The Rivers Edge

THE RIVERS EDGE Vol. XLVII, Number 1

The Rivers School, Weston, MA

October 21, 2016

Work under way on new turf field project on Nonesuch Road

BY LEXIE LEHAN ’18 and ISABEL SILVIA ’18 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Uptown Funk

Doc Meropol (left and “so pretty”) and the Science Department captured the faculty lip sync contest in style. While all of the performances were great, Doc’s rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” was a real show stopper. Photo by Jimmy Kelley

New Freight Farm unit provides unique educational opportunities

BY MADELEINE MULLER ’17 NEWS EDITOR and LORRAINE BYRNE’17 CONTRBUTING WRITER

While it may be hidden away behind the Lewis Science Building, Rivers’ new Freight Farm - a shipping container retrofitted to become a hydroponic farm - is an exciting new resource for the school and its students.

For senior Lorraine Byrne ’17 the Freight Farm is of particular interest as she spent her summer as an intern for the organization that sells and runs the units. As an intern, she learned about the various aspects of hydroponic farm-

In the first phase of a comprehensive campus plan, Rivers broke ground this fall on a new turf field. Construction of North Field, as it is currently called, is fully under way at the end of Nonesuch Road, the private way that runs along the baseball field and by the pond.

“We’re actually building this first not because it’s our first priority, but because it’s the first domino that allows us to do other things we want to do,” said Head of School Ned Parsons. Now in his third year, Mr. Parsons and others started work on plans to overhaul the campus in order to provide greater facilities for Rivers students and programs.

Looking at a targeted completion date of early December, Susanna Donahue, girls soccer

coach and a class dean, reported that “progress is going great.”

Stemming from research and goals outlined in the school’s 2015 strategic plan, the campus master plan outlines a new Rivers, beginning with a new field and ending with a dramatically enhanced campus. According to Mr. Parsons, the first major new building for the school will be a new Upper School academic building to be located on part of what is now Waterman Field.

Other facilities for the Middle School and performing arts may follow. Eventually, once North Field is completed, the goal is for Nonesuch Field to become a turf field and be used for football and field hockey in the fall and baseball in the spring.

Located between the Rivers campus and Camp Nonesuch (a day camp run by Rivers), North Continued on page 3

ing in a shipping container, the company’s unique solution to the need to sustainably grow produce for local consumption anywhere on the globe.

“For those of you who are confused when someone mentions that we have a farm on campus, here’s a bit of clarification - it’s inside a shipping container tucked behind the trailer,” said Byrne, who is also the school co-president. “And if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s definitely worth the walk. You won’t find any soil, but you will find vertical towers filled with beautiful heads of lettuce.”

A hydroponic farm means that plants and crops can be grown without soil. Inside, there are 20 or so vertical racks mounted within the sides of the container, which growers can pull out, where the plants are grown. The necessary light comes from special LED fixtures, and a unique water filtration system releases water from the ceiling which trickles down the walls and into the racks. The entire unit is completely climate controlled, which means that it will be in use yearround. In short, in the most unlikely of spaces, plants have all Continued on page 2

careers.

Although both Michelle Ryder ’17 and Robert Gallo ’17 interned in hospitals, the work they did and experiences they had differed greatly. Gallo interned at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, spending his summer researching about and focusing on solving the accuracy of needle insertion procedures. In addition to his in-depth research, he gained a thorough understanding of how science can be used to answer questions.

“At Rivers, the process of the scientific method is at the heart of all science classes, and is used as the lens through which the world is viewed,” Gallo wrote this summer. “After my experience in the lab, I see that, in a practical sense, the best way to solve problems or figure something out is under the paradigm of the scientific method. This paradigm first involves asking a question. My question was “How can a needle insertion device be built that is accurate and safe?”

As for Ryder, her internship at Boston’s Children’s hospital was filled with medical crises simulated on realistic dummies.

She learned a lot from the collaborative atmosphere around her, where she saw people of all different fields working together.

However, what struck her most was how much the people around her truly cared about their patients, even though they were only dummies. “I know this was all practice, but I am amazed by the compassion these employees

demonstrated,” Ryder said.

Similarly, Thabi Khumalo ‘17 shared a similar experience to Michelle’s at Harvard Medical School’s MED Science, where she participated in a simulationbased bioscience immersion program. In her summer internship journal, she stated that through watching these simulations, she realized how important it is to not only listen to the patient, but also to keep them calm. Ultimately, she realized that “trust Continued on page 8

OP/ED

FEATURES

ARTS

SPORTS

Construction crews have been clearing trees and leveling the terrain for the field at the end of Nonesuch Road. Photo by A. Stephens

Science internships offer invaluable real-life experiences

BY MADELEINE MOORE ’17 STAFF WRITER

This summer, eight seniors took on exciting and stimulating summer internships. From working on a farm to doing research and simulations in the business and scientific worlds, these students’ summers were filled with new opportunities and new knowledge they hope to carry with them into their future college experiences and potential

I N S I D E

NEWS

Co-presidents Tony Milne and Lorraine Byrne have ambitious plans for school year.

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School dress code, always a hot topic, gets some updates, but is it still outdated?

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Arts teacher Rindy Garner shows what she’s made of as she tackles grueling Spartan races.

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Upper School students hard at work on this fall’s drama production of “Comedy of Errors”.

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Volleyball team kicks off its inaugural season at Rivers with exciting matches.

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News Briefs

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

Rivers plans summer entrepreneurship course

For high school students, summer vacation is a time to rest, recharge, and prepare for the challenges that await them when school reopens in September.

However, the world of business keeps rolling through the summer months and will open its doors to students from Rivers and the community next summer through The Rivers Summer Academic Program’s Business Planning: Entrepreneurship in Action.

Business Planning: Entrepreneurship in Action will meet at Rivers every Thursday from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. from July 29 – August 17, 2017. The course is open to students entering grades 11 or 12 in September 2017, although students entering grade 10 who have completed advanced work in one or more academic fields are invited to apply. The course is limited to 20 students, and applications are due November 1, 2016 to allow time to assemble a group of entrepreneurs that will meet student interests.

Bloodmobile tradition continues in November

The MGH Bloodmobile will return to campus Monday, Nov. 14 and all potential donors are encouraged to stop by. Donors must be 18 years or older and have a valid ID. Students 16 or older can donate as long as they have permission from their parents. Sign up sheets for time slots is currently posted outside the college counseling office.

Rivers began having a community blood drive back in the late 1970s when the young son of former faculty member Jim Bouma was battling leukemia.

Young Jimmy lost his battle against leukemia, but the tradition has remained ever since. Veteran teachers Jim Navoni and Melinda Ryan are two of the original donors. Rivers students, parents and faculty typically donate between 40 to 60 total pints of blood.

Freight Farm unit in place

Continued from page 1 they need.

Using the Freight Farm app, a free download from the App Store, which connects to a computer inside the unit, one can regulate variables like air temperature, CO2 concentration, and water content. Additionally, one can program the time for the plants to be watered, and even regulate the lighting -- how long the lights are on for, the type of lighting, and so on. The Freight Farm uses 90% less water to grow crops than a standard outdoor farm or garden, and requires significantly less energy.

“Seeing it from the street, you would never guess that inside seeds are germinating and growing into beautiful bunches of lettuce, kale, swiss chard, and herbs,” Byrnes said. “After a harvest, it is satisfying to make a big salad with the some of the freshest lettuce I have ever eaten.”

The Science Department along with several middle school teachers began exploring the possibility of bringing a Freight Farm to the Rivers’ campus when a member on the board of Freight Farm contacted Head of School Ned Parsons and asked if faculty would be interested in learning more about the technology and what Freight Farm had to offer.

The Boston Latin School has one on their campus; however, Rivers is the first school in the ISL to own one.

It seemed a perfect fit for Rivers Science Department.

“We talk about real learning, applied learning, not just classroom-based learning, and this is a great opportunity,” said former Science Department Chair Michael Schlenker.

According to Schlenker, the 7th graders will use it first, as their science curriculum already includes objectives related to growing plants and sustainability.

Middle school science teacher Sarah Freeman is leading the team that will explore the use of the Freight Farm at Rivers.

Unlike a more traditional greenhouse, where students might achieve more traditional science-related objectives, the Freight Farm will allow students to address not only food growth, but also the greater, global issues surrounding food.

For Byrne, the chance to intern with the organization last summer makes her a resident expert and a great resource for teachers and students alike.

“During my first week, I really got acquainted with the Farm,” she said. “It is amazing how user friendly the technology is inside.”

Senior co-presidents Tony Milne and Lorraine Byrne lead the pep rally last Friday. Photo by S. Epstein.

Up front and in depth with school co-presidents Byrne and Milne

BY ADAM NADDAFF-SLOCUM ’18 ASSISTANT EDITOR

You may know Rivers’ two high-achieving co-presidents, Tony Milne ’17 and Lorraine Byrne ’17, but you may not be aware of how they view their role as co-presidents and what plans they have in store for the rest of the school year. What follows is a look at their first days at Rivers to the beginning of their senior year, as well as some of the things they have in mind to make their last year at Rivers special for the whole student body.

Lorraine Byrne ’17 first came to Rivers in the fall of 2013 as a new freshman, while Tony Milne ’17 is one of the Class of 2017’s seven-year veterans.

When asked why they wanted to have one of the school’s most important student leadership positions, Byrne said, “I wanted to be part of shaping my classmates’ Rivers experience. I have a lot of energy and really thought that I could bring enthusiasm and hard work to the table.”

“I have wanted to be copresident since middle school. I always looked up to the co-presidents of the school and thought their work was so interesting,” said Tony Milne. “I knew from the start of my time at Rivers that I was going to run for copresident when I was senior.”

Both leaders have background experience as being student leaders, as Byrne was junior class copresident and Milne was seventh, eighth, and tenth grade copresident.

The co-presidents have a lot of work in front of them, in addition to following up on last year’s highly regarded co-presidents Sarah Baker ’16 and Jacob Solomons ’16.

When asked how they will go about making Rivers a better place in general, Milne said that he “plan[s] on being the voice of the students. The student council has a lot of influence on how the school is run and events are planned, and I will use my input gained for my classmates about

how to make the school a better place.”

While Milne’s main goal is to make student voice heard, Byrne wants to make sure that all the logistics for upcoming events like Homecoming and the Glow Dance, which were both great events, are ironed out. “I have been very busy writing some proposals,” said Byrne.

