November 2017 | The Pine Needle

The Pine Needle

Table of Contents

St. Christopher’s School ● Richmond, Virginia ● Volume CII ● Issue 1

The Pine Needle is the magazine of St. Christopher’s School.

It is run, written, edited and designed by students in grades nine through twelve.

Cover art by Spencer Cox ’18, colored pencil drawing of Mason Lecky surveying ongoing construction projects at StC

1 Construction 3 A Tale of Two Stores 5 Max Nabokow 6 Mohamed Ismacil 7 Mrs. Zhu 8 Harkness Method 9 Mrs. Bandal 10 Mr. Bruner 11 Alexander Levengood 12 Gerard Broussard 13 Waterman 17 Ron Smith

18 Coach Wright 19 Eclipse 21 Saints Card 22 Tyler Hutchison 23 Cameron Lovings 24 MIND 25 Cuba 27 7/11 28 AP Psychology 29 Zach Temple & Chris Ingrasci 31 The Oak Needle

The Pine Needle Staff Editors-in-Chief Kinloch Nelson ’18

Henry Rodriguez ’18

William Rodriguez ’18

Faculty Advisor Mrs. Kathleen Thomas

Freshmen

Photo/Art Credits

Juniors

Hugo Abbot Pete Bell Aubrey Bowles Oliver Hale Charlie Holdaway Taylor Jefferson Collin Taylor Henry Weatherford

Spencer Cox ’18 Tyler Hutchison ’19 Oliver Hale ’21 Mr. Jesse Peters

Henry Barden John Fitzgerald Hunter Gardner Tabb Gardner

Sophomore Connor Maloney

Seniors Clifford Foster Jack Franko Gray Hart

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The Pine Needle

Middle School Makeover

By Kinloch Nelson

Co-Editor-In-Chief

After years of being an iconic part of Upper School life, the beloved junior lot and the surrounding Ferguson Road area of the St. Christopher’s campus are getting a much-needed update.

According to Director of Development Delores Smith, the project is designed to provide better pedestrian and automobile safety, relieve congestion and enhance the appearance of the Middle School. The project consists of a new parking lot for juniors, landscaping, relocation of Ferguson Road and a new sign to tell people where they are.

Construction kickoff, planned for early summer, was delayed until mid-July because the City of Richmond had not yet approved the required permits.

The school coordinated the entire project with the city. St. Christopher’s negotiated with city officials to swap land to build a new entrance, and in exchange, the school is rerouting Ferguson Road and relocating the trash pickup for Henri Road houses so no one is inconvenienced. In addition, the city is building new drainage systems to offset the replacement of the old permeable lot with the new asphalt lot.

One of the most controversial aspects of the project is the removal of a few of the

tall pine trees that tower over the St. Christopher’s campus. Along with the ethical and aesthetic debate about the trees, the city considers tree canopy area an asset. Although it will take a few years before the new trees reach the same height as the old ones, the school is planting more than twice as many trees as were taken out.

STC Director of Capital Improvements Katie Chernau emphasized that a lot more effort is being put into landscaping for this project. “The new landscaping incorporates plantings and trees that can be maintained and help create good sight lines,” she said.

New oak and crepe myrtle trees have been specially chosen because they are more stable than pine trees and less likely to damage the new lot.

Mrs. Chernau also gave more details

with respect to the road and parking lot.

The new parking lot will have 56 spots, one more than the current senior lot, and by the school’s estimate about three more than were in the junior lot before construction.

The new parking area will have lighting, and students will not have to cross Ferguson Road to reach it.

The drop-off lane for the Middle School will be more than 100 feet longer, getting more cars off the road and into the carpool lane, and the lane will end in a roundabout with a temporary surface. “The final finishes of the roundabout connecting the drop-off lane and Henri Road will be completed in a different stage,” said Mrs. Chernau.

For many students in Upper School, the part of the project that matters most is the parking. In addition to the new lot near the Middle School, new back-in-angle parking has opened up on St. Christopher’s Road.

According to Mrs. Smith, St. Christopher’s will now have more parking than city code requires.

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The Pine Needle

A Tale of Two Stores

By Henry Rodriguez

Co-Editor-in-Chief

As St. Christopher’s unveils one new development after another each year, students will pay particular attention to one area: the ongoing changes to how, where and what we buy on campus.

Until the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, the only place to make a purchase was the Murrell Bookstore. Most students became intimately familiar with the offerings: snacks, school supplies and STC merchandise.

The bookstore hours, until another recent change, were infamous, with a relatively late opening, no activity during lunch and closing time at exactly 3:35 p.m.—and earlier on Fridays. Current and former middle schoolers are well acquainted with the total lack of having a free period to buy anything, accompanied by a five-minute rush towards the bookstore after the bell.

The bookstore’s popularity took a major hit recently with the administration’s decision to remove candy and cookies from its shelves. In a Pine Needle survey of the Upper School student body, more than 40 percent of students reported making trips to the bookstore at least every two days last year; of those, half went once or more daily. Now, enthusiasm has slowed. As of a week and a half since the start of school, almost two-thirds, 63.8 percent, had not

gone a single time.

As for the rationale behind the school’s decision, new Bookstore Director Janine Davila said, “it seems counterproductive to say ‘we’re serving the whole boy,’ and then make candy available.” While she didn’t make the decision, apparently the administration felt the same way.

Instead, she plans to improve the store in other ways. Mrs. Davila said, “I came to the bookstore with the same frame of mind that you guys [students] do... ‘Why isn’t it open?’” She recently expanded the hours to 7:45 a.m. until 4 p.m, Monday through Friday—remaining open during lunch. She hopes to give the store another new role as a “pop-up bookstore” at varsity athletic events, selling STC-themed clothes and merchandise. Mrs. Davila may also start a committee for student feedback on the store. “If there’s maybe a certain type of shirt that students wanted [to introduce]” she said, the group could meet over doughnuts to discuss.

In the future, major upgrades are in the works, and a common theme is “to make the bookstore available to everyone.” Mrs. Davila is working on unrolling an online store where members of the community can make purchases and get items shipped.

Meanwhile the physical store just got stocked with lots of new merchandise, and

may start selling some STC clothing for women so that parents and St. Catherine’s girls can join in.

Although the Murrell Bookstore continues to sell granola, nuts and cereal bars, those looking for something a little more substantive or sugary can go to the new store in town. The Saints Café, located on the left side of the catering area of the dining hall, sells sandwiches, fresh pastries, fruit, chips, Pop Tarts and Gatorade.

Students can buy fare with a debit card or the new SaintsCard, which also works at the bookstore and acts as a debit account for an account funded by parents.

Rumors ran rife that one of the major reasons for the Saints Café’s launch was to stop the torrent of stolen items from the cafeteria. Previously, bakery items were on sale between breakfast and lunch as students’ only choice for food. Their unattended presence, however, made the fruits of Sage’s labors ripe targets for famished Upper School students.

Sage Dining Head John Ernst deferred to the administration as the main force behind establishing the new café, but admitted that St. Christopher’s had been losing money overall. “What I think Mr. Lecky’s chosen to do is make people responsible,” he said. So far, Mr. Ernst says, the café is doing well; however, the

school’s main goal is to keep prices low for students while making a minimal profit.

The Saints Café is still a work in progress. “It’s a learning process ... I haven’t been in the café business,” Ernst said. He says that the main way for students to help in the early stages is to provide feedback.

