September Issue 2018

OCTOBER 2, 2018 | VOL. 70. ISSUE 1

STORY BY ELI MAIERSON ILLUSTRATION BY CELINE HUANG AND MIA FARES

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

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NEWS

THE REVIEW

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

LUNCHTIME LARCENY Rev. Ned Mulligan's laptop was stolen from his office on the second floor of the Quad on Aug. 14. Police apprehended the thief within 24 hours. Photo by Reygan Jones

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS

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ALUMS RALLY AROUND ALLEGED KAVANAUGH VICTIMS

FEATURES

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7 8

NEW GUIDANCE COUNSELOR PROMOTES CONVERSATION, ESTABLISHES TRUST IN STUDENTS HOMECOMING: STUDENTS RECOVER ONE YEAR AFTER HARVEY BOARD OF TRUSTEES SETS GOALS FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENT

SPORTS

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QB DYNASTY COMES TO AN END

CENTERSPREAD

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TAKING THE PLUNGE

CULTURE

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CAR-FREE: HOW OLDER STUDENTS HANDLE LIFE WITHOUT A DRIVER'S LICENSE

OPINIONS

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SOFTBOIS: THE WEAPONIZATION OF BEING 'WOKE'

ODDS AND ENDS TRENDING ONLINE

Midday burglary serves as reminder to secure valuables

By Laney Chang

W

hen Reverend Ned Mulligan returned to his office on the second floor of the Quad on Aug. 14 after his lunch break, he immediately noticed the absence of his most necessary possession: his laptop.

“It was hard for me to believe that it wasn’t there,” said Mulligan, Director of Spiritual Life.

“I started second-guessing myself — maybe I left it somewhere.”

After thoroughly searching his office and retracing his steps, Mulligan came to the almost certain conclusion that his laptop had been stolen.

He called Richard Still, Director of Safety & Facilities & Physical Plant, to file a report.

“My first thought was that [Mulligan] left it at home or that someone from the I.T. team picked it up because he wasn’t in his office,” Still said. “When things go missing, usually it’s a mistake, and the object shows up in a day or so.”

Security footage, however, showed a man entering Mulligan’s unlocked office with an empty laptop bag. The thief then walked down the circle drive and out Gate 1, which was open and unmanned at the time.

“As soon as I saw the individual walk in, I had a pretty good idea that I’d never seen him before,” Still said.

Still reported the incident to River Oaks Police and the School’s security team. Within 24 hours, they had identified, found and arrested the burglary suspect on Del Monte Drive in River Oaks. The laptop, which Mulligan had already erased remotely, was not recovered.

“He most likely sold or pawned it, so it will take a while to track down,” Still said. “We will most likely get it back unless he threw it in the bayou somewhere.”

According to Still, the thief had previously been arrested 37 times.

For Mulligan, the event was a wake-up call.

“It was a real lesson for me,” Mulligan said.

“I’m going to keep my door locked and be more cautious. Had I locked my door or put my laptop in my drawer, he wouldn’t have gotten it.”

The theft occurred under “rare circumstances,” according to Still. Since school was not yet in session, there were many people on campus preparing for the new year, including vendors

and the construction crew renovating the library.

“When students are on campus, this would never happen,” Still said. “We’re better prepared for people who are supposed to be in or on campus.”

On a typical school day, Mulligan says that security naturally increases.

“If you see someone on campus without a name tag, take them to an ambassador or to an office,” Mulligan said. “I don’t think there’s anything anyone needs to worry about, though.”

Still stresses that students and faculty should always secure their valuables.

“Carry your phones with you,” Still said.

“When you leave the school, you have to take that same [mindset] with you.”

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING Two years ago, senior Josephine Dodd had her laptop stolen from her car.

Josephine, then a sophomore, and her sister Helen (’17) had gone to Rice Village for dinner and left their backpacks in their car unattended. While they were eating, someone smashed their car window and stole both their bags.

Josephine and Helen called the police, but no help came.

“I was pretty calm,” Josephine said. “But it felt weird to have your personal space broken into.”

The next day, Josephine inexplicably found both backpacks on the St. John's campus near the administration office. The thieves had removed her laptop, planner and pencil bag. She figured that a good Samaritan found the bag, noticed it belonged to a St. John’s student and returned it to the school.

“I’m much more aware of taking things with me when I go places,” Josephine said. “Sometimes I’ll bring my backpack with me into the grocery store. But I still feel pretty safe on campus.”

Still advises students and teachers to be conscientious of their surroundings.

“If you see something, say something,” he said. “That’s the key. You see something that sparks your curiosity, something that doesn’t seem quite right, let us know. For every set of eyes and ears we have, we’re all better off.”

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

Recycled SAT prompts confusion, controversy as application panic intensifies

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CELINE HUANG

By Noura Jabir

C

hristine Wang entered Memorial High School early on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 25 with a single goal in mind: to score above a 1400 on the SAT. As a competitive golfer looking to secure a spot on a college team, the junior knew it was her last chance to take the exam before submitting scores to the seven universities recruiting her.

But the exam Wang and others took that morning was tainted. The College Board chose to recycle a test given to students in South Korea and China last October.

The exam had been available online for months since its original release — thanks to popular forums such as Reddit and WeChat. As a result, thousands of students could have seen the questions in advance.

Furthermore, it is not unusual for students studying abroad to take the SAT in their home country and then retake it upon their arrival to the United States. Korean and Chinese students could easily have shown up that August morning to discover they were taking the very same test they took in the fall. Nearly 60 percent of international students in the U.S. are from China.

Wang was one of thousands of students anxiously awaiting word from the College Board to find out if the scores would be canceled.

On Aug. 27, the College Board tweeted an official

statement indicating that, for now, scores would remain intact, barring specific evidence of unfair advantage.

“If we determine students have gained an unfair advantage, we will take appropriate actions, including cancelling test scores, and in some cases, prohibiting them from taking another College Board assessment.”

The week between the test and the release of the scores proved nerve-wracking for students. The anxiety was especially acute for Wang: if the College Board delayed the release of the scores — or if her score was lower than expected due to the people who had already seen the exam — Wang could have lost AMÉLIE PERRIER college offers.

According to Wang, “even if someone is not as qualified as another player, if they have their scores ready, schools might commit to them instead.”

Juliana Aviles also took the SAT in August. As a senior in the middle of the college application process, her primary concern regarding the exam was submitting her scores to schools in time for the early application deadlines in October.

To her knowledge, Aviles’ peers were not among the students who had an unfair advantage on the exam.

“Most of the people that I’m friends with wouldn't have seen the leaked exam,” Aviles said, “but it is definitely aggravating that they could have gotten higher scores just by looking at it before.”

Aviles voiced a common concern of students who took the August exam: Their scores might be unfavorably curved based on a few illegitimate scores.

Despite a stressful period of uncertainty, Wang was able to submit her scores to coaches soon after they were released.

Aviles, who can now meet early application deadlines, says that she is pleased with the outcome of the situation: “I ended up getting a score that I was really happy with,” she said. “The scandal didn’t end up affecting me in the way it could have.”

AMÉLIE PERRIER

Cafeteria turns over new leaf, offers biodegradable straws

By Abigail Poag Ana Rodriguez pops a paper straw into her cup of ice water and sets it by her laptop. Ten minutes later, the junior pauses to take a sip before realizing that her straw has disintegrated into a soggy mess.

When the school year began, the cafeteria switched over to paper straws in a broader effort to be more environmentally friendly.

“Everybody is moving from plastic to paper as much as possible, so it was a natural move to try to get away from all the plastic that we could,” Cafete-

ria Coordinator Fred Swead said.

Many students have mixed feelings about the new straws, which have a tendency to wilt after only a few minutes in a beverage.

“The straw was kind of hard to drink from after a while,” Rodriguez said. “I prefer a plastic straw, but I’m glad the School is starting [to do] this.”

In past years, the cafeteria has moved toward using more reusable plates, but because so many students purchase food to-go, eradicating paper plate usage has proven difficult.

“It’s a work in progress,” Swead said.

“We’re doing as much as we can right now.”

Reaching for a paper straw is not the only way students can become more green. According to Environmental Coalition of Students co-sponsors Patty Carr and Amy Malin, students should be more careful about what they put into the blue recycling bins located in each classroom.

Members of ECOS meet each Friday to pick up paper recycling from classrooms and are frequently tasked with

filtering out trash and other non-recyclable objects from the bins. Carr said that they cannot recycle items if they are messy or greasy.

The paper straws, which can be found near the ice machine, may not have dramatic consequences, but Malin said it is a positive move.

“It might be a nuisance to individuals, but it prompts a change in their behavior,” Malin said. “It could be a slow process, but it is a good change to make.”

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THE REVIEW

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

Review named Pacemaker finalist

By Staff

A group of students at Harvard Law School have launched a protest campaign against Harvard Law lecturer and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Photo by Catherine M. Donderow

Alums at Harvard, Yale rally around alleged Kavanaugh victims

By Sophie Gillard

T

wo weeks ago, on Sept. 20, four Harvard law students published an editorial in their blog, The Harvard Law Record. Four days later, their editorial inspired a walkout of around 400 students at Harvard in support of the women who have accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.

Kavanaugh has been embroiled in controversy since being nominated by President Trump to replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. To complicate the matter, Kavanaugh is a lecturer at Harvard and is slated to teach a class during the winter term.

As of press time, Kavanaugh has been accused by three women — Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick — of sexual misconduct.

