The Lynx Link Newspaper - March 2015

The Lynx Link Table of Contents:

March 20,2015

Volume 1 Issue 1

Memphis, TN

Spring Sports..........2

Basketball...............3 Senior Night............3 Skal Labissiere........4 Scholastic Art..........5 International Week..6 Robotics..................7 Not pictured: Jason Shwer, Rebecca Price, Nassem Yousef, Emily Thomas, Epiphany Jones, Rachel Layton, Tony Chen, Emma Cavag-

Capstone.................8 nero, Maggie Lin

Several Lausanne students are bringing back the Into the Woods........9

school newspaper called The Lynx Link. The newspaper

One Acts................10 will cover sports, current events at the school,

achievements of Lausanne students, and theater arts. Be on

Shakespeare..........10 the lookout for future issues which will also include a current

events of the world section and more articles about the

Advice Column......11 lower and middle schools. All publications this year will

be online, but next year will be online and in print. If you are

interested in being a part of the club next year there are still

spots open. Contact Dahlia Katz or Hannah Meskin for more

information! Happy reading and go Lynx!

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Sports season due to hard work in the weight room, and the participation in other sports leads the team to be in great shape for the By: Jason Shwer upcoming season. There are high expectations for the lacrosse or those who don’t know, Socteam during the upcoming seacer, Lacrosse (boys/girls), Track son, and we all know, they can (boys/girls), and Tennis (boys/ fulfill them. girls) are the spring sports we have here at Lausanne.

When talking to Coach Orf, the head coach of boys varsity lacrosse, he explained how, “in the lower division, we expect that this team will return to the Division 2 championship. We are easily the best team in the lower division. We fully expect to beat level 1 division teams as well.” The team had a preseason scrimmage against our arch This spring is a new era for Laurival ECS in February for our first sanne Soccer. The soccer team, preseason game, and Lausanne’s under new head coach Rogerio boys lacrosse were victorious Lima, has turned its program with a score of 4 - 3. Coach Orf around in a positive way. In a said, “The defense played very short period of time, Lima has well together, but the offense been able to transform the Lauhas work to do, to become more sanne’s soccer program into a functional.” more competitive and driven platform. When Coach Lima was asked about the upcoming season, he responded, “We will have a very challenging season due to the fact that the team obtained a major coaching adjustment. The program is heading in a different direction, Coach Orf feels that the team is more organized structure where very prepared for the upcoming

Spring Sports Preview

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commitment level is expected.

It is difficult to balance academics and athletics but our players need to find a good balance.”

Coach Lima knows it will be a challenging year because of the difficult schedule for the season.

Coach Lima’s process for success is, “If you know how to motivate them and make them believe in your philosophy, that gives you guaranteed success. If we come in and we have too many juniors and seniors who won’t buy into it right away then that becomes a problem.” Coach Lima expects the team to be in its best shape around the end of March and the begginning of April. He knows that it will be a very challening season for the team, but if the players buy in to the system, they can be successful. The soccer team has what it takes to be successful during the spring season under Coach Coach Rogerio Lima.

Interviewed by: Hannah Meskin and Dahlia Katz Edited by: Christian Locastro

Lynx Basketball

made their home from the three point line, beating the Lynx in an excess of 10 points. This time the Lynx had a more concerted effort By: Luis Barranco on closing out on the shooters This season the Lynx had a very and rebounding the ball, stopgood season standing at 20-10. ping easy second chance points.

Electrifying team play is normal This serves to show the leaps this for these group of guys on the Lynx team has made from the becourt. Camren Taylor spoke to us ginning of conference play. With about the season saying, “This all these factors coming together, has been a good season, with a the Lynx stand as a force for good record and we had intenfuture playoff opponents, holding tions of going deep in the tournaall the ingredients to the recipe ment.” This territory is no strangof success. er for the Lynx, as 8 of the 13 current players were apart of the senior heavy 2012 - 2013 team that went on to win the TSSAA Division 2-A championship. This year’s team has three seniors that lead this year’s team who were Spencer Mackey, Aldair Carlos, and Marc Crawford. Also, the Lynx have skill ranging from all five positions of the court from sophomore Point Guard, Jesse Edited by: Christian Locastro Neloms, to sophomore Center, Isaiah Stokes. Talent and experience can only take you so far; teamwork is a necessity to reach the pinnacle of the league. When speaking upon how the team has improved throughout the season, Camren feels that every- By: Epiphany Jones As homecoming week came to a one has grown and improved close, the school was able to celtogether. He said, “Everyone has ebrate with victories from both the gotten better as a whole”. Angirls and boys basketball teams other improvement that Camren against Catholic, the homecoming expressed was how this year’s dance, and most importantly, senior team has grown and excelled night. Senior night is an evening to acknowledge our senior athletes from the beginning to now. “We understand our own roles more.” for the time they have dedicated to Game-by-Game, fans can see the their sports and the ending of their final season as a lynx. The evening improvement on both sides of is drained with feelings of sorrows, the ball by the team. In a recent nostalgia, and excitement as the matchup, the Lynx perimeter denight gives one a look at what it will fense versus ECS was vastly imlike to officially leave Lausanne and proved since the last meeting. In become alumni in the spring. the last meeting, the ECS Eagles I was fortunate enough to be able to