The objective is to create “a balance between what kids want, what STC wants, and what Sage can do.”

Another Pine Needle survey shed some light on student opinion of the café. Auspiciously for the school, 73.4 percent of students had visited within its first two weeks.

On the other hand, while almost a third reported only positive feelings towards the new store and merely a quarter negative ones, more than 40 percent said they had “mixed feelings,” indicating that changes might still be needed.

Reactions to prices were mixed, with many citing them as both the best and worst features of the new café. Students were quite happy with the hours and featured Pop Tarts. A common complaint seemed to be a desire for more fare like the St. Catherine’s café’s large selection of freshly baked goods. Ernst said that he meant to “make a trip over there soon” and reminds students that he’s accessible for questions and comments most of the day.

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The Pine Needle

Max Hops the Pond

Mohamed Comes to America

By Gray Hart

Left: Max and his sister in The Netherlands; Right: Max and his host family, the Trices

By Hunter Gardner

Junior Staff Writer

Max Nabokow has crossed the pond for a year of challenging academics at St. Christophers. He is staying with the Trice family, who have two young boys in JK and preschool.

Nabokow has had good impressions of the school so far and is glad he’s able to study abroad at a private school, considering they’re almost nonexistent in Germany.

In his country there are only a handful of private schools, and only the children of wealthy figures and politicians generally attend.

Nabokow participates in swimming, tennis, soccer and crew as club sports. He also knows how to play the clarinet and piano and is learning the tenor saxophone. In Germany, Nabokow spends about 20 minutes on homework for all of his subjects combined, so the rigorous academics here are a shift from what he’s is accustomed to.

“St. Christopher’s is much more chal-

lenging academically, as I always have to do quite a lot of homework, and the frequency of tests and quizzes is much higher than what I am used to from Germany,” he said. Still, Nabokow acknowledged the options to ease the challenging academics.

Nabokow said St. Christopher’s provides many opportunities to make school work easier in general. He really enjoys the intense use of laptops and technology at school. “Back in Germany, we have a rather old-fashioned educational system; the teachers still write on green chalk boards and use overhead projectors. I support the everyday technology implementation I experience at St. Christopher’s, as the modern workplace almost exclusively relies on computers and technology.” Nabokow said.

He likes how the student-teacher relationship at St. Christopher’s is much less formal. Nabokow said, “I like that you are so close with your teachers, you

are like best friends.” He also appreciates the peer-to-peer relationships that required after-school activities afford. Nabokow has already become a prominent member of the varsity soccer team.

The most interesting thing Nabokow has experienced so far in America was a Flying Squirrels game his host family took him to on his birthday. “I had never watched baseball before, and I was amused by the fans walking around the stadium all the time to get food, instead of staying at their seats to watch the game because that’s what I’m used to from German soccer games,” he said.

Nabokow is excited to go to Washington D.C. with his host family and go to a Native American reservation for X-Term.

Nabokow’s goal for the trip is to immerse himself in American culture and improve his language skills. He doesn’t know if he will go abroad for college, but said that this exchange will help with that decision.

Senior Staff Writer

Before coming to America, Mohamed Ismacil ’18 had never been in the water or spent time in the woods. Nonetheless, he decided to jump right into the Waterman program. “I guess I am a little bit of a risk taker,” said the Somaliland native. “I like to try new things.”

The challenge has been formidable, but he learned quickly that when you hit rapids in a canoe, you have to keep paddling. “If you fight and fight against the challenge you will survive,” he said.

The same challenges apply to adjusting to the culture and customs here.

Before Ismacil came to America, he had never left Somaliland. “Coming to America has really taken me out of my comfort zone, but I am adjusting every day,” he said.

He has gone through a lot in the past three months and to see Ismacil embracing the challenges is inspiring. “He’s willing to try something new, he’s willing to make mistakes, and he’s reaping the benefits of doing that,” said Mr. Stuart Ferguson, head

of the Watermen program and an Upper School history teacher.

America has definitely been an adjustment for Ismacil. But with encouragement from his peers back home and his home school, Abaarso School, he took a leap of faith to come to here.

Everything is different. Even the sports and entertainment in Somaliland is different, where soccer is the only sport. Ismacil said, “Everything in Somaliland is limited.

We only play soccer, unlike America where there are lots of sports and things to do.”

Ismacil talked a lot about the food differences here in America. “Adjusting to different foods is difficult, back in Somaliland we only eat things like rice with sauce,” he said.

In fact, Ismacil never really thought about going to college or high school in the United States before attending Abaarso School in Somaliland, an American oriented school founded by Jonathan Star in 2009. Attending Abaarso led to Mohamed’s interaction with American Sec-

ondary Schools for International Students and Teachers (ASSIST). The program requires Abaarso students to study abroad for a year, then to go back home and work for a year before returning to America for college.

ASSIST has provided Mohamed a plan. “I am figuring out more and more everyday about what I want to do based on my experiences,” he said. Ismacil wants to attend school here in the United States to study civil rights and become a civil rights activist.

His plan to help him get there is first to teach. Ismacil said. “I want to become a college professor to teach the younger generation back home, because they will be the ones making the changes around the world.”

Ismacil has already encountered many challenges throughout his lifetime and continues to move along with a bright smile on his face every day. He said, “If you fight and fight against the challenge you will survive and end up as a happy person.”

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The Pine Needle

Teaching Chinese is Her Ministry

By Henry Weatherford

Freshman Staff Writer

With China’s growing power through its massive market, economy and population, it was a matter of time before St. Christopher’s independently taught Mandarin Chinese. /mrs.

Hanna Zhu is a member of the surging Christian youth in China.

Through a mixture of her love of teaching as well as her love for her culture and religion, she applied for the new position and was accepted.

Q: Why did you chose to move to Virginia and more specifically Richmond?

A: “I came to Richmond because of school. I attended the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond.”

Q: How did you become interested in teaching?

A: “When I was in China, I was an English teacher for a few years, and I enjoyed it very much. I was teaching in an elementary school. And then I came to the United States for further education. I got a master’s degree in special education and worked in an higher education environment. After that I went back to Beijing and taught English as a second language to a group of young adults, and I enjoyed that very much too. I feel as a person I’m always learning. I’m a lifelong learner, and I enjoy teaching younger people.”

Q: How has your life changed in America compared to your life in China?

A: “In America, I embraced a culture far from what I was used to, and I really liked the learning opportunities here, the opportunity to meet many different people from many different backgrounds, and learning about religions here. I’m a Christian. I became a Christian in America, and that really changed my life, to nurture God and spirituality.”

Q: Why do you believe Chinese is an important language to learn?

A: “This is the first time in history [that] westerners have embraced Chinese as a language to learn. China has a long

history, 5,000 years of beautiful civilization. Chinese philosophy, culture and religion has a lot to teach to Westerners. I think learning from the East can really enrich the thinking and learning experience of members of the St. Christopher’s community, especially now, with China’s massive population and massive market.”

Q: In your short amount of time here at STC has anything made you want to stay?

A: “I think this is a very strong community. People are very friendly and open. The staff and administration are excellent. I especially love the students here.”

Q: Do you have any goals as a teacher?

A: “As a teacher, I really like to see my students grow as I teach them. My goal is to see them speak and read and write Chinese, and hopefully after several years, they can gain a better mastery of the Chinese language and culture and be enriched by that.”

