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Teacher’s Pets

Emma Darwin Garnsey

Professor Humphrey and Dr. Zork

“Daughter” of Allison Garnsey, this Pit Bull Labrador mix is 53 pounds of mischief. When she is not chasing squirrels she can be spotted with her “brother” Frankie J. She enjoys devouring books (literally) and sleeping all the way under the covers. You can catch her on the ball fields .

Dan Forrest’s cats are named after actor Humphrey Bogart (1899 – 1957) and the protagonist of the 1979 “text adventure” video game Zork. Although they get along well with Mr. Forrest’s wife and baby daughter, the brothers like to knock things off shelves every opportunity they get. “They do it on purpose,” Mr. Forrest adds, “and they’re always following me around – if I’m in the office, they’re in the office.”

Lit Arts

Dan Forrest Photo

Allison Garnsey Photo

Life

Andy Bayliss, Emily Dolphin, Tess Murphy, & Olivia Mavromates

Snicker Doodle Pardo

Audie Hayman

Thayer Academy’s Student Magazine November 2014 Vol. 18, No. 1 Voice is published by and for the students of Thayer Academy and aims to reflect the best student thinking and writing. Voice follows an independent editorial policy determined by the magazine’s staff. Voice welcomes submissions from all members of the community, reserving the right to select and edit for reasons of clarity, interest and space. Voice is supported by Thayer Academy and advertising sales. For rates and information, call 781-664-2254 or send an email to dlevinson@thayer.org. !

Nicki Pardo Photo

Voice

Advertising Nick Windwer

Cover Design

Emily Dolphin

Cover Photos

Griffin Mansi

Do not let Snicker Doodle Pardo’s one pound weight deceive you! Her hobbies include hiding in cereal boxes, running around the kitchen counter, and pretending to be tougher than the family dog. When she is not running around, she is eating her body weight. As Mrs. Pardo states “she can eat a WHOLE bagel!”

Table of Contents Photos Griffin Mansi

Table of Contents Design

Jenna Menard & Sarah Russell

Advisors

Dan Levinson, Robert Kiley Diane Haigh (design)

Hayman Family Photo

Sports

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At around 20 pounds, Audie Hayman is a miniature pincher named after Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of WWII. If he is not constantly jumping up and down running away from the flat iron, or burying his face in the couch cushions, Ms Hayman says you can find him “overdosing” on dark chocolate after “delicately” unwrapping the bars.

Life The various offices that make up Thayer Academy are almost as unique as the teachers who occupy them.

Here, we get the inside scoop on the partnerships (and resulting friendships).

The Mad Scientists

Rachel Goffin

This power science duo has been making strides in physics together in the infamous basement corner of Glover for six years, since Jamison Smith first arrived at Thayer. Their quirks are key to keeping this relationship strong. “I admire his Zoolander-type good looks and respect his passions for Frisbee and trivia,” says Jamie Formato. “Your oddities are your strengths,” says Mr. Smith in response.

They claim that the best thing about their officemate-ship is their mutual messiness, which helps them feed off of each other’s mad scientist vibe. “I’d say our office consists of about 25% me, 25% Mr. Formato and 50% science stuff,” says Mr. Smith. “If either of us were cleaner, we would feel some pressure not to be slobs,” adds Mr. Formato. He then rethinks that thought: “Should we be clean?” he asks. “Nah,” they reply at the same time.

The scientists say that, what they refer to as “The Goldstein Era,” forged a strong bond between them during the years they shared together. “What’s that phrase? Weathered the storm?” asks Mr. Formato with a chuckle. “He gave off a sense of general despair,” adds Mr. Smith.

On a more serious note, these colleagues of the same subject enjoy the benefits of bouncing ideas off each other for their science classes. They find solid suggestions from each other and even make new discoveries together. Another calling for which they gain knowledgeable advice from each other: their own children. “I’m about two years behind Mr. Formato, so I get great gadget advice on childcare from the tech cycle,” says Mr. Smith.

Future plans for the office? They seek to burrow a hole to the “bio pod” for espionage purposes. Oops, may have spoiled that secret. Biology teachers, beware of the mad scientists at work.

The Bookish Buddies

Rebecca Brown

English teachers Jim King and Joe Pelletier have been packed in side by side in 217-M, the tiny office wedged between the sophomore English classroom and the stairway, for around 15 years.

Although Mr. King has had a few different officemates in the past, the current duo has been together since Mr. Pelletier’s arrival at Thayer. “We’ve been going steady for 15 years,” jokes Mr. King, “I have his sweater.”

Although it isn’t the roomiest, the pair is happy with the office, and has developed ways to get around the lack of space. The two have a strict division between each side, partly to contain Mr. King’s mess of folders and books, and partly because there’s simply not that much room to share. “He’s allowed on my side,” says Mr. King, “but he doesn’t often choose to go there.” Mr. King puts their situation nicely – maneuvering in their office is “an intricate and delicate choreography.”