talk to a few of our seniors regarding their time at as an athlete at Lausanne as well as some of their future plans. When speaking about her time as a Lausanne cheerleader Gabi Grisoni said, “I will definitely miss it. I have contemplated cheering in college and if that opportunity presents itself, I may take it.”

Brenna Pulliam a star bowler for Lausanne says that to her bowling means, “having the most skilled athletes I know come together and roll balls down the allies, while eating fries.” Marc Crawford speaks on the importance of having a positive attitude and says, “I would rather be a well respected player, because it doesn’t matter if people like my game as long as I like my game.”

These seniors, along with all of the rest will be truly missed. You have all made a major impact on our sports during your time at Lausanne.

We would like to thank you for your commitment and involvement in to your teams and our athletic community. Congratulations and good luck to all of you in the future!

Senior Night – January 23rd, 2015

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Edited by: Sarah Edwards

Achievments of Lausanne Students Skal

By: Hannah Meskin and Dahlia Katz

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asketball. Student. School.

Haiti. Those were just four of the few words that Skal Labissiere knew when he moved to Memphis, TN from Haiti.

Skal was just 14 years old left his home country. He knew no English, he had no family, and he had no idea what life would be like in America. Skal remembers how, “the food was different and how differently people act here in the United States”. When Skal first came to the Memphis, he was thrown into a new school having never spoken fluent English before. Skal recalls how while attending ECS, a French teacher assisted him with his English, but other than that he was on his own to learn an entirely new language. While dealing with all of the new adjustments to the Memphis lifestyle, Skal was able to learn English in just under a year.

While in Haiti, Skal had not even thought of playing colle4

giate level basketball. For him and most other Haitian kids, basketball was solely a recreational activity. Skal had never even thought about becoming a college basketball player, because it was not popular in Haiti and most people were focused on the NBA. However, “after I got offered a scholarship from the University of Memphis, the summer before freshman year, I knew I wanted to play college basketball.” For Skal, basketball was not just a sport he enjoyed, he says, “ I can’t imagine my life if I didn’t play basketball.”

Basketball has always been there for Skal, especially during the hard times. It was a way for him to make friends no matter where he was.

University of North Carolina, University of Memphis, University of Tennessee, Baylor University, Georgetown University, and the University of Kentucky were Skal’s top six college options, after being offered several scholarships from universities all around the world. Choosing where to go to college is a life changing decision and Skal could not

have done it alone. Skal says his guardian was always there to help him and told him, “that where to go college was completely his decision.”

While being a Lausanne Lynx this past year Skal says, “It has been a very smooth transition and everyone has been so welcoming to me.” Skal is ready and excited to move onto his next journey at college and he, “does not think college will be that hard of a transition because Lausanne is very similar to college”.

Skal Labissiere, number three recruit in the country, future Kentucky Wildcat, and current Lausanne Lynx has overcome more than most high school kids can even imagine. Once a Lynx, always a Lynx! All of Lausanne will support Skal throughout his entire basketball career.

Edited by: Nassem Yousef

Scholastic Art Achievements By: Sarah Boxer

2014

was an incredible year for Lausanne’s talented artists. Lausanne students received fifty-seven total awards in 2014’s Scholastic Art competition. The Scholastic Art competition is an organization that strives to identify students with impressive artistic talents. Lausanne’s gifted students ended the year with a bang by receiving several gold keys, silver keys, and honorable mentions.

The Scholastic Art & Writing awards have been recognizing the creativity and brilliance of America’s young adults, and provided opportunities for talented youth to thrive, for ninety years.

During the program’s 2014 year, a total of 255,000 original works were submitted. Out of those 255,000, Lausanne students were awarded seven gold keys, sixteen silver keys, and twenty-eight honorable mentions.

