Watch Magazine – Spring 2017

Porter-Gaud School

Volume VII Issue II

Spring 2017

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John Frye

Judah Ellison

William Chapman Emily Symonds

Will Limehouse Alex Dodenhoff Tillson Galloway

Andre Hebra

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Cameron Hay

Alexis Dupree

Alston Limehouse Margaret Ritter

Manning Snyder

Cade Callen

Mr. Moore

Juliette Lovell

Mr. Smith

Anne McGreevy

John Peters

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The watch magazine would like to give special thanks to those who helped with the issue: Mr. Al Trivette, Mr. Bryan Luce, Mr. Chris Greenwell, Ms. Allyn Bruce, Mr. Brad Gilman, Ms. Anne Frazier, Ms. Jennifer Lorenz, Ms. Beverly Oswald, Mr. Andrew Travers, Ms. Angela Castro, Rev. Eric Manning, Ms. Nicole Yallum, Mr. Brink Norton, Ms. Blair Peele, Andrew Harvin, Sam Roskill, Annemarie Thompson, Ellen Nirenblatt, Leslie Wade, and Ross Clarke

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Table Of Contents 6

The World is Our Oracle: Education by Travel

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Retail Reality: Working in the Real World

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Souls of the South: Charleston Characters

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Good Guys Finish First: Playing By the Rules Off the Field

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Grassroots: Why We Should Care About the Environment

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The Fading States of America: Abandoning Our Country’s Principles

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Extra! Extra! Fake News Abuse

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Alexis DuPree

Margaret Ritter Juliette Lovell Emily Symonds John Frye

Alex Dodenhoff

Will Limehouse

Common Sense Tips for Dealing with Cops

Cade Callen

Standardized Ignorance: Missing History... By Studying It Judah Ellison

Porter to Form a More Perfect Union: Fulfilling the PG Mission Statement

Manning Snyder

Uniform-ity: The Consequences of Choosing Conformity

Anne McGreevy

Triggered. How to Make a Teacher Mad

Alston Limehouse

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Au Revoir, Madame Bruce

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Poetry: “A Beach of Broken Shells”

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A Red Carpet Event

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The College List: Where The Class of 2017 is Headed

John Frye

Brinkley Norton Prom 2017

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My phone’s alarm clock shatters the stillness of a quiet morning, waking the entire house to a new adventure. I quickly add a few more essentials to my luggage, much to my mom’s irritation, and hurry out the door. Two heavily caffeinated coffees and a 45-minute plane ride later, I find myself rushing down Concourse B of the Atlanta airport, excitement coursing through my sleep-deprived body. Travel days are clearly a dreadful experience, yet without fail I find myself sprinting to my next gate through throngs of equally frantic passengers. Why do I continue to relive this misery? No, I’m not a masochist. I’m just suffering from perpetual wanderlust.

As any frequent traveler can attest, the universally hated travel days are worth every moment of stress. Nothing compares to the adrenaline rush of stepping off a plane or climbing out of a car into unknown territory. Each trip offers a new set of stories that will be told at family parties for years to come.

In retrospect, my love for traveling began at the age of six when my parents took me on a Disney Cruise. Though this was definitely not the life-altering trip that opened my eyes to the world, it was the odyssey that lit the match to my love for exploring new places. Since then, I have taken every opportunity to escape the boundaries of Charleston and discovered beautiful places and even more beautiful people.

I have learned lessons on each trip that a classroom could never teach me. It’s one thing to learn about a culture through the pages on a textbook, but basic facts cannot compare to full immersion. When I was ten-years-old, my family took a trip to Costa Rica; however, we avoided the all-inclusive resorts with extravagant pools and endless activities. Instead, we opted to travel light and stayed in beach side bungalows and a local lodge hidden deep in the rainforest. Because we were not confined to a touristy resort, we were able to interact with the locals and learn more about Costa Rican life. Since that trip, I have found that I prefer to visit local businesses and restaurants as they offer an authenticity that is lost in the fray of hotel spa days and an endless supply of Wi-Fi.

I’m certain that my travels throughout my childhood have shaped the person I am today and the person that I am still becoming. Every time I return home from a trip, I am one experience richer, which makes me slightly wiser each time. Traveling has given me a clear perspective of the world as I have witnessed poverty-stricken countries left desolate from wars we may know little about or economic stagnation. I began to appreciate the trivial commonplaces like water and electricity as I realized that the luxuries I have that aren’t necessarily available to the rest of the world. I could read about issues around the world or learn about them in school, but from behind a computer screen, they didn’t seem real. It’s as if these hardships were a part of some fictional universe that I couldn’t truly empathize with until I saw it in person.

So I urge everyone to travel. To leave the confines of your home, to meet new people and adopt new ideas. You will learn that people are so different yet connected through one similarity, their humanity. You will learn about the differences of cultures through your own eyes. But most importantly, you will learn to value your own life because someone, somewhere wishes they could trade places with you.

Sincerely,

Alexis Dupree 6

You Your Address, Charleston, SC

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Retail Reality

What I’ve Learned Working at S.H.O.P.

By Margaret Ritter

When my mom told me that I would have to get a job last summer, my heart sank. A job? During summer? Summer was a time for freedom and relaxation, not schedules and work. She insisted I would “learn something” and it would “keep me out of trouble.” Much to my chagrin and in spite of my laziness, I began spending my summer days at a store on Market Street called SHOP.

SHOP occupies a fairly large boutique space right next to the Ben and Jerry’s downtown. The inside is modern with white walls, white-wood floor, and a white marble countertop with gold decorations throughout the store that perfectly complements the racks of clothing, an alluring design for future customers.

Even though work is every teenagers’ nightmare, I had to admit, the day my first shift rolled around I was kind of excited. I could see what it was like in the “real world” and actually make my own money (as much as a 15 year old can make working part time at a boutique… a whole ten dollars an hour before taxes).

Too, my managers were not what I expected: I envisioned two cut-throat, aggressive saleswomen who did anything and everything to compete for Top Salesperson of the Year, or whatever they did on TV. When Blair and Ginny introduced themselves to me, every assumption I had ever made about this line of work got thrown out the window. Standing in front of me were two of the nicest, chillest employers, each just barely out of college. (Not to mention they had good clothes.)

After a few short hours of instruction, I felt ready to go. Blair had already taught me the low-down of how to open and close the store, which just involved a few minutes of straightening up and vacuuming, counting the money in the drawer, and setting the alarm and locking the door. Ringing people up wasn’t bad either; just type in the item number on the iPad, follow the steps the software presented and it was pretty self-explanatory from there. I had been wrapping Christmas presents for my mom ever since I could remember, so I did not need much instruction on wrapping and folding. The only other thing I needed was to remember to always answer the phone with a “Thank you for calling SHOP; how may I help you?” whenever the phone rang, regardless of whose name popped up on caller-ID.

Easy enough, right? I had thought so too, but then came the time when I worked alone without the comfort of Blair or Ginny. I had the 4-8pm shift and the sun seemed to set a lot earlier than usual that night. I was in the store all by myself on a Sunday night, AKA a night that not many people go shopping on. The occasionally customer would drift in, and while I usually liked when the store was empty (so I could play on my phone), I was thankful for any friendly face to stop in.