Despite the narrow confines and Mr. King’s affinity for hoarding, Mr. Pelletier says that the office is “very much [his] home.” The two agree that there are many benefits to sharing an office with a teacher in the same subject, like the ability to discuss and share teaching methods or lesson plans. “I have learned an incredible amount from Mr. King,” says Mr. Pelletier, Mr. King’s junior. “Even since the opening days, when he gave me my first English II binder.” Mr. King agrees that they have formed a close friendship. “Usually, when I can’t find something, he can. You know, we’re like Siamese twins at this point. He thinks my thoughts, I think his thoughts.”

As for the future, the two English teachers don’t have plans to split up any time soon. Mr. Pelletier claims that it would take a roomy office with a nearby bathroom to sway him into switching offices, whereas Mr. King is staying put. “I actually have no desire – zero desire – for a different office,” he says. “We’re in it for the long haul.

I kind of like the idea of being here until I get dragged out at retirement time.” Mr. Pelletier agrees, “Till death do us part.”

The Burke Enterprises Imani George “Everything they’re saying is a lie.” Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is the statement that kicked off my interview with Francisco Vega-Torres, Ken Burke, and Jake Diamond-- three of the four teachers that make up office 208M. After making his dramatic entrance, Mr. Vega turned the conversation towards what he refers to as an “issue, situation”-- the current exponential growth phase of ‘Burke Enterprises.’ “People need to know about this,” he says. Apparently Burke East, the half of the office that Mr. Burke has taken over, is expanding so rapidly that not only has Mr. Vega struggled to maintain a boundary, but Emma Lee was actually ejected from the property. “She’s a refugee in Glover now,” Mr. Vega explains. Mr. Burke cautions, however, that before accepting Mr. Vega’s viewpoint on Burke East, one needs to consider the concept of “subjective reality.”

Despite this slight speed bump in the office dynamic, the three teachers explain that they do enjoy each other’s presence. On occasion they wander through the piles of books and other oddities stacked against the walls, finding random items such as 70s photos of Mr. Diamond with a large mustache. The office is also home to two “pets,” Felipe and Lupe, which any students of Mr. Diamond are rather familiar with. And despite their disagreements on the boundaries of Burke Enterprises, Mr. Burke and Mr. Vega have a rather close relationship. Mr. Burke served as Mr. Vega’s mentor teacher when he first got to Thayer, and he often refers to Mr. Vega as “Mentee.”

Furthermore, Mr. Diamond notes that Mr. Burke has a lot of jokes -- which Mr. Vega claims he never understands. One of Mr. Burke’s famous jokes, known to every Burke alumni, is the inky-binky, a mini riddle that plays on words. Mr. Burke was even kind enough to leave an inky-binky for VOICE: a less clear Spanish teacher uttered by someone with a heavy Boston accent. The answer? A Vega-vague. “I still don’t get it,” Mr. Vega complains.

The Algebraic Allies

Griffin Mansi

Maryam Lombardi and Vincent Cimmino have been sharing 224 Glover for three years, and that arrangement won’t be ending anytime soon. “He’s not leaving,” joked Ms. Lombardi. “I’ll chain him to the desk.” Yet their office relationship is a story that almost never was. Mr. Cimmino started working at Thayer the same year as Brendan McKiernan. Therefore, Ms. Lombardi could have been paired with either new recruit. After Mr. Cimmino used words like “beast” in class and students thought that he was related to Ms. Lombardi, the pair felt that their personalities would match well. In fact, in the first months that Mr. Cimmino worked at Thayer, students thought Mr. Cimmino was Ms. Lombardi’s son; Murph even thought that they were related. Weirder yet, Mr. Cimmino’s mom’s maiden name just happens to be Lombardi. Maybe their pairing was fate.

During the past three years 224G has had a few “pets.” Ms. Lombardi and Mr. Cimmino talk fondly of the pet mouse that lived in Mr. Cimmino’s desk and ate all of his food. They also reminisce about the day when they came into school and said mouse was dead on the floor. Ms. Lombardi was forced to pick up the carcass since Mr. Cimmino would not.

Lit What Classic Literary Character Are You? If you picked…

1) Describe your style.

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a. Silk, lace, corsets… a queen must dress to impress. b. Flapper skirts, bare shoulders, and bobbed hair. c. Preppy and expensive. And of course my hunting cap. d. Red t-shirt, and I’m good to go.

Mostly A’s: Lady Macbeth.

You’re cold, calculating, and crazy ambitious. If only everyone else was on the same page.

The good news is your courage is screwed tightly to the sticking place- for now. The bad news is that you have some trouble removing stains…

a. Alright, but my significant other’s been a real wuss lately.

