January Issue 2019

JANUARY 17, 2019 | VOL. 70. ISSUE 3

STORY BY SOPHIA LIMA AND NOURA JABIR ILLUSTRATION BY CELINE HUANG

THE REVIEW ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL 2401 CLAREMONT LANE HOUSTON, TX 77019 WWW.SJSREVIEW.COM

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NEWS

THE REVIEW / JANUARY 17, 2019

Government shutdown jeopardizes Big Bend trip

By Sophie Gillard

A

s the partial government shutdown enters Day 27, with no end in sight, the Eighth Grade Big Bend trip is threatened by Congressional inaction. For the first time in 41 years, students may not have the opportunity to camp for a week in Texas’ best-known national park.

Although individuals can still visit Big Bend, students would stay at the group campsite in Rio Grande Village, which is regulated by the federal government. Many of the services provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, including the National Park Service, are closed due to the shutdown. As a result, Big Bend is experiencing a reduction in the number of park rangers and janitorial services, factors that make it impossible to bring such a large group of students for a week.

The shutdown began on Dec. 22 when President Trump and Republicans clashed with Congress over funding the border wall.

Under the Constitution, Congress must periodically pass bills to fund the federal government.

As Congress was creating this year’s appropriations bill, Trump demanded $5.6 billion to build a wall along the Southern border.

The Democrats in Congress refused to set aside money for a wall, and Trump refused to pass any appropriations bill that did not fund the wall, leaving the government in limbo.

Around 800,000 government employees have been furloughed. The newly Democratic-controlled House has passed two bills to fund the government, but the Republican-majority Senate, led by Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, has blocked both bills. Should the Senate pass such a bill, the government will reopen and the thousands of federal workers who are on furlough will begin working again.

Despite the possibility of cancellation, dozens of teachers, coaches, staff and administrators are preparing for the trip as planned.

However, if the government does not reopen before Feb. 23, the students will not experi-

ence Big Bend this year. Right now, there is no “Plan B.” Director of Experiential Education Marty Thompson (`91) is in charge of planning the Big Bend trip. He is concerned about the shutdown’s effect on the students’ experience.

“I encourage parents and families to reach out to their elected representatives,” he said. “As private citizen Marty Thompson, I reached out to my [elected representatives] to let them know [the shutdown’s] impact on this St. John’s tradition.”

Middle School students are not the only ones who would be affected by the cancellation of the Big Bend trip. Sixteen seniors are slated to serve as counselors, including Jonah Pesikoff, who said that visiting Big Bend four years ago was a highlight of his time at SJS. Pesikoff jumped at the PHOTO / CELINE HUANG chance to apply for the coun- Due to the government shutdown, which started Dec. 22, there are currently no visitor services selor position. When he was provided in Big Bend National Park, which would impede the annual eighth grade retreat. Above, accepted, he dropped out of last year's eighth graders navigate down a trail in the park. the spring musical to instead spend a week outdoors with the younger students.

“Big Bend felt like the last hurrah of Middle School,” Pesikoff said. “It will be really sad if we can’t go because students will miss out on the chance to meet Upper Schoolers and be in nature.”

Thompson agrees that if the shutdown persists, students will not have a unique opportunity to connect with other classes.

“Part of what makes St. John’s special is the shared experiences we have, and I would hate for the Class of 2023 to have to look back and say 'we missed out on that.'”

By Roosh Bhosale

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ahogany bookshelves, glass doors and arched hallways now occupy the space that was once the Taub Library.

Dubbed the “Academic Commons,” the 11,013-square-foot space aims to address every student’s needs with individual study carrels and group study rooms for collaboration.

Gone are the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, replaced with waist-high shelves designed to create a feeling of openness. This reduction in shelf space required paring down 30 percent of the books. The majority of the culling has been completed, but librarians Peg Patrick and Suzanne Webb are still removing volumes.

The “collaborative side” of the Taub Library has been transformed into a glassed-in reading room featuring long, individually-lit tables flanked by mahogany bookshelves.

Patrick recalled seeing the finished Commons for the first time.

“It was like the students had discovered Disneyland," she said. “I could not believe how stunning and beautifully planned the facility was.”

The Academic Commons opened on Dec. 5, three months ahead of schedule and just in time for finals.

During the renovation, students needing to do work moved to the hallways, classrooms and Flores Hall.

After sixth months without a regular place to work, junior Travis Bouchard feels like he has finally found a place where he can focus. Before, he spent his free periods in the bustling Great Hall, where conversations echoed and chairs scraped the linoleum tile, but

Bouchard now spends his time in the quiet, productive study carrels.

“It’s a lot more student-friendly,” Bouchard said. “It’s my favorite place to work.”

Construction blocked the hallway between the Quad and the Science Building, which required students to walk outside to travel between buildings.

Opening the Academic Commons improved traffic flow, reducing congestion in the Science Building hallways and decreasing travel time for students.

Senior Juliana Aviles found the construction inconvenient when rushing to class, especially at the beginning of the year.

“I tried to use the library to get from the Quad to Mewbourne and failed multiple times,” Aviles recalled. “I was rushing from French to choir and basically ran straight into the doors where the library intersects the Quad.”

Before graduating last spring, Sean Paul Gras spent the majority of his free time in the Taub Library. Even after school, he would stay late to work on projects or finish homework. Gras got a firsthand look at the new Academic Commons while visiting over vacation from the University of Texas.

“I wish I had a place like this when I was here,” Gras said. “If you want silence, you can go to the reading room or work with friends in the study rooms.”

Looking to the future, Patrick believes the space will adequately accomodate the growing student population.

“It’s a game changer academically,” Patrick said. “I think we’re going to be fine for a long time.”

Additional reporting by Celine Huang

SJSREVIEW.COM / NEWS / JANUARY 17, 2019

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IN MEMORIAM

McKone embodied spirit of selfless service

By Sarah Jane Lasley

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ill McKone, a St. John’s student since kindergarten, passed away on Nov. 24 after a four-year battle with an inoperable brain tumor. Will was a member of The Review since his freshman year, a frequent SAC representative, eighth grade class president and a threesport athlete. He was 17. Will is survived by his mother Lisa, father Tim and sister Lindsey (’16).

Will will be remembered for his caring spirit, his effortlessness in making others smile and his love of the Boston Red Sox. “Will loved living his life,” his father said. “He had an infectious smile, beautiful blue eyes and was truly happy.”

Will donated his organs through Houston Methodist, the hospital that last treated him. His liver and one of his kidneys went to a 54-year-old man who had been waiting for transplants for 28 days, while Will’s other kidney went to a 14-year-old girl who had been waiting 448 days. Will’s heart and lungs were donated to St. Luke’s hospital for research.

To commemorate Will’s selflessness, Houston Methodist illuminated the top of its buildings in blue.

On Dec. 2, Will was buried in Valhalla, New York, in a small family service.

A public memorial service will take place at St. John’s in Flores Hall on Friday, Jan. 18, at 10 a.m. The Upper School has cancelled school that day, so all students can gather to celebrate his memory. Kindergarten teacher Donna Palmer will be one of Will’s former teachers to speak at the service.

“Twelve years ago, Will walked through my door with the rosiest cheeks I'd ever seen, a huge smile, glistening bright eyes and a positive aura that filled the room," Palmer said.

"That little five-year-old stole my heart.”

Lindsey plays lacrosse at Northwestern. All of her teammates and coaches will be in attendance at the memorial.

On Nov. 29, the Upper School held a Chapel in Will’s honor. Three of Will’s closest friends, Matthew Laborde, Charlie McGee and Aidan Aguilar (all '20), shared their memories and lasting impressions of Will. Donald Doucet played two of Will’s favorite songs, Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” Doucet will perform more of Will’s favorite music at the memorial.

"Will knew about his tumor for years, but chose to enjoy life and elevate others in the process," Laborde recalled. "That is the legacy of Will: selflessness, courageousness and undivided dedication to the people he cared about."

This season the boys’ basketball team has recognized Will’s impact by leaving a seat open on their bench with a No. 44 jersey draped over it. According to McGee, a team captain, Will’s favorite number was four. In addition, during home games, the team warms up in the bright blue-and-yellow shirts, reading “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way,” which were designed by Will and his sister. Members of the SJS community bought the shirts in November, with all proceeds going to A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure Foundation, which helped Will and his family throughout his treatment.

“Will was, first and foremost, a very smart basketball player and used that to his advantage,” McGee said. “Freshman year, he scored 25 points in the first half of a game, which is ridiculous, and then scored none in the second half. We all laughed about it after the game, but as he astutely reminded us, he was still the leading scorer.”

In Middle School, Will also played football, leading his youth football teams to two league championships as quarterback and linebacker.

Will was also Assistant Video Editor on The Review. One of his videos won third place for Multimedia Sports Story by the National Scholastic Press Association in 2017. The plaque hangs in Review adviser Chuy Benitez’s room.

"It was a privilege to work with him on the video crew,” Benitez said. “I let him put up the plaque in my room because I believed he started what will hopefully be a lasting legacy of exceptional video journalism at St. John’s."

At the end of fifth grade, Will received the highest award given to Lower School students, the Chidsey Award, which was not a surprise to those who knew about his friendliness and love of learning.

“His primary purpose in life seemed to be to make other people feel good about themselves, especially those who were not always in the limelight,” Will's father said. “If [an] underdog did something noteworthy, Will would make a point — under the radar — of letting them know and congratulating them. Will saw the good in everyone; he rarely spoke badly of anyone, and when he heard a negative comment about someone, he would counter with a positive attribute.”