Ringing my first customer up by myself was an experience I think I’d like to forget. Though I would typically consider myself a general people-person, my nerves overcame me and I transformed into a different person. I could not for the life of me keep the conversation with this older woman going, and ringing her up was filled with the most awkward silences I’ve ever encountered. Not to mention I completely blanked on how to scan her credit card and print a receipt, so the whole process took what felt like 20 minutes longer (even though it was probably only 5). Drumming her long nails on the counter, her growing impatience became more apparent as my face grew hotter (and redder), and my impending stress only slowed me down. Eventually I handed her her bag with a very forced “have a nice day!” and after she left I pinched myself one more time as I realized it was night.

Nonetheless, I can definitely say that, after that experience, my people-skills have improved significantly. I usually find that even if you have to embellish a bit to keep a conversation afloat, it is worth it to avoid awkwardness at all costs. And sometimes being extra agreeable in an exchange with a customer is better than saying “no” and shutting down the discussion.

After I had worked a few shifts, I received my first paycheck. Even though it couldn’t have been more than $80 because of all the taxes taken out, depositing my own money into my debit account was definitely a proud moment.

My mindset on spending money definitely changed after I deposited that first check. Not only was I smarter about saving, but I was more cautious about what I spent it on. Something about the fact that I had earned that money myself caused me to second guess that lunch invitation, or the dress I saw through that window and thought I needed…

Even though working was not my ideal summer plan, SHOP was not a bad place to be. My managers were not overbearing and gave my co-workers and me a lot more freedom than I would have thought. I only worked part time so I was still able to spend time with my friends, and, as much as it pained me to say, my mother was right: I learned how to interact with people on a better level and become wiser about my spending choices (and maybe stay out of trouble too).

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Souls of the South

Juliette Lovell goes beyond the borders of Porter-Gaud to learn mor

Angela Castro Owner of Woof Gang Bakery

An avid dog lover, Angela Castro opened Woof Gang Bakery on King Street in October of 2016. The cheerful energy emitting from her created an open and welcoming presence, enhancing the room’s comfortable charm. As a successful small business owner, Angela has many suggestions for high school students. She says, “focus on school, because despite how challenging it may seem now, you will be extremely grateful later for the experiences you make [in high school]. Do your best and work your hardest, despite how difficult it may seem.

[Another] important part [would be] to build lasting relationships with people you meet in high school; I’m still very good friends with a lot of people I met in high school and those relationships have meant a great deal to me in my life.”

In the age of Snapchat and texting, Angela advises high schoolers to remember the importance of communicating in person instead of through a screen. She says, “Talk face to face to people, learn how to communicate in person instead of only through a screen via texting or instant messaging. Be open to new experiences and remember to do what you love. Whatever you do, devote yourself and your time to that one thing, but don’t feel like what you’re doing now you have to do forever. As long as you are happy, that’s all that matters. One of my good friends got her degree as a rocket scientist, which takes a very long time and a lot of hard work to achieve, but she hated it. She ended up in North Carolina at vet school and now she’s an extremely happy veterinarian who loves her job. A lot of people forget that you don’t have to stick with one profession for your whole life. Do what you love and always be happy.”

As well as following your dreams, Angela urges everyone to “always play with and love your dog, because he’ll always be there for you and love you unconditionally.”

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re about the people who shape the Charleston community.

Andrew Travers Pedicab driver in Downtown Charleston

Despite having grown up in Westminster, Maryland, Andrew Travers has a deep love for the city of Charleston. His optimistic and reflective look on life and the city provided an immediate sense of ease and encouragement. Andrew proudly recounted his own experience in Charleston, noting the positive attitudes of everyone in the city. As a pedicab driver, Andrew encounters many different people types from different areas. He recollected, “I love seeing visitors enjoying the city, which puts everything into a different perspective than how the locals view it.

Charleston has such a special quality, and that feeling especially shone through after the Mother Emanuel Church shooting last year. [I enjoyed] seeing all of the ‘Charleston Strong’ projects and the united reaction of our community. It’s so different when you hear about shootings and tragedies on the news that are usually so peripheral [and] detached. Having such a tragedy come directly into my life felt so much more real and challenging.”

When asked to give current high-school students advice, Andrew paused for a moment to articulate his thoughts. “Do as many different things as you can, participate in things out of your norm. Try new things and put yourself out there.” Andrew added, carefully considering his feelings regarding his high-school experience, “I think [the question] alerted me to some dormant feelings regarding high-school.” Andrew spoke of the stress surrounding teenagers, reminiscent of his time spent as an adolescent, saying that “the post-adolescent pre-adult years is a time in which we are often expected to have fully grown into the person we will be (making decisions, choosing paths that will affect our entire lives) when, of course, few people have.”

He continued with a word of advice to teenagers, “I think [it] is a good thing, a privilege even, to have a complex and varied life, to keep changing and evolving well into those purportedly static adulthood years.

“There’s so much I would tell my high school age self, mostly centering around persistence, secular/ spiritual faith, curiosity, and the fact that your most important [and] perspective broadening lessons will come from unforeseeable and unexpected experiences.”

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Reverend Eric Manning Reverend of the Mother Emanuel AME Church After having lived in Charleston for less than a year, Reverend Manning is already a well-known member of our community. Although he hasn’t had much time to explore the city, he describes a deep respect for our community, stating, “[The people of Charleston] were so gracious in the response and still are gracious in response to the tragedy that took place. We are always inspired by their response.”

As a spiritual leader, Rev. Manning focuses on keeping a positive mindset to combat any struggles in his life. He said, “Any day that you’re able to wake up, and you have the right presence of mind, to understand that it wasn’t anything else but the grace of God that allowed you to see a new day - [that’s the day to] do your best to lay hold to that thought.”

Reverend Manning knows that it’s hard to be a high-schooler. He advises, “Never become discouraged. Even though it may seem that people are not giving you the time of day and that you aren’t making a difference in their life, be encouraged because you are. There will come a time when you understand, and you will begin to understand that it is all worthwhile. [Highschool] was hard [for me], and it will be hard, but never become discouraged. Continue to always put one foot in front of the other and trust that God has endowed you with everything you need to be successful.

“Understand that everything has a purpose, everything has a reason. Of course I would’ve wished that some things did not happen, but they did. I would’ve wished that high-school students would be able to make it through without feeling a sense of remorse or a sense of not being able to fit in. At times we regret certain things, but if we take a step back and understand that things happen for a reason and for a purpose, [then they won’t] destroy you. That’s what I regret a lot of times–when high-school students allow for [things] to destroy them, because I want them as my children to make it through.

“I know peer pressure is there; I know the pressure to fit in is there. I know you have more questions than answers, and I know it may seem as if you’re all alone. But one thing you need to remember is this: you are never alone. As you look to adults, we’ve all had to go through it, and you know what? We survived. As hard as it was, as challenging as it was, we made it. Now here’s one of the positives: if we made it, I know you can as well, so don’t let anyone tell you anything otherwise.”