Q: Any life goals you might want to mention?

A: “I want to do things that I am called to do. I think teaching Chinese makes me feel alive because it is a passion for me … I think my life’s goal is to live every day to its fullest.”

Q: What do you consider your biggest accomplisment?

A: “I think my biggest accomplishment is to transition from China to America and find the past here and find who I am.”

Q: Did you ever consider going into the ministry?

A: “Yes, I had been looking for a ministry job, but God opened the doors for me to teach Chinese. Ever since, I discovered my passion to share my native language and culture to promote an intercultural understanding and appreciation.

I love teaching my nine boys in the Chinese I class. It is a joy every day to prepare for the lesson and carry out the teaching plans. Now I consider teaching Chinese my ministry.”

A Self-Fulfilling Lecture

By Connor Maloney Sophomore Staff Writer

In British Literature, Mr. Chris Whalen has the classroom arranged unusually.

The desks are set in a circle facing each other. The Upper School English teacher’s desk isn’t often used, instead existing to be cleaned as a punishment. Mr. Whalen sits down with us, hands out a story and has us read it.

I interpreted it as a story about kids who use their coats to bag pheasants for dinner, but the rest of the class had other ideas.

Mr. Whalen asked us to start going over what we thought of the story and gave us a few basic questions, letting us talk among ourselves.

This is the fundamental idea of the Harkness Method, a classroom model used to let students discuss lesson topics and concepts, only sparingly using the teacher’s input.

I’d expect that in a classroom that most people imagine with desks arranged in a

grid, it would have been different. I might have assumed the kids killed the pheasants until Mr. Hypothetical McTeacherman told me I was wrong.

Our classroom quickly figured out that the boys actually covered the pheasants to warm them in the rain, and we agreed that the short story said something about childhood innocence.

Mr. Whalen’s role in all of this wasn’t to give us answers and to lecture us, but to let us come to an answer for ourselves. That’s not to say that he didn’t have an idea of what the story was supposed to be about; he definitely asked a few leading questions and straightened us out when we started to argue about the morality of vegetarianism.

Most of the time though, he simply recorded the movement of the conversation, who said what to whom and how often.

His most important job may have been to tell us when to stop talking.

He isn’t the only teacher at St. Christo-

pher’s to work like this. Mr. Stuart Ferguson, Mr. John Green and Mr. Bucka Watson also use the Harkness model in their history, English and science classrooms.

Of course, they can’t use it for everything, as some subjects lend themselves better to prolonged discussion than others. The dialogue of Shakespeare is more open to interpretation than the chemical definition of metalloids.

The type of learning the Harkness Method entails, to put oneself on the spot, can be difficult to get used to. That holds especially true with lots of people and little focus, but teachers are allowed to help out in such situations. Used well, it has the ability to provide a rich, memorable and thoughtful learning environment.

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The Pine Needle

Ever Walked One Mile? Try 1,000

By Aubrey Bowles

Charlie Holdaway

Ms. Bandal Has a Baby

By Taylor Jefferson and Collin Taylor

Freshmen Staff Writers

Spanish Teacher Asha Bandal had always wanted to be a mother. Rather than taking the traditional route though, she began looking for another approach. After much thought, she decided to seek a sperm donor.

She was wary about the unknown, partly because she wasn’t allowed to see current photos of donors, only pictures of them as children. Ms. Bandal narrowed her choices down to two and was allowed to hear an audio tape of them being interviewed. She chose one, saying he was very optimistic as well as extroverted.

On July 31, she gave birth to Chase Christopher Bandal, weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces.

Ms. Bandal said she would not have made the decision she did without the support of the St. Christopher’s community. In addition, her mother, who lives in Minnesota, was a big help with the baby for the first eight weeks after birth and will return to Richmond to help with her transition back to work.

History teacher Scott Van Arsdale, who met Ms. Bandal while taking education classes 17 years ago at the University of Richmond, has remained a close friend and is one of Chase’s godparents. “As a friend group, we are all very proud of her,” Mr. Van Arsdale said. “We believe she is making the right decision and are all very confident she will have the support both of

them need.”

Since Chase was born, Ms. Bandal says she has felt great, despite often getting only four hours of sleep every night. Ms. Bandal said that being a mother has and will continue to change her life. She knows that her social life will change since everything now revolves around Chase, and she’ll definitely sleep less over the next few months and years to come.

On Nov. 6, Ms. Bandal will return to teaching Spanish at St. Chris. In the meantime, she’ll probably be around for more visits since she lives close by. “I love it here,” she said. “It’s hard not to be here, really.”

Freshmen Staff Writers

An avid teacher and a constant runner, Middle School English teacher Gene Bruner hobbled around in pain for three years. He had trouble sleeping. He needed a hip replacement, but he was told he was too young.

He relied on a cane to help with mobility. Mr. Bruner had to stop every form of exercising that he enjoyed. He said, “My running logs and daily journals had nothing but blank pages.”

Looking forward, he was bummed thinking he wouldn’t be able to dance at his daughter’s wedding or pick up his grandchildren. “I had given up,” he said. “I thought my next step is a wheelchair.”

Mr. Bruner has been a devoted runner since he was young. He ran cross country and track and field for St. Christopher’s back in the mid 1970s. He then continued his illustrious running career at the College of William & Mary. He won medals in the longer events like the 10,000-meter and marathon. Mr. Bruner even had a contract with Asics for two years. “It was fun to get all the free stuff, but it was tough racing all the time,” he said.

Knox Hubard, the father of an STC runner, saw him limping around campus, and recommended a doctor who would change his life. “Without him, I’d be still walking

around with a cane,” Mr. Bruner said.

Three weeks after surgery in December 2016, his doctor told him that he could start walking as a form of recovery, saying “motion is lotion.” Right away, Mr. Bruner started walking around the St. Christopher’s campus and down Grove Avenue.

At first, he believed that walking was dull compared to running, but he was still glad to get some exercise. He took the mindset he kept in his running years and applied it to other activities in life. He has what many would call an “extremist mentality.”

Mr. Bruner’s summer goal in high school was to run 2,000 miles. His goals for summer 2012 was to paddle 1,000 miles.

The summer after this surgery, he was determined to walk 1,000 miles. Before he knew it, he fell into a groove of walking everywhere. During the summer, Mr. Bruner would listen to some music and e-books while walking to places to eat, especially Bandito’s Burrito Lounge. He enjoyed getting food because he could eat while walking. He began to get cravings, something that he hasn’t felt since he was a kid. One of the cravings was Coke, and he had his first sip in 20 years.

First it was just walking around the West End, but Mr. Bruner started walking all around the city, sometimes with the company of his wife or friends. He enjoyed going with his wife because it was “almost

like a date.” “I was never bored,” he said, and with time, walking became a social activity.

Art teacher and Track Coach Marshall Ware compared Mr. Bruner’s current state in the Middle School compared to how he had been before. Before his injury, Mr. Bruner was well known by all faculty and students in the Middle School as a running enthusiast. “There is no one who has embraced track more than he has in life,” said Mr. Ware. Though some were worried about how he would end up after surgery, Mr. Ware said, “his unorthodox style has not changed.”

Mr. Bruner knew he had to work hard at recovering because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to do the activities he had done before. “I didn’t want the thought of being retired in my mind,” he said; he kept pushing and pushing. Even if he “wasn’t the Tom Brady of walkers,” Mr. Bruner no longer needs his high blood pressure medication.