Headmaster Mark Desjardins recently announced the establishment of the William David McKone '20 Scholarship Fund: "Donations to this fund will make a lasting impact, commemorating Will's exemplary life and benefitting generations of St. John's students to come."

"We're so grateful for the 17 years we had with Will, and people should not feel sorry for us," his mother said. "It's tragic, but we would have rather had those 17 years with him than 100 years with anyone else."

PHOTOS / COURTESY OF WILL MCKONE'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS Beginning clockwise from upper right, Will McKone is pictured with his mother, Lisa; his mother and sister, Lindsey; his dog El Duque; his eighth-grade advisory; his dad, Tim; his JV basketball team; and his Multimedia Sports Story of the Year award.

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THE REVIEW / JANUARY 17, 2019

FEATURES

Catch-22: students discover pros and cons of midterm projects

By Abigail Poag

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atie Shelburne had a stressful December. On top of seemingly daily project checkpoints, the junior had her upcoming midterms to worry about.

Though she only had exams in three subjects, she had barely touched any of her study guides — playing catch-up with her midterm projects made it difficult for her to start studying.

This year, most students took only three midterm exams and completed projects or papers in their English and math classes. Still, the number of midterm projects — each counting for the same 20 or 25 percent of the semester average — created its own set of challenges.

In the past, the synthesis paper has taken the place of a midyear assessment in junior and senior English classes. Since 2016, students have completed either midterm or final projects in their history, science and freshman and sophomore English classes. Some world language classes have administered projects as far back as 2014. This year marked the first time students had a midterm project in math.

Having the midterm projects due during an already congested time of year caused some students additional stress.

“I like the idea of having projects, but the way they’ve scheduled them makes it a really stressful month instead of only a week like it used to be,” Shelburne said. “I basically had another exam week.”

Student reactions to the exam-project blend were mixed. Sophomore Georgi Mathews appreciated that the combination of exams and projects alleviated the pressure of taking five exams in a short span.

“With a final, you have three hours, and within those three hours you determine your final grade,” Mathews said. “With this, we have three weeks. It splits up our work nicely.”

According to English teacher Brian Beard, projects provide more opportunities for creativity and self-expression, factors often lacking in

16-BKS-023-ROCCad-FullPage_8.5x11_Final.indd 1

exams.

Beard points to the etymology of “project,” which literally means “something thrown forth.”

"When students do a project, they have the opportunity to throw themselves into something that they’re interested and excited about,” Beard said. “Depending on the subject and the content, the likelihood that they’re going to have a meaningful experience that is engaging and fun can be higher than in a formal, sitdown assessment.”

Shelburne noted that some classes are better suited for projects than others. While she would have preferred a project or paper in her essay-heavy history class, having an open-book project in AP Calculus AB seemed counter-intuitive. With a math project, Shelburne did not have “to buckle down and study the concepts,” which she thinks will affect her during AP exam season in May. “It wasn’t stressful,” she said, “but I feel like I didn’t learn math.”

Besides homework, students generally complete few assignments outside their math classes, especially major ones. Math teacher Caroline Kerr said that having a midterm project required students to adjust to a different style of assessment than they were accustomed to.

“That was a challenge [for them] — overcoming their expectations of what happens in math class,” Kerr said.

Kerr added that she was glad the projects, which she described as a "learning experience," exposed students to real-life applications for what they were learning and encouraged them to approach problems in new ways.

Beard recognized the merit in both projects and tests.

“There’s still a place for formal, sit-down exams," he said, "but it’s wonderful that there’s more of a blend.”

ILLUSTRATION / MIA FARES

1/22/18 10:00 AM

SJSREVIEW.COM / FEATURES / JANUARY 17, 2019

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ILLUSTRATION / MIA FARES

By Izzy Andrews

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atherine Center ('90) sits on a bench on the St. John's Lower School playground. She's in sixth grade, circa 1984, and her hair is styled in a layered mullet. She has top and bottom braces and wears a boxy plaid jumper. She pulls a spiral notebook out of her backpack, opens it and continues to work on her first novel: a Duran Duran fanfiction.

Center and her two best friends at the time were, as she puts it, "awkward, unhappy with [their] social lives and completely in love with Duran Duran." In order to escape the misery of sixth grade, they decided to write novels about meeting the 80s pop band, with themselves as the main characters.

"It was just blissful," Center said.

Today, Center is a New York Times bestselling author with six novels to her credit, a seventh, "Things You Save in a Fire," coming in August, and her first movie adaptation, which just finished principal shooting.

Last summer, Six Foot Pictures bought the film rights to Center's fourth novel "The Lost Husband." The film stars Leslie Bibb and Josh Duhamel and is directed by SJS parent Vicky Wight. The production recently completed filming in locations around Texas.

Although Center was not involved in day-to-day aspects of the production, she and her family — including her children Anna ('21) and Thomas ('24) — were featured as extras in a scene filmed in Austin.

"The weather was beautiful; they had a bluegrass band playing in the background," Center said. "Everything about it felt lovely."

Long before her career blossomed, Center's third grade teacher once told her class that if someone used a vocabulary word three times in conversation, it belonged to them. She immediately fell in love with the idea.

"I would learn a new word and consciously try to use it," she said. "I was like

2007

a little squirrel, collecting words." lished," Stein said. "I kept thinking, 'Kath- wiser and a little bit more hopeful about Back then, Center thought that long, erine is so much better than any of this.'" the human race." She wants her readers to multisyllabic words were "funny," and she The next morning, Center woke up with feel the same way. liked to count the syllables in her sentenc- the idea for what would become her first "When you get to the end, I want you es then shorten them. to be thinking about these characters and novel, "The Bright Side of Disaster."

After sixth grade, Center and her Duran "I just got seized by this story," she said. your own life, and how what you've just Duran fan friends parted ways, but that "It was like it wasn't real until I wrote it, gone through with them can help you see didn't stop her from writing. Instead of and I wanted to see it become real. I got your own stuff differently," she said. "I fanfiction, she took up journaling — and hooked on it, in the way that you get want to give you a story you can look back she didn't stop for 10 years. hooked on great stories that you're read- on with a warm, sunshiny feeling."

Center attributes her current writing ing."

After years of experience, Center has style to her journaling experience.

Center wrote every night for six weeks some advice to offer for all writers: Write "I write in a very confessional, chatty, until she had a first draft. After a long, for your inner reader. personal way," she said, "and part of the winding road, it was published in 2007.

"You can't write for some imaginary exreason is because [the journal] is where I When it comes to deciding what to write ternal person. Writers don't always know did most of my practicing." next, Center thinks about what she'd like that, and that can lead them astray," she In the Upper School, Center became ed- to read. She enjoys stories about people said. "You have to follow your own comitor of the literary magazine, Imagination, who face their struggles with humor and pass." was a columnist for The Review, and won grace in order to triumph in the end, so For Center, the journey from the sixtha creative writing scholarship. She attend- she is always on the lookout for real-life grade playground to the bestseller list has ed Vassar College ('94) to pursue writing stories that fit that mold. always been about telling stories. and, in 1999, received a master's in creFor example, the inspiration for her 2018 "One of the many things about stories ative writing in fiction from the University novel, "How to Walk Away," came from a that is magical and appealing to me is that of Houston. woman who was hit by a semi-truck and when you're reading fiction, you know it's According to Center, she then spent eight was told she would never walk again, but not true, but you believe it anyway." years repeatedly sending short stories to she proved the doctors wrong.

The New Yorker and "just totally failing to Center also enjoys stories that make her get published." feel "satisfied, moved, inspired, a little bit "It started to feel like this very sad affliction that I had, this wanting to be a writer thing, because I couldn't seem to make it work," she said. "I would be like, 'You know, I don't think this is healthy. This may be a little masochistic.'"

After marrying Gordon Center in 2000, she had Anna in 2003. With the new baby soaking up all her attention, Center no longer had the time to write, even for fun.

"It was so strange to me because everything important that had ever happened in my entire life from seventh grade on I had processed ad nauseam through writing," she said.

"To become a mother, and to have my whole understanding of love get redefined, and to not have written anything about it — I felt very strange and uncomfortable."

One day, Center was on the phone with her sister Shelley Stein ('88), complaining about her lack of time.

Stein, who had once worked as an assistant in a New York publishing PHOTO / CLAIRE SEINSHEIMER house, dared her to write a “mommy Katherine Center's most recent novel, "How to Walk Away," became a New York Times version of chick lit." bestseller. The movie adaptation of her 2013 novel "The Lost Husband" is in post-production.

"I saw tons of manuscripts that "Things You Save in a Fire" is slated to be released in August. were really awful getting pub-

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THE REVIEW / ADVERTISEMENT / JANUARY 17, 2019

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SJSREVIEW.COM / FEATURES / JANUARY 17, 2019

MS student launches business with a social mission

PHOTOS / COURTESY OF ZEALCARES.COM PAGE DESIGN / CLARA BROTZEN-SMITH Julia Wykoff and designer Kendra Scott hand out their products at a pop-up shop. At right, Wykoff helps a young patient choose a balm at her "flavor counter." Since making her first batch of lip balm in fifth grade, Wykoff's business Zeal Cares has sold over 2,500 units.

By Fareen Dhuka

W

hen she was in fifth grade, Julia Wykoff created an organic lip balm to help a friend’s mother who was battling breast cancer. Last fall, her lip balm wound up on the shelves of a free store for the victims of northern California’s Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire to ever hit the state.

Wykoff, now in eighth grade, has devoted years to helping cancer victims with her Zeal Cares lip balm. So far she has sold more than 2,500 sticks, and her shortterm goal is to sell more than 40,000.