Ford, then a 15-year-old freshman, alleges that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a house party when he was 17. Ramirez claims that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party when they were freshmen at Yale University. Swetnick accused Kavanaugh of spiking drinks with drugs at house parties to “target particular girls so they could be taken advantage of.”

Second-year Harvard Law student Vail KohnertYount (’09) and three of her classmates wrote the Sept.

20 editorial, “What is HLS doing about Professor Brett Kavanaugh?” Students called on Harvard to investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh before allowing him to teach his class. The editorial quickly gained widespread attention from national media outlets, and Kohnert-Yount was quoted in The Washington Post, Fox News and The Huffington Post.

“We had no idea we would get this much attention,” Kohnert-Yount said.

Kohnert-Yount is one of the law school students who planned the Monday, Sept. 24 walkout, one of many that occurred across the country. At 1 p.m., Harvard undergraduate and law school students walked out of class, many wearing black and sporting pink buttons that read “I Believe Christine Blasey Ford,” created by Kohnert-Yount’s group, Pipeline Parity Project. The buttons were reminiscent of the buttons worn by Anita Hill’s supporters during the 1991 hearings regarding her allegations of sexual harassment against now-sitting Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.

“I am so grateful to Dr. Ford for speaking up,” Kohnert-Yount said. “As a human being and a sexual assault survivor myself, I personally believe her. As a law student, I support her right to fair process.”

Hours before the Harvard walkout, law students at Kavanaugh’s alma mater organized a sit-in in response to the allegations. The goal of the Yale protest was to demand a full investigation of the allegations against Kavanaugh before the Senate votes on his confirmation.

Yale sophomore Irene Vázquez (’17) participated in

the sit-in at Yale Law School.

“The past few days have been a really emotional time for many of us on campus,” she said.

Law students held a teach-in focusing on Yale Law School’s role in Supreme Court confirmation hearings and highlighting the fact that Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh all graduated from Yale Law School. The students also held a speakout in which members of the Yale community shared their experiences with sexual assault and expressed their thoughts on the Kavanaugh controversy.

Vázquez was one of the few undergraduates to speak.

She said she was nervous, but after she spoke, a law school student told her that she was inspired to share her own experiences.

“That was really powerful for me — that I was able to encourage someone else to share their stories without intending to," Vázquez said.

Yale students protested in New Haven and Washington, D.C., with many professors cancelling class so students could attend.

On Sept. 26, Vázquez helped organize a rally for Yale undergraduates in support of the victims who have come forward.

Other accusations of gender discrimination have been made against Kavanaugh. One anonymous Yale law student said a professor told her that Kavanaugh preferred clerks with a “certain look,” and that it was “no accident” that the judge’s clerks “looked like supermodels.”

To Kohnert-Yount, these claims are indicative of a deeper problem of harassment and discrimination in the legal field. She says that status-oriented culture and the prevalence of mandatory arbitration agreements prevent lawyers and clerks from bringing sexual harassment claims against their employers, making it harder for marginalized groups to succeed in the law world.

Having Kavanaugh on Harvard’s payroll (where he makes $3,000 a day) limits women’s access to education, according to Kohnert-Yount.

“Having someone who’s been credibly accused of sexual assault as a teacher forces women to self-select out of an opportunity that men don’t have to self-select out of,” she said. “It puts a unique burden on women, and that is not okay.”

The Harvard administration has yet to reply to the editorial, but Kohnert-Yount is hopeful that the Kavanaugh controversy will make law schools more accountable.

“My one shard of hope in this whole horrible situation," she said, "is that law schools will be forced to account for how they've been complicit in closing these pipelines to women and other marginalized groups.”

When Review editors returned to school after Hurricane Harvey deposited 50 inches of rain on the Houston area, they knew the stories they originally planned for the first issue had to be put on hold.

Covering the flood and its impact on the St. John's community became top priority, and that first issue, "Texas Flood: How Houston Came Together in the Wake of Harvey," was named Best of Show (Special Edition) at the 2017 JEA/NSPA Fall High School Journalism Convention in Dallas.

One year after Harvey, the National Scholastic Press Association has named The Review a Pacemaker finalist, the first time The Review has been recognized for student journalism's most prestigious award since winning a Pacemaker in 2015.

The NSPA named 67 scholastic student newspapers and newsmagazines, representing 24 students and England, as finalists.

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” executive director Laura Widmer said. “NSPA is honored to recognize the best of the best.”

Review editors for 2017-18 included Publisher Gracie Blue and Executive Editors Ashwini Bandi (Design), Claire Furse (Writing) and Dani Yan (Assignments).

Faculty advisers are David Nathan, Shelley Stein ('88) and Chuy Benitez.

Now in college, last year’s editors found out about the Pacemaker announcement via text message.

“We put out a great product, and my heart was so full when I got the text message from Mr. Nathan,” Blue said. “It reminded me of how awesome The Review was. I’m so happy that our efforts were recognized, but I’ve already felt so rewarded from The Review that it was more icing on the cake for me.”

In the first round of the competition, the news publications competed against those of similar types — tabloid newspaper (including The Review), broadsheet newspaper, newsmagazine and junior high/middle school.

When the process was finished, the Pacemaker finalists were named. From that group, 28 will earn the Pacemaker award placing those publications in the top 10 percent.

In addition to demonstrating excellence in key areas including coverage, writing, editing, design and photography, the winning newspapers took risks and served as a strong voice for its student audience.

“The best newspapers and newsmagazines delivered relevant coverage that resonated with student readers and the school community with appropriate sourcing, abundant student quotes and consistent journalistic style,” said Gary Lundgren, associate director and coordinator of the competition. “The Pacemakers represent the best in verbal and visual storytelling.”

The Review not only covered the stories of Harvey but also featured an extensive long-form report in March by current coEditor-in-Chief Sophie Caldwell about the need for consent education.

"Everyone worked really hard last year to produce some amazing issues, and I'm so glad NSPA is celebrating that effort," Furse said. "I hope that everyone can feel proud of their work last year and realize that nomatter their position or grade level, everyone had a hand in achieving Pacemaker recognition."

Pacemaker winners will be announced at the JEA/NSPA Fall Convention, Nov. 1-4

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

FEATURES

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New Upper School counselor Ashley LeGrange came to St. John's last year while working as an FCD counselor and a consent education facilitator.

Since arriving on campus, she has worked to establish trusting relationships with students and to diminish the stigma surrounding mental health.

Photo by Reygan Jones.

New counselor promotes conversation, establishes trust with students

By Sophie Caldwell

A

shley LeGrange showed up on campus this summer ready to change the way students interact with school counselors. She switched out the light bulbs in her office for softer, more relaxing lighting, peppered the walls with inspirational quotations and added a candy bowl.

During the first week of school, LeGrange, the new Upper School counselor, made the rounds at lunch, introducing herself to students.

By the second week of school, LeGrange was a familiar face on campus.

As LeGrange sees it, going to the school counselor should not be intimidating.

"For many schools, the school counselor is where you go when you get in trouble," she said. "It’s not a trusting situation. We always ask if you have a trusted adult, and to me, that is someone whom you care about and trust to keep you safe. There’s no way I would have trusted my school counselor enough to tell them my problems."

LeGrange’s own high school environment was similar to St. John’s, full of academically-driven teens. She noticed that high-performing teens found it harder than any other group to ask for help.

"Kids think they should have it all together, and so when they don’t, they don’t know whom to go to," LeGrange said. "They don’t want anyone to know.

That makes it really hard."

LeGrange was not completely new to St. John’s when she began her job in August. She first got to know students as a Freedom from Chemical Dependency counselor and as a consent education facilitator during discussions with underclassmen last spring.

According to LeGrange, equipping

students with information helps them make choices that are best for them as individuals.

"These teens are some of the smartest people, and they are wondering, 'Why won’t you talk to me about grief and loss?' and 'Why won’t you talk to me about suicide prevention, or drugs and alcohol?'" LeGrange said. "I have worked with many very smart teens, but a lot of times, adults don’t want to talk about these issues with teens out of fear. I want to be one of the people who does talk about it with them so they feel empowered and educated."

LeGrange has seen firsthand the impact of teen misconceptions. In one school where she worked, a distraught student came to her because her boyfriend, who was extremely academically focused, was using unprescribed opiates. LeGrange noted the emotional toll it took on the girlfriend, who was "worrying and obsessing" but felt that she couldn’t do anything or tell anyone.

"Teens should be worrying about their math homework, not worrying that this person might die," she said.

"That’s a lot for a 16-year-old. It’s a huge burden."

The student didn’t understand why his girlfriend was so worried — it wasn’t like he was doing heroin.

LeGrange pointed out that heroin is also an opiate. He was, in fact, ingesting heroin, just in a different form.

"The fact that someone doesn’t even know what they are putting in their body is concerning," LeGrange said.

"These are smart kids, so that means somebody didn’t teach them."

LeGrange wants to build a community culture at St. John’s around health and wellness. She also plans to discuss

social media and "putting on the face" — giving an outward appearance of perfection.

"People compare their insides with what they see of other people’s outsides," she said. "Their reality is skewed from what happy and healthy looks like, so they never feel good enough."

Long before she considered becoming a counselor, LeGrange worked as a French teacher at a school in Vail, Colorado, where she became close friends with the school counselor. As she watched the sensitivity and expertise of the counselor in her interactions with students, LeGrange decided to become a counselor herself. She went to graduate school for mental health and school counseling at Adams State University in Colorado and began working with teens.