It’s getting on my nerves. b. *Dramatic sigh* It’s complicated. c. Well, calling girls on the phone can be difficult for me… d. The only thing I love more than my friends is honey!

3) Real life superpower?

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2) How’s your love life going?

4) Describe your ideal home. a. A castle, complete with a moat, dungeon, and execution room for my enemies. b. A mansion, as big and lavish as possible. c. I don’t know. Maybe a cabin in Vermont… or China… anywhere that’s not New York or Hollywood.

Goddamn phonies. d. A cozy den in the woods.

Sean O’Connor Art

a. Don’t need any. I’m already an evil genius. b. I’m rich enough to be Batman, does that count? c. Complaining extensively, and getting unjustly punished in school. d. The power of positivity!

a. Killer Queen- Queen b. Mo Money Mo Problems- The Notorious B.I.G c. Creep- Radiohead d. Honey- Mariah Carey

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5) Favorite song?

Mostly B’s: Daisy Buchanan.

On the surface you have it all: piles of money, tons of parties, and men constantly in love with you. But it’s disillusioning, boring, and suddenly there’s one too many men. At least having a baby isn’t slowing you down.

Reading Between the Staffs

Kristen Mashikian

It can be an unnoticed noise in the background of a room or the sole reason to beam at a stage for hours, your passion or a simple social endeavor. It can cause both joy and anguish, smiles and tears. The melodies bring past experiences and memories to mind; for example, the song you and your teammates blasted in the locker room before winning the championship game and the “Mozart Concerto in G” you played for college auditions bring back your adrenaline rushes.

People often forget that behind the sounds emanating from their stereos are hours of composition and pages of sheet music: music isn’t just sound, it is a language. The black notes are universal symbols understood by people who speak Spanish or French or English, yet each musician has the freedom to cover the staffs with her own personal annotations. The crescendo scribbled into the margin screams “Get louder here!” and the accelerando demands speed, pushing her fingers to their limits. Even the word staccato emphasizes the shortness with which each note should be played. Without each musicians’ graphite notes scrawled across the pages, it is just the same sheet music that millions of other musicians read and play.

Music can also be an escape or a path to success. After a long day of school and studying, friends and fights, musicians can retreat to their instruments and sheet music. The laborious process that takes place in the practice rooms is strictly between the musician and herself. Too often an individual’s progress is dependent on others, but not with music. Determination alone can transform musicians and their level of playing.

However, music is a torturous pursuit and often causes musicians great agony. After playing the same three notes over and over, they still don’t sound perfect. But can music ever be perfect? Can writing ever be perfect? Can any art be perfect?

Every time you play, someone -- a judge, a fellow musician or even you -- will be dissatisfied; and someone reading this paper will always find flaws as well. As hard as you try, it’s always “More expression! More phrasing! Faster! No, not there!” Even the best of the best, the most famous artists in the world, have to continuously strive for impossible perfection. And that’s the irony: it is a futile effort. But the split second before the applause begins, as the faint vibrations of your final note ring through the hall, you feel an unbelievable sense of accomplishment; you are truly proud of yourself. And that feeling makes it all worth it.

Mostly C’s: Holden Caulfield.

You’re bitter, socially inept, and had bad Senioritis by the time you started high school. Now you’re actually there, and it’s worse than ever. Your softer side, for your family and the occasional member of the opposite sex, is eclipsed by your acting like you hate everyone and everything.

All you want is a place free from phonies, a nice girl, and to know what happens to the ducks in the goddamn winter.

Mostly D’s: Winnie the Pooh.

What you lack in quick wit and opposable thumbs you make up for in your sweet tooth and great group of friends- even if they think you’re a little dim. You’re kind and docile, despite being carnivorous by nature. Some people might find physical hardship and face overwhelming existential angst living in a hundred-acre forest, but not you. Winnie is your name, and honey is definitely your game.

Arianna Bacon Photo

We read a lot in high school, and some of us really identify with certain characters. Not sure if you do? Find out here!

Setenay Mufti

Three Times

Emilia Nordgren

Read an excerpt from last year’s sophomore short story contest winner.

Read the full story on Thayer's Voice page»

After fifteen minutes, I start to hear Mommy and Daddy’s voices down the hall. Th ey’re really hard to hear, though, so their door must be closed. “He’s gotten worse. Th e progress we’ve made in the past year is slowly slipping away.” I think it’s Mommy who says that. “He’s gotten worse, he’s gotten worse, he’s gotten worse,” I mutter to myself. I don’t know who the “he” is, but I know that whenever Mommy and Daddy talk at night with the door shut, I’m not supposed to hear it…

Mommy says Dr. Cohen is just a friend that I can talk to. Sitting in his waiting room, I try to be aware of other people, not just me. Dr. Cohen says it’s good for me to do that. The teenager in the corner is lightly banging her head against the wall. The boy across from me is biting his only fingernail that isn’t covered by a band-aid. I look up at Mommy but she only glances at me. She doesn’t smile at me like she always does.