When Rich Prescott, whose company helped restore power after Camp Fire, heard through Facebook that Wykoff was helping cancer patients with her business, he jumped on the opportunity to buy her product because his father and sister are both cancer survivors. After witnessing the havoc that the fire had wreaked on the worst-hit town, Paradise, Prescott purchased about 150 lip balms and donated them to a California store. Wykoff also donated 50 units to Camp Fire relief efforts.

After reading about Wykoff’s business model, the transaction seemed like a natural fit, Prescott said.

“I’m grateful that through gifting Julia’s products I was able to help members of my community and she was able to help pediatric cancer patients in hers.”

In 2015, when trying to decide how to best help her friend’s mother, Wykoff learned that dry skin was a common side effect of chemotherapy. Zeal Cares was her solution.

Before becoming a lip balm entrepreneur, Wykoff had been selling her own handmade jewelry, inspired by her participation in Montessori Model UN when she was nine. Wykoff used the profits to fund her first batch of lip balm.

Extensively researching organic lip balm formulas from Whole Foods and Sephora became a part of her daily routine.

“It’s hard to say how many hours I spent looking at other lip balms,” Wykoff said. “Whenever I was in a store, I would always go to the lip balm section and buy or take photos of what lip balm was out there.”

Wykoff wanted to create a more natural product with highly moisturizing, long-lasting ingredients, so she looked into the ingredients of well-known brands like

Burt’s Bees and EOS and learned all about oils, butters and waxes. She tested her products on family and friends, taking more than 20 iterations to find the perfect formula.

Wykoff then founded Zeal Cares, a name chosen because of the company's association "with a social mission." The brand uses a one-for-one business model, so after one lip balm is purchased, another is donated to a child with cancer.

“Cancer [can] affect everyone, whether it’s a friend or family member,” Wykoff said. “It’s really hard because their whole life has changed, and there are a lot of unknowns.”

When first starting out, Wykoff wanted to donate lip balm to children with cancer, but she did not yet have any working relationships with hospitals. Today, Zeal Cares is currently available online and through her popup shop.

Wykoff is always learning. She recently discovered that the shea butter content of her lip balm was too high, which can cause it to become grainy over time, so she adjusted the formula.

Last summer, Wykoff set up a booth, which she dubs a “flavor counter,” at both MD Anderson Cancer Center and Ronald McDonald House so cancer patients could choose their own lip balm.

“It wasn’t until I first set up my flavor counter at MD Anderson and heard the feedback directly from the parents and patients that I knew what I was doing was having a real impact,” Wykoff said. “I got an email from one of the cancer patients, and she told me how she uses Zeal Cares lip balm every day and how it actually helped. I know that I'm making a small difference in their lives.”

Wykoff has contacted hospitals around the country including Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York and Mass General Hospital

in Boston about setting up her flavor counters. She has also donated products to the charitable organizations One Summit, Family Reach and Candlelighters.

Wykoff’s numerous projects have provided opportunities for her to network. At MD Anderson, she met designer Kendra Scott, who was giving jewelry to cancer patients while Wykoff was distributing her lip balm.

In preparation for market appearances, Wykoff makes anywhere from 400 to 800 sticks. She places each one in a mold, applies the labels and packages the boxes. It takes six to eight hours to make 400 units.

Although she manages production and packaging herself, Wykoff has friends who volunteer their time at markets. Classmate Mina Lipets, who worked at the pop-up shop, admires the impact Wykoff has made.

“The cause Julia is serving is wonderful,” Lipets said.

“She is committing time, money and herself to make children going through such a horrible thing feel better.”

Wykoff promotes Zeal Cares through the brand’s Instagram (@zealcares) and the Zeal Cares website.

Earlier this month, Wykoff announced that she will be speaking at the opening ceremony of the Montessori Model UN conference in New York in February. She will also be giving a workshop about her journey from Model UN delegate to social entrepreneur.

“My goal is to reach as many children undergoing cancer therapy as possible and work with as many hospitals and organizations as I possibly can to achieve this goal,” Wykoff said. “No matter how small you think your idea is, it can still make a big difference.”

Scan to check out ZealCares.com.

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THE REVIEW / JANUARY 17, 2019

CULTURE

Logistics delay MS affinity groups

Pod on the Quad: The Pannill sisters on life in Houston

By Megan Chang

L

ast spring, Middle School administrators and Director of Community and Inclusion Gene Batiste proposed the creation of five affinity groups in the Middle School modeled on the many groups in the Upper School.

The potential affinity groups are African American Affinity Group, South Asian Affinity Group, East Asian Affinity Group, Latinx and a group supporting female empowerment.

Batiste and Head of Middle School Philip Cannon have been discussing the implementation of affinity groups ever since Batiste joined the St. John’s community last year.

Their goal was to make the recently released Statement on Diversity and Inclusion come alive by creating a safe space for Middle School students to grapple with issues of diversity.

Although Middle School administrators initially intended for affinity groups to begin this spring, the decision was made to delay the inception of all affinity groups in order to ensure that the strategic plan can be studied further.

Batiste and eighth grade civics teacher Ganesa Collins pointed out three main issues that need to be addressed to ensure the proper establishment of Middle School affinity groups.

Issue No. 1: Faculty of Color

PHOTO / LEILA PULASKI Congresswoman Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, SJS French teacher and Review adviser Shelley Stein and bestselling author Katherine Center discussed their career paths and their lives in Houston.

By Sophia Kontos

O

n Dec. 11, in front of a live audience, I sat down to talk with the Pannill sisters: SJS French teacher and Review adviser Shelley Stein (’88), New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center (’90) and newly sworn-in Congresswoman (TX-07) Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (’93). Over the course of the discussion, we talked about numerous topics, including their original career aspirations, how they ended up back in Houston and the hidden merits of their hometown, which often gets a bad rap.

This excerpt has been condensed for brevity. To hear the full interview, go to the Review Online and check out the Pod on the Quad archives.

Kontos: Is this how you all pictured each of your lives?

Fletcher: Pretty much. Katherine’s always been a writer and creative, and it’s not just writing — we had her art from art class hanging on the wall because it was so good. Shelley was always doing journalism and photography, [was always] very inquisitive, so advising The Review is definitely something I see.

And of course, with French and her Francophile side, it’s the perfect place to marry all her interests and all the things she’s good at.

Stein: I was really ready to go as far away as possible

and stay for a long time. I got all the way to Paris, and I went to Norway, and I would’ve been happier going even further than that. It’s funny. I came full circle.

Center: If you had asked me in high school what we

three were going to grow up to be, I would have said French teacher [Stein], writer [Center], and for you [Fletcher], I would have said lawyer, but as soon as you started running for Congress, my reaction was that you were born to do that, and I fully agree with that to this day.

Kontos: What has it been like for all of you living in Houston at the same time?

Stein: I was away for a long time. I really thought I’d found my place when I was in Paris, like that was the life I was meant to lead. But a lot of personal things brought me back, including Mr. Stein.

Shelley Stein ('88)

Katherine Center ('90)

Once I had Yazzie, I couldn’t even imagine bringing her up away from her aunts and my mom and dad. I think that really speaks to our relationship and what it’s like to be back. And it’s been super fun. We, as a family, do try to spend a lot of time together.

Center: I was very nervous when you were living in

Paris that you were not going to come back. We were all quite relieved when you decided to. Lizzie and I threw her a “Houston. It’s Worth It.” party. The invitation that we sent out to everyone had a giant cockroach on it.

Fletcher: I actually talked about this a lot on the campaign trail. Houston has, for many years, struggled with branding. There was this guerrilla campaign that some people who were not official city advocates came up with, and it was this list of what they called the “afflictions” — the heat, the humidity, the flying cockroaches — and then their tag line was “Houston.

It’s Worth It.” It was brilliant. It tapped into all of these feelings that so many of us have about living here — that it’s a really great place and maybe not everyone knows that [but] should.

It’s very different to come back and live here as an adult. What you find is there are continually great people to meet and things to do that you don’t necessarily experience when you’re younger. When Shelley came back, we wanted to show these things to her.

The city has so much opportunity.

Center: What I like most about [Houston] is that it is

the kind of town that forces you to look for the good stuff. If you want to focus on the mosquitoes, the size of hummingbirds and the sprawl, you could. You could live here and be crabby every single minute of every day, but you have to make a choice to be excited to be here and to be grateful for how kind everybody is and the yummy food everywhere.

It’s a great town, but you have to work for it. It’s not just going to hand itself over to you for free. You have to make a choice to dig in.

Lizzie Pannill Fletcher ('93)

Sophia Kontos (Host)

SIENA ZERR

According to Collins, affinity groups should be safe places where people who identify with that group can support one another and address concerns, but there is a lack of human resources for the MS affinity groups. Collins stressed the need for multiple faculty sponsors in each affinity group to adequately support and educate the students.

“There are not enough people of color who can speak from the ‘I’ perspective to do true justice to what an affinity group is,” Collins said.

Issue No. 2: Age and Exclusivity

Affinity groups might not be age-appropriate for Middle School. Collins said, “Developmentally, for some kids, it may not be an emotionally safe environment.”

Collins indicated that for many MS students, the desire to assimilate is much stronger than the desire to differentiate themselves, whether it be racially, politically or experientially. A middle school environment in which the school urges its students to separate into groups can lead to unforeseen issues. Although some students may enjoy belonging to a certain affinity group, others could view it as exclusive or feel pressured to identify this early on in the development of their identity.

In regards to race or ethnicity, society categorizes and identifies some people according to external features. Collins pointed out that if her daughter Aspen, who is biracial, chooses to identify as African-American, then she denies the legacy and culture of her father, who is Asian-American. The Upper School offers a Multi-Racial Affinity Group, but for now a biracial group is not one of the affinity groups planned for next year.