In total, Lausanne students received three cash awards, two senior portfolio gold keys, and one divisional placement. Emma Rudd ‘15, one of Ms. Manzo’s Atelier students, was awarded with a two-hundred dollar cash prize after winning third place overall in Scholastic’s senior division with her work titled “Reading Between the Lines.”

Morgan Walker ‘15, a student in Mr. Naya’s photography course, won a two-hundred dollar cash prize for her work, titled “Nevermore.” Veera Rajamaa ‘15, another Atelier student, received a threehundred dollar printmaking award after finishing third place in the entire division of 11th and 12th grade applicants nationally with her piece titled “Under Pressure.” Both Veera Rajamaa and Morgan Walker received senior portfolio gold keys.

There were only two Memphis schools that won more Scholastic awards in comparison to Lausanne, both with 2,000-3,000 students solely in high school. This year was definitely the best year yet for Lausanne at the Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards, congratulations to all of Lausanne’s winners!

Edited by: Nassem Yousef

Pictures by: Carrie Lottheros 5

By: Tony Chen

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International Week

nternational Week returned to Lausanne this year from Feb. 9 – 12, 2015. Throughout the week, the Lausanne community embraced and connected with the global community through daily activities.

Each day, Sra. Chary Jara provided trivia questions to the student body about various cultural traditions, with prizes given to the first students to correctly answer. To start off the week, our foreign language students hosted and performed in a talent show at EPAC, with acts originating from around the world. The student body and faculty had a great time setting up the show and participating in this special convocation. Students then donned international T-shirts and outfits, extending from Asia to South America, on Tuesday to show off their school spirit and celebrate all cultures. On Wednesday, several students brought foods from their own cultures or of their foreign language courses. With so many students flocking to the food stand, this was no doubt a huge success for the week. To finish off International Week 2015, the foreign language teachers hosted arts-and-crafts activities for a relaxing and creative end to the week. Overall, Lausanne students had the wonderful opportunity to broaden their awareness of the many cultures around the world and within the Lausanne community. Hopefully, International Week will continue in Lausanne tradition for many years to come.

Have any free time? Try our Word Search!

Blue French Diversity Tennessee Mandarin Gold Lausanne Memphis Collegiate History

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Cottingham Spanish Knowledge Lynx Math Science Massey Lendenwood English School

Current Events at LCS Middle School Robotics By: Aynsley Hartney

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his semester, Lausanne is competing in a robotics competition hosted by Medtronic Spinal.

The team consists of an incredible group of middle school girls.

But wait, you may be asking yourself – why an all-girls team at a co-ed school like Lausanne?

Here’s why. Engineering is a field that is underrepresented by women. There are many reasons for this imbalance, but a lot of people believe the source of the problem lies with the lack of encouragement girls receive with regard to STEM related fields (Science, technology, engineering, and math) at a young age.

STEM opportunities such as robotics and computer programming seem to be targeted mainly

at the boys. Girls aren’t excluded from participating, but collaboration on STEM projects seem to be dominated by the boys. Girls aren’t given an equal opportunity to share their ideas and talents with the group as they are not as encouraged to do so.

When I found out I had to do a CAS (creativity, action service) project for the IB programme, I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a little bit of change in this area so I got permission to create an all-girls robotics team. I want to give the girls an opportunity to develop their skills and pursue their interest in math, science, and programming. I hope to become their mentor by encouraging them to follow their passions and to instill in them the belief that their abilities are without limits.

I want to eliminate beliefs and mantras that claim that “boys should do that” or “I’m not as good as my brother.”

I was inspired by an eighth grade internship at Medtronic to pursue engineering as a possible career.

I met with many accomplished women from different departments within Medtronic, who inspired me to pursue my interest in engineering - they have become my mentors, my role models. I still remember all of 7

the advice and encouragement they gave me.

Now, as a junior in high school, I am looking for colleges offering majors in biomedical engineering. I was set on a path to help me pursue my passion, and now it seems only right that I give other girls the opportunity to jumpstart their passion and pursue their dreams.

We started work on the robot on February 11th. The girls decided to name our team The Athenians. The team includes Anaum Showkat ’20, Dalia Chemaitilly ’21, Elaina Przybyszewski ’21, Hannah Lowe ’20, Isabel Kagoo ’21, and Shreya Palakurthi ’21.

The name seems fitting as Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, inspiration, strategy, and skill.

