The Highliner Issue 12 by The Highliner

contribu MANAGING

EDITORIAL

Eva Hwang Co-editor in Chief

Jaden Schapiro World Associate Editor

Clare Maleeny Co-editor in Chief

Isabel Mundannayake World Associate Editor

Anna Bloch Senior Editor

Didi Jin New York Associate Editor

Ryan Kim Senior Editor

Lynn Rong New York Associate Editor

Olivia Miller Senior Editor & Creative Director

Zoe Nelms Culture Associate Editor

Daniel Khazanov Photography Director Luc Detiger Photography Director Iman Karibzhanova Business Manager

Tallulah Brown Culture Associate Editor Lucas Ritchie-Shatz Arts Associate Editor

c utors v e r B Y

S Y D N E Y

A C E V E D O C L A R E

M A L E E N Y

O L I V I A

M I L L E R

STAFF Belle Fraser Benjamin Dennison Dylan Jackaway Elizabeth Jacob Ella Price Grace Malley Henry Gillis Maya Haney Mel Douer

& Naomi Sladkus Sam Boyce M E L

Tara Kerr Valentina Doukeris

D O U E R

Vanessa Bye Wonyoung Park

EDITORIAL 6 8 16

WORLD 22

Kavanaugh, Character & #MeToo by Anna Bloch

Fluency by Jaden Schapiro

The Human Limit by Belle Fraser Speaking American by Dylan Jackaway Viterbo: Life in Italy by Isabel Mudannayake English as a Second Language by Valentina Doukeris Global Perspective by Henry Gillis

30 38 42 46

Renewing our Mission by The Managing Board Thought vs. Action by Eva Hwang Renaissance at Avenues by Clare Maleeny

NEW YORK 50

What the Chuck? by Didi Jin

The Curiousity Behind Class Divide by Tara Kerr 56 Tampons on Trial by Maya Haney 58

Stellar Blue by Lynn Rong

Political Polarization by Ella Price

Poetic Tribe by Tallulah Brown, Belle Fraser & Didi Jin

Tattooed Former College Football Player Becomes Administrator? by Ryan Kim

Does E-Sports Have a Place at Avenues by Ben Dennison

Avenues Index by Tallulah Brown, Ben Dennison, Belle Fraser, Didi Jin, Tara Kerr, and Ella Price

CONTENT

CULTURE 73 76 80 81 84 86 89 92 94 96 98

100 108

To the Flag by Zoe Nelms Why Veganism? by Olivia Miller Kim’s Gift by Wonyoung Park What Happened with John Darnielle? by Lucas Ritchie-Shatz Failing Faith by Belle Fraser You Construct Intricate Rituals by Lucas Ritchie-Shatz A Remarkable but Hackneyed Return: ye by Didi Jin A Name like Noname by Tallulah Brown “Stars, They’re Just Like Us!” by Belle Fraser The Futuristic Fishbowl: Big Fish Theory by Ella Price Can Music Be the Afterlife? by Tara Kerr

ARTS 100 102

Daily Dilemmas by Mel Douer The Ethics of Street Photography by Daniel Khazanov

HUMOR 108 110 111 112 113 114 115

8 Tips and Tricks Guaranteed to Win You Any Argument by Didi Jin Scientists Finally Find the Moon is Made of Cheese by Tara Kerr Beloved Philadelphia Mascot Begins 2020 Campaign by Ben Dennison Are You There, Bread? It’s Me, An Avenues Senior by Tallulah Brown City Kid-itis by Belle Fraser Headliners Crossword by Lucas Ritchie-Shatz

Renewing our Mission Welcome to issue twelve of The Highliner, our Avenues school news and culture magazine. As we enter our fifth school year of production with a driven team of journaists, artists, designers, and writers, we renew our commitment to improving our school by empowering student voice through diverse stories and perspectives. Initially inspired by the The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, The Highliner was founded in 2014 as a New York-centric print publication featuring in-depth reporting and cultural commentary. It has since developed into an eclectic arts, culture, and news magazine, digital newsletter, and website by and for the Avenues community. Our fresh vision for the publication and for student journalism here at Avenues offers a careful balance of sophistication and wit, curiosity and wonder. Venturing into the known, the unknown, the obvious, and the absurd, we are dedicated to open-ended questioning, kindness, and the messy, joyousness of learning. - The Highliner Managing Board

MISSION

Thought vs. Action: Revisiting Diversity at Avenues

Art by Anna Bloch 8

I By Eva Hwang

n the middle of weekly assembly, the bustling 9th floor commons grew hushed as two upperclassman approached the podium. Deemed an “assembly-takeover,” the seniors stood confidently in front of the Upper Division for their cause to hire a Director of Diversity. The microphone passed between various members of the student body, each equally as vulnerable and persuasive as the last. “When I found out I was the only native Spanish speaker in the grade, it actually crossed my mind that I might lose my Spanish language and culture due to the lack of exposure I would be getting at this school: And this at a Spanish immersion school!” wrote one senior. “Today, I am choosing to engage my brain and think, and I encourage other privileged members of this community to do the same,” said another. “My classes at Avenues have taught me to embrace global perspectives and think about the lives of others. What better way to do this than to actually bring others to talk?” These individual stories of struggle, self-advocacy, and growing social consciousness not only resulted in the realization of a Diversity of Inclusion and Engagement, but also promoted student awareness and empathy throughout the school. As groups of Upper Division students attended mind-opening conferences such as the White Privilege Conference and People of Color Conference, Avenues hosted the 2016 Diversity Awareness Initiative for Students (DAIS) Conference. The handful of Avenues students who attended became painfully aware of the homogeneity of the student body. Their social consciousness became an educational initiative within the Gender, Sexuality, and Race classroom, where then seniors Julian Franco and Yasemin Smallens launched a letter writing campaign to promote the job listing for a Director of Diversity at the school. “They really wanted to create the same type of community that they felt in the DAIS Conference,” said Upper Division GSR teacher Ms. Stephanie Shore. “The students collected fifty or sixty letters from high school students basically saying why they felt like they needed a Diversity Coordinator, so there’s lots of different reasons.” After many meetings with administration and executive pushback, the two students dedicated a portion of assembly where a select number of students publicly shared their letters urging for diverse change within the entire Upper Division. This demonstration was the final force which alerted the hiring office of the urgency with which to post their job listing. EDITORIAL

Since that moment in 2016, students have played integral roles in founding various cultural clubs, a Committee for Social Justice, and launching a schoolwide campaign to hire a Director of Diversity. This role previously deemed Director of Inclusion and Diversity has become a champion for programs and initiatives that ensure diversity, mindfulness, and inclusivity in our school community. Through a class project turned schoolwide effort, the two seniors brought work that began in their Gender, Sex, and Race class to fruition when Ms. AnaMaria Correa was hired in a move that many in the community saw as an institutional recognition of student voice and values. “An Avenues education is grounded in the notion that it is preparing students for life in a global society, an increasingly diverse and multicultural world,” wrote Jules Franco in her initial letter to the administration. “I call upon Avenues to facilitate its students development as global citizens by making diversity in all its manifestations a priority. In order to graduate students who are not only impressive academically, but who are also empathetic, humble, and aware, we need a Diversity Office.” Moved by the efforts of our students and their self-advocacy, Ms. Correa became the first Director of Community Engagement and Diversity in 2016. She was a beloved educator, role model, and friend to students, acting as a student-driven advocate and ally within the administration. Just after the 2018 school year ended, however, Correa decided to leave the school. In an excerpt from an email addressed to students she had worked most closely with, she said, “As of July 11th, I have chosen to step away from my post at Avenues. I love my work with you and my work with teachers in support of equity and inclusion.”

Initially, the shock of Ms. Correa’s departure reverberated throughout the school and students began to wonder whether the institution would either backtrack or ignore the necessity of the position. However, a couple months into the school year, student conversations have dissolved, leaving an irreplaceable hole in our community’s understanding of how our identities are influenced by the world at large and the pressing need for diversity. Diversity lies within the core Avenues values of welcome, safety, and respect. The various identities of students should be welcomed, they should feel comfortable to express their identity, and be respected by their peers. As the institution strives to develop world leaders and thinkers able to navigate the global climate, exposure to difference is an inherent necessity. The key facilitators of inclusivity are open spaces and administrators that uphold these community norms. Comparing social awareness to learning biology, Psychology and Sociology teacher Mr. Michael Yarbrough said, “In the same way that we as teachers and administrators are here to help you learn, we also probably need to be aware that you don’t just need to learn biology; We need to help you learn how to have these conversations. A lot of us here have been having them for decades now and it would be kind of a waste to ignore the impact that our experience in this arena can have.” After seemingly careening from crisis to crisis between interim heads, the instatement of longterm administrative leadership and stable school culture makes the potential of developing lasting student initiatives just within our grasp. According to Mr. Yarbrough, diversity is “the goal to make sure that whatever group is in question, and in this case we’re probably talking about the student body and fac-

ulty body, and also policy, reflects the composition of and concerns of the population in general.” New York City and the United States at large is considered to be a unique cultural hub constructed and maintained by a country of immigrants. Within Manhattan alone, people of Hispanic or Latino descent make up 29% of the population, according to the Census Bureau’s 2017 survey. Though Avenues educates approximately 30% students of color, the range of ethnicities within this portion are limited in socioeconomic status where certain groups are represented disproportionately. Diversity is not limited to skin color. As Avenues Director of Talent Ms. Becca Howlett said, the diversity which Avenues administrators seek to house is “beyond diversity in the way many talk about it— racial and economic—we believe diversity of thought is essential to our community and is a top priority in our diversity and inclusion work.” Yet these diverse perspectives will be skewed or uninformed without proper vocabulary and curriculum that is overseen by an expert in inclusion. The absence of this position has created profound repercussions in our mindsets, awareness, and even the way we hold conversations. As our social and political climate continues to grow more polarized, we need someone willing to moderate the vast coming debates and maneuver diversity of opinion as well as identity. A Director of Diversity and Inclusion, trained in the field, would be able to mitigate and refine the ideas of faculty and the student body in order to help unify our collective understanding and avoid potential offense. “This is a controversy even to this day when we’re looking for someone else, because she plays this role which is inclusion and diversity,” said Ms. Shore. “It’s just a lot to have to create relationships with the outside community, but also make sure people feel safe in the building, and she [did] it from Pre-K all the way to twelfth grade.” The leadership members of the faculty’s Diversity Council have been meeting regularly to plan, revise, and eventually post a detailed job listing for a new Director of Diversity and Inclusion, which will definitely be appointed by fall of 2019. “I think a Director of Inclusion is a huge and important role. We want to bring somebody in to do that well,” said Upper Division Head Mr. Todd Shy. “I’m eager to have a partner in the work and excited to have a partner who can help us think in the adult community about what we can do to support diversity and inclusion within the community and to be a part of the education for students as well.” Revising the leadership around diversity is a step in the right direction to ensure lasting change within the school, though this looks different for different members of the community. When asked what role a Director of Diversity and Inclusion plays in our community, Upper Division

“I call upon Avenues to facilitate its students development as global citizens by making diversity in all its manifestations a priority. In order to graduate students who are not only impressive academically, but who are also empathetic, humble, and aware, we need a Diversity Office.”

history teacher Ms. Jenna Ray said: “Too many. They wear a lot of hats.” In order to plan for effective communication and support between the administration and diversity leadership, she believes that the role must be split between an able, professional group each assigned specialized jobs. “I think that’s just too many responsibilities, both logistically and social and emotionally,” said Ms. Ray. “You can imagine the amount of stress when you’re holding onto other people’s stress, and the amount it can weigh on you.” Yet with the multitude of responsibilities, some believe that a one-personteam will be the best solution. “The issue is that it’s such a big job to think about all of these questions,” Mr. Yarbrough said. With responsibilities to assist teachers to ensure their curriculum is diverse and informed, act as a community confidante and advocate, recruit families of marginalized communities, and work with administration to ensure new policies are inclusive and mindful, he said “that’s such a huge job that requires so much coordination that I don’t know how you can efficiently split it up among a bunch of people.” The role of a Director of Diversity and Inclusion and a potential Diversity Office continues to evolve as teachers and administrators alike hold meaningful conversations, though students are not necessarily involved. In the wake of its absence, students must make individualized strides towards diverse education. “As students, we can often feel like issues are so much bigger than ourselves, that they don’t affect us, so why should we care. Especially given that we go to Avenues, most of us are in a socioeconomic bracket where we are insulated and protected from most of the injustice that occurs in this world,” said senior and Co-Chair of the Committee for Social Justice Oren Schweitzer. “I think that as students especially, we have incredible power. We are the consumers of academia. Throughout history, the biggest organizing and the revolutionaries came out of academic institutions which was an amazing place to organize like-minded young people toward collective action.” Though we have a slew of cultural clubs which promote conversations and awareness around minority identities, this year has seen a significant shift where these spaces have become more affinity oriented than inclusive. While safe spaces and affinity groups offer an opportunity for people of a certain identity to explore collective experience, share their stories and perspectives, and form connections with people of a similar background, inclusive spaces aim to bring these groups together to solve problems and disseminate information. Both are very useful in promoting diversity of identity and thought, yet the prevalence of inclusive spaces has recently declined. To start this movement, “I think that it’s a matter of normalizing conversations like that, which I think right now are maybe a little abnormal,” said Mr. Yarbrough. “There’s a lot of tense feelings or some apprehension around having one of those conversations, either for fear of offending someone, because you’re not sure what might offend someone, or for fear of feeling like you are being told that you’re a problem. We have to figure out how linguistically we can have those conversations in order to make that a more normal process.” A Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity Office, or whatever form it might take may be able to start these conversations, but it is up to students to maintain them, participate in school culture, and engage with difference. Diversity within the Avenues community is something to be celebrated and cultivated. And as history has shown, student advocacy is the most effective method of change. Let us join clubs, found clubs, practice community outreach, and arrange events which connect us with different worlds. Without awareness of what systems are in place and how to engage with them, however, Avenues students will be unable to reap their benefits. While there are many steps to be taken administratively and within the classroom, it is the responsibility of the student body to stand together to create diversity initiatives which will ultimately help remedy the intellectually and socially dangerous homogeneity of our school. •

By Clare Maleeny

BEYOND

FEATURE

chool is meant to be a place where kids are aspirational––preparing for their lives ahead so they can one day pursue their passions. We often fail to realize that students, and teachers alike, are already delving into their passions, and their lives beyond school are what make the interactions at Avenues so interesting. Mr. Hoeksema began singing when he was just eight years old in Church choirs and, later, in high school and college-level choirs. Throughout these experiences, he was able to develop his technical abilities and became part of a community: “It was very fun, you get into singing with a group of people just as passionate as you are and create really nice music.” Today, he is a member of a few choirs in New York and works to balance teaching with his love for singing. He spoke of how crucial achieving a balance is, stating: “I think academic subjects as they are typically defined are silos––they’re sectioned off. It’s good to be really specific and deep and committed to an area you are interested in, but it often limits your vision outside of that context.” He continued: “You don’t make as many connections to things that interest you. Everything becomes so specific, it’s important to take a step back, whether that’s through a course or a conversation, and take a look at what else can influence my work.” Mr. Hoeksema spoke to the value of having interests beyond school and work, whether it be “a hobby like my singing or something different.” In college, Mr. Hoeksema’s thesis proposed an intersection between physics and singing: “If I wasn’t involved in all these thing I wouldn’t have had a thesis and potentially wouldn’t have the degree.” As members of the Avenues community, we spend over eight hours in and around our school each day. With schedules booked down to the minute, most of our interactions fall within an academic purview. It can often be hard to find time within the building to share who we are beyond the curriculum. But if you take the time to be curious, you might discover that you’re not just surrounded by fellow students and faculty. On any given day, you could be walking to class next to a ballroom dancer, cosmetologist, fly fisherman or political activist. When Mr. Widelec became eligible to vote, he made the choice to remove himself from the polls. He didn’t vote for nearly a decade and it was only until 2016 when Mr.

Widelec first saw his ideas represented in a Democratic candidate. And at that, a candidate with a shot at winning the race. Inspired, he joined a Long-island based campaign that, just this year, has flipped six seats from red to blue. “We’re involved in all sorts of grassroots campaigns. We help out with elections for candidates we endorse, we’re connected with larger state and nation-wide organizations and I probably spend a good twenty years hours on it outside of work life and family life.” Many of those interviewed described how extracurricular enthusiasms have the potential to become your vocation. Ms. Wilson has been coaching volleyball for fifteen years. “I applied for a local volleyball coaching position at eighteen and it’s like one of those stories––the rest is history. I haven’t not coached a day since.” She runs a nonprofit called NYC juniors which gives $250,000 a year in aid to kids who can’t afford to play. “The mission is to grow the game, use the game for life lessons, and as a means to college for some people.” Ms. Wilson manages upwards from twenty-one teams, fifty coaches, and is constantly traveling across the country for games and tournaments. “It’s pretty much a full other job. It’s really a labor of love and something I would do for free. I’ll be coaching the rest of my life and it’s something I feel very strongly about.” Discovering what ignites you often comes down to being open to trying something new. Sophomore Vanessa Bye began dancing as a nine-year-old in England after seeing an episode of Dancing with the Stars. “I saw one of the dancers in this amazing dress and knew I wanted to wear a dress like that someday. My mom was like: ‘the dress is for dancing, you need to dance to wear something like that.’ So, she took me to my first dance class.” From then on Vanessa was competitive ballroom dancing. “I really like the dancing because I’m not the type of person who ever liked field sports. I thought, this dancing is awesome, this is my sport—I can do this.” Though self-directed, these passions are rarely solitary pursuits. Senior Sam Katel gained a fresh perspective on herself while helping others. Since she was eight, Sam has been working with Autistic children and adults on academic, career, and social development skills. “The community I work with tends to go overlooked. Teaching young people how to work with and accept those kids is something

that’s really important to me.” Sam’s goal is to teach these kids how to, “live independent lives, find friendships, and get them out of a purely self-contained environment.” Now, Sam has upwards of three-hundred students. She integrates her ability to connect people into her life at Avenues, where she’s also very involved in the community. Taking an interest in someone else can sometimes unlock a hidden talent in yourself. Senior Thais Legrand has been experimenting with cosmetology and dermatology for the last year-and-a-half with great success. “My youngest sister had this skin condition as a baby and we didn’t know what it was. It got worse and worse when she was older. She had serious inflammation.” When she was nearing sev“THERE’S NO BORDER BETWEEN en-years old, Thais’ sister went YOU AND THAT THING ANYMORE. to the doctor and received anTHE TRUE LOVE IS WHEN IT tibiotic pills. They helped her BECOMES YOU.” condition but had drastic side effects. “I knew this couldn’t be the only treatment for a skin - MR. BARON condition. I wanted to find the root of what it is so I took biology in eleventh and twelfth grade.” In class, Thais discovered the human “gut-skin axis.” This is the connection between problems in the stomach and inflammation in skin. “It’s the same reaction as when we are stressed and get acne,” Thais said. On the flip, she began looking into probiotics. “I wondered, what would happen if you applied probiotics topically––directly on the face.” She created her own formula, removing the toxic materials and gave it to her sister. “It really worked well. We were confused. I made this thing and for the first time my sister is seeing improvement. But now there’s not enough of it.” Thais continues to experiment and learn from her products. She is even considering marketing the formula in the future and starting a business to help others. Mr. Ogden described how outdoor activities can take on a more meditative or zen-like aspect, clearing away mental clutter and stress by forcing you to concentrate on one task for an extended period of time. When Mr. Ogden was twelve, he took a trip up to his aunt and uncle’s ranch in Photos by Luc Detiger

Montana. It was there he went fly-fishing for the first time. “That was it until I was a senior in college. My brother and I lived in different parts of the country and our lives had gone in different directions. Fly fishing became a way for my brother and I to connect. Our relationship shifted from a kid relationship into an adult relationship as friends.” Mr. Ogden’s brother helped him learn the technique and navigate through the intricacies of the equipment. “Fly fishing puts me in a middle space. I have to focus on understanding my surroundings. I have to think about the fish and their perspective. These things keep me occupied and I stop thinking about the small things and deeper ideas come into focus.” In work and in school, Mr. Ogden believes in taking a step back and finding a balance in how you spend your time and your thoughts. What fly fishing is to Mr. Ogden, martial arts is to Mr. Baron. In middle school, Mr. Baron saw the movie Once Upon a Time in China with Jet Li. “I saw it one night and told my parents tomorrow I need to start doing Kung Fu. I need to start now if I’m going to be a great master. They were like, ‘okay!’” Mr. Baron continued: “Kung Fu is the reason why I learned Chinese and now Chinese seems to be my career.” Mr. Baron thinks on his own inspirations for learning Chinese and strives to create similar experiences for his students in the classroom: “This is the main reason why in Chinese classes, I’m constantly shifting to all different things. We never stay on one topic for that long. It could be that one little thing is the great interest of one student somewhere. The curriculum seems all over the place but it’s actually intentional, to see what’s going to catch you.” Though his “main passion is Kung Fu,” Mr. Baron also has a keen interest in writing and collecting stories (especially fiction). “I love to write stories. I do it all the time––it’s something I think I love more than the martial arts even. I collect stories and synthesize them in a way that people can listen to. Whether someone wants to hear a story or needs a certain story that will help them in their life.” Mr. Baron continued: “I think stories are also important to Kung Fu. In Kung Fu there are forms. Each one of those forms are something you do on your own but...but at its pinnacle, a form is a microcosm of a whole lifetime. It has a beginning and

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO TAKE A STEP BACK WHETHER THAT’S THROUGH A COURSE OR A CONVERSATION AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT ELSE CAN INFLUENCE MY WORK.” - MR. HOEKSEMA

an end … it goes through this dance where you’re without anyone else you’re just telling your story.” Mr. Baron spoke of how his passions stem from love: “This is a Torah ideas taken out of religious context but true love with anything starts with infatuation.” He added: “You reach a point where you have just as much love as with the infatuation but your love is so deep in you that there’s no escaping it. There’s no border between you and that thing anymore. The true love is when it becomes you!” Next time you find yourself sitting next to someone in the cafeteria or walking alongside you in the hall, change the subject. Instead of talking to them about homework or their next class, ask them what they do outside of school. You might be surprised. Nearly everyone interviewed expressed their opinion that life outside Avenues is what makes them successful inside Avenues. The confidence, experience and perspective gained from seemingly unrelated activities and interests are the ingredients for everyday success and happiness in a more structured academic environment. Some turn to their alternate lives as an escape, or to decompress, but even those pursuits seem to put things in perspective and teach lessons that are applicable to their life behind a desk or their role in front of a classroom. Our space is home not only to students and teachers but also cooks, coders, mechanical engineers, and marine biologists. With a little curiosity––even the prompting of a single question—you can discover a whole new person and perspective. •

Kavanaugh, Character, & #MeToo By Anna Bloch

Art by Anna Bloch 22 WORLD - OPINION

rett Kavanaugh is a privileged white man. He has never known a consequence in his whole life, and it is plausible that since 1981, he has not grown up much, or changed his views about women in society. The truth is simple: Kavanaugh’s actions speak louder than his words–– not just what he allegedly did while he was a teenager, but the way he reacted on the national stage. His shaky, enraged demeanor did little to rebut the allegations against him, and his desperate sweeping denials, along with his whining about beer, only raised more concerned questions about the judge. As senior Iman Karibzhanova said, “Outside of the accusations, outside of the way he treated those girls, the way he responded, giving off such a hostile vibe–– that alone should’ve been enough to keep him from getting confirmed.” This view is shared by many people who felt that Kavanaugh’s combative answers, belligerent tone of voice, and in some cases, the way he threw questions back at the Senate committee demonstrated a poor temperament for the Supreme Court. As the highest judicial position in the country, and one that carries a life term, the bar should be very high. Civil discourse between people requires a level of respect and humility that Kavanaugh never showed. Accusations of sexual harassment, namely those against men in positions of power, have become commonplace in present-day America. The #MeToo movement has drastically shaped this country––encouraging women to come forward about experiences with sexual harassment and assault. The movement has also shown the world that men are starting to get away with less, and be held accountable for more. It is completely changing the way we view powerful men, which is exactly why it’s terrifying to think that so many people can still defend Brett Kavanaugh––a person who needs to be much more than a “decent human being”–– as a Supreme Court Justice. He needs to be an honest, credible, extraordinary individual prepared to make some of the most important decisions in our country. As students, Kavanaugh’s “then” is our “now.” What does that mean for us, and our future? Senior Thais Legrand believes that our generation is “definitely aware that our actions have consequences, and I don’t think we’re not afraid of that.” As a generation that has grown up alongside technology, we know what it means to have an online footprint, and how the things we do now have the potential to follow us around for the rest of our lives. We’re smarter. HIP Teacher Mr. Caleb Wiese even jokes that adults nowadays always say “I’m really glad that Facebook wasn’t around when I was a teenager!” He also believes that the Kavanaugh story was somewhat of a wakeup call to many

Americans, and that the midterm results were eye-opening proof of that–– the desire to have more women, and more diversity in these positions of power to ensure that things like this don’t happen. The #MeToo movement has shown us that our actions in our youth can have lasting consequences. It’s exciting to feel like progress is being made. So when Kavanaugh is able to become a Supreme Court Justice despite this, it feels like that progress is halted. Kavanaugh’s nomination sends a message to young women that their experiences won’t always be validated, but also shows that young men might not always be held accountable for their actions. While Kavanaugh’s nomination might’ve been a wakeup call to some, Senior Apryl Adames was disappointed that the country didn’t take it as seriously as she believes they should’ve: “It definitely stunted progress with the #MeToo movement.” Progress has been made, but there is still clearly long way to go. According to Vox, there have been a total of 252 men accused of sexual abuse, harassment, or rape since Harvey Weinstein’s accusations in October of 2017. There are some cases where it feels like justice is not served–– and Kavanaugh’s case is one of those. While this might not be front page news anymore, Brett Kavanaugh is a symptom of a larger problem. He represents a looming issue in this country, and it was evident in the way he acted at the hearing: a privileged frat boy scared that he won’t get his way for the first time in his life. In many ways, aspects of the Kavanaugh story can be found anywhere. This goes past politics and past themes from the #MeToo movement. The way we treat each other and the way we behave matters more than ever in this country––and people need to realize this. Younger generations have realized it–– they’ve grown up with the mindset that their actions have the power to define them, further enforcing the sense that “We can’t let this happen again.” Whether you feel disappointed or energized by this, pay attention to the way you’re reacting–– this story and its implications cannot be forgotten. As Senior Didlane Pierre said, “He couldn’t act with dignity or have a sense of professionality–– if he can’t handle himself on the national stage then he shouldn’t be a Supreme Court justice.” Take a look past Kavanaugh’s political views. Consider how he handled himself, the questions surrounding acts that he allegedly perpetrated in his past, all supported by credible witnesses, and ask yourself if all of that adds up to the kind of character and integrity that we as Americans want on the Supreme Court.•

"If he can’t handle himself on the national stage then he shouldn’t be a Supreme Court justice."

