The Roundtable Volume 10, Issue 5 by The Roundtable

The Class of 2020 April 19, 2016 | vol. 10, issue 5

inside

new faces excited to start journey as Knights

Community Spotlight: Marc Jondall

Preparing for Finals

Jackson Rhodes | the roundtable

Special Feature: Anki

Rising Freshmen // Two, incoming freshmen pose for the camera after the Class of 2020 Information Session on April 12. Jackson Rhodes News Editor s our seniors are preparing for college and life after The Hall, the incoming class of 2020 is also preparing for a new chapter in their lives. Transitioning from middle school to high school is a challenging feat and there are a plethora of new faces in a new environment to navigate. The incoming class is coming from 28 different schools, compared to 26 different schools from last year’s class. Speaking more on the demographics of the class, Mr. Shuja Khan, Admissions Director of Stuart Hall High School, said, “This year’s NDV 8th grade class was awesome, a tremendous class. We got six or seven NDV kids alone, they’re probably the biggest feeder school besides Stuart Hall for Boys. Last year we had 13 or 14 kids from Stuart Hall for Boys, this year we had a few less, I think it’s around

Sports Updates: Lacrosse, Swimming, Tennis

cover photo Please, Stand Up // On April 12, Mr. Farrell and faculty welcomed the Class of 2020 to the Stuart Hall High School campus. This photo depicts the ritual which each and every student goes through, standing up and introducing oneself and one’s parents to the rest of the class. Photo: Jackson Rhodes

10 to 12 kids.” Khan spoke on the population of kids who live outside the city as well, “This year we have around five kids from Marin, whereas last year we had like 12 kids from Marin, which was probably our biggest group from Marin.” I asked Mr. Khan if our school aims for a total enrollment number, and he noted, “We want to be right around 200. The cutoff to become division 4 for sports is 209. So we want to stay under 209. Next year we’ll be at 206, so we’ll be right up against the cut off, and that’s assuming no transfers are coming in. So over the summer we’ll probably get a bunch of transfer applications, and maybe one or two that we want to strongly take a look at. Per class, we always try to aim for right around 50 kids. This year there was a bigger push to do that because we’re well over 200 now, and the senior class that’s graduating is

only 47 guys, so even right at 50 our school would be three guys bigger next year. We ended up at 53 in the incoming class. The incoming class is a little bit smaller in that sense but intentionally so because we didn’t want another class of 56.” Recently, on Tuesday, April 12th, Mr. Farrell hosted a mixer for incoming families and students to speak on subjects like registration, the 1:1 program, and other information new freshmen will need. I asked eighth grader Sean Mendiola what he’s excited for next year, and he mentioned, “I’m looking forward to more diversity and a lot more creativity and a new learning experience at Stuart Hall.” Another student from Stuart Hall for Boys chimed in on his interest in the sports program here, “The academics and the athletics are both very good. I’m excited to try out and hopefully play for

The Hall Welcomes French Students

“Destinations” Revealed

Zack Hammer Reporter

Gabe O’Brien Reporter he “Destinations” exhibition was unveiled this month at San Francisco International Airport. The exhibition was led by Head Curator, Ian Clothier ‘16, who organized student art into an exhibition that will be up at SFO until the end of May. Artist-in-Residence, Ms. Patter Hellstrom, helped facilitate the process of setting up the exhibition, but the exhibition is filled entirely with art that was designed by students in art Continue on classes this year.

oughly two weeks ago, Stuart Hall High School was introduced to Edouard and Lucas who traveled all the way from the north of France to our city of San Francisco. The two boys were hosted by Robert and Patrick Eklund as well as Cyrus Bernier and spent their days shadowing them. They attend La Croix Blanche, a Sacred Heart School in France, but found that Stuart Hall was quite different from what they have experiContinue on enced in France.

the baseball and basketball teams.” This student chose to remain anonymous, but his classmate Owen Murphy had this to say when asked the same question: “I really liked the classes that I shadowed and I just really got a tight community vibe. I’m really excited for the Costa Rica trip.” Who wouldn’t be? In addition to welcoming 53 new faces into the community, next year, we will be adjusting to a change in sports divisions. Instead of our current division five standing, the school will bump up to division four due to our powerhouse basketball and track teams. Traditionally, the school’s divisions have been based on school size, but next year they will be based on how well the teams have done. There are many new changes to look forward to in the upcoming year and we will welcome the incoming class with open arms.

Mountain of a Man

Zack Hammer Reporter

he Poetry Festival was held on April 15 in Syufy Theatre. Poetry was performed by Convent & Stuart Hall students and winners of the poetry competitions were announced. Individual grade awards were given out as well as an all-school award for the best poem to come out of each school. This year, Zack Hammer ‘16 won the all-school competition with his poem, “Mountain of a Man”, about his father. His poem can be Continue on found on the back.