I sit on the bench with my back straight up against the wall, feet flat on the ground pointing straight ahead, and my hands in fists at my sides. I want to lay down with my feet on the seat, but Mommy yelled at me for being disrespectful last time I did that. I start to bite my nails because the boy across from me seems to like it. But once I start, Mommy tells me to stop.

“It’s a disgusting habit,” she whispers, still not turning her eyes toward me.

“Why is biting your nails disgusting?” I ask in my normal, inside voice which Mommy says is still too loud.

Mommy doesn’t answer me. “It’s a disgusting habit, it’s a disgusting habit, it’s a disgusting habit,” I repeat to myself.

Always three times. The boy looks at me, looks at his nails, and slowly brings his hand down to rest in his lap.

Today in social studies we have to color in a map with a partner. Daniel and I always choose each other for partners, so I automatically turn to him and get my Crayons out. But when I look up he’s sitting on the other side of the table with Leo.

******

“What are you doing over there, Daniel? We have to color in the map.”

“I want to be partners with Leo today,” he tells me.

“But we’re always partners, you can’t change that now,” I say, my inside-voice slowly becoming more like my outside one. I see Mrs. Pollock walking over out of the corner of my eye.

“Is everything alright?” she asks the three of us.

“No it’s not. Daniel is always my partner and now Leo took him. Leo needs to find another partner and apologize,” I throw out of my mouth.

“Another partner and apologize.

Another partner and apologize.

Another partner and apologize.”

Mrs. Pollock tells me that he doesn’t need to apologize and that I just need to find a new partner. But I can’t find a new partner. Daniel is always my partner. So when she goes back to her desk, I go over and sit next to Daniel. I try to hand him my Crayons because Mommy always tells me you make friends by sharing, but he won’t turn to face me.

It’s obviously Leo’s fault. Daniel knows that he’s always partners with me. He wouldn’t do this to me. Leo would. Leo thinks he’s cool because he wears fancy sunglasses to school, but he’s not cool. He’s just mean. So I go up to him and push him out of his chair because it’s not fair what he’s done to me. It’s not nice at all and he needs to apologize.

“Daniel is always my partner, Leo!” I yell at him. “You need to apologize because you’ve done something wrong!”

He doesn’t have any time to respond because suddenly my arm is in Mrs. Pollock’s grip and she’s taking me to the principal’s office.

“Patrick, you need to stop over-reacting! This is the fourth time this week you’ve done something like this!”

“I wasn’t over-reacting! It’s Leo who should be going to the principal's office! To the principal’s office. To the principal’s office. To the principal’s office.”

In Mr. Green’s office, Mrs. Pollock tells him the story. She’s the type of person who uses a lot of hand gestures.

I don’t get the point of them. Th ey’re unnecessary because any capable person should be able to talk by using their words, not their hands. All I can do while they talk is stare at Mr. Green’s plump red fingers and his amazingly tiny feet for such a big person. Daddy is smaller than him and Daddy has bigger feet. By the time the story’s done, Mommy’s walked in. I don’t want Mommy to be here. She’s going to punish me. But I don’t know what I’ve done wrong!

Read the full story on Thayer's Voice page»

Connor Donovan Art

Lit

Lit

Fog hangs bloated, thick The River Styx engorged and full With the breath of sighs And sickly words unsaid.

Fog hangs on the wind of wisps and the weight of water: Water the sustenance.

The taste or affirmation Of blood smeared on a cut, Of a sharp tongue, Of the lingering tendrils Of a scream.

Reality becomes nightmare.

The ceaseless song jolts me awake; My violently slapping the annoying box That won’t stop the ear-splitting sound,

The warm maple syrup, Blanketing the golden waffle, Cuts like butter; Melting in my mouth.

The cool, sugary soup Overpowering the soggy, cardboard waffle Torn seconds before from the plastic The freezer-burned Eggo box. ~Lauren Knight

Identified as the new obsession for teenage girls, the Fault in Our Stars is a book that most young people are willing to read. In simple terms, the book is about Hazel Grace, a girl with Stage IV cancer in her lungs, who meets Augustus Waters, who also has cancer, who becomes the love of her life. Yes, the typical cheesy boy-meets-girl love story.

As an avid reader, I usually prefer the book to the movie. I find that books provide more detail, insight, and suspense. However, this is a rare time where I surprisingly enjoyed the movie more than the book. The main attraction? Ansel Elgort--also known as Augustus Waters. Move over Edward Cullen, you have been replaced by yet another fresh-faced teen heartthrob. I will admit that I found Elgort’s performance to be funny, charming, and, at times, vulnerable. Shailene Woodley, who plays Hazel Grace, did a good job as a sarcastic and jaded teenager and I liked how the director cast Isaac (Augustus’ blind sidekick) in a more prominent role than he was depicted in the book. The actor’s portrayal brought the characters to life. I envisioned them in a way that I found to be a bit flat in the book. Overall, this is a decent book, however, nothing too earth shattering. I hate to say it, but this time the movie wins.