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Nicole Yallum Empowerment Ambassador and Spiritual Guide As a self-proclaimed “empowerment ambassador,” Nicole Yallum strives to help people come to terms with themselves and their spirituality. Referring to her job as “a conduit of empowering people to know the power within themselves,” Nicole states, “I’m not really a part of the puzzle; I’m just the little in-between step so that you can make that link to yourself. We are the only people who limit ourselves, so when we open up to be infinite, we can handle anything that life throws at us.

Maybe it’s a one-time session, maybe it’s a workshop, maybe it’s just a single word–you never know what’s going to resonate with someone, so you just trust that something will click one day.”

The natural world greatly influences and aids Nicole in her daily life. Having journeyed to Switzerland with her sister in March, Nicole found herself more intimate with the natural world through hikes and meditation among the snowy mountains. “Watching Mother Nature do her thing has this ability to take you outside of yourself a little bit. [While in Switzerland] I was hiking among these beautiful mountains, and I got so aware of my thoughts because it was just so serenely quiet, I had to take a minute to breathe and let my brain slow down a bit. Out of nowhere a beautiful red fox walked up and stood directly beside me. We sort of looked at each other and stared at each other for a while. Just seeing him standing there against the white snowy background gave me so much more appreciation for the natural world around us.

“I think people often forget that we hold all of the power to be anything that we want to be and manifest everything that we want within ourselves. We can become anything we want to become, and it has nothing to do with other people in our lives; no one has the power to steal our light. We’re always on a rollercoaster of looking outwards to satisfy, but all of that comes from within. Your worth is not dependent on someone else; your worth and your value is only dependent on you.

“You also don’t necessarily have to follow such a rigid pathways to achieve what you want to achieve,” she says. “I did the whole graduate, get a job, work the field thing, and I became so stressed and overwhelmed that I was physically ill. The second I listened to myself, I found my body happier and my mind happier. You’ve just got to trust in yourself and your instincts..

“If we could all come from a place of love instead of fear, there would be so much less suffering in the world.

There’s so much that stems from us operating from fear, but when we come from the heart it shifts the entire thing.

We are all innately good. Believing in that fundamental goodness shifts the entire world, and it helps if you come from a place of love and compassion rather than fear.”

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Good Guys Finish First How athletic prowess is second to depth of character

By EMILY SYMONDS

A couple months ago, I read an article about Kam Chancellor, the sneaky and punishing explosive strong safety for the Seattle Seahawks. “How Kam Chancellor became the soul of the Seahawks,” it read. Even as an avid Seahawks fan, I knew little about Chancellor outside of his unbelievable skillset on the field--it was Chancellor who, with other members of the famed Legion of Boom, shut down Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl XLVII. However, I found myself further enamored with him as I learned how he overcame his difficult upbringing.

Such is the power of human interest stories in sports. Most people, regardless of whether they consider themselves fans of one sport or another, succumbs to the power that a human interest story can have. Everyone who heard the story of Yursa Mardini, the Syrian refugee who swam for three hours to push a boat of twenty fellow refugees to safety, wished her success as she swam for the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team during the 2016 Olympic games. Her story, and the struggle she overcame, taps into the emotional, human part of us all. That emotional 14

side of us dictates who and what we support, from politics to athletes. It’s a lot easier to support teams or athletes if their behavior off the field is admirable and worthy of emulation. We feel an emotional connection to players; we feel the pain of our heroes losing and share in the glory of their success as if the team’s journey is our own.

Regardless of a person’s feeling toward a particular team, it’s difficult to wish for the failure of players who are recognized as much for their philanthropy as they are for their ability on the field. Similarly, it’s easy to wish for the failure of players who act immaturely off the field. Even die-hard Cleveland Browns fans found it difficult to support Johnny Manziel in his very short stint as their new quarterback after his consistently poor decisions off the field found him scandalized again and again. We don’t feel as ashamed booing players guilty of domestic abuse because their stories don’t elicit empathy. We feel empathy for athletes who deserve our compassion, not for those who squander their fame and opportunity on childish pursuits.

While these emotional stories tug at our heartstrings, they also tug at our wallets. As much as we may like to think that athletes who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds or habitually do good in their community don’t serve any purpose other than to inspire audiences, human interest stories have a certain aspect of marketability. Sure, fans buy jerseys of talented players-just look at Aaron Rodgers--but we tend to prefer the jerseys of players with good reputations.

Once that reputation is ruined, the player’s marketability plummets. Consider Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback for six seasons; in his prime, Vick was arguably one of the most popular faces in the NFL. However, when he pled guilty to dogfighting in 2007 and photos surfaced of abused dogs and the horrid conditions they lived in, his reputation was tarnished and his finances collapsed as Nike and other lucrative sponsorship deals pulled away. Soon after, he was forced to file for bankruptcy. Nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find Michael Vick jerseys at an Atlanta tailgate.

Team appeal is no longer geographic. One can find avid fans of any team spread across the country and around the globe. Consider the number of Barcelona and Real Madrid jerseys sold across America. So, with such a variety of teams and sports broadcast daily, how do we choose which sports teams we support? Well, first, we gravitate toward sports with which we are familiar or that constantly play on the living room TV; indeed, regular exposure during our youth can warrant much much of our attraction. Second, many of us tend to support those teams closest to us, probably because it’s easy to attend the games, so we can experience the cultural aspect of sports rather than simply watching them on TV. But the increased portrayal of athletes as more than the one-dimensional figures has allowed fans of all sports to become attached, not necessarily to a certain team, but rather to a certain players. If those players switch teams, we will follow their journey, support them--and, by extension, their team--for their entire careers. I’m a big fan of Richard Sherman, who is currently surrounded by rumors that he may be traded to another team. And as much as I want him to play for the Seahawks forever, I know deep down that if he did indeed get traded, I would passionately support both him as well as his new team.

Unless that new team is the Patriots, of course.

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Grassroots Why We Should Care About Our Environment

by John Frye Imagine that a foreign power attacked the United States, claiming upwards of 200,000 innocent lives. Citizens both young and old, snuffed out as indiscriminately as the destroyed landscape about them.

How quickly do you think America would respond? Within a day? An hour? Even a few minutes?

Imagine, again, that the same power bombarded the globe year after year, and even after millions of annual deaths, politicians still prattled about countering it for little more than 82 seconds at events as publicized as the presidential debates.

Though seemingly preposterous, such a situation currently affects our planet: millions of people die annually, not at the whim of some nefarious military force, but due to man-made pollutants.

Whether by land, air, or sea, pollution and its more important consequence, global warming, invade our lives. And as testified by the vast majority of climatologists, climate change poses a genuine threat to humanity. Yet, just as in the aforementioned scenario, both politicians and much of the general public disregard our planet’s monumental crisis, behaving as if human pollution shares absolutely no correlation to global warming or that mankind lacks the power to ameliorate it.

In my opinion, both beliefs, and the lifestyles they promote, contribute to our current environmental degradation, and both stem from dangerous misinformation about the impact that we, as people, have on the world around us.

On the one hand, climate change deniers—as their name implies—outright disbelieve claims that human action influences the environment. As noted from the movement’s bafflingly inconsistent notion that carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, bears no culpability for increasing temperatures, climate change denial roots itself in a malignant degree of scientific illiteracy.

To reason with such an ideology often bears little fruit. To present scientific data—such as the fact that global temperatures rose 1.53° in the past century—is to present to them information manipulated by governments and self-interested organizations.