Back

April 19, 2016

the roundtable at roundtable.sacredsf.org

News Table

Words from The Hall from the voices of our community leaders

editor’s corner

student council

Owen Fahy Editor-in-Chief t’s 3:07 in the morning Nick and I aren’t speon a Saturday. I’m at cial. The only way in which the The National High we are special is that we School Journalism Conven- have found something that tion in Los Angeles sitting we really care about early in in a hotel room on the 14th our high school career. Disfloor of the Westin Bonaven- covering the newspaper was ture working on the paper a life-altering discovery that that you’re currently read- has shaped us and will coning. Nick Hom sits five feet tinue to do so for the rest of away from me with a Coke our high school careers. in hand, desperately trying I haven’t been alive for to finish the layout for this very long, so this is the first newspaper. time I understand what it Nick and I have to be is to be passionate about up in a couple hours for something. I have seen my a presentation on the AP dad work 60 hour weeks Stylebook, so we know that and could never understand our respective night’s sleep what motivated him to put in won’t be the most restful. so much work on something To some, we are working as boring as pulmonology. very hard on something that But now I understand. doesn’t matter very much. Passion is just like love, Although we might not be jealousy or hunger, for me at thinking it in this very mo- least; It will drive you to do ment, we are having fun. crazy things. I never imagWe are having fun, be- ined myself in a hotel room, cause we are doing some- late, working on a high thing that we both have an school newspaper. But there immense passion for. I have is no place I would rather be, never really experienced no guys I would rather be anything like this before. with. As I grow up, I get to Everything else in my life I experience more and I look have enjoyed in moderation forward to getting to form and would not love enough more opinions about the exto sacrifice multiple hours periences that I will underof sleep for. But my passion go, as it is that process that for this newspaper is un- has opened the world up to matched by any other pas- me and allowed me to find sion of mine. my passions.

Patrick Dilworth Director of Activities oes anyone have anything else to add?” is typically the final question asked in meetings around the world. When these words leave the mouth of Mike ‘El Presidente’ Tellini, however, Student Council members know that the meeting is just heating up. As student election season comes around, it’s incredible to think about the plethora of achievements this year’s team has accomplished. From the carnival at the beginning of the year to conge just last month, this years council has easily been one of the most successful ever. Dance attendances this year have ballooned to around 250 with only Prom left to go. However, the numbers don’t do enough justice to encompass the level of enjoyment at each of these events, with new additions like the Haunted House, In-N-Out, casino tables and the incredible DJ Jackson Rhodes all making dances more entertaining. However, the key to success this year has been the work behind the scenes by an incredible team of young men. After coming up with an idea as a group, the process begins with President Tellini and Vice President Alex Palmer, who discuss the basic details of the event. Finance Director Andrew Veld, whose spectacular skills with ‘the guap’ ensure that the team is within the budget, then irons out the specifics of where the money is going. The next step in the process is the communication of an event to the student body, which Director of Communications Duncan McDonell typically takes the lead on, in which posters are made and promo videos are posted on social media to make sure attendance is high.

SIA Julian Moreno President of SIA s this school year reaches its end, the awesome year that SIA had is wrapping up as well. This year, success was found in our events like One Less Hungry and Service Day, but there’s been more behind the scenes work that has not gotten enough recognition. This year, SIA had a total of 47 members which is the biggest amount the team has ever held. SIA worked hard to develop a working chemistry and we went through a few ups and downs as this year was progressing.Our large group caused us to make some internal changes that in the long run will have a good effect. Every member stepped up in a big way and had positive contributions throughout the year. As the leader of this team, I have seen growth and a potential for leadership in many of SIA’s members. The leadership of this team has primarily been through the senior class, but many juniors have answered the call as well. This group really builds leaders and the Class of 2017 is ready to take on the mantle and keep the good work going. There are strong members in the Freshmen class who will help continue to do the great work that SIA has done. There is a great future for the team that rests on the shoulders of the Class of 2019. Hopefully Convent’s SIA Team will unite with ours from time to time to highlight the Cor Unum that Convent & Stuart Hall High School share. I am proud to see how SIA has developed and progressed over the three years of its existence at Stuart Hall. I firmly believe that it has become an important student led organization and the service that we do positively impacts our school and city communities.

“D

The Story Behind Marc Jondall Chris Cohen Reporter tudents from our school often have classes at the Convent High School campus, which is about ten blocks away. To get students to their classes on time, Convent and Stuart Hall provide a yellow school bus that allows students to travel to and from both campuses. The students who take the bus for this tenblock journey are fortunate enough to meet the driver, Marc Jondall. Marc has been driving the bus between our schools for two years now and is a very recognizable and well known character. Marc is originally from Minnesota, moving to San Francisco first in 1972, before a sojourn to Europe for five years. He moved back to the city in 1980 and has enjoyed living here ever since. When asked what he likes about driving the bus for our school, Marc said, “It gives me hope to see such well loved children with an excitement for learning.” Marc’s deep response sheds light onto how much he cares not only for his job, but for his students.

a warm, thoughtful man. He realizes that our high school years are some of the most vital and loves to watch us grow into young men of character. Marc’s charisma and warmth is unmatched, by being a model adult in times when few are left. We at Stuart Hall are very lucky and grateful to have him.

Chris Cohen | the roundtable

Convent and Stuart Hall people who travel by bus between campuses know that Marc will do his best to be entertaining on his trips, whether it be through the various accents he puts on or with his singing. Marc is a humorous and likeable man who is very good at quickly thinking-up jokes and small skits to get a laugh. Marc’s lighthearted improv comes from his extensive background in circus work. Marc has always had a knack for the arts, growing up taking improv and drama classes.