Being elected copresident of the entire school is no small feat, beginning with the election last spring. “I wanted my speech to sound very genuine and very ‘me,’” Milne said. “My goal was for the student body to walk away knowing how much I enjoy and care about my work on the student council and how hard I would work for them.”

Although having only been on the job for a little less than a month, Byrne and Milne have really enjoyed their time. “I am having a lot of fun as president,” Milne explained. “We have a strong student council and are already writing and planning proposals and events for the year. We know think the student body will be very happy and excited with our outcome.”

Every since the first day of school, Byrne and Milne have been working very hard with the administration. Milne said, “student council is currently working on proposals for the student body and beginning to plan big events for the fall and winter.” Not much more information can be given as surprises and more announcements are to follow in the future.

Based on the success of both their campaigns and how much they admire each other, I had to ask them for advice for people who want to run for the student council seat. Milne identified three key aspects for a successful campaign: “Be sure that it is something you really want to do.

Being copresident is a lot of work, but it is also really fun work. You get to meet so many people and are so involved in the big decisions that Rivers makes. You are the voice of the student body so a lot of the faculty and staff look to you to know how to benefit the

students. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try.”

The school co-presidents plan nearly every single school event, such as school-wide snack breaks on Wednesday and Upper School dances. This year, they also hard at worked at organizing this year’s homecoming dance.

When asked what their favorite part of being copresident is, Milne replied, “getting to meet so many new people. Whether it’s new students approaching me with ideas or talking to the faculty about how to help the students, I have met so many people I may not have otherwise.”

Byrne and Milne meet every Thursday A mod with ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade co-presidents as well as having weekly meetings with grade deans Susanna Donahue, Ms. Wade, and occasionally Mr. Mills and Mr. Long.

“We have our regular weekly meeting with the whole council which includes all the co-presidents, the athletic and conservatory representatives,” Byrne commented. “It’s a good time to break down what happened in the past week and create an agenda for the upcoming week and month.”

Byrne and Milne are approaching the year with purposeful yet informal gatherings.

“We think that the Spring Homecoming was a great new addition,” Byrne said. “It was really a great opportunity for the whole school to be together for an afternoon and get to watch games and see people play that they wouldn’t see otherwise.”

Milne added: “We will tweak both events to create a stronger student body outreach and involvement.”

“I love the atmosphere and the well-rounded student body of Rivers,” Milne said. “The students are all so interesting and bring so much to the table - we have students who are star varsity athletes who win national art awards, all the while acing and enjoying their classes. It really is amazing how much our students succeed and achieve.”

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

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News

School says North Field to be completed by December Continued from page 1 Field will be a quick and easy walk for sports teams and others.

There is a possibility that there will be a bridge built across the marshes of the pond making another accessible entryway, but that idea remains in the works.

The boardwalk and bridge would be built behind Haynes and Lewis Math and Science giving an even simpler approach to the field.

Most of the land being used was already owned by Rivers.

However, one of the neighbors who had a piece of property around the area gave the school a portion of his land as a gift.

His land allowed the field to be constructed at full size, and it can now be situated in without forcing Rivers to give up the faculty houses the school owns in the area to provide more room.

According to Bob Pipe, Rivers’ athletic director, parking for North Field will be available at both Camp Nonesuch and the junior parking lot. A walking path will be made from the camp

to North Field for easy access.

Parking at the field will be limited to handicap and emergency vehicles only.

North Field will be lined for boys and girls soccer and lacrosse. The field will be a useful facility when bad weather

There is a possibility that there will be a bridge built across the marshes of the pond making another accessible entryway, but that idea remains in the works. prevents grass fields from being used. While the new field may be exciting, Rivers would like to keep people from visiting the construction site due to heavy machinery and equipment that could be dangerous.

Many Red Wing fans are already excited to enjoy games and events, utilizing the bleachers

The designer’s rendering of North Field, the new turf field that will be located at the end of Nonesuch Rd. that are planned to be put around the field. There will also be other places for fans to sit and stand around the field, including a hill with a view of the field.

Unfortunately, no lights will be installed on North Field, so as to avoid disturbing and disrupting the neighborhood and the environmentally sensitive area.

The facilities at North Field will include rest rooms and a team room for visiting teams, fans, and others watching games or using the field.

Seniors delve into scientific research over summer break Continued from page 1

between a patient and caregiver is the most important part of hospital care.” She also got to work with many Chinese exchange students in the program. In her journal, she describes how she loved reading their daily reflections and was so inspired by their passion for learning.

Later this year, students in Rivers’ Anatomy elective will begin making weekly visits to Harvard Medical School’s Gilbert Simulation Laboratory, allowing them to have many of the same incredible experiences Thabi did.

Cauley Reardon ’17 also did a science internship at Bruker Daltronics. She spent her summer learning about Mass Spectrometry, finding the masses of molecules in a solution in order to identify them, and High Performance Liquid Chromatography, separating the molecules in a solution based on their polar-

ity. For example, by injecting a sample of green tea into her instrument, she was able to identify a caffeine molecule. Eventually, she even got to test urine samples for drugs. “I walked out of the building every day at 4:30 knowing one hundred times more about mass spectrometry than I knew when I walked in at 9:00,” Cauley recalled.

Although Shahen and Nazeli Hagen ’17 both did seven week internships at Jackpine Technologies, their internships were in different fields. Nazeli’s internship centered around computer programming and coding. In her Summer Internship journal, she stated: “I came into this internship thinking I knew something about computer science; turns out I knew about only the basics, the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to computer science and software development than meets the eye; knowing the syntax and speaking the language

Thabi, Khumalo, Michelle Ryder, and Sam Adams at Harvard Medical School’s MED Science program facility. Photo by C. Martin.

Senior Robert Gallo working during his summer internship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. is only the beginning.”

As for Shahen, the first half of his internship revolved around being introduced to the company’s technology, while the second half focused on developing marketing strategies for Jackpine. He researched advertising in Silicon Valley to find opportunities to successfully introduce the company and its products to prospective users, he pursued sponsoring podcasts and buying booths to expand their client base, and he researched companies Jackpine could partner with.

“I learned the importance of streamlining communication between the marketing team and the developers on the technological side,” Shahen said. In this way, he showed that although

the separate skills he and Nazeli learned were very different, both the technological and the marketing skills were necessary for the success of Jackpine. As Shahen discussed at the end of his journal entry, the marketing team may be the ones who send consumers to the company’s website, but the tech team are the ones in charge of having a new feature ready to show customers once they get there.

Finally, Lorraine Byrne ’17 had an internship very different from the other mainly sciencebased internships. Lorraine interned at Freight Farms, learning about hydroponic farming in a shipping container, the company’s unique solution to the need to sustainably grow produce for

local consumption anywhere on the globe. Not only did she get to seed, transplant, and harvest the crops, but she also got to do research about topics such as the effects of ethylene on fruiting crops. In her Summer Internship Journal, she describes her excitement about sharing her experiences with the Freight Farm that will be up and running at Rivers later this year.

Clearly, these students’ summers were filled with exciting opportunities and new knowledge. If you’re interested in getting a summer internship, make sure to visit the Rivers website to read more about these students incredible experiences in their Summer Internship Journals.

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The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

EDITORIAL

Despite all the stress, we are very fortunate

Over the past year, I’ve discovered myself and my classmates falling into a junior/senior cliché: complaining about college and the application process, non-stop. And it’s easy to see why. Admission rates have been in free fall (an inverse to tuition costs), disproportionately affecting older generations’ perspectives about the ease or difficulty of gaining admittance. We apply to dozens of schools, rather than three, juggling early decision, early action, and regular decision. Test date after test date loom, along with the hope of perfecting application essays, all the while we tackle our regular senior coursework and myriad sports and extracurricular commitments. Through this haze, it’s easy to forget, in fact, how lucky we are.

Everyone in this school expects to go to college.

The last person in recent memory to not go (not counting gap years) immediately started a successful landscaping business. We go to an “independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school for students in grades 6 through 12.” The literal purpose of this school was to prepare us for college. The size of Rivers makes it so that our counselors actually know us personally and can craft incredibly well-thought out lists and recommendations for us. We are treated as individuals not data points, counseled weekly rather than being given one 15-minute meeting and then sent off on our own.

In the end, a majority of Rivers students can lay out their acceptance letters, point to where they want to go, and go, with no stress or worry about the cost. Those needing financial assistance typically get the guidance they need to land an acceptance or two with a competitive aid package as well. This is not a common narrative, but it is an amazingly fortunate one, undercut by eye-rolls and complaining about the Common App. Nationally, 65.9% of American high school graduates go to college. Here, 100% of Rivers students do.

Even as freshmen and sophomores, it can be fun to complain about our parents dragging us to a campus because it is in a 10-mile radius. And that is in part the fault of the upperclassmen, who teach underclassmen to dread the process with stories of tour after tour, test after test, essay draft after essay draft. But if we stop this cycle, and instead replace it with a more positive outlook, the entire process could be much more pleasant for a more receptive and excited pool of applicants.

And it really shouldn’t be that difficult to get excited about, rather than dread, the college process. You get to choose your whole future. This is where we are finally starting our own path, not following one clearly marked out. And that can seem frightening, I know. Questions of choosing the wrong one or not being able to make it reverberate through our heads. But this is not surprising; we are still learning to trust ourselves with decisions like this. But I invite you to have more faith in yourself, and to know that you are not alone in your worries. And even if you do make the wrong choice, you aren’t stuck with it for the rest of your life. You can change majors, or schools, even moving closer to home. We may have gained the independence to walk the tightrope alone, but the safety net is still there.

It’s okay that we are lucky. This isn’t meant to be a guilt trip. But we should at the very least recognize that luck, and be grateful. Yes, it is hard work, but the payoff is amazing, and really, after seven years, what’s one more essay?

Opinions & Editorials

Rubin provides insights on election

BY ALEX CLAY ’18 STAFF WRITER

It’s fair to say that this election season has been unlike any other.

The unprecedented side-stories have certainly muddied any discussion on the issues facing the country, so it was a welcome opportunity to hear from Doug Rubin during division meeting on Friday, Oct. 7.

A political strategist, Rubin worked on the campaigns of President Barack Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, and many others. Rubin also worked with grass roots organizers during many campaigns.

Rubin’s speech to the student body gave valuable and nonpartisan insight that explained the very question he posed: “How did we get here?”

