Belfield Banter Fall 2024 Edition

ISSUE II.

BELFIELD BANTER -THE FALL EDITION-

“STAB XC” IVY LYMAN ‘25

“END OF THE ERAS TOUR” CADIGAN PERRIELLO ‘25

The St. Anne’s Belfield Cross-Country team might not be the most widely celebrated team at STAB, however, through both the team culture and the dedicated pursuits, the success of our team this year has been immense.

The season began with a two-mile dual meet at Tandem Friends School. While a very low-key meet, our team came to run with the top four girls from St. Anne’s: Cadigan, Nori, Ellie, and Olivia, and 2 out of the top 5 boys from St. Anne’s: Quinn and Ryan. Our first true meet of the season started off on a high note at Fork Union, with a top 10 finisher, Cadigan at 9th, on the girl sides and Quinn coming in 18th, and we have continued that trend at every meet since, with Cadigan Perriello and Quinn Eliason placing top 10 in every race they’ve run. At the VA XC Showcase at Pole Green Park in Richmond, the girls' team came home with a second-place finish, with a tie for points for first. The Cross Country points system is not too simple to explain, but the tiebreaker went to the other team. Coming home with a big trophy, and many PRs, including Nori, Ellie, and Cadigan, every single member of the girl's team ran in the Varsity race and left it all out on the field.

Over two years ago, Taylor Swift announced a tour that would honor and celebrate her 18 years in the music industry by taking a trip through every era of her music. While boosting the economy of every city she’s attended in addition to bringing joy and friendship with her, Swift’s tour has left an indelible mark on the music industry. As the highest-grossing tour of all time, the Eras Tour is the first-ever tour to surpass US$1 billion in revenue. The Tour began with a Ticketmaster crash and thousands of angry fans leading to lawsuits and controversy, had a concert canceled due to terrorist threats, included countless rain delays, and plans to conclude in Vancouver this December. While the broad cultural and socioeconomic impacts of the tour could span pages, instead I want to focus on my experience with the Eras Tour and its impact on me. I first attended an Eras Tour concert in the Spring of my sophomore year in Philadelphia with my mom and two sisters. After school, we drove the four and a half hours to the concert and drove back home afterward with many stops for coffee. While I experienced a small bout of car-sickness on the way up, my memories from the concert, on Mother’s Day, will forever stay with me.

“STAB XC” CONT. On the boys' side, Quinn ran a 15:17, tying the school record for the 5k with many PRs and a hard-working race. The JV team ran an amazing race, packing up and staying strong even in the heat of the late afternoon. At the LIS meet, the girls placed, beating St. Catherine’s for the first time since 2016, and the boys got third in the VPL, tying the best the boys have done in school history. Quinn was the Conference Champion, with Kaden also earning the AllConference title. Four girls, Cadigan, Nori, Ellie, and Blair also received the All-Conference Title. While our JV runners are done for the year, their achievements are not to be overlooked since every runner dropped time off of their 5k time over the course of the season!

While results are what each individual is after, and I’m sure we will see more to come at the Nike XC Regional Meet for Cadigan and Quinn, the dedication and hard work encompass the true spirit and devotion of our team. With countless early morning practices in the dark or the only team to have practice during a literal hurricane, our team put in the hours, or miles of trials, to get where we are. Not only that, the team found time for fun, including the annual STAB Bucks tradition(ask a team member), the Halloween Candy Hunt in the woods, and the Find-The-Captains scavenger hunt. The State Meet at our home course Panorama Farms was a satisfying end to the season, with 3 All-State Runners (Quinn – 2nd) (Cadigan – 3rd) (Nori – 8th), and many PRs on a crazy difficult course.

The team finished strong and allowed the hard work and dedication from the season to pay off one more time, shaving time places off from the beginning of the season. Good luck to those competing at the Nike XC Regional Race on November 23rd and thank you to everyone who supporting the Cross Country Team this fall!

-Ivy Lyman

“END OF THE ERAS TOUR” CONT.

As Taylor chose one of her surprise songs, “The Best Day”, about her mother, I caught my mom’s eye and turned to my sisters and felt the connection that Taylor had deepened between us. Growing up to the chords of Taylor’s songs, seeing her perform live felt like a piece of a missing puzzle finally falling into place. While my mom, an avid concert-goer throughout her life, was not the biggest Taylor Swift fan before the concert, she walked out of the stadium in complete awe. She commented that it was by far the most impressive and entertaining concert she had ever witnessed and declared right then that she had to find a way for us to go again. Rather than a closing chapter, attending this tour drove our love and connection to Swift and her music. Our girls' group chat still features many updates regarding new music or concert outfits, keeping me connected to my sisters despite being hundreds of miles away.