While in Europe he attended circus schools and was a street performer. Upon his return to San Francisco, Marc joined the local “Pickle Family Circus.” Marc enjoys improvisation and believes that by making the bus ride fun, it may help to lighten the day for each rider. Junior Alex Berbay takes the bus frequently, and when speaking of Marc said, “He’s a really funny guy. He always goes out of his way to talk to me. He’s very optimistic.” Alex’s views on Marc are shared by many, which is one of the reasons why Marc

is so liked. Marc takes it as a personal challenge to change each person’s day for the better, through one, ten-block bus ride. Marc says that he truly does enjoy driving the bus for our school. His favorite part of his job is driving for the baseball and lacrosse teams. He relishes the chance to watch their practices, saying, “I love to see A Past Life // a different side of the students. Jondall in the Pickle Family To see the athletes and the Circus people. Watching their sports gives me the opportunity to do that.” As a person, Marc is

April 19, 2016

the roundtable at roundtable.sacredsf.org

News Table

Term Finals on the Horizon anxiety, stress, or excitement?

Anson Gordon-Creed Reporter

he phrase, “It’s that time of year again,” usually has much more positive connotations. But, alas, it’s that time of year again. On May 31, which is a month away, finals week begins. Now it’s no secret that the majority of both teachers and students dread the exams this week is named after, but like (insert political problem here), not thinking about it won’t make it go away. Elijah Horowitz ‘17 has been taking AP classes this

year, so he’s changed his study plan accordingly. He’s already studying for his finals, but he explained he now does it on weekdays after he has finished with his regular homework, rather than cramming on the weekends. Sophomore Alexander “Zander” Angel-Souza ‘18 is also already preparing for his finals. He planned to get one of the schedules Ms. Herbert uses to help freshmen with their first finals and repeat the process of planning out his studying day by day. But students aren’t the

only ones who have to prepare. History teacher Michael Buckley said that right now, he was still following the regular curriculum as a way to prepare his students for their final cumulative tests. He then plans to work with his students to create a study guide that contains key terms from the year’s studies, and poses the general questions about history that the class with have to answer with facts during their final. But one of the most important people in finals preparation, more so than any in-

dividual teacher, is Academic Support Director Rachel Herbert. During freshman year, it is her job to make sure all new students properly adjust to their new school, and know how to handle their work. Finals are of course a huge part of this, and as previously stated, she creates schedules for finals week that students use to create their own study plan. But upon questioning, she explained that’s not the only thing she does. This year, she’s making a point of encouraging students to be specific in

their study plans, so they know exactly what they’re going to do, and not just when to do it. The walls of her classroom are covered in posters listing different study strategies; her job is to help each student find out which one works for them. Distractions are also something Ms Herbert is looking to tackle this year, and she said if a student is easily distracted, they should identify what it is that distracts them, and make a point of avoiding it on their study plan.

How are you Preparing for Finals?

Theo Ennis Class of 2019 “Tests become easier for me once I have reviewed old notes and quizzes.”

Jonathan Newsome Class of 2019 “I am using the method Ms. Herbert taught me; make a calendar with dates of my tests and when I will study for them.”

Gianluca Mori Class of 2018 “I spend a lot of time studying all of the material the teacher had provided, then I look over old tests.”

Tyler Makras Class of 2018 “Ms. Herbert taught me in freshman year that I should make a calendar for when to study.”

New Faces on Campus french students visit Pine and Octavia

Zack Hammer Reporter

ne of the things that makes the Sacred Heart community so unique is just that, its community. Not only are we incredibly connected with each other within our own school, but we are part of a larger network of schools around the globe. Our connections give our community opportunities for some amazing educational opportunities, such as our exchange program. During the exchange students’ visit, they are hosted by some of our own students, who in turn visit their school later this year. This year, two students from La Croix Blanche in Bondues, France have come to visit us. Sadly, this year none of our students are participating in the exchange program, due to the large costs and time commitments. Many students have tough workloads including honors and AP classes that would be difficult to miss. Also, with the addition of the sophomore Costa Rica trip, it might be that parents are unwilling to pay for another international excursion. Despite this, the exchange program still provides

Ryan Murray | The Hall

America’s Pasttime // Lucas and Edouard got experience what it was like to watch baseball. us a wonderful opportunity to show other Sacred Heart students what our school community is like. Lucas Desprets wanted to do the exchange program because he loves to travel. He also did the program last year, travelling to one of our Sacred Heart Schools in Madrid, Spain. One of his favorite parts about international travel is meeting new and interesting people and making friends. He said, “San Francisco is a

lot bigger than Bondues,” and while that may seem daunting, it’s full of friendly people which makes it less intimidating. He also said that Stuart Hall was very different than his school. At La Croix Blanche, school hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a two hour break in the afternoon, as opposed to our 8-3 with an hour lunch. He affirmed that he definitely “prefer it like Stuart Hall.” Outside of school, he has traveled around the city, visiting Ocean Beach, Golden

Gate Park, Sushirrito, and of course his favorite, the Golden Gate Bridge. Back home, Lucas has two older twin sisters, and two Bouvier dogs. Edouard Huels is our other exchange student. He decided he wanted to do the program to help him learn English. During his time in the U.S., he has enjoyed learning about the daily life of an American. He was surprised by how we “do a lot of sports every day,” because back at his school they only do

sports on Wednesdays and at the end of the week. Edouard also noted how Stuart Hall was different than La Croix Blanche, specifically in size. His individual class sizes are usually around 25, while his grade has close to 200 students. Their campus is also bigger, and they do a lot more walking. After school, Edouard has also traveled around the city, visiting Alcatraz, playing golf at the Presidio, and eating at Sam’s Burgers. His favorite tourist destination was Union Square because he liked the stores and the shops were “very different.” Back in France, Edouard's dad is a big golf player, and works as an insurer, while his mom works at a sweet factory. He also has a brother and sister, along with a cat. Our exchange programs are a distinct and valuable experience for student of Sacred Heart Schools. It allows for meeting new people, learning about different cultures, and practicing foreign languages in a unique way. We hoped Edouard and Lucas had an amazing time here at Stuart Hall, and wish them the best back in France!