To appropriately establish affinity groups, Collins said, the School must ensure that they are emotionally and mentally safe spaces for all students, regardless of how they identify.

“Children are beginning to recognize their differences at a younger and younger age,” Batiste said. "People who are exploring their identity [should] be able to do that without ridicule or judgment.”

Issue No. 3: Faculty Training

The faculty members who will ultimately run the affinity groups do not yet have the training or specific knowledge to implement affinity groups like those in the Upper School. Although sponsors can speak from their own perspectives, they need special training and additional information regarding the inner workings of affinity groups.

Collins has attended two People of Color Conferences, where she learned about and participated in affinity groups.

“It was actually life changing,” Collins said, “but if I had never gotten that training, I might end up doing more harm than good.”

Strategically training affinity group sponsors can ensure that students have a faculty member in the Middle School who can support them on their journey. Collins suggests having potential affinity group sponsors attend POCC, study and learn from other middle schools that have effectively implemented affinity groups or even create a workshop for potential faculty sponsors to meet with the student leaders and faculty sponsors of Upper School affinity groups.

While Collins has reservations about implementing affinity groups before faculty sponsors can receive proper training, she does have a greater concern: “I’m afraid for students when there’s not an affinity group available to them at all.”

SJSREVIEW.COM / CULTURE / JANUARY 17, 2019

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By Sophie Caldwell

I

started drinking coffee my freshman year, enticed both by the easy access of the new Maverick Café and by the air of maturity I felt holding a cup of coffee.

It started with a tiny, plain cup suffused with cream and sugar to mask the bitterness.

By junior year, I was downing large cups of jet-black coffee three or four times a day. Those 300 to 400 milligrams of caffeine placed me on the moderate-to-high end of the coffee consumption spectrum.

I couldn't last a single day without at least one cup of coffee. Otherwise, I was grumpy and sleepy, so I planned my day around frequent trips to the Café.

the body. According to The Washington Post, frequent coffee drinkers also tend to drink less water.

Of greater concern to teenagers, caffeine can prevent adequate sleep. Caffeine can linger in the system for up to seven hours, causing insomnia. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 70 percent of high school students do not get enough sleep.

HYPED UP

Junior Anisha Lal is an avid coffee drinker who had her first cup in second grade. By fifth grade, she was drinking Frappuccinos once a week.

MORNING JOE

Many students get their daily dose — or doses — of coffee on campus. The Café offers an array of caffeinated beverages from Frappuccinos to espresso, each made with Java Pura-brand coffee.

Senior Mary Leonard also began drinking coffee as a freshman. She started with just one small cup with sugar, then black coffee, then Americanos and finally she graduated to espresso.

On a typical school day, she consumes around three espresso shots, either straight or in an Americano.

“What used to be a big day of caffeine is now a regular one,” she said.

Leonard doesn’t usually experience negative effects from her caffeine intake. She occasionally feels jittery, but only when she sleeps poorly the night before. She doesn’t find that coffee keeps her awake at night, but when she skips coffee in the mornings, she often feels tired later in the day.

“When it comes to school, it can be a necessity,” Leonard said.

OVERSTIMULATED

Despite its benefits as a late-night cram session enabler, coffee can have negative health effects. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children and teens should not consume more than 100 milligrams of caffeine — about one cup of coffee — per day.

Since caffeine is a stimulant, overconsumption can worsen anxiety. Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal can include headaches, irritability and fatigue.

Troublingly, consuming caffeine at a young age can be a risk factor for later substance abuse. A study from Columbia University's National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse found that coffee-drinking young women, ages 8 through 22, are more likely to smoke and drink alcohol than their peers who do not drink coffee.

Caffeine can also act as a diuretic, flushing water out of

DATA FROM A REVIEW ONLINE POLL OF 178 RESPONSES After coming to St. John’s in ninth grade, she began drinking a cup of coffee a day due to the Café’s proximity, eventually graduating to three or four cups a day.

Lal noticed that she became jittery and anxious when she drank too much coffee.

“I was way too hyped up on caffeine. Sometimes, I would be shivering in my seat,” she said. “I realized that

I needed to stop.”

Lal did not know that caffeine also functions as an appetite suppressant, so she accidentally lost weight due to coffee overconsumption. Her parents and doctor initially thought she was ill, but they eventually figured out that caffeine had affected her appetite.

Lal cut back to one cup of coffee or herbal tea per day, and she rarely drinks coffee during long school vacations or over the summer.

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE

Over winter break, I decided to give up coffee for an entire month. I was tired of having perpetual headaches when I ran low on caffeine and being jittery when I consumed too much. In order to stave off caffeine-withdrawal headaches, I limited myself to one cup of chai every morning, which only contains 47 milligrams of caffeine. I forced myself to go to sleep early since I wouldn’t have my morning caffeine boost.

The first two weeks were challenging. I had frequent headaches due to caffeine withdrawal, and I had difficulty adjusting my sleep schedule to account for my coffee-deprived fatigue. Beyond the physical effects, I missed the delicious bitterness of my favorite black coffees, and I felt vulnerable without a comforting cup of coffee in my hand.

After three weeks, I felt almost serene: My headaches had faded dramatically, and my usual overcaffeinated jitters were gone.

Quitting coffee forced me to change my habits for the better. I could no longer make up for a late bedtime with extra coffee, so I adhered to a strict sleep schedule.

To naturally boost my energy, I started exercising regularly and eating more healthily. As a result, I was able to stay alert and awake throughout the day instead of suffering from my usual 4 p.m. caffeine crashes.

Twenty-nine days into my experiment, I have decided to extend my coffee break for the foreseeable future. I feel less anxious, more energized and far less irritable.

I also have more free time during the day since I don't have to budget time for coffee runs. No longer being dependent on coffee has been liberating.

I'm not made of stone, so I plan to allow myself one cup of coffee per month — Agora's Colombian blend is too temptingly dark to give up forever. Still, after experiencing life without coffee, my cravings have subsided. It's not worth it anymore.

I’m still sleepy sometimes, but I prefer natural drowsiness to artificial alertness. Coffee has been a delicious part of my life, but now it's time to put the cup down.

Caffeine Content of Small Starbucks Drinks

DATA FROM CAFFEINE INFORMER, BASED ON AN 8-OUNCE SERVING

PAGE DESIGN / CLARA BROTZEN-SMITH PHOTO / CLAIRE SEINSHEIMER

THE REVIEW / CENTERSPREAD / JANUARY 17, 2019

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SJSREVIEW.COM / CENTERSPREAD / JANUARY 17, 2019

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Navigating Beyond the Bubble

Data from Spotcrime.com and Crimereports.com

T

he news of a nearby shooting began as a whisper circulating across campus.

“I was scared for the safety of our school and of our students,” sophomore Karli Fisher said.

“On campus, rumors were going around. We were constantly checking the online news to see what was happening, and talking amongst students was haphazard and uninformed.”

Across Westheimer, Lamar High School was in lockdown. A student, 18-year-old De’Lindsey Mack, had been shot and killed while walking with a friend around 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 13. The shooting occurred on the sidewalk outside the Bethany Christian Church parking lot in the 3200 block of Westheimer, on the east side of the Lamar campus.

The proximity of the shooting prompted St. John’s to go into lockout mode until it was clear there was no imminent danger to anyone on campus.

“I never actually imagined that all of the things that I’d heard about in the news would be happening so near to me,” Fisher said.

Kimm Shafer, who has been teaching math at St. John’s for 28 years, was out running an errand just prior to the lockout and had to wait 30 minutes to re-enter campus.

The shooting was the second violent incident involving Lamar students in a week. On Nov. 8, two 15-year-old Lamar students, Pierce Schwartz and Samuel Yeargain, were found dead inside an apartment in The Park at River Oaks in the 3100 block of Buffalo Speedway after an alleged murder-suicide.

These tragedies served as stark reminders that, despite the relative safety of River Oaks, crime does occur close to campus, sometimes impacting the School community.

The Whataburger in the 3600 block of Westheimer is a popular St. John’s hangout that has seen a fair amount of crime over the years.

On the evening of Nov. 28, three armed men entered the restaurant wearing masks and hoodies and ordered an employee to empty the cash register while taking cell phones and wallets from frightened customers.

On Oct. 5, a thief smashed the windows of three cars belonging to SJS students at the same Whataburger, getting away with four student laptops that had been stashed in backpacks. The students later found the discarded backpacks underneath another car.

Senior Anna-William Kornberg was one of the burglary victims.

While she is typically aware of her surroundings, she said the post-football game excitement caused her to deviate from her usual safety routine.

“There were a lot of us there that night, and there’s this sense of safety in numbers,” Kornberg said. “If I had been by myself, I would not have parked in a sketchy lot, and I would have made more of an effort to deal with my stuff.”

W

ith the Honor Code posted in well-publicized, students in her grade and every classroom and security guards classes have started to think more about safety. around every corner, most students “I still feel safe on campus, but the experience feel comfortable leaving their possessions unatdefi nitely changed my attitude,” Granberry said. tended, but the threat of robbery exists within the Since the incident, Granberry and her friends Upper School.

Crime in River Oaks and remind each other to cover their backpacks and lock Just prior to school resuming in the fall, Reverend Afton Oaks (2018) their cars, and she always parks as close to the exit or a Ned Mulligan grabbed lunch from the cafeteria on video camera as possible.