Rubin first talked about the favorites at the beginning of the primaries. He grouped Republican candidates Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Scott Walker together as the favorites, with Jeb Bush being backed by most of the GOP establishment. According to Rubin, the GOP made an analysis after Mitt Romney’s 2012 election loss that showed they needed better minority outreach and a better ground game.

Rubin didn’t mention the fasterpaced primaries of 2016 which were a reaction to Mitt Romney’s lengthy exposure to the political spotlight after he won the 2012 primaries. However, the Republican’s revision of their primary

schedule allowed Donald Trump to rise to power because there was less time for weaker candidates to drop out and unite behind a candidate that could challenge Trump.

Many of Trump’s victories were by a plurality, meaning that he received less than 50% of the vote, so more people voted against him than voted for him.

Economic and social trends also fueled the rise of Trump and Democratic contender Bernie Sanders. Under the Obama administration, the US has seen the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression. While the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.9%, the labor force participation rate has fallen to about 63% from 66% when Obama took office. The US economy is now at 1% growth, and the national debt is expected to rise to $20 trillion by the end of Obama’s term. In Rubin’s opinion, however, the US has seen a good economic recovery under Obama. But this recovery has come at a significant price to the American manufacturing worker. Trade deals such as NAFTA have contributed to a loss of more than 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000. Trump has capitalized on the economic struggles of the Rust Belt by issuing a tax plan that lowers both corporate and personal income taxes and by saying he would repeal NAFTA. Hillary Clinton wants to raise taxes on the wealthy and strictly enforce the US tax codes to pay for her budget proposals.

Both candidates are for getting rid of the carried interest loophole

I agree with Rubin’s saying that this election is unlike any that we’ve seen before, but I disagree with his assertion that millennials (those born before and just after 2000) are the most important voting bloc. Clinton is leading by a wide margin over Trump in registered millennials, but low enthusiasm from most young people about the election because of Bernie Sanders’ treatment by the DNC will lead to a low turnout.

The most crucial voting bloc is suburban women. Large swing states such as Virginia, Ohio, and Florida have many cities with suburbs. In Loudoun County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. in 2012, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney by four points, which reflected the state’s result as well. White suburban women traditionally vote Republican, in this election, many are voting for Clinton because of Trump’s comments about women in several instances.

Rubin’s presentation was effective because - despite his background with Democrats - he remained objective. It was refreshing in such a highly partisan election for a pundit to shy away from taking sides. It was also highly educational for the Rivers community. It’s hard not to be biased in this election season, and Rubin did well at walking the fine line between liberal and conservative. In the future, I’d like to hear speakers from both sides talk about the election now that we know how we got to this point.

The Rivers Edge

Editor-in-Chief Kate Regan-Loomis ’17 Assistant Editor Adam Naddaff-Slocum ’18 News Editor Madeleine Muller ’17 Sports Editor Grace Monaghan ’17 Staff Writer/Columnist Phie Jacobs ’18 Staff Writer/Columnist Alex Clay ’18 Staff Writer/Columnist Zachary Zhang ’18 Staff Writer Samantha Baldwin ’17 Photo Syd Epstein ’17, Alex Klein ’18 Faculty Advisor Alex Stephens Contributing Writers: Sofia Buckle ’20, Cam Cobey ’18, Alex Gomez ’17, Annabelle Hasselbeck ’20, Izzy Hardy ’18, Lexie Lehan’18, Christian Schoen ’17, Isabel Silvia ’18 THE RIVERS EDGE is published by the students of The Rivers School. THE EDGE is a forum for the ideas, issues and concerns of the student body. Letters and contributions from the entire Rivers community - students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni are welcomed and encouraged. Unsigned letters will not be published, but names will be withheld upon request. Please send letters to The Editors, THE RIVERS EDGE, The Rivers School, 333 Winter Street, Weston, MA 02493.

October 21, 2016

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The Rivers Edge

Opinions

Changes to school’s archaic dress code still not enough

BY PHIE JACOBS ’18 STAFF WRITER

A number of things influenced my decision to apply to Rivers.

I liked the small class sizes, the varied curriculum, the focus on leadership, the cafeteria food, etc, but I really enjoyed the feeling that the school could be a safe haven for self-expression and creativity.

Needless to say, the day I got my acceptance letter was one of the happiest of my life. Then I found out about the dress code, and my immediate reaction was, “Well, damn. What do I do now?” I’m sure a lot of incoming students have read through the dress code - which prohibits, among other things, blue jeans, sweatpants, yoga pants, leggings, and crop tops - and discovered that they did not own a single item of clothing that fit the requirements. I’m sure a lot of those same students have then gone to the mall to find some new clothes, only to be greeted with entire stores filled only with blue jeans and legging-style pants.

It doesn’t seem fair that a student already paying a hefty tuition to attend a school should also have to spend several hundred more on a new wardrobe, especially when several of the restrictions serve no practical purpose.

Most students who have been attending Rivers for more than a few years likely remember former student Razzi Hawley’s valiant campaign for blue jeans, which proved ultimately fruitless. I have to admit I’m still puzzled as to why blue jeans are prohibited in the first place; differently colored

jeans, despite being made of the exact same material, are allowed, which leads me to believe that the administration has something against the color blue. I guess they all must have taken the red pill and had Morpheus show them the way out of The Matrix. Or it could be due to the fact that blue jeans have historically been a symbol of the working class, and Rivers has yet to shed its prep-tastic image, but I’ve got to leave something to the imagination. The argument could be made that blue jeans are considered casual attire and are therefore “unprofessional,” but which is more unprofessional: a well-fitted pair of jeans or a tie-dye t-shirt with the words “RIP Harambe” written across it in psychedelic bubble letters? Because only one of those things falls within the confines of the Rivers dress code, and it sure ain’t the blue jeans. Luckily for us, it was recently decreed that Rivers students would be allowed to wear blue jeans on campus…

But only on Fridays. This new rule may seem like a win for the student body, but in reality it’s kind of pointless. I have to wonder, is the administration allowing us this small, pretty much purely ceremonial victory to ensure that we stop thinking about the fact that the rule itself doesn’t make any sense? We shouldn’t be content with being able to wear our own, perfectly respectable clothes only one day out of the week when there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t be able to wear them all the time.

This realization led me to take a closer look at the entirety of the Rivers dress code, and I discov-

ered that many of the restrictions are just as pointless and archaic as the ban on blue jeans. I have the same quibble when it comes to leggings. Considering there is a large variety of different kinds of leggings, it becomes hard to define what is prohibited and why. Most leggings are about as tight as your average pair of skinny jeans or other pants made from stretchy material, so why are leggings in particular not allowed to be worn by themselves? They cover just as much skin as looser pants, and I think it’s worth pointing out that “pants” are literally just a piece of clothing that you put your legs into, and that people have been wearing leggings as pants since the cowboy days, during which they were made of buckskin and no one threw a hissy fit about them being “inappropriate.” Leggings are also not inherently “athletic wear,” which is also banned by the dress code. If leggings were athletic wear, we would not be allowed to wear them at all, even if we wore them under a fingertiplength skirt or dress. Just because something can be worn as athletic wear doesn’t mean that is its sole purpose.

If Rivers has something against people showing off the shape of their bodies, maybe it ought to require togas, or perhaps Harry Potter-esque robes. Again one might bring up the “unprofessional” argument, but if the dress code is meant to prepare us for the workplace, it’s a horribly ineffective tool. A fair amount of Rivers students already have jobs, and the leggings and short skirts in

their wardrobes do not hinder their ability to also wear a uniform. The idea that we need to be “trained” in the art of dressing ourselves kind of feels like an insult to our intelligence and also assumes that all of us will end up pursuing the same kind of job. The future accountants, lawyers, and real estate agents among us will not be adhering to the same dress code as the future technical analysts, graphic designers, and authors.

Another vague and seemingly pointless rule is the dress code’s ban on hats, which for some reason does not apply in athletic buildings, because we all know that the door to MacDowell is actually a portal to another dimension where the rules are different and everybody speaks backwards.

For this rule I actually did a little bit of research and came to the conclusion that the reason wearing hats indoors is considered impolite is because hats were mainly worn for traveling, so if you wore a hat inside a house or a place of worship, you were implying that you had someplace better to be.

The exceptions to this rule were hats that were considered purely decorative, which is why you see members of the royal family wearing small countries on their heads all the time. I say there’s nothing wrong with Rivers dress code prohibiting brimmed hats, but there’s no reason why we can’t wear hats such as beanies that are meant purely as fashion statements. This could be considered splitting hairs, but I’d rather have a dress code that was a tad overly specific than one full of arbitrary restrictions.

Lastly, there is no way to deny that the dress code is inherently gender-biased. The “fingertip rule” may seem gender-neutral, but ninety nine percent of the time, the girls are the ones who are going to have to pay. I dare you to go into any women’s clothing store and find even one pair of shorts that conforms to the dress code. If you’re lucky, you might find three such pairs of shorts, and if none of them are flattering, then you’re out of luck. This game gets a hundred times harder when you’re a tall girl, or a girl with curves.

You’re always more likely to be dress-coded than a shorter or skinnier girl. Teenage girls are already insecure about their bodies, especially in a society that constantly judges them for their shape, size, and appearance. Why add to this self-consciousness? Why make girls feel ashamed of their bodies? Why kill the self-expression they find through clothes like they killed Harambe? If the dress code is truly gender-neutral, why is the length of a girl’s skirt so important that the faculty need to organize a “girls only” meeting to go over the dress code? (That’s super patronizing, by the way, and automatically assumes that people who identify as girls are the only ones wearing skirts). Why are our clothes considered “distracting”? I ask you, which is more distracting - a half inch of thigh or THE HARAMBE SHIRT? In all seriousness, though, if a boy finds himself “distracted” by a girl’s legs, it’s his problem, not hers, and no dress code should prioritize a girl’s modesty over her education.

ernment can’t get anything done.

The media, historically impartial to issues, is biased on both sides depending on the source.

People’s strong opinions are boiling over, with some taking the street to express them, and not necessarily in a peaceful way.

The upcoming general election has deepened the already deep ideological divisions within the country. Sometimes, it seems like everyone is opinionated and closed-minded. Every day, I ask myself, “Why can’t people just listen to each other?”

Don’t get me wrong - it’s great to have strong opinions.