This past weekend, I attended my second Eras Tour Concert in New Orleans, Louisiana. After spending months growing my excitement over the event, I was terrified it would not live up to the image I had painted in my head. Taylor’s newest album, The Tortured Poets Department, immediately became my favorite album and I declared I would not see any of the outfits or sets from that section of her concert until we were in the Stadium. As Taylor emerged in her black gloves and white puffy dress, I knew I could’ve never imagined the theatrical elements of this aspect of the concert. The concert played out in the blink of an eye, with a surprise appearance from Sabrina Carpenter and a beautiful opening by Gracie Abrams. However, the most memorable aspect of the night was the kinship and wholesome nature of the fans. While thousands of avid fans waited for hours in the merch line or waiting for the restroom, everywhere I went I was greeted by smiles, compliments, and friendship bracelets. A unique tradition of Taylor’s concerts, fans make and trade friendship bracelets featuring song titles, quotes, or Taylor Swift inside jokes. The trading began for me and my sister in the airport when a little girl came up to us with two bracelets and a smile on her face. Looking nervously back at her mom, she asked if we wanted to trade bracelets.

“SOPHMORE GRADE LEVEL EXPERIENCE” ELLIE WOMACK ‘27

“END OF THE ERAS TOUR” CONT.

Sophomore Grade Level Experience “Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and caldron bubble” (Shakespeare).

At 8:30 AM, three buses containing the sophomore class departed from St. Annes, traveling to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia.

Arriving at 9:30, we explored Staunton for half an hour, peering in shop windows, checking out cute coffee shops, and ambling down the road amongst friends. Ushers greeted us by the doors of the center at 10 AM and led us into the Blackfriar’s Playhouse, a replica of the Globe Theater where Shakespeare’s plays were performed almost 500 years ago.

The theater seats were arranged in a horseshoe shape with the wooden stage filling the gap at the front. A balcony behind the stage offered a dynamic way for actors to interact with each other and was an interesting addition to the set. Universal lighting illuminated the crowd as well as the stage so that the audience could view the actors, the actors could view the audience, and the audience could view each other, making for a more interactive and community feel for the performance.

Seated in the upper balcony section of this theater, the sophomores viewed an excellent rendition of Macbeth. The actors opened the show in July of this year and performed a student matinée for our grade as well as several other schools in addition to having a Q&A at the end to answer any questions about their acting process and the play itself. This experience will serve to prepare our class for our study of Macbeth in Humanities 10 later this year.

After the play had concluded, the class walked to Mary Baldwin University and ate a great lunch at their dining hall. We relaxed and unwinded over the meal before heading outside into the beautiful fall day to do some individual reflection. We wrote about the scenes, characters, and themes of Macbeth, our first general thoughts before truly studying the play. At 2 PM, after an educational day in Staunton, we hopped on the bus and relaxed before arriving back at school, ready to tackle our sports practices and afternoon activities.

After trading and conversing over our favorite aspects of her concert, the little girl walked away overjoyed. This simple exchange encompasses the magic of Taylor’s concert experience. There are few places where no one is judged for the excitement and joy over her music, however, by creating a culture of friendship and community among her fans, Taylor aims to bring joy and kindness to every city and individual she meets.

If you think this article is overwhelmingly in favor of Taylor Swift, you are right. Taylor Swift and her music have been an integral part of my childhood and upbringing and helped me through some of my most difficult moments. While there is no doubt room for controversy or debate over Swift and her career, my experience with the Eras Tour has done nothing but foster my connection to my sisters, my mom, and Taylor and I hope everyone has a chance to listen to her music and their lyrics.

“FRESHMAN GRADE LEVEL EXPERIENCE” GRACE BROWNE ‘28 The freshmen spent their grade level experience this mod giving back to the community followed by bonding as a class. Our morning was comprised of working together with the Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club to clear obstacles, level trails, and create new ones, just a short hike away from the Greenway Rise Campus. Working together as a grade, we made a considerable impact, combining hundreds of hours of work. The morning was beautiful, warming far above the normal, chilly October day. Once back at school, we chose from activities including pickleball, cooking, trivia, and board games. We relaxed and connected with our classmates without the stress of schoolwork, which is a luxury that doesn’t happen very often. The day turned out to be both productive and a much-appreciated break from our regular school schedule.