流畅

FLUENCY FLUIDEZ By Jaden Schapiro

rown deeply in the roots of our mission statement, the concept of language seems almost comforting and frightening at the same time. Woven throughout the signs of the halls, the smallest idealisms are decorated in translations of Spanish and Chinese. Therefore, we ought to “graduate students who are truly fluent in a second language.” It is then assumed that as Avenues students, we are part of a certain group, so worldly, cultured, understanding, and empathetic, that we have taught ourselves about the world by just surrounding ourselves in unfamiliar words. Our mission statement is closer to a declaration of independence than it is a constitution; we have written these statements, these truths that we hold so close, to be the defining element in every Avenues student. These attributes separate us from other schools in New York and now the world — we are the separatists in the eyes of other educational institutions. This is the idea of our global initiative: to become immersed in other cultures while still being in New York and at school, without interacting with them directly. The heaviest element of Avenues would be that of understanding the importance of fluency in our students, which is where a blurring definition for our Statement resides. This article is not a critique of the Mission, but rather an explanation of what the collective Avenues members believe it means. This is because it appears as if we must hold up morals that may seem arbitrary or ambiguous. To be stopped at any given time as you near the end of high school and expected to communicate in another language may be intimidating for some. It is similarly disorienting if the words in this article began changer au milieu de la (literally: “suddenly began to change in the 24 WORLD - FEATURE

middle of the sentence). For a different group of students, they have recently started learning their target language and have already began speaking comfortably in real-world environments. Yet, they would not dare to declare themselves as experts in their linguistic field. These students also ponder the possibility of fluency, going beyond just ordering a favorite dish at their neighbourhood’s ethnic restaurants. One student’s ideas of fluency touches on the quality of immersion or how well a student can assimilate into their target language’s native culture. “I would consider fluent to be someone put into a completely immersive environment and being able to have interactions,” says Jimmy Kerr, a junior in Advanced Spanish. The definition that he provides is about the comfortability that each student should have communicating in their target language. If a student were an expert, they should be able to “get by” in a native country, Kerr says. More or less, this is the action of letting the foreign environment become your own. Others, such as sophomore Krishan Dave, say that fluency is mainly “having confidence to approach someone in that language.” Dave comes from the perspective of level 6 Chinese, and his opinion focuses on the individual and presenting themselves before others. Dave continues that confidence attributes to “how open you are about learning the language, [and] with Chinese especially, you have to want to learn.” This is a drive to accumulate more practice whether the linguistic environment is existent, nonexistent, or adventitious. Some students amplify the ideas of knowing a target language as either being able to adapt quickly to different societies or to express any ideas they have. Therefore, the

Art by Mel Douer

So everyone is fluent because we put 洗手间 on bathroom doors? definition of fluency is still too ambiguous because the students’ conceptions of it still do not always align. Although it takes confidence to go into an unfamiliar culture, or time to assimilate into talking to strangers, the two interpretations lack the same primary criterium. Comparatively, some language teachers were also asked to share their definitions of what it means to be “truly fluent in a second language” at Avenues—let alone the fact that the languages we offer might not be secondary for some. “The word fluent is often thrown around for the sake of brevity,” says Mr. Spencer Baron, an Upper Division Chinese teacher. He continues to say that “fluency is a very misleading and dangerous word to toss around without dissecting it for yourself.” This means that you can use the word to describe your linguistic abilities, depending on the context. As an example, Mr. Baron reflects upon his experiences of first learning Chinese: “As I learned to be ‘conversational,’ I thought I was fluent. When I started to speak to people, I was able to get around, but only say the main idea.” He spoke fluidly with everything necessary for basic communication, yet lacked the extra vocabulary to move beyond that of what he needed to pursue a specific, more complex topic. Additionally, Ms. Diana Arboleda, an Upper Division Spanish teacher, says that “a large part of speaking a language is believing that you can do it.” She mentions that an-

other key component to mastering the target language is not necessarily being confident about what you say, but rather having courage just to speak. “If you know what you are doing, you do not have to know a lot. You can be fluent without being correct.” Ms. Arboleda enforces an important point: her definition of fluency does not always equal accuracy. Ultimately, both the teachers and students interviewed did not quite agree upon what it means to be fluent in another language. They each had different criterium requirements, such as consistency, basic understandings, and adaptation. However, they were aligned in regard to fearlessness and(?) comfortability; in order to say something, anything, the chance of being wrong must be taken. It is expected that we should all, as Avenues community members, have the same idea of what our final goal is. Potentially, the answer to the definition of fluency resides in the answer from a third party source. The definition from Council of Europe’s, Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFR) is added to include a perspective outside of Avenues. Using the CEFR’s Global scale (one of the three available), a “C2” fluent speaker is one who: Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts 25

in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations. Found separately in the CEFR’s Self-assessment grid, the definitions of a C2 speaker are not only extremely specific, but also include criterium that the Avenues community members had not included in any respect. These are requirements such as: accents, comprehending abstract texts, fixing linguistic mistakes, and a “logical structure which helps the recipient [person you are speaking to] to notice and remember significant points.” All of the interviewees’ responses were solely based on the student attempting to reach fluency, not the comprehension of what the people on the other side of the conversation were interpreting. Does this mean fluency also consists of how the other recipients of the conversation understand the student? Nonetheless, there is no exact key to being fluent or answer to why someone might not be doing too well in their language class. The ultimatum of fluency––or the objectives to be more precise––are kindly provided by our school to teachers with the Avenues Language Chart, a poster hanging in Dr. Glazer’s office , dedicated to being the “essential and enduring language outcomes for graduates of Avenues: The World School.” To assess the student on how well they can process their target language, the chart is a systemized amalgamation broken-down into smaller particles. To begin, the student is challenged in four criteria: Reading (R), Writing (W), Oration (O), and Discussion (Di). Fluency is categorized into the ability to perform in these sections and into smaller deviations of: Expert, Advanced, Intermediate, Basic, and Novice. This is something you have most likely heard a language teacher restate many times; this is the source of that phrasing. The next part is somewhat difficult because of its relationship to our mission statement. The Language Scale states that an “expert-level” or “truely fluent” student is possible, given what the chart calls Proficiency Scenarios attune to the individual. The scenario for the ideal fluent student is one that has done the following: Started Avenues at early learning in nursery school where Language Immersion: Emphasis on Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) takes place. This poses that this student would be at or around the “Basic” level of

fluency. This entails that the child is at least able to “sustain individual interactions on everyday topics using simple sentences and asking clarifying questions when needed,” at the end of their nursery school career; the typical ten-year-old personae of the world. Then they must continue on into middle and high schools to achieve the remaining “Intermediate” through “Expert” levels. It does not end here though. At the bare minimum, a student that has progressed from nursery to twelfth-grade (N-12) is only expected to be “Advanced” in their target language. So will they ever be fluent? The Language Scale predicts that the N-12 student will become an expert after fulfilling extracurricular materials and activities. These include: “studying abroad, summer programs, language clubs,” all of which are at least four years long in length. Yet that still is not the perfectly fluent person that the chart depicts. Finally, one who is evaluated as “Expert” in their R’s, W’s, O’s, and Di’s is one who has gone through N-12 and has done “multiple extracurriculars” (i.e. a variety of types) for at least four years. This student can most notably “deliver presentations that are perceived to be well-communicated by native speakers,” just like the CEFR. So maybe we aren’t to far from the outside world’s expectations? Following certain steps to take your learning experience further and making it more powerful may help in understanding a target language. It was even said by the teachers and students that strengthening skills comes with accepting that no matter how wrong something sounds, say it anyway. The classroom is an important place and often underestimated as it could be used as “a checkpoint for making all the blunders you want and learning from it,” says Mr. Baron. We are constructed in places like these to ensure what we say in there is protected, and anything on the exterior is smooth or “correct”. This article was primarily intended to bring the community of Avenues onto the same page of our definition of fluency. It is quite possible that if these ideas are not shared more often in our classrooms, students will continue to feel insecure about how proficient they should be in their target level. Without defining some of the terms in our mission statement, how can we all reach the same goal––as Avenues community members––if not everyone knows what they might be? •

The Human Limit

Avenuesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Assessment of Population Control By Belle Fraser Art by Olivia Miller

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ur environment is in a state of peril. Whether it’s denial or laziness, the climate change crisis has been ignored for years on end, but its effects are becoming increasingly apparent in today’s world. Although sustainable transportation, recyclable products, and LED lights are flaunted as the ways of the future, it may not be enough to remedy the damage humans have done to the planet. Through assessing the effects of the One Child Policy in China and examining mitigation efforts, Avenues’ reflection on how far humans are willing to go to fight climate change will begin to gain clarity. Within 20 years, Chinese population doubled. In 1950, China was home to 450 million citizens; by 1970, it overflowed with 900 million. The 1979 One Child Policy presented itself as an answer to a seemingly uncontrollable growth rate that posed great threats to the earth. Enforced by the totalitarian government of the time, the policy was introduced as a legal requirement for all citizens. Yongling Lu, an upper grades Chinese and U.S. History teacher who lived in China during these administrative decisions remembers the effects of the One Child Policy and how they varied from family to family. “Most city folks actually welcomed it because everybody was busy,” Lu said. “Women at that time all worked, nobody had the luxury to be a stay at home mom. One child was already too much.” While city life was only a reality for some, Lu said others committed to a more traditional farming lifestyle: “In the country, it was a different story because this was also the time when the socialist system was slowly developing to have private land, your family was responsible for this plot of land. You needed kids to help.” Pleasing everyone at once is always hard. But in the face of adversity, hard decisions have to be made, and in China, “the government’s intention was solving a problem. The government thought that they had a duty they needed to carry through–– “you do whatever it takes,” Lu said. The reasoning behind these actions fuel controversy and are increasingly relevant as the concept of population control continues to be discussed in modern day America. You hear about it in the news, on social media, on your subway commute–– climate change is happening and it is happening now. It’s human nature to place blame on others and to protect one’s reputation above all else. However, there is no longer a place to hide from the damage that has been done. Greed, selfishness, and the desire to succeed have detrimentally contributed the long list of causes to earth’s decay. What is the one thing they all have in common? They are tied back to human wrongdoings. Through Global Journeys trips, Avenues students have experienced climate change firsthand and have reevaluated the role of humans in the fight towards sustainable living. Senior Sarah I. Gold attended the climate change focused

trip to New Zealand in 2016, where students eagerly anticipated the opportunity to walk on the Fox Glacier. However, that year, “it became too melted, so it was unsafe for [them] us to actually walk on it,” said Gold. Jimmy Kerr, a junior who went on the trip to Chile, had a similar experience. “We got the opportunity to see the Patagonian glaciers,” said Kerr. “They were so large, when you walked by they made you feel so small. But then the tour guides told us that five years ago the land that we were standing on was all ice and all glacier, it was just crazy because they are already so large and to think that they are receding so quickly, it’s sad.” Kerr believes that seeing this influenced his opinion that we need to do whatever we can to save the earth and stop climate change. According to NASA, earth’s average surface temperature has risen 1.62 degrees fahrenheit since the late 19th century as a result of “increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions.” Between 1993 and 2016, Greenland has lost an average of 281 billion tons of ice per year, while Antarctica lost 119 billion tons–– tripling the rate of ice mass loss in the last decade. The global sea level has risen 8 inches in the past 100 years, thus doubling that of the last century and continuing to increase. This concrete evidence presents itself as convincing, but what humans are going to do with it dictates what earth’s future will look like. Pedro Jofre-Lora, an Upper Division science teacher said that,

“Humans are the only animals that use resources to harvest energy to an extensive amount–– to do things other than to survive.” To change this, “it’s all about what are we willing to sacrifice,” Jofre-Lora said. What are we willing to sacrifice? By preventing around 400 million births, the One Child Policy has statistically succeeded. However, its side effects worry many in the United States, and beyond. America has consistently prided itself on the principles of freedom and independence. Because of this, too much power in the government’s hands makes citizens restless, and population control would give these authoritative figures the opportunity to abuse their position. Yongling Lu reflected on this abuse of power, saying, “Forcing you to have an abortion is not unseen. There were many cases that were outrageous, that were totally violating human rights.” Infringements on freedom are nationally despised, and may hinder the policy’s effectiveness in America. There’s a certain point where you can’t just cross your fingers or knock on a piece of wood and hope for the best.

With a rapidly industrializing world, humans have forgotten environmental manners and prioritized profits. As freshman Charles Matadin said, “More and more people means more and more fuel is needed, more food is needed, and the world just doesn’t have those resources anymore like it used to. It’s as though humans are in denial, but it’s time to wake up before people are actually forced to fight for their survival. I think population control could be necessary –– drastic measures have to be taken. If we want to survive, we have to think big picture,” he said. China created the One Child Policy because there was no other way out, the population had to be contained. But America does have a way out: it has the power and resources to make a substantial change if it chooses. Jesse Schulman, Assistant to the Director of Athletics, said, “If the government is going to impose a law like that, I’d rather it be to more strictly enforce emission controls for businesses rather than limiting families to only having one child. Businesses and entrepreneurs should try to invest more money into research and development to improve upon our technology so we don’t continue to destroy the planet.” For many, it seems like a waste to live in a country that has the potential to make a difference but refuses to take action. Similarly, the general consensus among students of the Avenues upper division is that yes, population control may be needed one day, but there are steps America can take within the next couple of years that would mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The small things count, as president of the Zero Waste Club, Malcolm Davol, said: “If people are born into this world having the notion and understanding of climate change, then they can make personal choices that benefit the earth.” These issues call for both communal and administrative action. America must take advantage of its position before population control becomes an absolute necessity. For starters, “a real step forward would be putting us

back in the Paris Climate Agreement,” said freshman Che Glenn. In regards to what Avenues is doing as a community to mitigate our own carbon footprint, Pedro Jofre-Lora said, “They don’t heat or cool the stairwells. That’s weird thing, but it actually saves a lot of energy. We don’t print a lot of stuff since we do everything digitally. And, in the new building, all of the light bulbs are tracking motion. So even if they are on, they turn off after a certain period of time.” Yet it all goes back to what sacrifices we are willing to commit to–– we could be doing more, but are we ready for that? “Something that I was thinking about earlier today is that if the school wants to make a big impact, stop serving meat. That would be a huge impact because think about the amount of meat that we consume on a daily basis,” Jofre-Lora said. “We have probably 2,500 people in this building. Let’s say that every person consumes half a pound of meat everyday, including the waste that is allotted, that’s like half a ton of meat everyday. Go figure out how much carbon dioxide half a ton of meat is putting up in the air, it’s a lot.” There are solutions, but the amount of dedication and responsibility people are willing to take will determine whether or not true change is going to happen. Climate change and population control affect more than just the Avenues community. Climate change is a global crisis that has the potential to impact each and every citizen on earth. Human rights encompass more than a specific group of people, they encompass a nation. Yet the Avenues student body has the power to move towards more sustainable living. They can choose more environmentally conscious choices before intrinsic rights must be taken away. It’s the dilemma of owning up to one’s responsibilities that makes this such a delicate time. What are we willing to sacrifice for the wellbeing of the earth? This dilemma will continue to dictate and challenge the future of environmental and human rights. •

Art by Anna Bloch

SPEAKING AMERICAN By Dylan Jackaway

30 WORLD - FEATURE

t was February 2012. Seventh-grader Miranda Washinawatok was having an ordinary day at Sacred Heart Catholic School, a few miles south of the Menominee reservation of her heritage. During homeroom, she translated the phrases “hello,” “I love you,” and “thank you” from English into her native language for two of her intrigued classmates. Her homeroom teacher, Julie Gurta, overheard their discussion and sprang to action, slamming her hands on Miranda’s desk and informing her, “You are not to speak like that. How do I know you’re not saying something bad? How would you like it if I spoke in Polish and you didn’t understand?” Following this incident, Miranda was suspended from playing in a basketball game.

he school officials involved later offered their apologies, but the letter addressed to the Washinawatok family from Ms. Gurta left them even more dissatisfied. In an attempt to justify her actions, Gurta wrote, “Language and behavior that creates a possibility of elitism, or simply excludes other students, can create or increase racial and cultural tensions.” This view of foreign languages as a problem to be dealt with is nothing new in the United States. Going back to the late 1800s, several states passed laws to make English the standard language in educational and legal settings. On May 14, 1918, Iowa governor William Harding went further. He issued a statement which became known as the Babel Proclamation, in which it was announced that only English was legally permissible in public or private schools, in conversations on the train or over telephone, at any meetings, and in all religious services. Before World War I, the large German-American immigrant population made German the second most spoken language in America. After the United States entered the war, anyone of German descent became suspect, as did the language they spoke. Such measures taken by the Iowa government were in response to this rising distrust. Being able to speak English well became synonymous with patriotism toward the United States and a sign of having assimilated to American culture. That sentiment has stayed with us to the present day–– during a Republican primary debate in September 2015, when then-candidate Trump was asked about his views on his rival Jeb Bush speaking Spanish on the campaign trail, he stated, “We have to have assimilation to have a country. This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish.” Of course, Spanish in particular has faced a disproportionate amount of resistance in modern American politics for its association with Mexico and discussions surrounding immigration. According to the 2010 census, approximately

12% of the American population speaks Spanish at home. So how can we come to an understanding of languages spoken abroad or here in New York City? I believe an important step is taking a look at the background and evolution of the language we’re all familiar with, English. Its journey began roughly 1,400 years ago with the settlement of the British Isles by the Germanic tribes that came to be known as the Anglo-Saxons. As a result, English can be placed into the West Germanic language family along with Dutch, Frisian, and modern German, with which it shares a significant amount of vocabulary. However, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons would be unintelligible to an English speaker today, in its written or spoken form. It took centuries of conquest by the Vikings from the North and the Normans from the east to bring about the development of Middle English During their occupation, the Normans, who spoke a dialect predating Modern French, incorporated much of their vocabulary (itself originating from Latin) into the English vernacular. This is the reason we have separate words for animals and the names of their meat: chicken vs. poultry, pig vs. pork, cow vs. beef, et cetera, as well as other synonyms such as freedom vs. liberty, sight vs. vision, and to eat vs. to dine, just to name a few. In each case, the word deriving from a Latin/French background has the more sophisticated connotation, while the Germanic term occupies a lower register. Many phrases related to government also entered our speech this way: parliament, representative, court, judge, and the word government itself. However, English lacked a standard form for a long time. The Norman aristocracy spoke a dialect much closer to their original Romance language, while the commoner’s tongue was still similar to its pre-invasion roots. By the 1500s, with the development of the printing press and the increasing prominence of England as a global power during the exploration and later colonization of the New World,

the English language was standardized and began to rise in influence. Later, the independence and growth of the United States, along with the British occupation of India, Africa and Hong Kong, established English as a global language. During the 20th century, English took center stage from French as the international lingua franca (a language that people with different native languages would use to communicate). The reason I bring all of this up is that understanding our own language, whichever that may be, allows one to appreciate the way of speaking, and by extension the way of thinking, that we are immersed in on a daily basis. As an example, ponder the following: what is the difference between the words “I” and “me”? What about “gone” and “went,” or “that” and “which”? Why do we care? This is the process any foreign language learner must go through, so it’s worth taking note of once in a while. This past fifth term, I was fortunate enough to participate on a Global Journey to China led by Mr. Baron, who teaches Mandarin and Gongfu here at Avenues. During our trip, we stayed in many different locations, some urban and some rural. For the majority of the trip, the only English to be found was what we were speaking amongst ourselves. The exceptions to that were people providing us a service, such as when we stayed at the Longquan buddhist monastery, and a few instances of public signage. We were immersed, not only in a foreign environment and culture, but a foreign language as well. One day in Beijing, we split up into groups and interviewed locals about how they were spending their time at the historical Earth Temple, which is now a public park. Even though most of the people on the trip studied Chinese, communicating effectively proved to be a challenge. While I was abroad, I realized how my daily exposure to an English-speaking environment as an American had really been training in a form of thought. In this kind of thinking, I am, but you are, while he is and she is. You and I walk, but he walks and she walks. When I ask a question, sometimes the question word takes the form of do,

as in “Do you know…” but other times it’s another verb, as in “Are you going?” A native English speaker can make those distinctions intuitively; it comes with the territory. When talking about the weather, we might say, “It’s Tuesday and it’s cold,” never “We’re Tuesday and it does cold,” the way a French speaker would. In the same way, when an announcement played over the PA in the airport in Kunming, a native Mandarin speaker would have to spend no effort to discern what is being meant. I, on the other hand, did have to. It occurred to me that being there was the first time that I had been in an environment in which I was really an outsider, not just based on my appearance. Flight attendants would speak to me in English, while they spoke to Chinese passengers in Mandarin. Sometimes I would ask a local a question in Chinese, and be met with English in response. In preparation for writing this article, I spoke with Mr. Baron, who was also my Mandarin teacher two years ago. Mr. Baron had already practiced Gongfu for several years when he trained with a Shaolin monk who left China, which inspired him to learn Chinese in college instead of going to music school. “[Knowing Chinese] definitely made me much more relaxed, in order to dispel much of the culture shock that I would have had, had I not spoken Chinese,” he said of his first time going to China. “It’s different from you kind of not knowing what’s going on, and you’re in this foreign country on sort of a vacation, when you’re studying in that place. I feel like there’s so much culture that’s embedded in the language– you could say that all of it is within the language somewhere–, and knowing the language helped me, really kind of understand, it informed my Chinese, and it also informed my cultural understanding. It was like a symbiotic relationship that was happening constantly.” He continued to say that an understanding of foreign languages is necessary for Avenues’ goal of graduating world-wise learners. “I think that without knowing the language, you couldn’t possibly understand another person in the way that you would know-

ing that language.” On the first day of every Chinese class that he teaches, he tells his students that when you speak to someone else in their language, “what you’re saying is, ‘I love you, and I want to get to know you, and I’ve devoted part of my soul to trying to accomodate to you.’ If you don’t do that, then you’re obviously going to have a more shallow relationship with whatever place that language comes from. So I think that learning languages at Avenues really helps to create a bridge that will help people out to communicate better, because that’s what language is.” In the upcoming winter WAM term, Mr. Baron will be running a session of his Gongfu class. However, this particular session will be different from the last three he’s taught, in that it will be run only in Mandarin. One of Mr. Baron’s students, sophomore Vanessa Bye, considers both German and English to be her first languages, since she was taught both by her parents. She recalls fondly using Chinese to order a cake during a Global Journey trip she went on; however, she recounted that speaking to Chinese people can be difficult because of how fast their responses can be, or that the conversation would just switch to English. In addition, because Bye has traveled to Spanish-speaking areas such as Puerto Rico and Costa Rica somewhat regularly, she sometimes studies Spanish in her own time. Bye also told me about a realization she had relating to dialects, saying: “I think it’s eye-opening to know how many dialects there are. Because in German, I have a dialect, and when I learn Chinese and the teacher, Mr. Baron, will say, ‘Oh, you can also say it like this, but that’s a different dialect’, the first thought is, ‘Oh my God, how do you remember two different ways or multiple ways to say every single word? How does that make any sense?’ And I always get super confused, and then I started realizing, I was like ‘wait, I do that in German, though.’ Like, I don’t understand, but it makes sense to me.” Indeed, while many consider Chinese to be a single language made up of numerous dialects (particularly the Chinese government), others see the different varieties as separated far enough to be considered separate languages in their own right, similar to how the Romance languages are thought of as related but separate, not as dialects of Latin. Yongling Lu, the director of the Mandarin department and my teacher for the last two years, grew up in Shanghai, where the local dialect, Shanghainese, was used in the household and the neighborhood, while schooling would be conducted in Mandarin, as well as local TV and radio. When I had traveled with my family to Europe, Mexico and Canada, I hadn’t been made as intimately aware of being in a foreign environment. Several years ago, when my mom and I were in Paris over the summer, my mom, who speaks some French, tried to ask a local for directions to wherever

