The Lion's Roar 39-3

page 12 Newton Public Schools’ disinvestment in sexual health education creates risk of students making unsafe decisions

VOL. 39 ISSue 3

Getting

Real

By Bella Ishanyan and Matan Josephy

Newton South High School · Newton, MA Est. 1984 · September 8, 2022

R AR

the LION'S

Photo by Gianna Burgess

Your Guide to State Elections

05

Summer Job Horror Stories

10

Getting Real

12-14

South's New Teachers

17

Fall Season Preview

22

page 2

September 8, 2022

NEWS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 39, Issue 3

Summer in Review

by Grace Dempsey

photo courtesy of Tamara Stras

By First Last

[Stras] is an excellent leader and I'm happy to try to keep things moving in the direction she had started them in while she takes care of the new baby.

Josepha Blocker Acting Principal and Cutler Dean

Stras takes maternity leave

We are being proactive because in three months, on Nov. 1, textiles in Massachusetts can no longer be disposed of in trash and in our blue bins.

Ruthanne Fuller Mayor of Newton (via Boston Globe)

We are overjoyed to share with you all that Isla Zulica-Anne Stras made her debut on July 20th, 2022 at 2:12 p.m.

Tamara Stras Principal (via email birth announcement)

photo courtesy of the Huntington News

Principal Stras will be out on maternity leave to care of her newborn daughter Isla, who was born on July 20. In her absence, Cutler House Dean Josepha Blocker will take the position of acting principal, while CORE program director and head football coach Ted Delicandro will serve as acting dean of Cutler House. In an email to families on August 16, Blocker said that there will be no other significant changes and that students should experience few differences. Principal Stras is expected to return on Nov. 1.

NPS recycles clothing in bins The intent is to keep the bins in place for the long term to continue to provide a convenient way for residents to donate and dispose of unwanted textiles.

photo courtesy of boston.com

NPS website

Collection bins to hold recycled clothes, shoes and textiles have been placed outside of 15 of Newton’s public schools, including South. Newton Public Schools (NPS) has partnered with HELPSY, a Northeast-based organization whose mission is to keep clothes out of landfills by collecting used clothes to reuse, recycle and upcycle. Based on the amount of textiles that NPS collects per pound, HELPSY will pay NPS money, which the district plans to use to fund more sustainability programs in Newton.

I acknowledge the closure will be disruptive.

But people want and deserve safe and reliable service and we want to give it to them.

Steve Poftak MBTA General Manager (via Boston Globe)

MBTA shuts down Orange Line graphics by Emily Cheng

On August 19, the entire MBTA Orange Line shut down for 30 days to allow for construction to repair the rails improve safety and reliability on the railway. The August 3 announcement came amid a period of increased accidents, including an Orange Line train catching fire on a bridge over the Mystic River on July 21 and three Green Line trains becoming stuck on their tracks on August 12. Orange Line commuters can use shuttle buses and the commuter rail trains as alternative methods of transportation.

I think every fire that happened, every delay, every major incident just shows how old the system is and how much it needed major repairs.

Michelle Wu Mayor of Boston (via WCVB)

issuu.com/thelionsroar

news | page 3

Q &A

ien ne e

In an August 16 email, Acting Principal Josepha Blocker announced the school’s new attendance policy, which will be implemented at the start of the school year.

The policy, developed by the Newton North and Newton South Attendance Committee, creates a separate column in students’ report cards and transcripts that will indicate if students have met each class’s attendance requirement with a Y (YES) or a N (NO).

A student’s attendance will be determined by term — five or fewer total absences and two or fewer unexcused absences per term earns a Y, while any more absences result in a N. To receive full credit for a full-year course, students must earn a Y in three or more terms; for full credit in a semester course, students must earn a Y in at least one term; for a quarter course, they must earn a Y for that term. A failure to meet this requirement will lead to a partial or total loss of academic credit from the class.

Students with medical exemptions for lengthy illnesses may be excused from the attendance standard. As a new policy, a doctor’s note will be required to excuse a student from a single block in the day.

According to the Google document articulating the new policy, the administration’s main goals were making the mechanisms for enforcing attendance stricter and more consistent.

Administrators did not respond to requests for comment.

Some South teachers, including science teacher David Beutel and math teacher Hayley Donati, said that the policy is justified and conducive to learning.

Beutel said that he hopes the new standards will reduce absences, improving learning conditions for every student in class.

“Hopefully it sends the message to students and families that attendance matters and it decreases absenteeism. Students

cb yA dr

News Editor, Managing Editor

missing class and walking in very late is a problem. If this policy reduces the amount of absences, my students will be better off,” he said.