Now, he’s had a full recovery. “I have to remember which hip [had surgery]because my hips feel the same as they did before.”

Mr. Bruner is even running again. He even signed up to take part in a 5k in November with his wife.

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The Pine Needle

The Pine Needle

Levengood Breaks the Mold

By Oliver Hale Freshman Freshman Staff Writer Staff Writer

For years, Alexander Levengood ’19 dreaded soccer practice.

That was during his time at FC Richmond, a local soccer club. When he came to St. Christopher’s in 6th grade, he knew According to Coach Jay Wood, the he wanted to play here. “The fact that I saw team’s young talent has made a significant the STC soccer team my freshman year, impact. There are three freshmen on the and they were having so much fun … it team: Timmy Gordenier, Nick Washington was a pretty easy decision for me,” he said. and Robert Walmsley. “Timmy is a dynamWhen he was about 3 years old, he ic player with very good acceleration with started playing at the YMCA. His father the ball at his feet. He strikes the ball with showed him how to play and was “the terrific pace and he combines well with biggest influence to why I wanted to play.” other players,” he said. “Nick Washington When he was 8, he joined his first travel is very technical, and is a smart, tactiteam. “That was when I fell in love with cal player and I anticipate he’s going to the game … Ever since then, it has been a big part of my life, and I can’t think of hav- continue to grow in his role in the team.

Robert Walmsley is having a good start to ing a life without it,” said Levengood. the year as a keeper …

For the longest “If you have something that he had a terrific outing, time, soccer clubs have you love to do, you should and he’s been in five forbidden their elite work hard to be the best matches so far.” players from playing for their high schools that you can be at that one Levengood loves playing for St. Christoso that they can focus thing.” pher’s. “The guys on the on the club team. This team are a lot more supportive, the coachprovides a good incentive for players who es are a lot more helpful, and overall, it’s want to get more looks from colleges and just been a lot more enjoyable,” he said. professional clubs. Levengood, however, is one of the first prominent players to choose Hanging out with friends and being able to have fun is a great incentive for Levento play for his high school, even though good and others. In addition to Gordinier he risks not getting better next-level offers. and Broussard, there will likely be other Timmy Gordinier ’21 and Gerard Brousstudents following in his footsteps. sard ’20 have also followed in Levengood’s When asked what he learned from steps.

playing soccer over the years, Levengood replied, “If you have something that you love to do, you should work hard to be the best that you can be at that thing. Don’t settle. Keep striving to be as good as you can.”

His Game Is As Good As His Name

By Aubrey Bowles

Photo by Jesse Peters

Freshman Staff Writer

It didn’t take long for Gerard Broussard to make a name for himself on the varsity soccer team and around campus.

The 5-foot 9-inch, 132-pound striker has been a top scorer. As of late October, he had racked up eight goals, the third highest on the team behind Alexander Levengood ’19 and John Flood ’19. “Levengood and I are a great combination,” Broussard said.

“He knows where I am and where to place the ball.”

Broussard has been playing soccer ever since he was 4. “I wanted to start playing soccer because everybody in my family was playing it,” said Broussard.

Broussard originally grew up in Georgia, but then his family moved to Virginia

because of his mom’s job. He attended Midlothian High School, but he had one problem with the school. “The classes were too easy for me. I felt like I wasn’t being challenged enough,” said Broussard. He decided to transfer to St. Christopher’s because he had heard that it was a great school. He quickly adapted to the school and to the soccer team. “I like how Mr. Wood structures the practices and the teams we play,” he said.

“Our team is very good at teamwork, everybody looks out for each other, and we all want to win. The one thing we have to work on is transitioning from offense to defense.”

The soccer team has had a lot of accomplishments this year, including wins at

the Menno Classic and the Soucek Tournament. The record at the time of publication was 17-2-1.

Head Coach Jay Wood is complimentary of his abilities. “He is a very technical, strong, and physical player,” said Mr. Wood. “He is a hard worker. He turns the ball with efficiency, creates separation and attacks the goal very well.”

The team is heading into the playoffs, a place where the players are very familiar with winning. Broussard said, “We have been state champions the past two out of three years. I really think we can win the state title again this year.”

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Current photos by Tyler Hutchison ’19

Waterman: Past and Present

By Tabb Gardner

Junior Staff Writer

It wasn’t until the last leg of the journey that Harrison Clary ’18 and I ran into trouble.

At the start, my day in the Waterman program was going swimmingly on a sunny Thursday afternoon in September. Clary and I navigated the rapids with gusto as we made our way down the James River. Soon disaster struck when we wedged our canoe against two rocks. Clary leaned a bit too far to the left so water began to flow into the vessel. Once I felt the cold

water at my feet, I knew were were in what Coach Stuart Ferguson calls “a pickle.”

Once the paddles were safe on a nearby rock, I realized the canoe was halfway tipped over. We tried to get it to budge, but the water kept a firm grip. Mr. Ferguson swam over, and we immediately got to work setting up ropes to pull the canoe out.

The canoe soon began to warp and crack from the onslaught of the current. As more time passed, it became more contorted taking on the look of

a soggy taco. Even the bow had water shooting out of it like Mount Vesuvius.

From a visual inspection, it was guaranteed that we would be hauling back a husk of what used to be a canoe.

Our first attempt at freeing the boat began and the 1,900-pound tested safety rope broke and sent us all backwards. With more rope setting, we made another attempt which barely made the canoe budge. After almost two hours, we called it quits and met up with the rest of the group. It was dark by the time we reached Coach

Before and after the safety rope used to drag the canoe out of the water broke.

Watermen in the 1990s out on a hike

Billy McGuire’s truck; we returned back to campus by 8:30 p.m.

Throughout the afternoon, even under such challenging circumstances, Mr. Ferguson was having fun and still teaching us new techniques as we tried to rescue the doomed canoe. My first day in the program, Waterman delivered the adventure that it promises with wilderness education to boot.

The program was founded by Upper School Teacher John Page Williams in the early 1970s based on Outward Bound principles. In the 1990s, the name was changed to the Halsey Waterman Program in memory of one of

its first students, Brent Halsey, who died in 1994.

This year, it was moved from spring to fall as an after school activity. Unfortunately the program saw a drop in numbers, presumably due to competition with bigger sports like football and soccer. Even with some low numbers this season, Waterman (from personal experience) never fails on delivering their promise of an adventurous program that

teaches leadership, perseverance and teamwork and a love for the outdoors.

The program is led by History Teacher Stuart Ferguson and Science Teacher Billy McGuire, two of the most experienced outdoorsmen the school has to offer. Mr. McGuire has been leading the group for 17 years. Both teachers give the perfect blend of learning and fun. On my trip with Waterman, everything taught contained lessons that we used within minutes of being informed.

According to Mr. Ferguson, the main goals of Waterman today are “to have fun in nature” and “learning to be Continued on next page

comfortable outside.” This makes Waterman a prime option for students to do something that provides physical exercise outside the typical athletic arena. Waterman today includes canoeing, climbing, camping and hiking, so it ensures that students will most -likely be doing something completely different each day.

When it first began, Waterman followed the Outward Bound motto “To strive and not to yield.” In its early years, Waterman was only about canoeing. As time passed it expanded to rock climbing, backpacking and other outdoor activities. After a couple years, the program was offered to St. Catherine’s. Sessions were only eight weeks long and would be considered somewhat extreme nowadays.