The truth, they ironically believe, lies in fallacies purveyed by oil corporations like ExxonMobil. Even though nearly one hundred and twenty years of independent studies strongly support the reality of man-made climate change, deniers shun scientific evidence in favor of personal skepticism. And while healthy skepticism forms the basis of knowledge and discovery, refusal to believe decades of evidence violates the very principle of science and thrusts humanity 16

down a path of baselessness and, ultimately, self-harm.

Climate change is entirely too real. It is a scientific fact; therefore, the majority of Americans (aside from the obvious climate eristics) cannot contest its existence and prevalence in our lives. Yet an overwhelming number believe that, while real, climate change has spiraled out of control; it doesn’t matter if one lives a life of conspicuous consumption and wastefulness—our planet is already doomed!

How can one person’s actions—or any actions, for that matter—change Earth’s future?!

This absolute nihilism, I find, is infinitely more painful than absolute denial. I’m often stricken by the fact that, faced with the challenge of creating a more ecologically-friendly world, people so easily give up. They can’t bear the possibility of standing behind something they believe in if it is threatened with failure or futility, and so they retreat into a cave of consumption they claim to be freedom.

But to me, people who hide their own intellectual vacuity, their own lack of belief or individuality, in a sea of material consumption, do not represent freedom. Freedom, I believe, is the ability to live in and explore a world you unquestionably shape. For that freedom to marvel at an unadulterated night sky, bask in pure water, or walk beside trees centuries old, I am willing to change the way I live.

My lifestyle matters for the Earth. As much as we can pretend, sated by our own cynicism, that no individual action can decelerate our changing climate, the fact of the matter is that individual lifestyle choices unquestionably impact our environment. The average American produces nearly 18 tons of carbon dioxide each year. How many of them, do you think, scoff at the notion of taking environmental action out of the belief that their actions don’t matter?

Even if we can’t immediately register it, every infinitesimally small action we take to save our environment helps—everything from cutting plastic bottles and utensils out of our life, to using less fuel and electricity, and even to voting for lawmakers brave enough to confront the menace of climate change. We can continue to believe that mankind wields no power in combatting a man-exacerbated issue, or we, as individuals and a nation as a whole, can fight for a cleaner, freer world for both us and the generations to come.

For the environment, every action matters. And that, unlike climatological ignorance or nihilism, is a scientific fact.

Bob Ross experiencing a most unhappy accident 17

The Fading States of America Why the Right and Left are Failing you

By Alex Dodenhoff

What scared many about this election—the onslaught of fascist and ultra-nationalist ideals, the deterioration of our democracy’s core, or the vicious nature of our modern day elections, pales in comparison to the true terror.

If you think you’re on the “correct” side of all of this, you’re likely not. If you think your side’s sanity has remained intact while the other side has gone completely haywire, you’re still probably wrong. As I’ve seen it, and as I will venture to explain, each “side” has completely and utterly failed the American people in nearly every imaginable way. I hope that’s not as insulting as it may sound.

We’ll work right to left. I’ll explain how the Right has failed you, how the Left has failed you, and lastly where to turn. First, however, let’s take a step back. Let’s simply try to define what makes America different and assign reason to why this freedom trial worked. The American experiment started in the 18th century, and to all who witnessed its birth, it was completely insane. It was a country built on equality, for the people, by the people, with laws that dictated exactly how free each of us actually were. While the rest of the world relied on birthright monarchs, untouchable bureaucracies, and lopsided justice systems, America was founded on principles of mandated democracy, government accountability, and justice for all. In other words, we weren’t modeled on the European governments and ideals, but in spite of them.

To understand what that truly means, we need to pinpoint some of the things that made America “great” so long past.

In short, we were different from anyone else. We let common citizens run the government. We provided the most robust capitalistic environment on the planet. We accepted millions of immigrants with open arms. Long past, I should add, was about one year ago. We still do these things. In fact, last year would mark yet another in which we let in more immigrants than any year in our history. So, clearly we haven’t forgotten these ideals. Yet, having watched this election and witnessed the two sides hunker down into their respective camps, I’m not nearly convinced. You might claim one side is acting un-American. You may point with disdain at the side opposing your own. I will prove otherwise. We, the American people, at least those of us who follow the two main ideologies, have completely lost touch of our roots.

Let’s start with the Right. I’m talking about the anti-immigrant, anti-trade, anti-minority NeoConservative campaign. Through Trump’s legitimization, this movement has grown into the supposed ultraAmerican nationalistic option. Yet, I must ask, what could possibly be American about the alt-right’s spouted policies? Placing his ban on seven countries within a week of his election and advocating for the most physically demonstrative anti-Mexican proposal in U.S. history, Trump sent a clear message: we were once a nation of immigrants; now we’re full. Secondly, Trump proclaimed NAFTA, the most shining example of American free trade in the past 20 years, our most spectacular national failure in that same period. Lastly, Trump has alienated entire demographics with his vitriolic words and divisive policies. Worse yet, he has convinced the nation that he’s truly bringing America back to better times. These new anti-immigrant and anti-minority policies, I suppose, likens us to our own Chinese Exclusion period of the late 19th century (instated by an Act of the same name that banned Chinese immigrants for ten years). Chester A. Arthur, of course, signed this act and became one of our greatest presidents in history (right?). Trump’s anti-trade rhetoric, additionally, bears unmistakable resemblance to the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. Determined to promote the protection of U.S. domestic producers rather 18

than sustain lower consumer prices, Congress passed this act and saw incredible results. I’m using “incredible” to describe the hike in unemployment from 8% before the act to 25% in 1933. FDR, as he entered office, quickly worked to remove the tariffs as they strangled the economy. I won’t begin to speculate what effect such rates had on worsening the Great Depression, but I suppose Mr. Trump may want to research intently. So, why am I attacking the Right? Because like the Left., they have lost touch with the American ideals.

The Left, interestingly, has been much more conspicuous about its deference for American archetype shifting.

While Trump and his supporters cheerily endorse an entire range of ideals that have been detested in America since its founding (although attempted, as stated), Bernie’s ring of supporters care not to conceal their motives under the veil of American nationalism. Bernie supporters don’t champion United States exceptionalism as a right in itself to implement policies but rather quite the opposite. “Every other country in Europe…” they start their sentences. “No modern developed country in the world denies its citizens a…” they hammer into nearby ears. These supporters don’t try to convince you that they’re “making America great once more,” but rather that America is wrong. We’re wrong on healthcare, college, women’s pay, taxes, welfare, and so on. Whereas Trump supporters refuse to acknowledge the historical precedents that have actually made America great, Bernie supporters are wholesomely aware, but hate them. Denouncing individualism, condemning self-reliance, and criticizing the entire practice of the free market, Bernie supporters are no more convinced of the American ideals than Trump’s wing. Only, as mentioned, they are far more vocal of their opposition to these American ideals.