The Giver Jenna Menard

Interrupts my sour dreams.

~ Setenay Mufti 16

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A sentence in a stuffy courtroom.

The Fault in Our Stars Louise Nessralla

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Fog never really settles, It hangs Like a pig’s carcass on a farmer’s tree, Stuck sobs, Silence right after the scream-

Sweet Dreams interrupts sweet dreams.

The melody softly nudges me awake; My delicately pressing pause on the perfect song To embrace the early morning, Makes my dream reality.

The book versus movie debate has raged on ever since the invention of film. We noticed that in the past few years, many greats books have been transformed into movies. We decided to keep the debate alive by giving our opinions on recent book to movie adaptations.

The Giver has been my favorite book since I first read it in third grade, which is why I was a bit weary of it being made into a movie. I thought that it would come across as yet another dystopian book to movie like The Hunger Games or Divergent, and that the details I found so special about the book would not translate onto the screen.

I was very skeptical as I entered the theater, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie even though there were slight plot changes. Unlike the book where careers are given to the children at the age of 12, Jonas and his friends Fiona and Asher discover their career assignments at age 18. I thought this made the film more believable, especially with the addition of Fiona as Jonas’ love interest. In the movie there is also more impressive technology, Fiona and the Chief Elder have more prominent roles, and the ending is less ambiguous and more action-filled. I still enjoyed the movie adaptation despite the changes, though I think nothing can compare to sitting down and reading The Giver as it was originally intended. As I predicted, the book wins this time but not by as wide of a margin that I thought.

The Lorax

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Fog

Book or Movie?

Alter Eggo

Lilly King

The first time my Dad read me Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax I was six. Although completely oblivious to the story’s motif, I listened intently as the adorably fluffy yet Napoleonic-complex possessing Lorax stood up to the Once-ler. Ted, a young boy who is curious about what has happened to the Truffula Trees, listens as the Once-ler recounts his economically successful yet environmentally exploitative logging business, in which he selfishly cut down all the Truffula trees and subsequently caused mass deforestation and the homelessness of the former animal inhabitants. The Once-ler confides in Ted his deepest-darkest secret: he has the last Truffula tree seed and the fate of the species now lies in Ted’s hands. Deep right? In the movie, the plot thickens. Ted’s hometown, ThneedVille, an enclosed, artificial city complete with plastic trees and bottled air, suppresses any natural products, specifically the tree seed in Ted’s possession. What follows is a PG version of the oppressive mayor spying on Ted, voice by Zac Efron, and the Lorax, voice by Danny DeVito, as they attempt to plant the last tree, and make the female love interest, voice by Taylor Swift, whose wish is, conveniently, to see a real Truffula tree, fall in love with Ted. The movie has once again won due to its efforts, and ultimately its success, of expanding the story’s initial target audience and making The Lorax a family movie with something for everyone.

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Lit The Writing on the Wall

Noah Larson

“The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules.

It’s people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.”- Banksy, Wall and Piece

look at paintings and attempt to “take something” from them. A deeper meaning is often sought after. All great artists want to make the viewer think, even if there is no thinking to do at all. Sometimes it is just pleasing to the eye, but in every case, a reaction is triggered.

The fact that street art is illegal has always been confusing to me, and frankly, a bit irritating. Although graffiti is illegal in terms of property damage, it would also be correct to say that it is illegal because it is an easy way to distribute ideas and images in a widespread fashion.

This type of power might seem insignificant to some; they see some crazy guy walking down the streets in a hoodie, spray paint can in hand, climbing up fire escapes and tediously inching his way on the side of billboard walkways. They assume the artist is doing it for a thrill, just to break the law or blatantly deface property. The truth is, street artists are merely trying to do what every artist wants to do: create a reaction for anyone who views their art. The difference is people aren’t going to a museum to look at the art, it appears in their everyday life. They don’t pay particular attention to it as they wouldn’t to any other advertisement on a wall, but it becomes visually enclosed in their brain. In this way, graffiti works as any other kind of advertisement.

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It is propaganda, and propaganda enters the mind of the viewer without them even knowing.

Is this a power that should be given to a man with a spray paint can? Society says no, and the police most definitely say no. In my opinion, street artists are just

I

have always been inspired by Banksy. He is one of many “street artists” who has gone against the grain to transform art into something that cannot be contained in a frame.

The relationship between art in a museum and street art can be compared to the relationship between animals in a zoo and wild animals. People come to a museum with a purpose: to

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like any other artist. However, they are willing to take risks to create their artwork. They make no money, hide their identities, and risk getting in trouble with the law, all to publicize a message. Street art will always be illegal, but I believe that it deserves more appreciation than it receives. To some they are vandals, but to others they are artists.