“THE JUNIOR GRADE LEVEL EXPERIENCE” CAROLINE REILLY ‘26

“FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON” LOVISSA PRICE ‘26

The October 23 junior grade-level experience entailed two separate activities: work time for American studies research projects with an enlightenment-themed walk to the UVA grounds, and a three-hour mediation workshop led by Mr. Bob Garrity.

Starting by working on our AP Seminar research projects, my group brainstormed various research questions and did some preliminary research by reading various articles and journals in the seminar room. After our research time, Dr. Simeone and Mr. Taylor led a walk to the UVA grounds. On the way, we stopped at the cemetery next to the university, which has served as the final resting place for many of the most prominent figures of UVA. Continuing through the grounds, we concluded at the lawn to reflect on our American Studies themes. We have been recently covering the Age of Enlightenment, an intellectual and physiological movement that transpired in Europe between the 17th and 18th centuries. Here we were surrounded by Enlightenment-era architecture, such as the rotunda, and we were given readings detailing the Enlightenment inspiration that influenced Thomas Jefferson. Through seeing real-world examples of the topics we had learned about in the classroom, our experience broadened our understanding of the scope of the Enlightenment and its substantial social impacts. Once we returned to school, we enjoyed a lunch break (Canes was provided) before moving on to the mediation workshop. Mediation involves the intervention of a mediator in order to resolve a dispute. In this lecture, Bob Garrity, founder of Garrity Mediation, described the importance of listening, empathizing, and understanding in order to resolve interpersonal conflicts. For the remainder of our Mediation session, we engaged in discussions and worked with one another to improve our communication and mediation skills. Adding on to the school year's theme of civil civic discourse, this workshop provided our grade with the skills to conduct difficult conversations while showing us the cruciality of being willing to engage in those conversations and communicate our opinions.

With the new skills for conversations and an impactful trip to see the real-world implications of our American Studies course, this GLE developed a deeper educational understanding for the junior class. With only one more Grade Level of Experience left this year, I can’t wait to finish off the year strong with another chance to bond with my grade.

In the poignant novel Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes explores the journey of Charlie Gordon, a mentally disabled man who undergoes an experimental surgery designed to increase his intelligence. The story is presented through Charlie's progress reports, bringing the reader into Charlie’s reality to create a first-hand experience.

Initially, Charlie is blissfully unaware of his limitations, displaying an endearing naivety that evokes both sympathy and laughter. His interactions with coworkers, particularly at a bakery, highlight his struggles with social cues and language, often leading to humorous misunderstandings. As the surgery takes effect, Charlie's IQ skyrockets, and he quickly adopts the brilliance he longed for. However, this newfound mental capability comes with unexpected challenges, turning his life into a blend of intellectual triumphs and social disasters.

For instance, Charlie’s attempts at romance take an amusing yet tragic turn when he invites his love interest, Alice, on an elaborate date featuring a presentation on “The Benefits of Dating a Genius.”

While his intentions are noble, the execution results in awkwardness and confusion, illustrating the novel's central theme: intelligence does not equate to emotional maturity.

As Charlie delves deeper into his intellectual pursuits, he begins to feel alienated from his past. His relationship with Algernon, the lab mouse who underwent the same procedure, serves as a metaphor for his own journey. The once playful, innocent spirit of Charlie gives way to isolation, creating a bittersweet narrative that balances humor with a deep sense of loss. Keyes' dazzling prose paints the wide spectrum of human emotion and firmly cements its place as one of the most thought-provoking and beautiful books in the genre

“NOBEL PRIZES 2024” KATE CHENG ‘26

“AMERICAN BEAUTY (2013 REMASTER)

BY THE GRATEFUL DEAD”

The 2024 Nobel Prizes were awarded this October in Oslo, Norway. The prizes were given to six groups of gifted laureates in varied fields of study. The six categories that are recognized each year are physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, peace work, and economic sciences.

SARAH SANDERS ‘26

The first winners were presented on Oct 7 in the field of physiology or medicine. Dr Victor Ambros (professor of natural science, UMass Chan Medical School) and Dr. Gary Ruvkun (professor of genetics, Harvard Medical School) discovered the existence of microRNA by studying tiny roundworms. This new class of RNA molecules led to a new principle of gene regulation to help explain and cure malfunctions in organisms.

The award for physics went to the duo Dr. John J. Hopfield (professor at Princeton) and Dr. Geoffrey E. Hinton (professor of computer science, University of Toronto) for their work with artificial intelligence. For many years, the two have proved dedicated to the fields of computer science and mathematics. Despite the discovery not being classic “physics” work, the two have undoubtedly earned the award. “What is nice about physics,” said Dmitry Krotov, a physicist at MIT, “is that historically, it is always expanding.”