Aug. 14 and returned to his office to discover his laptop Richard Still, the Director of Safety, Security, Facilities was missing. Security footage identified a thief entering & Physical Plant, supervises security on campus and manages Mulligan’s unlocked office and then walking down the cirthe security staff, which includes HPD officers, certified emergency cle drive and out the main gate. The Houston Police Department medical technicians and professional security guards. tracked down the thief the next day, but Mulligan’s attitude towards cam According to Still, there are at least two guards present on the Upper pus security shifted, and now he takes precautions to ensure his own safety. and Middle School campuses 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While a “For a long time, I sensed that I was totally secure under every circumguard isn’t typically stationed at the St. Luke’s garage overnight, a guard stance,” Mulligan said. “Not that I feel jeopardized now — I’m just more regularly patrols the South Campus throughout the evening. aware of the potential for something to happen.”

On Nov. 9, senior Katherine Granberry’s car was broken into while parked on the first floor of the St. Luke’s garage. After watching a soccer game with

friends at a nearby field, she returned to her car around 8:30 p.m. to find that tudents often experience culture shock when they go to college, her windows had been smashed and her backpack was gone. especially those who end up in big cities.

“I immediately freaked out,” Granberry said. “These things had been happen “It’s wonderful that we all trust each other — it’s like living in one ing in the area with the Whataburger robbery, but I didn’t expect it to happen at big house,” Shafer said. “The only concern is that when you leave St. John’s, you school.” have to remember that everywhere isn’t like it is here.”

Granberry said she rarely leaves her backpack in her car, always bringing it Shafer’s daughter Katy (’18) is a freshman at New York University. Accordwith her into stores and restaurants, but she assumed it would be safe to leave ing to Mrs. Shafer, Katy felt prepared for her new surroundings because she her belongings behind at school since there was a security guard present and it visited the city multiple times and became familiar with the environment. felt like a safe environment.

Shafer also said that her daughter makes sure to walk with a friend when it “St. John’s students definitely think they can leave their stuff everywhere, gets dark even though the campus is well-lit. and I am guilty of that myself,” Granberry said. “I always leave my stuff in “We need to be aware that when we leave our bubble, we have to be more hallways and outside classrooms.” careful,” Mrs. Shafer said.

Granberry found a security guard stationed near one of the exits where Caroline Ramirez (’18), a freshman at the University of Southern Calher car was not visible. The guard took notes and called the police, who ifornia, receives safety notifications from campus security nearly every were on campus working as crossing guards at the time. day.

“It was frustrating because the security guard didn’t see “It’s scary to receive police activity and incident emails, anything, and there were two cameras pointed at my car,” having gone to a high school that was pretty safe,” Granberry said.

Ramirez said. “I appreciate the notices because they Security personnel looked at the video footage but remind me to be more cautious and look out for were unable to identify the robber. Granberry’s certain things.” backpack, which contained her laptop, was never While people can do more to be vigilant, Mullirecovered. She had to rewrite two college essays. gan said that the community is on the right track.

According to Granberry, students have become “The fact that we’re having this conversation more vigilant after Mulligan’s laptop was stolen, suggests that students and faculty are becoming and although the theft of her backpack was a lot more conscious of the threat of crime.” not as

S

STORY / Sophia Lima & Noura Jabir

DESIGN / Taylor Britton & Mia Fares

ILLUSTRATIONS / Mia Fares

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ith comprehensive efforts already in place to prevent on-campus crime, Still challenges students to avoid becoming victims by increasing awareness of their surroundings and taking responsibility for their belongings. He advises students to remove valuables from their cars, whether it be a pair of sunglasses or a backpack full of books.

“It’s as simple as [spare] change in your console — that’s enough motivation for some car burglars,” Still said.

Still said that if you intend to go somewhere, put your backpack in the trunk before arriving at your destination in order to prevent burglars from seeing you moving the items.

Still also warned against relying on “the towel trick” to keep items safe.

Simply draping a towel or item of clothing over your valuables will not work.

“The crooks know these tricks,” he said.

While Still is glad that students feel safe on campus, he hopes that students do not take the high level of campus security for granted, particularly within shared academic spaces.

“When I walk down the halls here and see the people that leave their MacBooks sitting on the floor and the kids are nowhere in sight, I just know that off this campus, that won’t fly,” he said.

Houston is the fourth-largest city in America, but according to Still, SJS students often behave like small-town residents.

“When someone comes from a small town to a big city, it takes them time to realize that they can’t leave their car windows down and front door unlocked anymore,” he said.

HOW TO PREVENT YOURSELF FROM BECOMING A CAR BURGLARY VICTIM 1. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

2. Park only in well-lit areas near other vehicles.

3. Park only in high-traffic areas of the parking lot.

4. Remove all valuables from plain view. Do not leave any articles of value in your car unattended, especially overnight.

5. Lock all doors and roll up all windows.

If you notice anyone acting suspicious or hanging around the parking lot, return to the store or business and notify the police (non-emergency 713-884-3131 or 911).

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THE REVIEW / CULTURE / JANUARY 17, 2019

“We have a lot of trouble agreeing on songs, but when we do, it’s good because everyone’s really into it.” - Lindsay Frankfort

PAGE DESIGN / CLARA BROTZEN-SMITH AND LEILA PULASKI

SJSREVIEW.COM / JANUARY 17, 2019

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SPORTS

Winter Soldiers: wrestlers, swimmers win over break

By Sinclair Mott

D

uring the long holiday vacation, the wrestling team attended the Doc Hess Classic in Bryan, Texas, and the Prep Slam national tournament in Atlanta.

The Mavericks placed second out of the 43 teams attending the Doc Hess Classic.

Prep Slam, one of the most competitive private-school tournaments in the country, presented a challenge for the Mavericks, who finished 11th out of 39 schools.

Captain Harrison Fernelius and senior Roman Lewis finished second and third in their respective weight classes.

According to sophomore captain Sebastian Jimenez, the team performed well against the high-level opponents at Prep Slam: "Although over half the wrestlers we brought were underclassmen, nobody was fazed by the setting of a national tournament, and everybody gave their best effort."

The wrestling team holds a 14-3 record in head-to-head competition this season.

Both swim teams attended the Kyle Tilley Invitational in Lewisville, Texas. The boys finished first out of 20

teams, winning five events including the 200-Yard Medley Relay and the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay.

Sophomore Rhys Beauchamp and juniors Will Sampson, Eric Wang and Jordan Fullen competed in the medley relay, while senior Michael Spedale, sophomore Josh Schwartz and freshmen Todd Achuff and Michael Skaribas competed in the freestyle relay.

The girls finished in second place out of 22 teams. Freshman Ella Flowers, junior captains Katie Shelburne and Sydney Buchman and senior captain Lexi Pickens each won first place in their respective events.

“This is one of the strongest teams I have been a part of at St. John’s,” Buchman said. “This will be a good year for girls’ swimming.”

The girls also finished first in three relays: the 200-Yard Medley, the 200-Yard Freestyle and the 400-Yard Freestyle.

"One of our main goals this season has been to defend our title as SPC champions,” Shelburne said. “I’ve been thrilled to see us in the mix competing for first place. It speaks to our team’s growth and improvement."

PHOTO / BRUCE SCHWARTZ (1,3) AND BENNY HE (2) Jordan Fullen helped lead the Mavs to a first-place finish in the medley relay (1). Harrison Fernelius placed second in the Prep Slam national tournament in Florida (2). Lexi Pickens was part of the winning medley relay (3).

Water polo goalie selected for Olympic Development Program

By Afraaz Malick

L

ooking for tough water polo competition in Texas is like looking for white-sand beaches in Galveston.

Undeterred, Anne-Charlotte Gillard perseveres in her search.

Gillard, a sophomore, has participated in the Olympic Development Program for the last four years. ODP identifies potential athletes for the USA Water Polo Youth team and fosters their development through a year-round training program.

Her interest in water polo began in elementary school when her swim team coach invited her to take part in a summer league. After dipping her toes into the sport, Gillard dove into the small-butgrowing water polo community in Texas by joining a club team.

Because water polo is not a long-established sport in the region, it is difficult for skilled players to get the training they need to be competitive nationally. This is especially true for goalies like Gillard, who require specialized coaching.

Gillard feels the effects of these limitations. The first time her team went to the Junior Olympics in 2014, they lost to a California team 20-2. In the years since, her team has improved, but consistently struggles to beat West Coast teams. Gillard, who aims to continue playing at a high level in college, feels that she is disadvantaged by the lack of water polo infrastructure in Texas.

“With California being the epicenter of water polo and being much more intense, there are fewer opportuni-

ties to compete against stellar clubs here in Texas, where it is more relaxed,” Gillard said.

In order to find the best competition possible, Gillard has switched clubs and played as a guest goalie for various outof-state teams. She looks beyond Texas for programs to help her improve, such as ODP. Gillard was selected for the Developmental Academy, a pipeline to the national team.

Last year she was recruited for Futures Camp--International, a program that takes a group of athletes to Budapest in early August to compete against Hungarian clubs. The team served as the National B-team for the youth division.

“When I made the Futures

team, I was first ecstatic and then extremely nervous,” Gillard said. “I didn’t know if I was skilled enough to play on a team like this.”

But after two weeks on a team with some of the nation’s best players, she felt like she belonged.

“When my teammates became confident in my abilities and started cheering me on, I knew I was being recognized for my hard work,” she said.

Teammate support has always been important to Gillard, her longtime teammate Adrienne Grimes said. “The best teams Charlotte and I have ever played on were the ones with the best spirit. We loved each other so we played together, not as individuals, and ended with the biggest successes.”