While I may have offered the most dismal view of the country’s future, I’m afraid to share that these American defectors have duly entrenched themselves in every corner of the nation and might be reading this article right now. I’m not accusing you of anything; I’m only applying probability. Yes, the refusal of American ideals has become our new normal. Today, given the nation’s warped sense of Americanism in which we label fascists as the restorers of American days of old and counteractively propose socialist ideologies in response, we are markedly distant from our founding principles. I have a third option in mind. As the government began a small power, I believe it should rightfully return. Among many advantages, this change would quell our indiscriminate stamping of “rights,” which the Leftists have used in arguments from abortion to education to welfare. We do have rights, many even. They’re in the Constitution. If there’s not enough, we can amend the document, but we can’t by fiat add what’s not there. Regarding the Rightists, perhaps a close reading of Jefferson would simply remind them of our nation’s commitment to free trade. Jefferson stated resolutely, “Our interest [is] to throw open the doors of commerce and to knock off all its shackles, giving perfect freedom to all persons for the vent of whatever they may choose to bring into our ports, and asking the same in theirs.” Beyond that, I believe the Rightists may benefit from a second peek of the oft-quoted Statue of Liberty inscription, proclaiming, “I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” The Golden Door, once a symbol of America’s glimmering dedication to acceptance, shows its tarnish more each day with our new presidency.

So, yes, we’re distancing ourselves from our inherently American ideals, but what are we nearing? Once again, the Leftists suggest a much more evident response in their push a European-like welfare state and an embracing of the new-age socialist movements that have shaped our Old World counterparts in recent history. The Rightists, however, inch towards the very values that preceded those movements in Europe. Touting eerily analogous principles to the fascist and hyper-nationalistic Axis regimes, the Right has proclaimed un-America philosophies in much the same way the Leftists have from different sources and periods. For the sake of visualization, picture Bernie’s bedside table featuring a worn copy of Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei (The Communist Manifesto, 1848) and Trump’s book stack topped with Die Massenpsychologie des Faschismus (The Mass Psychology of Fascism, 1933). Well, although I’m sure my suggestion will fall on unwilling ears, I have a particular document from 1776 they may find useful. Some might, anyway.

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How “fake” news permeated the internet, and what you can do about it.

By Will Limehouse

Leslie Pic Artwork by Leslie Wade

Disinformation is nothing new. In the beginning of the Roman Republic, Octavian and Marc Antony used poetry and slogans printed on coins to spread lies about one another. In more recent centuries of capitalism and democracy, however, information has been harder to fabricate. A newspaper or magazine that printed false statements risked losing all credibility, and creating a newspaper just for the purpose of spreading lies was too much work for such little payoff. However, on the internet, creating a decent looking webpage takes only a matter of minutes, and people can be driven to websites from an innocent Google search. On top of that, a slew of smaller news websites already pumped out credible news, so seeing a story on a site that’s not a major news network isn’t necessarily suspicious. But now it should be, and smaller news websites will probably be the ones to pay.

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Websites like Facebook and Twitter allowed users to link stories in their posts that created misleading or fallacious headlines, which users saw and believed without necessarily reading the linked article. Now fake news headlines like “DC pizza parlor a front for child slavery ring” have mixed among legitimate headlines—and with scary results.

The integration of fake stories with real stories has muddied the waters making it more difficult to discern what’s legotimate or not. Furthermore, political operatives can employ fake news to discredit any news outlet that defames them.

The problem extends even further than just written lies. Pictures and even videos can be manipulated to display fake events. In early 2017 a video circulated the internet showing a German Shepherd cowering in fear as he was thrown into a pool of rushing water on the set of the movie A Dog’s Purpose. In the wake of the video, a public outcry arose calling for a boycott of the movie. However, the American Humane Association carried out an independent investigation in which they found that the video had been intentionally edited to mislead viewers, and that no animals were harmed during the film’s production. Despite the clearing of any allegations of animal abuse, the edited video forever tarnished the movie’s reputation.

So how do we know what to believe even when we see what seems like truth with our own eyes? The burden can be placed on the “fake journalists” who create fake news for monetary gain as well as to sway public opinion, the websites that pay fake news sites ad revenue, or the people who read it without knowing its fallacious nature. Facebook and Google, two of the biggest internet distributors, have stopped paying the fake news sites, thus depriving the financial incentive from producers. In order to eradicate the fake stories’ ability to change public opinion, Facebook now allows users to flag potentially false stories as “fake.” Third parties review those stories for credibility. If the story is indeed falsified, the article is marked as “fake” so everyone on Facebook can see, and an additional warning pops up for users who attempt to share the story.

While the system works in theory, it can take time for third parties to review the stories for truthfulness, meaning the stories can gain popularity before anyone knows they are fake. Germany has a different, more draconian approach. Chancellor Merkel’s cabinet agreed on a bill that, if passed, will fine sites up to 50 million euros (about 53 million US dollars) unless they quickly remove fake news stories. While the current measures to stop fake news treat readers like passive victims, innocent of lying or giving the false propaganda a platform, they are still guilty of being gullible enough to believe and spread the lies. Everyone can help put a stop to fake news by looking up alternate accounts of stories that may seem outlandish and making sure their news come from established, credible websites with a reputation to uphold. If you see a potentially groundbreaking story that’s only posted on obscure, unheard of websites, you may want to take a moment to consider why the larger sites don’t have it posted. Even if you do see something on a larger site, its best to use logic and take it with a grain of salt until more information about the story arises. As the adage goes, don’t believe everything you read online, kids.

Yeah, we’re not really sure what Donald Trump, Jr. means by that shirt either...

market data delayed 20 minutes.

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Common Sense Tips for Dealing with Cops

By Cade Callen

We all make mistakes, whether it’s a missed homework assignment or rollin’ through a stop sign a bit too fast. What really matters most when you do mess up, however, is who’s around watching. I think everyone can agree that the last thing you want to see after messing up is flashing blue lights accompanied by a siren shrieking, a discordant soundtrack dramatizing your mistake.

Police officers, the 12, The Fuzz, the 5’0, whatever you call them, serve society by being nearby when people make bad decisions. I could talk all day about the cornucopia of issues surrounding the current American public safety system (which you probably hear enough of anyway provided that you have cable television), but the sad truth is that there are no quick fixes for such a vast and complex system.

No matter how aggressive law enforcment officers seem, they by law must follow procedures that ensure your rights are protected.

Here then are a few suggestions to keep in mind if do see those flashing blue lights behind you.

1. When asked, “Do you know what I stopped you for?” don’t answer.

Even answering this question with a simple “yes” is like shooting both of your feet right before a marathon. In this case, silence is golden.

2. Record any and every encounter you have with the police.

Though police may not particularly like being recorded, it doesn’t matter because it’s your right to record what the government does in public. Keep in mind they may frown upon the fact that you are recording them, so do not be rude about it, and politely let them know that they’re being recorded. This strategy is very effective because it is a constant reminder for them to be cognizant of their actions.

3. You do not have to consent to any searches.

In most cases, to search your car, law enforcement officers need a warrant. If they search without securing a warrant, their actions could lead to the charge ultimately being thrown out because they violated your right.

4. If you have been dealing with a cop for an extended amount of time, ask if you are free to go.

If you are not under arrest, then the officer does not have the right to hold you indefinitely, so just politely and periodically ask, “Am I being detained?” Or “Am I free to go, Officer?” You might have to ask more than once, but only do so at appropriate times.

5. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT In fact, only speak when absolutely necessary and then keep your answers to “yes” or “no” statements.

They could try and trap you by saying that “talking will make everything a whole lot easier.” Well, that may be true for the officer, but you are never required to incriminate yourself. It is your right to “remain silent” because “anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

Of course, honesty is always the best policy, and owning up to, and accepting responsibility for, your mistakes is a mark of real maturity. However, as Americans, we should never feel that our rights are being violated, or our freedoms compromised. That would be un-American.

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Standardized Ignorance: Sleepwalking Through History

By Judah Ellison

“Where were you when Donald Trump became President?”

Decades from now, kids may ask their parents this very question as they learn about elections and political party realignments in their U.S. Government and U.S. History classes. To them, Trump’s oath of office and inaugural speech only resonate as words on a page, but to us, they are...words on a page.

Despite living through iconic moments in history, very few of us can actually say that we lived in these moments. Rather, we lived while these moments took place. All of us were alive on January 20, 2017, but the majority of students and teachers at Porter-Gaud witnessed the inauguration of Donald Trump through the same medium our children will watch it: replays and articles about the event. Instead, we sat in classrooms, many of us learning about history, government, economics, and other subjects that have been impacted by Donald Trump’s election.

Political reasons and views aside, there is something sadly ironic about this situation. Rather than watch live history--which will be documented for classroom reference for years to come--we kept true to the syllabus, learning about similar events, just hundreds of years after the fact.

Every academic course progresses to a shared pinnacle moment: exams. And when it comes to AP courses, exam scores range from number 1 to 5. Students must get either a 4 or a 5 in order demonstrate to colleges that they can excel in high-level courses. According to many advisors, any of the other three numbers is not worth reporting to schools. Similarly, if unfairly, the AP grading scale can often seem to reflect a teacher’s competence at teaching an advanced class. If a teacher’s class average on the AP exam exceeds a 3, he or she is deemed a success; anything lower and... not so much.

As a result, students and teachers work all year in order to achieve a successful AP season. Teachers create strict syllabi, setting a blazing course pace in which every class, every hour, every minute counts.

Students download various “Time Management” apps so that they can juggle their backbreaking course load and relinquish their freedom in return for the slight hope that they will excel come May. The diverse ecosystem of life morphs into a dark, twisting tunnel with the dimmest of lights at its end. Tests, quizzes, discussion questions, problem sets, halfeaten protein bars, cold cups of coffee, and thousands of dead trees litter this tunnel, and no one knows whether that slim opening at the end leads to paradise or a cliff. And meanwhile few may know what is happening in the outside world. The end of TV shows, state of the world, popular 24

Unit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

games, and newest social challenge--all unknown. The only knowns are the makeup of Congress, relationship of the supply/demand curve, methods for integrating equations by parts, and, of course, the AP exam date. Students can predict exactly where they will be and what they will be doing for the next two months by reading the syllabus.

Meanwhile, the world outside continues to turn.

As a result of the overwhelming focus on AP exam success, various class curricula can often push current events aside. Since teachers can’t anticipate the timing and number of monumental news events, they don’t delegate time in their class for current events when creating their syllabi. Instead, they load their syllabi with coursework so that their students can walk into the testing room in May with at least 90% of the knowledge that will be covered on the exam (although, in their defense, the AP exam includes far too much material than can be taught in two semesters, creating an unsolvable predicament for teachers). However, the gears of history continue to turn outside the school’s glass doors, and while class material bears a huge amount of importance in the students’ educations, we may go out into the world only partly prepared, having limited knowledge of the today’s events.

The final deadline should not be in the first weeks of May each year but instead on graduation day when we will enter the world as independent citizens whether we understand the workings of the world or not. I want to take part in history and see it first hand instead of in the aging papers of my textbooks. I want to be watching the inauguration of our new president instead of learning about the inauguration of old ones come January 20th. In short, I want us to be scholars of the past and participants of today.

Unit 4

Unit 5

Unit 6

AP Exam

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Porter to Form a More Perfect Union In these chaotic political times, we must take the school’s mission statement to heart.

By Manning Snyder

Porter-Gaud is an institution like few others—providing a world-class education given by top-of-theline instructors who care about the well-being of each of their students. The perpetually-green grass and the dong of the Chapel bell are associated with the Cyclone experience just as closely as the new senior blazer, Chapel dress, or AP exams. Porter-Gaud has propelled many to be esteemed leaders—lawyers, doctors, teachers, activists. You name it, our school has been at the epicenter of “life preparation;” armed with your high school education here, you can proceed to universities all across the country, even the world.

However, behind all of the accolades, the lush campus, and tradition is an issue that we and the world need to further address head on; it is, essentially, the sensitive and touchy topic of prejudice.

Despite what we might illustrate in advertisements, the daily life of a Cyclone is not immune to the hurtful language and discrimination that the world faces and especially what we have been exposed to in this dicey political year. The 100% graduation rate is impressive and the WATCH prayer is vital in the school’s message, but more progress needs to be made to push our school to be the community that each day embraces and supports all students for their gifts, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, political affiliation, or social status. There is more work to do to make Porter-Gaud more of what we want every community to be: a society where elections don’t break friendships, where religion doesn’t sometimes feel like a label, where its younger members aren’t neglected by older upperclassmen, where, perhaps most importantly, divisive or derogatory language isn’t something you hear frequently in conversation.

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Perhaps I would never have recognized this problem to the same degree had I not involved myself in our school’s multicultural group, Global Union. Since my engagement then, though, I have recognized the depth and complexity of an issue that is both uncomfortable to talk about and difficult to leave unnoticed.

Outside the classroom and away from the faculty of Porter-Gaud, an incredible band of educators who may or may not be as aware of the issue, there are several examples of students who have experienced some sort of discrimination, whether intentional or not.

I conducted three interviews in the culmination of this article—one with a seasoned teacher, a second with an African-American student, and a third with a Jewish student. No three responses can reflect an entire school body and the culture it fosters, but hopefully a few singular voices from students affected by acrimonious language will help us confront these who intend to punish or embarrass people for characteristics or traditions they cannot control, or those they do not understand. When prompted on the question of political beliefs, one student answered that she has been told that her views are “irrelevant and based upon fallacies.” Regarding religious discrimination, Katie Krawcheck, who spoke regarding discrimination in a past assembly, answered that her religious views “have led to forms of discrimination at Porter-Gaud.” Ultimately, political and religious flexibility and expression should define an establishment and speak to its ability to encourage a different set of beliefs—learning and appreciating other cultures can strengthen a community greatly. The presence of white privilege, whether recognized or unrecognized, is something that affects the day-to-day life at Porter-Gaud.

Our school can sometimes feel like a “bubble”: within the confines of our coded gates we can feel safe, insulated, but also ignorant of the nuances of cultural differences that a mere assembly or two can’t teach us. To best improve this campus long-term, we should better broaden our horizons.

Awareness, targeted beyond our small circles of friends, is the first step in our learning to inflict real change and to find real solutions.

Essentially, humans can be afraid to shed what divides us—and perhaps we, as a school community or a country, will never be a post-racial society. This article, however, is written from a deep hope that Porter-Gaud students will be among the ones to step up and make real progress in our changing world, and that can make all of the difference.