Art by Dylan Jackaway

we were headed that day. After attempting to follow along with the local’s explanation, I asked her, “What did he say?” as we were starting to walk away. Overhearing me, the Parisian turned around and said, “Oh, you speak English?” and proceeded to give us clear and specific directions to where we were going in perfect English. In particular, after having gone to China, during my most recent trip to Montréal, I was very aware of the fact that I was still in the Western world, despite having left America. I was able to get around using English, with the exception of the French-only metro system. Going to Canada felt like much less of a global experience than going to China, no offense to Canadians. As it turns out, according to the National Travel and Tourism Of-

fice, a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce, 38% of international tourism from the states was to Europe in the year 2017, where English is spoken by a significant fraction of the population. Another 23% was made up of tourism to the Caribbean, much of which was colonized by the United Kingdom. While 18% of American travelers were headed to Asia, even there, English has had a major historical presence in India, the Philippines and Hong Kong. On top of that, only 42% of Americans even hold a passport (although that number has risen every year since 1980, when the amount was only 3%). This leads to a situation in which English is the only language the average American would ever realistically need. The result is unsurprising: only 26% of Ameri-

cans can hold a conversation in a second language, as well as about a third of residents in Ireland and the UK (for comparison, around 54% of Europeans overall are conversational in another language). Contributing her own insight on the experience of learning language, Ms. Lu said: “English is probably the most successful [out of the languages that I’ve studied], because I don’t need to make a living, being put in a desperate situation with either Japanese or German.” Ms. Lu has been at Avenues since the year it opened. She told me that she thinks the language department at Avenues in the Upper Division does a good job by placing second language classes on an equal footing as every other course, while other

Art by Tara Kerr

schools see it as a secondary priority, a sentiment that was echoed by Mr. Baron. “But I can imagine,” she continued, “it’s not an easy thing for students to learn a language in this way. If you really need to be fluent in a language, I would say more emphasis should be put on... For Americans, we are in a very privileged place, we made everybody else in the world speak English, so that we go everywhere and we can use English. So the urgency isn’t there. But if the urgency were there, and then the language program needed to meet this urgency, then it has to be much better than this.” In fact, around 1.2 billion people worldwide are estimated to either speak English as a second language or are learning to; in comparison, only 360 million people speak it natively. For foreigners living in an English-speaking environment, that urgency is present, and the payoff of learning to speak English is high. “Being able to speak the language, I felt my life was freer and more myself,” Ms. Lu said. “Number two, it opened up my world. When language wasn’t a problem, I could go anywhere, participate in conversation, and travel, so it’s like a door towards a bigger world opened, and that made me feel wow, you know, my life became much more meaningful and I had many more opportunities.” Speaking English in Canada gave her a sense that she had a claim to the land she was standing on. The value of a proficiency in English is even observed overseas, as Cem Inaltong, the director of the Avenues math department, described. Although he attended college in 36

Turkey where he grew up, the instruction was in English, so he had to take a preparatory course in English before he could go to Middle East Technical University. “In any country in the world, learning English is important because English is the world language in a way.” I asked him his thoughts on the role of languages at Avenues, and this is what he had to say: “Well, because we have faculty and students from different countries representing many different languages, and because every language comes with its own cultural background and sensitivities and references that may not be so obvious to those others who don’t know the language, sometimes when we translate certain things, the meaning is lost, and that may cause some misunderstandings, so people really need to be more open minded, more willing to understand the other person, not just what you hear and what’s said, but ready to really see the meaning of what’s said in a different context as well. So that poses us a challenge, in a way, to be more open minded and flexible and understanding towards each other.” When I began studying Mandarin six years ago, I found its structure fascinating, as it was completely foreign to me, an English speaker. Since then, with much practice and exposure, I have become familiar with not only a vocabulary of several hundred characters and the four tones but a novel way of assembling thoughts together. Over time, I’ve come to think of language as simultaneously a tool for communicating with people one would otherwise never be able to and for broadening one’s perspective on the world. •

Viterbo: Life in Italy

By Isabel Mudannayake

he melodious tones of Italian conversation surround me, the passionate voices almost as strong as the smell of freshly-ground coffee that fills the air. Sitting on a stool at the cafe on a cobblestoned street, I watch as the regulars come and go at their leisure — never in any rush. Across from me, just as always, sits Lorenzo, an older gentleman with a steaming cup of ginseng by his side, silently reading a crumpled newspaper with his brow furrowed and a pensive look on his kind face. Students come in and order their usuals, grabbing a table together to work on their homework and once they sit, the barista brings them their drinks and asks after all of their families, a genuine interest in her voice. I cannot help but think about how different this is from New York, where people make quick Starbucks runs, take everything to go out the door, conversations rarely extend past the formalities and the same people are seldom seen twice — let alone every day. This school year, I am studying abroad in the ancient city of Viterbo, Italy. Viterbo is a walled city in the region

38 WORLD - FEATURE

of Lazio with a rich history, given its many Etruscan archaeological sites and beautiful gothic architecture. The community of Viterbo is extremely tight-knit, everyone knows each other, and in many ways, with its cobblestone streets and coffee bars on every corner, it is a quintessential Italian town. Given this, there is not a significant amount of open-mindedness nor diversity of thought, religious beliefs, or race. Most people are very set in their routines and have been for some time, so they are sometimes hesitant to change them and consider other ways of life. Here, although there is more diversity than there once was, the population is primarily comprised of middle-class white people –– other races and languages are scarcely seen or heard on the streets of town and often, this lack of diversity contributes to a lack of open-mindedness. Coming from a buzzing, chaotic cultural hub like New York, where I have lived for the majority of my life, this was a massive adjustment for me upon my arrival. I was met with some culture shock, especially being some-

one who has grown up in a bilingual and bicultural household and having been influenced by many different cultures. New York is a melting pot where I see people of a variety of ethnicities, religions and backgrounds every day. Riding the subway on my way to school each morning, I encounter people of all different backgrounds and cultures — from suit-wearing Wall Street folks, to teenagers blasting their rap music or reggae, to buskers playing every imaginable instrument — the possibilities are truly endless. However, as might be expected, this is simply not the case in Viterbo, especially considering that most of the population has lived here for the majority of their lives, so this is all they really know. Consequently, much of Viterbo’s population has very traditional values and beliefs that they have no desire to change, because change can be startling. School Year Abroad’s Global Citizenship and Italian Language and Culture teacher, Daniele Gatti, says, “you start to know yourself better by meeting other people. A lot of people here in Viterbo are too mentally young to understand diversity or the importance of being with someone who has different ideas of any kind — because of this, they are not even able to know themselves.” However, although they may be “mentally young,” the average age of Viterbo’s population is forty-four-and-a-half years old (according to UrbiStat). Because of this, Gatti says, “it is harder for many of them to be open to new habits — even to try a Thai restaurant, for instance, … is different from what they know. For a lot of older people here, interfaith couples are still viewed as “impossible.” It is much easier for people to live with their routines than to try new things, so that is what they do.” In many ways, the Viterbese (people of Viterbo) are living in a bubble and, as my host-mother, Eleonora Trucca, says, “people are often very close-minded and don’t like thinking about those who are different from them.” Although this dynamic is very different from New York, where one can find restaurants serving twenty different cuisines on one street, it is not altogether dissimilar from the Avenues community and the affluent neighborhood of Chelsea. Avenues and its neighborhood are, in many ways bubbles of security and familiarity that are not always the most accurate reflexions of New York City. At Avenues, although there is more racial diversity than Viterbo, the student-body is predominately white and of similar economic backgrounds. Chelsea is not very different, with a population that is 63.1% white and, as shown by city/census figures in 2015, an average household income of $140,000 -- almost five times the average for households in public housing in the area. Thus, minorities’ (both economically and racially) perspectives are not always consid-

ered, because they simply do not apply to many of Chelsea’s residents and Avenues’ students. As is the case with the Viterbese, many Avenues students do not need to leave their cultural comfort zones in order to navigate daily life. Although there is not very much racial diversity, this is changing gradually as Avenues strives to make its students aware of different perspectives through events such as Awareness Day and various student organizations. Viterbo, on the other hand, has yet to reach that point. SYA Junior, Colin Smith, from the Thacher School in California says, “in Viterbo, it is not like there is misrepresentation of other perspectives, but there is no representation.” This sheds light on the ways that minority voices are often neglected. Because there are so few minorities there is only one main demographic that has had a voice. Recently, this has changed somewhat, due to the influx of immigrants in Italy and according to School Year Abroad’s Global Citizenship and Italian Language and Culture teacher, Daniele Gatti, there is much more diversity here than there used to be. Gatti describes the increase of diversity not only concerning immigrants, saying how Viterbo has generally opened up to outsiders more. “The theater in town has reopened after having been closed for fifteen years; there is a Mediterranean kebab shop in the city center — this is all relatively new. With more people come more opportunities.” Although this may be true, there is still not very much diversity, and minorities still have little-to-no voice compared to white people, who hold much of the high-power positions and the most recognition in the city. Expanding on his previous point, Smith says, “I feel like it would be extraordinarily difficult for a non-Italian to assimilate into Viterbese culture.” The lack of diversity in Viterbo is not only present through race and thought, but through religion — as is to be expected in a small Italian town that previously served as the residence for numerous popes. In New York, I was constantly exposed to people of all different religious backgrounds and, one does not have to travel far to find a synagogue or a mosque. Also, many of the people I know, both in and outside of Avenues, hold no religious beliefs and religion simply does not play any role in their daily lives. Here, many people say that they are “not religious,” but normality truly is relative, because this holds a very different meaning to an Italian than an American. Here, since the presence of religion and by that, Catholicism, is so much stronger, someone who is “not religious” by Italian standards is considered quite religious to an American. Further, like much of Italy overall, the city of Viterbo’s history is deeply rooted in Catholicism. There is little to no religious diversity here and the presence of Catholicism is

overt in daily life. Whether through the frequent utterance of expressions such as “O Madonna!,” the tradition of saying grace before a meal, or celebrating provincial holidays such as “La Festa di Santa Rosa” (the patron saint of the city), Christianity plays a role in everyday life. “The religious component to life is always present here, whether or not people are aware of it” says Gatti, “people say they are not religious but they often are, they are just not informed,” he adds before describing how many Viterbese people (and Italians, in general) don’t know the history of the Church, but they suddenly say they don’t like it because they read or hear something negative about it one day, rather than having actually clear and informed ideas. Gatti says that the lack of diversity is a contributor to closed-mindedness, because people are isolated from those of different beliefs. “People will go ahead and say they think Jews are bad, but they don’t actually know any Jews, since there is hardly any Jewish community here,” providing an example of the problems that can emerge from a lack of variety in perspectives. This change was not unexpected for me, but I imagine that it is exponentially harder for those who are religious minorities here. SYA senior, Julianna Hellermann, from the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, shares her experiences being Jewish in Viterbo this year, saying, “I sometimes feel uncomfortable because there are so few Jewish people here. Everything revolves around Christianity and I feel like Jewish holidays, for instance, aren’t even considered. It’s shocking for me because at home, I go to school with kids of all different religious backgrounds. There is one main religion here and it has been that way for so long that people are not always very accepting of other beliefs.” Every day, almost all of the people I see and interact with here are white and Catholic — speaking the same language and having similar customs and traditions. Here, I am never sitting on a public bus trying to guess what language the people beside me are speaking, and I have to go to several grocery stores to find products such as soy sauce (something which has only been available within the last ten years). I am only exposed to one main culture, and although I try to embrace this culture to the best of my ability, I also do not want to forget my roots and my multicultural side. This is a large part of my identity and just because people

Photos by Isabel Mudannayake

“Here, many people say that they are ‘not religious,’ but normality truly is relative, because this holds a very different meaning to an Italian than an American.”

here cannot relate to it does not mean I should throw it by the wayside. If anything, it is all the more important to hold onto it and take my new understanding of the importance of diversity back to Avenues with me at the end of this year. These two communities, although very different, definitely have their similarities and it has been interesting and eye-opening for me to assimilate into the Viterbese community after having been at Avenues. This year, I hope to make people in Viterbo more aware of other cultures and ways of life and, ideally, to open their minds more, because I think that especially today, it is essential to be aware of as many different perspectives as possible. When I return to Avenues, it will be with a renewed attitude and outlook. I also hope to convey these ideas to my fellow students and teachers because I think it could only benefit the community. This experience is truly eye-opening, in that it is showing me just how important it is to have an open mindset and further, how fortunate I am to have had exposure to many different cultures. •

Photo by Daniel Khazanov

By Valentina Doukeris 42 WORLD - FEATURE

What it's like to be ESL

English as a Second Language 43

very other day, you walk into your language classroom and enter an environment where you are actively learning a new way to communicate. Maybe not being able to express your thoughts right away is a step out of your comfort zone. Maybe understanding some things, but not others, is frustrating. Maybe the whole experience is unfamiliar. For some, walking into language class is merely the flip of a switch. For students who learned English as a second (or other) language, being in a language class is just like switching which “language cap” they are wearing. For them, it’s not anything new– this is what they do every time they walk the halls of Avenues. Now, I am not saying ESL (English as a Second Language) students show up to school completely lost. Perhaps at one point they would have panicked at the thought of an eight-hour English-speaking school day. But in reality, ESL students, as 11th-grader Mel Douer puts it, are “really comfortable with being in spaces where [their] native languages are not spoken.” So, how does that happen? Most effective language-learning programs use a method called “Language Immersion.” For the entire day, students are exposed to a different language, and sometimes culture. The goals include developing listening and communication skills, but also an interest for those foreign languages and cultures. Not all ESL students partake in a program like this. Some simply assimilate into English-speaking life through school or work. Initially, this can make communication challenging, as they lack the skills, words, and grammar to put sentences together. As time passes, they expand their vocabulary and are easily able to participate in mundane activities such as introducing themselves or asking where nearest supermercado is. This doesn’t just hold true for students either; teachers who learned English as a secondary language, even after they finished school, are just as sure of their skills now. Ms. YongLing Lu, an Upper Division Chinese teacher, struggled when she first moved to North America because she had difficulty understanding what people were saying, both to and around her. Nowadays, however, she says she is “fully functional in both [English and Chinese].” As adults, the challenges ESL teachers face while learning English deal with more practical occupations.

Ms. Diana Arboleda, an Upper Division Spanish teacher, shared that exchanges like ordering at restaurants, making phone calls, and writing emails were all difficult when she first moved to the United States–– the first English-speaking place she has lived in. Her days now are much more effortless; she has grown to understand not only how the language is spoken, but also how it differs from Spanish. This helps her with teaching her students at school. Another inevitable attribute that typically comes along with bilinguality is biculturalism. Biculturalism is defined as the combination of cultural attitudes from two nations or peoples. As Ms. Lu puts it: “Language is culture.” The two are closely connected. Certain cultures value free self-expression, which changes the way people have conversations and verbal interactions. Other cultures emphasise respect and the importance of familial relationships, and so different levels of respect are embedded into their spoken and written language. When learning English and immersing themselves in American-English-speaking culture, ESL students and teachers learn more about the United States and are able to create a new cultural identity. This is by no means an immediate process, especially for adults who have already developed a sense of identity belonging in their original community. Coming into a new country without being able to speak its language poses more than just an obstacle in communication. It makes you vulnerable to criticism and judgement. Multiple teachers voiced their discontent at having to face stereotypes for the sole reason that their English sounds different than the norm. Ms. Arboleda shared that having an accent contributes to that feeling. She says that even now, when she is proficient in English, there’s “always the sense that you’re different. You’re trying to belong someplace, but you’re not really from there.” Ms. Lu and Ms. Isil Çelimli, a world course statistics teacher, both shared similar sentiments. Dwespite their complete English capabilities, natives are quick to make assumptions. Because their English sounds “different,” sometimes in conversations native English speakers will talk condescendingly, slowing down and excessively emphasising words. This expectation can make it hard to assimilate and adapt to culture, because it deepens a feeling of disconnect. Of course, this is not the reaction they receive every time

“There are only two ways to learn: desperation or obsession" - Chinese Teacher, Yongling Lu

they talk to someone. As people grow and become more accepting of diversity, it is a situation they face less frequently. According to both students and teachers, the benefits of being exposed to new cultures far outweigh any consequences they might face. In the words of junior Nicole Domingo, “when you have more than one perspective on the world, you have a lot more empathy. You can relate to a lot more people, and that in itself is invaluable.” Understanding the culture that comes hand in hand with another language grants you the ability to understand new points of view. It changes the way you perceive certain events, and allows you to connect with a larger number of people. The ESL students and teachers mentioned they feel that more doors are open to them because of their ability to speak more than one language. They are comfortable with new and different cultures. Senior Mikal Kizilbash, said that because he speaks more than one language, he feels assured that regardless of where he ends up traveling, he will be able to find his way around. According to Kizilbash, having multiple ways to talk to people gives bilingual people more courage in unfamiliar places. At this point, you’re probably more motivated to study your second (or third, or fourth) language. After all, who wouldn’t want the perks? You already have a head start on most people by going to your language classes, which Avenues kindly provides. And luckily for you, your school is

host to quite a few bilingual students and teachers who were more than willing to share their tips on learning a new language. The most important thing, according to Ms. Arboleda, is believing in yourself. Something she tells her students is that speaking confidently, whether you feel it or not, is key. Through learning another language, you are essentially learning another method of expressing yourself. Even if you don’t have all the tools necessary to do that comprehensively yet, you need to assert yourself in conversations. People are more likely to listen to what you have to say if you make it sound important. Ms. Lu says that the best way to learn a new language, if you are not desperate to assimilate, is to become obsessed with it. Become interested in how the language is structured, how it comes together, how it can be used. In her words: “There are only two ways to learn: desperation or obsession. You’re not desperate, so at least be obsessed.” Domingo says that “it is really important to be dedicated to learning a new language because it is a very personal journey.” In essence, you are responsible for keeping yourself on track. The more time and work you put in, the better the results. You are the only person who can monitor your progress internally. Though it’s something that takes serious hard work and dedication, these members of our community are all proof that language learning is possible and worth the time. •

Global Perspective By Henry Gillis

opened the door to the room and walked into a muggy, tight space filled with pestering mosquitos. A stack of bed sheets lay neatly folded on top of some wooden planks. Thoughts of breakfast flowed through my head as I tried to fall asleep. The unfamiliarity of the living quarters disconnected me from the reality to which I was accustomed. I was annoyed by the insects and with having to share a bed with two others. I now realize that I was comfortable, and believe that this is because my global mindset is expanding. As I meandered around the non-tourist parts of Kunming and entered shops and restaurants, I noticed the contrast between our over the top commercial presentations with their more subdued approach. I appreciate the difference and I realize that that has enhanced my global mindset. Mr. Kevin Murungi, the director of Global Journeys, shares a similar belief about the importance of a global mindset and how travel is an opportunity for students to develop it. He believes that travel enables students to see international issues and understand diverse global perspectives. He also explained that through travel, students understand how their actions affect themselves and others. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The power and impact of engaging with these issues firsthand allows [one]â&#x20AC;Ś to figure out how they manifest at home,â&#x20AC;? said Mr. Murungi. Travel also helps the student identify what his responsibility in the solution is, and how it relates to their life. Mr. Baron, a Chinese teacher at Avenues, has told me that interaction with the locals and speaking the native language might cause culture shock, but it is also the best way to develop a global perspective. I agree. During the second half of our trip, we stayed for four days in a Buddhist monastery. Everyday, we meditated and ate only vegetarian food. As someone who is always active and craves a BLT for every meal, this was shocking. However, the experience did expand my views and upon return I was calmer. It also and changed how I pace out my days. Now before doing homework, I take a moment to either meditate or sit and be absent of thought. These changes in lifestyle have allowedme to be healthier, to procrastinate less, and to be more thoughtful about the impact of my actions. 46 WORLD - FEATURE

In May, 2018, I boarded a plane to Beijing, China to study Buddhism. Little did I know that within the first six hours of landing in China and staying at Lao Chen's house in rural Beijing, my lifestyle, personal beliefs, and global perspective would change. 47

Art by Anna Bloch

In Mr. Spencer Baron’s early travels as an adult, he too experienced culture shock when he was in Chengdu, China––initially he hated living there and quickly became homesick. Nonetheless, when he returned to America, he decided to travel back to apply his Chinese language skills. Although it was difficult for him to adapt to the Chinese way of life, he appreciated the challenge because he believes that challenge engages the traveler. He appreciated the challenge because he believes that tolerating unusual conditions can be enjoyable. Through this, Mr. Baron gained an appreciation for how large the world is, and how varied the opinions of people can be depending on where they live. After returning from China he also became more empathetic and patient. He improved his ability to adapt to new environments. He explained to me that to develop a global mindset, communication with the people is key. He explained that by speaking in the local language, one shows humility and is able to connect in deeper ways with the people. This trip ultimately expanded his global mindset, made him more compassionate toward the people, and changed his perception of the news about the people. He realized that seeing events on the news is very different than experiencing the event at the source. He also explained that when you are actually there, you can resonate with the event and people more. The experience of settling in a different country changed Mr. Warren Tappe as well. Mr. Tappe, an Astronomy teacher at Avenues, had a similar experience to Mr. Baron, but in Egypt instead of China. He was made aware of the significance of freedom of speech and how we are so fortunate to have it in the United States. He also learned how freedom of speech empowers those who have it. While living in Cairo, he was conscious of the religious and ethical beliefs, and how he had to be thoughtful in his word choice. While he ultimately found this experience to be beneficial for his family, Mr. Tappe also acknowledges the restrictive position he was in. “I wasn't free. It made me 48

appreciate freedom of speech and understand it. [Egypt] sharpened my ability to know how to speak.” The experience allowed him to be more comfortable and transparent in his life. He explained that having a global perspective means that one is flexible, tolerant, has a greater sensitivity and intellectual understanding. Back in the monastery, a prayer was sung over loudspeakers for five minutes. Then, volunteers from the town walked through the aisles of tables where people sat, facing away from one another in silence for the entirety of the meal. As these volunteers walked through, they offered only vegetarian food and I had to indicate, using my forefinger and pinky, how much I desired. The food was intentionally tasteless. It was bland to support the monks’ belief that the world should be shared with all creatures and we should value a basic existence in an unembellished way. In this scenario I learned the importance of being calm. I learned the importance of doing only one thing at a time. I became more patient, methodical, and improved my ability to focus on tasks. These skills and way of life echoed in the lives of the monks from the way that they walked, to what they preached. They were all calm, pensive, and purposeful. I did not understand how fortunate I am to live as I do. It struck me as wonderous that these people were so thankful for living so simply even though they gave up many aspects of ordinary life, such as phones, television, and even meat. These are some other core values that I have now imbued into my lifestyle at home that I learned abroad. I would never have gained this insight into the way of life of others if I had never gone there. I would not have bettered myself if I hadn’t gone there. Travel has changed my lifestyle, perceptions of the world, and cultural understandings in ways that help me become a better person and to think more clearly. Traveling gives one the authority to talk about global events involving different cultures and traditions.

Kevin Murungi, the director of Global Journeys at Avenues, is from Kenya but he moved to America when he was very young. While he was growing up in Kenya, the nation was ruled by a dictator. This political dynamic, along with observing how similar humans from different nations are to each other, created Mr. Murungi’s desire to study international relations. Through his travel and study, he realized that so much of what we can do is because of our global interdependence. Mr. Murungi says that you cannot develop opportunity without understanding other cultures or having a global mindset. The applications of a global mindset can be through international trade, academic, and diplomatic collaborations. Global perspectives also play a role in our educational lives as well, explained Sacia, a senior at Avenues who is from Singapore. At Avenues she observed disrespect among students to teachers. She was taken aback because in Singapore disrespect is not tolerated. Now she tries to help foster a more respectful environment here. Growing up in a different culture has allowed her to bring other values into the classroom such as her ability to know when to contribute to a conversation and when to listen to others. Growing up in another country, with a different culture and language, enabled her to bring her own cultural and ethical values into the classroom. Sophomore Joyce Katana is an international student from Mombasa, Kenya. She explained that because the customs are different she realized she had to respect other people's opinions and had to stay open minded. But travel has not just improved her understanding of communication; it has also allowed her to expand her horizons and to be less shy about new opportunities. For instance, before traveling to America, she never considered participating in team sports. However, in her freshman year, she decided to join the Avenues Cross Country team.