We are ready to take on this challenge and represent Lausanne well in the competition on May 2nd.

Capstone By: Faith Brown

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he infamous 2015 Capstone deadline has just passed. As with every year, the members of the sophomore class are as eager to present their research as they are eager to put this project behind them. To those who are unaccustomed, the Capstone project is an independent research paper conducted during Sophomore Year that is intended to prepare students, especially potential IB Diploma candidates, for the Extended Essay by honing organization, time management, and writing skills. Sound familiar? For those who have been at Lausanne in the eighth grade, Capstone is a more extensive version of the Cornerstone. Even though Capstone is beneficial in developing lifelong academic skills, no one ever said that it was easy. As the deadline approached students were at different stages of their completion; and, this is normal.

When asked about her feelings in regard to the deadline, Danielle Howard, writing on the “Psychology of Disney Movies”, answered, “A little unprepared, I guess. But, I’m excited to finish the last little details for it and for people to read it,” which indicates that her passion for her topic diminishes any anxiety imposed by the deadline.

Additionally, there is a 2,500 word limit, which also does not seem to faze the sophomores, who are passionate about their research topics, like Tali Rosenfeld. She remarks that, “I am 8

200 words away from the necessary word count and with some rearranging of my information, I am pretty sure I can get to 2,500 words,” writing about “Clean Humor vs Shock in Stand-up Comedy”. This topic genuinely interests Rosenfeld. When asked about the possibility of her work becoming published, she revealed that she is, “pretty pumped about the idea that something I wrote could gain some popularity.”

Nevertheless, all Capstone Projects are compiled in an electronic book published by Lausanne. In addition, students also have the ability to be published by organizations outside of Lausanne. Breana Bullock, who writes about “Why are Females More Prone to an ACL Injury than Males?”, comments that, “I think I have a good possibility of getting my work published because it is a widely known and studied topic.” To the current freshman, who have the Capstone to look forward

to, Danielle Howard advises, “Start looking for a topic now because it comes up faster than you think.” Megan Lambert, writing about Social Media and It’s Negative Effects, adds, “Start early and [do] not put it off until the last minute.” Tali Rosenfeld encourages one to, “Make sure you choose something you honestly enjoy, don’t just like choose neuroscience because you could impress your friends with your topic,” to ensure that next year’s Capstone experience will be as stress free as it will be successful. In reflection, Breana Bullock wishes, “I had managed my time better than I did, instead of doing all of my work in a limited amount of time.” Tali Rosenfeld remarks that, “If I could have, I would have probably organized my Capstone better in advance because ya know, organization,” which emphasizes the projects like Cornerstone, Capstone, and even the Extended Essay, involve a process of progression, no one is perfect the first time, and the best thing that a student can get from projects such as these is a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. The Capstone is like an academic coming of age ritual -- it is necessary, difficult, and rewarding. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors understand that the struggle is real, but to be proud of yourself.

Interviewed By: Emma Cavagnero Edited by: Rebecca Price

Theater/ Arts Into the Woods By: Rachel Layton

Bad Wolf, and she’s sure that the audience will, too!

As you all know, every spring Lausanne’s won-

derful theater department puts on a spring musical, and this year’s musical will be ‘Into the Woods’ by Stephen Sondheim. Many of you probably saw this musical in theaters this past winter, and now you have the chance to see it live with performances by your own peers!

But what does it take to put on such a magical musical? Well, sophomores Tali Rosenfeld and Danielle Howard came together to tell us a little bit about what all has been going on backstage in these couple months leading up to the play. Tali is doubling up on roles as both Granny and Milky White the cow, who Tali says she personally relates to, and Danielle is playing Jack’s mom. The audition process lasted for two days, involving several ‘cold reads’ and a few already prepared songs. The auditions were quickly followed by the callbacks.

Both girls agreed that this process was quite difficult, but defiantly worth it. However their work isn’t done just because they’ve been cast. They have to run through their lines and songs everyday, and some actors even have voice coaches.

Like all productions, there are complications while rehearsing, but nothing that can’t be worked through. The musical is still a couple months away from being ready for the stage, so, so far there isn’t much in the way of set or costumes.