I have some. I’m sure most of you do as well. There’s nothing wrong with voicing them. It’s also great to disagree with someone else’s opinion. This discord sparks debate, which is the most effective method of discussion and problem-solving. However, shutting down other people’s opinions without question or consideration doesn’t solve any problems. Just because one disagrees with someone else’s thoughts on a particular issue doesn’t automatically undermine their argument. When debate is eliminated, no one wins.

No matter how strong an

opinion may be, it can always benefit from exposure to different perspectives. I’ve been fortunate to meet people from many different countries around the world through summer programs.

Two of my best friends from these programs live in Turkey and Venezuela. Right now, both countries are in states of emergency. I have kept in contact with them regularly throughout the turmoil.

Efe’s hometown of Ankara has been rocked by suicide bombs numerous times in the past year. He messaged me live during the coup d’etat in July, and because of the Turkish government’s internet censorship, our messages have to be encrypted.

Juan’s family ran out of running water during the month of May as Venezuela’s economic collapse continued. He described scenes of protest and starvation on the streets of nearby Caracas, and was forced to temporarily leave the country over the summer.

Before getting to know these two, I had already formed opinions about the crises in Turkey and Venezuela, and how to improve them. However,

hearing these two direct perspectives has really opened my eyes to the feelings of people more closely connected to events that we may only read about in the news. Learning about my friends’ first-hand experiences living through unrest has only enhanced my opinion and made it better informed.

Here at Rivers, we have created a tight-knit community that helps students thrive both inside and outside the classroom. At the same time, we must acknowledge that our community is a bubble. Most of us haven’t had to worry about food, water, or shelter. Most of us haven’t had to worry about being bombed on a near-daily basis. Therefore, many of us have a very similar perspective of the world.

Some within our community experience discrimination based on skin color, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, appearance, social class, or the like. Many others have not. It is imperative to be sensitive to the perspectives of people who have experienced these hardships and to understand their opinions. Likewise, it is important that people who have not experienced these hardships are able to voice their feelings

and opinions as well. Productive discussion and problem-solving can only occur when respectful debate is allowed.

In my view, the key is to keep an open mind. Listen to and respect other people’s opinions.

Take into account people’s different perspectives of the world. If there is a disagreement, understand why the other person has a different opinion. It sounds really simple, but it has proven incredibly hard to achieve.

Take it from me - I’ve learned that it’s very difficult to find the perfect balance of musical ideas when playing in an ensemble. I can’t play too loud; likewise, I can’t not play at all, because in both scenarios, the band would suffer. Each member has to listen to the others and adjust accordingly to create a beautiful blend of music.

The only way to be part of a harmonious community--whether it be a school or a country--is to be open-minded and receptive to new ideas. It’s a shame that much of the country doesn’t understand this. Whenever I see closed-mindedness in action, I ask myself: why can’t people be more like jazz?

The solution to our polarized nation: be more like jazz

BY ALEX GOMEZ ’17 STAFF WRITER

Jazz. To most people, it’s just another ancient genre of music.

Old guys playing horns. People may or may not like the bombastic sound of the Rivers Big Band, or the smooth croons of Kenny G’s saxophone. It took a whole speech last year to get people to understand what a Mingus is.

To me, though, jazz represents so much more than a music genre many presume to be dead. Whenever I’m practicing my saxophone or soloing over a tune, I have free reign to play whatever I want, whenever I want. I listen to my band mates around me, and using prior knowledge of the song, I improvise. I use their support to compose a polished music phrase, creating a harmonious blend of sound. While the others improvise themselves, I reciprocate their prior support, respecting their artistic choices of expression.

To me, jazz represents openmindedness, something that our society seriously lacks today.

Right now, our country is as polarized as ever. Partisanship and controversy reign supreme.

At times, it seems like our gov-

Page 6

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

Features

Garner embraces challenge of grueling Spartan races

BY KATE REGAN-LOOMIS ’17 EDITOR IN CHIEF

While most of us spent Saturday mornings sleeping and procrastinating work, sculpture teacher Rindy Garner is at The Longfellow Sports club training for a Spartan Race by hopping on tires, doing countless Burpees, and carrying 5-gallon buckets full of rocks up and down stairs.

The Spartan Race phenomenon took the world by a storm in 2007. Founded by Joe De Sena, Andy Weinberg, and Julian Kopald, the race is an intense and often grueling obstacle course ranging from 3 miles to a marathon. In 2000, according to the Wikipedia page, De Sena’s team became stranded in the Quebec wilderness during a 350mile winter adventure race, when he had to dig himself beneath the snow to survive. It was here that he claims he made a distinction between “difficult” situations and “desperate” experience, and inspired him to create his own endurance races. De Sena met Andy Weinberg and they decided to develop a new series of obstacle course races. They cofounded the Death Race, and the first edition in 2007 saw only eight competitors, with three completing the race. A step up from the Tough Mudder, these races are not for the faint-hearted.

Obstacles can include “a fire jump, climbing under barbed wire, wall climbing, mud crawling, the “over-under-through (runners must climb over a wall, then under a wall, then through

Sculpture teacher Rindy Garner powers through an obstacle at the Spartan race this past summer. a square hole placed in a wall), spear throw, rope climb, heavy object carries, monkey bars, Traversal Wall (similar to a bouldering wall), Hobie Hop (a thick rubber band is placed around the ankles and participants hop through consecutive tires), Slippery Wall (a wall built at an incline, roughly covered in grease), a zigzag log jump, steep mud climbs, tractor pulls, submerging underwater below walls, Atlas carries, tire flips, stump balances (skipping on stumps across a pond), rope swing, and the now discontinued Gladiator Arena.”

And this past summer, Garner did just about all of that. Racing in 95 degree weather, she ran the

Boston sprint on June 4th with her training group from Longfellow, running over 3 miles and clambering and jumping over more than 20 obstacles the whole way. While this may discourage most, Garner sees it differently.

“It really feeds my soul,” Garner said recently. “It makes me feel so alive. I love that I’m pushing my body and my mind.”

And it truly is a test of mental and physical prowess, as Garner suggests. “It is really kind of mental it is one of those things you really have to believe in yourself.” But one doesn’t have to be going alone through it.

“The people around you are really encouraging. It’s a huge

challenge, and you feel such a great accomplishment, and when you’re done, everyone is so happy that we finished. There’s a great vibe,” said Garner. “No Spartan is left behind. People are always willing to help each other. If I can’t get up a ten foot wall, someone will help me.”

Just as important as mental strength is physical strength.

Training for Garner included going to Blue Hills and carrying sandbags up and down. But even with the intense work-outs many runners do to prepare, the races are surprisingly accessible. “You can be at a variety of fitness. It might only take me three hours, but someone else seven hours.

And if you can’t do an obstacle, you can do 30 Burpees instead.”

For Garner, training for the races added a new sense of fun and adrenaline to exercise. “I had heard of these things in the past, but had never really done it,” she said. “I wanted something that I could work on specifically when working out. I was just looking for something that had some sort of goal to it. There was a greater purpose to it.”

But even with the accessibility, participants still have to sign a death waiver before you run.

“It is so outrageous and fun,” she explained. “I like that it’s not clean. I like that there’s a bit a fear involved. It is very exhilarating to be running and to come across these bizarre challenges.”

Garner is training and hoping to eventually run a Spartan Beast, which is over 13 miles and has more than 30 obstacles.

But will she stop after conquering the Beast? According to her, she won’t be quitting anytime soon. “There is such a rush of adrenaline. It really pushes the limits of what you think you can do, and there is always a chance to improve in every race. I was only able to get half way up the rope, but I know I can go higher the next time.”

This November, Fenway Park will be hosting a Spartan sprint (3 miles of 20+ obstacles), if anyone is up for the challenge.

And if that sounds a bit too intense, you can always experience the incredible thrill by listening to Garner talk about her amazing accomplishment.

Paralympics deserve more coverage and our attention

BY CHRISTIAN SCHOEN ’17 STAFF WRITER

Sports for athletes with impairment have existed since the late 19th century but was not widely introduced until following WWII as a way to assist the large number of servicemen injured during the war. The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome, Italy in 1960 and featured over 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, and the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, the Paralympics have been held at the same venue as the Olympics.

Only since 1988 have Paralympians been able to compete and experience the same atmosphere and facilities as their able-bodied counterparts.

The Paralympics have become the second largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics.

Despite this momentous fact, popularity among viewers has not matched the size and scope of the Paralympics. In recent years, corporate sponsors have promoted both Olympians and

Paralympians in their commercials leading up to and during the Games. However, in the weeks before the 2016 Olympic Games, Vogue Brazil published an issue featuring disabled athletes throughout the magazine. The only issue was that these athletes were in fact able bodied models Photoshopped to appear disabled.

The excuse of Vogue Brazil was that they were only trying to increase the hype around the Paralympics. Why not just use actual Paralympians than? Not just models who have never come close to the achievements of these athletes. Why didn’t this pathetic excuse for advertising and championing of Paralympians receive more publicity and coverage? Because the world only cares about perfection. In a world obsessed with appearances, it is easy to discard the “outsiders,” the people who aren’t Michael Phelps or Serena Williams.

The Paralympics are streamed and available for viewing like the Olympics through prime time coverage on major networks is nonexistent. Basically, the only

way to hear about the Games is online or on Facebook. Sports Illustrated and other athletic magazines never feature disabled athletes on their covers. Instead, they put images of scantily clad women all over them. A sports magazine should celebrate

The Paralympics has become the second largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics. Despite this momentous fact, popularity among viewers has not matched the size and scope of the Paralympics.

sports, not sex. Additionally, college and professional football coverage begins aggressively right when the during the Summer Paralympics. Bob Costas, the most recognizable face on

television every four years is nowhere to be seen during the Paralympics.

In the 2016 Paralympic Games, track and field world records were demolished. In the men’s 1500m, the world record was obliterated by Abdellatif Baka of Algeria in a time of 3:48.29. In the Olympic Games, the 1500m was won by an American; his time, 3:50.00. In fact, the top four finishers in the Paralympics would have beaten the gold medalist in the Rio Games just weeks earlier. Baka now holds the world record time in the 1500m amongst ablebodied and disabled athletes.

Why wasn’t that all over the newspapers and online pages? I only heard about the feat through a shared Facebook article. We are all guilty of ignoring the Paralympics. In some ways, we can’t help it. The resources to watch and follow the Paralympics are almost non-existent compared to the Olympics.

In the future, I urge everyone not turn off their TV after the closing ceremonies. There are still weeks to come where we

can watch the best athletes on the Earth compete in front of us.