At the end of the session, students did a marathon, or test, to show what they had learned. One marathon consisted of orienteering, backpacking, canoeing and even an eight-mile hike. At least in the 1970s, students also had to

do a solo camping trip to demonstrate what they had learned.

Mr. Ludwell Kimbrough ’73 had an interesting experience with his first solo camping trip. He had successfully camped out at night, but some miscommunication made it so that he couldn’t be found. Mr. Kimbrough had to spend another night out waiting to be picked up as search parties, and even planes scoured the area. Luckily he was res-

cued the next day, and all was well.

Waterman continued and many canoe trips and camping trips ensued.

Mrs. Amanda Macaulay was the first St. Catherine’s coach for Waterman in the 1970s and recalled her time with the program with enthusiasm. She distinctly remembers the friendships made between everyone in the group as they went through various hardships.

Mrs. Macaulay also recalls how the

Canoeing trips of days gone by

weather on many overnight trips was terrible, citing a specific experience when the group was halfway across Currituck Sound when a lightening storm came upon them as they paddled across the open water. They took refuge on a nearby island in a hunting lodge owned by a participant’s father.

In 1997 Waterman found themselves spelunking guided by an experienced caver, a teacher from Blue Ridge School. The experience involved crawling through mud wearing headlamps with bats overhead. Unfortunately Mr. McGuire said that caving “has become more complicated with regulations,” so it isn’t likely be on the agenda for Waterman these days.

In the ’70s, Waterman was very popular. St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s ran multiple sessions each year with some even into the winter. My uncle Ryland Gardner ’81 participated and said the program helped shape him into who he is today.

“For the most part it made me realize that there is a lot more to the

Waterman founders John Page Williams and Amanda Macaulay in the 1970s

outdoors than you think,” Gardner said. The wide variety of activities offered goes far beyond the simple outdoor activities of normal sports and hunting. After his years at St. Christopher’s, Gardner went on to be a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) instructor and now travels the globe teaching outdoor leadership programs.

During its 30- some year history, Waterman has yet to change much from its original state. The program today still mixes together a balanced

mix of challenges, education and fun in many activities that most students likely might never experience. Waterman also teaches and inspires students to overcome challenges to the best of their ability as I learned when Harrison Clary and I managed to destroy a canoe on my first day.

The canoe was lost to the James River after much tugging, but we as a team managed to give it our all and have a memorable story to tell.

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The Pine Needle

Mr. Smith Publishes Fourth Book “I think that we who are poets and artists, not being permitted to shoot beyond the tangible, must go from desire to weariness and so to desire again, and live for the moment when vision comes to our weariness like terrible lightning, in the humility of the brutes.”

—William Butler Yeats

New Coach Lifts SAC to Success

By Kinloch Nelson

Co-Editor-In-Chief

Upper School English Teacher and Writer-in-Residence Ron Smith has been writing for 40 years. His new poetry book tells stories of people living through “a pattern of yearning, searching, striving and then collapsing.”

The collection’s title, The Humility of the Brutes, was inspired by its epigraph, a quotation from William Butler Yeats, who describes the way that poetry seeks the supernatural and fails. “I think that we who are poets and artists, not being permitted to shoot beyond the tangible, must go from desire to weariness and so to desire again, and live for the moment when vision comes to our weariness like terrible lightning, in the humility of the brutes,” wrote Yeats.

Although few of his poems are autobiographical, Mr. Smith says that Yeats describes the way he lives his life. “You’re always yearning for something beyond the everyday,” said Mr. Smith.

Mr. Smith spoke of his process. After writing about 40 poems, he spreads them

out on the floor to see if they make patterns. “I thought that pattern of yearning for the ultimate but then falling back into weariness could include parodies, kind of funny poems in which people do rather silly, ordinary things,” he said.

He found inspiration during a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia with a St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s group in 1998. Mr. Smith filled a legal pad with notes detailing his time in Russia seven years after the fall of the Soviet Union, but for years, he couldn’t pull anything together. “I never could get a decent poem,” he said, “All I had were kind of journal entries, pieces of poems, and as I was putting this book together, I thought, ‘I’ve got to be able to say something about my time in Russia,’ so there are some Russian poems there.”

“About half of your best stuff is subconscious,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re doing or why you’re doing it.”

He looked back at his notes about Russia and realized what the poems were about: “failure to understand rather than understanding.”

In “Apocalypse,” Mr. Smith describes

an alternative history of a defining moment in his life. During high school, he suffered a grotesque injury. He was riding on the hood of a friend’s car when another car collided with it. It almost derailed his life, and “Apocalypse” is the story of what might have happened if the injury had prevented him from playing football at the University of Richmond. The poem dramatizes the same accident and injury, but this time with permanent physical consequences.

According to Mr. Smith, the protagonist of “Apocalypse” was freed from the constraints of society by his injury. “He’s released from his duty,” said Mr. Smith.

“He no longer has to lift weights or train for football or suffer on the gridiron or even study and pass courses. That surprised me.”

The poem “Bronze Boxer” was inspired by an ancient Roman statue whose photo is on the book’s cover. The poem, a sonnet, is dedicated to the memory of Quent Alcorn ’12 who passed away in 2015. According to Mr. Smith, the man depicted in the statue reminded him of Quent, “a tough guy, but a humble guy.”

By Jack Franko

Senior Staff Writer

This year the weight room is without longtime Assistant Coach Shad Pospahala, who left after nine years of coaching under Coach Bob Blanton. The duo built the St. Christopher’s strength program into one of the most robust in the state.

Enter Keith Wright. The young VCU graduate and avid weightlifter joined the school this summer with big goals for taking strength and conditioning to a new level. The new program, adapted from that used by Wright and Blanton at Blanton’s private gym, utilizes a dynamic warmup and personalized workouts while emphasizing technique and safety.

Wright believes that making a more individualistic workout makes athletes feel better and helps them improve more quickly.

“It’s much easier to attack weaknesses and develop better and safer weight lifting,” said Wright, who became acquainted with the program when Blanton hired him days after graduating college.

But it’s about more than athletic success for Wright, who sees better academic performance as the result of a more comprehensive program.“The carryover into the classroom is the biggest part of the new program. We can’t have sore people going to class. [This program] makes students better students.”

Wright sees a change in the way people view lifting at this school as an overwhelmingly positive thing that students can use to help their lives. He’s impressed with the school and the athletes he’s worked with so far, and hopes that lifting will only make them better. “These guys are very driven,” said Wright about students. “Structure and attention to detail like this is hard to find in the athletic world.”

The students have grown to appreciate Wright’s drive as well, and many have seen personal bests since he joined. “I was a little skeptical at first, because the new program is very different from previous years, but I’ve grown to really like it,” said

Seth Burman, a senior baseball player who spends the fall and winter seasons in the weight room. “I think almost all of the guys have had many new PRs, and Coach Wright is great for helping guys learn and perfect their form.”

Coach Blanton also sees real promise and drive in Wright after working closely with him for five years. “He’s a very hardworking and driven guy who works very well with the athletes,” said Blanton.

In the long run, Wright’s plans for weightlifting at St. Christopher’s are much bigger than just an enhanced SAC program. He envisions a complete culture change revolving around weightlifting, including the adoption of a competitive varsity lifting team.