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to three scientists who used A.I. to predict the structure and shape of millions of proteins. Dr. Demis Hassabis and Dr. John Jumper of Google DeepMind created the protein manufacturing software, and Dr. David Baker (University of Washington) pushed the technology even further to create a new protein entirely.

Han Kang received this year’s award for literature.

Her work has been acclaimed for its subversive and vivacious nature, earning her much praise from the Nobel committee. Kang is from Gwangju, South Korea, the first writer to bring back the award for her home country, hopefully sparking a new wave of artists to endeavor to do the same.

AN EDITION OF MONTHLY ALBUM REVIEWS

If there were ever a band I wish I could have experienced in concert, it would have to be the Grateful Dead—for the atmosphere. Everyone there would have a good time and enjoy some great music.

An estimated Grateful Dead show was usually three hours long, full of jams and Jerry Garcia’s funny presence. Recently, I was saddened to hear the news about Phil Lesh, who passed away at the age of 84.

Lesh was a founding member of the Grateful Dead and an incredibly talented bassist. Formed in the “Golden State” in 1965, the Grateful Dead would become one of music history's most influential bands. The band consisted of lead vocals and guitarist Jerry Garcia (1965-1995), vocalist and guitarist Bob “Bobby” Weir (1965-1995), bassist and vocals Phil Lesh (1965-1995), drums Bill Kreutzmann (1965-1995), drums Mickey Hart (1965-1970, 1974-1995), organs, vocals, harmonica and keyboards Ron “Pigpen” McKernan (1965-1972), piano Tom Constanten (1968-1970), keyboards Keith Godchaux (1971-1979), vocals Donna Jean Godchaux (1971-1979), lyricist and “poet” Robert Hunter (undecided), keyboards and vocals Brent Mydland (1979-1990), keyboards Bruce Hornsby (1990-1992) and keyboards Vince Welnick (19901995). Fans of the Grateful Dead are called “Deadheads” and were loyal concertgoers who traveled miles and miles on the road to catch the next Dead show. I love how, in every Grateful Dead song, the present feeling of happiness and passion, through different stories and fun characters, the Grateful Dead portrays everyone as human beings.

American Beauty is the Grateful Dead’s fifth studio album and sixth overall. It began recording in August and was released on November 1st, 1970. It evokes feelings like the smell of a summer bonfire, the mustiness of a flowing river, and sweet roses, and it feels like nostalgia for familiar faces and places. Many other reviewers praise American Beauty as the Grateful Dead’s best studio album, even over Workingman’s Dead. Though Workingman’s Dead has a folky and meditative sound, American Beauty sticks to those roots while making their jam-rock sound more prominent. This album illustrates that even if a band is portrayed as a “live” band, the Grateful Dead proves the critics wrong and creates a beautifully organized album with musical harmony and instrumental chemistry.

“NOBEL PRIZES 2024” CONT.

“MONTHLY ALBUM REVIEWS” CONT.

The award for peace work was handed out to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors striving to raise awareness of the dangers and horrors of nuclear weapons. The survivors use their memories as testimony to “somehow grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons” (Jorgen Watne Frydres, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee).

In Honor of Lesh’s sudden passing, I will review “Box of Rain” – the album’s first song out of ten – first. It was written by Lesh, with lyrics curated by Hunter.

The song displays how Lesh’s father was dying from cancer during the recording of the album. When asked what the meaning of the song name was, Hunter said, “By ‘box of rain,’ I meant the world we live on, but ‘ball’ of rain didn’t have the right ring to my ear, so box it became, and ‘I don’t know who put it there.’” If you know anything about the Grateful Dead and Lesh, this is only one of two songs he leads, the other being “Unbroken Chain” from their seventh studio album, From the Mars Hotel. This song was the final song they all played together live. Their last concert was on July 9th, 1995, at Soldier Field, Chicago.

“What a long strange trip it's been;” these lyrics, the phrase associated with the Grateful Dead, are from the album's final track. “Truckin’” is a beautiful song on how, when you get a setback in any way in life, you get right back up and keep “Truckin.’” The song was said by most band members to be an “autobiographical” representation of life on the road for the band members. Songs like these are almost like a history book for music lovers, shaping what that time was like for those who couldn't experience it and all the troubles and excitement of life in the 70s. What is nice about “Truckin’,” like so many other songs, is that it is simple if you consider it to be only about the life of being a band on the road. Still, if you notice within these songs the complexity of how we experience life, explore, see new places, and meet new people, there is much more depth to the songs.

Who has not been inspired by the Grateful Dead?