Seeing a dearth of wellness education for teens, LeGrange launched the Stand Up Foundation, a teen-driven, nonprofit organization that promotes social and emotional health. The organization encompassed the gender-specific groups Women Making Waves and Men Moving Mountains.

With the Stand Up Foundation, teens provided peer mentoring, taught wellness in middle schools, and hosted forums and conferences on topics including suicide awareness.

LeGrange plans to hold teen leadership training over the summer for upperclassmen and college students.

LeGrange wants to get to know students before a crisis happens. She is active in Wellness Club and is working to expand the Peer Leader Program and advisory activities curriculum.

LeGrange plans to meet one-on-one with all freshmen before parent conferences; so far she has met with 149

of the 174 ninth graders. She finds that students have an easier time opening up when they see the counselor often.

"I want to be out and about," she said. "I don’t want to just be shut up in my office on my computer all day. I want to be a familiar face, and not just because you come to see me. I don’t want there to be a stigma."

SIENA ZERR

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Homecoming: Students recover one year after Harvey

By Mehak Batra Before Hurricane Harvey, Taliha De Ochoa and her family loved the rain.

"My family used to be rain people," said De Ochoa, a junior. "We used to eat and dance in the rain."

Now, at the first rumble of thunder, they can only wonder whether their newly refurbished Jacinto City home will flood as it did last August.

De Ochoa’s family was among roughly 39,000 Houstonians who were uprooted from their homes after Harvey hit in the dead of night on Aug. 25, 2017.

"The rain kept coming inside — it looked like [a scene from] 'Titanic,'" De Ochoa said.

Hurricane Harvey displaced De Ochoa for nearly an entire year before she was able to return to her home. During that time, she lived with a St. John’s host family for four months and spent the next seven months in her eldest brother’s three-bedroom house with seven other people.

De Ochoa experienced mood swings and had trouble keeping up with her extracurriculars and classes due to all the distractions.

"Last year, it was a miracle if I got five minutes of silence in my brother’s house," De Ochoa said. "I had a really important test towards the end of the year, and my mom actually took me to a motel so I could

study."

Back in her home after 11 months, De Ochoa cherishes her time alone in her room because she no longer has to share it with her mother and father.

According to De Ochoa, returning home felt like entering a foreign environment.

"Your home is supposed to be a place you know like the back of your hand," De Ochoa said. "But everything is new."

Meanwhile, as heavy rains fell on Sept. 9 this year, sophomore Aiden Manji was prepared to move his furniture upstairs in anticipation of another flood.

His house had flooded twice: during the Memorial Day floods of 2015 and again during Harvey.

"We’ve gotten very good at adapting," Manji said.

"I know what to expect, and as long as I know what to do, I’m fine."

Predicting damage to their property, Manji’s mother hired contractors just days before Harvey hit, so he was able to return to his restored home sooner than many of his classmates.

While Manji’s home renovations were completed in January, repairs on the interior of Romit and Raunak Kundagrami’s Memorial home wrapped up this September.

Romit, a freshman, said that Harvey was the first hurricane that impacted him emotionally.

"Seeing my house being slowly ruined by floodwater and remaining in my house in incessant fear that the water would rise to the next floor had a great effect on me," Romit said.

One year after the devastating storm, De Ochoa and other flood victims say that Harvey is still at the forefront of their minds.

"It’s a strange experience always worrying about something as simple as rain," De Ochoa said. "Yesterday there was a storm, and my mom was terrified.

That goes for my whole family."

Although De Ochoa, Manji and the Kundagramis have returned home, 10 percent of Texans who were displaced during Harvey have not. Harvey severely damaged nearly 197,000 homes.

In readjusting to life in her own home, De Ochoa had time to reflect on the past year and its emotional effects.

"I had to switch rooms with my brother because I couldn’t go back to my bedroom after everything that happened," De Ochoa said. "My new normal is not taking things for granted."

SIENA ZERR AND MICHAEL DAICHMAN

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FEATURES

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

The Board of Trustees aims to promote diversity and inclusion while focusing on facility renovation and expansion. Pictured above, last year's Board gathered before their final meeting of the 2017-2018 school year. Photo by Helen McDaniel

Board of Trustees sets goals for future improvement

By Izzy Andrews

M

olly Voorhees (’94), President of Beck’s Prime, has served as a trustee on five Houston-area boards over the past decade, but she has a soft spot for the St. John’s Board of Trustees.

“The St. John’s Board is one of the highest-functioning, most well-organized groups of highly committed individuals that I’ve ever seen anywhere,” she said.

Voorhees is one of the 22 parents, alumni and friends of the School that make up the Board of Trustees under the leadership of Chairman John Moody (’67).

“We’ve been very blessed as an institution to have great founders and great continuity over the years of people serving the School for all the right reasons and with the best of intents,” Moody said. “That’s what gives me great interest in being part of this great tradition.”

Board members meet six times a year, including a half-day retreat in which they discuss upcoming school issues in depth. As Chairman, Moody also meets weekly with Headmaster Mark Desjardins and assists in facilitating communication between Desjardins and the Trustees.

The Board also oversees the 10 standing subcommittees, which include Facilities, Investment and Capital Planning. Each subcommittee is comprised of five to nine Trustees along with parents or others associated with the School.

“The idea is to get different people and different

voices from different groups at the School,” said Mark Rodriguez, who is starting his third year on the Board. “There’s a real effort to make sure we’re getting people who have some expertise in those issues.”

All subcommittees report back to the Board.

Non-Trustees who serve on subcommittees become potential Board member candidates since they have shown immense dedication to the School.

A nominating committee looks at the candidates, as well as other people in the SJS community, and decides whom to invite to join the Board.

One important role of the Board is to recruit and support the headmaster and ensure a smooth transition between leaders, Voorhees said. Board members also act as a sounding board for the administration. After all, Rodriguez pointed out, the Board does not control the school — the administration does.

“We are not trying to step in and run this school,” he said. “What we’re here to do is support them and help them with things like facilities and finance and staffing these subcommittees in a way that gives expertise in the areas we need.”

The Board’s primary responsibility is to assure that the administration sets forward-looking goals that align with the School’s values and mission statement. Each year, they decide on specific areas of improvement.

Five years ago, the Board began to focus heavily on the construction of school facilities, including the Campus Center, Randall Field, the Taub Lot, the Fine

Arts Annex and the new Library Commons.

“Those projects have transformed our campus and accommodated a period of growth in our student body with no disruption in academics, athletics or fine arts,” Moody said.

Over the past several years, the Board and administrators have focused on changing the schedule, reviewing curriculum, strengthening the administrative team and fostering diversity and inclusion.

It is important for students to come to school and know that they are respected and valued, Rodriguez said. “We’re putting a lot of effort into that.”

Trustees who were interviewed for this story said they have made much progress, starting with the decision to hire Gene Batiste as the Director of Community and Inclusion in 2017, and they continue with efforts to improve the School’s culture of inclusion.

This year the Board has begun the next stage of the facilities renovation plan, including new Lower and Middle School buildings. According to Moody, the School has already asked four architectural firms to submit proposals for the projects, and the Board will begin to evaluate the feasibility and timing of this next phase.

Board members say that they are always open to discuss issues or important topics.

“It’s critically important that there be an open line of communication,” Rodriguez said. “If people feel there are issues, they should feel free to go to a Board member and talk about them.”

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SPORTS

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

9

Wesley Gow, shown looking downfield in last year's Kinkaid Game, is the last of three brothers to play quarterback for the Mavericks. He tore his ACL in the waning minutes of this year's season opener and will be out for the season. Photo by Benny He

The Last Gow: QB dynasty coming to a close

By SJ Lasley

T

he tradition is as follows: Quarterback Wesley Gow takes the field as his father announces his name to fans at Skip Lee Field.

Tucked into his uniform is a quarterback towel emblazoned with the No. 10 — the same one that two of his older brothers used during their time as starting quarterbacks for the Mavs.

This year, the Gow dynasty will come to an end.

In his ninth year playing football, Gow's season came to an abrupt halt in the final minutes of the season opener, a 41-21 win over Concordia Lutheran on Aug. 31. As he tried to make a cut, his leg slid out from under him. He immediately knew that something was wrong.

The next week, doctors delivered bad news: a torn ACL and a sprained MCL. Expected recovery time: seven months.

In an interview after the first game, Gow said, “Ever since I was in kindergarten, I’ve been going to St. John’s games." Then, pretending to be his father, he put an arm around his younger self and said, “Someday, that’ll be you.”

Adjusting to life on the sidelines has been a challenge.

“It's been really hard that I can't play my senior season, but the team has been very supportive,” he said. “I definitely still feel like a part of the team.”

Gow has taken on a new role as a mentor and friend to sophomore George Caldwell, who has taken over as starting quarterback.

“Wesley has been nothing but a great role model and example to me on and off the field,” Caldwell said. “He’s a close friend, and I’m fortunate to have him on our team.”

Gow grew up in a family of athletes. Sports were a part of everyday life. He regularly played touch football in the yard with his father David and brothers Lawson (’08), David Jr. (Episcopal ‘10) and Chris (’12).

“Coaching my kids in football and working together for a common goal was one of my favorite parenting experiences,” Mr. Gow said. “I suspect some of my enthusiasm rubbed off on them.”