PHOTO / ERIC CANNON DESIGN / CLARA BROTZEN-SMITH

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THE REVIEW / SPORTS / JANUARY 17, 2019

Hooper-Price gives thanks in Northwestern signing ceremony

PHOTOS / LEILA PULASKI After signing his Letter of Intent with his mother Carolyn, Genson Hooper-Price is congratulated by his teammates. Hooper-Price was recruited by nearly 20 universities, and on Dec. 19, he ultimately chose to play football for the Northwestern Wildcats.

By Indrani Maitra

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ide receiver Genson Hooper-Price received scholarship offers to play at colleges from California to Virginia, Notre Dame to Ole Miss. He had to choose one.

On Dec. 19, in front of a crowd of jubilant family members, fellow athletes, coaches and teachers in the Fine Arts Annex, Hooper-Price ended months of careful deliberation by signing a Letter of Intent to play football for the Northwestern Wildcats.

“I’m really excited to be able to play at the next level,” Hooper-Price said. “It's always been a dream of mine, and to finally see all the hard work pay off and to start on that path of accomplishing my goals in life is just amazing.”

Along with pride and anticipation, Hooper-Price expressed relief at the culmination of years of “strenuous but rewarding” work.

“It’s a huge breath of air,” Hooper-Price said.

Deciding where to play can demand a significant amount of time. According to Hooper-Price, “to have that always on your conscience really takes a toll on your mental health.”

Now that he’s signed, sealed and delivered, he can focus his energy on enjoying the rest of high school.

Hooper-Price had almost 20 universities vying for his talent. He emphasized the support he received from his “inner circle,” consisting of coaches, his mother, family and close friends.

“It was a lot of contemplating, a lot of thinking,” he said. “Ultimately, I chose the school that felt like a no-brainer.”

Hooper-Price said he felt comfortable with Northwestern, citing its academics and coaching staff: “I feel like I could be the best player I could be over there.”

The most significant challenges in making the decision included staying true to his values, navigating the tricky and sometimes deceptive waters of the recruitment process and finding a university that was honest and transparent with him.

“Just seeing through some of the smoke and mirrors of the different coaches was a huge challenge,” Hooper-Price said. “A lot of the coaches are kind of like car salesmen: They try to sell you the college and lure you by inflating good things and glossing over the bad stuff. They can be one way in front of you and totally different behind your back."

The signing ceremony was organized by Kathy Halligan, the Athletic Recruiting Liaison. She said that very few signings have ever had as many people in attendance.

Since the signing was on an exam day, it wasn’t the most opportune time for people to attend, but numerous teammates, classmates and alumni who had returned from college were in attendance.

“Genson is such a heartfelt, genuine young man who’s helped so many of his peers,” Halligan said, “and it was

an opportunity for them to be supportive because he has always supported them.”

During the signing, Hooper-Price’s selflessness was apparent. On a day specifically designed to honor him, he made a point to shift the attention away by personally thanking everyone who contributed to his sports journey including his mother, coaches, advisor and college counselor.

“It was absolutely emblematic of the kind of person he really is,” history teacher Gara Johnson-West said. “He genuinely is that wonderful; he has been since I taught him. He was thanking everyone, and I thought how true to form that was.”

When Hooper-Price tweeted his decision to attend Northwestern, it accumulated over 600 likes. Media outlets such as SB Nation have called him “the kind of physical specimen Northwestern doesn’t get that often.” Hooper-Price remains unfazed by all the attention.

“I’m still the same old Genson Hooper-Price,” he said.

“It’s so nice to be recognized and supported by so many different people, but I try to never let that go to my head.

I just try to be grateful for how much it took for me to get here and all the people that helped me along this journey. I know I’m never above them. Always stay humble, always stay faithful."

"I’m still the same old Genson Hooper-Price...

Always stay humble. Always stay faithful.”

- genson hooperprice

SJSREVIEW.COM / SPORTS / JANUARY 17, 2019

15

PHOTO / LEILA PULASKI DESIGN / PRITHVI KRISHNARAO

By Ella West

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omen who want to exercise soon discover that when it comes to harassment, they can run, but they can’t hide.

Imagine running on a residential street close to your house when an old, damaged car pulls up next to you and slows down, matching your pace. You speed up. It stays right beside you. You are fairly certain the car is following you, but just to make sure, you sneak a glance.

You turn around and start speed-walking in the opposite direction. The car reverses beside you. You begin to panic. You spot a woman, her daughter and their large dog down the block, and you sprint towards them. The woman forms a huddle with you, her child and the dog as the car speeds off in the opposite direction. You never go for a run at night again.

While this may sound overly dramatic, this situation happened to Review Editor-in-Chief Sophie Caldwell during her freshman year. She now exercises indoors.

Fifty-eight percent of females are harassed while running, but the issue goes much further: Women are also being assaulted, kidnapped and murdered while running.

In 2016, within one week, both Karina Vetrano and Vanessa Marcotte were found murdered after going out for a run, and their bodies showed signs of sexual assault.

One week after getting engaged in September 2018, Wendy Martinez of Washington, D.C., was stabbed while running and died from her injuries.

But the story that truly captured the nation’s attention was in August, when University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts went missing after going on a run. She was found dead in Brooklyn, Iowa, almost a month later.

All of these women were murdered by strangers, all of whom were men.

In Alvin, a 30-minute drive from Houston, a 15-year-old girl was out running in December when a man got out of his truck and tried to force her into it. The girl managed to fight him off but was left shaken. For athletes, such as freshman cross-country runner Chloe Zhao, the pervasiveness of such experiences instills a sense of anxiety.

“I have a fear of running alone, particularly in the dark, because I am a little slower and at times fall behind the rest of the team, and then I am just a girl running alone,” Zhao said. “You realize that what happened to the girls you see on the news could very well happen to you.”

Zhao is not the only runner who avoids running in the dark — 60 percent of women limit themselves to running during daylight hours in order to avoid being a victim of harassment.

“Past 8 p.m., I try not to go running,” cross-country captain Juliette Draper said. “It sucks, but as a girl, [I] have to think about those things. I have a male friend who runs at 11 [p.m.], and I would never run at 11. Sometimes we just have to think about things that guys do not.”

According to CNN, 30 percent of women have been

DESIGN / STEPHEN KIM AND PRITHVI KRISHNARAO DATA FROM RUNNER'S WORLD followed while out for a run, and 18 percent have been sexually propositioned. Harassment education typically focuses on teaching women how to stay safe, yet 94 percent of the perpetrators are men.

“Trying to change the culture around gender and consent is where society needs to start [in order] to stop the harassment against women runners,” said Eleanor Cannon, faculty sponsor of both Women Helping Empower Each Other and Women’s Organization for Knowledgeable Engagement. “Those are conversations we should be having as human beings and as a school and a community. You don't harass people. You don't attack people. You don’t scare people. That would be key.”

Since the murder of Tibbetts, many victim advocates have been calling for societal change and education for men. They also oppose the singular focus of telling women they need to protect themselves from aggression.

“It’s hard balancing taking care of your safety while

also being angry about having to do so because the system tells us that we, as women, need to be more careful,” Cannon said.

Since the harassment of women is still a societal issue, there are several ways women can increase their safety.

According to cross-country coach Rachel Fabre, one of the most important is to run with a phone. Seventy-three percent of women take a phone while running.

Middle School English teacher Elizabeth Rasmussen, who recently completed her second New York City marathon, said that running with a buddy helps to ensure safety and also provides encouragement.

Experienced runners also recommend not wearing headphones since it prohibits people from being fully aware of their surroundings.

Until women can be assured of their safety, they cannot experience the true freedom that running is intended to provide.

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THE REVIEW / JANUARY 17, 2019

OPINION

NFL fumbles chance to flag violence against women

By Eli Maierson

D

isclaimer: I’ve been a huge sports fan for a good portion of my life, and as such, many athletes have become personal role models.

My intent is not to characterize every professional athlete as abusive.

Many are shining examples of generosity and use their privilege and fame to help others: Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long donated his entire 2017-18 salary to fund educational charities, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James spent millions to open a free elementary school and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt famously raised over $37 million for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

These athletes and hundreds of others have inspired many, including myself. They embody the ideal of “selfless service” and are international role models.

However, when one of these men is exposed as an abuser, the NFL does a horrendous job at punishing them.

Linebacker Reuben Foster has been arrested twice in the last 11 months for domestic violence (in February and November). While the San Francisco 49ers should be commended for releasing him on Nov. 25, the Washington Redskins picked him up off the waiver just two days later.

Later that week, the Kareem Hunt situation marked both a regression and progression in the NFL’s treatment of domestic violence. After a stupendous rookie campaign, reports came out last February that Hunt had beaten a woman in a Cleveland hotel. The NFL allegedly investigated the situation; Hunt claimed he never left his hotel room or engaged with the woman, and the story faded from the public eye.

As it turns out, the NFL put forth absolutely zero effort in uncovering what really occurred. During their pathetic examination, the NFL failed to question the woman or Hunt himself. They didn’t try, or even pretend to try.

Nine months later, TMZ released a video of Hunt attacking the woman, and he was immediately cut from the Kansas City Chiefs, who are Super Bowl contenders with the best record in the AFC. It’s not my job to play judge, jury and executioner. I am in no way suggesting how Foster and Hunt should be punished for their actions, but we as sports fans need to realize that some actions transcend ability, teams and leagues. The minute a player commits a crime, it becomes a matter of law.

Football is the most popular sport, and the NFL the most popular professional league, in America. Nearly a third of the country tunes in every year to watch the Super Bowl.

In condoning Foster and Hunt’s violent behavior, the message the league is sending is clear: We will overlook your horrific acts if you have talent.