When researching, I found it incredibly hard to narrow down how many groups and artists were inspired by such an influential group of talented musicians. Some groups keeping the Grateful Dead’s spirit and sound alive are My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, and Phish. Phish’s lead guitarist and vocalist, Trey Anastasio and Weir have been lifelong friends and played countless times together over the last few decades. Also, if you’ve been to any Tedeschi Trucks Band (one of my favorites) or Goose concerts, you are destined to see a Grateful Dead tour hat or shirt worn by twirling hippies even in today's age.

Finally, the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded on Oct 14 to Dr. Daron Acemoglu (MIT), Dr. Simon Johnson (MIT), and Dr. James Robinson (UChicago). The three researched the history of global nations and came to conclusions that explained the gaps in prosperity between states.

In December, the laureates will receive their medals, diplomas, and 11 million Swedish kronor (1.07 million USD) in Stockholm, concluding the Nobel Prize ceremonies for 2024. The six groups from this year will be able to add their names to the illustrious list of past winners, holding their place with pride.

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“HURRICAN MILTON AND HELENE” SEBASTIAN LAZA ‘26

“MONTHLY ALBUM REVIEWS” CONT.

Two hurricanes, Milton and Helene, hit late into the season and with extreme ferocity. Milton went for Tampa and swung through the center of Florida. More devastatingly, Helene went inland and caused severe flooding and mudslides in Appalachia. Misinformation about the hurricane spread and led to angry individuals attacking FEMA. The response to the hurricanes was swift but became politicized.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 103 people died in North Carolina, making it one of the most deadly hurricanes on record. Stories from the hurricane, for example, a Florida Man who rode out both hurricanes in his boat in Tampa Bay, became popular on social media. The man live-streamed parts of his experience and went viral. This hurricane differs from past ones in that the experience was widely covered both on social media and by the traditional news. Furthermore, the storm's timing plays into the challenges Florida and even areas inland will face due to climate change. Helen may be considered the modern-day Katrina and marks a new way that storms get covered and their destruction. With climate change, the storms expected in the future will become stronger and stronger as well as more widely covered by average civilians documenting their experience on live streaming services and social media.

In conclusion, one of the critical things that I, and others, can learn from the Grateful Dead’s music is that our lives are in constant motion, and it doesn’t hurt to look for new places, ideas, music, art, and people. There is this prominent metaphor for light in numerous songs. For example, in one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs, “Scarlet Begonias,” the lyrics sing, “Once in a while, you get shown the light/In the strangest of places if you look at it right.” It encourages one to look at situations differently, from a new point of view and a new moral standpoint. In times like these, I think it is best to have a nonjudgemental view and realize that everyone is on their own journeys and “strange trips” through life.

“CRUMBL COOKIE REVIEW: VISUALIZED”

“CRUMBL COOKIE REVIEW” CADIGAN PERRIELLO ‘25 Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk Basic chocolate chip cookie, pretty solid.

Blue Monster Ft. CHips Ahoy!

Everyone thought it was not a great cookie, but it was not a bad one. A little too chilled.

Peanut Butter Ft. Reese’s Pieces Reese’s pieces were melty and a very warm cookie. Peanut Butter cookie was amazing and had a very moist texture.

Dirt Cake Very salty chocolate, good creamy frosting but a little too dense.

Halloween Cake Batter Blondie White chocolate inside was controversial. Wish it was a warm cookie.

Sticky Bun All thought it was the best cookie. The pecan cinnamon sugar streusel on top was phenomenal, a warm cinnamon sugar cookie, very gooey.

The Fall Playlist

“THE BOLTER” TAYLOR SWIFT

“THE BOXER” SIMON AND GARFUNKEL

“”LEATHER AND LACE” STEVIE NICKS

“PURPLE RAIN” PRINCE

“THAT'S SO TRUE” GRACIE ABRAMS

“GIRL I'M GONNA MISS YOU” MILLI VANILLI

“THE TAKEOVER” ANGEL OLSEN

“BLAME IT ON THE RAIN” MILLI VANILLI

“EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IS MAGIC” THE POLICE

“AUGUST” FLIPTURN

BANTER STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CADIGAN PERRIELLO ROSE RYAN-BYRNE

WRITERS & STAFF

ALEX BAER ARI KASTELLO CAROLINE REILLY NORI CARTER KATE CHENG LOVISSA PRICE SEBASTAIAN LAZA SARAH SANDERS CLEMENTE NORAMBUENA CARTER KELLY GRACE BROWN HENRY DOZIER ELLIE WOMACK

FORMATTING

NORI CARTER CLEMENTE NORAMBUENA