April 19, 2016

the roundtable at roundtable.sacredsf.org

Features Table Editor-in-Chief Owen Fahy sat down with Mr. Teixeira and Mr. Halkyard and asked them about the implementation of Anki into the language and science departments.

Q: A:

Mr. Teixeira

Mr. Halkyard

How did you discover Anki?

Mr. Halkyard found it in a book recommended on Amazon called Fluent Forever that I and all the foreign language teachers have now read. The author put together all the best ideas from all the different language programs like Rosetta Stone and compiled them together, including the tools. Anki was part of the system. I read the book at IB training, a year ago, and downloaded the program and began using it.

Q: A:

Ne Learnin Bloss

Anki’s emergence into Stuart

Did you guys put a lot of work into rolling it out?

Well, first, we used it a lot ourselves. Mr. Halkyard came across the book and began using it and then he gave it to me who began reading it and thought it was impressive. I was intrigued by the neuroscience and how the brain creates neural connections and associations and how we create a connection network. And how our brains best access these networks. At the time, I was looking into re-learning German but I’d forgotten all the vocabulary. However, I knew the grammar quite well so I wanted to develop a vocabulary and Anki let me do this. I found the 625 most common German words and started there.

Q: A:

Was the success with Anki what motivated you to implement it into the classroom?

For me, I began to see that I was learning vocabulary, remembering vocabulary, and based off the stats in the system that I was averaging between 92-95% correct. I was noticing that I was remembering these words even though I wasn’t seeing them everyday. Anki helps you strengthen the neural signals and the longer you can go without seeing something and you’re still able to remember it, then the stronger the neural connection gets. So, anyways, I began to see I was learning, remembering, and regularly getting vocabulary even in a language like German which has three genders which I always struggled with, but was now understanding, due to the system’s visual base. I started to realize that we can’t do anything without words and it allowed me to sympathize with my students who needed to expand their vocabulary. I’ve noticed that the students are able to see that Anki works when done well. It’s not that much of a time commitment. It makes everything done in Spanish class easier and just speaking the language easier. Everything becomes easier, so grades rise. I was surprised by the amount of resistance from students to get around doing Anki. It didn’t make sense why students refused to do work that made their lives easier and saved them time.

Q: A:

Did students resist or embrace Anki?

“When I first started using Anki, I did buckled down, the program starte -Sean Ing

I was really surprised with how much resistance there was to something that makes the work easier. It was really frustrating because it was the easiest way I had ever learned vocabulary and the amount of subterfuge that we encountered of students trying to get around doing--things that ended up being more work--it shouldn’t be that surprising that students would be that short sighted which is the nature of being a teenager a lot of times, which is learning to not be short sighted, but it is still frustrating as an adult and a teacher.

Q: A:

Do you think they took that approach because they believed you were adding work?

Yes I do. For them, it was another set of work to do every night and they believed they could just study the night before the test rather than doing a small amount every night. In the fall, a big thing I’ll stress is to start the year with vocabulary quizzes and checking everyday and making sure the students reflect on how they’re using it. Asking students to truly reflect and get that ‘buy in’ sooner so they can see the long term profit from the system. It’s been great seeing students who took the system well in the start. For instance, Seth Eislund has used Anki for his Hebrew class outside of school.

In most Spanish classes, we’d say for instance, ‘Hey we’re in the health unit, here’s all the vocabulary.’ Some students are deciding if they want to cram or learn. However, three weeks before we started the health unit I gave the class the vocabulary so they knew it before we had even started the unit. We talked about the vocabulary and the students had it so they showed up with access to 80% of the vocabulary already, which means on any day we can talk about nearly anything and students have access to the vocabulary. It’s not just the exams or vocabulary quizzes it’s being able to speak and access the vocabulary. I think student’s comfort level has gone up and what I can expect from them has risen because they, in general, have a better grasp of the language and can access it whenever they need to.

“Using Anki has really helped me g Halkyard. It is extremely simple to us terms has kept m -Freddy

ew A ng Tool soms 5

April 19, 2016

the roundtable at roundtable.sacredsf.org

What is Anki?