There’s a silver lining. The Chiefs responded by cutting Hunt immediately — their action was quick and appropriate. He was elite, one of the best in the entire league, and the Chiefs acted without hesitation. Even more refreshing: No one has claimed him on waivers. While I have a sneaking suspicion that Hunt’s career will eventually continue, whatever team he lands on will be heavily criticized. I don’t think a revolution in how the NFL treats domestic violence will unfold in the near future, but some teams, like the Texans, prioritize character over talent.

Overall, the NFL is trending in the right direction. Some players (see Jason Witten and Deandre Hopkins) are survivors of domestic violence and actively fight against it.

In the world of sports, morality is often overlooked in favor of athletic prowess. Teams often opt not to take the moral high ground when they have fans to satisfy, money to generate and championships to win (see Ray Lewis, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy). The NFL needs to do a better job of acting responsibly when a player commits any type of violent act.

DESIGN / MATTHEW HENSEL AND MIA FARES From bench-riders to former MVPs, domestic violence plagues the NFL. While some players (Greg Hardy and Kareem Hunt) were forced out of the league, others (Joe Mixon and Adrian Peterson) remain active.

Falling flat: girls remain background noise in music world

By Maggie Ballard

T

here are 15 people in my AP Music Theory class — the largest class our teacher has ever taught — and I’m the only girl.

I’m not competitive by nature, but I sure was in my first few weeks of class.

It was as though I had to yell out everything I knew just to prove that I knew it. I couldn’t let the guys see me fail.

In many ways, I have always felt slightly out of place in the music world. I knew I could sing, of course, but being an actual musician was different.

When you’re a kid, and you first figure out what music is, the boys are always pushed to learn the guitar or drums while the girls sing background vocals — that’s the way it’s always been. And in singing, understanding music is considered unnecessary because you can go by ear. So the guys learn the theory while the girls sing in the back.

I once went to Guitar Center with my brother Ken, who is a professional jazz musician. I felt on edge in the giant store filled with male musicians, and once again, I was the only girl. When girls eventually walked in, they were always with their guy. The guys would always ignore them to go check out the instruments while the girls stood there, waiting for them to finish. I asked Ken if he noticed anything strange. He didn’t — why would he?

The summer after my junior year I was looking to buy a new keyboard. I went into a music store looking for a 49-key Midi. When I asked a middle-aged male employee to help me get the one I wanted from a high shelf, he responded, “Are you sure you know what that is? You know it’s not a real keyboard, right? It’s a midi. They’re different.” He then spent the next 10 minutes mansplaining how

one worked even after I assured him that I knew.

That same summer I got a job playing keys with a six-person contemporary church band. At my first rehearsal, I looked up every time someone walked into our practice room, hoping I wouldn’t be the only girl. But, of course, I was.

After a few weeks, another woman came in to sing backup. She was middle-aged with pretty heels and a nervous, sweet voice. The band members backstage looked at her guitar and called it a “virgin,” commenting that the instrument looked as if it had “never really been played.”

One time the band was scrambling to set up for a big concert.

I asked repeatedly if I could help, but each time the guys refused, saying there was really nothing for me to do. At first I PHOTO / CLAIRE SEINSHEIMER assumed it was because I was younger than the rest, but then In the largest AP Music Theory class in recent years, Maggie Ballard is the only girl. Only 17 percent a 15-year-old boy who wasn’t of music industry influencers on the 2018 Billboard Power 100 List and six percent of music proeven playing in our set start- ducers in the United States are female. ed helping set up too. I knew In all my years of high school, Kantorei were female. In Canada and the U.S., only it was because they assumed I didn’t know how the equipment worked. has not once had a female choir president. six percent of music producers are womDuring our first week of AP Music The- My mother, who has a degree in choral en.

We feel like we should work harder, like ory, we had an ungraded assessment. directing, encouraged me to run. Even afOur teacher told us not to study — it was ter singing in choir since sixth grade and we shouldn’t ask questions. And judgjust a quiz to assess our basic music the- taking piano lessons, I never even consid- ing by the AP Music Theory roster, we ory knowledge at the beginning of the ered going for it. I just never thought it shouldn't even try.

The guys learn the theory while the girls course. I asked Ken to make me a practice was a possibility.

Obviously, girls are being exposed to sing in the back. test, and I studied for hours just to make I love my music theory class. I’m so hapsure it looked like I was supposed to be in music. It’s everywhere. But in the music the class. I didn’t want to ask questions, industry, women are in the minority. On py I decided to take the course, and I have I didn’t want to figure anything out — I the 2018 Billboard Power 100 List, which already learned so much. I just wish other ranks music industry influencers, only 17 girls could have the same experience. just wanted to know it.

SJSREVIEW.COM / OPINIONS / JANUARY 17, 2019

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THE REVIEW

St. John's School 2401 Claremont Lane Houston, TX 77019 sjsreview.com | SNO Distinguished Site Facebook SJS Review Twitter @SJS_Review Instagram @sjsreview Snapchat @sjsreview

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Pacemaker 2018, 2015 1st Place Best of Show (Special Edition) 2017 Editors-in-Chief Sophie Caldwell, Iris Chen Senior Assignments Editor Eli Maierson Assignments Editors Sophie Gillard (News), Maggie Ballard (Features), SJ Lasley (Sports), Izzy Andrews (Culture), Lilah Gaber (Opinions) Senior Design Editors Prithvi Krishnarao, Clara Brotzen-Smith Creative Director Stephen Kim Assistant Design Editors Amélie Perrier, Siena Zerr Illustrations Editor Mia Fares Senior Copy Editor Shani Israel Copy Editors Hrishabh Bhosale, Noura Jabir, Sophia Lima, Abigail Poag Photography Editor (Print) Leila Pulaski Photography Editor (Online) Theo Sanders Assistant Photography Editor Reygan Jones Business Manager Andrew Duong Assistant Business Editor Mehak Batra Online Editors-in-Chief Ryan Chang, Sophia Kontos Online Section Editors Laney Chang, Fareen Dhuka, Sinclair Mott Senior Technology Officer Matthew Giordano Video Editors Jack Shea, Alex Tinkham, Thomas Hunt Asst. Video Editor Will McKone, in memoriam Staff

ILLUSTRATION / MIA FARES

No one goes to your meetings?

Welcome to the club

By Mia Fares

C

ountless times over the years, I have heard and talked and read about how our club culture is dying. The rotation schedule that debuted in 2016 has become the scapegoat, but we need to look elsewhere. We need to look in the mirror.

For anyone walking through Club Fair at the start of the school year, it would seem that club culture is thriving. Vibrant posters around the Great Lawn advertise dozens of clubs created by passionate individuals who want to share their interests with others. We are quick to join many email lists.

Fast forward to the middle of the fall semester. Your inbox is cluttered with important emails and things to do. You check your five email notifications and discover two unopened messages from clubs you have not thought about since Club Fair. You quickly archive or delete them, hoping to make your messy inbox just a little bit cleaner, to feel like you are somehow checking things off your to-do list.

I am guilty of such behavior. We all are. That is the only explanation for the sparsely attended club meetings I regularly encounter. I am the co-leader of two long-standing, well-established clubs, Art Club and International Club, and I have tried my best to keep both active.

Although both clubs had more than 100 people sign up at Club Fair, on average only about six people show up to meet-

ings. Six people. A half dozen. Six percent.

Getting scores of people to sign up at Club Fair does not obligate anyone to attend the meetings. I understand that. But I still find it shocking how few people even try to attend club meetings. While there is no regularly scheduled time for clubs every cycle, many club leaders still find ways to stay active.

If you are genuinely interested in a club, make time to go. While it's true that some people do have legitimate prior commitments that prevent them from attending, I find it hard to believe that 94 percent are busy. Leisure time during free tutorial or lunch periods should not always take priority over club meetings.

When I read club leader applications, students commonly answer that, if chosen, they would try to revitalize the club by hosting more meetings and communicating more with members. I know.

I put these same sentiments in my own applications, but it is frustrating to see how much effort is already put into communication and club meetings, only to be ignored by students.

We club leaders try our best. We communicate as much as we can. We make posters and Instagrams and GroupMe chats because people do not check their emails. SAC puts out a club calendar every week in the Infographic, but there’s little evidence that these efforts are effective. We can go on and on trying to com-

municate more effectively, but nothing is going to change if our message is not being received.

The lack of club participation is sad because there are so many missed opportunities. Clubs offer an ideal way for students to explore their interests, learn more about their passions and make new friends from different grades and friend groups. By letting clubs wither away, we are watching all those amazing benefits and opportunities disappear as well.

In the future, when people complain about the lack of interest in clubs, don’t be so quick to blame it all on the schedule. Ask yourself how you can help keep clubs alive and, you know, actually go to a meeting.

Club culture is dead, and we killed it.

Scan this QR Code using Snapchat or an iPhone camera to sign up for clubs you might have missed.

Manar Ansari, Aatiqah Aziz, Max Beard, Harrison Blanton, Taylor Britton, Megan Chang, Ella Chen, Katina Christensen, Wyatt Cyprow, Michael Daichman, Ryan Doughty, Sara Doyle, Mia Fares, Lucy Haire, Wenqing He, Matthew Hensel, Celine Huang, Cross Kennedy, Ethan Kinsella, Nat Larsen, Russell Li, Bailey Maierson, Afraaz Malick, Sadie McCabe, Lily McCullough, Camille McFarland, Hamzah Mir, Indrani Maitra, Ellie Monday, Davis Rae, Julia Rae, Eloise Reasoner, Rahul Rupani, Maxx Shearod, Claire Seinsheimer, Gabrielle Solymosy, Eric Strawn, James Sy, Mira Thakur, Nina Varma, Ella West, Kate Willey, Ashley Yen

Advisers David Nathan, Shelley Stein ('88), Chuy Benitez Mission Statement The Review strives to report on issues with integrity, to recognize the assiduous efforts of all and to serve as an engine of discourse within the St. John’s community.