She loves it, and has continued to run at Avenues. She also says that travel and the contrast with her home culture to here has expanded her personality and is shaping who she is becoming as a person. All cultures are vastly different and it is important to be exposed to as many of them as possible. Fortunately, developing a global perspective is not limited to travel. In fact, the development of a global mindset can even happen locally. Avenues is an amazing place and I value the ability to talk about global events here. This is partly due to the diversity of the staff who each share different global perspectives. These discussions allow us to develop global mindsets. Sacia, Joyce, and Mr. Murungi all believe that on the simplest level, to develop a global perspective, one only needs to go out and meet people. Mr. Baron observed that service to others that prompts interaction will let you understand them and their beliefs. In New York City, people have had the ability to develop these skills just through cultural engagement with local communities or larger cultural communities of New York like Chinatown or Little Italy. The 8,000,000 people that live in New York City represent almost every country in the world, and each individual contributes to many diverse perspectives. According to Joyce, one will not be able to develop a global mindset without keeping an open mind. As global citizens, it is especially important to develop a global mindset because we have the ability to connect with people who have traveled to different parts of the world. American culture is very distinct. We tend to be picky and tend to take things for granted. It is important that we learn to respect other cultures and expose ourselves to them so that we can understand global events and learn how make better decisions. As Mr. Baron says, “no one knows how to do life.” By experiencing other cultures, one understands different ideas that can teach you how to live. I hope to continue traveling abroad and experiencing the world in new ways. • 49

What the Chuck?

By Didi Jin

We need to talk about what to do with the Chuck Close self-portrait that once adorned the eighth floor wall.

50 NEW YORK - FEATURE

f you have ever been inside of the 259 10th Avenue Avenues building, you have probably seen the large face that once greeted those who stepped off of the eighth floor elevator (pictured on the right). You may even know the name of that mysterious figure that once resided on the eighth floor of the building. What you may not know, however, is the controversy surrounding the artist of the painting in question. Chuck Close is an internationally acclaimed American artist, famous for his massive portraits of himself and celebrities like Bill Clinton. Close famously strapped a brush to his wrist after damaging his spinal artery in 1988 in order to continue making art. Close’s reputation took a hit in late 2017, when seven women accused him of sexual harassment. Some contended that the artist made inappropriate sexual comments about their bodies, while others claimed he asked female visitors of his home to pose naked in the years between 2003 and 2012. At the end of the controversy, no legal case was brought forth against Close for these allegations. However, he did issue a public apology for his inappropriate comments. “If I embarrassed anyone or made them feel uncomfortable, I am truly sorry, I didn’t mean to. I acknowledge having a dirty mouth, but we’re all adults,” Close said to the New York Times. However, he defended his actions by speaking of his own physical disability. “As a quadriplegic, I try to live a complete, full life to the extent possible,” he told the New York Times. “But given my extreme physical limitations, I have found that utter frankness is the only way to have a personal life.” He also mentioned that he never made anyone in his studio cry, nor did anyone ever “run out of the place” in discomfort. Despite Close’s apology, his sexual misconduct allegations have generated calls amongst the Avenues community for the removal of his painting, titled Self-Portrait. Critics argue that his actions are inseparable from his artwork, and that Avenues should not support the artwork of those accused of sexual misconduct. Following Chuck Close’s apology, head of the art department Kate Howard led discussions with art teacher Ms. Carrie Pollack in two sophomore visual arts classes about what the school might decide to do with the Chuck Close

self-portrait. By the end of these discussions, Howard said that “collectively, the students agreed it was not what they wanted to have greet them in the morning, despite Close being such an amazing artist.” Shortly after these discussions, the painting’s frame was accidentally damaged and the self-portrait was taken down to be repaired. After its repairal, the upper division administration decided not to keep the painting at the school. The painting is now hanging at the Avenues headquarters in Madison Square Park. “The way it works is that all the paintings come down during the summer when we’re doing construction, so at the end of the school year it [the Chuck Close self-portrait] was taken down. They typically either get put in storage or they get moved to headquarters, and it [the self-portrait] got moved at the end of the year. It was just easier to leave it over there [at Avenues headquarters],” said Matt Scott, Director of Operations and Administration at Avenues. He also said that because the paintings are always on a constant rotation, the self-portrait will most likely make a return to the 259 Avenues building at some point in the near future. It is also important to note that the art on display at Avenues--including the Chuck Close self-portrait--is not owned by the school, but it is part of the collection of the landlord, Douglas Oliver. Mr. Oliver bought the Close, along with all the other works displayed in building 259 for Avenues, stating: “I wanted the walls to be covered with real art since the school is in the middle of the art district.” Despite the discussions led by Ms. Howard and the painting’s recent removal, many Avenues students remain unaware of the Chuck Close controversy. According to a recent survey of 129 Avenues upper grades students conducted by The Highliner, less than 25% of those surveyed were aware of any sort of sexual harassment allegations made against Mr. Close. However, over 92% of those students reported seeing the painting before, revealing a lack of awareness within the Avenues community about who lives on the school’s walls. As the painting is poised to make a return, more than half a year later, the Avenues community must decide whether or not the school should once again accept Mr. Close’s painting. Many students and faculty had conflicting feelings on

the matter, torn between whether or not they could separate art from artist. Senior Silas Lavino believes such a separation is possible. “Like in music, whatever [the artist’s] reputation is, I try to separate it from what they create. Whether I think they are a good person or not, I can admire someone’s work,” he said. Douglas Oliver, the landlord of the building and owner of the self-portrait, echoed those sentiments. “I don’t see how it hurts people to look at a beautiful piece of art, no matter what the guy did,” he said. “It is the technique that is beautiful, it’s fantastic… whether it’s him or you or me doesn’t matter.” Other members of the Avenues community held differing opinions. “At Avenues, we talk a lot about how sexual harassment is not okay. Having a painting of him at the school says that we are condoning that sort of behavior,” said sophomore Jenna Agin. Sophomore Matthius Gazi agreed, arguing, “When we stick it [the painting] up on the wall, we are saying that we support the artist and himself and that’s why we have a big picture of him welcoming kids into the building.” The debate around the painting takes on an added significance due to the timing of the allegations in wake of the #MeToo movement. The movement began after the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein, and it has sought to shed a light on sexual harassment and sexual assault, especially in the workplace. Some Avenues students believed that a decisive action to remove the painting was crucial to oppose social norms. “To get rid of something [sexual misconduct] that has been so deeply ingrained within societal behaviors, you need to change it in a very extreme way to reach a middle point again,” said junior Fiona Jasper. Avenues faculty members also contributed to the debate on Mr. Close’s painting, with most opposing its continued presence on school grounds. “We want every student in the building to know that they are welcome, that we are looking out and taking care of them,” said Ms. Wendy Chang, Director of Deans and College Counseling. “There are so many great artists that we can celebrate; why would we actively make a choice to seemingly condone that behavior [of sexual harassment]?”

Similar debates surrounding the ethics between art and artist have surfaced in Seattle University, where a Chuck Close self-portrait similar to the one at Avenues was taken down almost immediately following allegations of sexual misconduct lodged against Mr. Close. That painting, however, has since been reinstated to its original spot in the university. University administrators felt that taking down the painting was a form of censorship. Administrators reasoned that keeping the piece at the school would facilitate important conversations about the history of misogyny amongst male artists. When considering what Avenues will decide to do, it is also important to understand how the art community has reacted to Close’s work. Galleries around the world, most notably the National Gallery of Art in America, have decided to keep up their current exhibitions of Close’s work; however, they have decided not to showcase any of his newer art. Ms. Pollack said that she would like to see more underrepresented artists in the space that once held the Close painting. An alternative solution, offered by Mr. Pedro Jofre Lora, a science teacher at Avenues, is to have a plaque next to the painting asserting the school’s values. He hopes that the plaque would spur thoughtful debate on the relationship between art and artist. “If the painting were to go back to its original location without having any discussion, it would be awful,” he said. Ultimately, the decision is up to the Avenues community. “I left it up to the school to decide [what to do with the painting]...they can put it up whenever they want, if they decide to do so,” said Mr. Oliver. There is no doubt that Close has been one of the most influential artists of his generation, and that his artwork’s innovative and aesthetic value is of tremendous artistic merit. However, can we simply disregard an artist’s work simply based on their personal history? Should their contributions to the field be disregarded based on their personal merit? These are the sorts of questions that must be considered by everyone in the Avenues community when deciding what to do with Chuck Close’s Self-Portrait, as well as by those who consume art in all forms, whether it be in music, film, or other forms of visual art. The most essential question that we need to ask ourselves is: Can we ever separate the art from the artist? •

Art by Clare Maleeny 53

The Curiosity Behind Class Divide By Tara Kerr

Photos by Olivia Miller 54

sabella Simonetti, the first Editor-in-Chief of the Highand forever will be, a part of Avenues’ identity. line and member of the Class of 2017, “had no social imIsabella’s initial curiosity was shared by the majority of pact goal in mind” when she joined Class Divide. In fact, her peers. She said that many of her fellow classmates wantthe only reason she joined this project was because of her ed to learn more about the Chelsea Elliot houses, and they interest in documentary filmmaking. She had met Daphasked her a lot of questions about her experience and what ne Pinkerton and Marc Levin, the producer and director of she learned. Class Divide, through a documentary film 5th term class. However, this did not come without backlash. The critShe really enjoyed this 5th term elective and approached icisms “were nothing too extreme,” but there were students Pinkerton and Levin about a possible opportunity for her who did not agree with Isabella’s participation or the meswithin the documentary realm. She was looking for a sumsage of the documentary. Some thought that Class Divide mer internship, but instead, she was asked to participate in had an “overwhelmingly liberal” agenda and that she was and help edit the movie Class Divide. “stupid” for participating in the movie. Isabella was curious about this opportunity for two reaNonetheless, Isabella believes that the movie left an imsons. First, the story “hit close to home.” As an Avenues stupression on Avenues and the local community. She saw “a dent, she felt connected to the story but knew little about it. little more engagement with the local community” after the Though she was aware of the movie premiered, especially class difference in Chelsea, through clubs such as ACE–– she didn’t pay much attention the Avenues Community En“That’s what made the story to it. gagement Club which unforcompelling to me,” Isabella “That’s what made the tunately no longer exists. said. “I didn’t really think that story compelling to me,” Is“I also felt that the peoabella said. “I didn’t really ple from the greater Chelmuch about the area surroundthink that much about the sea community felt like ing Avenues before.” area surrounding Avenues betheir voices had been heard fore.” Additionally, she really through the film, and it gave appreciated the form that this them a platform that they narrative would take place in: “I also think that documentary didn’t have before,” Isabella said. Though not extreme, she filmmaking is a really powerful form of storytelling.” saw a shift in the neighborhood. Students were more aware Three years ago, Class Divide premiered at the old Bowand even empowered, and citizens felt that they were heard tie Theaters in Chelsea, New York––four blocks away from and appreciated. She was a part of a small but mighty movethe intersection that inspired the documentary. The movment that stemmed from her original curiosity. ie focused on the large wealth inequality concentrated beThe main goal of Class Divide, according to the protween 26th and 10th Avenue. The documentary started with ducer Daphne Pinkerton, was to “sensitize people to the a shared sense of curiosity. Avenues students wondered how inequality in Chelsea” and create awareness. She, along with the Elliot House youth viewed them, and the Elliot House director Marc Levin, created this movie to prompt people to youth wondered what a day in the life of an Avenues student start thinking about a subject that most––including Isabelwould be. The story concluded with a newfound relationship la––were uneducated about. She “hope[s] it can be used as between Avenues students and Chelsea Elliot House youth. a point of discussion” because “talking changes culture.” She The mutual curiosity between the two sides of the street that definitely accomplished this with Class Divide. It urged stuwas explored in the film created empathy among the viewers dents like Isabella Simonetti to create unlikely friendships and raised awareness on a new subject. and have uncomfortable conversations in order to create a When the movie first premiered, the documentary unlarger sense of empathy. doubtedly made an impact on Avenues. There were responsClass Divide sparked many conversations within Avees from the school’s administration as well as the student nues and the greater community. However, it is important body. Students responded by creating an Awareness day to note that these conversations would have never existed around the theme of “socioeconomic privilege.” During this without initial curiosity. Isabella enjoyed documentaries and Awareness Day, students were given the space to discuss the was curious about Class Divide’s message, so she particimovie and their feelings towards it. pated. The movie made a large impact on Isabella, and she According to an Avenues eleventh grade student, the grew from the whole experience. Without curiosity, there school responded by preparing admissions and student amis no education. Curiosity leads to awareness––which was bassadors responses to the Class Divide questions, because the goal of the movie––and awareness leads to social action. “In some ways, it can be interpreted as bad press for the There is no engagement without interest. Isabella had an inschool,” Isabella said. “There has definitely been a response terest, so she went challenged herself and ended up creating on behalf of the Avenues administration, and it [Class Dinew friendships to learn more about herself as an Avenues vide] has gotten a lot of viewership attention.” The movie is, student and how she fits into the Chelsea Community. •

NEW YORK - FEATURE 55

Tampons on Trial By Maya Haney

th Floor Commons, Avenues: The crowd of high school students at the school roars loudly as Ryan Kim presents his campaign speech, preaching for feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms. The excitement spread across the room, with clapping and shouting coming from students and teachers alike, both male and female. This was the first moment that really raised awareness about the lack of accessible feminine hygiene products at Avenues to all students. In the seven years that Avenues has been a school, the absence of tampons and feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms has been a distressing issue. As other aspects of the school continue to evolve and change, nothing has been done to take action for the sake of feminine hygiene at the school. Although it may seem like a simple issue, for many girls the reality is much more than that. Feelings of frustration, embarrassment, and shame make the lack of tampons a pressing issue. Students at the school are continuously being forced into interrupting their education for the sake of their personal hygiene, which consequently makes them feel like less of a priority. An anonymous Avenues upper grade student spoke of a time when she was confronted by these issues. “One time I had a period issue, and I went all the way to my locker on another floor, and by the time I got back I got yelled at in front of the whole class by my teacher for leaving for ten minutes.” This girl felt embarrassed from being exposed by her teachers simply for needing to alleviate her issue. She continued, “I was just like, ‘What do you want me to do? I’m on my period and I have to go get a tampon from my locker. 56 NEW YORK - FEATURE

Why are you yelling at me?’” For girls everywhere, periods are simply a part of life, and without easy access to feminine hygiene products, the issue becomes much more than “just getting your period”. At Avenues, finding feminine hygiene products on campus is much more difficult than it seems. “There are situations where we have to feel like we have to hide it, like having to put it in your sleeve or in your pocket, or when you don’t have one and then having to go all the way to the nurse,” said Helena Sinding, a senior at Avenues who views the lack of tampons at the school as a major problem. “It just makes things a lot more difficult because it makes us have to seek others, and there have just been times where nobody has anything [tampons] and you just have to find any possible way to deal with it.” Finding a solution to a problem that is so common for every girl, yet so frowned upon by society, is causing more and more problems for females throughout the school— and it isn’t just having to find a tampon or pad itself. It is also about the common feelings of embarrassment girls feel when they are getting their periods at school, and the fear that there just isn’t anything that they can able do. “The worst would just be if you got your first period and there would be nothing you could do. Of course you would be too scared to ask your friends or go to the nurse. You just don’t want to go,” stated another anonymous student at Avenues. It is extremely troubling to these students that they are not able to have everyday access to feminine hygiene products as needed. The lack of feminine hygiene products in Avenues has also lead to a disrupted education on a daily basis. So why

Photos by Luc Detiger

has Avenues not done anything about this for seven years? Some think that it is because Avenues does not have its priorities set on the well-being of the girls at the school. “I remember when we first got the new building [building 536], I knew immediately that it was designed by men,” stated Helena. “It had no sanitary boxes in the stalls, and you would have to go outside the stall to throw out your stuff [feminine hygiene products]. That’s not sanitary, first of all, and it’s also just kind of embarrassing… it was very disappointing.” In fact, there weren’t any sanitary disposing boxes in the stalls of the girls restrooms in the Design and Science building, and this remained an issue for months. Sanitary disposing boxes are something that you see in bathrooms everywhere—as they are necessary for girls on their periods—yet while in the process of designing the building, the need for these sanitary boxes were not taken into account. Menstrual cycles are something that almost all women experience, yet women’s feminine hygiene products are still considered luxury items. The average cost of a box of pads is $5.84, and the average cost of tampons is $7.14. While this may not seem like a lot, this can add up to $70-90 a year, which for many is not money they can spend. Along with the high price of these products, women spend thousands of more dollars a year paying for almost identical products as men—this is referred to as the pink tax. More specifically, the “tampon tax,” raises the price of tampons from 4% to 9%, depending on the state. According to a study by Pace University, the prices of monthly necessities will add up to almost $1000 in the average woman’s lifetime, and again, many do not have access to pay that much. Once a month,

girls everywhere face both the emotional and physical struggle of getting their period, and the society we live in today continues to be unaccepting and strip girls of their basic needs. Another anonymous student at Avenues stated it clearly: “This is a women’s rights issue—It’s really simple, we can’t live without them unless we want to bleed everywhere. Do you want me to be bleeding everywhere, or do you want me to be clean?” While menstrual cycles are something that is talked about in health classes in schools across the country, many students think that the lack of tampons is only increasing the stigma that follows kids who get their periods. “It’s already so taboo—I just think that if Avenues was just like ‘this is a thing that we are going to do’, it would take away that stigma of tampons away. It’s a human thing. It’s the only reason that any of us are here. I think that if it was just normalized it would be one step in having multiple generations that don’t have that stigma,” said a different anonymous female student. As for now, there are measures being taken into providing girls with the feminine hygiene products they need at the school. The Student Council plans on providing access to tampons and pads in the women’s restrooms, which provides hope for the students at the school who receive their period every month. The Avenues administration is currently implementing a pilot program for feminine hygiene products on the eighth and ninth floor in hopes that girls will be able to use them. This will be a significant change in the everyday lives of students at Avenues, and represents a step in the right direction towards gender equality and women’s rights. • 57

Art by Belle Fraser 58

Stellar Blue By Lynn Rong

he start was never interesting. In reality, I started by escaping my house with a pen, a notebook, and a MetroCard. That started because of anxiety, and the anxiety started because of many other boring factors which resulted in me escaping my house today, but it didn’t matter. Nobody noticed anyways. The real start to the story though, happened on the subway on 59th street. I never liked the underground much, yet the wind led me that way today. The subway station on 59th street is built like the sunken plaza. Between the street and the underground world, stood a platform in between. It’s the intersection where the young newspaper boys passed out their daily newspapers, the bustling commuters tied their shoelaces, the contentious birds chirped and brawled in the bushes, and where the worn and tired homeless sit to rest. But today, something is peculiar. The plaza seemed simultaneously empty yet full. The newspaper boys were out for a break, emptying the plaza. A new character, the old man with his yellow woven hat, a table, and a dark sapphire typewriter sitting silently on the tiny rectangular desk in front of him, took over the station. My instincts decided that approaching the man would be a fabulous idea because I needed something different to happen today, and that typewriter is exactly what I was looking for. “Hey,” I said, walking up to him. The man sitting behind the newspaper raised his chin and looked up at me smiling. His eyebrows are silver gray, and some of his teeth were missing. “So, what’s this?” I asked, as I pointed to his immaculate and worn typewriter. Of course, I knew what it was, yet the greeting seemed to be caught in my throat. “It’s my typewriter,” he replied with his New Jersey accent. “Do you have one?” “No.” “Then what do you use?”

“A computer,” I blurted out. He smiled a little. I hoped that I’d come up with a better answer that fits the temperament of the typewriter, like a pen and a leatherback notebook, instead of a modern and dull computer. “So, what do you do?” I asked. “Well, normally, people come up and ask me to write a poem for them about something, and I write.” “What do people usually make you write about?” He looked at the sky and thought for a brief second. “Funny how you asked, they usually ask me to write about themselves.” Egocentric people. That’s what humans are: egocentric. “Maybe you should write about me then,” I remarked. At the end of the day, I am one of those people too. Egocentric. I wonder if he’ll put that in the poem. “Sure,” he settled. Fluidly, he pulled out a small piece of paper. It is half the size of an A4 paper. He held the tiny piece of paper and inserted it into the typewriter with an adept hand. The piece of immaculate paper perfectly lined up with the type bars, fully prepared to start the poem. “What’s your name?” he asked. Suddenly I realized that we don’t even know each other’s names yet. Usually in conversations, names come first and conversation follows, yet meeting people on the streets alters the standard of daily conversation completely. I deliberated on his question for a while. Should I be Amber, the girl who buys Starbucks Frappuccino on Saturdays, or should I be Casey, the Bloomingdale’s loyalist? “Lynn,” I said as I finally came to an consensus with myself. “What’s your name?” “Bill. Bill Keys.” Bill Keys sounds like a name of a cartoon character, or an impeccable alias. Maybe I should have used the name ‘Amber’ instead. Click. The sound of the typewriter played again as I saw

NEW YORK - MEMOIR 59

his hands pressed on to the archaic buttons to type. Click, click. The stamp hits the paper as the type writing font emerged. That was the primitive print of standardized font, I thought. Magic: that was it. “You can’t undo things on this right?” “No. The mistakes are what makes it so beautiful. It’s like life, right? You cannot undo things in life either. That’s why life is so magical.” I nodded, though I do not agree nor disagree. I just nodded because his words were so insightful that nodding seemed like the only appropriate thing to do. The sentence replayed in my head like an infinite record tape. Knowing that life is irreversible soothed me. Maybe some mistakes are beautiful indeed. I looked at his typewriter and his fluent movement. “So, how long have you been doing this?” Bill’s fingers tapped on the keyboard that made a clicking sound at each letter, indicating each time he made a decision. If life clicks every time I make a decision, maybe I would be more deliberate with each decision. It’s too bad that life doesn’t work exactly like a typewriter. “Full time for 9 years.” “Do you like doing this?” He paused. “Well, I loved it more when I first started.” He looked up at the sky again. “Doing this was like working magic. It was all I lived for. I found meaning in life through this. Now, maybe because the stakes are higher for me to make a living, I am constantly worried if my writing is good enough for my customer. I’m starting to enjoy this less.” “Oh. What had you been previously doing?” “Tour guide. I’m going to become a tour guide again this spring. I don’t think I could continue writing poems for a living anymore. I think I need to take my mind off this. Take a break and find the magic again.” He turned back to his writing and I returned to being quiet. Birds chirped behind him, their delicate sound suffusing the wind. I wonder what he wrote about. I wondered if he knew enough about me to write anything about me. His hands typed fast, with pauses in between. It definitely takes more thought writing with a typewriter. Click, click; the sound of a typewriter is so amusing. It is the most primitive sound of a mechanical machine. It does not create the cacophony of modern machines. It differed as each letter was pressed, the melody so much more varied, so much more spontaneous than a computer keyboard. Perhaps I should buy a typewriter just to listen to its sound. There is a hint of mystery to his final result. The paper moves right as he types, and occasionally, his hands would swipe the paper back into its original position.