Also, since the stage is currently in use, rehearsals are being held either in Mrs. Bugg or Mrs. Romoff’s rooms for the time being. This can make blocking and vocal quality a bit difficult for the actors, but they push through and try to enjoy some of the more interesting parts of rehearsals. For example, Tali particularly enjoys the scenes involving the Big 9

But why should you go to see ‘Into the Woods’, you ask? Well, you can see characters such as Cinderella, Peter Pan, Red Riding Hood, and even Rapunzel come to life through people you normally see every day at Lausanne. This story isn’t all magic and humor though, and the cast believes that everyone will enjoy the deeper morals brought up throughout the story as well as the jokes and music. ‘Into the Woods’ may have included all kinds of classic fairy tales, but this fairy tale is anything but typical. As Danielle Howard puts it, “There’s everything in this show; romance, affairs, love, death, and even cows that come back to life!” So mark your calendars right now and support your theater department this April 9th-12th by coming to see ‘Into the Woods’ this year’s spring musical directed by Mrs. Bugg-Brown. It’ll be a fairy tale event!

Interviewed by: Olivia Fox Photographer: Maggie Lin

One Acts By: Zack Brownlee

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ausanne’s Annual Student Directed One Acts have once again passed and dazzled their audiences. These annual one acts have been allowing students to explore the art of directing and acting for some time, and have always brought joy and laughter to the audiences they are performed in front of. The One Acts in the past have been a gateway for some to get into the world of acting. Ben Staton, the director of 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview, had this to say on the matter, “I know I can speak for my cast when I say that I was able to a lot of people get their first acting experience through this. I think a lot of kids will take an acting or theater class in high school and it’s a shame that many of them don’t try out performing. I hope that the One Acts will continue being a chance for people to grow into something new with theater, whether it’s a person acting for the first time, doing a role that they normally wouldn’t do, or trying out directing.” Allowing the students to experience performing for the first time is not the only way the One Acts allow students to experience other fields of art. One other way our Student Directed One Acts has helped broaden our student’s horizon is by letting them direct. Faith Brown, the director of The Chocolate Affair, had this to say about her time directing,

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” I have been really invested in Lausanne’s theater, and the One Acts gave me the opportunity to explore my creative and leadership style…… The most satisfying aspect of directing was hearing the audience’s laughter at the sequences occurring on stage, it meant that the cast members were really connecting to their characters, so the audience connected with them. Overall, directing for One Acts was an enriching experience”. The One Acts allowing for students experiencing acting and directing will always be what makes the One Acts unique, compared to the fall play and the spring musical.

Allowing students the opportunity to express their creativity is also what makes the One Acts so enjoyable, and is the reason why the one acts never fail to awe inspire every year.

Interviewed by: Olivia Fox Photographer: Maggie Lin

Shakespeare By: Ara Hanissian

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ausanne held the Shakespeare Competition on the morning of Monday, January 26, in the Elder Performing Arts Center. Four students competed in this competition, where each student was to prepare and perform a speech of less than twenty lines from one of William Shakespeare’s plays.

The winner, Abigail Grayson ‘16, performed a speech by the character, Helena, in All’s Well That Ends Well. She is to compete at the city level for cash prizes, and thence may advance to New York City to compete nationally at the Lincoln Center.

Photographer: Maggie Lin

Credits Editors In ChiefDahlia Katz Hannah Meskin Section EditorsRebecca Price Nassem Yousef Emily Thomas Christian Locastro Sarah Edwards WritersEpiphany Jones Jason Shwer Luis Barranco Rachel Layton Zack Brownlee Tony Chen Ara Hannisian Aynsley Hartney Faith Brown Sarah Boxer Rosie Gruen Claire Tanenbaum Dahlia Katz Hannah Meskin

Advice Column To the average LYNX, Louie the Lynx here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of the Lausanne community! I’m here to help you with all sorts of problems you may be having. There is no problem I cannot solve!

Anyways…I will cover both academic and non-academic aspects of life because ultimately, I want to prepare you for the REAL WORLD. My job is to highlight the positive over the negative in every situation. My area of expertise is solving life issues. I’m outspoken and confident, and will always give my whole-hearted opinion. I’m talking college, fashion, prom dates, etc. I have been through it all. I guess you could call me a pro at life, or the quintessential “well-rounded” IB candidate. To submit a question or problem, fill out the link at the bottom. And don’t worry; all of your questions will be posted anonymously. Can’t wait to start answering!

You know you love me, XOXO Louie To submit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XiVuh4amqXVIw36tOrFc aPfLqEln0TA6PIBF8VcWh9Y/viewform?usp=send_form

InterviewersEmma Cavagnero Olivia Fox Holly Moore- McMiller PhotographersMaggie Lin Matthew Saslawsky Carrie Lotterhos Matthew George Michael Scilken Aynsley Hartney

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