Both Lawson and Chris wore the No. 10 for the Mavericks. Lawson captained the Mavs team that won three consecutive games against Kinkaid, but he says the highlight of his career was engineering a last-minute drive against Episcopal on their home turf. With the game tied at 28, Lawson let fly a long

pass to his childhood friend John McCarthy ('08) for the winning score. Lawson went on to play for Williams College and now works for The Cannon, an entrepreneurial collective in Houston.

Chris was captain his senior year and went on to play at Amherst College. After graduating in 2016, he stayed in Massachusetts and now works as the advisor to the Amherst Christian Fellowship.

For the Gow brothers, football is the foundation for bonding and friendship. They were raised with football at the heart of many family affairs.

Every Thanksgiving, the Gows gather around the television to cheer on their favorite NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.

When Wesley was 11, he and his much older brothers created a Christmas family tradition: The eldest brothers punt a ball to Wesley, who has 10 tries to return it for a touchdown.

“For years, we would obliterate him — he wouldn't even get past the one-yard line,” Lawson said. “But as he got bigger and stronger, we got more and more worried. It's only a matter of time before he breaks loose and scores a touchdown on us.”

Both Chris and Lawson visit Skip Lee Field each year to support Wesley.

“I was heartbroken when he hurt his knee in the season opener, but I’ve always loved watching him play quarterback for the Mavericks,” Lawson said.

Since 2011, Mr. Gow has had the best view of Maverick football, spending his Friday nights in the Skip Lee pressbox.

Even though he owns Gow Media, the largest privately owned media company in Texas, Mr. Gow hadn’t been behind the mic since college. When he had the opportunity to announce for the Mavs, his only hesitation was whether he could keep his composure when one of his sons was on the field.

“There have been times when it was a good thing that I had an Off button on the microphone," he said. "I can get pretty excited.”

Mr. Gow, who also played quarterback in high

MATTHEW HENSEL

school, attended St. John’s from kindergarten through ninth grade before heading off to boarding school.

“Because our boys have all had some success playing quarterback at SJS, people assume that I must have been a good quarterback,” Mr. Gow said. “I will now disclose the truth: My sons were far better quarterbacks than I ever was, but I have enjoyed the halo effect that makes people think that I was pretty good back in my day.”

So who was the best Gow quarterback?

“Even if I thought Wesley was the best of us, I'd never say so in a million years," Lawson said.

Since the 1980s, every Gow has worn uniform No. 10 in high school, including Sarah ('14), who captained both the basketball and softball teams her senior year.

Mr. Gow held onto his high school football jersey, which became part of another ritual for the Gows.

“When the kids were very young, if a child had an exceptional game in any sport, I would put my No. 10 jersey on their pillow, and they would get to sleep in it that night,” Gow said. “Little did I know, all our kids would get to wear No. 10 themselves.”

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growing pains

Writer-director Bo Burnham’s film “Eighth Grade” follows Kayla Day, a teen trying to survive her last week of middle school and the transition into high school. An introvert, Kayla struggles to make friends at school, yet at home she frequently posts life advice videos on her YouTube channel. She’s addicted to her phone, suffers from social anxiety and neuroticism and has trouble relating to her father. Her journey is brutal.

The transition to Upper School, whether from a larger public school or across the street in the Middle School, can be equally tough on students. We asked students to reflect on their passage into Upper School and compare situations covered in the film to their own experiences.

Note: Some students chose to remain anonymous, and The Review respects their right to privacy.

DATING While dating can complicate the transition from middle school to high school, being in a relationship can also provide a sense of companionship for new Upper School students.

“Dating while in high school made me understand that there’s a whole emotional landscape out there to explore and that life isn't just about studying and competing. It also made me realize how vulnerable we all are to unpredictable events, but everything is an opportunity to grow.”

-Anonymous student “I actually got better grades because [my boyfriend] helped me study.

I didn't procrastinate since I wanted to be able to have enough time to talk to him.”

-Anonymous student “It’s fun because we’re young, but that person is the only thing that matters in our young lives, so when they leave, you feel like you’re left with nothing — empty.”

-Anonymous student “Having another person be a part of your support system helps you with the transition.”

-Anonymous student

anxiety The pressure to fit in—to make new friends, excel academically and pick up extracurriculars—can generate a lot of anxiety, especially for students new to St. John’s. While some students have learned how to cope with it, anxiety is still a common challenge for many students.

“In middle school, I was all nice and carefree; now I’m just overscheduled.”

-Ellie Eikenburg, freshman

making friends

For freshmen new to St. John’s, it can feel like everyone already knows everyone, friend groups are solidified and you’re the only one struggling to “find your people.” Even for returning students, navigating complicated high school social dynami can be daunting.

“Most people were pretty welcoming. It was hard to break into different groups because everyone has thei own formed groups already.”

-Camille Carleton, freshman

“Everyone seems very open and friendly. I am still working on forming a friend group, but I have friends.”

-Hannah Woodhouse, freshman

“It was comforting knowing people going into the new year.”

-Elizabeth Cox, freshman

“I came to school knowing one person, but the freshm retreat at Lonehollow and cross country helped me make a bunch of new friends.”

-Kate Vo, freshman

par

Our well-intentioned (but sometimes oblivious impact on the high school transition, for bette with their parents?

“[The transition] is a lot easier than I expected, and the workload is not that bad. If I have a lot of work, I just put it off and sit around and do nothing until I’m not stressed anymore, and then I continue my work.”

-Cici Calhoun, freshman

“My parents were fairly helpful, but my older siste were. I confide a lot in my mom about school pro -Emily Ellison, senior

“High school made my mental state a lot worse at first due to the fear of not being able to make friends. I get anxious and nervous easily, even from the little things like getting a test back.”

-Anonymous student

“My parents were very helpful in my transition to S and meet with my teachers because the difficulty to.”

-Caroline Burnett, senior

“I don’t really get nervous or anxious easily, but high school has definitely brought me closer to having a nervous breakdown. The workload has increased so much; even getting to class is so much harder. All of this has put more pressure on not only getting good grades but keeping up with school and outside-of-school life, which has really impacted my mental state in a negative way. I find that taking a little time to relax has really helped me chill out and decrease my nerves.”

-Maria Cheng, freshman

“I am really close with both my parents, largely be them, and it was ignore them or talk, and they wa everything: drama, school, field hockey, friends. W -Hatley Post, senior

“I talk to my parents a lot about day-to-day activit to my friends.”

-Anonymous student

, ics

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”

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man

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11

STORY BY ELI MAIERSON, DESIGN BY STEPHEN KIM ILLUSTRATIONS BY CELINE HUANG AND MIA FARES ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF

hopes and dreams A lot of teenagers set more attainable goals for themselves over time, a product of maturity. In “Eighth Grade,” Kayla was given a shoebox that contained her hopes and dreams, including a video to herself on a Spongebob flash drive — which she burns.

“It’s easy to reach for far-fetched goals when you’re a freshman or in middle school, but this year I’ve been able to make much more realistic goals. I’m also more confident about the future now than I was in middle school, just because I’m sure of what I’m interested in.”

- Juliana Aviles, senior “My goals and dreams have not changed much. I have never had huge aspirations for myself. The only thing that has really changed has been what I wanted to do for a living, but it was never something outlandish.”

- Jonah Pesikoff, senior

Social Media As social media becomes increasingly prevalent, the age of its users decreases; there’s even a scene in “Eighth Grade” in which Kayla reluctantly admits that she downloaded Snapchat in fifth grade.

parties

“Social media is helpful in terms of having casual conversations with friends, but it can be distracting.”

-Nicole Doyle, sophomore

From the Freshman Retreat to the Valentine’s Day Heart Hop, SJS attempts to help freshmen make friends and find their group. For most, these events are a useful way to meet new people and enter the SJS community.

“I was intimidated because social media portrays people in a way that makes it hard to guess how they are in real life. I felt like everyone was gonna be cooler.”

-Stephanie Sarkar, senior

“Go to the [back-to-school] parties. They are definitely a way to make friends and they are fun.”

-Abby Walker, sophomore

“Social media kept me connected to all my middle school friends when I started high school.”

-Skylar Williams, junior “I use pretty much all social media except Facebook — it’s how I get my news and communicate with friends.”

-Isabella O’Reilly, sophomore

rents

s or intrusive) parents can have a significant er or worse. What experiences have students had

“At the end of eighth [grade] it’s sad because friends are all splitting up and going to different high schools, and it will be one of your last parties together. And then, at the beginning of ninth its so fun to meet all these new people and make new friends.”

-Janie Spedale, sophomore “For the ninth grade party, I had met many people beforehand, but I was still slightly overwhelmed. During the eighth grade parties, I knew everyone and had many close friends.”

-Megan Wetzel, freshman

slang

er was a senior, so she was more helpful than they oblems, not always drama, though.”

Words like “thicc,” “woke,” “Gucci” and “lit” are integral parts of the teenage vocabulary.

SJS. They helped me learn how to manage my time y and amount of work was something I had to adjust

“I didn’t use much slang myself, but most words that my friends used ubiquitously in middle school such as ‘oof’ and ‘yeet’ are unfortunately still being said frequently in high school.”

-Romit Kundagrami, freshman

ecause I had to spend a lot of time in the car with anted to talk. My mom and I talk about literally We’re unusually tight for teens and parents.”

ty, but when it comes to bigger issues, I tend to stick

“In middle school my friends and I used to use slang such as ‘what’s crackin’’ and screaming ‘REEE’ loudly, but now in high school we really don’t use those anymore since they’re not very appropriate.”