“Students missing work and missing assessments is hard on me and hard on other students in the class, so ideally this will make all of our lives better.”

Donati said that the new policy is not much different than that of pre-pandemic years and that it is fair for the school to hold students accountable for their attendance.

For some students, however, like Senior senator Lily Paltrowitz, this policy is too strict. She said that although an attendance protocol is necessary, this ruling does not account for various reasons for absence.

“Due to the volume of work that students, especially upperclassmen, are receiving, many peers including myself have been forced to skip classes such as electives in order to catch up and study for exams or even take a mental health break during weeks with lots of exams,” she said. “There are many reasons why a student might need to skip a class that do not involve a doctor's note.

Junior Ilan Kadish said that he thinks the policy is fair and will not affect him throughout the year..

Senior Ethan Pang said that although he does not like the decision, he understands the reasoning behind it.

“I would personally definitely prefer no attendance policy, but at the same time, I can understand it, and I know that it’s important to maintain discipline to prevent people from just skipping class,” he said.

South parent Ben Davies* said that he is conflicted about whether the policy is fair and wishes the administration provided clearer communication about the rationale behind the change.

"I agree that the people who are on time need to be rewarded in comparison to the people who are not, but I don't know if this is too harsh of a method,” he said.

“They do not explain a reason for why they came up with that policy, which makes it hard for me to decide on whether it

gr ap hi

Jaesuh Lee & Sarah Wei

Li r io

Community reacts to new attendance policy

will be effective or not. I would like to know the problem that was occurring and the method that was used to come to this solution, as these numbers seem arbitrary to me.”

Senior Daniel Marshak said that judgment about the policy lies in the balance between the perspectives of the school and its students.

“I don't think most students would think this would be a good change, because compared to last year, more students wouldn’t be able to skip class without facing consequences.

[On the other hand], the administration really likes this policy because students will be punished for missing classes and overall attendance levels will rise,” he said.

“I think there are two ways that you can see the question — from the point of view of the students and the point of view of the administration.”

Kimberly Borgida new Special Education Department Head

It is my belief that as a school community we can create an equitable path to be fair and accessible education for all students.

I am committed to working alongside all staff as well as each and every family to support students with disabilities. I also hope to foster an environment where both students and staff feel valued and a sense of belonging. It is my belief that as a school community we can create an equitable path to fair and accessible education for all students.

How do you see the department evolving throughout the years?

I see our department expanding to meet both the academic and social emotional needs of our diverse learners. This year we are growing our Language Based Learning Disorders program to include both 9th and 10th grade cohorts. We are also starting a new Direct Instruction program, and we will continue to examine and grow our therapeutic programming. As the years go on, I envision the special ed. department continually evaluating programming and evolving to meet the changing needs of our population.

What background in the field do you have?

I’ve been working in the field of education for 25 years now. Over the past 5 ½ years, I’ve held the position of Assistant Department Head for Special Education here at Newton South. My experience in that role and my collaboration with the former department head for Special Education, Melissa Gamble, thoroughly prepared me to take on this position.

Before arriving at South, I worked in the Braintree Public Schools for 17 years as both a special education teacher and later on, a special education coordinator ... I [also] worked at the May Center for Education and Vocational Training in Braintree, [where] I implemented ABA programming for students with autism spectrum disorder, and I worked with families in their homes helping them create systems to support kids in their home environment.

o

c

I have learned that the special education department at South is full of dedicated and talented staff who have an incredible passion for supporting students with special needs. They are a team made up of smart, kind and motivated individuals who share a goal of working towards an inclusive educational environment.

What do you hope to accomplish in your tenure as department head?

ph ot o

What have you learned from your previous years at South?

News editor Jaesuh Lee speaks to Borgida about her vision for the program

lus egu fR o sy te ur

page 4 | news

the lion's roar

Smith appointed interim superintendent Grace Dempsey News Editor

On June 13, the School Committee voted to name Dr. Kathleen Smith as interim superintendent for the 2022-2023 school year.

Smith will replace Dr. David Fleishman, who resigned in June after a decade-long tenure.

Previously, Smith served as superintendent of Brockton Public Schools, as well as interim superintendent in Salem, DoverSherbon and Weymouth public school districts.

Dean of Cutler House and Acting Principal Josepha Blocker said that she believes Smith to be the right choice for the district.

A big focus should be to welcome everyone into school, especially because school is supposed to be a place where you feel comfortable.

Chloe Hu class of '25

“She has a wealth of experience. She's really spending some good time this summer getting to know the new community,” she said.