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Lit

Life in Action

The Best of the Worst Ms. Hayman’s AP Language and Comp class created the best worst metaphors

Awkward Sasa Jovanovic

Angel of Death

Every day without him felt like 24 hours.

Her dreams crumbled like goat cheese on a cheap salad.

The girl looked at her ex-boyfriend exactly how a girl would look at her ex-boyfriend.

Evan Berk Art

Atop third floor main and 5 minutes past when the bell had last rung, two students arrive at opposite ends of the hallway. Both, with labored breath after they victoriously succeeded in climbing the endless flights of stairs, look down at the floor, contained in their own thoughts. As they lift their heads from individual contemplations, their eyes lock. The earlier march slows to a walk; her eyes fidget and he shoves his hands in his pockets. Her mouth opens as if to say something, but decides against it. His arm becomes crooked as if to wave, but doesn’t. With rigid posture their eyes return to bore into the carpet. Upon arrival at the same door, they both lunge for the handle to find a release from the tense air only to quickly retract their claims. The boy stands stoic as the girl, exasperated, reaches out and opens the door. “Now where have you two been?” comes from inside the room.

My door slammed shut, just like the cabinet did when I found out we were out of Doritos.

Her makeup ran sloppily down her face like two drunk guys performing a sobriety test on the side of a highway.

Nina Antone

Evan Berk Art

I take her in from across the room. Her figure is slightly obscured by the darkness that surrounds her. Her auburn hair reflects the sun beautifully when it gets to see daylight. Two perfect pools of crystal blue make up her eyes; they are so clear I swear that I can see my own reflection in them as I walk toward her now. She stares up at me from the cold, hard cement ground as I stare back, like we’re the only two people in the entire world, in this damp, musky room. I kneel down in front of her so that my face is level with hers. I notice prominent beads of sweat drip from her forehead as her chin trembles. The sound of scraping metal fills my ears, but then I glance down to realize that it is only the sound of her slightly pathetic struggle against the chains that tie her down. A single tear falls down her cheek and a gentle whimper comes up from her throat. “Shhhh,” I say to her. I lean over to her face, and into the shell of her ear I whisper, “It will all be over soon.”

It all came at once until he couldn’t stop laughing; it was like when you actually laugh at something you said “lol” to.

unique masterpiece from above.

Arizona’s tattoo of two outlined hearts was as perfectly rounded as the butt cheeks on Michelangelo’s angels in the Sistine Chapel.

An overload of stress caused her to shut down, much like Steve Harvey on Family Feud whenever a contestant guesses something sexual.

1:25 Julia Shapiro

the idea for the next Doritos Super Bowl commercial.

When Mary learned that her healthcare wouldn’t pay for her medical bills, she lay distraught on the operating table hoping that her limb amputation surgery wouldn’t cost her an arm and a leg.

Contributions by Isaac Butler, Ally Charleston, Jess Dyroff, Liza Huschle, Colette Maalouf, Maren Mellen, Emilia Nordgren, and Julia Shapiro Google Images

Evan Berk Art

She flips through the pages of the thick packet and stops to stare at the third set of problems. The girl quickly mouths the words of the question to herself. All was silent, except for the steady rhythm of fingernails tapping a keyboard in a nearby office. Sitting at the desk, the girl fidgets.

She straightens her slouching spine against the back of the chair and puts her pencil down. Cracking her knuckles, she then whispers the question aloud again. The sharp snap of her joints adds a bit of percussion to the soft music of typing in the other room. Her eyes shift from her paper to the end of empty hallway. Leaning forward, she glances into the office to see the teacher absorbed in a computer screen. The girl sighs and slowly reaches into the pocket of her jacket. An iPhone slips into her palm.

“Five more minutes!” the teacher calls from the office. The girl immediately perks up and gasps. Without looking at her phone, she removes her hand from the pocket and snatches her pencil. She grunts under her breath.

Arts Chris Ribaudo

Hingham native Kristen Mashikian is no stranger to the arts program here at Thayer. Along with being a star athlete on the track team and an honors student, Kristen is also a key member of the orchestral ensemble. Kristen maintains a balance of her sports, school, and musical activities well, and spends a good deal of her time contributing to the music program as one of the most advanced flutists in the ensemble. Kristen reluctantly began playing the flute in 6th grade because she was required to play an instrument in the mandatory ‘concert band’. Little did she know how gifted she would become. “At first I played like everyone else. Then my teacher and I started to realize I was good. Then I started taking lessons, and practicing more, and enjoying it,” says Kristen. Kristen explained that she likes music because “you can do it yourself. It’s not like a sports team with other people, or like school with people teaching you. You can practice and play on your own, by yourself.” As a musician myself, I know that most musicians have someone who has inspired them to take another step in the process of learning an instrument. Kristen feels that this person was initially her flute teacher, but when she became more advanced her inspiration came from a flutist named James Galway. In her free time Kristen enjoys listening and playing to classical music while also trying to translate the melody to her flute by ear. One of Kristen’s favorite aspects of the Thayer music program is how the members of the group can choose their own music and play what they enjoy. Kristen explained that in the future she plans on enrolling in a dual 5-year program offered through the New England Conservatory and Harvard.