Publication Info The Review is published six times during the school year. We mail each issue — free of charge — to every Upper School household with an additional 1,000 copies distributed on campus to our 695 students and 98 faculty members.

Policies The Review provides a forum for student writing and opinion. The opinions and staff editorials contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Headmaster or the Board of Trustees of St. John’s School. Staff editorials represent the opinion of the entire Editorial Board unless otherwise noted. Writers and photographers are credited with a byline.

Corrections, when necessary, can be found on the editorial pages. Running an advertisement does not imply endorsement by the school.

Submission Guidelines Letters to the editor and guest columns are encouraged but are subject to editing for reasons of clarity, space, accuracy and taste. On occasion, we will publish letters anonymously. The Review reserves the right not to print letters received.

Letters and guest columns can be emailed to review.sjs@gmail.com or hand-delivered to the Review room (Q210).

THE REVIEW / OPINIONS / JANUARY 17, 2019

18

STAFF EDITORIAL

There is no right way to grieve

T

here is no correct way to process loss.

You don’t have to follow a prescribed path. You don’t have to go through the five stages of grief.

However you feel is right for you.

This year, our school was hit with a tremendous loss. Will McKone was a positive, vibrant contributor to the St. John’s community and a wellloved member of our Review family. His passing brought forth a wide range of reactions.

As we prepare for Will’s memorial service on Friday, the emotions that we felt in November will reappear.

Questions were raised about the right way to deal with collective loss, but having an answer is a lot to ask. For many of us, Will was our first friend to pass away. We can’t expect everyone to act the same way, especially considering that we all had different relationships with Will.

For those who did not know Will and were not sure how to feel, your reaction was not wrong.

Some of you may have been too young to have known him; some might have never had the opportunity. As long as you continue to be a source of support for your friends, you are acting exactly how you need to. Sometimes, being a source of strength for others is enough.

For those who did not know Will and wish you had known him better, you don’t have to feel guilty. Realistically, we are not close to every single person in our community, so you don’t have to hold yourself to that unfair standard. You can still get to know Will through his legacy. His friends have shared their memories of him in advisory, in class, at lunch and in Chapel. He’s produced award-winning content for The Review. If you are so inclined, familiarize yourself with him through the impact he made on our community.

For those who might not have been close to Will but are sensitive to loss, it’s okay to feel sad.

Empathy is not something to be ashamed of, and you’re not wrong for feeling upset. Maybe you are more familiar with loss than others. If so, those feelings may have resurfaced with Will’s passing, or maybe you’re just emotional about the situation. Whatever the reason, you have a right to process your emotions in whatever way feels appropriate for you.

For those who were close to Will, you can choose how you want to get through this tough time. It’s okay to feel angry, depressed or confused — you might even feel all three. Maybe you don’t understand how everyone else can go back to their normal routine. Maybe you just want to pretend everything is normal. Maybe you want to talk about it, or maybe you can’t stand to do so. We know it’s difficult when everyone around you is coping differently, but try to focus on finding a space where you can grieve however you need.

If you require help processing grief, Upper School counselor Ashley Le Grange may be able to provide immediate support, and she can direct you toward additional resources. You don’t have to go through this alone. Losing Will

meant losing part of our community, so as a community we must take time to heal.

ILLUSTRATION

/ ANGELA XU

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

When the bloodshed creeps closer

A

s reported in the centerspread, the November shooting of a Lamar student had a dramatic impact on how we view violence in and around our community. A distant worry became a tragic reality. Within the last year, there was the Sutherland Springs church shooting, then the shooting at Santa Fe High School and now the situation at Lamar. The bloodshed is creeping closer, invading our places of worship, our schools and our homes.

Attending school usually feels like entering a protective bubble where we can forget about the violence of the outside world. We cannot ignore what happened at Lamar — to "lock out" the tragedy as another community’s loss. Yesterday, it was Lamar; tomorrow, it could be any of us.

Back in elementary school, we braided each other’s hair in the dark during a lockdown as school officials tried to determine whether there was a gunman in a nearby building.

In middle school, we scrolled through Instagram as security guards jiggled our classroom doorknobs during active-shooter drills.

In high school, we watch our teachers hide their tears during lockdown drills as we all confront the reality that epidemic violence could strike us at any time.

According to the Center for Disease Control, on average 47 children and

teens are shot every day in America.

Poring over the photos and stories of the victims, we see ourselves mirrored in them.

We are a generation marked by the perpetual threat of violence. As high school seniors, most of us were born a year after Columbine; we were seven at the time of the Virginia Tech shooting.

As the numbers grow, tragedies become statistics; smaller incidents are occasions to be grateful that the carnage wasn’t worse. Through no fault of our own, our generation has grown desensitized to this unending violence.

As a country, gun violence has warped how we value human life.

There is no good reason why a teenager with his whole life ahead of him should bleed out in the street. There will never be a good reason why a doctor has to tell someone that their loved one will never come home. The helicopters that circled over the Nike backpack left in the street — never to be reclaimed by its owner — are reminders of how senseless it has all become.

How many more will it take for all of us to care?

On Nov. 7, the day of the shooting at a country bar in Thousand Oaks, California, the National Rifle Association tweeted that “someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane."

They promised that they “will never stop

DESIGN / MIRA THAKUR AND TAYLOR BRITTON DATA FROM BRADYCAMPAIGN.ORG AND WASHINGTONPOST.COM

fighting against the anti-gun elitists bent on destroying our Second Amendment freedoms.” These comments are more than insensitive in light of the 12 people who lost their lives in the bar that day — they show a remarkable disregard for humanity.

If politicians and the NRA can actively promote a gun culture, why can’t grieving parents and doctors confront the harrowing fallout from gun violence?

We need to address the elephant in the room. By denying that guns are a problem and by preventing reform, politicians are enabling these deaths. Like the vast majority of gun control advocates, we are not calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment, but we do demand accountability and responsibility.

Patch up the loopholes in the system. Require background checks for all sales at gun shows and between private individuals.

PHOTO / LEILA PULASKI Restrict access to firearms for people with a history of mental illness and those convicted of violent crimes.

Firearms are designed to kill, so the onus is on gun owners to use them safely. Mandatory training and secure gun storage are necessary measures to promote a responsible gun culture.

We want to attend school without fearing for our safety. The bloodshed has crept close enough.

Love,

SJSREVIEW.COM / ODDS & ENDS / JANUARY 17, 2019

ODDS & ENDS Lifers

Caitlin Ellithorpe

EVOLUTION OF A SIXTH-GRADE ROMANCE

19

WORD FOR WORD The rats in my dorm wall are my emotional support animals.

- sadde mohamed ('17)

Last night, my parents had to take away my rubik's cube.

- Junior Bailey dalton

60 SECONDS

WITH UPLIFTING UPPERCLASSMEN

LEILA PULASKI

MARY LEONARD Nickname MELT Dream Job Ellen DeGeneres Favorite Spot on Campus S103 Weird Hobby Syncing up my light-up shoes to "We Like to Party!" by The Vengaboys Quirk Taking Polaroids Theme Song "We Like to Party!" by The Vengaboys Patronus Panda Love to Hate Phrases like "dawg," "that's what's up" and "it be like that" Hate to Love Matthew Kushwaha's jokes

Relationship Status Waiting for Alex Bregman to respond to my DM Red Carpet Date Jake Peralta Phobia Being late Doppelgänger Bettyann Known For Giving great high fives Book Bedtime for Peppa Zodiac Sign Virgo Slogan Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool Allergies Red Sox fans Follow me? @maryspolaroids, @sjs_spirit and @meleonard4

LEILA PULASKI

KYLE PUCKETT Nickname Puckett Dream Job Mechanical engineer/ professional skier Favorite Spot on Campus Engineering room Weird Hobby Does procrastination count?

Quirk Turning in online assignments one minute before they're due Theme Song "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra Patronus Hedgehog Love to Hate FIFA — Brady beat me too many times Hate to Love My phone

Relationship Status Perpetually single Red Carpet Date Jennifer Lawrence Phobia Heights Doppelgänger Brady Puckett Known For Dislocating my shoulder by throwing a playing card Book Haven't written one yet but be on the lookout Zodiac Sign Aries Slogan "Send it for the boys" Allergies None Follow me? @kyle_puckett24

20

THE REVIEW / JANUARY 17, 2019

TRENDING ON

Visit us at www.sjsreview.com

CLAIRE SEINSHEIMER

Pod on the Quad: Pannill Panel The Pannill sisters, SJS French teacher Shelley Stein ('88), Congresswoman Lizzie Pannill Fletcher ('93) and New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center ('90) spoke with Pod on the Quad host Sophia Kontos for a special podcast.

Contributor: Sophia Kontos

CELINE HUANG

Uncloistered In our new comic strip, Celine Huang takes a humorous look at life around campus, including a window into what people are doing in the new Academic Commons study rooms.

FILO CASTORE

Without a JV team, soccer adjusts to largest varsity roster ever Without enough players to field both a varsity and JV team, the varsity roster now consists of 27 players.

Writer: Megan Chang

BENNY HE

Dancers exhibit creativity at delayed choreography showcase After the original performance was delayed due to inclement weather, dancers finally performed in the annual student choreography showcase on Jan. 9.

Writers: Celine Huang and Wenqing He

CineMaierson: Into the Maier-Verse Inspired by the multiple Spider-Men in the latest animated film, Eli Maierson is joined by online editors Ryan Chang and Sophia Kontos and guest writer Gray Watson to review "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."