-Russell Li, freshman “I use slang mainly in group chats and when online. During school, I tend to use normal language because I feel that using slang in person might detract from certain meaning that I may want to have.”

-James Wang, freshman

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NCAA RECRUITS Eight Pride and St. John's field hockey players have committed to colleges so far: Amy Worscheh, Amélie Perrier, Frederique Fyhr, Natalie Stone, Amelia Williams, Hatley Post, Sinclair Mott and Jaya Krishnan (not pictured). Photo by Claire Seinsheimer | Design by Clara Brotzen-Smith

Texas Pride: National Field Hockey Factory

By Sophia Lima

J

aya Krishnan and four fellow seniors have already secured their spots in the Ivy League. For the past six years, at least one player has gone on to play collegiate field hockey. In total, there are eight current players — six seniors and two juniors — verbally committed to play at top programs including Dartmouth, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell, Davidson and Iowa.

“Watching all the older girls commit made playing college field hockey seem like the natural thing to do,” junior Kennedy Sholeen said. “I barely notice that we have so many commits because I just see our team’s strong skills and work ethic.”

The recent surge in collegiate field hockey signings stems from a single club: Texas Pride Field Hockey.

Inspired by the abundance of field hockey opportunities on the east coast, Valerie Coyle and Jess McClain founded Pride in 2012 with the goal of making field hockey more accessible in the Houston area.

Head coach Tina Edmonds began with just a few girls, and she has now grown the club to over 62 tournament-team players. For many, the end goal is to secure a coveted roster spot on a college team.

Pride works with players as young as 7 years old.

At Sunday practices, Krishnan and a few teammates coach newer players.

“There is a pattern of younger field hockey girls looking up to the older girls,” Krishnan said. “They see that you can go to a really good school if you work hard at the sport you love.”

One of the biggest selling points of playing for Pride is that the club team offers recruiting services, including highlight videos and player profiles, that help members get noticed by colleges. Travel teams attend about three tournaments each season in places such as Palm Springs and St. Louis.

Last April, the NCAA implemented a rule that for-

bids college coaches from directly contacting players before September of their junior year.

This regulation increases the importance of Edmonds’ role in the recruitment process.

Edmonds connects players to college coaches by forwarding emails and setting up phone calls. She also knows which tournaments will have college coaches in attendance.

According to Sholeen, the hardest part about the process is not always knowing what the coaches are looking for. Schools with multiple coaches complicate matters further because players need to win over more than one person.

Once verbally committed, players usually call their coaches once a month to talk about their grades and class selection.

Although most of the recruiting process is done through Pride, Sholeen says her St. John’s coaches are always supportive about her out-of-school tournaments.

“You can talk to your parents and coaches about the process, but no one can relate more than your teammates,” Sholeen said.

With all but four members of the Maverick field hockey team on Pride, the girls play together more than athletes in other sports, which improves the performance of both teams. The Mavericks have won the SPC championship twice in the last three years.

The Pride and St. John’s teams have similar practices, but the team dynamics and style of play differ.

While Pride focuses more on skill improvement and college recruiting, St. John’s focuses on team unity and the love of the game, according to Krishnan.

“I love Pride because it’s so intense and pushes me to be the best player possible, but I also love the school team because it allows me to lose some of the

Alumni in the NCAA

TAYLOR BRITTON

outside pressure,” Krishnan said.

Playing together on Pride makes the girls stronger as a school team because they become so familiar with playing together, but the differing styles of play of the two teams have occasionally been at odds.

The goal at Pride tournaments is to show off individual skills to college coaches, so when the girls become accustomed to club play, they have difficulty adjusting to the team-first mentality at St. John's.

This year’s Maverick captains, Frederique Fyhr, Natalie Stone and Krishnan, have organized bonding activities such as booking a summer retreat in Wyoming and baking cupcakes. The team has also focused on drills that encourage more passing.

“Our goal this year is really to encourage unity on and off the field,” Krishnan said.

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The Urban Harvest Farmers Market relocated to Taub Lot on Sept. 22 for its weekly Saturday event. Despite inclement weather, the market, which features dozens of local vendors and a variety of locally sourced products, moved to its new location as planned. Photo

by Leila Pulaski | Design by Clara Brotzen-Smith

By Lily McCullough and Nat Larsen

I

n the 10 years Tyler Horne has been running the Urban Harvest Farmers Market, it has only closed three times: once for Hurricane Ike, once when Christmas fell on a Saturday and once for Hurricane Harvey. There was no chance that a mere torrential downpour would interefere with business as usual on the first day in its new location.

And so, on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 a.m., 58 local farmers and vendors set up camp in Taub Lot. Despite strong winds and rain from an early morning storm, vendors remained positive that the inclimate weather would pass. Two hours later, the sun — and loyal customers — came out.

Shoppers emerged from the market sopping wet with bags full of locally sourced products, including coffee, cheese, meat, fruits, vegetables and salsa.

Mandy Trichell of Cultured Heat Hot Sauce said she was excited about the move because Taub Lot provided more space for vendors to set up and park.

Due to its new location, the vendors worried that customers might not be able to find the market, but a vendor at Eat My Pralines said that her regular customers made it.

Although he was completely soaked, Horne, the Director of Farmers Markets at Urban Harvest, was not worried about the weather.

"We operate business as usual as long as it is safe for our customers and vendors," he said. "The value of a 52-week-a-year venue for the farmers is very important to the success of our market. We don't let a little rain scare us away, and as a testament to what happened on opening day, neither do our loyal customers."

Horne further expressed excitement about the move to St. John’s.

"We are excited about being in the heart of a great neighborhood and at a major intersection," he said.

"At our last location on Eastside Street, we did not have the visibility or the neighborhood feel that we have at the St. John's location."

Urban Harvest Executive Director Janna Roberson said that the move to Taub Lot was beneficial because many SJS alumni serve on Urban Harvest’s board.

Tracy Vaught ('73) and her husband, renowned chef Hugo Ortega, are prominent customers at the farmers market and look forward to the opportunities that the new location will provide.

"I’m so happy that St. John’s made that possible," Vaught said. "It’s a much better location in that it’s visible, so they’re probably going to get many more visitors to the market than they ever have before, including the St. John’s families. It’s a win for everybody."

Urban Harvest by the Numbers

INFO FROM HOUSTON CULTURE MAP AND URBAN HARVEST

Horne also said that Urban Harvest has several other connections to St. John’s.

"Once we started our search for a new location, we realized there were so many people that we interact with, from board members, vendors and the general public, that are alumni of St. John's or had children that went there," he said. "We are delighted about the partnership and our ability to make our community event even better with the new location."

The Urban Harvest Farmers Market moved to its new location in Taub Lot from the corner of Eastside and Richmond, which had become too small to accommodate the vendors and customers. Urban Harvest first requested to use Taub Lot for its weekly Saturday markets nearly a year ago, but negotiations over the terms of the temporary lease caused the deal to fall through.

Negotiations recommenced six weeks ago following the yearlong break. Chief Financial Officer Greg Swan said that St. John’s was willing to host Urban Harvest on campus as long as the School would be able to cancel the lease in the event of construction.

"If there’s any reason it’s a problem for our community, or if there’s some need that we have for this twoacre lot, we need to be able to do that," Swan said.

"If we ever need this piece of property for something

TAYLOR BRITTON

quickly, we don’t need to wait for a five-year lease to expire."

The contract states that the School must give Urban Harvest 90 days' notice if the market needs to vacate the space for any reason. Currently, the long-term plan for Taub Lot is to transform it and surrounding acreage into an athletics facility, but there are no immediate plans to begin construction.

"In [the St. John’s] community, somebody could come to us and say, 'I really think this is the number one priority, and I’m willing to provide funding to get this done [as long as] it gets done now,'" Swan said. "We just want to have all the options available for our land and not tie it up in anything."

While the future of Taub Lot is uncertain, Swan welcomes the market as an opportunity to establish bonds within the Houston community.

"We aren’t doing this because we want the revenue — we’re just trying to be a good neighbor to these folks," Swan said. "We think [the market is] a neat thing."

Urban Harvest also runs affiliate community gardens around Houston. Those interested in helping out can visit their website, urbanharvest.org, and sign up to volunteer.

Additional reporting by Leila Pulaski

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CarFree

HOW OLDER STUDENTS HANDLE LIFE WITHOUT A DRIVER'S LICENSE

By Maggie Ballard

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Senior Josephine Dodd is one of many upperclassmen who have delayed applying for a driver's license. Non-drivers must rely on family, friends and ride-sharing apps like Uber to get around.

Photo by Leila Pulaski

lthough senior Josephine Dodd completed the SafeWay Driving course over a year ago, she still hasn’t taken her driving test. It’s not a financial issue or a complication with the Department of Public Safety; she just hasn't gotten around to it yet.

She plans to get her license this year, but she does not want to own a car before college. “[Not having a car] makes you more involved in your community because you’re forced to interact with people and find ways to get around,” Dodd said.

“Having a car just gives you an out.”

For most teenagers, having a car and the freedom to travel independently is a rite of passage. It’s the first taste of what it’s like to be an adult — to take yourself somewhere, not just to be taken.

Like Dodd, many students rely on others for transportation months, sometimes years, after they’ve turned 16.

Junior Shelby Wilson recently got her permit after completing the Aceable Texas Parent Taught Driver Education course. Although she started the course in March of her sophomore year, the DPS refused to issue her a permit because she had been taught by her mother who, at the time, still had an Illinois Driver License.