“This gives me the option of continuing to play and pursue music, but will also allow me to study a major other than music,” says Kristen. Art Department Head Jeff Browne says, “Kristen is one of the finest muscians I’ve ever taught at Thayer. Her level of proficiency on Flute has advanced at a phenomenal speed, and her contribution to Thayer’s music program is outstanding.”

Dancing for Dudes

Gallery : Water Kiley Graham Photo

Kristen Mashikian

Sean O’Connor Gillian Freter Design Emily Dolphin Art

Chris Bernstein Photos

A new program in the 2013-14 school year, the men’s dance program, dubbed “Dancing for Dudes”, is on the rise at the Academy. Ryan Finneran, captain of the dance team, recounts the moment when he and his fellow architecture students decided to form the class, “Well, all the boys just kind of looked at each other one day and said, ‘Dance.’” Without any prior dance experience, Pam Sheiber really took the boys and their program under her wing. She enjoys the time spent with them, although the class only meets once per week. “They really are serious about this,” she told me. The dance group is not only focused on having fun, but also on choreographing an entertaining act to be performed at the concerts. A central point for the boys is the use of their athleticism in the dances, including running, jumping, sliding, and even flipping. Memorable moments from “Dancing for Dudes”, who are often on stage in their blank masks, include a robot dance during the winter of last year (featuring a fractured nose from a flip-gone-wrong), as well as a white suited dance to finish off the school year. The program picked up several new dancers after their performances last year, and the guys are always adamant in their efforts to recruit new members. Overall, the men’s dance team can be characterized with only one line from member Nick Windwer: “We just love to battle.”

Sports The Glory Days

Sarah Russell

Once the senior athletes have graduated, what will happen to the fall sports teams? Well, we may have no need to worry, the class of 2018 is showing that the next four years of Thayer Academy fall sports have the potential to be successful.

Football has certainly had a tough year due to injuries, but that may be good for freshmen playing for the team this year.

Max Storch, Drew Callahan, and Cole Roland have made names for themselves on the varsity team. Coach Jeff Toussaint has had to be careful with his players, with numbers dwindling so low. Mr. Toussaint isn’t worried about these three young players, though. “These three kids can all handle themselves.” Mike Pulsifer, a team captain, agrees that the team is working well with the young players. “They work well with us. They’re really competitive and work hard.” Freshman Drew Callahan said, “I only see our team getting better, even though we’re losing great seniors.”

A team that’s never low on numbers is girls cross country. Jeff Browne’s freshmen stars are Katherine Stanwood, Cassie Kearney, Annie Huycke, and Kendall McConnaughey.

Katherine and Cassie have been top runners for the Thayer team. Mr. Browne said that these four freshmen have a “natural physical leadership out in front of the pack.” Sydney Packard, a team captain said, “our race strategy is packs and they’re a really good pack together. No matter how hard the workout Mr. Browne throws at them, they preform to the best of their ability.” Cassie Kearney believes the whole team helps each other. “We push each other through tough workouts, learn from each other, and have good times. We always get the work done without any complaining or giving up.”

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During high school, Jeff Browne juggled academics, athletics, and his own band. As the lead leg on the 4x100, and a sprinter in the 100m, 200m, and 110m high hurdles, Mr. Browne was a key contributor to his high school track team. Mr. Browne continued to make his mark as a track star throughout college, especially as a high hurdler. Although Mr. Browne was considered a short hurdler by college standards, people understand that form and style are just as important, if not more important, than height.

His biggest influence was his high school coach, who gave him a book about Rod Milburn, Olympic Gold Medalist in the high hurdles in the 1972 games. “I admired Milburn’s style and form,” Browne commented, “I tried to emulate it and teach myself.” When his high school track team was going for the state championship, Browne recalls listening to his pump up songs, “Dream On” by Aerosmith and “Lucky Man” by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Browne can be considered one well-rounded track superstar, and he sees parts of himself in everyone on the track team.

Kristan Gately

Louise Nesssralla Art

Louise Nesssralla Art

Girls soccer constantly has new talent rising from the underclassmen. Genevieve Connelly, Tessa Schneider, Niamh Griffin, and Jacqueline Gilpin have made their impact on the varsity soccer team. One of the team’s captains, Ivy Arlia, said about the four, “they all work super hard at practice and have grown throughout the season. With so many injuries they have stepped up their game to play at a high varsity level.” Coach Skip Schneider spoke of them highly, “they all bring something very different to the team.” Mr. Schneider feels the girls stood out because they adjusted quickly to playing at the varsity level, which has a faster and tougher pace. Jacqueline Gilpin said, “I think the players will really have to step up next year without the seniors, but I think we’ll be able to be successful.” With the effort coming from these girls, the future of the team looks bright.