Tatyana McFadden, a familiar figure in Boston Marathon, has received almost zero publicity compared to her fellow ablebodied athletes. Unknown to many, Tatyana has won the Boston Marathon four times in a row, and she passed on her laurel wreath to the Martin Richard family–the boy who was killed in the bombing in 2013– as a symbol of hope. On top of all of this, she has won ten Paralympic medals, six in Rio alone. Why was she not featured with her fellow champions: Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles on the cover of SI? The world must strive to recognize what it takes to reach the elite levels of sports whether one if physically impaired or not. In many cases, Paralympic athletes have to overcome much more than their able-bodied counterparts. We are moving in the right direction, but prime time coverage of the Paralympic games is still a long way away.

October 21, 2016

The Rivers Edge

Page 7

Features

More than a hobby: Fantasy football consumes many

BY CAM COBEY’18 CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Football season is now upon us, and with that comes fantasy football. For those who don’t know, fantasy football involves picking players from all 32 NFL teams and adding them to their imaginary fantasy roster, and then playing against other teams where you get points based on how your players perform. Yes, it may sound dumb to someone who is not completely obsessed with football, but it is what most football fans look forward to when the NFL season kicks off.

Your season starts with a draft. You select a team composed of a quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, defense, kicker, a flex and a bench. And you don’t need to sign up for Draft Kings or some of the online games looking to take your money.

There are many types of leagues anyone can set up. You have your standard league, your PPR league, your dynasty league, your keeper league; the list goes on and on. These leagues vary in scoring also, but standard scoring usually gives one point per every ten yards and six points per

touchdown. You may be thinking, “So what?” Why is fantasy football so great?

“Fantasy football makes watching football more enjoyable, and it adds competition to your daily life,” said junior Teddy Gelb. “And I’m good at it.” Added Andrew Sullivan: “Fantasy football is great because it gets you involved and interested in football games that you wouldn’t care about otherwise.”

Teddy and Andrew are not the only Rivers students playing fantasy. Walking around the campus, one can hear lots of conversations about football or fantasy football. “Who should I start?”

“How do you think Forte will do against the Carolina defense this week?” I often find myself involved in these conversations arguing a player or just debating for days who to start on my roster until the lineups lock at 1 PM on Sunday.

Although most of the male students at Rivers play fantasy football, you would be surprised by the number of female students who also play. Sophomore Georgia Cabot is one of those girls.

“It is a fun thing to do with my family and friends who I don’t see a lot, and I like watch-

ing football and seeing my players perform and get me the win,” Cabot said. She knows her stuff, too, as she is currently in first place in her league.

In 2012, 20% of the users on Yahoo were women, showing a huge increase from previous years. Women are now getting in on the fantasy action, and this number is likely to increase in the upcoming years.

To be sure, fantasy football, while fun, is a great time waster.

You can spend from five minutes to over an hour each week on fantasy football. Whether it is tinkering with your roster, reading up on the rankings, or some sleepers that week, time can fly by before you know it. I am on that die-hard fantasy lover side of the spectrum, so I am guilty of wasting a lot of time figuring out what to do with my team. Each Thursday I make up my mind on my FLEX for the week, and say to myself a thousand times, this is the right choice, just to feel better.

Now I am going to tell you why I love fantasy football.

Fantasy football is competitive; it is fun. I am in a league with friends and their dads and the whole group of us always comes together for the draft each year.

Our commissioner always puts on an amazing show of awards from the previous season, including a huge trophy for the winner.

We trash talk through the draft and the season, and complain to each other about our bust players or brag about our steals of the draft. It is coming together with friends and family that is what makes fantasy football so fun and trying to get the best of each other each year. Another aspect of fantasy football which I love is that it brings another layer to

football. Before I started playing fantasy, it would only be the Patriots game that I would watch.

But now, when the Patriots are not on, I find myself tuning into other games that I would have never watched otherwise. I find myself watching the JaguarsBrowns game, a game in which I would never normally watch just to see if Blake Bortles is playing well. Fantasy football makes football more fun to watch, and these are the reasons why I love it so much.

by Alex Clay ’18

Orientations helped new and returning students transition

Freshmen work on a group challenge during their orientation at Windsor Mountain in late August. Photo by Kate Wade.

Seniors Joshua Polanco Calderon and Emma Roush, two of the eight Student Advisors, talk to the freshmen at Windsor Mountain. K. Wade.

Members of the junior class at their day-long orientation at Thompson Island’s Outward Bound program on September 1st. Photo by ??/.

The senior class kicked off the year with a white-water rafting trip in upstate New York that began at a summer camp on a lake, featuring beach volleyball, waterskiing and knock out. Photo by S. Epstein.

Page 8

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

Arts

Cast prepares for Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors”

BY KATE REGAN-LOOMIS ’17 EDITOR IN CHIEF

Last year, Rivers students blew us all away with their intense and moving production of The Laramie Project, an incredibly emotional play depicting the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard and the town and world’s reaction to it. This year, however, the Nonesuch Players are tackling a much lighter play; The Comedy of Errors, one of Shakespeare’s first plays and certainly his most ridiculous.

The premise of the farce revolves around mistaken identity and the resulting chaos that ensues. The dynamic characters are all caught up in the confusion and only the audience knows what’s really happening, creating humor at every turn. Often dismissed as lacking thematic depth compared to most of Shakespeare’s other works, the success of the play often depends on what the cast and crew brings. And in this case, they bring it all.

Due to the difficult nature that Shakespearean language presents, not all of the jokes are completely obvious when simply read on paper. This is where the exceptional cast and directors Juliet Bailey and Julia Auster come

in. The energy and delivery of the performers paired with Bailey and Auster’s insight and vision makes for a pitch perfect result that goes beyond the language.

“I’ve directed many comedies, but this is the first one so dependent on slapstick and physical farce - of which I am a HUGE fan, “Bailey says about the nonsensical nature of the play. “Comedy of Errors was Shakespeare’s first comedy and first hit - operating on lots of stereotypes and lots of stage fighting. One of the greatest challenges for me is to take the humor that’s repellent to a modern audience (spousal and servant abuse, xenophobia, the ‘shrewish’, cheated-on wife as an object of ridicule) and reframe it without losing the integrity or content of the play.”

Returning seniors Brett Rahbany, Joshua Polanco Calderon, Omar Frometa, Aliza Bloostein, and Kate Knight as well as stage manager Christian Schoen ’17 lead this strong and enthusiastic cast.

“The whole group is younger,” says Bloostein. “For ‘The Laramie Project’, it was only juniors and seniors, and we had a lot of seniors. This year we also have sophomores, which is nice because we can expose new people

to the play and meet all sorts of people. It’s also very different in that a lot of the people haven’t been in the play before, which creates a different dynamic but it’s cool to see everybody learn new things.”

Phie Jacobs ‘18 and Rahbany star as leads Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, along with their much-abused servants Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse, portrayed by Charlie Bondhus ‘18 and Polanco Calderon. The swift costume (and sometimes character) changes pulled off by the cast add to the delightful chaos of the play. “The upbeat, silly nature of the comedy has created a fun ensemble that laughs and has fun together,” says Bailey. “There are lots of new faces, and everyone has bonded really well. It’s hard not to when you spend most of the rehearsal laughing.”

This play easily lends itself to many different interpretations, from the traditional, middle ages setting of the Globe Theater’s production in 2014 to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s chronologically ambiguous and absurd take on it. In this case, the cast brings the audience to the classic image of Las Vegas. To do so however, involves more than just

Member of the cast of “Comedy of Errors” work on a scene. the cast and directors.

“Mr Leeming’s set and Judy’s costumes are going set the stage for this fast-paced, zany comedy,” says Bailey. The set crew, consisting of Rivers students, works tirelessly to transform the stage during the show. The production is certainly a team effort.

With only weeks until curtain, all hands are on deck as the cast and crew come together to create something spectacular and hilarious. Performances, which will take place in the Black Box Theater, will run Nov. 10, 11, and 12 starting at 7 p.m. with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday.

Diverse, impressive student show kicks of gallery exhibits

BY SAMANTHA BALDWIN ’17 ARTS EDITOR

Every day students file through the Bell Gallery to get to classes in the math and language wings of the lower Campus Center, and while in the hustle and bustle of a busy school day there is little time to stop and observe the art, the stunning array of pieces add spirit and color to the day of every Rivers student.

The Bell Gallery, which held its first exhibit with the opening of the new Campus Center in the fall of 2011, is a beautifully lighted exhibit space that showcases the works of students, faculty, alumni, and professional artists alike. Curated by the Rivers art faculty, the gallery is constantly changing, with about a half a dozen new exhibits per year.

To commence the 2016 school year, the Bell Gallery featured the work of Rivers student artists, with unique pieces from students from every grade and in every medium ranging from paint to ceramic to the Class of 2020’s wooden skateboards. The variety is truly incredible, noted Syd Epstein ’17, adding: “I walk through [the gallery] and can see the effort everyone has put into their pieces. That’s the best part about it.”

The gallery is carefully curated by all of Rivers’ visual arts teachers, showcasing pieces from intermediate and advanced and middle school classes, and any exceptional work that remains

While the student exhibition ended, Oct. 5, student artwork from last spring remains on display in the periodicals room in the library and in lower Haynes Hall. Photo by A. Stephens. is displayed in the library or the look at the work of their fellow lery. “However, in art classes at lower Haynes hallway. Jeremy classmates.

Rivers, I have been able to build Harrison, two dimensional art Not only is there a variety in my confidence in the arts. All of teacher, explained the process the works presented, but diverour art teachers are really supthat he and David Saul, chair of sity in the artists whose works portive and treat every idea that the Art Department and darkfill the gallery, showing how we have as if it is a legitimate room photography teacher, go well rounded the Rivers comidea.” through when setting up the stumunity is. Pieces created by Bloostein is one of many Rivdent shows. “We collaborate to varsity athletes, science fanatics, ers students who have discovered choose artworks that work well and conservatory musicians line a talent in the arts that they never together,” Mr. Harrison said. “We the walls of the gallery, giving saw in themselves, showing that hope some viewers will notice every student who walks by an the visual arts teachers have visual relationships between the inspiration to pursue the art, even fulfilled their goals. pieces in close proximity.” if they never saw themselves as a “My favorite thing about The artistic eyes of both creative individual. teaching art at Rivers is helping Saul and Harrison as well as the “I never really considered students create art that is better three-dimensional art teachers myself an artist or at all artistic,” than anything they ever expected Tim Clark, Rindy Garner, and said Aliza Bloostein ’17, whose to be able to make,” Harrison Lisa Townley, careful selection unique film photograph taken explained. of the gallery challenges every with a Holga Camera entitled Not only do the teachers instudent viewer to take a closer “Crystal” is featured in the galspire students to step out of their

comfort zones and create art that they are proud of, though. They also leave room for experimentation in the art room.