After two more attempts, Wilson finally obtained her permit this August. She plans to have her license

by March 3 and start driving a used SUV soon afterwards.

While Wilson would occasionally have a family friend drive her around, she began relying heavily on Uber to take her to school and dance practice.

Uber’s terms and conditions state that all account holders must be 18 or over and cannot request a ride

for a minor unless the account holder is with them during the ride. Lyft also requires account holders to be at least 18. Many teens who use Uber have yet to even hear about this rule because most drivers do not ask to see their riders’ IDs. AMELIE PERRIER AND CLARA BROTZEN-SMITH Although many drivers DATA FROM WIRED, 27 MARCH 2018 do not ask for their riders’ a class. The course costs up to $499, which does not age, an Uber driver picking Wilson up from school re- account for the cost of an advanced package or extra cently refused to drive her because she was under 18. practice sessions.

“If my parents drive me somewhere, I have to wait Both Wilson and Marshall, a senior, use Aceable, for them to take me,” Wilson said. “If I take Uber, I which costs only $75 and has no expiration date, have to wait for the Uber to show up, and sometimes while SafeWay requires their students to finish the they cancel the ride before getting to me.” course in a set amount of time.

For many students who do not get their permits or Marshall, who turns 18 in June, does not plan on licenses before junior year, preparing for the SAT or getting a car any time soon.

ACT takes precedence over learning to drive.

“All the cities I’m looking at for college have great “I haven’t signed up for an official driving school yet public transportation or are fairly bike-friendly,” because my mom wants me to take SAT/ACT class- Marshall said. “I’d like to get a license because it es,” Wilson said. “I’m envious of all the people who seems like a useful thing to have, but I don’t really got their license during sophomore year or summer need a car.” before junior year because it is very time-consumMarshall also primarily uses friends to drive to ing.” school and does not see much of an inconvenience According to Texas law, teens have to complete a in being unable to drive.

32-hour course, 37 hours of driving and seven hours “I spent half of sophomore year and the entirety of of observation before getting a license. junior year getting rides home from people,” MarFor some families, the financial burden of adding shall said. “It worked really well with my schedulanother driver to their insurance plan or paying for ing, and on top of that, I became closer friends with driving lessons can pose a significant problem. people because when you’re driving, you just start SafeWay Driving School offers a popular online talking.” driving curriculum that teaches the same material as

Alum returns to SJS to teach master dance classes

By Katina Christensen

Sam Burkett (’13) has quite literally danced his way around the world.

Burkett is based in the UK but got his start on the stages of Roberts Elementary and the Lowe Theater.

He trained with and taught at the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland, touring all over the UK, Belgium and Australia.

Burkett has temporarily returned to Houston after a one-year postgraduate apprenticeship with the Jasmin Vardimon Company in England.

He reached out to dance teacher Victoria Arizpe for advice on how and where to instruct in Houston.

She invited him to teach a few classes at St. John’s.

On Sept. 18 and 20, Burkett returned to the dance department to lead a

master class for Caprice II, Caprice III and Terpsichore.

Burkett drew on his own postmodern choreography work to develop elements and explore themes of contemporary dance in his classes. In one exercise, Burkett had students pretend they had a bead of oil in their hand and move it around.

“Contemporary dance was very new to me,” sophomore Cate Moriniere said. “I learned that you use your body in very different ways than in jazz and ballet.”

Burkett’s first summer as a professional dancer was jam-packed with extensive choreography and teaching.

On Sept. 16, he premiered a new solo, “Crop Tops Make Me Feel Vulnerable,” at the Houston Fringe Festival and

choreographed a piece for MET too Youth Company. Burkett, a vivacious and animated instructor, also worked with a wide range of dance students at performing arts centers around town.

“Choreographing and performing really feed the teaching,” Burkett said.

“You can often use teaching as a playground for performance and choreography ideas.”

Burkett plans to focus on choreography and performance when he returns to England.

Burkett also trained at Theater Under the Stars in dance and musical theater.

Burkett was the only male member of Terpsichore during his sophomore and senior years, spending his junior year abroad in Rennes, France. His first piece of choreography was a duet

for the annual Student Choreography Showcase.

Arizpe said Burkett was one of those kids who was always dancing: “You could tell how much he loved it — he lived it.”

Burkett attended the University of Edinburgh and earned a degree in politics while immersing himself in dance.

Burkett’s experience at St. John’s was somewhat atypical: he traded prom, homecoming and even graduation for dance obligations.

Still, Burkett says that the sacrifices have paid off. His passion for dance makes his professional life fulfilling.

“Dancing is both a hobby and a profession," Burkett said, "so it’s like I work 24/7, but it also seems like I never work at all."

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COLLEGE BOARD SACKS EARLY CIVILIZATIONS CELINE HUANG

Culture Editorial: A history teacher's perspective on the new WHAP curriculum

By Melinda Sloan

O

nce, when I was 16, my new driver’s license burning a hole in my pocket, I told my mom that I was driving to my friend Miranda’s house to hang out. What I didn’t tell my mom was that after picking Miranda up, I planned to drive well past her house… on the freeway… to downtown Houston. If you’ve ever told your parents a similar story, you understand perfectly well that what you leave out can matter as much, if not more than, what you leave in any given story.

Last May, the College Board — the testing behemoth behind the Advanced Placement program — announced that starting in the 2019–2020 school year, the AP World History Exam would no longer include any historical content prior to 1450 CE. When I read the news, I was utterly gobsmacked. How could they possibly leave so much out?

After realizing that this was not some odd joke, my mind raced through person after person, event after event that would be purged from the course. My colleague, Mr. Zartman, put it best: “What’s world history without the Romans? The Han?” Or the Mesopotamians and Egyptians, I would add. Or the Olmec and the Maya? Or — wait for it — the Mongols?

Responding to outcry from academics, teachers and former AP World History students, the College Board has since rolled back the start date to 1200 CE. This does little to ameliorate the fundamental problem. Cutting 9,000 years of human history alters the narrative arc of the course. It leads to a very different story, indeed. AP World History becomes a story in which Western Europe takes center stage, and the rest of the world merely plays supporting roles.

A look at Chinese history demonstrates this issue well. This year, an AP World History student will learn about nearly 2,000 years of Chinese imperial rule and the incredible stability and cultural richness that developed during those years.

Next year, that same student would trace the story of Imperial China from the end of the Song Dynasty — a period of Mongol domination — through 500 years of decline during which Europeans chipped away at Chinese sovereignty, and internal strife culminated in civil war. The only bright spot in that story: about 200 years of Ming rule.

But this issue doesn’t just affect China. The richest periods in non-Western history will no longer get the attention they deserve in AP World History. This contravenes the spirit in which the course was created. It flies in the face of current approaches in the

ERIC STRAWN AND TAYLOR BRITTON

field of world history. Worst of all, it denies students, most sadly students of color, the opportunity to learn about a heritage beyond the Western tradition.

The responses of the College Board to these concerns are hardly adequate. Their primary solution?

Offer a new Pre-AP World History and Geography course, which includes the excised content. But there is no requirement that schools offer this preAP course, and there is neither an AP exam nor college credit attached to it. Thus, schools have little incentive to offer it. In fact, there are powerful disincentives to doing so. The materials, textbooks and teacher training required to implement a new course are expensive. In case you have not heard about the state of education, schools aren’t exactly swimming in money. Moreover, students of color, those least likely to see themselves represented in the new curriculum, are more likely to attend schools lacking these resources. So much for the College Board’s 16year push for “equity and access.”

As the provider of the closest thing to a national history curriculum, the College Board bears great responsibility for the state of history education. Many recent changes in the content and assessment of AP history courses were great steps forward. The very best of these changes were the products of thoughtful collaboration by professional historians, education experts and everyday teachers. While the idea of covering 10,000 years of human history sounds so daunting that it is my opening joke on Parents’ Night, ongoing collaboration can yield a better solution than just giving up on 90 percent of it.

Ultimately, good teachers will do what they always do. They will make it work. They will provide a prelude to the rise of the West. They will tell the tales that allow students of color to see themselves positively reflected in the past. They will share with students as much of the story as they can. And in the end, their students will know that the story the College Board is selling just won’t do.

THE REVIEW

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

OPINIONS

Softbois: the weaponization of being 'woke'

LILAH GABER

By Lilah Gaber

Y

our friends dragged you along to an entrylevel indie — let’s say Mac Demarco — concert.

You stand surrounded by windbreakers and the smell of Marlboro Lites. Then you see him, standing there in all his Old-Skool-Vans glory (well-worn from skating, obviously). His hair hangs just below his collar, his jeans cuffed just above his ankles. You are instantly drawn to his unobtrusive vibe. You’re tired of hypermasculine guys who don’t treat you well; you want someone sensitive — or dare I say, “soft.”

You notice that his black nail-polished fingers are holding a book. Surely that’s another good sign. You crane to read the title: “Lolita.” Immediately you recoil. You trusted this guy. You projected your hopeless romanticism onto him. How could he enjoy a book so clearly about predatory behavior towards underage girls?

Though I framed this scenario as hypothetical, someone I know (definitely not me, I promise) has been in this exact situation. While popular culture is well-acquainted with the dangers of what I, for the sake of being PG, will call the “frat bro” archetype, there now lurks a new threat, one who is arguably more malevolent than its predecessor: the softboi.