Our English teacher once said that typing is less dynamic than writing, which is correct in most scenarios I encounter. Yet in a typewriter, it’s completely different. The motions, actions, and attention involved in using a typewriter seems so much more complex and skilled than using a pen and pencil. It’s innately satisfying, how a stationary machine could give life to such a beautiful print. Engaged in his artwork, I didn’t even notice when a little girl with a handful of balloons stood next to me, accompanying me to watch the magic happen. “Sitting here, I occasionally will see a balloon or two fly by the sky, and I will wonder where it lands,” Bill remarked and pointed at the girl’s vibrant balloons. The girl retreated towards her mother in shyness, but her eyes were still fixed on the typewriter. “Do you like this?” He pointed at his typewriter. “It has a name. Stellar Blue, that’s what its called. Stellar Blue... Isn’t it beautiful?” At that instant, instinct urged me to open my notebook and jot this down. In a blank page, I quickly scribbled the words, Stellar Blue. Stellar Blue. The words were so beautiful that I knew that there was something was special about it. Stellar Blue. As I wrote the notes, he typed the final words of my poem. His hands pressed the paper as he slowly pulled the poem out of the typewriter. I peaked over. The indents and spaces of the letters told a story far beyond the words. The poem was so new, yet so old. “This is a good one,” he said, examining the piece of paper with satisfaction and then looking back at me. I nodded in agreement. “At least I think it’s a good one. Here, can you take a picture with this?” He passed the poem to me. I agreed. I held up the poem he gave me and he snapped a picture of me with his shattered phone. He took off his glasses to look at the photos. He ran the paper back in the machine again to smoothen it with the rollers on the typewriter, then handed it back to me. “Do you take a picture with everyone?” I asked. “I used to. And then I stopped. I started doing it again this year, you know. I decided that it is worth it to remember all the poems I gave to different people.” I wondered if he would remember me more than others, or if he remembered others more than me. Stepping down the plaza into the subway where I was supposed to start my journey, I knew that I didn’t need to go anywhere anymore. Once I was far enough away, I opened the page of the notebook where I placed his poem. FREE AS THE WIN D YOU ARE It did not have my name on it. It didn’t really matter if I was Amber or Casey. It was about me. •

POLITICAL POLARIZATION

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A NON-LIBERAL By Ella Price NEW YORK - FEATURE 61

Max Kanders, an 11th grade student at Avenues, has grades. This fear is perpetuated by the lack of diverse respent much of his time in school being silent. A self-prosources in class. “A lot of the time I feel like I’m just repeatclaimed “moderate Republican,” many of his political beliefs ing things that I read from [Howard] Zinn whereas I might do not align with the highly liberal climate of both New actually side with someone else,” said Kanders. York City and Avenues’ community. As said by Kanders, “it’s The lack of political diversity in Avenues stretches hard to have a voice if your voice isn’t a liberal one.” beyond the classroom. According to Kanders, there is imLocated in the center of Chelsea, Avenues is at the mense hostility between conservative and liberal students in heart of New York’s democratic sector. The state has not everyday conversation. When discussing Kavanaugh’s Subeen carried by a Republican in any statewide or presidenpreme Court confirmation with classmates in 11th grade, tial election since 1924 and 68% of the city’s registered vothe stated “I was attacked because of my ideas and I wasn’t ers are Democrats. According to the Pew Research Cenrespected in the same way that I respected the other side… ter on US politics and policy, though there are pockets of That resulted in me having to express it in a more vicious Republicans in certain areas of Long way which, although I didn’t like doIsland, Queens, and Brooklyn, the ing it, it was the only way I could get “IT’S HARD TO HAVE A blue wave that engulfed the city over people to listen.” ninety years ago has remained very VOICE IF YOUR VOICE ISN’T Kanders is not alone. A school much intact. To Kanders and much A LIBERAL ONE.” survey confirmed that only nine of Avenues’ student body, the school’s of seventy one students identify as political climate is accordingly Dem- - MAX KANDERS conservative. Additionally, all of the ocratic. self-reported conservatives agree that Supported by data from polls Avenues’ political climate is hostile taken in Avenues’ upper school, in an institution where towards them. While 39% of those polled do not affiliate nearly everyone seems to share the same political views, it’s themselves with either party, only the Democrats believe easy to suppress the ideas of the few who differ. It appears that the political environment at school is not hostile. that at Avenues, students are expected to think a certain way Based on this data, it seems apparent that many Demand are often forced to hide their real opinions in class. In ocrats are oblivious to the political culture that can feel narKanders’ words, “when it comes to class time, I have to shift row and unwelcoming to many of their classmates. When my views to match the obvious liberal climate.” In classes a self-identified Avenues Democrat was asked if they want where students are graded on discussion, it’s intimidating to hear political views that differ from their own, she said, to state positions which so clearly oppose those of class“there are issues where I don’t want to hear the other side… mates and the teacher. Confirmed by surveys and interviews, Such as gun laws. I do not believe anyone should be able to Kanders and other conservative-leaning students often fear carry a weapon and there just isn’t an argument for the other that expressing their true opinions might cost them their side. I’ll never take it in. I’ll never agree with it.”

Even on controversial issues like gun laws, the mentality makes students with unpopular views feel that their ideas of this student is incredibly dangerous and speaks to a larger are being vilified. According to that 10th grade student, “I problem of students failing to recognize that they are uninfeel like the school really tries to present both sides of issues, tentionally silencing and alienating their peers.In a school but they always make it seem like one is right and the other that seeks to foster free thought, creativity, and confidence is wrong” she said. in one’s own decision-making abilility, it should be obviPolitical polarization is a defining feature of today’s polous that imposing political viewpoints runs counter to these itics and Avenues is a reflection of that. Classified as the goals. Presenting students with varied sources on topics and overlap between parties, a high level of political polarization welcoming varied perspectives in classroom discussion is means that Democrats agree with Democrats and Republiincredibly important to maintain a politically diverse comcans agree with Republicans. munity. Still, in the words of Avenues history teacher Ron The United States is more polarized than ever and the Widelec, “We have to avoid pretending like there’s such a separation between political parties is rapidly increasing. thing as not being biased… Whether Growing numbers of Democrats and we’re talking about politics today or “WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF Republicans express highly negahistory in the past, playing neutral tive views of the opposing party. As is not staying out of it. It’s foolish OUR BIASES AND UNDERof 2014, Republicans with very unto think we can present information STAND THAT OTHERS MIGHT favorable views of Democrats has in an unbiased way. We need to be VIEW ISSUES jumped from 17 to 43% in the last aware of our biases and understand DIFFERENTLY.” twenty years. The inverse is also true. that others might view issues differDemocrats with unfavorable views of ently.” Republicans has more than doubled, While this concept is important, - MR. WIDELEC rising from 16 to 38%. the awareness of personal biases that It’s no mystery that the citizens Mr. Widelec advocates for is not always presented in opof the United States are angrily divided. Even in a small timal ways. In the words of an Avenues 11th grader, “we and familial community like Avenues, where students have are always presented with the same sources. The New York grown up side-by-side, the polarization is prominent. If we Times is used over and over again and we don’t see new can’t even consider views that differ from our own within writers. I think the curriculum is really based off of Demothe safe walls of our second home, how can we step out into cratic thoughts and we never get the whole picture.” the world and peacefully coexist with the opposing opinions While one 10th grade student thinks that Avenues of the masses? We are the future and Avenues should be does try to present multiple biases, both students come to preparing us to thrive in a global community with infinite the same conclusion. This conclusion is that it seems that ideas. the liberal bias in class and in the student body at Avenues Are we prepared? •

Art by Anna Bloch

Art by Belle Fraser

Poetic Tribe By Tallulah Brown, Belle Fraser, and Didi Jin

64 NEW YORK - FEATURE

n October 19th, with a pencil and notepad in hand, twenty-one students and four faculty members from the Avenues Upper Division boarded the PATH train to Newark, New Jersey. Their destination: the 31st biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. The festival is a four day event that features over 60 internationally acclaimed poets who participate in various panels on nine different stages. Hosted by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, local churches, museums, and other venues nearby, fans of poetry flock to the event every two years to participate in discussions, panels, readings and conversations. In the words of an Avenues 11th grader, the Dodge Poetry Festival is a place which brings together “people of our generation who are really interested and passionate about learning how we can use poetry in our lives to get certain ideals across and to express ourselves.” Being “student day,” many of the panels were geared towards rallying the coming generations to be active participants in all realms of society. Poets encouraged the young audience to use their writing as a weapon–– redefining poetry as a form of activism. Poets such as Elizabeth Alexander, who was President Obama’s inaugural poet, bestselling authors Sandra Cisneros and Sapphire, former U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, and many more were featured at this year’s festival. Avenues students had the opportunity to attend the festival based on their own poem submissions. The chance to experience the massive gathering of professional poets, artists, and enthusiasts alike was an opportunity that excited the students and faculty who filled the PATH train with energetic buzz in the early morning. From the connection between poetry and sustainability, democracy, and the intersectionality between poetry and war, the panels discussed the various impacts these works can have on society. People from all walks of life can be poets. Poetry is one of the most expressive forms of literary art which lets the writer and reader explore emotions through individual perspectives. It can just barely brush the surface of human expression, or reach deep inside and dig out the realities of our lives. This idea was explained perfectly in the “Going Public with Private Feelings” panel, in which writers Aaron Coleman, Nicole Homer, Joseph O. Legaspi, and Jenny Xie described how to effectively use emotions to elevate one’s writing. It was through these talks that students began to understand the true magnitude one’s words have, and how important this is beginning to become in America today. In light of today’s sociopolitical climate, Jodie, a writer from Chicago and loyal Dodge Poetry Festival attendee, not-

ed the shift in tone that this year’s panels seemed to have: “There’s a huge difference to this one and the ones previous. There was a sense of solidarity and hope in the face of adversity and now, I feel like this year, we are a lot more beaten down. People are much more vulnerable- usually it’s the third day before the poets start crying and hugging each other, this year, it was the second session. Everyone’s a little more raw and a little more open, a little more angry, a little more sad.” Jodie’s experience spoke to the sense of urgency seen within all the panels as poets urged the audience to raise their voices. Poets such as Khaled Mattawa and Alberto Ríos used their time in the panel “Poetry Forum: Poetry and Democracy” to call upcoming generations to action. They talked passionately about the effect that poetry can have on the world around us and how it can serve as an effective tool for making change in any society. “Poets are neglected and undercover agents for change,” said Khaled Mattawa, a Libyan born poet. Mattawa’s latest collection of poems, Tocqueville, examines the effects that America’s foreign and domestic policy has had on Americans of all races, religions, and social classes, a topic that has flown under the radar of most other poets. Alberto Ríos echoed Mattawa’s sentiments, comparing poetry to “the white blood cells that go to the places of danger.” What struck high school English teacher Dana Stranle-Plowe about the festival was “how very much geared towards the teenage audience these poets are.” This connection between professionals and students illustrates how poetry can be a form of activism for those who are unable to vote, introducing an old platform to a new generation looking to voice their perspectives. Student activism is becoming increasingly more common in today’s society and is especially present in the Avenues community. With countless student-led clubs, ambassador positions, and student involvement in the Avenues’ wellbeing, the Dodge Poetry Festival reaffirmed the idea that young people’s voices are needed to instigate change. By the end of the day, the attendees left feeling thankful for having the opportunity to attend. High school student Rene remarked, “It encouraged many of us to go out and express ourselves - it was very inspiring.” Amidst the widespread sentiments of fear that society seems to have in a chokehold, a sense of unity was molded within the community by the end of the day. This created a new wave of motivation and sense of hope within the audience. As the introductory speaker of the Poets on Poetry panel put it: “Look around, this is your tribe.” •

Tattooed Former College Football Player Becomes Administrator? By Ryan Kim

Photo by Daniel Khazanov

66 NEW YORK - FEATURE

r. Mixsell, the new Administrator of School Culture at Avenues New York, stood up to stretch his six-foot-four inch frame. He had been sitting down for hours sending out emails to the Deans to make sure they were in agreement with the punitive consequences for their respective students. With long strides, Mr. Mixsell roamed the ninth floor looking to say hello to a few students before returning to his desk. But, he wasn’t just roaming. He was enforcing. Mr. Mixsell spotted a phone in the distance and quietly approached the student. His smile turned into a grin, and he held his large hands out. Without a word, the student handed his phone over. Returning to his desk, Mr. Mixsell pulled open his desk drawers to reveal a large black flashcard box filled with nine iPhones of all different sizes and colors. That number had just become ten. Austin Mixsell was born in the summer in Danbury, Connecticut to French and Spanish teachers. His parents loved to speak and learn foreign languages, but Mixsell had other interests. He admits he wasn’t the brightest or smartest kid, but he quickly learned to work hard on something he excelled at: football. In high school, Austin Mixsell became a star wide receiver. “When people started to recognize my talents in football, I hit the gym after school for long hours,” he said. “I knew this was my way into college.” Mixsell ended up playing college football at Lehigh University. After college, Mixsell started working in real estate in Connecticut, but he could not handle the distance between himself and his girlfriend, who lived and worked in New York City. So, he decided to move to NYC, a decision that he says changed his life forever. Back in his office, Mr. Mixsell raised his hand to scratch his scruffy beard. Ms. Risa Harms, Upper Division Dean, had just written him an email, and he needed to speak to a student about spamming the entire school with an inappropriate survey. Like a stealthy lion, he stalked his prey, a 12th grade student, and he knew exactly where and when to look. Mr. Mixsell quietly approached his prey on the ninth floor common space, and signaled his hand towards side staircase B. While it might seem like being the school disciplinari-

an is no fun, Mr. Mixsell actually enjoys his job. “I really enjoy all aspects of my job,” he said. “I want kids to learn from their mistakes. I know from experience how important it is to learn from your mistakes. That is what keeps me motivated to continue doing what I do.” Similarly, students don’t hate Mr. Mixsell; they acknowledge that he is just doing his job. Many describe him as a “nice” or “good cop.” Senior Lauren Schulson said, “I think that Mr. Mixsell is doing what is being asked of him. He always seems to cheer me up and talks about his experiences. Something that teachers don’t do often, especially when in his position.” Mixsell frequently reflects on his own high school journey while doing his job. “I was the typical rebellious teenager. I liked to ride my pick-up truck and drive around town. I did not care much for school. I loved rebelling especially against my parents.” Mixsell admitted that he did some stupid things, including getting a tattoo on his ankle. “It was a stupid choice. I just decided to get an ankle tattoo one day, ” he said. Mixsell uses experiences like this to talk to students and give them advice. He seems to regret the time he spent as a rebellious teenager especially when talking about his late grandfather. “My grandfather is a huge role model. I regret not spending more time with him. I actually became a golfer because of him. He loved golf. I imagine that he is with me on the golf course in spirit.” Mr. Mixsell explained that he later got a tattoo on his back to honor his grandfather, a man that he aspires to be everyday. He hopes to talk to his students with the same respect and insight that with which his grandfather used to speak to him. Mr. Mixsell said he is still learning everyday, which, in his words “is the best part of job. I learn something new everyday. I am amazed at the abilities of other students.” And for these students, he writes commendations. Commendations for good behavior or a great, friendly smile. Austin Mixsell did not know he was charting a new path. The idea did not even occur to him when accepting his position. But, like many things in his life, Mixsell was charting a new path without knowing it. •

Art by Sam Boyce

Do E-Sports Have a Place At Avenues? By Ben Dennison

arlier this year, President Donald Trump held a summit to address the issue of violent video games. While this meeting didn’t discuss any new, nuanced viewpoints on the topic, it furthered the discussion of the ethics of violent video games. One of the key points during the summit was: “The level of violence on video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts.”1 The interesting thing about this quote from Donald Trump is that, in recent years, video games have become more popular than ever. High school e-sports teams have even begun to surface at educational institutions around the country. This appearance of e-sports teams into schools is in sharp contrast to the argument that the violence present in some of these games is shaping young, vulnerable American minds. This contrast between the words of the president and the actions of schools around the country took raise the questions: Do

68 NEW YORK - FEATURE

violent video games promote violence and is there hope for video games in America and at Avenues? As the issue of violent video games is investigated further, looking at these games from a psychological standpoint can help answer the effects these games have on how people act in the real world.Upper Grades psychology teacher Michael Yarbrough said, “There’s next to no evidence that violent video games make people violent...psychologically speaking, since that seems to be people’s biggest concern, the research shows that [the fear] unfounded.” The belief that violent video games make people violent not only has insufficient evidence, but recent studies have also shown that playing video games a certain way can actually benefit the mind. A study performed on adults who played the 3D platformer game, Super Mario 64, has shown that playing games that require constant learning, problem

solving, and spacial awareness can be beneficial to grey matWhile video games as a whole can raise eyebrows about ter in the hippocampus which helps prevent cognitive disthe ethics of violence in virtual worlds, Helena Sinding, an eases such as Alzheimer’s. Avenues senior, said she would like to see some form of vidWhile video games may prevent future cognitive diseo games at Avenues. One of the reasons that she presented eases and the argument against violent video games is shaky for why esports should be at Avenues was that it’s a way to at best, the issue isn’t a simple dichotomy. During an interbring, “together people who wouldn’t normally talk to each view with Mr. Yarborough, he raised the topic of what, as an other.” This sense of a community in video games has been administrator of a school, might want to support. “A lot of present since the conception of the gaming. This group of schools, for example, are moving away from having football gamers was even acknowledged by Mr. Shy as he says he teams because of the risk for injury that it poses to kids,” he likes to keep up with things that students are interested in. said. “Is everyone going to end up horribly injured playing It should also be acknowledged that an E-Sports club high school football? Probably not. But as a school, do you was present at avenues in the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 want to put your name on it?” school years. This club did have student interest where the This perspective on what an administration wants to two games that were played were Super Smash Bros for Wii endorse as part of their school is where the silver lining of U and occasionally League of Legends. There was regular students playing violent video games competitively begins attendance and general interest from students in the club. to appear. While there is little to no evidence that video Most students play video games and believe that esports games cause violence, the social stigma around the topic is at Avenues would not only act as a conduit for students enough for an educational institution to question how vidinterests, but could also be a way for students to socialise eo games may affect both the with students they don’t internal and external view of know. Charles Matadin, a school. The issue of percepa 10th grader, said that “THERE’S NEXT TO NO EVIDENCE THAT tion, especially with Avenues, video games, “would VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES MAKE PEOPLE has become more pervasive as bring people that VIOLENT, PSYCHOLOGICALLY Avenues tries to keep its imwouldn’t be together, SPEAKING.” age as an elite New York City together.” Charles also private school. This point was mentioned how the esfurther exemplified through ports scene at Avenues - MR. YARBROUGH an interview with Upper Dicould focus on more vision Head, Mr. Todd Shy. intimate games like When I asked him about the process for the Avenues Street Fighter, Tekken, and Super Smash Bros rather than administration to back an idea like a school esports scene, larger and more violent multiplayer games. Other students Mr. Shy said that in order for the school to sponsor somethat I interviewed shared this perspective. In an interview thing, it must be nurturing so that students develop in a way with Jacob, a 10th grader, he said that some of the games where they are helpful to the world. that he played were, “Crypt of the Necrodancer, Zelda “[Avenues] exist[s] for you all to become great people BoTW, Mario kart 8 deluxe, and Pokken Tournament DX.” with interesting lives,” he said. The reasoning behind AvThe interesting thing about these games is that they are eienues putting their name behind something is not to pick ther designed to be single player, or enjoyed with a friend by and choose between different ideas to benefit the percepyour side. tion of Avenues. It is a process in which the administration The camaraderie between gamers is something that listens to and implements changes to the structure of the should be brought to Avenues not only to create a space school that are beneficial to the development of students. for gamers to compete competitively, but also could foster This makes the decision of Avenues backing student a community for people to sit back and play some video ideas even more complicated. Avenues must remain a space games. where the ideas of welcome, safety, and respect are held in However, the types of games present in these spaces a high regard. Therefore, a sense of complacency must be would need to be reviewed by the administration before bepresent within the student body when new ideas are impleing implemented because all viewpoints should be reviewed mented. This means that when Mr. Shy makes a decision as before certain decisions are made. a school administrator, he has to account for every way an While the public image of a school should be taken action could be viewed. So, the first question that would be into account when decisions are made, an administration asked is, as Mr. Shy puts it. “Is this something that lets stushould make decisions that support the aspirations of their dents flourish and contributes to our mission as a school?”. students. •

Avenues Index By Tallulah Brown, Ben Dennison, Belle Fraser, Didi Jin, Tara Kerr, and Ella Price

Photos by Clare Maleeny

70 NEW YORK - INDEX

Citations available on thehighliner.squarespace.com

Average earth surface temperature increase since the late 19th century: 1.62 degrees fahrenheit. The rate of Antarctica ice mass loss has grown 300% in the last decade. The number of inches that global sea levels have risen in the last century: 8. Number of skeptical tweets that President Donald Trump has posted about climate change: 115. Across 39 countries surveyed, the percentage of people that report owning a smartphone, such as a Galaxy or iPhone: 59. A further 31% report owning another type of mobile device, such as a flip or feature phone. Across the 39 countries, 8% of people report having no mobile device at all. Number of Avenues students who built their own phones in Shenzhen: 9. Usage rates of social media includes two-thirds or more of all adults in the U.S., Australia, South Korea, Canada, Israel, and Sweden. Most popular Avenues social media platform: Instagram. Percentage of teens that feel overwhelmed by the drama present on social media: 45. Percentage of teens that say they go online “almost” constantly: 44. Scoring a 1280 on the 2018 SAT ranks an individual in the 84th percentile. Out of 108 Avenues students, 57.4% of them took the PSAT this year. Of that 57.4%, 58.6% of the students said the gym was too cold. 2,053 of the 2018 PSAT test takers indicated that they wanted to major in gender studies. 781 million adults and 126 million youth lack basic literacy skills. More than 60% of this illiterate population is women. 62 million girls are denied an education globally. 33.3% out of 108 Avenues students think they take their education for granted. In 83 countries, women make 10% to 30% less money than men. Women in America plan to give more gifts than men do this holiday season. 6 in 10 Americans believe they are good gift givers. 60% of people agreed that they’d be happy to celebrate the holidays without exchanging gifts. Percent of Americans that send holiday cards: 49. 9% percent of Americans will have an artificial Christmas tree this year. Annual pounds of ice cream consumed by Americans: 23. •

TO THE FLAG By Zoe Nelms

t’s not as if poems like Katherine’s were uncommon at the weekly Open Night. If anything, it adhered to the unspoken spoken word norms that had been set by the attendees of the creative writing camp: heartfelt, impassioned monologues lacquered with a glossy coating of alliteration and metaphors. After all, for the last hour, my friends and I had been sitting on a rickety wooden bench in our camp’s auditorium, watching as our campmates clambered up onto the stage for their individual interpretations of love, life, and anything else they deemed worthy. Katherine was a bunkmate of mine- famed around camp for both her poetry and never-ending offers to do everyone’s makeup. At our bunk before the event, she had proudly displayed a makeup kit made specifically for darkskinned black women that she had recently purchased. “It’s so important to support brands like these,” she said. “Black women are very marginalized in the makeup industry.” No one ever let her do their makeup, mostly because we didn’t believe that her passionate conviction translated into artistic ability. In the end she seemed content sitting alone in a corner of the bunk, smearing mauve eyeshadow from the little kit across her own pale, veined lids. “Hi, everyone,” she said, pulling the microphone close to her mouth, brushing her close cropped-hair to the side. Her friends in the front row cheered. “I’m Katherine, and my piece is called ‘I Pledge Allegiance.’” Katherine cleared her throat in preparation, then paused, letting the anticipation build. “I pledge allegiance, to the flag,” she began, placing her hand on her chest and grinning faux-earnestly. “And the Republic for which it stands...” Her smile grew even more saccharine as she leaned forward into the microphone. “A Republic that stands for a nation full of bigots.” The rest of the poem was exactly what one would expect from the brazen opening line—a satirical piece critiquing the political, racial, and economic milieu of our country. She provided feminist commentary on Trump, Charlottesville, and the alt-right. She railed against black stereotypes and racialized gender discrimination through lyrical, impassioned verse. She punctuated keywords (white rhetoric, misogynoir) with an indignant eyebrow raise and the pumping of a fist.