“I want to make the weightlifting culture as common as going to lunch or a language class,” said Wright. “I want a legitimate lifting team, and I want to dominate.”

W

By Henry Barden

Junior Staff Writer

It got a little darker and a little colder, and the sun was hard to look at for a few minutes without a special pair of glasses; either way, the shadowy crescent wasn’t much to scream about.

At least for several freshmen, who were at orientation during the day of the historic eclipse, this let down capped their experience. In Lake Murray, S.C., however, directly in the path of a total eclipse, Tyler Hutchison ’19, had a different experience.

“Deep down there’s a part of you that doesn’t accept what you’re seeing,” he said.

Hutchison thought he would be totally

prepared for the event, but as the hazy purple twilight descended upon him, he was rendered dumbfounded.

It became so dark that stars and planets were clearly visible. “It was just so surreal.

So unlike anything else in nature,” he said.

Upon reflection, Hutchison became interested in how people thought of eclipses before science could explain them, given how overwhelmed with emotion he was despite knowing the facts. Perhaps the only thing he didn’t enjoy was his mom’s Facebook Live video of his reaction, which he claimed is not his best representation.

Photos by Tyler Hutchison ’19

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The Pine Needle

Sophomore Summits Space School

By William Rodriguez

A New Age of Campus Technology

By Hugo Abbot

Freshman Contributor

Have you ever thought about being able to unlock doors and check out books with just a card? According to Chief Financial Officer David Reynolds, those features and many more are just a few that the new Saints Card will provide in the near future.

Four years ago, Director of Academic Technology Hiram Cuevas decided to make electronic keys that are not only used for doors, but also bookstore purchases and library check-outs. However, the school instead opted for a card that was “more manageable [and] more able to do multiple tasks,” said Mr. Reynolds.

The administration began the project by installing door locks that automatically lock after school hours. Last summer, Head of School Mason Lecky introduced the idea of the Saints Cafe, so Mr. Reynolds thought that was the best place to test out the card’s versatility.

In addition, Mr. Reynolds said the school wanted to make the transportation between St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s more efficient, allowing the Saints Card to work in both locations. This means in the future, Saints Cards will be able to function at St. Catherine’s campus, while

the girls’ version of the card will do the same here.

The school has yet to set up any discounts with retailers, but the card may be useful for stores offering student discounts.

St. Christopher’s also plans on releasing a new project they call the “portable kiosk” in the near future. Mr. Reynolds described it as “a portable checkout system,” where units allow the bookstore to sell goods outside the physical building. Although this is a fairly new idea, this concept will be convenient for those who cannot go to the

bookstore during the school day.

In the upcoming months, students will see the potential of the card and where it may end up. In the meantime though, Saints are able to enjoy healthy snack options during dining hall off hours. Although most students seem to like this new change, many have their doubts about this new idea. Jayden Smith ’21 said, “It’s very innovative, but sort of unnecessary. It’s just another thing you have to take care of, and if you lose it, that’s another $10 lost.”

Co-Editor-In-Chief

Some students spend their summers having leisurely fun at the pool. Some vacation off to relaxing, faraway resorts and beaches. And some, like Tyler Hutchison ’19, use part of their summer for a highly selective, intensive academic program focused on the science and engineering behind modern space missions.

Hutchison first heard about Virginia Space Coast Scholars from University of Virginia Astronomy Professor Ed Murphy while attending a Virginia Association of Astronomical Studies conference. Virginia Space Coast Scholars, or VSCS, is a twopart program for high school sophomores consisting of a free ten-week online class— and for the highest performing students, a week studying at a remote scientific facility.

During the online class, which consisted of five two-week modules during his sophomore year, Hutchison studied astronautical engineering, wrote papers and completed hands-on projects like building a glider. The curriculum examined methods of air and space travel, such as high-altitude balloons, aircraft and multi-stage rockets.

By the end of the course in the middle of last year, Hutchison had written a final

paper detailing a proposed mission to investigate ice on the moon. He received high marks, finishing well into the top third of his class of more than 300 and qualifying to attend the overnight space camp, known as VSCS Summer Academy.

Located in a patch of Maryland wilderness, the week-long camp presented students with resources for far more complicated scientific undertakings. Students were divided into groups of 10, and each were given specific jobs. Hutchison’s group focused on observing the effects of extreme stratospheric conditions on the materials used in high-altitude. “[The stratosphere] is basically as close on Earth as you can come to Mars-like conditions,” Hutchison said.

While their work at the facility was mostly just on paper, since most of these vessels are launched in Antarctica, Hutchison and his team were able to see and study the real balloons used in such missions.

“They’re about the size of a football stadium,” he said. At the end of his week at Summer Academy, Hutchison presented his group’s research to engineers from NASA as well as the other students.

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The Pine Needle

Lovings Spins Fresh Beats

By Tabb Gardner

Junior Staff Writer

Rumors of junior Cameron Loving’s music have been circulating around since he was in ninth grade. Many don’t know, but Lovings has been making his own music in many different styles for the past few years under a few different names, such as Cam Love and most recently William Lovings.

Lovings has produced two archived albums and a third public album entitled “I Spoke to the Waves.” Each album is different in genre and ranges from rap to singer-songwriter style. The wide variety of genres in his music comes from the range of music to which he listens. He models his style from the type of music he currently listens to.

Various areas of art have leaked into Lovings’ music. From electronic to folk

music, it all makes an appearance in his work at some point in his recently started career.

“I Spoke to the Waves“ took five months before it was complete and Lovings’ newest project, which should be out soon, has taken six. Lovings spends copious amounts of time on his musical endeavours; he tries to spend around four hours a day on various aspects of a current project.

He takes inspiration from The Police and Jeff Mangum, the lead singer of the band Neutral Milk Hotel. Lovings hopes to do a live show at Fall Festival in the future.

He also wants to plan a more intimate concert “similar to an MTV unplugged session” at some point next year.

Lovings sings, plays piano, guitar and even can DJ. He combines all these talents

into his music to make something that sounds unique. “William Lovings,” his newest musical project, aims for a more alternative sound.

Lovings’ work “is meant to speak to someone who is dealing with issues mentally to help them realize there are other people dealing with the same thing.” Many tracks talk or sing about his own problems that listeners will be able to relate to. Lovings’ goal is to make his music much more significant than just rhythms and notes.

Lovings will continue to work on his newest album and encourages anyone on the fence about pursuing music to “go for it and do it, because it gives you lots of emotional solace, and it lets you learn about yourself.” Students should expect to see his fourth album in the coming months.

New Club Fosters Mental Illness Discussions

By Hugo Abbot

Freshman Staff Writer

to get involved with mental health. Forrest himself suffers from anxiety and insomnia, While attending the Summer Residentwo common teenage issues. tial Governor’s School at Lynchburg ColAccording to a 2010 study, one in five lege, Ralph Levy ’18 noticed cut marks on U.S. teenagers has a severe mental disorhis lab partner. By listening and reaching der that impacts his or her daily activities. out, Levy found that helping others in this Mental illness is a growing and complex way was rewarding and important to him. matter that many believe That, along with the According to a 2010 study, is too sensitive to discuss. impact of the death of a close friend to mental one in five U.S. teenagers The club name, MIND, illness this past year has a severe mental disor- addresses that directly: Mental Illness Needs as well as the passing der that impacts his or her Discussion. “We don’t of St. Christopher’s daily activities. just want people that are alumni Quent Alcorn ’13 in 2015, Levy was motivated to create a suffering,” said Forrest. “People are fine to be a part of the group, just to be there to discussion and support group at St. Chrishelp other people and learn about mental topher’s to promote education of mental health.” They believe that the group should illness in the community. foster trust and be supportive, not spread “As my last year as a senior, this would rumors. be something that I would like to leave Director of Health Services Ann [as] a legacy,” said Levy. He recruited as Vanichkachorn approves of the new club. co-head Will Forrest ’18, who also wanted

“If your head isn’t in the right place, mentally and physically, it’s that much harder to absorb all the intellectual stuff we are trying to get you guys to experience,” Dr. Van said. “As a school, we are about you guys, and you are here to learn, but without this piece being intact, nothing else on campus will make a difference.”