Award-winning artist Alicia Bellido ’17, whose self-portrait in acrylic paint hangs on the left wall of the gallery has taken art classes of every level throughout her years at Rivers, and finished her junior year with an independent study in art. “My favorite thing about art at Rivers would probably be the freedom granted to do what you’d like when you do independent studies,” she stated. “And how the teachers support and guide your ideas.”

The freedom that Bellido described is apparent throughout the gallery. One of the perennial favorite assignments in Rindy Garner’s intermediate sculpture class, for example, is to create a clock from wood. The students are granted the freedom to design their clock in any way they see fit, and designs range from senior Charlie Parsons’s Monster’s Inc.-inspired green monster clock to James Brennan’s nautical blue and white sailboat clock.

Whether you are an accomplished artist or somebody who has never set foot in a Rivers art class before, the Bell Gallery was certainly full of inspiration for the first month of school. The student show was a great way to kick off the year of exhibits.

Next up? Rivers’ supremely talented Art Department faculty will be showcasing some of their more recent works.

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

Page 9

Sports

Football off to solid start heading into halfway point

BY CAM COBEY ’18 CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The 2016 Rivers football season has begun in full force, and it promises to be an exciting one.

Since last year, when they struggled with injuries and faced many tough opponents, the team has undergone numerous changes.

Most significantly, it has nearly doubled in size. Having 44 players at the start of training camp, as opposed to 23 last season, is proving to not only be a huge asset during games, but, according to head coach Tom Bourdeau, is also beneficial for practices and overall team morale. “It creates good culture for practice. Having more people, you can run a better practice, do more drills, and get more reps. It’s just more realistic,” Coach Bourdeau said.

One of his biggest goals for this season is to be better than last season, and he passes this on to his players: “It’s something I try to instill in the kids,” Coach Bourdeau said., “Be better than yesterday, be better tomorrow; just continually work to get better every single day, and then hopefully the results will end up on the scoreboard.”

Both the coaches’ and players’ commitment to this goal is already evident, as the team is 2-2 heading into mid season In their first game the Red Wings beat Dexter by a commanding four touchdowns, with a final score

of 48-20. Azar Swain ‘17 scored five touchdowns, playing a big part in the team’s win. The game was exciting to say the least, with Rivers scoring three times in two minutes after Dexter coughed up several turn overs.

Junior Tyler Aronson, who was sidelined last year with an ACL tear, has stepped in as quarterback and has looked impressive to say the least. Against Dexter, he ran and threw for two scores. Senior Aidan Van Duzer, who was also out last year with an ACL injury, has proven to be a strong running back. Against Dexter, he had a 60-yard TD run during which he both eluded and bounced off several tacklers.

The next weekend Rivers travelled to Groton, where they shut out the Zebras 22-0 in a game that could have easily been even more lopsided were it not for penalties. The team suffered its first loss at St. Mark’s, 35-14.

Unfortunately, during the game, Aronson got tackled and injured his knee, knocking him out for the season. Sophomore Andrew Sanderson filled in as QB. Despite some injuries to the roster, a better season already under way, much of the credit goes to a healthier roster and lots of preparation. Coach Bourdeau notes that he likes to use this time to put in a lot of new plays and new schemes, because once the regular season starts practices will become shorter.

“We’ve tried to throw as much

as we can at the kids. It’s maybe even too much right now,” Coach Bourdeau admitted. However, the players don’t seem to mind and come to practice willing to learn and take on the challenges of the day. “They haven’t complained at all. They just show up and work hard, and we’ve made a lot of progress,” said Coach Bourdeau.

Last weekend, under the lights at Waterman Field, the football squad suited up for a big match up against Nobles. Coming into the game, the football team was on a high with a record of 2-1.

Although, Rivers took the field with great intensity and a stellar Fanzone, Nobles came out strong. Rivers only had two offensive drives in the first half, but were unable to score. Going into the fourth quarter, it was a very close game with the score 6-0, in Nobles favor. However, Rivers defense was unable to stop Nobles as the quarter went on, with a final score, and Nobles victory of 28-0.

At the halfway point of the season, the team is looking strong with great chemistry thanks to the leadership of captains Aidan Van Duzer ’17 and Azar Swain ’17, who had a fantastic season last year and is sure to be a key player this year, as well. In fact, Swain is just a few TDs away from setting a school record. Both of these players, along with other upperclassmen, will be essential in acclimating all of the first time play-

Senior Azar Swain ’17 is on track to set a new career touch down record for Rivers. Photo by Janet Ciummei. ers. Ian Brostowski ‘18, Matt Rish ‘18, Tim Lapsley ‘18, and Austin Colena ‘18 are all offensive lineman who started last year, and are showcasing their experience this year. Other returning vets include Zack Lisman ‘17, Joey Duffy ‘17, and Ben Puritz ‘17, all three of whom will contribute significantly to the team.

The team is lucky to have great coaches, including Coach Bourdeau, all of whom contribute to each practice. Assistant coach AJ Walsh is a Rivers alum who played on the 2010 football squad

that captured an ISL title and played a bowl game at Gillette.

Also lending his vast knowledge of the game is assistant coach Bruce Taylor ’73. Assistant coach Henry Large has been coaching ISL football for many years, and brings a lot of experience to the team as well. Finally, the offensive coordinator is Bob Desaulniers, who last coached at Weston high school. In addition the team is also working with Taariq Allen ‘11 and Ben Patrick ‘11, who, like Walsh, played on the 2010 ISL championship team at Rivers.

seniors who are veterans on the team. Kaitlin Wood (All American last year), Cam Siegrist, and Michelle Ryder are the three captains who will lead the team

along with Erin Mckay, and goalkeeper Lorraine Byrne. They will look to have another strong season and capture the Class B championship.

Can field hockey “three-peat” as New England champs?

BY CAM COBEY ’18 STAFF WRITER

Repeating as champs is hard enough, but it’s the rare team that can do the storied “Three-peat” (see the Chicago Bulls, Lakers or even the dreaded Yankees.

Rivers’ own varsity field hockey team is poised to do just that.

Coming off a very successful 2015 season in which they were 11-4 and Class C New England Champs for the second straight year, the table has been set.

However, this fall, they have been bumped up into Class B for some tougher competition, but still play a similar schedule to last year.

Led by head coach Janna Anctil and assistant coach Lydia Hayward, the girls look to have another successful year.

“As long as we work as a team, not individuals, we will put ourselves in a position to be competitive with every team on our schedule,” said Coach Anctil. They look to qualify for the playoffs and make a run for the banner in Class B as well.

Anctil also says they won’t take any team too lightly, and, as the saying goes, take it one game at a time. With that being said, the girls really want to beat Nobles this fall. Rivers has never beaten Nobles in field hockey, and last fall they lost a heartbreaking

Talent and grit power girls’ cross country

BY CAM COBEY ’18 STAFF WRITER

Senior Cam Siegrist gets control of the ball at midfield during Rivers’ game a against Pomfret. Photo by Janet Ciummei. overtime game to them. Rivers FanZone, be ready, as the Red Wings square off against the Bulldogs on Nov. 9th, the final game of the regular season.

Currently, the team is 5-1 with wins over ISL rivals Groton, Tabor, and St. Paul’s, and nonleague victories over Dana Hall (7-0) and Worcester Academy (2-0).

Each year, the team has a

word that becomes their theme for the season, and this year that word is “compete.” Coach Anctil said that word perfectly describes her team.

“This team is exceptionally competitive and will look to compete in every single game on our schedule this year,” Anctil said. She is looking to the senior class to lead the team this fall.

They have a strong group of

The girls’ cross country team is coming off a solid 8-4 record last year. Led by long-standing coach Paul Karasch and assistant coach Andrea Diaz, the girls look to have another good year. This year’s captains are Chloe Smith ’18 and Grace Monaghan ’17, who have both been on the team since they were freshmen. Last year, the team had lots of injuries towards the end of the season which made it hard when it came to big races. They came in 9th at the ISL championships in 2015.

But if they stay healthy, the team is sure to place a lot higher at this year. The top three runners this year are Caroline Phelps, Smith, and Caroline Grape.

“We all work really hard in practice whether it is during our timed PPM’s, or just on a normal day,” said Phelps. “I think as a team we are all looking to do

well and improve this year.” To start the year, the girls participated in the Michelle Dufault Memorial fun run at Nobles to honor Michelle Dufault (Nobles ‘07), who passed away while working in a machine shop at Yale in 2011. It was a nice way to get into the season in a relaxed and fun way.

The weekend after that, the team placed one runner in the top ten at Tabor, two runners inside the top ten at Governor’s Academy, and an overall team win at Middlesex. A highlight for the girls was their meet this past weekend at Lawrence Academy, where they beat all three opposing teams, with their top five runners placing in the top ten. They look to stay healthy as a team and work together and support each other, something they have demonstrated consistently. They also look to best their individual goals and get ready for ISL’s and New England’s.

Page 10

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

Sports

Varsity volleyball has some success in its inaugural season

BY GRACE MONAGHAN ’17 SPORTS EDITOR

A new school year always comes with new beginnings, and this fall at Rivers that includes the beginning of a new sport: volleyball. The idea of introducing volleyball to Rivers has been in the works for some time, and this fall it was finally able to come to fruition. With the launch of the program, Rivers will join 10 other ISL schools that have volleyball teams.

This offers a great new opportunity to girls in terms of fall sports, and even in its first year volleyball has turned out to be a widely popular addition to the traditional group of fall sports.

Twenty-five girls are currently in the program, with fourteen on the varsity team and eleven players on the “learn to play” team.

The team has a great balance of eight juniors, two sophomores, and four freshman. New head coach Terry Rowe noted that this makes for a “fantastic” team dynamic. Three junior captains - Maddy Olton ’18, Marissa Tomaino ’18, and Tess Sussman ’18 - have been elected and are

sure to provide a great source of leadership as the team moves into its first few games.