t Hall High School curriculum

Chris Cohen Reporter

nki is a multimedia flashcard program on both computers and mobile devices that was developed to be a more efficient and beneficial method of learning vocabulary. Having cards with both a visual and auditory element allows for higher comprehension and helps commit the card to long-term memory. Students create their own flashcards to improve learning. Creating Anki cards is quick and easy. First, students must download the free version of Anki onto their own computers or use one of the laptops in the Learning Commons. After that, they log in to their Anki account and add the cards to a deck. Students type in the term, definition, plug in a relevant photo and drag an audio file into the card. Most teachers provide both audio files with correct pronunciations as well as a list of terms and definitions to the students, further speeding up the process. These cards are flashcards and thus have two sides. One side is the picture and definition, and the other has the audio file. Students would see one of the sides when reviewing, and have to remember picture if the audio played, or vice versa. Each card can take about a minute to make, and is immediately saved to the chosen deck. The thing that separates and makes Anki such a tremendous learning tool is it’s spaced repetition system. This means that the Anki program analyzes data from students to know when they should review certain cards. Students can either use the computer program or

the application on their iPad to review their Anki Deck. It’s recommended to study your deck every day. Teachers such as Mr. Teixeira and Mr. Halkyard suggest that students set their deck to have 100 reviews per day. Reviews are easily completed at a rate of about 10 cards per minute, which would equate to about 10 minutes per day, per deck for students. Reviewing Anki is simple, students just have to open the app and click on their deck, and their first card pops up. They think of an answer and once they have one, tap the screen once. The card will “flip,” and the correct answer will be shown. Along with the answers, four buttons pop up on the bottom of the screen. Each button is a different color and has a different number on it, scaling up from left to right. The numbers correlate to when students will review the card again. If a student knows the card very well, he should press the button on the far right. If they know the card, but it took a little time to get the answer, press the second button from the right, and so on. If students do not know a card, they press the button on the left, which instead of sending the card forward to be reviewed later, would make the card be reviewed again at the end of the session. This intelligent way of studying is more efficient than normal ways of studying and basically does all of the “heavy-lifting” for the students. All students need to do to quickly learn new vocabulary is to dedicate a few minutes of their day to this simple and powerful learning tool.

Decks Screen

Stats Screen

Cards

Multiple decks allow students to use Anki for more than one class, so that they have a consistent way to learn vocabulary

Anki stats are a tangible way to see how you are doing and allow a person to see there improvement and understanding.

The card seen here displays an image definition that allows the user to associate a photo with a term and form a neural connection.

dn’t optimize my learning. But once I ed to work wonders on my grades.” goglia ‘18

Where did it come from?

Nick Everest A&E Editor nki made its first appearance in the Spanish classroom with Mr. Teixeira. Students were required to finish a complete session of Anki once a day, which would be graded by looking at the statistic section of the app. On average, this meant about 10 to 15 minutes of studying a night, which is quite reasonable for even the most busy of students. Within weeks of its implementation, a gap between those who were and weren’t properly utilizing the tool was quickly made. Even this year, in Spanish 2, six students in a class of 16 scored over 92% on the very first, large vocabulary quiz, whereas the next highest score was a 67%. It has become quite clear that the proper use of Anki is to the benefit of the student. Mr. Halkyard implemented Anki into his chemistry classroom, as well. By giving students an opportunity to memorize key terms that are essential to the process, it makes the overall learning experience simpler and makes getting around the chemistry learning curve much easier. Both teachers have now switched to a system of daily vocabulary quizzes, consisting of ten, randomly selected words from the collective vocabulary list. This keeps students honest about their learning and further promotes an active use of Anki. In the Spanish classroom, every month or two, a new vocabulary list is given to the students who then create cards for their new words. This is done in three steps. Mr. Teixeira

k Nic

abl

ndt

ou he r

n Jackso

Rho

get through chemistry class with Mr. se and having memorized many, key my grades high.” y Kiaie ‘18

provides every student with the necessary audio files for each word. From there they add the actual term, complemented by a photo to create a fully dynamic Anki card. On the other hand, Mr. Halkyard provides students with the completed deck, ready to go. This is for two main reasons. Firstly, chemistry vocabulary is significantly more specific and picking the right photo is much easier for a chemistry major than a new and learning student. Secondly, Spanish vocabulary is much more important to make personal. For instance, the English word “mom,” “la madre” in Spanish, is much easier to remember if a photo of your mom appears and not any random lady. Mr. Teixeira has designed the card making process to allow students to personalize their decks to their liking. This is another strength of Anki, in which it gives teachers the ability to make each deck personal or disciplined, depending on the learning objective. Even though two years seems long, Anki is still very new to this school and its implementation continues to go on. In an ideal world, Anki would become the backbone for vocabulary in subjects including English, history, and even sacred texts. With strong use and advocation from Mr. Teixeira and Mr. Halkyard, it’s hard to imagine Anki’s role at our school dying out anytime soon. However, for now we can only be patient and see how it’s rollout continues to progress into the future.

April 19, 2016

the roundtable at roundtable.sacredsf.org

Sports Table

The Winning Formula swimming looks to build on individual performances

Horwitz ‘19 shows that he is pushing to succeed in this sport along with fellow freshman Carlo Portillo-Eckman ‘19. In the 500 yard freestyle, John Abbott came in second with a time of 6:55, a full minute ahead of the third place finisher. For Convent, Bella Kearney ‘17, has been getting the points for the girls by placing 3rd in different events The seniors leading the team have been helping to motivate and prime the underclassmen to be successful in the upcoming years. John Abbott told me that, “Arjun pushes us to be at his level by encouraging us and leading by example.” Arjun is one of the strongest athletes at the

Wednesday, April 20 Lacrosse vs. Lick Thursday, April 21 Baseball at Urban Badminton at Drew Tennis at San Domenico

Ben Cross Sports Reporter

The Convent & Stuart Hall swim team has been struggling to get points in this year’s competitions. The underclassmen on the team relied on Arjun Saxena ‘16, Michael Kastner ‘16, and John Abbott ‘18 at their recent meets against Lick-Wilmerding and Urban. This was a challenge for the team though Arjun Saxena earned wins in the 100yard butterfly and 100yard backstroke. With veteran swimmers leaving last year and no freshman joining for the 2015 season, the team hoped to see new faces join the effort for the 2016 season. With three sophomores and two freshman coming on the team, there is promise in the future. Lucas

Up and Comings

school and is one of the best swimmers in the league. Overall, the team has some work to put in, but the individual performances are fairly strong. However, with underclassmen rising in the ranks, the team will be sure to dominate in the future with its mix of potential and veteran experience.