Katherine had a good speaking voice, emphatic and clear, her proclamations of American ignorance cutting through the humid air. She was a decent poet, too, when she didn’t rely too heavily on fire imagery—a ubiquitous trope at the writing camp that, after a continuous stream of flame-centric poems, was starting to become a little obnoxious. But despite that, Katherine didn’t elicit the audience reaction she had probably hoped for. My friend, Tanya, furrowed her brow as Katherine delivered a fervent stanza about police brutality. “She’s white. I mean, I get the feminist stuff, obviously. But, like, why is she talking about black stuff ?” Tanya whispered. “She hasn’t been through the things that she’s talking about. It’s just kind of weird.” Her critique was evident to me, too— Katherine is a woman, but she is also white. From Tanya’s perspective as a black woman, Katherine’s infuriated condemnation of society’s treatment of people of color did seem off. Not insincere, exactly, but the fury in Katherine’s eyes suggested that of someone who had first-hand experience of the horrors they narrated. And judging by her chalky pallor, that wasn’t the truth. The poem came to an end, and Katherine placed her hand back on her heart. “One nation under God, divisible, with liberty and justice for no one.” Her faux-sweet smile faded, surveying the audience coolly for a moment and letting them soak in the words. Then, a final hand pump, before she smiled modestly and trotted offstage. Her bunkmates promptly swallowed her in a circle of hugs and praise. Tanya looked at Diane, another black girl in our bunk, as Katherine was consumed by the hysterical whirlpool of affirmation. The look was the same that Tanya had previously given me—only now, it wasn’t just confusion, but also discomfort and frustration. That night at the bunk, as Katherine wiped off her makeup in front of the grimy bathroom mirror, a girl came up to her and congratulated her on her poem’s success. Katherine thanked her, replying “It was a message that had to be said.” I agree with her. I question, however, whether it should have been her that said it. There are no rules to writing poetry, as evidenced by the vast variety of acts at the Open Night—rap renditions of Shakespearean sonnets, crude limericks soundtracked by

CULTURE - MEMOIR 73

Art By Ella Price

Art by Ella Price 74

kazoos, and more—nor do I think there should be. But I will say that good poetry, particularly good poetry that sparks political and cultural change, tends to share common characteristics, namely honesty. This honesty doesn’t have to lie in direct recounting of past experience, but honest poetry is contingent on the authentic expression of emotion. Honest poets must possess an unwavering sense of self-awareness, and a willingness to dually reflect on what we see and what we are. For genuine poetry, implementation of individual perspective, beyond making the piece feel genuine, aids in focusing the poem’s scope. Famed activists like Audre Lorde, or celebrated contemporaries like Danez Smith, have demonstrated the benefit of this tactic. Their poetry is personalized, vulnerable, attempting to provide their own perspective on relevant issues rather than craft sweeping, definitive polemics. Katherine and her piece lacked those traits. While she vehemently criticized racial inequality, Katherine had never been a subject of it. Despite enjoying a significant level of privilege, someone who had never suffered the injustices she chronicled, her verses were imbued with the intensity of someone who had. Even with the palpable passion of the poem, the lack of emotional authenticity and self awareness rendered her work shallow and contrived. Channeling the emotions elicited from oppression can be a potent poetic choice; it proves to be less potent when one hasn’t been oppressed. This isn’t to say that Katherine needed to spend half the piece expounding on how terrible her whiteness is--if anything, I think that would be as equally obnoxious. But in a piece centered on critique of the institutional white supremacy, it was worth mentioning how she wasn’t marginalized by those institutions, since, in fact, she benefited from them. Instead, Katherine refused to acknowledge her participation, intentional or not, in the systems she claimed to revile. She denounced whiteness with vague platitudes, expecting a single poem to serve as the venue for a conversation larger than her, or anyone, for that matter. She swapped nuance and vulnerability for righteousness. And as a result, the work suffered. I don’t doubt that Katherine had good intentions in crafting her poem. She likely wanted to demonstrate her allyship, and figured poetry was a reasonable way to do it. Although that displayal of allyship was arguably flawed, I don’t think it’s productive to demonize her for trying. Learning how to be a good ally can be a task fraught with difficulty. It’s something I grapple with every day. But just because the work is hard doesn’t mean we can stop trying. One day, hopefully not long from now, we’ll be able to determine the appropriate channels to express ourselves through, and the volume of which to do so; a balance of both passion and perspective. Until then, there will undoubtedly be missteps, like Katherine’s poem. But maybe this is how we’ll find our way. It’s almost certainly how we’ll find our voice. •

Why Veganism?

Text and Art By Olivia Miller

was initially drawn to veganism after stumbling across a book called, â&#x20AC;&#x153;How Not to Dieâ&#x20AC;? by Dr. Michael Greger. Each chapter focused on a different chronic disease, explaining how a whole food, plantbased diet can work preventatively to mitigate and even cure disease. This book prompted me to research nu76 CULTURE - OPINION

trition beyond its pages, and I soon began to make dramatic changes to my eating habits, shifting toward a fully vegan diet. As I became more educated about veganism, including its impact on the environment and animal welfare, I grew even more passionate about the movement. Here are some of the reasons why:

Those who eat seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a 33% lower risk of premature death than people who eat less than one portion.

Veganism could cut food production pollution in half.

Red meats requires 10 to 40 times more greenhouse gas emissions than plant foods.

Growing livestock feed uses 167 million pounds of pesticides and 17 billion pounds of nitrogen fertilizer annually.

Cattle is estimated to cause 20% of U.S. methane emissions.

Water pollution from factory farms can produce as much sewage waste as a small city.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The healthiest diet is one that maximizes the intake of whole plant foods and minimizes the intake of animal-based foods and processed junk,â&#x20AC;? (How Not to Die, pg. 259).

Vietnamese Rice Rolls These colorful vegan rolls pack in just the right variety of texture and flavor. The subtle nutty taste of the tofu and soba noodles compliment the vibrance of the raw carrots, cabbage, basil and pea s6whoots. The lightly marinated cabbage also adds a sour punch that pairs well with the savory, creamy peanut sauce. Enjoy! Serves: 10 Rolls Ingredients: 10 Vietnamese Brown Rice Rolls (Star Anise brand) I Block of Firm Tofu cut into long thin slices 2/3 Box of Buckwheat Soba Noodles 2 Carrots (julienned or shaved down with peeler) Handful of Basil Leaves Handful of Chopped Pea Shoots 2 Inch Sliver of Red Cabbage (chopped into small pieces) 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil Optional: 1/2 Avocado (if eating right away) Steps: 1. Place chopped cabbage into a bowl and mix with apple cider vinegar and sesame oil to let marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients. 2. Bring water in a medium sized pot to a boil, add soba noodles and cook for 5 minutes or per package instructions. 3. Dump noodles into a strainer and rinse with cold water until noodles are cool. 4. Add warm water to a bowl or pot that fits the rice roll sheet 5. Dip a single rice roll sheet into the warm water and remove immediately. 6. Place on a flat surface (don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t feel soft right away, the water absorbs in 20 seconds to form a bendable rice roll). 7. Add ingredients to the center of the roll (don’t over stuff ) 8. The fun part! Wrap the rice roll tightly around the ingredients (four folds, two horizontal then two smaller vertical folds). It takes a couple to get the perfect ratio of ingredients and tight fold. I would recommend eating the first one you make as a test.

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Recipe

Dipping Sauce This is a key component to the recipe; it gives the rolls their flavor and is super easy to make and store in the fridge. It also works great with almond butter or an allergy-conscious alternative. Serves: about 2/3 cup Ingredients: 1/3 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter, or alternative (No added salt or sugar) 2 Tsp Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar or Rice Vinegar 1 Tsp Sesame Oil 1/3 Cup Warm Water Steps: 1. Mix everything together. 2. Before serving, you might want to add a splash more of water to give it a thinner consistency.

For more recipes by Olivia Miller, visit her website: onlygoodsimple.com

Kim’s Gift By Wonyoung Park

Art by Olivia Miller

mindlessly eat my lunch in the cafeteria, drowning out the sounds around me. Suddenly, I feel a buzzing on my leg. Not again. It persistently occurs, my eyes furrow in annoyance. Who is it now? Noticing it was a message from my mom I scramble to pick up my phone. A cute little mushroom emoji shows up on the screen. Then I freeze, cold sweat accumulates on my hand. My body tightens as every cell in my body tells me to run. Mushrooms, an evil existence that should never have appeared in our mortal realm. I’ve feared them ever since I learned that the most dangerous plant in existence is a type of mushroom (it is). Never knowing if it would be the last time one would get to eat these things, no matter how I try to run from them, they always come back. Even my own family tries to bring me down with these entities, having fun from the misery that they inflict upon me. No one wishes to save me from their existence, my friends make it their vendetta to haunt me. Why would she do this to me? I start to panic as I scroll through the message. Please don’t let it be mushrooms for dinner as I pray to myself. However, it wasn’t anything like that. Thank god. Peculiarly it still was about mushrooms, but at least there wasn’t anything about harming me with them. Looking closely at the messages I read: “ President Moon send to my uncle. (your grand-father) This came from North Korea. Government sent as a gift to families who has relatives in north but couldn’t get a chance to meet them“. What? What exactly did I just read, this isn’t a prank right. It can’t be? I close my eyes, massaging my temple. I do it again. And again. Let me get this straight: Kim Jong Un, the dictator of North Let me get Korea had sent mushrooms to my this straight: uncle. Hmmm. What is going on. I release a sigh letting my mind wonKim Jong Un, der. After some time I snap back to the dictator of reality. I need to see if this is real. An article pops up as I am searchNorth Korea, ing the internet titled: Gift of pine sent mushrooms mushrooms from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to South Koto my uncle. rea worth $1.83 million. From the article I read that Kim Jong Un had sent mushrooms to Moon Jae In, the South Korean president, as a gift. Also, these weren’t just any mushrooms, these were premium mushrooms that had a value of around $1000. I quickly reply to my mom, “What for real?” My mom replies, “Yes they are really for your uncle because we have relatives in North Korea.” At home I dash to my mom. 80 CULTURE - MEMOIR

“Was what you texted really serious?” I ask. “Yes it was,” she replies. My mouth drops as I stare at my mom, her eyes unwavering. “So, what’s going to happen now,” I ask. “Well you heard about how now there are a bunch of meetings going on between the two Korean presidents. In the future we might even be able to see our relatives on the new train system being built,”she said. “Wow,” I thought. It really was an amazing thought. “Just make sure that the mushrooms aren’t sent to me”, I said. After talking with my mom I flop down on my bed, my body slowly sinking into the mattress. I close my eyes and let the darkness envelop my sight as I mull over what had happened. Why would Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea send mushrooms? What was his purpose? The more I thought about it I realize maybe it had to do with the growing relationship occurring between North Korea and South Korea. Maybe these mushrooms that I despise are actually the start of a new budding relationship between the two Koreas. It’s funny how these tiny little clumps of death are bringing the Koreas together because to me they represent death but to Korea they represent hope of a new beginning. I chuckle, facing toward the ceiling. My chest constricts as these conflicting feelings approach me. Now that the two Koreas are becoming friendlier what is going to happen? Personally I’ve always identified myself as South Korean instead of Korean. If the Koreas unite what would I be? Would I just be Korean now instead of always having to specify that I am specifically South Korea. By bringing together the together will I lose a part of my identity that I always had. It’s a strange feeling. For me, I think Korea is changing in a good way and I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. However, at least I might have the chance to see my relatives in Korea and they can have a bite out of the mushrooms that we received as well. •

What Happened with John Darnielle?

By Lucas Ritchie-Shatz

bout a month ago, a Tumblr post made its rounds on certain circles of indie rock fans. “i only listened to the mountain goats or, i am terrified of what comes next & am only trying to do what’s right,” published by user Melodrama420, offered a detailed history of abuse regarding John Darnielle of, the popular indie folk band, The Mountain Goats. I too read it when it rolled around my dashboard, and though I had never been particularly active in The Mountain Goats community, it shocked me. Those who know The Mountain Goats will know that their music speaks to the depression, addiction, and history of physical and emotional abuse that Darnielle himself has suffered. This made the allegations even more hard to take. In their hit, “This Year,” he sings “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me,” a line that had carried me, along with many others, through hard times in life. Though I’d recommend you to read through the post yourself, in summary, it described Darnielle emotionally re-

lying on a fan around 30 years younger than him and acting inappropriately towards them. Because of the devotion many fans had towards him they idolized this type of interaction because of how cathartic Darnielle’s art had been to him, and members of the community responded as such when this person tried to tell them. After this fan told Darnielle how they felt, Darnielle replied as gracefully as one could–– apologizing and acquiescing to all of their claims. Nearly five other people (mostly young trans masculine fans) have come out and said that Darnielle has had similar interactions with them. In the post, the victim also describes the Mountain Goats fandom as a cult: “my level of devotion to this band was ridiculous. Aside from his lo-fi shit, which I don’t give a fuck about (blasphemy!), I had every song memorized. I read every interview I could. I could only truly socialize with other Mountain Goats fans and we would spend the entire time dissecting his work, linking everything togeth-

CULTURE - FEATURE 81

er, talking about how amazing he was... I’ve realized this is behavior that is not only condoned, but encouraged by the Mountain Goats’ fanbase. To be a true fan is to consume as much as possible. Find his quotes and repeat them to survive. Meet him and get as close to god as you’ll ever be.” In another post, they also describe concerning interactions between fans–– people getting physical with others for pulling out their phone due to the fact Darnielle doesn’t like pictures of himself–– even when their phone was reminding them to take their meds. I can speak to this type of obsession over a band, so the accusations against Darnielle hit me even harder. My friends and I became experts on a person, an artist we had never known, and probably never would. We would find his old homework assignments from college, the videos he posted on myspace when he was 15. Some in this community would even seek out the history between his past relationships, finding photos that were never meant to be shown. It got to the point where his father would visit our Reddit page setting the record on whether he was left or right handed. We all obsessed over how much of a genius he was, and we wanted nothing more than to meet him, to know him, to be his friend. Fortunately, that never happened for any of us. The fans of The Mountain Goats weren’t as lucky. If you were to visit r/themountaingoats, the subreddit for fans of the band, it would be hard to tell anything had happened at all. The posts were mostly occupied with inktober pieces inspired by Mountain Goats lyrics, or live videos. The only inkling of a conflict comes if you scroll a few pages further, to a photoshopped image of Darnielle holding up a sign that said “Court of public opinion: Darnielle not guilty!” This image was, to be honest, kind of sickening to me. A serious allegation, condensed into one image: not guilty. This is not to say the subreddit ignored the post. In fact, they did the opposite, posting about it vehemently for three days, whether they thought the post was credible, or whether they thought Darnielle deserved the criticism. For the most part, the image was right–– the subreddit had decided that Darnielle wasn’t guilty. Reading through the posts during those few days was rather disheartening, accusing the writer of being a crazy fan, or comparing the post to a case in which two innocent men went to jail for rape. They claim that Darnielle is simply socially awkward, an oddball, and point to how he himself was abused as well. On a post asking to consider whether the author was right in calling the fandom a cult, most of the comments are only playfully joking, saying “where do I pick up my robe,” or “why else would I have this laminated card.” Posts on the subreddit continue to get worse and worse, one even saying “as far as mistakes go, this is a pretty common one. John didn’t rape this person, John didn’t sexually

assault this person. John opened up and vented and over shared with this person.” To me, this seems like a pretty low bar for deciding whether or not someone has made a mistake. While this situation isn’t black and white, the subred-

It’s important that we start an examination of how previous histories of abuse precipitate abuse, or even acception of abuse from those that we look up to.

dit seemed to actively discourage any narrative that didn’t portray the post’s author as delusional or unstable, having stabbed Darnielle in the back for sharing about their relationship. On the original Reddit board about the post, titled “Thoughts on this tumblr post, currently in the process of blowing up?”, comments that maintain Darnielle did something wrong were brutally downvoted, the top comment sharing the sentiment of, “what do they want?” Somewhere around the time that this was all going down, the author of the post tweeted what could debatably be called a death threat at Darnielle. While later they clarified it was “metaphorical,” it was clear that the situation was escalating. A few days later, a slightly official statement was released coming from the mods of the Mountain Goats Shitposting group on Facebook. They had reached out to Darnielle’s manager, who had replied that no official statement would be made out of “concern for John’s safety.” Around this time, the post while highly publicized around Mountain Goats fan circles, had gotten no further publication. The question was, “what do we do now?” And the response has seemed to be nothing. Since the start of the #MeToo movement, a laundry list of bands have fallen in result of accusations of abuse–– emotional, physical, and sexual. The movement has been particularly successful in the indie community, with bands like PWR BTTM, The Orwells, Brand New and Pinegrove being some of the most high-profile to be plagued with allegations. PWR BTTM, in particular, are notable–– as a band focused on playful queer punk music, their takedown after allegations of sexual abuse was swift, considering their main fanbase was a group of socially aware queer people themselves. However, some were left wondering if the fact that they were queer was the reason for their exceedingly speedy downfall. Many white male artists, on the other hand, have had long histories of abuse ignored- for instance the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mac DeMarco, and David Bowie, all of whom are still widely regarded as great artists. This allega-

tion against Darnielle, one that is primarily queer people against a large white male figure, while not as extreme as any of the examples listed, rings too close to home for me to be comfortable just leaving these allegations to rest. I don’t think anyone is asking for a complete takedown of John Darnielle. I think that it is, however, worth it for the indie community outside the devoted Mountain Goats fans to reassess the cult-like attitude around musicians that are easy to develop in close-knit communities. It’s also important that we start an examination of how previous histories of abuse precipitate abuse, or even acception of abuse from those that we look up to. Most of all, people outside of devoted fans of Darnielle should talk about and consider how these allegations implicate relationships with artists in the modern age.

Around a year ago, I wrote an article about the band that I had been obsessed with, and one of the asides in the article said this: “[artist name] is not a perfect person, and I feel the need to say that after praising his work an almost ridiculous amount in this piece. If you want to see him as a figurehead, then it’s your choice. But it will taint some of your feelings on these albums. But I would also say it’s not the artist’s job to paint a perfect picture of themselves. They’re only painting a picture. If you’re like me, though, the nature of [artist name]’s music will make you want to dig to the person himself. But you don’t need to...So to look to him, to be a model person, a piece of an art, would be a mistake. I did this. And then I found out some of his mistakes, and that marble person I had on a pedestal broke. It turns out it was only a thin veneer.” •

Failing Faith By Belle Fraser

Art by Olivia Miller

th grade: a year filled with neon tights, rainbow braces, questionable haircuts, and realizations that threatened everything I forced myself to believe. I sat in my World Course classroom, armed with a fresh notebook page, eagerly anticipating the notes I would record. “Today we will be learning about the Catholic Church and Martin Luther’s 95 Theses,” Ms. Brinkman-Young declared. “In the 1500s, religion transitioned from a concept of faith to one of business as indulgences were introduced, priests didn’t allow anyone to read the Bible for themselves, and convinced followers they held spiritual powers when they really didn’t.” These facts stung like a betrayal. I frantically looked around the room, searching to see if others shared the sense of paralyzing panic that I was trying to contain. No one did. No one seemed to care that people devoted their lives to an institution that fed off of their vulnerability. That they violently silenced all that opposed them—not out of loyalty to God, but out of their selfishness. It was this keynote presentation of doom, contradicting 84 CULTURE - MEMOIR

the legitimacy of God, and damaging the sense of stability I had cautiously built for myself. People lived their lives by the Bible, dedicated themselves to values, that to me, began to look like a scheme. The values that, although I lacked a concrete understanding of them, profoundly influenced my life. A sense of guilt lingered long after. Never baptized, or dropped off at Sunday school, participated in an official prayer, or even been a member of a Church, I never truly committed myself to a given religion. But I still felt as if my questioning the true intentions of the Catholic Church was a sin. By believing in not believing, I was terrified that I was pushing myself further and further away from the feelings of assurance and security that were once so comforting. Growing up, the concept of religion was never entirely clear for me. There was this all-powerful magic man who lived in the clouds, who had a crystal ball where he watched all of our lives, like a TV show. The only catch was that he could control the plot. A “naughty and nice list” kept track of the people below, and their actions determined which category they were put in. Be good, and receive good, this

was the core of my religion definition, and it was enough priests’ voice filled the air. for me. It had to be. Without the reassurance that someone “He has risen!” The crowd echoed. or something was always looking over us, I would’ve been He went on, quoting passages from the Bible, referring lost—terrified of the world I lived in. to his personal religious experiences, and the impact Jesus Each night I recited the one prayer I knew, jumbling up had on his life thus far. I watched as tears trickled down the words and guessing some of the phrases. I begged for my cheeks, hands passionately patted hearts, and arms flung up family’s safety and the well being of the earth, occasionally to the sky praising the lord himself. asking for a good grade on an upcoming quiz, only if he They were all so connected to something so much wasn’t dealing with anything more serious, of course. My mightier than them, unified by this unwavering belief of a hands viciously clasped together as if the harder I squeezed, higher power. I envied it all. the stronger my connection to God would be. “Jesus died for our sins, and he has watched over us evMy mom’s ery day since then. favorite sayings, You are all children “eat your vegetaof God, let your No matter how much I wished it wasn’t bles” and “use your light shine. I look so, I could no longer force myself to manners” are ones forward to reuniting I took to heart. I with each and every identify with the concepts presented in stuffed myself with one of you in the affront of me. soggy broccoli and terlife. Amen.” mini carrots until “Amen,” people my plate was clean. said with profound Pleases and thanks yous were never forgotten, and always pride. A single word with overwhelming strength closed off said with a smile on my face. I believed that doing these the service. The sun began to rise as doves were released from things would help me end up on the right side of my blurred a cage, and hugs were exchanged from stranger to stranger. understanding of heaven and hell. Whatever was going to I sat stiffly, nauseous at the fact that my uncertainties happen to me after I died, I wanted it to be good, and if were not resolved. My stomach was in knots as if I was punthere was a way to control that, I was all in. ishing myself for not rejoicing in the miracle of Jesus’ resurHowever, the keynote presentation of doom blanketed rection—- I just didn’t buy it. No matter how much I wished my faith in doubt. As it slowly disappeared, I was forced it wasn’t so, I could no longer force myself to identify with back into the world that I thought I so nicely tucked away the concepts presented in front of me. -- the world where I sat in fear of what was to come. Easter My mom grew up Christian and my dad Catholic, so 2015 presented itself as an opportunity for me to face this accordingly I’m one of those - maybe a mix of the two? fear. That’s what I’ve always assumed. But throughout my life, It was spring break in California, and my Aunt Wendy I have realized that we constantly label things so they have laid out the plan for the family, “We are waking up at 5:30 a place. tomorrow, okay, everyone? The Easter service starts at 6:00, Maybe religion isn’t my place. Christmas is Jesus’ birthwe’ll watch the sunrise on the beach.” day, yet I look forward to the holiday as an opportunity to “Why do I have to wake up so early for something I check everything off my wish list. I stuff my face with meatdon’t even believe in?” I thought to myself, but nodded my loaf and cheesecake in the good company of my relatives head and smiled out of respect for her religious beliefs. A the night before and wake up to a wonderland of presents glimmer of hope crept into my mind as I fell asleep—maybe I don’t deserve. Easter glorifies Jesus’ resurrection—he died this service would restore my faith and the feeling of secufor our sins, and someone decided that in result of that, we rity I longed for. are forever in debt for his heroic actions. But pastel florals, On that morning, my alarm blared and urged me toa visit to Grandma’s house, and my never dying ambition to wards the pastel pink dress neatly hung up in the corner win the egg hunt every single year hold prominence to my of the room. I slipped it on, eyes half open, and stumbled Easter definition. my way into the kitchen. “Your dad’s outside in the car, I’m We all exist, helpless, picking up every lucky penny, warming up some Eggo’s, I’ll be out in a second,” Aunt knocking on every piece of wood, calling in favors to whoWendy said, her voice almost a whisper. ever is up there, hoping for a better tomorrow. But what We arrived at the beach, greeted by a sea of exhaustif we’re just making ourselves feel better about the things ed people, obnoxiously shoving their way to the front with that are too far out of our reach? What if the practices we their big beach chairs. A slight smile was glued to their facfollow and the religions we confide in are just forms of denies--they had to be somewhat nice, it was Easter. The priest al—terrified to admit what we simply don’t know, we devote appeared on the podium, and we scurried to take our seats. our time and energy to something that provides answers. I “Good morning, thank you for coming out on this most presume that we’ll never really know as we are too afraid to glorious day to celebrate the fact that he has risen,” the confront the things that make us feel safe. •