A recent meeting focused on social media started off slowly with few people talking, but when given time more and more people started to get involved in the discussion. When the students needed help, Middle and Upper School Counselor Sazshy Valentine was there to assist, but the meeting was mostly led by students.

Knowing that they would be talking with other peers in similar situations rather than adults gave them confidence and made them more likely to actually participate.

8th Graders Visit Cuba

By Oliver Hale

Freshman Staff Writer

The Middle School Cuba trip changed Caleb Vath’s ’21 outlook on life. “I was able to see how our life compares to people who live in poverty … and the daily struggle to get simple items like groceries,” he said. “It made me thankful for what I have.”

In early June, I, along with Vath, eight classmates and two teachers, visited Cuba for a 10-day cultural immersion experience.

We went snorkeling, attended classes on art and drama and explored Havana and the rest of Cuba. It was a great opportunity to absorb the culture, language and religion of the Cuban people.

One of the primary focuses of the trip was religion. Over time, the communist country’s restrictions on expressing religion have been relaxed, and citizens are able to more freely follow their faiths. One of the most prominent is Santería, a mixture of Catholicism and the Yoruba religion of the African slaves, who were brought to Cuba during the colonial period. It combines African ceremonies and dances with Chris-

tian figures and statues.

Cuba’s socialist economic system formed another significant part of our visit. The government regulates everything, which means that prices are the same everywhere.

In addition, shortages are common. If you go into a big mall, which is where most Cubans get food and groceries, many of the shelves are empty.

Vath wasn’t the only person who enjoyed and was changed by the trip. I had never been to a place as exotic and interesting as Cuba. Its beautiful old houses and cars, paired with the sights and smells, were an important reminder of the diversity of the world. I was blown away by the natural beauty of the country, and I am looking forward to seeing a place as beautiful as Cuba again.

Henry Weatherford ’21 echoed Vath’s sentiment. “I realized that I can get by with less and be happy,” he said. “The Cubans had less food, resources and stuff, and they still survived.”

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The Pine Needle

The Pine Needle

Mason Lecky Crowned Mason I

7-Eleven Sells Saints Stuff

By William Rodriguez

Co-Editor-In-Chief

This September, students entering the Libbie Avenue 7-Eleven after a long day of classes were greeted with a familiar sight: several shelves stocked with St Christopher’s merchandise, including coffee mugs, banners and bumper stickers. However, few knew that the school administration was in close contact with the store and was even considering legal action to remove the merchandise from retail.

St. Christopher’s Chief Financial Officer David Reynolds confirmed that 7-Eleven had been selling the STC-themed goods without the school being aware, stating that a faculty member happened to see the mer-

chandise while in the store and proceeded to alert him. Upon closer examination, Mr. Reynolds found that several products contained spelling errors and one appeared to be a container for alcoholic beverages.

“It’s not just about sales,” said Mr. Reynolds. “We want to make sure the brand is protected as well.” He explained that these wares did not present the kind of image the administration wanted for St. Christopher’s. However, he eventually decided to simply call up the manager and talk, instead of contacting school lawyers.

The truth was far less nefarious than it seemed. It turned out that 7-Eleven had an arrangement where they would research

and then make merchandise for nearby public high schools, but they had not known St. Christopher’s was private. Mr. Reynolds got in contact with the store’s owners as well as company distribution and was able to arrange the removal of all STC products.

Mr. Reynolds appreciated that the school and 7-Eleven were able to reach an agreement through talk instead of legal action, but said that there was certainly a lesson to be learned. “We all need to be careful with how we deal with other people’s work, and sometimes that means being mindful of the legalities of it.”

Dr. Van’s New Plan

By Griffin O’Ferrall and Pete Bell Freshmen Staff Writers

One student worries about her personal mental anxiety. Spencer Cox ’18 became interested when learning about his brother’s childhood neurological disease. Grayson Walsh ’18 wants to be able to interpret his dreams. These are just some of the reasons why students are taking the new AP Psychology class at St. Christopher’s.

AP Psych is taught by Dr. Ann Vanichkachorn, director of health services, and the subject is getting attention from all over campus.

Students will learn about the bio-

logical and psychological basis of human behavior. The main purpose of this new class is to inspire and motivate students to learn more about the brain. “I had many students coming to my office thinking that they were sick, but really they were just stressed,” said Dr. Van. She decided to talk to Head of Upper School Tony Szymendera about starting such a class. Mr. Szymendera agreed but needed someone to teach it.

Since Dr. Van had the idea, as well as a background with counseling from her former work with patients as an OB-GYN, she gladly accepted the job and is having

a great time teaching the class. Not only is she teaching the students, Dr. Van is learning things she didn’t know before.

Ninety students signed up, which was more than Dr. Van could accommodate given her other school responsibilities overseeing all mental and physical health issues at school. Only seniors, who filled two classes, were accepted.

One might think that these students only signed up for the opportunity to add another AP class to their résumé, but each student’s personal connections to mental illness often gave them a genuine interest in the class.

Filmmakers Shed New Light on Refugee Crisis

By William Rodriguez

Co-Editor-in-Chief

From dilapidated shacks in the Guatemalan rainforest to the crowded tents of the Jordanian desert, visionary filmmakers Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci have traveled to poverty and strife-stricken areas of the world to experience and document conditions that many Americans cannot fathom. The two men, young in years yet already well-traveled by anyone’s standards, spoke in front of the Upper and Middle Schools as part of the 2017 Journeys to Manhood speaker series.

A week prior to the visit, students in grades 9-12 watched Temple and Ingrasci’s first documentary, Living on One Dollar, which chronicled the hardships undergone and relationships forged by the pair and two other filmmakers trying to live in rural Guatemala on $1 a day. Afterwards, the student body discussed the stark differences between our privileged lives and those in dire poverty. “It affected me greatly,” said Evan Carpenter ‘21. “It amazed me that so many people lived on such little money.”

Before Temple and Ingrasci took the

stage, the assembled students were treated to the preview of their documentary, Salam Neighbor. Most Americans, St. Christopher’s students included, have only learned about the Syrian refugee crisis through news media. In Salam Neighbor, Temple and Ingrasci attempted to change these perceptions by living for one month in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, a growing, evolving city of white United Nations tents, small concrete houses and bustling markets.

The trailer showed sadness, starvation and lack of basic necessities, yet the people Temple and Ingrasci lived with were extremely hospitable and welcoming with what little they had. The refugees were also quite resourceful; they built institutions to remind them of their old lives like pizza delivery services and actual brick and mortar homes.