Saturday, April 23 Viking Track Classic Fencing State Championship Tuesday, April 26 Baseball @ University Tennis Team Playoffs Wednesday, April 27 Tennis Team Semifinals Lacrosse vs. Bay Swimming vs. Urban and International Golf vs. Bay

Badminton at University Thursday, April 28 Badminton vs. Lick Friday, April 29 Baseball vs. University Tennis Team Finals Monday, May 2 Tennis Individuals Playoffs Tuesday, May 3 Baseball vs. M.A. Badminton at Athenian Tennis Individuals Semifinal Wednesday, May 4 Track: BCL Meet #3 Tennis Individuals Finals

Smit Puts Team on Back

and sophomore Gordon, Smit ‘18, lead the offense, along with new coming faceoff man Max “El Tiburon” Rodriguez. Evan Kim has had a spectacular season, hanging tough as goalkeeper against some really good scoring opponents. Gordon Smit ‘18 has also had a great season thus far, scoring hat tricks on a regular basis. He had this to say about the season so far, “We work hard every day to improve our game, and have really seen the rewards in recent performances.” The team continued to struggle against University where they were blown out, and continued to slide as they lost to Washington Fremont, although Smit tallied six goals in the contest.

ss |

Cro ble

dta

oun

r the

The team chemistry is improving greatly, as the majority of the team consists of sophomores and freshmen still forming bonds on the field. The team continues to bring intensity into every practice, preparing themselves for tough upcoming opponents. They are making the extra push to finish the season strong, and fight for every game, no matter the opponent. They look to represent the Hall every time they take the field.

Friday, May 6 Baseball at M.A. Saturday, May 7 Baseball at Sonoma Academy Tuesday, May 10 Baseball vs. Lick Friday, May 13 Baseball at Lick Saturday, May 14 BAC Track Championship

Tennis Struggles out of the Gate

Max Rodriguez Sports Reporter

Ben

Harry Billings Sports Editor acrosse continues to push forward with a undermanned team in a very competitive league. After tough losses to Urban and Marin Academy, the second best and best teams in their division, lacrosse now has a 2-7 record this season. The schedule will settle down through the remainder of the Spring facing against opponents with similar skills. Many of the wins for the team so far have come on the road, as they have faced many of the tougher teams on their home field Beach Chalet. The team is working to take the last home games of the season by working hard in practice learning the plays and learning how to adapt to game situations. The new coaches have come in ready to work, converting the unorganized guys into a team the school can be proud of. The defense and offense have both put in good work in practice, improving a hundredfold from the first game until now. The lacrosse team looks to even out their record as they come to the end of the season, led by Senior captains Colin Carr, Evan Kim, and Andrew Veld. Veld

Thurday, May 5 Badminton at CA Crosspoint

he Hall’s tennis team has shown promise in the beginning of the season. They have gone 3-4 overall with a 2-3 record in league, beating Bay and Drew and losing to University and Lick-Wilmerding. The Knights were able to shut out Bay and Drew with a final score of 5-0 in both games and gave it their all against University and Lick but came up short with a 9-2 combined score. The young team looks to surprise the doubters and become title contenders, but it won’t be easy against tough opponents like University and Lick-Wilmerding. This is also the last year captain Daniel DongIm ‘16 who looks to lead this young team to the NCS playoffs. However, the younger generation of tennis players on the team hope to be the future of The Hall in the years to come. The team has already faced the two best opponents in the league, University and Lick-Wilmerding. The team now hopes to go on a winning streak against weaker teams like Urban, Drew, and International. The singles team is lead by

Nicholas Watts ‘18 and Harry Doyle ‘17. However, Eli Mundy ‘19 has really come out to a surprising start proving that he can become a promising leader in future years to come. When I talked to Eli about the season he responded, “If I am going to become a future leader of this team I need to get to know my teammates better and become a leader for future players. Also the competition this year should also help with my growth as a player”. With only one senior on the team this year, the torch needs to be passed onto the next generation of players who hope to bring the Conference title back to The Hall. I asked the tennis coach, Al Santachi, about how he thinks the older guys can help the younger guys develop and he said ”We only have one senior, but he can help the freshman by setting a good example. Showing them how we do things, and answering questions they may have”. With rising underclassman leadership and a confident coaching staff, the Hall’s tennis team looks to become a top contender in the coming years.