You Construct Intricate Rituals By Lucas Ritchie-Shatz

Photos by Luc Detiger

“I didn’t know people still moshed,” my dad said to me one September night as we walk under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. “I thought that died out in the 90s.” Because of my lack of friends into indie punk music, I had dragged my dad to a Remo Drive show. Inside, he leaned against the wall sipping his beer, but ended up waiting outside because it was too loud. “No, people still do it,” I replied, drenched in sweat. The thrill of thrashing glowed around me. We drove home in silence, my dad interjecting that he thought the opener sucked. Remo Drive had been my first punk show, and it was the first crowd I had ever moshed in. Earlier in the night I had tried to talk to someone standing next to me before the opener went on. I was 14. “I like your hat,” I said to the short 20-something year old next to me. “Thanks,” he replied. “Who are you here for?” “Oh,” I shifted my feet and stared at the ground. “Just Remo Drive. I don’t know the opener.” He glared at me. “I’m here for McCafferty,” he responded curtly. I nod86 CULTURE - FEATURE

ded, and he went back to staring at the stage anxiously. When Remo Drive started to play the chords to “Yer Killin’ Me,” the biggest single off their debut album Greatest Hits, I flinched when people started pushing me around, sticking my hands deep in my jacket to make sure I didn’t lose my phone or wallet. After a bit, though, I let myself forget that people were touching me. A few months ago, I had been at Governor’s Ball with a close friend who wanted to see Schoolboy Q. We squeezed our way into the massive crowd. He came onstage and everyone screamed, while I stood stock still. He played some songs and smoke blew in my eyes. Everyone was jumping, and I shrunk away, staring at the ground. The air was saturated with noise. I tapped my friend on the shoulder and looked at him. We left. At the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, though, I thrashed for the first time, yelling along, “I don’t wanna fuckin be here anymore! I’m leaving forever and if you miss me, whatever, I don’t care, ‘cause I’m tired of your face and the way that you hate everything!” I kept my hands deep

in my jacket, but I jumped, and swayed, and pushed back a little. A year later, a friend and I show up to the first of two sold out nights of our favorite band, Car Seat Headrest. They were playing Brooklyn Steel, a huge venue in a repurposed Williamsburg warehouse. I have a panic attack in a five and dime because I can’t find the tickets on my phone for this show, the one my friend had flown out to see with me. I have a breathless conversation with the person at the box office. He eventually finds my tickets, and my stomach returns to my body. A few hours later, I let go of my body altogether. When you’re in a mosh pit, it is kind of like getting hugged from everywhere. Everyone is together in this bacchus of revelry, weed smell, and spilled beer. You smell terrible, but so does everyone else. You bask in this passion for life, for being alive, for being able bodied, for the privilege of touching other people. You grin, even though your throat has been dry for as long as you can remember and your ears are still ringing. My hands are still shoved into my pockets, though. That hasn’t changed. The crowd, by now, has grown from around a hundred people to over a thousand. During “Destroyed By Hippie Powers”, my friend and I get pulled onto the stage, and I bang on the cowbell during a music break. The crowd cheers, cheers, cheers, and I have the gaul to wonder if my phone or wallet have fallen out of my pockets. I am still high on how wonderful this is and the awed faces of the people in the front, congratulating us. A few years ago, during a class while doing silent work, a classmate came up behind me and touched me on the back. I whirled around and hit him on the wrist. “What the hell, man! I just wanted a pencil!” My parents used to make fun of me because I wouldn’t hug them. When I sit on the subway and my legs touch another passenger’s, I flinch and shrink into myself. But when I’m in a mosh, it’s different. Your body is no longer your own; it belongs to this amorphous octopus of arms and legs that takes shape of its own accord. As a trans person, I have a strange relationship with my body. It is all I am, but at the same time, it’s also not who I am at all. I write poems about escaping it, and I think about the time when I can finally change it and be happy in it. So I do things like leaning in when hugging others, so only my shoulders touch theirs, and only wearing baggy shirts, and hiding in my own skin, so that I am the only one allowed to know what it truly looks like. I protect myself from everyone, whether they love me or want to hurt me. You can’t be hurt if you wear so many layers, if no one can tell where your skin begins. So when I am touched—when I allow myself to be touched—it’s a privilege. Because I know there are people, who, if they knew my body, would want to destroy it. My body is a battlefield. It’s fair ground. Earlier in the concert, the Gianni Aiello of Naked Giants, the opening band, yells to the crowd, “Don’t touch anyone who doesn’t want to be touched!” Cheers get volleyed 87

back in response, and I think about the kids who have died in the pit. “It is a luxury to romanticize blood, especially your own,” writes poet Hanif Abdurraqib in They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. “It is a luxury to be able to fetishize violence, especially the violence that you inflict upon others. To use it as a bond, or to call it a church, or to build an identity around it while knowing that everyone you can send home bloody will not come back for revenge.” Moshing was popularized by white punk bands, like The Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. It was a way of reacting to music whose entire purpose is to defy the status quo of civility, of normalcy, of white picket fence nuclear families. People of color are not afforded this image. They are given images of dead black boys on the streets, of the “ghetto”, and of violence as a status quo. When I go to Car Seat Headrest, my friend and I joke about how white the crowd is. How he can see only two other black people apart from himself. I wonder if they feel the pressure of white bodies too, white bodies that allowed to drench themselves in violence for fun. Only recently has physical intimacy been divorced from a threat of violence for queer people. From the possibility of losing your whole life, seen with someone you love. And still, black trans women walk the streets and get murdered. That threat lingers under the surface, to dare to be queer in public. To be allowed to take up space. In the same essay, Abdurraqib writes of a Brand New concert- “It was a hot night, and even hotter in the venue, a closed-in brick space with few windows. I stood upstairs, looking down. Halfway through ‘Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades,’ I noticed that the only black kid in the pit had passed out. Likely due to heat, or perhaps the physical nature of the pit. A few of us above pointed to try and draw attention. I watched as his peers step over him; some kicked him, in the pursuit to keep dancing. To maybe touch the edge of the stage that their heroes graced. The prone body of this black boy, unnoticed and consumed by noise, and moving feet. Already forgotten.” Whenever I allow myself to be touched, I know that I will be okay. But I still think of that boy, on the floor of the pit, being crushed by the thrash. By the excitement of the violence that we are allowed to partake in. That I know I will be alright. As an encore, Car Seat Headrest plays “BeachLife-In-Death,” a 13 minute dirge of a song, and I am so apart of everything, of the loneliness and sadness that this song drenches out of me. I see someone throw a shirt at Will Toledo. At this point in the night, with the air conditioner broken on the stage, he stands shirtless, vulnerable in his skinny body he usually hides with clothing. “By the way,” he yells out during an instrumental interlude. “If someone throws something at me again, get the fuck out. Don’t fucking touch me.” •

“You bask in this passion for life, for being alive, for being able bodied, for the privilege of touching other people. You grin, even though your throat has been dry for as long as you can remember and your ears are still ringing.”

A Remarkable But Hackneyed Return:

ye By Didi Jin

Art by Didi Jin CULTURE - REVIEW 89

Kanye West’s highly anticipated 8th studio album brings out a more personal, melancholic side of him that we’ve never seen before. The seven track album, ye, attempts to chronicle all of the rapper’s internal conflicts through a tapestry of rich lyricism and naked beats. The album marks a solid return for the acclaimed artist.

ive months ago, Kanye West said that slavery was a choice. The tweet came following months of controversy concerning the artist’s support for Donald Trump amidst a thunderous return to social media. After receiving nationwide media attention for a number of radical statements, West announced that his upcoming album would be released in June, concisely titled ye. Kanye then retreated to the vast mountains of Wyoming to record the album, cloaking the album in a blanket of mystery. Once released, it came as a surprise to many that Kanye West’s ye didn’t mention Trump once throughout the album or delve into any of his other political beliefs. Instead, he focused the album inward, reflecting on his diverse set of personal struggles by attempting to weave together emotions like aggression, anger, and sadness, while also sending soulful and positive vibes, oftentimes in the same song. Stylistically, ye would make any die-hard Kanye fan so happy that they might be compelled to post multiple tweets deifying “Yeezus”. ye is complete with gospel vocals in “Ghost Town” and “No Mistakes”, reminiscent of Kanye’s 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It also has the heart and soul that made West’s 2004 debut The College Dropout such a success, and the raw and synthesized beats that were the backbone of 2016’s The Life of Pablo. Each track has a different flavor from the next, provid-

ing his audience with the “I do what I want” attitude that he has become so famous for. Despite the disappointing television episode length of the album, ye is able to somewhat succeed in offering its listeners more patience and musicality that they’ve come to expect from the famed artist. A recurring topic that West commonly alludes to is his opioid addiction and recovery in late 2016 through early 2017, which resulted in him having to cancel the second half of his “Life of Pablo” tour. West recently said in an interview with TMZ that he got hooked on prescription pills after getting liposuction surgery to “look better for y’all”. Thanks Kanye, we appreciate it. Despite all this, West said that he saw what happened in 2016 not as a breakdown, but as a breakthrough, adding, “I'm happy it happened. I'm happy to have gone to the other side and back." His struggles with drug addiction and identity are more than prevalent throughout the album’s second song “Yikes”. The track is the most popular on the album despite lacking features and is perhaps the most--and one of the only- meaningful songs on the album. With “Yikes”, Kanye’s sound breaks the sense of equanimity that presides over the six other songs on the album. Behind a simple pulsating synthesizer bass line, Kanye raps a pharmacy of drug references and their effects on him. The chorus is where he confesses the side effects of his opioid addiction and how he starts

"Each track has a different flavor from the next, providing his audience with the ‘I do what I want’ attitude"

the song: “Shit could get menacin', frightenin', find help/ Sometimes I scare myself, myself.” West eerily tells his audience that because of the terrible side effects of opioids, he was often scared of himself. At the end of the song, we hear for the first time that Kanye suffers from bipolar disorder, a mental health condition in which individual experience alternating periods of extreme depression and mania. This impassioned verse sees Kanye coming to terms with his problems. Instead of seeing his disorder as an affliction, he chooses to see it as a strength: “That's my superpower, n****, ain't no disability/I'm a superhero! I'm a superhero!” West ends this track with a deranged scream in agony, as if he’s still wrestling between the two sides of himself. His newfound identity with bipolar disorder was also a driving factor in his decision for ye’s album cover. The words “I hate being Bi-Polar/it’s awesome” are scrawled in light green across a tranquil photo of the mountains of Jackson Hole. Kanye acknowledging his flaws is a side of him fans have never seen before, and he continues it throughout in “Ghost Town”, another phenomenal song on the album. “Ghost Town” encapsulates the theme of self-love and personal growth that Kanye is clearly trying to embody throughout ye, but this time in a more positive, accepting way. This guitar-charged song is filled with features from collaborators 070 Shake, Kid Cudi and PARTYNEXT-

DOOR. Perhaps the most evocative piece on the album, the song zigs and zags with a mix of soulful, reminiscent vocals that call to how he just wants to be accepted: “I've been tryin' to make you love me/But everything I try just takes you further from me.” Through Cudi, Kanye confesses that all he’s ever wanted is to be loved and adored by the public, but how nothing he does seems to work, such as his liposuction surgery. Then, of course, in true Kanye fashion, he alludes to himself being God. “Someday, I wanna lay down, like God did, on a Sunday.” This egotistical behavior seems fitting for Kanye’s version of loving one’s self. After all, it wouldn’t be a real Kanye West album without some reference to him being some sort of higher being. Perhaps he truly is “blessed and cursed by [his] level of education” and “ten years ahead [of us] mentally.” Who knows. Kanye’s message with this album is clear. After close to two decades of making music, Kanye seems to have finally come to terms with himself: who he was, who he is, and who he strives to be. Although West re-uses one too many of the once revolutionary musical techniques from his past albums without introducing anything new, he still captivates his audience with loaded lyrics delivered with a true Kanye passion. Perhaps he has finally stepped down from his high horse and entered reality here on earth once more. However, with Kanye, you never know.• 91

aa name name like like noname noname By Tallulah Tallulah Brown Brown By

long with one of the most dynamic yet soothing flows in the game, live instrumental beats, and nostalgic features that call back to her mixtape, Telefone, Noname, or Fatimah Warner, tells a tale of maturity and becoming a critically acclaimed artist in Room 25. Although many of her fans were hoping for a sonic return to her 2016 debut Telefone, fluttery synths and bubbling 808s filled with optimism for the years to come, but what they got was a darker, funkier sound, a seasoned band of live drums, and a more sophisticated sounding Noname. Room 25 is filled with references to her previous work and its runaway success. For example, in her song “Don’t Forget About Me,” where she describes her wish of just wanting to be remembered for her work and the mark she left. She calls out to a fan saying, “You title email ‘Noname thank you for your sweet Telefone it saves lives/The secret is I’m actually broken,’” and carries on by describing her lost feeling in this new world she’s been thrust into in. She goes on to compare herself to Nemo, which translates to ‘nobody’ in Latin. The pseudonym Noname comes from the artist’s want to exist without labels of any kind. Gliding through a media-lulled world without labels allows an individual keep 92 CULTURE - REVIEW

hold of their true self while also branching out into different creative sects. As she says in her 2016 interview with Fader, “For me, not having a name expands my creativity. I’m able to do anything.” This philosophy transcends into her work ethic where pulling inspiration from diverse sources to create unique artistry and sound that only she can think up. Noname came into the music scene through Chance the Rapper after she met him at the YOUmedia project, which helps young artists in Chicago connect with each other. Before being one of the greatest lyricists in today’s music industry, she was an award-winning slam poet, garnering third place in Chicago’s annual Louder than a Bomb slam poetry competition. Because of her friendship with Chance, she was featured on the track “Lost” from his second mixtape, 2013’s Acid Rap. A tale of drug-filled love and lust, the two styles of Chance and Noname perfectly blend to create a lullaby-like track that feeds a hunger in listeners for a different, softer style of rap. After her work with Chance the Rapper propelled her into underground fame, she went on to be featured by artists like Mick Jenkins and Kirk Knight, before dropping an official project of her own. Telefone, released on July 31, 2016,

Noname’s debut studio album, Room 25, is one of new found glory and adversities. this metamorphosis shows just how versatile Noname is as an artist and all around human being. the subtleties of her vision for this album work together to create a tangible definition of new-age rap.

marked the coming of age of a new style of rap, which was pushed forward by not only Noname, but Smino, Tyler, The Creator, and many other artists. These artists bring a unique sound to whimsical but still heartfelt raps that work as a proactive sedative, leaving the listener smiling for days. wOne of the things that Fatimah does best in her lyrics is hiding meanings in plain sight. Her words don’t have the usual film of overt politicism that can sometimes make artists sound like they’re looking down on us from their high horse. Her strategy to conform to the newfound politically correct era by criticizing it. Take this backhanded joke in “Blaxploitation,” Room 25’s most socio-politically charged track, “Waffle fry my empathy, bitches just really lazy.” This is a critique of Chick-Fil-A’s support of anti LGBT causes, while also calling herself out for being a hypocrite for still eating there. Her prowess as a lyricist allows her to weave socio-political critiques, self-love, and hate together to create a clever, complex album where nothing seems to fit together—but it still works. If Telefone didn’t solidify the fact that Noname is no longer Chance the Rapper’s ‘protege,’ Room 25 gets the job done. She’s found her fame almost entirely in her prowess as a wordsmith, but she’s also made friends along the way. On

their track, “Ace” off of Room 25, Noname, Smino, and Saba reminisce about what it was once like as small artists, while also boasting about their new found success: “I can’t recall the last time that my live show was intimate.” Only a year ago, all three of them were playing smaller crowds filled with fans that had cherished their music since the beginning. Now, they’re all sub-headliners at music festivals, performing for thousands of people. They’re all happy to be successful, but at the same time, the authenticity of their ‘fan’s’ support can be questionable. Most people may know their features on other artists songs, or even know their songs, but not their names. This plays into the question of Noname’s legacy and impact, as she unpacks in “Don’t Forget About Me,” “I pray my soul is eternal.” For the listeners, her soul is her art. In turn, her art is an unnamed river that constantly carves out new banks in the music industry as it grows and becomes more skilled. Her impact, or her message, is one of cherishing yourself and how you change over time. While Telefone grappled the overarching idea of opportunity knocking at Fatimah’s door, Room 25 analyzes those opportunities and how they’ve made her unapologetically, Noname. •

“Stars, They’re Just Like Us!” Ed Sheeran’s Divide By Belle Fraser

2,000 people stand in awe as Ed Sheeran, sporting a white t-shirt, jeans, and guitar, appears. It’s him, the stage, and the audience, nothing more––a raw and candid take on the artist’s already confessional music. Cheers fill Metlife Stadium as Sheeran admits, “I’m the most awkward when watching concerts. I want to dance, but the only move I’ve got is the sway. And I want to sing, but I end up staring into space with a dazed look on my face.” The crowd giggles. Notorious for my own spastic fist pumps and off beat snaps, I’m put at ease knowing that Sheeran too, struggles in the dance department. He then encourages the crowd to “just let loose - scream the lyrics out until you lose your voice and jump around. No one is judging you, we are all too busy having a great night.” Sheeran’s noteworthy humility is what makes it easy for fans to relate to him. He contradicts the perception of a picture perfect celebrity by revealing just how normal he is. This down to earth vibe is a prominent theme on his third album Divide, which emphasizes how quirks can lead to triumph. 94 CULTURE - REVIEW

Thirteen years ago, instead of selling out Metlife Stadium, Ed Sheeran was playing 12 shows a week as a fourteen year old. The bustling London streets guided him to success as he wandered the city in search for open gigs or a meager audience. His heartfelt lyrics, once disregarded by the masses, are now passionately sung by millions following Divide’s release in 2017. Born in Halifax, England in 1991, Sheeran grew to love music because it filled the holes in his life. With a stutter, lazy left eye, oversized glasses, and bright red hair, he was an easy target for bullies. While other kids worried about the monsters under their beds, he worried about being called on in class. Speech therapy proved useless, and the taunts continued until Sheeran’s dad brought home an Eminem CD. Not knowing what it was, Ed picked it up, and began to play it; memorizing the songs inside and out, gradually curing his stutter. Sheeran went from struggling through the words of Eminem’s rapid lyrics, to featuring on the rapper’s single, “River,”––proving all those bullies wrong. With more than 20 million downloads in the US alone, he has come a long way since releasing his first studio album in 2011. Divide follows the mathematical theme of his first two albums, Plus and Multiply, and aids Sheeran in promoting the message that he’s not so different from the rest of us. An Ed Sheeran album wouldn’t be an Ed Sheeran album if there weren’t at least three love songs that made you want to go on a strictly ice cream diet, binge watch rom coms, and never leave your house, not to mention tears ever so often. Accordingly, “Hearts Don’t Break Around Here,” “Perfect,” and “Happier” all do exactly that. With their soft melodies, slow tempos, and lyrics that encompass everything a hopeless romantic would want to hear, they are instant classics in Ed Sheeran canon. Hits like “Thinking Out Loud” and “The A Team” from his first two albums tap into the diary-entry feel lots of his music has, with a constant strum of the bass, and delicate tap of the drums create the perfect canvas for Sheeran to pour the contents of his troubled love life onto. But it’s in Divide where he is able to be more honest with himself and the listener in regards to coming to terms with who he is. This enables Ed to dive into heavier topics than his most recent heartbreak. It’s songs like “Eraser” that display the humble manner in which Sheeran views his fame. In the melancholic ballad, he maps out his road to the spotlight through a somber tone and fast rhythm, singing “Conversations with my father on the A14, age twelve telling me I’ve gotta chase those dreams, now I’m playing for the people, dad, and they know me, with my beaten small guitar, wearing the same old jeans.” Sheeran demonstrates that amongst all his challenges and peculiarities, he has made it. He is still the same kid singing on the streets of London, but upgraded to a bigger stage. Unfazed by the glitz and glamour of celebrity life, he encourages listeners to embrace who they are, no matter the opposition.

Ed Sheeran’s Divide reminds his listeners not to get caught up in the unrealistic expectations of society and to not take themselves too seriously. He brings us all back down to earth, refocusing on what is truly important in life.

Art by Anna Bloch

Carrying a similar message, “What Do I Know” serves as a quirky and uplifting melody, featuring only the electric guitar and Sheeran’s tender voice. The playful tone and zesty beats go hand in hand with the uplifting message within the lyrics: “I’m all for people following their dreams, just re-remember life is more than fitting in your jeans, it’s love and understanding, positivity.” The song as a whole paints a picture of Sheeran skipping through a field of daisies, gleefully belting out his ode, and joyfully strumming his guitar––exerting a sense of carefreeness that transcends to the listener. Through this jubilant attitude, Sheeran refocuses one’s vision from superficial worries to the things that really matter: love and positivity. Sheeran isn’t ashamed of who he is, was, or is going to become. Instead, he embraces his upbringing and directly correlates it to his success. In the memoir-esque track “Castle on the Hill,” lively guitar sequences, swift tempos, and buoyant build-ups intertwine to create a heartfelt homage to his childhood. He sings, “One friend left to sell clothes, one works down by the coast, one had two kids but lives alone, one’s brother overdosed, one’s already on his second wife, one’s just barely getting by, but these people raised me and I can’t wait to go home.” Sheeran doesn’t hide the fact that aspects of his life aren’t perfect. But the passion and admiration in his voice reconfirm that there is no need to sugar coat your truth in order to meet the expectations of others. In a world that has increasingly begun to revolve around an unrealistic definition of beauty and success, it is easy to lose focus of the wonders life has to offer. People spend a majority of their time trying to clone the flawless figures seen on TV and social media feeds, instead of appreciating and embracing who they are. Divide is the Sheeran’s version of the People Magazine’s section, “Stars, They’re Just Like Us” - but instead of showing himself in menial acts, he offers an honest and human depiction of his life by admitting to his struggles and pointing out his normalities. The humble attitude of his music urges listeners to love themselves for who they are, and take pride in their past - good or bad. •

The Futuristic Fishbowl: Big Fish Theory By Ella Price

Art by Olivia Miller

wenty-five-year-old rapper Vince Staples has come a long way from his troublesome childhood in North Long Beach, California. After releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Summertime 06’ in 2015, Staples saw his life turn upside down. The then twenty-year-old was no longer seen as the gang kid from impoverished Ramona Park, but as a successful and influential artist. However, Vince Staples is not one to let fame get to his head. The actor and rapper’s sophomore album Big Fish Theory, is a brilliant thirty-six minute journey that explores––as he puts it–– “how rappers are perceived and perceive themselves.” Staples’ lyrics examine the fishbowl 96 CULTURE - REVIEW

that confines current rap culture while his progressive songs break the glass entirely. Big Fish Theory is music made for the artist, not the audience. With a passionate commitment to do what hasn’t been done, Staples abandons the incessant use of swear words and disappointing beat drops that litter current rap songs. Instead, Staples’ newest tracks combine old school Detroit techno, house, and electronic sounds with features from wildly popular artists like Kendrick Lamar, Flume, Ty Dolla Sign, and ASAP Rocky. Big Fish Theory’s pounding bass and ever-changing tempo are main reasons why Staples’ music is so unique yet enjoyable to listen to.

Staples’ lyrics examine the fishbowl that confines current rap culture while his progressive songs break the glass entirely.

The bass in “745” and “Rain Come Down” seems to radiate through your body at the same volume of his rapping, almost so overpowering that it’s possible Staples doesn’t think his voice is any more important than a drum or bassline. The changing tempo in “Yeah Right” is much more complex and harder to execute than the currently popular “I Love It” by Kanye West and Lil Pump and “New Patek” by Lil Uzi Vert––songs which seem to repeat the first few verses and beats for an average of four minutes. Unlike many of the trending songs today, “Yeah Right” and the rest of Big Fish Theory are able to push the push the boundaries of current rap while still making something people can dance, nod

their heads, and feel good about driving in the car to.Big Fish Theory is prided on its efficiency. Staples is skilled at at rapping about heavy and detail-oriented confessions in as few words as possible. His lyrical precision allows him to cover miles of ground in minutes- deeply exploring topics like police brutality in a single song. The swift and pounding tempo in the album’s opening track, “Crabs In A Bucket” mimics Staples’ blatant words about oppression: “They don’t never want to see the black man eat/Nails in a black man’s hands and feet.” His lyrics evoke raw emotion and paint a picture of crucifixion- connecting Christianity, a vastly practiced religion, to the experience of a young black man. Big Fish Theory makes references to people and events that everyone can relate to. Amy Winehouse’s verse (taken from a 2006 interview) in “Alyssa Interlude” demonstrates the tension between an artist and their audience. Her words: “I’m quite a self-destructive person, so I guess/I guess if you give me some material” alongside melancholy piano notes create a dark and depressing mood which conveys the public’s obsession with struggle. Staples has openly critiqued the public’s treatment of the singer- showcasing his ability to stand by his beliefs. He doesn’t tiptoe around controversial topics in his music. Instead, he thrives off them. Winehouse’s faded and ghost-like phrases draw the listener in and make one feel that, as he puts it, “Sometimes, people disappear.” Winehouse’s feature in Big Fish Theory reaffirms that the album is made for the artist and isn’t caught up in now. This is what makes Big Fish Theory unconditionally timeless. Vince Staples is bigger than the current rap scene. He doesn’t have a selfish need to be famous and can be found strolling on city streets in blue Levis and a plain white t-shirt. He’s down to earth and stands for what he believes in. Instead of perpetuating the “too cool for school” attitude of modern rap, Staples uses his platform for good and frequently speaks to the youth in his community about the dangers of the gang lifestyle. Across the 36 minutes of Big Fish Theory, Vince Staples presents current and important issues in fresh and vital ways. His infectious beats and powerful lyrics leave us pondering the meaning of love, the practicality of success, and the consequences of fame. His music inspires us to do better and convinces us that, as stated on the title track “Big Fish”, “You can get anything you want.” Vince Staples is the epitome of meaningful music whose unique style will forever be futuristic. • 97

Can Music Be The Afterlife? SABA - CARE FOR ME ALBUM By Tara Kerr

aba’s CARE FOR ME is a raw and meticulous journey through his grieving process. Through soothing piano-centric beats and sing-songy raps, CARE FOR ME shows us that music makes meaning when there is none. Last year, Tahj Malik Chandler––the 24 year old rapper from Chicago known as Saba–– lost his cousin in a brutal murder. Walter Long Jr., or John Walt, as Saba called him, was stabbed on February 9th, 2017. The assailant then followed Walter on the train for one and a half blocks just to ensure his casualty. This loss was sudden and gut wrenching. To most, including Chandler, death seems surreal and almost intangible–– until it’s not. His music explores this juxtaposition of perceived immortality to unforeseen loss through carefully engineered lyrics. In his pensive new album, CARE FOR ME, Saba creates something out of nothing––nothing, in this circumstance, being death. He starts the album claiming: “I’m so alone.” Loneliness and trauma go hand in hand, leaving Saba begging for a friend in this dark time. He continues asking for help when he pens: “I’ve been this awkward since adolescence//I don’t know how long I had depression.” Saba has struggled with alienation and depression since he was young. He started attending high school at the age of 12, and consequently felt isolated without friends or kids his age to relate to. He fell into a long-lasting despair. Now, just as Atlas carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, Saba now carries the weight of depression, loss, and detachment all at once. Further into “BUSY/SIREN”, the long harmony and snare drum taps come to a halt, reflecting how Chandler felt when he heard the news about Walt.“BUSY/SIREN’s” melody shift is followed by a grief stricken lyric: “Sirens on the way//Now you’re lying where the angel’s lay”. In “BUSY/SIREN”, the first song on the album, Saba begins to explore his inner turmoil. He bitterly raps over a prolonged piano chord: “Jesus got killed for our sins, Walter got killed for a coat.” Unlike Jesus, Walter’s death has no justification. He, similar to many, is wondering why Walter, and why him? He is effectively in denial, the first stage of grief. 98 CULTURE - REVIEW