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UNIFORM-ITY The Consequences of Choosing Conformity

By Anne McGreevy

Although I generally dread making decisions of any kind, I can honestly say that determining what pair of socks I will wear is the highlight of my day. High school is a time of self-exploration and expression when many teens discover their true “style”; attending a school that requires a uniform causes me to eagerly anticipate any opportunity to showcase my individuality—which often manifests itself in my socks. According to the administration, Porter-Gaud’s uniforms “are meant to provide a sense of unity among students,” “promote school pride,” “remove barriers related to socioeconomic status,” “reduce peer pressure to have certain clothes or dress a certain way,” “decrease student stress about what to wear each day,” and “encourage students … to express individuality in ways other than their clothing.” Although these are all valid points, I think Porter-Gaud’s uniform could benefit from a few tweaks by allowing more opportunities for self-expression.

While uniforms could foster a sense of unity, most Porter-Gaud students do not associate unity and community with shared clothing. One of the most prevalent uniform issues this year is the ban on all non-Porter-Gaud sweatshirts. It seems a bit severe to prohibit wearing these sweatshirts outside of the classroom, especially in colder weather. Though the reasoning for the ban on nonPG sweatshirts for underclassmen is understandable, I think seniors should be allowed to wear the sweatshirts of their future colleges, as they have labored tirelessly to be accepted to the school of their choice. If uniforms exist to promote school pride, Porter-Gaud could show its pride indirectly but enthusiastically by acknowledging the end-game of hard-working seniors. On the topic of outerwear, all non Porter-Gaud sweaters (sweaters, not sweatshirts) should be allowed as it would further student self-expression (and often sweaters appear more tasteful than a simple Porter-Gaud hoodie).

School uniforms can reduce tensions rooted in socioeconomic status, but they do not eradicate economic inequalities. These differences can still be still glaringly obvious in students’ shoes, cars, watches, and jewelry. A uniform policy can make socioeconomic disparities even more noticeable, as wealthier students may purchase multiple uniforms (in a variety of different styles), while less-affluent students may only have one uniform, prone to gradually wear down. Unfortunately, uniforms are relatively ineffective at reducing peer pressure to dress a certain way. While the notion of peer pressure reduction may be true for boys, girls often worry that they will be made fun of if their skirt is too long, too short, or if they dare wear khaki pants to school. If you are a female student at Porter-Gaud, you inevitably experience the dreaded “Girls, your skirts are too short” meeting.

And about that: where is the intervention for boys who wear Chubbies to school? If female legs are considered “distracting” and a deterrence from an educational experience, shouldn’t male legs be as well? Just as skirt regulations are subjective, senior spring dress regulations for females are also extremely biased. The handbook states along with its interdict against spaghetti straps (because, God forbid, somebody see a shoulder that shorts, skirts, and dresses should be of “appropriate length.” But really, who decides what “appropriate” means?

Though uniforms may decrease students’ stress about what to wear each day, they can still make students feel self-conscious. The fact of the matter is that students cannot select clothes that suit their body types. It also lends itself to comparison--everyone wears the same thing, so obviously students will compare themselves to others. This situation, however, could be ameliorated by 28

introducing more uniform options. Females have three options for skirt patterns/materials (plaid, grey, and khaki), but males only have khaki pants to chose from. While males may not necessarily be interested in plaid pants, the school should at least investigate and see if there is any interest in different material/colored pants. Shorts and/or pants should be introduced for the females. While many find the skirt restrictive and uncomfortable, the current khaki pants don’t offer a realistic alternative (aesthetics-wise) for most females. If shorts and/or pants were introduced that girls actually wanted to wear, it could even potentially eradicate the skirt length issue.

In the world of high school, conformity is common. As a school, we should be encouraging creativity, not discouraging it. Though a school uniform policy may encourage individuality through our “words, actions, thoughts, character, and habits,” introducing one Dress Down Day per month or even a “Funky Sock Friday” (a school-wide competition to see who has the coolest socks?) would not hinder students’ “WATCH” individuality.

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Triggered.

10 things students do that anger our teachers

By Alston Limehouse

Let’s face it: Teachers are human too (mostly). And once you’re on their bad side, it’s hard to rectify your relationship.

Follows these steps to avoid facing that terrible fate.

1. “Mr. Myer, please! Can I not take this today?! —I don’t understand anything!”

Announcing you don’t understand anything the morning before a test…not a good idea. Students may believe this will help them, but it likely does the opposite; it’ll just anger the teacher who will now know you aren’t prepared.

2. “So when exactly will we get our halftime break?”

If you know the teacher has never given a break during prior classes, don’t bother asking.

3. “Childs, can I please use the bathroom?”

Misinterpreting your relationship with a teacher as a casual one can be a critical mistake. Sometimes a poor student may not even mean to let a first name slip, so be careful. No matter how close you think you may be, it is disrespectful to address a teacher by his or her first name.

4. “Are we getting our tests back?”

Asking when the test will be graded as soon as you turn it in is sure to earn a teacher’s ire. We have all experienced this and may have even participated; it’s hard not to wonder if we truly did well, but best to have patience.

5. “No, Mr. Moore, I promise the answer is B. Darcy proposed to Jane.”

If you dare to correct a teacher over and over again—even if you think you’re right—it results not only in a teacher disliking you, but also most of your fellow students.

6. 3:13 pm: Shuffle, shuffle, Zzzzzzzip!

Packing up before the class is over—with two full minutes left?! Doom.

7. “Anybody know what’s for lunch?”

When you spout off a random question like this, interrupting a class, not only does it make a teacher’s job even harder, but it also comes across as extremely disrespectful.

8. “Uh, I’m not gonna be here for our test on Friday; I’m leaving to go out of town.”

Teachers may get annoyed when you miss a day of school for a legitimate reason, but the anger will certainly intensify when you miss for your own enjoyment.

9. “Sorry, but… the schedule app was wrong…” Or “I was talking to a teacher.”

Being late is the worst. Teachers cannot stand when the rogue student wanders in minutes after class has started.

10. Buzzzzz. Buzzzz. “I’m sorry, but my mom texted me. I thought I had it on silent.”

The worst feeling is hearing your phone go off in class and having everyone stare at you. It’s awkward for the student, distracting for the class, and annoying for the teacher. Best to double-check that it’s off.

We’d like to thank Mr. Greenwell for playing along. And to apologize for, you know, anything....

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Au Revoir, Madame Bruce

A farewell to one of P-G’s greatest language teachers

By John Frye

Though I remind myself how easy this should be, how seamlessly I could write anecdote after anecdote, I struggle to find the next key to press. When you find yourself situated for three years in the same seat at Table Un, the sheer number of memories you can invoke is overwhelming. But for the lucky few who spent these same three years in Madame Bruce’s French class, such a statement hardly comes across as what the French would call folle, or crazy.

I think we all understood that such a profusion of memories would be inevitable when the Madame first greeted us with a hearty “Bonjour!” We heard, intertwined with a language practiced for decades, a prominent Southern elongation of the vowels that reminded us how close the Francophone world was to home. But that’s just the thing about Madame’s class: it’s like a home.