April 19, 2016

the roundtable at roundtable.sacredsf.org

A&E Table Stuart Hall Students Represent at SFO

Panama Papers

new art exhibit opens at San Francisco International Airport Gabe O’Brien Reporter

ou may have heard about the new art exhibit, “Destinations” at SFO. For instance, the mugs that some of you may have bought to support the school show off certain works that can actually be seen at SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport. San Francisco has set itself apart from other airports and even other cities by exhibiting now for the third time, art created by students at Schools of the Sacred Heart. In this instance, The SFO Museum incorporates visually stunning art while emphasizing the importance of education. This type of spirit at the museum represents the attitude we have in the city. San Francisco’s reputation as a beautiful, cultured city is only strengthened by practices like this. Luckily, for several years now, we at The Hall have been able to participate. Our very own Patter Hellstrom established a strong relationship with SFO in order for this art to be so widespread. The first exhibition, “The Map is Not the Territory” was organized and shown in 2013. “Fly Over” followed in 2014. This was so well received by viewers that the curator of the SFO Museum, extended the exhibition. All of these expos differ in what their exact focus was but all have a twist of

Up and Comings Thursday, April 21 Spring Concert @ 6:30 Friday, April 22 Senior Retreat Wednesday, April 27 Class of 2020 Co-ed Social @ 4 Thursday, April 28 Grandparents and Special Friends Day Launch Grant Proposals Due Monday, May 2 Class Elections AP Exams Begin Wednesday, May 11 Blood Drive Monday, May 16 Senior Week Begins Thursday, May 19 Prize Day Friday, May 20 Commencement

The Collection // (from top to bottom) Stamps|Edward Emery; Planes|Will Kahn; Mugs made from the art of Will Kahn, Cole Fuetsch, Nick Hom and Edward Emery

travel incorporated into them. The Hall’s previous exhibits set high expectations for “Destinations.” Starting in August last year, the work for “Destinations” blazed new ground with the inclusion of artists from not only Stuart Hall, but Convent as well. Thirty-three artists in all from both schools contributed to helping the exhibit reach SFO. Going along with this year’s motto of “Paths to…”, using destinations as the main topic was perfect. Student artists used different mediums to break the normalcy of one monotonous medium of art. Students painted, drew, made prints, used digital design, made collages, took photographs, and combined mediums to make the art that is representing our school well. A few student pieces especially stand out including those made by Will Kahn ‘18, Edward Emery ‘17, and Nick Hom ‘18. Those are the mugs which were sold before Spring Break. These mugs are featured as gift store items at the SFO Museum too. People from all over the world can come to San Francisco and look at art created by students at Schools of the Sacred Heart. These destinations can become more than just a place, but a visual experience to remember.

the roundtable

Staff Owen Fahy, Editor-in-Chief Nick Hom, Associate Editor-in-Chief Nick Everest, A&E Editor Harry Billings, Sports Editor Jackson Rhodes, News Editor

@shhs_ roundtable

Anson Gordon-Creed, Reporter Chris Cohen, Reporter Gabe O’Brien, Reporter Nick Watts, Reporter Zack Hammer, Reporter Ben Cross, Sports Reporter Max Rodriguez, Sports Reporter Sam Cormier, Sports Reporter

the roundtable

Adrian Medina, Graphics Director Angel Padilla, Photographer William Kahn, Artist Ben Kaplan, Layout Assistant Lori Saltveit, Moderator Michael Campos, Editing Reba Sell, Editing

Nick Everest A&E Editor t is no secret that a handful of the world’s wealthiest have been dodging taxes for as long as we can remember. The difficulty with preventing this is that catching these offshore back accounts and sleazy tactics is a slow, painful process. However, one year ago, 11.5 million documents or 2.6 terabytes of data was taken from the files of the world’s fourth largest law firm, Mossack Fonseca, and given to German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung. These documents provide proof of the firm’s dirty business practices by providing clients a way to avoid taxes in their home country. From there they were released to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and reporters from over 100 news agencies worldwide. Within these documents, 14,153 clients were tied to Mossack Fonseca, including 143 politicians. Mossack Fonseca is located in Panama, making it one of the perfect locations for this kind of business. According to the Citizens for Tax Justice, “A tax haven has one of three characteristics: it has no income tax or a very low-rate income tax, it has bank secrecy laws, and it has a history of non-cooperation with other countries on exchanging information about tax matters. Panama has all three of those and they are probably the worst.” Large corporations and some of the world’s wealthiest individuals have been taking advantage of these tax havens to avoid taxes and keep a large portion of their wealth a secret from their government. An easy way to look at how these people were able to hide their funds is by thinking of a piggy bank. Say every time your buddy, Mark, puts money into his piggy bank, his parents either took a portion of the cash and monitored it going in and out. While this isn’t a bad system, say he wants to keep more money or the cash going in may have not been made through moral or legal business practices. Mark now has two options, give a cut to his parents or hide his money elsewhere. Now, while his parents may be very strict, Billy’s parents just down the street don’t check up on him very often and rarely speak to any of the neighbours. So Mark buys another piggy bank and bring it to Billy’s house where he moves most of his money. This way, his parents can’t get a cut and have no clue that the money exists in the first place. This is especially important if he may have stolen the money from a friend or gotten it by selling candy to the preschoolers who aren’t supposed to have any. All the kids on the street see that now he has way more money than before and is getting away with all his sketchy practices. They all buy piggy banks and bring them to Billy’s house to get in on the action. Billy takes a cut for the risk he’s running, but it’s significantly smaller than what the parents want. However, Billy has a brother who isn’t a fan of what the guys are doing because it’s against the rules. He takes a photo of all the piggy banks and then monitors the money going in and out and sends all the information he got to the parents. This is not to say that everyone who was abusing Panama’s tax system through offshore accounts is doing illegal activity such as stealing or selling illegal products, but it is one of the many markets that is represented in the released documents. Alongside businessman, known drug dealers were named in the leaked files. The scariest thing that one must realize is that Mossack Fonseca is just one of many large firms located in a tax haven and while Billy’s house may have been shut down, there’s an unknown amount of kids on the street whose doors are open to anyone with a big, piggy bank.