Before I get ahead of myself, a disclaimer: not all softbois are dangerous. Just because a guy possesses the superficial characteristics described does not indicate that he is a bad person. So please, delete the “not all men” tweet I know you were drafting in your head.

Softbois are lurking everywhere, waiting to introduce you to an indie band you’ve been listening to for years or trying to impress you with leftist theory that you introduced them to. Their dress is skate-couture, which is basically skate style for people who don’t skate.

The problem with softbois is how they weaponize this facade of “wokeness” and sensitivity to get closer to women and femmes. They use queerness as an aesthetic to make themselves seem removed from toxic masculinity.

With frat bros, you know what you’re getting into.

They’ll argue that they can say the n-word because “it’s the lyrics,” or tell you they’ve "never met a funny girl before." Softbois are more discreet.

To explain, let’s move up in the taxonomic hierarchy to look at the animal kingdom, so we can remove all the confusing sociocultural implications and examine this phenomenon in its purest form.

In biology, softbois are analogous to what are called “satellite” or “sneaker” males that appear in species like the dung beetle. Sneaker males are smaller organisms that lack masculine coloration. They use their effeminate appearance to their advantage, though. Because they don’t have the telltale signs of masculinity, they are able to deceive alpha male guards and covertly mate with the female organisms.

Softbois are these sneaker males, deceiving women’s better senses by disguising themselves.

In many fringe music scenes, softbois have perfected their art by dressing in more unconventional,

effeminate ways to reduce the chance that women will perceive them as threatening. Too often, unfortunately, they weaponize their sensitive nature to get close to underage girls. Softbois use flattery and vulnerability to convince these girls that they’re different from guys who mistreat women, but in their essence, they're not.

Herein lies the problem with softbois: they possess all the toxic qualities they claim to disavow. Intentionally posturing as queer when it helps you make up for a lack of personality, then shirking that identity when it becomes burdensome, is a privilege that queer people aren’t afforded.

Gaslighting and emotionally abusing women and then avoiding responsibility by saying that you’re “working on yourself” is not woke; it’s misogynistic.

Guys, go ahead and paint your nails. Wear traditionally feminine things. Listen to indie music and educate yourself on progressive theory. Those are all good things — when they come from a genuine place. When it’s all just a performance, then those actions become questionable.

Women and femmes, be careful around these sneaker males. Just because a guy shows basic human decency does not mean he is inherently free of the pitfalls of toxic masculinity.

Next time a guy in a beanie and overalls invites you to watch “Pulp Fiction” with him, maybe take an extra second to think about it before responding. Then remind him that there are directors out there other than Quentin Tarantino.

Green policy: green enough?

By Sophia Kontos

The School recently implemented a “green initiative” — replacing the cafe’s plastic straws with paper ones, making paper plates and plastic utensils slightly less accessible. While well-intentioned, the initiative has not generated noticeable change. If we genuinely want to make the campus a greener place, we need to take more significant steps toward eco-friendliness.

1.

Make it easier for us to recycle.

There should be a recycling bin next to every trash can, especially in Flores Hall and at athletics facilities, but there aren’t enough

recycling bins in those places. There should also be noticeable signs showing people where and what to recycle.

2.

In the cafeteria, paper plates and plastic utensils should not be the default.

Most people eat near Flores Hall anyway. As students, we should be required to ask for a paper plate only if we need one. Same goes with plastic utensils.

3.

Bring back the days when we could more easily sell our textbooks at an on-campus

event. We also shouldn’t be limited to just textbooks — the sale should allow us to sell any usable school supplies.

I know that I’ve thrown away five-subject notebooks that had four subjects of usable paper left. An on-campus, student-run school supply sale would reduce supplies wasted at the end of the year. Many schools run a Trash to Treasure program that we should emulate.

4.

We should set up small planters at the cafeteria-end of the Great Lawn where cafeteria staff can grow herbs and vegetables.

ECOS could help maintain the planters, making the effort collaborative. By sourcing even a small amount of the raw goods needed to produce food for everyone on campus, we could greatly reduce pollution caused by food transportation.

The School should pursue renewable energy options in future construction like solar panels, which would reduce our environmentally harmful energy consumption. That’s a lot to ask, but with a small push, the red and black can become a little more green.

SJSREVIEW.COM

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OPINIONS

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

17

The Kavanaugh Effect

Adults should know better than to dismiss what they did as teens

F

or months leading up to my 18th birthday, people teased me about what that birthday meant: I can be charged as an adult, I can serve in the military, I can vote, I am in charge of my own medical care.

In short, I am an adult in every legal sense. I am responsible for my actions, my body, my voice. I knew all of this even two long months ago at 17 when I was registering to vote, preparing to transfer my medical records and getting my license. Seventeen is not too young for personal responsibility. Seventeen is not too young to know right from wrong.

Seventeen is not too young to be responsible for your actions.

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford when he was 17 and she 15.

Whether or not the allegations derail Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, the debate has once again revealed America’s contemptuous attitude towards women.

Kavanaugh has not lost his job as a federal judge or as a Harvard law professor. He is not currently facing jail time, even though Maryland has no statute of limitations on attempted rape. But there should be a possibility that he might not get to join the highest court in the country, a position to which nobody should feel entitled.

Meanwhile, Ford’s family has been living in a hotel due to persistent harassment and death threats.

As an 18-year-old, I watch senators, congressmen and the President downplay women’s suffering. They question Ford’s veracity at every turn: President Donald Trump tweeted, "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately

filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents.”

If you don’t believe her now, why would you have believed her then?

Even when women do report sexual assault, it doesn’t always matter. According to the Department of Justice, only six out of every 1,000 reported rapists are incarcerated.

Decisions like these tell young women that we are not worthy of being believed. We are not worthy of protection. We are not worthy of anyone standing up on our behalf.

How can anyone reasonably expect young women to trust the system to protect them when it has so clearly demonstrated that it is more than willing to ignore their pain?

Ford’s story has exposed how little women’s voices are valued. Ford’s name has been dragged through the mud, her background trawled, her pain made a punchline. She had nothing to gain and everything to lose by coming forward. What is happening to Ford is exactly why women remain silent.

The person I am at 18 and the person I was at 17 are not separate entities. We are irrevocably shaped by our experiences — at any age.

When your youthful indiscretions have a traumatic impact on someone else’s entire life, you forfeit your right to file them neatly away as teenage mistakes.

Women know that there is nothing innocent about a man trying to put his hand over your mouth. Kavanaugh allegedly tried to silence Ford then; he and the entire Republican establishment are trying to silence her now.

A woman’s pain will never matter as much as a man’s reputation. I would like to believe that justice might be served, however belatedly.

But I’m 18, and I know better.

I

f I started smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, I might develop stained teeth, emphysema or even lung cancer. If I failed out of school, that might negatively affect my job prospects. Clearly, my choices at 17 have some long-term consequences.

So why are some on the right dismissing the allegations against Kavanaugh as “drunk teenagers playing seven minutes in heaven,” as Fox News writer Stephen Miller (no relation to the Trump policy advisor) tweeted? Another example: in an oped article for The Washington Post, Kathleen Parker claimed that “we are debating an adolescent boy’s qualifications to become a Supreme Court justice. What’s next, his potty training?”

My concern with some conservatives’ reactions to the allegations isn’t just that they exonerate Brett Kavanaugh and vilify Christine Blasey Ford. It is the bet-hedging and excuse-making — even if it did happen, they were just drunk teenagers, and it happened a long time ago — that legitimize such an attempt as if it’s normal teen behavior.

As a 17-year-old boy, I can assure you, it is not. Clearly, that night had long-term consequences for Ford; if Kavanaugh was responsible, he should face the consequences as well. That night still matters.

For those who directly challenged and questioned Ford’s allegations, a common theme keeps resurfacing: why didn’t she go directly to the police or report the incident when it happened or any time in the last 36 years?

Beyond the well-documented difficulty survivors have coming forward to tell their stories, it is easy to imagine that there is another force working against women who have been assaulted: deep-rooted adher-

ence to the Bro Code.

During Kavanaugh’s testimony, we learned that his friends were central to his high school experience. He spent most of his time in the summer of 1982 working out, drinking and vacationing with them.

Aside from often-sidestepped teenage drinking laws, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Kavanaugh’s close connection to his high school buddies. It does, however, raise questions about their loyalty to him and where that loyalty ends.

If Ford had come out with her story when the incident happened, would Kavanaugh’s friends have testified against him? If they knew he was a heavy drinker or sought to take advantage of girls at parties, would they have spoken up or stayed silent?

According to Ford’s allegations, the other boy in the room, Mark Judge, laughed and watched as Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand and tried to rip off her clothing.

Thirty-five years later, we still have not heard directly from Judge; all we have is a six sentence letter from his lawyer. Judge’s absence speaks volumes.

As the FBI investigation continues, we don’t know what his former classmates will say about him. It is probable, however, that some of these friends could prove to be key witnesses. It remains to be seen whether they will try to protect their old pal.

If we want more women to come forward with their stories and more sexual assailants put behind bars, then the toxic side of the Bro Code — which values loyalty over morality — has to end.

The fact that they were in high school is not an excuse. And the fact that Kavanaugh’s friends aren’t speaking up is inexcusable.

I am 17, and I know better.