The two then spoke about their personal experiences with these Syrians, many of whom were doctors, engineers or teachers before their country was plunged into Civil War. Ingrasci shared a story of their struggle to convince a young boy they’d met,

named Raouf, to attend school every day at the camp. Eventually they learned that the reason Raouf was reluctant to go was that he’d been traumatized by the bombing of the school he used to attend.

The lesson Temple and Ingrasci imparted was one of powerful simplicity: Syrian refugees are human just like us. The people in the documentary they met wanted most

of all to return to their former lives and homes destroyed by Islamic fundamentalists.

At the end of their presentation, Temple and Ingrasci left with two final messages.

The first was that dialogue is critical to breaking down barriers. “If we can make an effort to learn about others, find out what it’s like to walk in someone else’s

shoes, then [we can] make really positive changes together,” said Temple.

The second message was to pursue your passion once you find it, no matter how spontaneous. Both men’s parents expected them to graduate college, get a job and settle down, but at first neither of them had known what they really wanted to do and what impact they would leave on the world.

For the two young filmmakers, their desire to make Salam Neighbor came from meeting a Palestinian refugee and simply wondering how her family rebuilt after fleeing their home. They then channeled that interest, that wonder, towards the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. “A passion starts with a ‘wait what’ moment,” said Temple. “It’s anything that interests you, that makes you stop and ask about a situation. One conversation sparked a journey.”

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The Pine Needle

The Oak Needle

Bolling Lunches Provide Yet Another Opportunity for Advisors to Ignore Students

Buses Rerouted to I-95 to Please Neighbors

St. Christopher’s Finest News Source

Invasion of the Nugget Snatchers

By Henry Rodriguez Co-Editor-In-Chief

They came like the eleventh plague.

Descending from the buses like baby spiders from an egg sac, the invading horde seethed past the gates bearing the name “St. Catherine’s,” through the doors of Bacot Hall and into the cafeteria. They sought one thing and one thing only: delicious chicken nuggets.

Where did they come from? They hailed from an impoverished land called St. Christopher’s, where the pasta was overcooked and the chicken

Native American Burial Ground Under J-Lot

By Hunter Gardner

Junior Staff Writer

The recent remodeling of the junior lot and ongoing construction is bringing great change to the St. Christopher’s campus. Construction crews recently unearthed a Native American burial site belonging to a tribe known as the Lecketeckians which contained many artifacts and relics dating back to the Jamestown era. The artifacts have been taken to a Native American heritage organization for further study.

Since the discovery, unexplainable phenomena have started to occur all around campus. Things are being misplaced. Fire alarms have been tripped with no smoke or malfunction detected, along with faculty witnessing doors swinging open on their own in the early hours of the morning. The flag has also rarely been up in the mornings, but this is attributed to freshmen being lazy.

undercooked. After a few months of dissatisfaction, the swarm took to the road in search of a new host.

En route, the roving horde plundered Libbie Market supply trucks in frantic search of a new food source, sending raiding parties across grappling hooks in a high-speed chase.

When they reached the Kingdom of Stuffy’s, the mob pillaged every building in sight and burned the neighboring 7-Eleven to the ground.

Their ravenous hunger remained.

This all-consuming lust for fried, Adding to the list of unexplainable occurrences, X-Term has disappeared from the calendar next year and the James River swallowed a Waterman canoe captained by two highly experienced Eagle Scouts. Neighbors around the construction site have voiced no complaints about the daytime work, but at night torchlight and chants come from the husk of what was the J-lot, interrupting their deep slumber.

The construction company stated that no work is completed at night, and they will be putting the area under surveillance soon to catch any intrusions. Neither Head of School Mason Lecky nor the Board of Governors have made an official statement on the many odd occurrences.

The Pine Needle’s investigative journalists discovered a receipt outside the administration offices detailing the purchase of a exorcism package deal featuring 100 gallons of holy water and 30 crosses, along with six rent-a-priests. The Pine Needle can not confirm nor deny the legitimacy of this receipt.

reconstituted, rehydrated poultry built up to the apocalyptic Nugget Day at St. Catherine’s. Pallets of nuggets were liberated and redistributed to the malnourished boys of the St. Chris food desert to the lament of rows of furious St. Catherine’s students. One orangeattired gentleman took over 20 pieces of chicken alone before being hauled out by the administration.

Satiated by the stolen nuggies, the rejuvenated students woke up the next morning with no memory of the past day’s events.

Lecky Mixes It Up

Aiming to address institutional challenges, Head of School Mason Lecky has sponsored a new program to make each student’s schedule less problematic and more inclusive.

Before

Chapel Lunch Dismissal Class Bus Rides Athletics X-Term

Student Crashes Wi-Fi Network with 30,000,000 Word All School Email

Chapman ’18 Still in Donut-Induced Coma

Leftover Chicken Used to Feed Cafeteria Chicken Farm

“Weekly Inquiry” on Indefinite Hiatus; Suppression Suspected

After

The Gathering The Feeding The Exodus Information Installation Field Trips Extra-Scholastic Enrichment Cultural Competence Week

Teachers Hike To School

By Tabb Gardner

Neighbors Foil Plot to Install Gondola between STC and St. Catherine’s

J-Lot Construction Cancelled; Money Rerouted to Buy More TVs for LLC

Junior Staff Writer

With the construction of the muchanticipated junior lot, most faculty have been forced to park all the way over at the Lower School. Now the hardworking teachers must make a laborious trudge through the brisk fall morning weather just to make it to their workplace.

As temperatures drop, the morning commute has become more difficult for many teachers. Faculty reports of frostbite and fatigue have been increasing with winter right around the corner.

Disciplinarian Greg Tune himself had to use his martial arts techniques learned from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to rescue Dean of Students Billy Abbott from a wild raccoon attack about a mile into the trek.

The details of the attack weren’t clear beyond Mr. Tune’s description that “it loosely resembled the grizzly

bear attack on Leonardo DiCaprio from The Revenant.” After the ferocious assault, Mr. Tune had to carry Mr. Abbott over his shoulder for the rest of the journey, just barely making it to school on time.

Some faculty have begun to bring their own weapons to protect against wild animals on the long journey.

French Teacher Karen Wray has gone the more traditional route and started carrying a Charleville musket previously used in the American revolution.

History Teacher Scott Van Arsdale warns that the “faculty can’t continue like this for much longer before someone gets seriously injured or worse.”

Some teachers have chosen to embrace this new morning routine.

Waterman Coach Stuart Ferguson can be seen in full frontiersman attire, coonskin hat and all, to protect himself from the harsh elements of the Virginia

autumn.

Ferguson has been training a reluctant Chemistry Teacher Bucka Watson to hike with more efficiency and safety.

Watson claimed that “hiking the morning trail has proven itself to be a rather dangerous challenge, but Mr. Ferguson has been a real lifesaver with his outdoor skills.”

History Teacher Joshua Thomas went missing for three days after he got lost on the trail to get to work from the Lower School parking lot. Luckily, Math Teacher Jeb Britton discovered Mr. Thomas collapsed from exhaustion and led him to work that day.

After this near-death experience, Mr. Thomas is one of the most worried about the current parking situation and hopes that the construction of the junior lot is completed soon before anyone else is hurt. The school declined to comment on the recent events.

New construction on J-Lot p. 1

History of Waterman p. 13

Space camp p. 22

2017 Solar eclipse p. 19