He also taught me to work hard like himself and I still remember the days when my dad would go out into the garage to do work with wood And he’d give me my very own hammer, some nails, and a block of pine that smelled of adulterated adulthood. And so, as if it was my middle name, I would begin to hammer. Turns out, it’s actually my last name, a name which I have since proudly hung like a banner Back then I was the happiest little boy because I got to be like my dad, pounding away at those nails, driving them into that piece of plywood until bristled with a forest of rusty iron

You see when I was little, I wanted to be like my dad And at the time I thought that meant doing things like fitting an entire saltine cracker in my mouth without breaking it And I thought that doing things like eating Cheerios with a big spoon instead of the kiddy one meant that I was making it Because doing things like those meant I was grown up and big, like a mountain, like my dad And while that may be true, as I grew older my dad taught me that being grown up had an entirely different part I wasn’t supposed to worry about breaking saltine crackers, I was supposed to worry about breaking hearts. Because when you consume food, it fills you up inside and makes you feel whole but when you take a bite out of someone’s heart you’re flooded with darkness as if that single mouthful had emptied your soul I wasn’t supposed to worry about how I ate my food, but rather to be thankful that I had the privilege to eat it Because my dad worked hard to give me a good life and taught me to give thanks for my blessings, and to mean it

morning he could share secrets with the sun Secrets that would never see the light of day because even that celestial fireball knows he could keep one And when night fell, he would be there to catch it as his shoulders became pillows for the moon to cry upon And when it was done he would wrap it in a blanket, hand it some warm tea, and smother it in a massive bear hug, all without the need to ask why Because my dad was a mountain of a man, and I wanted to be just like him

hen I was born, my dad was a W mountain of a man His summit reached so high that every

But the most important lesson my dad has taught me is what it really means to be a man. Some people think that your worth as a man is determined by becoming the embodiment of rippling arm strength or by showing perpetual stone cold lack emotion or by sleeping with any woman who looks your way. But the problem is, you can’t arm wrestle your way into someone’s heart, and I can guarantee that your best friend’s crippling depression does not care how much you bench, and avoiding girlie things like flowers or the color pink as if they were the plague will not keep you from catching it. You see my dad proved to me what it really means to be a human being. And he didn’t prove that to me by lectur-

You see my dad is a bard. He can fill a room with laughter just as easily as he can command its silence as he tells a story. He can entertain. He can connect with people in such an incredible way. Just the simplicity of his presence is enough to set most minds free of worry. And when you talk to him, it’s like he takes a sip of your personality and as he swallows it, you can tell by the look on his face that he wants more. He enjoys you. He can make you feel special. And when you part ways, he won’t forget you in a day or two. No, you may drift in and out of his mind, but you’ll always come back to him, like the ocean and the shore.

He taught me to enjoy simple things like a good book, and before I could even read, my dad would tell me stories every night before I went to bed. I would sit on the slope of his mountain as he sucked words off the page and like the wind, he would blow them into the sky. And as the sentences would fall like raindrops around me, I would look up and the stories would wash over my face and I would think to myself, damn, this is something I’ve gotta try.

And when I finished, my dad would pick it up and smile, placing it high on the shelf so the world could marvel at the fruit of my trials You see, my dad taught me to be a builder. He taught me to work hard at what I achieve. And so I built things, first with blocks and legos and then with words on the page. However, my dad also taught me to build things much more visceral and real that I only came to appreciate with age.

It was in that moment that I realized what I meant when I said I wanted to be like my dad. I didn’t need to become CEO of multimillion-dollar business or an Olympic athlete or set the world record for the amount of saltines fit in someone’s mouth. I want to make other people’s lives better. I want to have an impact. I want to make people happy. I want to be like my dad. I want my waiting room to be full, and not because I want to be popular or have a bunch of people care about me. No I want my waiting room to be full because my life was full. Because my dad taught me that I don’t have to be a mountain of a man to move mountains.

I remember stumbling out of the intensive care unit and into the waiting room where I stopped. I raised my head; a sea of faces looked up to meet me. Most I recognized, some I didn’t. But they all had one thing in common: they loved my dad. He meant something to them. You see, he had made each and every one of their lives better. He had made such a difference, such an impact in their lives that when his was balancing on the head of a needle, they all dropped whatever they were doing to help sew him back together. They sat in that waiting room, because they knew if the roles were reversed he would be the first one sitting in theirs.

When I was 14 years old, my father had a stroke. You see, my dad was literally a mountain of a man, a mountain that had begun to erode from the inside out because it could no longer carry the burden of its own weight. And yet, no metaphysical metaphor or abstract analogy can explain what that experience was like, for me, my family or my dad. All I can say is that seeing my father, lying there unconscious, helpless, being kept alive by a machine, was nothing other than surreal.

ing about some valuable life lesson or taking me on some spiritual father-son journey into the wilderness or handing me the mystical scroll etched with the answers of the universe. No, he did it by lying in a coma.

Zack Hammer’s 2016 poetry festival competition winning poem

Mountain of a Man