Only one of the girls on the team has any previous experience with volleyball, so there will definitely be a steep learning curve. However, all of the girls love playing and come to practice with their full energy, excited to become acquainted with the game.

“The girls have been great about really focusing on the details of the sport and learning as much as possible early on,” Coach Rowe said. At this point in the season the team has had four games. The first -Coach Rowe few games provided an important chance for the girls to get out on the court, which, according to Coach Rowe, can be very intimidating the first time.

Despite their first loss Coach Rowe has high hopes about where the season is headed. “We know that there will be growing pains, and that other teams who have played together for years, and have players with multiple years of experience, will have a competitive advantage over us to start the season,” he said. “But

“The improvement they showed is more than any team I’ve ever coached.”

Jess Mulder is one of 14 upper school girls who make up Rivers’ first ever volleyball team. Photo by Janet Ciummei.

won 3-2, marking Rivers volleyball’s first ever win. Coach Rowe was particularly pleased with this performance. “The improvement they showed,” he explained, “is more than any team I’ve ever coached.” There is certainly a lot riding on this first volleyball season, in terms of setting a precedent for years to come, but both coaches and players seem more than up to the challenge.

While the team suffered a tough loss to Nobles the week later, they bounced back and captured the program’s second victory with a 3-2 win over Marianapolis Prep.

The steady progress and development of the team aligns with Coach Rowe’s goals for the inaugural season. The biggest one, he said, is to “provide a space where the athletes enjoy coming to practice every day, and push them to not only get better at volleyball, but more importantly to grow as people and human beings.” In terms of the role volleyball will play at Rivers in the future, Rowe believes that “the future of Rivers volleyball is very bright. We want the school to know about us and come out and support us and watch an incredibly exciting and fun sport,” he concluded, and with the way the season has begun, the team will be sure to attract attention as the year progresses.

we like our athleticism and know that we will be a competitive member of the ISL in no time.”

This proved to be true in their game on Sept. 28 against Lawrence Academy which the girls

they can. They also look to compete in the New England tournament at the end of the year.

“This year we are looking to win more games and finish with a

better record than last year,” Zecca said. “We want to finish inside the top three.”

The boys have demonstrated their experience so far this year,

and they know what to do to win big games. Keeping that in mind, they need to continue working hard every day, and play to their potential.

Coach Paluseo noted that the boys have been doing very well so far, rising to the challenge of this intensive routine: “I have seen progress and there is a willingness to work hard and push themselves and each other, which is great.”

Half way through their season, it looks like this squad could be one of the strongest in many years. A few weekends ago, their progress and team prowess really showed, as the boys put on a great performance at Governor’s, coming in second as a team. The following weekend they raced through the mud and rain on a tough Roxbury Latin course, coming in 2nd place out of four teams. Their next two meets were held at Middlesex and Lawrence Academy, respectively, and the team competed, despite the tough courses. A highlight of these races has been Nic Stathos ‘18, who finished first in four out of the last five races, including setting a course record in the meet at Roxbury Latin.

Although cross country is often considered an individual sport, there is definitely a big

team aspect. The boys rely on one another to push and support their teammates during practices and meets, and that is why team dynamic is so important to the sport and the Rivers team.

Coach Paluseo said that it would be impossible to name any key runners, as “everyone’s role is critical to the team’s success, both in terms of the production in races and how the team functions.” With such a great group of runners on this year’s team, the chemistry will undoubtedly be strong. “They are all terrific young people and a great group to coach. I could not be more fortunate, really,” Coach Paluseo said.

This season the team is less focused on wins and losses and more on achieving personal and team bests. “I am excited to see how far we can progress in the time we have. I want us to have fun, work hard, and be the best team we can be,” Coach Paluseo said. With this positive attitude and the continued effort and motivation by the boys, the 2016 season is shaping up to be a great one.

Boys’ soccer looking to build on success of last season

BY CAM COBEY ’17 CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The boys’ varsity soccer team looks to improve on last year’s 6-8-1 record. The team is led by longtime head coach Bob Pipe, assistant coach Eric Anderson, a standout for Rivers and Babson soccer, and captains Peter Zecca, Noah Lemley, and Paul Hawkins, each who have been on the team for four years.

The year started off with a trip to Camp Lenox, an annual event for both the boys and girls soccer teams.

“The team is starting to become well rounded,” captain Peter Zecca said. “We’re really starting to figure out how to play with each other.”

Discussing Lenox, and preseason for the boys, Zecca noted, “We want to work on playing as a team this year and apply maximum effort all around the field for 90 minutes.”

Last year, the boys lost six of their seniors, including their all-ISL goalie Jacob Harris who went on to play soccer at Colgate University. This year, though, the boys have a strong senior class led by their captains as well as Jamie Carroll, Ben Churchill, David Freedman, and Seamus Cullen. These players will look to fill the void of last year’s departing seniors.

With the departure of Jacob

Harris, sophomore Michael Webber stepped in and has made a tremendous impact already. Being the backup last year, he got to learn a lot from Harris, and become a better and more experienced player by watching him and getting better in practice. His play in goal has contributed in the early success of the team this year.

Senior Paul Hawkins is leading the team so far with 6 goals and 2 assists, placing him 8th in the ISL in scoring. Just below him is Sophomore Nate Sherman with 2 goals and 3 assists, and Peter Zecca with 2 goals. Goalkeeper Michael Webber has allowed 8 goals in 8 games, a solid 1 goal per game. Paul and Nate look to continue supplying goals for the team, and Michael Webber looks to continue his outstanding play this year. The boys have already gotten off to a strong start, boasting a 5-3 record and a 4-2 league record as of now. The boys had a hard-fought win against St. Sebastian’s, 2-1 and two big wins against Governor’s and Groton.

In the boys’ most recent game against BB&N, they suffered a tough 2-1 loss, but look to bounce back in the upcoming week.

Unfortunately, they came up short against a tough Brooks team during Homecoming last weekend, but are optimistic about the games to follow.

Overall, the goal as is every year is to go out and play the best

Boys’ cross country looks strong

BY GRACE MONAGHAN’17 SPORTS EDITOR

The boys’ cross country team is notorious for their grueling workouts and tight team bond, and this year’s team is no exception. From their first run during preseason, the team has brought their full effort to every meet and practice. In addition, there is a great chemistry among the boys.

Long-time head coach, Steve Paluseo, is very impressed by the team dynamic.”They seem to get along and support one another too,” Paluseo said. This is definitely in part due to the leadership of the two team captains, James Brennan ‘17 and Andrew Reale ‘17, both of whom have been on the team since freshman year.

The boys have a habitual practice schedule which keeps them in shape for their meets.

They do long, continuous runs twice a week, during which they might run six to seven miles, PPM workouts twice a week, where they aim to hit a given time on every mile, and one easy day to prepare for their meet.

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

Page 11

Sports

Alums return to coach, inspire Middle School football

BY CAM COBEY ’19 CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The 2010-2011 Rivers football team was a certainly a special one. They went 8-1 and ended up winning Rivers only ISL football title, making it the best season in the history of the Rivers football program. The team was coached by Rich Fisher, just a second year coach for the squad, but who would later go off to coach at Nebraska. While the team was full of talent and some talented (and large) player (the line averaged 280 pounds!), what made the 2011 Red Wings so great was the cousin duo of Taariq Allen ‘11 and Ben Patrick ‘11. Each had very successful careers at Rivers, combining for more than 50 touchdowns in two year. Both would go on to play football at the division one level in college. Taariq attended the University of Nebraska and Ben attended UMass. And after their four years of playing at the college level, they are back at Rivers.

Taariq and Ben are the new assistant coaches of the Middle School football team. They hope to bring their level of understanding of the game to the boys.

So far, it seems to be working as the squad is 3-0 after decisive victories over Fessenden and Weston.

Taariq and Ben both grew up in a world of football. As kids, they were always hanging around each other, so when Taariq started to play football at age nine, Ben joined alongside him. They both grew up in Mattapan, and then the opportunity to attend Rivers arose for Ben first. He was in a program that looked into applying him to schools and he visited Rivers and thought it would be a great fit for him. For Taariq, he just wanted that opportunity to play with Ben again. Ben talked to the coaches who saw Taariq play, and they

Taariq Allen ’11 has returned to Rivers to help coach football. knew that they wanted him. Taariq also wanted to pursue football at the college level, and he knew going to Rivers increased his chances a lot. He entered Rivers in 11th grade and immediately drew lots of attention.

Both mentioned how the 2010 ISL championship winning team was special.

“That team was awesome,” Ben said. “It was one of the best teams I’ve ever been a part of.”

“We were fearless,” Taariq added. “We did everything together. We worked out together, ate together, we were one as a team.” They both mentioned that it wasn’t just the two of them who contributed to the team: “Taariq and I got all the touchdowns, but we came together as a team to get the win,” Ben said. They had little guys playing big roles, and big guys playing little roles, but it didn’t matter because they had each other’s backs. They would always respond to the adversity.

If there needed to be a position filled, someone would always step in, no matter the situation.

Before the last game of the season, with an undefeated season on the line, the team’s quarterback, Shaquille Sandiford, lost his fa-

ther to cancer. The entire squad and coaching staff rallied around their teammate. Listening to his father’s wishes, Shaquor, Ben and Taariq went out and won their final game, going 8-0 in the ISL. Rivers was instrumental for the both of them in preparing for college and life after college.

They both stated how well the education and culture at Rivers got them ready for college.

“Rivers prepared me for all types of situations,” said Taariq.

“Before Rivers, I was all about sports, but the staff at Rivers broke everything down for me.

They related a lot of things to life in general. It made everything real for me. When I got to Nebraska, I knew how to handle everything that was thrown at me.”

Now that they are back at Rivers, they hope to be leaders for the Middle School football team, and help them grow as individuals and athletes. Ben wants to show them how to be well rounded human beings: “I want to show them that it is possible to get good grades and be at the top at whatever you want to be in life.

On the other hand, I want to see them stay fit, and go out and do whatever it takes to get the team

players Liz Webber and Brook Heinson. Although the loss of these players is a blow to the team, head coach Susanna Donahue is optimistic and believes that several of the freshmen will end up starting this season. There are also plenty of talented returning players, including captains Aspen Pierson ’17 and Christina Orr ’17, who were key to the team’s championships in 2015.

Practices have been going on since school began, and integrating the new players has been one of the main goals. “Practices have been great,” Coach Donahue said. “We’re really focusing on getting the new players acclimated to the varsity level.”