As the days passed, marked by “Bonjour” after “Bonjour,” I, and the rest of her three-year French students, began to view Madame’s class as just as much a therapist’s chair as an advanced foreign language course. As we spoke—en français as she always reminded us—about our daily problems and the state of the world, I think Madame recognized the importance she held in our lives.

Cliché? Perhaps. But Madame’s class truly recreated a familial experience at Porter-Gaud. She treated her élèves (students) like her own enfants (children) in every sentimental yet chaotic sense of the word.

Class always began with us entering the room and immediately groaning from the day’s exasperations. And after expressing her sarcastic sympathies for the taxing, hellish world of high school we described to her, she would fire up a listening section (always of questionable reliability, much like her favorite “dumb board,” as she named it). The groan of “but Madaaaaame” that would collectively emanate from the class phased her little. She was used to it, after all: our open, mostly histrionic, expression of our emotions to her signified how truly comfortable we all felt in her class.

We never feared being ourselves, even though we ironically spent the class chattering in a language that was anything but common to us.

We never gave it a second thought to indulge in every moment of a fiveminute petite pause—to, as students nearing adulthood, hide behind trees and giggle more fervently than a sugar-rushed toddler whenever she would call for us to return to class. When the annual food day arrived (another product of our incessant “but Madaaaaame”), platters of anything we 32

brought in, from Nutella crepes to cold, half-microwaved chicken, would line her classroom. And as we would top our napkins—always discovered at the last minute tucked away in some compartment of Madame’s desk—with each of our attempts at French delicacies, a sense of togetherness pervaded the room. Like the members of an oddball, Francophone family, we passed around plates and compliments of the cuisine as either Stromae or Celine Dion played in the background.

Though I hardly left my seat at Table Un, Madame’s class made me feel as though I belonged to a society of global citizens. Her unorthodox teaching style, contingent on us researching and discussing issues in the French-speaking world, simultaneously broadened our horizons and strengthened our ability to speak and comprehend the French language. She strove to, in every sense, mold us into the Renaissance people so integral to Porter-Gaud’s spirit. We debated the intricacies of foreign laws and customs all while speaking a foreign language, and as a result, we emerged from her class day after day with a greater appreciation and understanding of the world around us.

Even after living a greater part of high school as a member of the esteemed classe de français, I cannot begin to describe the impact Madame Bruce has had on my education and daily life. One needs, however, very few words to demonstrate the significance she holds for the Porter-Gaud community. The mention of her name or class elicits a laughed “ouais” amongst her students—an enthused “yes” in the North-American French dialect. A single, common word that carries with it every listening exercise, every worldly gripe we detailed in French, every food day or excursion to film festivals, every plea of ours to play Les Intouchables for the umpteenth million time, and every moment we spent immersed in Francophone culture. I think I speak for all her students, regardless of how many years they spent in her class, when I say that Madame Bruce prepared me to enter the world with a positive outlook on its diversity, struggles, and beautiful languages. And to Madame Bruce herself, I have only one thing to say: merci beaucoup. Your class was as unique and inspiring as the French language itself.

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A Beach of Broken Shells

By Brinkley Norton

The cold sand beneath my feet submits to the gentle weight Silently sinking allowing small seas to pool inside Only for them to recede into their sandy depths Shells lay scattered throughout the beach Fighting the demanding waves for their right to stand still All of them carry scars and cracks that tell their story One shell here, A shark’s eye, bears a small hole just above its perfect spiral A creature long gone once lived inside A creature drilled out through this very puncture And another there, A conch shell, Has lost its mighty point Exposing the intricate spiral pattern inside This too once bore a being A being long lost to the beautiful, chaotic sea These shells tell a story Their imperfections show the uniqueness that prompts a curious mind to carefully observe them Or a little girl to excitedly present them to her parents And beg to take them home Because her young eye wonders at the beauty Exposed by imperfection There are many shells along this beach Which meekly show their battle wounds against the sea But those which are still living out their stories Hide without blemish beneath mounds of sand Fearing the possibility of fracture A fear that unknowingly holds them captive in their own granular prison All shells are bound for imperfection Imperfection deserving embrace For those very blemishes will lead To the worthy kitchen shelf Or into sand return On this beach of broken shells

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Photo by Michael Sagatelian

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In honor of our beloved friend and eternal member of the Class of 2017 whom we lost last year, we publish these pages again as we look to the graduation ceremonies in May.

Edward Legare Thrower 1998 - 2016 38

Sometimes in our lives, we meet someone who provides a major shift in our life experience. Often we are unaware of when this occurs because it is gradual, only to be recognized when we look back later and see that we’ve changed.

For me, this shift came when I got to know Legare. He was different, but his genuine lack of interest in what people thought of him was something I admired and desired. I saw it too in the way he moved through the world, literally moved: his physical walk, grand and unperturbed, was like that of a king, and he seemed comfortable wherever he sat, like he belonged there. He reassured me that there is never an inappropriate setting for a well-timed joke and to always be sure about myself, or at least act like it. Legare operated on a different frequency than us, a higher one.

To Legare, youth was a special state of being, like being a superhero. He seemed invincible to us, impermeable to any authority or skeptic. As a result many people (including myself) picked up his mannerisms and slang. When he started wearing his hat in school, so did everybody else. When he started saying, “Not bad” to any given scenario, so did everybody else. His closest friends even picked up the expression with which he looked at people or things when he was skeptical. Perhaps it was our way of sharing in some of the glow he gave off.

The time Legare spent with us was short, but the memories and feelings that he gave us will last forever. I don’t regret a second of the time I spent with Legare, and I would do anything to see my friend again, even if just for one proper goodbye.

-John Peters

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It was a typical day in my classroom. Students were working on an assignment, preparing for the upcoming semester exam. From the back of the classroom, Legare’s voice boomed out through the silence: “So, Ms. Rader. How hard is it? On a scale from one to fried chicken?” Not to draw too much attention to the outburst, I didn’t even look up, but answered “Fried chicken.”

This was the typical banter between Legare and me, the type of thing we’d take for granted, a funny comment or two between the two of us, to be quickly forgotten and passed off as a goofy moment that made the people around us laugh. For my 9th grade class, in which Legare was a rare upperclassman, this is the person that they and so many others at school knew and loved. He was willing to do whatever it took to make someone else laugh or smile. When my Biology students started a list of “Grandmaster Legare” quotes (“You’re grading this?!”; “It’s not not allowed until you get caught”; “Like, [if you had opposable big toes] think how much easier it would be to grab the remote”), honestly, I was against it; as a teacher, you never know how a list humorous to some may be taken or used by others. I’m so glad now that they didn’t listen to me.

It is never easy to write what we feel in situations like this. Words will never fully capture the push and pull of grief, the confusion, the emotions of love and compassion our school family created, or the sense of loss for someone who played a different role for each of us. Legare wanted those around him to know him as carefree, unphased by the thoughts of others. But really, like us all, he cared a lot. Legare was complex.

Personally, I miss the banter and the person who could both frustrate me and make me smile in the same breath. How much? On a scale from one to fried chicken? Fried chicken.

-Jen Rader

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TENT CITY

SENIORS SPEND THE NIGHT ON CAMPUS

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watch Porter-Gaud School 300 Albermarle Rd. Charleston, SC 29407

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