Eli Maierson, Senior Assignments Editor

Sophie Caldwell, Editor-In-Chief

PHOTOS BY THEO SANDERS DESIGN BY CLARA BROTZEN-SMITH

THE REVIEW

St. John's School | 2401 Claremont Lane, Houston, TX 77019 sjsreview.com | SNO Distinguished Site 2018 | Facebook SJS Review Twitter @SJS_Review | Instagram @sjsreview | Snapchat @sjsreview 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 Editor Prithvi Krishnarao Creative Director Stephen Kim Design Editor Clara Brotzen-Smith Assistant Design Editors Amélie Perrier, Siena Zerr Senior Copy Editor Shani Israel Copy Editors Hrishabh Bhosale, Noura Jabir, Sophia Lima, Abigail Poag Photography Editor (Print) Eric Hang 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, Sinclair Mott Senior Technology Officer Matthew Giordano

Video Editors Jack Shea, Alex Tinkham Assistant Video Editor Will McKone Staff Manar Ansari, Aatiqah Aziz, Max Beard, Harrison Blanton, Taylor Britton, Megan Chang, Ella Chen, Katina Christensen, Wyatt Cyprow, Michael Daichman, Fareen Dhuka, Ryan Doughty, Sara Doyle, Mia Fares, Lucy Haire, Wenqing He, Matthew Hensel, Celine Huang, Thomas Hunt, Tyler King, Cross Kennedy, Ethan Kinsella, Nat Larsen, Russell Li, Bailey Maierson, Afraaz Malick, Sadie McCabe, Lily McCullough, Camille McFarland, Hamzah Mir, Indrani Maitra, Ellie Monday, Leila Pulaski, 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

Member Columbia Scholastic Press Assn.: Gold Crown 2015 & 2018 Silver Crown 2014 & 2016-17 National Scholastic Press Assn.: Pacemaker 2015, Finalist 2018, 1st Place Best of Show (Special Edition) 2017 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 Trust-

ees 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).

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THE REVIEW

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OPINIONS

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

STAFF EDITORIAL

JAMES SY AND CELINE HUANG

An open, diverse press protects our democracy What if all we had was Fox News? Or MSNBC? Regardless of where the coverage falls on the political spectrum, every point of view deserves to be expressed, and together, different perspectives shape our understanding of pressing societal matters.

That’s why freedom of the press is part of the First Amendment. From the start, journalism has been integral to our democracy.

For most of our history, our presidents have honored our right to share our own interpretations of events around us. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our current president, who has labeled the media — or, specifically, any media that doesn't fully support his every move — as the “enemy of the people.”

“A stain on America!”

“Biased!”

“Dishonest!”

These epithets have regularly graced his Twitter feed and integrated “fake news” into our daily vernacular. The cry of “fake news” has become an excuse to delegitimize journalists.

As student journalists, we find these assaults on the press frustrating and deeply upsetting. These accusations misrepresent our goals and intentions of student journalists nationwide.

No, we don’t have a secret agenda. No, we’re not out to sabotage anyone. Like physicians, our goal is to do no harm.

One of the primary purposes of the press is to hold people in power accountable. The Day of Reckoning has rightfully come for Richard Nixon, Paul

Manafort, Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein, thanks to reporters who worked tirelessly to investigate the truth.

If we didn’t have a diverse array of perspectives represented in the media, our knowledge of world events would be too skewed to make informed decisions.

We strive to always report with integrity and share your incredible stories with the St. John’s community. We center our content around the School community, use quote and fact checks to ensure the accuracy and validity of our reporting and maintain the anonymity of our sources when not doing so would cause harm.

The media is not the enemy of the people. It’s the protector of our democracy.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Our promise: report on real stories that matter Dear Readers, We joined the Review during our freshman year, two terrified staffers who sat together in the corner and tried not to incur the wrath of the all-powerful editors.

Sophomore year, we became copy editors, and we were introduced to the wild, wonderful and exhausting world of operating a student newspaper: grueling weekend and late-night work sessions, a steady diet of Jolly Rancher-flavored Pop Tarts and Little Debbie donuts, 10-minutesto-deadline panics and delirious late nights. Despite our status as annoying underclassmen, our editors patiently helped us hone our skills, guiding us through headline writing and the intricacies of the inverted pyramid article style.

By junior year, we were assignments editors, writing our own stories while helping others write theirs.

We are incredibly honored to serve as Editors-in-Chief this year, and we look forward to continuing the legacy of the incredible student journalists who came before us.

Around this time last year, we were reeling from Hurricane Harvey. Some of our peers faced extensive damage to their homes (see page 7), and many volunteers rushed to shelters to help those who were displaced. We scrapped our first issue and began

planning 20 pages dedicated exclusively to sharing your Harvey stories.

We received multiple awards for our Harvey coverage: First Place Special Edition from the National Scholastic Press Association and our first Pacemaker finalist nomination since 2015 (see page 4).

With a foundation of high-quality journalism, we are making changes to broaden the impact of our paper.

For the first time, every Upper School household will be mailed a copy of each issue.

This summer, eight senior editors spent a week at Columbia University attending a journalism workshop. We ate some truly suspect food truck fare, got hopelessly lost on the subway, took embarrassing selfies in Central Park and watched the Pride Parade. We also spent hours every night preparing for our first issue, fine-tuning our new design well into the wee hours.

Our team came back from Columbia with a new staff manual, a revamped design and an ironclad sense of camaraderie.

We were in class at Columbia when the news broke of the Capital Gazette shooting in Annapolis. Later that night, our classmates — editors from around the country — sat in silence as we contemplated the tragic impact of vitriol directed against journalists.

Amid the recent villainization of the

press — just listen to the cries of “fake news” from our nation’s leaders — we promise that we will stay faithful to our mission statement: We strive 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.

We promise to report on the stories that matter to you.

We promise to inform you of relevant news and cultural trends.

We promise to listen.

We invite you to request coverage by visiting our website, commenting on our Facebook posts or writing a Letter to the Editor.

No matter what issues we face as a school, city or country, we will be there once again to provide incisive coverage.

We were nearly finished with this issue when the Judge Kavanaugh hearings occurred. Despite having only a few days until deadline, we decided that this story was too important to ignore, so we carved out two pages (see pages 4 and 17), got in contact with alumni at Harvard and Yale (both former Review editors), and took a deep dive into the complex topic.

Regardless of how removed you may feel from the stories of the day, or what your political opinions may be, we urge you to stay informed.

ERIC HANG

SJSREVIEW.COM

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ODDS & ENDS

ODDS & ENDS Lifers By Caitlin Ellithorpe

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19

OCTOBER 2, 2018

WORD FOR "Is cheese a spice?"

WORD - Joshua Tsai, '19

"Look around the room. Some people in this room have friends. some do not. " - dr.

60 SECONDS

raulston

WITH FALL CAPTAINS

LEILA PULASKI

CARLEE MÁRQUEZ Nickname Carlito Dream Job Peace Corp Favorite Spot on Campus The Quad when we have Senior Tea Weird Hobby Raising Goats Quirk Quoting Vines Theme Song Dinero -JLo, DJ Khaled, Cardi B Patronus Horse Love to Hate Little Bee Hate to Love Cross Country Relationship Status I'm trying, okay?

Red Carpet Date Maluma

Phobia Not being able to watch Cable Girls Doppelgänger Jyra Pringle Known For Leaving my fine arts credit until senior year Book Harry Potter... yeah I know I'm basic Zodiac Sign Pisces looking for a Taurus or Cancer Slogan "Carlito Bandito"- Juliette Draper Allergies Something in Chile, I'm still not so sure...

Follow me?

IG: @carlee_marquez

LEILA PULASKI

MICHAEL SPEDALE Nickname Tophat McGee Dream Job "Social Media Influencer" Favorite Spot on Campus Senior Country Couches Weird Hobby Professional Paper Tosser Quirk Bad Dancing Theme Song "Should've Been a Cowboy" -Toby Keith Patronus Tiger Love to Hate Bama Hate to Love Cafeteria soft serve Relationship Status On the market

Red Carpet Date Jennifer Aniston Phobia Ferris Wheels Doppelgänger Pops Known For Terrible Jokes Book Lonesome Dove Zodiac Sign Leo Slogan Swagger so bright I don't even need a light Allergies Weakness Follow me? hmu on the gram

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THE REVIEW

THE BACKPAGE

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OCTOBER 2, 2018

TRENDING ON

Visit us at www.sjsreview.com

THEO SANDERS

Special Music: Claremont Heir performs 'Buddy Holly'

Five freshmen formed a rock band known as Claremont Heir in May 2017. Read about their journey to pop stardom and watch the band perform in the first Special Music of the year.

Story by Megan Chang

Gow injured, Caldwell becomes 'next man up'

LEILA PULASKI

After starting quarterback Wesley Gow was lost for the season, George Caldwell has had to take the reins early.

Story by Afraaz Malick and Noura Jabir

Waters sisters explore passion for trapeze

GERRY WATERS

Sacha and Nathalie Waters have an unusual summer vacation activity: trapezing in England.

Story by Indrani Maitra

Alumni bike 4,500 miles in Texas 4000

EVAN WELSH

This summer, three alumni biked from Austin to Alaska in the longest annual charity bike ride in the world.

Story by Katina Christensen and Afraaz Malick

LEILA PULASKI

Asian-American representation in media trends upward As seen in recent movies such as "Crazy Rich Asians," "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" and "Searching," Asian representation in Hollywood is steadily increasing.

Story by Tyler King and Ella Chen

THEO SANDERS

Volleyball game sparks spirit across sports teams

Girls' volleyball received support from football and boys' volleyball players during their game against Incarnate Word.

Story by SJ Lasley