Saba references Jesus on multiple tracks throughout CARE FOR ME and imagines Walter as almost divine. Walt, who rapped under the name John Walt or dinnerwithjohn, was one of the founders of Pivot Gang––a collective of Chicago rappers including Chandler. Pivot Gang was lead by John Walt the way Jesus led his disciples. Walt was a pilot, even a shepherd, to the younger artists in Pivot Gang, which results in Saba painting Walter in a God-like picture. Through these religious references, he is giving Walter a funeral service. Saba is exasperated in “LIFE”, the second single released from CARE FOR ME. Sharp snare drums overlap brassy bass chords, keeping listeners on their toes. The chorus brings us through all the struggles that define him: His father left when he was four, his uncle, whom he was very close with, died right out of prison, and he lost his grandfather a couple months after he lost Walter. Death is not new to Chandler, and he knows it. The chorus is followed by the chilling line: “Life don’t mean shit to a n**** that ain’t never have shit”. Saba is outraged at life, feeling that it has never been fair to him. Saba is going through the second stage of grief: anger. Further into the song he raps: “I seen Walter body cold, wish I could switch it with mine”. He has progressed into to the third stage of grief: bargaining. Saba would do anything to let Walt live out his life, including sacrificing his own life––hence the name of the song. Saba is actually a shortened version of his family nickname: Saba-Tahj, a play on Chandler’s given name Tahj Malik. His name reflected the more naive rapper he was on his freshman album Bucket List Project. Though only two years apart, Saba’s two studio albums are as stark as day and night. Bucket List Project, released in 2016, was a combo of spiritual melodies and optimistic verses instructing listeners to make the most out of everyday before it is too late. Flash forward two years to 2018, and find Saba resentful that Walt never got to live out his realized, or unrealized, dreams––the same dreams he raps about chasing on Bucket List Project. Saba moves into the fourth stage of grief, depression, in the song “CALLIGRAPHY”. The song starts with a glassy

piano solo that emulates a barrelling wave. Any sign of anger, whether that be the drums or the tone of his voice, has vanished to reveal a melancholy melody. Despair is laced into his lyrics as he raps: “I’m not mad at God, I just can’t get out of bed”. He is no longer irate about Walt’s death, or, “mad at God” like he was in “LIFE”, showing his evolution to the next stage of grief. Now, he lacks the will to do anything, including getting out of bed, a well known symptom of depression. In the penultimate track, “PROM/KING”, Saba takes us back to a more honest, almost naive, time in his life––to the beginning of his brother-like relationship with Walt. Chandler raps nostalgically saying: “This remind me of a before we had insomnia//Sleepin’ peacefully, never needed a pile of drugs//Everybody was college-bound, no dollar amounts”. Before all the loss and sadness, he was filled with innocent optimism. He spends 3 minutes and 40 seconds reminiscing about how a Facebook message about prom brought the two together, creating a brotherly bond. The beat picks up as Chandler moves on to the second part of the song, “KING”. Here, he details the evolution of the two’s relationship and how they got into music together. The song then becomes gloomier as Saba describes the time Walter dodged death rapping: “Walter invincible, dodged death like a mad magician.” From then on, he feels uncomfortable in his own home. He criticizes Chicago and the violence within. Leading up to Walter’s death, everything felt normal again. He lists out the plans they had, including attending fellow Chicagoan Noname’s show the following night. There is a sense of security in the lyrics leading up to Walt’s death. But then, rather suddenly we are transported to Saba’s thought process after learning Walt had gone missing. “We got in the car but we didn’t know where to drive to//Fuck it, wherever you are my n****, we’ll come and find you…” Through Chandler’s expert craft, Walter felt alive in

the song––it is hard for the listener to picture him dead. Saba gets the listeners to really understand the anxiety and pure fear he experienced that fateful day. This song serves as a reminder song shows that music is a way to remem-

ber people, as well as grieve. Saba’s vocals surf a wave of sparkly piano chords, twinkling harp strums, and pacifying synths in “HEAVEN ALL AROUND”. He sings, “There’s heaven all around me, there’s heaven all around”, educating us that Walter, though no longer living, is still with him. He then raps from Walt’s perspective as a spirit. Chandler hints that Walter knows of his impact on the living world when he raps: “I know I did not disappear”. Saba keeps Walt alive through his music and the John Walt Foundation––a charity in honor of Walt to help aspiring artist in inner cities escape violence to create music. He acknowledges that even though Walter is no longer incarnate, he is still with him everyday. Saba has come to accept the death of Walter, reaching the fifth and final stage of grief: acceptance. Music has always been seen as a form emotional expression. It, sometimes unwillingly, provokes feeling. You can close your eyes to avoid seeing something, but you cannot block your ears from listening. In this sense, music is very unique. When struck with sudden and heart-wrenching loss, it is normal to want to shut the world out around you, making music one of the only ways to communicate. Music is healing, it expresses what we mean to say when we lack the words. Saba struggled with the death of his cousin, so he turned to music as a reparative outlet. After listening to this album, it is clear that Walt is still alive within Saba and CARE FOR ME. The piano and underlying bass chords are his heart beat. His soul rests within Saba’s carefully constructed words. Saba proves that, through music, it is entirely possible to keep a person living beyond death. • 99

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The Ethics of Street Photography By Daniel Khazanov

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on’t try me with that secret camera sh*t,” a man snaps as I attempt to take a candid picture of him as he crosses the street. I continue down the block, unfazed by his reaction. Street photography is a controversial topic, the non-consenting subject might not appreciate being photographed, but I choose to take the risk—the outcome is worth it. The art form of Candid (also known as Street) photography aims to capture the life or architecture of a city or place through candid shots; hence the term candid photography. It captures a raw emotion that isn’t always present in normal photography. The problem with taking candid photos is that a person might not want to be photographed; some see it as an

infringement of privacy. Technically, street photography is legal. But is it ethical? Does taking a photo without consent breach basic human rights? Does asking to take a photo take away from the validity of the art, or even the emotion that is portrayed, which at the core, is the spirit of the art form? I have had a deep interest with street photography ever since I decided to purchase a camera. The ability to use something as simple as photos to portray emotion and tell stories is something that I had never conceived of. As I began to look at famous street photographers such as Henri Cartier Bresson and Vivian Maier, I became inspired to use candid photography as a device to tell my own stories and portray my own emotions. 103

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Technically, street photography is legal. But is it ethical? 107

8 Tips and Tricks Guaranteed to Win You Any Argument By Didi Jin

Art by Olivia Miller

Everyone gets into arguments, whether it be with friends over lunch, a stranger at the grocery store, or your racist uncle during Thanksgiving, they’re inevitable. These sorts of mini-disputes can happen anytime, anywhere; it is just a part of human nature. If you follow these tips and tricks, you are guaranteed to win any argument, with anybody, about anything. So, the next time Susan takes your parking spot, you’ll know exactly what to say.

Be confident in everything you say

a. This is the one thing you need to embody before entering any argument. Even if you know nothing about the topic, keep the entitled attitude that you should always have on you.

Create your own statistics, even if there are none a. Isn’t there some quote out there that says how numbers speak louder than words? Well, it’s true. Instead of saying “Americans are so broke,” you could smartly remark: “Did you know that the average American only earns $750 a year?”

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Reference a “scientific study”

a. This one is a classic, and pairs perfectly with an oaky, but refreshing made up statistic. b. Instead of saying, “Marijuana is good for you”, say: “According to a [top 10 college/made-up organization] study, medicinal marijuana can decrease stress levels by 17.35 percent for those aged 3-18. ”

When you’re wrong, always have a condescending comeback prepared a. Sometimes, when engaging in verbal combat with people who know what they’re talking about, things can get dicey, and they will point out the basic fallacies in your argument. When this happens, remember to stay calm and use these phrases to your advantage. i. “Stop being so defensive”

c. Who cares if it’s true or not? Susan will likely be sufficiently rattled after this one.

Call your opponent [a sexist/racist/ sociopath] a. If your adversary makes a point in which you have no response, simply call them [homophobic/religiously intolerant/a bigot]. b. If someone says, “something needs to happen about gun violence in the United States,” simply respond by saying “Wow, that statement really echoes the underlying sentiments of the Nazi party in the 1920’s and 1930’s.” It will work, 100%, especially in vegan supermarkets and Soul Cycles.

Use unnecessarily long and complex words and phrases, even if you don’t know what they mean a. I would recommend learning a few of these to keep in your back pocket when the time comes. It makes it even better if the phrase is in a different language, specifically Latin or French. b. Here’s a few to get you started: i. Fastidious: noun, meaning “Yeah, that’s right. I just said fastidious.”

ii. “Wait, let’s take a step back and relax. What sort of parameters are within the scope of this intellectual conversation?” iii. “According to who? History is always told from a different point of perspective”

You’re never wrong

a. Never admit defeat. This is key because once you have admitted to doing any wrong, you’ve lost. b. Tip #6 is extremely helpful to remain always correct.

Always have the last word

a. Pretty self-explanatory. There are many ways to end an argument, but my personal favorites are: i. “You’re so childish.” ii. “Honestly, it’s not even worth arguing over considering the fact that you know nothing about [the topic at hand].” •

ii. Esoteric: adjective, meaning “Do you even know what this word means? That’s what I thought.” iii. Fait Accompli: verb, meaning “Yeah, I know Latin.”

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Scientists Finally Find the Moon is Made of Cheese By Tara Kerr Art by Olivia Miller

oday, a group of Avenues scientist, lead by teachers Mr. Tappe and Mr. Maccarone, did what Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin couldn’t 70 years ago: they proved that the moon was, in fact, made of cheese. The students have yet to determine the type of cheese––though Avenues scientist Oren Schweitzer believes it tastes similar to gouda. It turns out that all scientists had to do was collect a sample from the moon and taste test it. This was impossible in the 60s due to lack of moon drilling technology. A probe called D.A.I.R.Y. was sent from FOOD to the moon about two months ago. It was programmed to travel to three different lunar test sites and collect samples in a size suitable for a wine and cheese tasting. The probe returned last week, and the scientists have been meticulously taste-testing to determine the class of cultured dairy ever since. Avenues even brought in affineurs (cheese experts!) from all over the world including France and Switzerland to help resolve this issue. Through these intensive labs, the group of scientists successfully concluded that the moon is composed of cheese. The main question that the scientist have now is this: How did the cheese get there? According to the pictures taken by the D.A.I.R.Y probe, no cows are, or have ever been present on the moon. Some scientists have hypothesized that the moon could even be dairy free. The group “Meateater for Prison Support Group”, a doomsday cult founded on the morals that a rapture will happen soon and only the vegans will survive, have claimed that the moon is made from vegan cheese created by the group’s founder and Messiah “Green-sus”. NASA has since denied those claims and is working tirelessly on figuring out the origin of this cheese. 110 HUMOR

Pioneer and creator of the D.A.I.R.Y probe, Michael Delaney, offered some insight into the process. “Currently, we have narrowed down the type of cheese to about 10 possible cheeses. However, we still have yet to understand what the cheese is made out of. One of my biggest concerns is that since it is possible to replicate the taste of something without the dairy in it, we could be tasting the moon cheese for nothing. Have you ever had margarine? I can’t believe it’s not butter.” It seems the Avenues scientists are still struggling with the concept of dairy-free cheese alternatives, leading to roadblocks surrounding the investigation. Nonetheless, Michael did dispute the Meateater for Prison Support Group’s claim, saying, “There is no way the vegans could have pulled this off. It requires too much strength, and strength requires protein, you see the issue here too, right?” Michael, an obvious anti-vegan, also said of the group, “They believe a man made of kale named ‘Green-sus’ will one day return and start armageddon, which sounds a little crazy to me. It may be the lack of protein in their system that leads them to these crazy conjectures.” We reached out to Mr. Maccarrone for comment, but he could not be reached. The only response we received from him was: “I don’t know, what do you think?” Avenues students have had mixed reactions on the moon-cheese discovery. Cali Gaer, an 11th grader, was the first to say “I told you so!” Other students, like 10th grader Jenna Agin, are still in denial. “It just doesn’t make sense,” she told us. “There are no cows in space.” To address these concerns, Student Council President Ryan Kim will be holding a press conference this Friday at assembly––it starts promptly after “Getting to know” with George Weiser. Like all assemblies, attendance is mandatory. •

Art by Olivia Miller

Beloved Philadelphia Mascot Begins 2020 Campaign By Benjamin Dennison

ne of the most influential decisions in modern history was made when the Philadelphia Flyers chose their new mascot: Gritty. Defying all odds, this nightmarish, orange blob is currently one of the contenders for the 2020 presidential election. After Kanye announced that he would run in 2024 instead of 2020, Gritty realized that this was the prime opportunity to venture into the political arena. As of now, Kanye has publically supported Gritty after calling out Elizabeth Warren on Twitter by saying, “Imma let you finish, but Gritty is the number one candidate for the 2020 presidential election.” A close eye will be kept on their relationship as the election season nears. While Gritty is a novice when it comes to the political arena, his fame and memorable orange fuzz has allowed him

to become a household name. Gritty has received bipartisan support and has already raised over 5.3 trillion dollars in campaign donations. These contributions to his campaign are largely from donors such as Kanye West and employees from seaworld who have worked for the company since shamu was alive. These people see his policies as a step in the right direction. Renaming the continent of Antarctica to Zamboni Ice Land, making the national sport ice hockey, and imprisoning anyone who didn’t like A Star is Born are at the top of his to-do list. Gritty had a fangirl moment when Bradley Cooper, the lead of A Star is Born, recently made a large donation to his campaign. While most of these pieces of legislation are overwhelmingly supported, one of his more controversial proposals is to allow fisherman to hunt sharks with no caps on the size or quantity of the sharks. Gritty argues that this is to bolster America’s fishing industry, but there are signs that this may be a discriminatory act as Mr. Gritty has been shown to be hostile towards sharks and other sea creatures. He has also made inflammatory comments to the city of San Jose. The ACLU has also said they will file a lawsuit against the Philadelphia Flyers because they believe that the overfishing of sharks could drastically increase the tensions between the human race and shark kind. This case, if it were to be put into motion, would reach the Supreme Court as it would test the civil liberties given to sharks in the 21st century. Despite these disputes, Gritty has already begun campaigning in his home state of Pennsylvania where his approval rating currently sits at 89%. But it is not an easy road ahead as Gritty must go up against the establishment if he is to win the presidency. All eyes are on Gritty as we move into the 2020 presidential race. • HUMOR 111

Are You There Bread?

It’s Me, an Avenues Senior

By Tallulah Brown Art by Olivia Miller

“L

ET’S GET THIS BREAD!” This oft repeated message, scrawled in multicolored Expo marker, reads at the top of our sole objective senior privilege--a whiteboard. This whiteboard tucked into its dim, cavernous crevice next to the Dean’s Suite is where we get to “express our feelings and have fun,” as our deans put it. Of course, we took the second part of those words of guidance to heart, diving into the deep end by scribbling different memes and messages to each other. This is our motivation. This is what we live for. Gaining the grain. Retrieving the roll. If we don’t get the bread, then what will we all do? We’ll all be stranded. Unless, of course, we try again. We hide our feelings behind these jokes and sarcasm, using up every bit of space on the board. Yet a series of numbers and words in the upper right-hand corner make our bodies quiver in fear and excitement. They count down to the dates for different application deadlines, which make us cry, the days of when we hear back about said applica112 HUMOR

tions, which make us cry some more, and our impending high school graduation, which makes us wistful for our old, awkward times at Avenues. This makes us quake… and cry even more. After winter break, the upper right-hand corner will be filled with new numbers and words, but they’ll just indicate the same thing as the original ones. College is near, and we only have a certain amount of time to kick ourselves into gear and create a picture-perfect idea of ourselves that show what amazing students we are, while also revealing small parts of our true selves that in our individual opinions, make us unique. The bread we’re trying to obtain is that acceptance letter from our dream colleges. It won’t happen for all of us. But right now, that’s the only thing we’re hoping for. We’re just that sadistic, us seniors. But we only show it through our senior privilege we obtained by getting our deans to pity us -- a ~whiteboard~. We all just want to get this bread. •

Breaking: City Kid Nearly Dies after Seeing Real Tree for the First Time

Art by Olivia Miller

By Belle Fraser

mma Dice, 15, is currently in stable condition at Denver General Hospital following a chaotic run in with her first tree. Her mom, Tracy Dice, has shed some light on the events that caused her daughter’s recent hospitalization, explaining to the Colorado Daily that she was just trying to get the perfect first day of school pictures. “I’m trying to become a Instagram influencer, so first day pics are a must. It’s, like, super important to make a personal connection with your followers; it brings in the likes. I positioned Emma in front of the tree in our backyard so it would match the green theme of my feed–– that’s when it happened,” she said. Emma was reportedly in shock as she stared at the, as she put it, “creature” towering over her. The insects crawling on the bark made her squirmish, the leaves looked like little aliens, and the sap repulsed her. She started shaking. Tracy says that she told her to take a deep breath. Unfortunately, this only made matters worse. The pollen entered her lungs, the clean mountain air made her feel dizzy, and she looked down for a moment before collapsing.“Ah! Grass! Ew!” were the last things she said before going unconscious, her mom confirmed. Denver General Hospital is now keeping a close eye on Emma as she recovers from this traumatic, life-threatening experience. Emma’s past city life begins to explain the severity of her reaction. Born and raised in Manhattan, she learned how to walk in the aisles of the subway. Her first pet was a pigeon, and her first friend was the crazy lady on the corner with the one-eared cat. Emma and Tracy had enjoyed their city lifestyle, until supposedly, it was time for a change of pace. In the past years, her mom has “found her calling” in the yoga world–– perfecting the downward dog, bakasana,

and dhanurasana within a week. Organically grown kale is now 90% of her diet, she eats fruit for dessert, and is a devout member of the #soulcyclemomsquad. In an interview last Tuesday, Emma stated that her mom’s embrace of the yogi life had become increasingly apparent, however she never thought that it would affect where they lived. She was wrong. Ranked number 1 by The Green Mama Blog on the list of places that bring you the most zen, Denver, Colorado is now home for the Dices’. Prior to the big move, Emma claimed that the only knowledge of Colorado she had came from the holiday episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians when they took a family ski trip to Denver. “I saw some plants, and like, Kim took a picture with a deer so I knew there were animals.” Emma’s recent hospitalization proves that she was nowhere near prepared for the reality of nature. However, she wants to make it clear that she in no way blames the Kardashians for this. Tracy says they do not plan on pressing charges. Tracy is now doing yoga in the hospital room each morning for two hours in order to “maintain the good vibes for a speedy recovery” she said. Many doctors have spoken to the press regarding this unique case and how they are handling it. The general consensus is that Emma came down with “City Kid-itis.” She is being treated with subway air, traffic background noises, and two slices of greasy pizza a day in order to bring her body back to normal. It’s been a pretty rough transition for the Dices’, but this story has a happy ending. “The Kardashians’ tweeted Emma to feel better, they even used one of those little heart emoticons,” Tracy said. Emma was ecstatic and claims it was all totally worth it. • HUMOR 113

After doing God-knows-what since September, Student Council finally to “begin work.” BON APPÉTIT: “3 new varieties” of brown-mush-in-a-cup dessert coming this spring. Advanced Chemistry students discover new element causing their downfall. Its symbol: C+ “Concerns with Recommendations” to be renamed “Let me tell you my political views.” Waffle truck arrives, students now have way to legally bring waffles to school. Student takes “wrong turn” between buildings, arrives late with sushi platter. Mr. Lu: “Triangles are circles, and circles are triangles.” Class: (Ð_Ð) Volunteers needed to begin planning for next year’s highly anticipated “Minute of Code!” “Avenues Students for Trump” Facebook group adds new member, roster now up to 6. Famous musician dies, Mr. Misler cancels class curriculum for the rest of the week. Freshmen: New summer program announced, called “Learn how to speak at assembly.” Sophomores: Honey, you'ev got a big storm comin'. Juniors: Renew gym memberships for EC sheets. Seniors: Finally figure out how to speak at assembly, forget how to pass classes. Alumni: Enjoy second “six month reunion” this June. Teachers: There’s a homework policy? Deans: There’s an attendance policy? Parents: It’s a new school of thought! Waffle Truck: Mmmhm. Students found arranged in a circle Breaking: Entire high school brought to court worshipping Scott Rogowsky. Gumdrop chairs in the new building come by College Board for sharing PSAT memes. out to the low, low price of $800. Stairs in the lobby of new building closed down, cited that 5 steps are just too much to handle. Kids Subway rats flee Avenues after mistaking it for in the new building complain about the fact that there is a new building. laboratory. Senioritis added to medical dictionary. Breaking: student throws trash into proper receptacle. Glass walls and joint classrooms to be re investigated for Juniors and seniors no longer capable of walkproductivity. “Peer leadership!” seniors cry above ing up 536 stairs after WAM was cancelled. freshmen groans. Breaking: students found dealing cookies in new building. Parents outraged by calorie count. Dissected pig found missing. No After ASSCOM dance meme failed to trend, snack policy suspected. Students open a returning assembly committee to start bribing students one is in the lead. After dofantasy teacher league. No ing God-knows-what since September, Student Counto attend. cil finally to “begin work.” BON APPÉTIT: “3 new varieties” of brown-mushin-a-cup dessert coming this spring. Advanced Jay Z to use live drilling samples in his newest Chemistry students discover new element causing their downfall. Its symEP ‘Watch the Noise.’ bol: C+ “Concerns with Recommendations” to be renamed “Let me tell you my political views.” Waffle truck arrives, students now Makeshift daycare needed on 8th floor to sus- have way to legally bring waffles to school. Student takes “wrong turn” tain volume of teacher offspring. between buildings, arrives late with sushi platter. Mr. Lu: “Triangles are circles, and circles are triangles.” Class: (Ð_Ð) Volunteers needed to begin planning Water fountains in 536 renamed lukewarm for next year’s highly anticipated “Minute of Code!” springs. “Avenues Students for Trump” Facebook group adds new member, roster now up to 6. Famous musician dies, Mr. Misler class curriculum IT disables Spotlight on Macs after learning of cancels for the rest of the week. Freshmen: New summer its use in clandestine communication during program announced, called “Learn how to speak at assembly.” Sophomores: class. Students respond with the post-it note. Honey, you’ev got a big storm comin’. Juniors: Renew gym memberships for EC sheets. Seniors: Finally figure out how to speak at assembly, forget how Parents upset that Avenues students can write to pass classes. Alumni: Enjoy second “six month this June. Teachessay on Proust’s poststructuralism but can’t reunion” ers: There’s a homework policy? Deans: There’s an do basic math. attendance policy? Parents: It’s a new school of thought! Waffle Truck: Mmmhm. Students found arranged in a circle worshipping Scott Rogowsky. Teacher superglues students to their chairs to new building come out to Gumdrop chairs in the prevent them from leaving during study hall. Stairs in the lobby of new the low, low price of $800. building closed down, cited that 5 steps are just too “Um, should be temporary.” much to handle. Kids in the new building complain about the fact that there is a new building. Senioritis added to medical dictionary. Breaking: student throws trash into proper receptacle. Glass walls and joint classrooms to be re investigated for productivity. “Peer leadership!” seniors cry above freshmen groans. Breaking: students found dealing cookies in new building. Parents outraged by calorie count. Dissected pig found missing. No snack policy suspected. Students open a returning fantasy teacher league. No one is in the lead. After doing God-knows-what since September, Student Council finally to “begin work.” BON APPÉTIT: “3 new varieties” of brown-mush-in-a-cup dessert coming this spring. Advanced Chemistry students discover new element causing their downfall. Its symbol: C+ “Concerns with Recommendations” to be renamed “Let me tell you my political views.” Waffle truck arrives, students now have way to legally bring waffles to school. Student takes “wrong turn” between buildings, arrives late with sushi platter. Mr. Lu: “Triangles are circles, and circles are triangles.” Class: (Ð_Ð)

Headliners

The Stories We “Couldn’t” Tell

114 HUMOR

Crossword By Lucas Ritchie-Shatz

across

down

Competitive Swing Dancer

Has Two Kids at Avenues

In an Irish Folk Band

Owns a Coffee Company

Graduated from University of

Is a Published Fiction Writer

Lover of German Opera

Used to be a Singer in a House

Vermont 9

Active Member of the U.S. Coast Guard

Born in Lebanon

Band First Teacher Hired at Avenues Dim Sum Connoisseur

10 11

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