Although the considerable number of new players will provide an interesting challenge to the team, it also gives them a great opportunity for a fresh start and bodes well for the future.

The girls had their first of-

ficial game on Sept. 17 against Andover, last year’s class A division winners, and, unfortunately, lost with a final score of 0-2. Their next game against Worcester was also tough, but they bounced back and won three straight: Winsor (4-0), Governors (2-1) and Tabor (1-0). After an 1-0 loss to Groton, Rivers has tied their last two opponents. The games have all been competitive and essential for the freshmen to get playing experience and to see how the skills they have worked on in practice translate to the field.

Although it is difficult to predict the outcome of this season, the team can be counted on to play with enthusiasm and energy and to have fun doing it. This team, known for their slogan of “defying gravity” as well as their close-knit bond, is sure to carry on this spirit no matter the outcome of the games.

the win.”

Ben’s general message for the boys is to show them that anything is possible and that they can achieve their goals. Taariq wants the boys to have a sense of pride: “You have to rep where you’re from. It doesn’t matter what team you’re on. Just don’t limit yourself in life. I want to teach them that it is good to want to be competitive and want to win. It is OK to not want to lose. It is a life lesson, really. Nobody wants to lose because everybody wants to be on top.”

He also wants them to have a mature mind-set both on and off the field: “I want to teach them sportsmanship. Competing, and wanting to be the best every

down, but also losing with grace, and not losing your head. Overall, just push yourself to the max and get yourself to where you want to go,” he said. “Have pride in yourself and the school. Make the R on the helmet mean something.”

Taariq and Ben hope to lead the Middle School football team to a successful year. It’s clear they are already leaders and mentors to the boys and have inspired them to be the best people they can possibly be, on and off the field.

When I asked them if they have any last advice for the students, they kept it short and sweet.

“Always work hard, and keep up the good work,” Ben said.

“Empty the tank,” Taariq said, “you know what that means.”

Middle School field hockey dominating

BY ANNABELLE HASSELBECK ’20 CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Only six games into the season, the Middle School field hockey team has made their mark as one of our top teams on campus. Their coach, Sarah Freeman, a middle school science teacher, has led these girls to an impressive 5-1-2 start to their season.

This fun group of girls is made up of many multi-sport athletes, and a 24-player roster of 6th-8th graders. Many of them have left the sports they have played since they were young to give field hockey a try. And that risk taking is certainly paying off. Earlier this week they won their fifth game by beating Nobles.

The leaders of this team are supported by eighth graders Romy Arie, Schuyler Bartlett, Cecily Bua, Avery Caggiano, Lindsey Filoon, Ryann Hally, Mallory Hasselbeck, Jenny

Hotchkiss, Maggie Leeming, Saige Pereira, Emma Pfannenstiehl, Tayja Sallie, Emily Stoller, and Molly Fischman.

Their key to success?

“Everyone being enthusiastic on the sidelines and getting hyped before the game,” says Mallory, a new Rivers eighth grader. A clapping sequence of slow claps gradually becoming faster claps, followed by a “1, 2, 3, RIVERS” chant which never fails to pump everyone up for the start of the game. All this excitement, by all accounts, has helped this team’s success. “It gives us energy when we step on the field,” said Mallory.

Given the recent success of the varsity field hockey team (back-to-back New England champs), the program’s dominance looks like it will continue.

If this group of middle school athletes have something to say about it, then it probably will.

Despite loss of key players, girls soccer still a contender

BY GRACE MONAGHAN’17 SPORTS EDITOR

After a successful season last fall, culminating in a NESCAC championship, the girls’ varsity soccer team certainly has a lot to look forward to in 2016. The girls kicked off the season with their annual trip to Camp Lenox in the Berkshires. They spent two nights there, playing a lot of soccer but also spending some time getting to know each other.

“It’s a great time for team bonding,” said captain Aspen Pierson ‘17 of the trip. This was a great introduction for the new players before heading into the season full force.

Tryouts were held during preseason and thirteen new players joined the team, most of them freshmen. The influx of new players comes as a result of the team graduating seven seniors last year, including All-American

Junior Isabel Silvia has been a key player for Rivers this year. Photo

by Janet Ciummei.

Page 12

The Rivers Edge

October 21, 2016

Up close and personal with some of Rivers’ new faculty

Dr. Dalton

Dept: Science High School: Milton Academy Why Science: loves science and believes it's the best way to learn about the world.

Fun Facts: Competitive bird watcher; ranked #5 in Boston Activities Outside of Rivers: works for nonprofit that protects beaches in Plymouth Looking Forward to: getting to know all of the students Wake up time for school: 5:30, actually out of bed at 6 Kids: none but has a pet cardinal Coolest Life Experience: Going on a 4-day bushwhacking trip in the mountains of the Dominican Republic.

Ms. Sailor

Dept: Science Why Rivers: Had a close friend who taught here and loved the community Favorite Food: Anything Asian Favorite thing to do on the Weekend: Hang out with family and friends.

Fun Facts: Certified in Scuba Coolest Life Experience: Riding on an ostrich in South Africa Sports: Ultimate Frisbee Favorite Movie: Princess Bride Outside of Rivers Activities: Works as a youth group leader at church and teaches 2 year olds.

Kids: Three kids ages 4, 7, and 10.

Mr. Jordan

Dept: Science, Coach High School: Eton College in England Why Science: Grew up watching fascinating nature documentaries.

Best High School Memory: Having the opportunity to go to South Africa as a senior.

Work Prior to Rivers: Getting master’s at Tufts University.

Wake up Time for School: 4:00 a.m. because he goes rowing every morning before school.

Favorite Spots on Campus: Benches by the beach Helpful Tips: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and talk to me Why Rivers: Enjoyed the food.

Ms. BarnaDeWald

Dept: Spanish Favorite Food: Seafood Why Spanish: Always have loved Spanish and the people met through Spanish Fun Facts: As a kid was in the audience for the Howdy Duty Peanut Gallery Program on TV Summer Activities: Travel Favorite Book: Don Quixote de la Mancha Helpful Tips to Succeed in Class: Study every day, use the available technology thoughtfully, and don’t procrastinate.

This Year Looking Forward to: Getting to know students and see them grow in Spanish while having fun.

Ms. Mizzi

Dept: Math, Coach Why Rivers: When visited, the community felt incredibly warm and could see that members cared greatly about each other’s well being.

Favorite Food: Chicken Tikka Masala Childhood Hometown: Canada Best High School Memory: sleeping over at school for a 30hour famine charity event.

Coolest Life Experience: Driving from Toronto, Canada, to Mexico and also to Alaska Fun Facts: Loves to cook Favorite Author: Agatha Christie Why Math: Always loved it but still found it challenging.

by Sofia Buckle’20

Faculty Summer Weddings

Summer is a popular time for weddings and so it was for members of the Rivers faculty. English teachers Mac Caplan and Meredith Railsback were married in July, while History Dept. Chair Amy Enright invited some of her students from the Class of 2016 to her wedding, including (L-R): Christine Yang, Natalie Schoen, Lincoln Zaleski, Robert D’Allessandro, Caitlin Reardon, Sammy Estes and Julia Sprofera.

Summer 2016: when the Pokemon Go craze came and went

BY ZACHARY ZHANG ’18 STAFF WRITER

So unless you’re secretly an alien that’s only recently descended to earth to learn human culture or Donald Trump (though, mind you, those two seem more and more like each other every passing minute), you’ve probably heard of that summer flame the world had with Pokémon Go, the interactive catch-em-all simulator released for mobile devices back in June.

Nowadays, however, that flame seems to have sputtered into the warm coals of obscurity recently.

For those more unfamiliar with the franchise or the game itself (in other words, one of the aforementioned aliens) let me explain it in these terms: Imagine a rock star or artist who, after rocketing to fame with a series of huge hits and albums (that would be your Gameboy and early DS Pokemon games) and assembled a cult following large enough to put One Direction to shame, slowly began to fade from the limelight after a series of songs and performances that even the

most hard core fans came to realize were just rehashing of its old hits under different names (that would be every other Pokemon game aside from the ones I mentioned above). Said star is fading into obscurity with only some obsessive fans constantly replaying their music and occasionally nagging their friends to try it and buy their exorbitantly expensive merchandise.

But now Pokemon has returned to the touring circuit, and like any good performer Pokemon knew that the crowds only wanted to hear its greatest hits. And so it returned to the bare-bones, 150-minus-some Pokedex so many remembered and loved from nearly a decade and a half ago, incredibly easy to pick up and understand and now with the fanbase exploding into over 45 million people at its peak.

Like any good Second Coming, people began praising this

Messiah-app for what seemed to be miracles: Stories popped up of families being reunited, depressed children going outside and interacting with others for the first time in years, and I heard the neighbor’s dog came back to life only to promptly caught as

an Arcanine. All was well, and for a good few months Pokemon was - for lack of a better term - the king of the virtual world, with the world’s eyes glued to tiny screens. Which leaves us with a single question - what the

hell happened?

At first, we all blamed servers, and anyone who played Pokemon Go in the earlier stages probably memorized the words “Our servers are experiencing issues. Please come back later.”

The more people started playing, the worse it got. Lunch break Poke-search and gym conquering session you were planning?

Forget about that, since everyone and their extended families probably had the same idea and had already taken to the servers. Though frustrating in the extreme, we devout faithful still eagerly awaited the next patch to come, which would surely solve all of the existing problems and give us more content, as they’re supposed to, right?

Wrong. Somehow, the patch made the game even worse, breaking one of the game’s core mechanics of searching, sticking every Pokemon at “three steps” away, meaning that while you had an idea of what was in

the area, you had absolutely no clue as to how close or far away a Pokemon was. That precious Snorlax silhouette you see on your tracker? That could either be right next to you or in the town over. One of my fellow Poké-hunters even said, “You can’t just play a game of Marco Polo without the Marco.” Even then, however, they managed to mess up the Polo part too. Even if, by some miracle, you managed to finagle a Pokemon catching, it was seriously unlikely you could capture it, dodging Pokeballs like it was going out of style.

That doesn’t mean that the game had no great points, though - I’m sure all of those miracles I mentioned earlier actually happened (even the dog one), and the game is certainly something that people will be looking back on as an example in the future, but the truth of the matter is that it’s not likely to really have a resurgence - not the same way that it was.

Hell, they’d need a second generation of Pokemon to do that. Or two. Or three.

Wait...