper School North. Every time that I sit down to work, all I can think about are the icicles that must be forming on my fingers and toes! And even if we bring jackets to fight the wintry chill of the pods and locker rooms, we are still doomed by the sweltering heat of Texas outdoors.

A RAVE to having a gas station near Greenhill.

On those days when you forget that your fuel has run low, it’s so convenient to have that Mobil gas station just 500 feet away! It’s a great place to splurge on snacks and you will almost always find another friendly Greenhill face there to hang out with.

Staff-Ed: Starting the conversation on the policies of the Hill

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here is no doubt about it: Greenhill is a family.

The work of the students, parents and administration make our school unique and drive Greenhill to break new barriers each year. However, individuals are what make a family work. The qualities that distinguish us from our peers and relatives create a diverse and successful community. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves a crucial question: Is it fair to punish an individual for another’s actions?

Like past school years, students and their families have been asked to read the Greenhill handbook and sign a statement acknowledging the school’s policies, standards and expectations. This year, a longstanding statement in the fine print of each student’s enrollment contract was included in the handbook, and it caught our attention.

“The School may also terminate the student if, in the sole discretion of the Head of School, the student’s parents, guardians, or any other people associated with the students act in ways that reflect poorly on the School, harm the School’s reputation, negatively impact the School community or are inconsistent with the School’s mission or expected standards of conduct.”

In short, Greenhill may expel a student for the actions of their parents, guardian or any other closely associated person.

We, the staff of the Evergreen, were initially shocked and appalled to read this sentence. We thought it was not only vague, but it was also unfair that a student would be responsible for the actions of a parent, guardian or close associate. So, we asked Head of School Lee Hark about it.

Mr. Hark paid a visit to the Evergreen room during sixth period recently to discuss the policy and address our concerns.

We learned a lot.

First, we learned the enrollment termination provision is not a new policy. It has existed for many years, and was inserted in the new online handbook this year to make it more explicit. And it is a provision that is common to private schools.

Second, what seemed like vague wording to us was very intentional wording by Greenhill’s lawyers.

Their objective, common in the legal profession, was to encompass all possible scenarios that might trigger enforcement of the policy.

Finally, we learned that the policy exists as an option of last-resort, if all other remedies fail. Mr. Hark said that he has never exercised his unilateral powers of expulsion related to this specific policy during his time at Greenhill, and he hopes he won’t have to in the future. If a family violates the school’s values and code of conduct, extensive efforts will be made to address the situation before expulsion is considered, Mr. Hark pledged.

As Mr. Hark explained these points to us and patiently answered our questions and addressed our concerns, we were persuaded that our initial shock and opposition were misplaced.

So, what exactly can we take away from this experience?

It’s vital that students and their families understand what the contract they sign with the school entails.

And it’s vital that families adhere to Greenhill’s guiding principles of honor, respect and compassion.

While we understand the policy more clearly, we also believe that Mr. Hark’s extraordinary power to expel a student for their parents’ or guardians’ actions should be exercised rarely and judiciously. We pledge to be vigilant and to hold the administration accountable in the exercise of its last-resort powers of expulsion.

For now, we urge students to start a conversation with their parents, friends and teachers. Like the experience described above, a lack of acceptance stems from a lack of understanding. The best way to alleviate these moments is to start talking about them. If not now, then when?

the

Evergreen

16 backpage

wednesday, october 2, 2019

Lovely Greenhill students, it is I, Natalie Gonchar, your seasonal backpage editor returning for some seasonal food reviews! My friends and I decided to visit a few big fast food chains to try out their takes on the fall season. Below are some quick details on the different places and foods. If you aren’t satisfied, scan the QR code to check out my lovely seasonal vlog!

Dairy Queen As the first stop on our fabulous seasonal tour, I was genuinely surprised by how amazing their pumpkin pie blizzard tastes! The ratios are perfect: it’s sweet, has pumpkin pie crust bites in it, and tastes like a classic pumpkin pie without any seasonal overkill. It’s not expensive, and has a drive-through option for those not willing to leave their cool cars. And if this doesn’t convince you, nothing will… It passed the famous flip test!

Baskin-Robbins

Krispy Kreme abund Let’s talk o the pu ance of the ptions: the re is a mpkin m at K spice c n r s i p s a p i k c y e e doug K dough opinio r e m h e. n and a n, the pum ut, they didnut to the p From umpk not di (yes, I little too cl pkin spice in s a p the ot take my re ose for com doughnut i point. In m h s v y good t er hand, we iews this se fort to a gla a little blan zed ob d rio h cake d e true. Yes ave the cake usly, I’m n doughnut o , pump oughnuts li I may be a doughnut t t sorry). On ke lit ki h omme n spiciness no other, b tle biased s at is just too i t car to nd. Once ag o batter rat ut this has t nce I LOVE io, wh he pe enjoy ain, y throw , and if you ou don’t ha ich I highl rfect yr ve in som a e free sk nicely, th to leave yo ecKrispy ey u Kreme might eve r n merch .

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Everyone knows our beloved pumpkin spice latte that is the marker of the fall season. This drink is like the groundhog of fall, but have you heard of her younger sister, pumpkin cold brew with cream? Well, let me enlighten you: She is delicious. I’ve been a fan of this drink before even beginning this review, and that speaks volumes. This drink is cool against the weird fall Texas heat, and has the perfect ratio of bitterness to sweetness. Don’t even get me started on the caffeine factor, as she will start your day whether you’re ready or not, AND you can pick this bad boy up from a drive-through window (even 3 minutes away from the Greenhill campus)!