The boys cross country team, led by coach Joe Pelletier, is usually on a hunt for harriers through the first few weeks of the season. We all know the announcements: “Boys cross country is looking harriers. Come out and run today!” Did you notice the lack of that announcement this year? That is because the team had five new freshmen join the team: Drew Kelner, Eli Dow, Nick Dawson, John High, and Hunter Gu. Mr. Pelletier said John High is “very good” and a “clear front runner.” The praise for John doesn’t end there. Captain Ryan Finneran said, “as a freshmen it’s hard to take a leadership role and he already has.”

John High agrees that the team gets along well, which helps them be successful. “I feel that I fit in great with the rest of the team. Our chemistry is very high, and we’re always making jokes and laughing.”

Louise Nesssralla Art

Jeff Browne

Getting into Harvard is impressive by itself. But swimming at a collegiate level, while balancing academics, is a whole other story. In high school, Kristan Gately was sprinter in the 50m, 100m, and 200m freestyle. She had the opportunity to explore more strokes during high school like the backstroke, but as she transitioned into college, she recalls becoming more specialized, especially in the 100m breaststroke. Throughout her time as a swimmer, Ms. Gately swam with top class athletes, some of whom ventured on to become Olympic Gold Medalists, like Jenny Thompson.

Ms. Gately loved her team, especially when they would listen to their cheesy pump up song, “Vogue” by Madonna. Although she doesn’t swim a lot today, she loves to bring her 3 kids to their local YMCA to teach them how to swim. When asked which student closely resembles her, Ms. Gately joked, “Although he’s not quite the same type of swimmer as I was, because he swims distance, I enjoy talking to Sam Rice about the sport.”

Jake Diamond “Sports are just one of my many interests,” says Jake Diamond. A well-rounded athlete, Mr. Diamond has played soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis throughout his life. In college, Mr. Diamond was the captain of the soccer team at SUNY Binghamton, a Division 1 school. He led his team, which was once ranked #9 in the country, to 3 NCAA tournament appearances. Soccer became Mr. Diamond’s main focus, and as a result he decided to give up other sports as he grew up. He jokes that after an ankle injury his junior year in high school, he continued the rest of his basketball career “in the streets.”Today, one can find him after school during the fall and winter playing pickup basketball in Memorial with students. Mr. Diamond also keeps active by participating in a senior soccer league on Sunday mornings. For the last 35 years, Mr. Diamond and his close friends have had “a good honest sweat with people they love.” Mr. Diamond also enjoys tennis and golf during the summer. Whenever Mr. Diamond plays soccer or basketball, or coaches students, he always “tries to make the people around him better.” This motto sprung from watching Michael Jordan play, who in Mr. Diamond’s opinion, did just that. Mr. Diamond has been active in athletics, on and off campus, for quite some time now and he hopes that he resembles Harold Hatch, late Upper School Math teacher, Cross Country, and Track and Field Coach. Diamond viewed Mr. Hatch, whom he looked up to as a young teacher, as the “zen master of exercise.”

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Diamond Family Photos

Boys soccer has added four freshmen to their team this year. Eoin O’Sullivan, Patrick Shiel, Conor Sage, and Sean Kennedy are this year’s youngest team members. Coach David Leahy said that it took a lot of hard work to make the final cut for the team. “All four of these players had to stand out in some way in tryouts to make the varsity team. They have added an excellent work ethic to each and every practice and game they play in.” Colin Oliphant, one of the team captains, agrees, “they are all great contributors with positive attitudes and they always put in hard work during games and practices.” The freshmen see a bright future for the soccer team as well. Patrick Shiel said, “We’ll miss the seniors next year, but I think we’ll continue to become a better team, even without them.”

Many teachers have participated in sports throughout their lives. Here are three, among many, teacher profiles, which recount their own athletic experiences and why they love their respective sports.

Louise Nesssralla Art

The field hockey team is filled with upperclassmen, but two very talented freshmen have made the cut. Julia Cochran and Stephanie Lyons have both been playing under coach Alison Soule.

“I see a ton of potential from the both of them,” Ms. Soule said. One of the team’s captains, Mollie White, said about the youngest team members that they’re “not only outstanding field hockey players, but athletes in general.” Julia is a player Mollie described as “a very strong defensive player.” Julia feels that she has fit in well with the team and said, “the team is great, we get along well as a group and have fun together. They are very inclusive in every team event we do. It’s a lot of fun.”

Tom Kotopolous

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