Meanwhile, the search for a permanent replacement continues. The superintendent search committee consists of School Committee members and Newton Public Schools (NPS) administrators, staff, students and parents who will offer input during the lengthy process. The committee hopes to fill the superintendent position by the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

As NPS moves forward under new leadership, there are several issues that parents and students said they would like to see addressed..

Sophomore class vice president Chloe Hu said that the superintendent's priority should be making South a safer space for all students.

“We've had hate [incidents] happen in the past, and we don't really get many updates about it,” she said.“A big focus should be to welcome everyone into school, especially because school is supposed to be a place where you feel comfortable. If it’s not the focus to make people feel comfortable first, then I don't see a point in anything else.”

Sophomore and Social Topics on Air (STOA) club member Shayla Bellucci said that the high frequency of hate incidents needs to be better addressed.

“[Hate incidents] are happening so often, that it's past the principal's hands. We need the superintendent to actually put out a statement, and hopefully they'll do something.”

To encourage transparency throughout the district, sophomore senator Helen Liu said that she hopes South Senate and the School Committee will have more opportunities to collaborate.

“I hope that there's increased communication between the student Senate and the School Committee and more efficiency between what we plan to do and when we get it done,” she said.

South parent Marty Smart* said that the consequences of the March 7th systemwide budget cut should be addressed by the superintendent.

“Dealing with the budgetary problems that are leading to a loss of faculty is a matter I see as important, and deserving of a good deal of attention,” he said.

In light of the wide range of issues concerning members of the community, Blocker said that the superintendent search committee is prioritizing NPS’ core values in their search for the new appointee.

“The community's values are focusing on diversity and equity and inclusion, and also focusing on having an excellent education that all students have access to,” she said.“Whomever

we hire would take their experience and direct them towards those goals.” *Name changed to protect identity

photo courtesy of NPS

Online initiatives promote local coverage Lily Zarr

News Editor

anyone can contribute.

“As my newsletter audience started to grow, people asked me to put in announcements and other items and asked to keep them upto-date on specific issues,” she said. “Given the void in local news coverage here in the city, we thought, ‘Hey, why don't we expand this into a news source?’”

Unlike The Newton Beacon, Fig City News’ only costs are its website and email service — its writers are all volunteers, which editor and website designer Bruce Henderson said alleviates the concern of fundraising.

As Fig City News develops, Henderson said he hopes it will become an open and dependable source of information.

“Right now we are building awareness

yC mil

by E hic grap g hen

In 1979, Newton had four print newspapers. Now, it has none.

Newton is just one city among many affected by a nationwide decline in local news sources, a trend caused by a decrease in advertising revenue and a shift to online news consumption.

Residents are working to fill the gap in local news coverage by forming two online news sources: The Newton Beacon and Fig City News.

In May, Newton Tab owner Gannett, the biggest newspaper publisher in the U.S., terminated the print circulation of numerous local newspapers in Massachusetts, including the Tab. These papers moved online to regional coverage for paying subscribers, making it harder for many Newtonians to learn about local news.

The Newton Beacon set out to counteract the lack of local news. Founded in the spring by a group of residents, the organization plans to hire professional journalists and launch in the first quarter of 2023. In an April 12 memo, the Beacon said that its presence will bolster democracy in Newton and lead to a more knowledgeable citizenry.

“The decline of local news is leading to a decline in our democracy. We can no longer stand by and watch that happen,” the memo said.“We intend that The Newton Beacon will shine a light on issues and activities in this community, enabling it to … move the city toward a brighter, more informed, more equitable and more democratic future.”

The Beacon, which plans to minimize costs through a strictly online presence, will be funded by The Newton News Foundation, a non-profit corporation created earlier this year to raise money for the paper through individual donations, grants and sponsorships. Joe Hunter,

the foundation’s president, said he hopes that the Beacon will provide a useful and unbiased source of news.

“The vision for the paper is to provide a trusted, independent, impartial, mean force for the city of Newton that's professionally run and has no agenda beyond the public service of reporting the news,” he said.“Our role will be to report the facts and help people make decisions on important community issues.”

When the Tab’s print run ended, former City Councilor and mayoral candidate Amy Sangiolo said she saw a way to expand her longrunning newsletter covering city government to reach more people. She turned her newsletter into Fig City News, a website covering a broader range of news and community events to which

and we're building trust,” he said. “What we would like to do is to be trusted by everyone.

It's not a tagline. It's an aspiration.”

South parent Lisa Gordon, who works on Fig City News’ social media presence, said that the website will cover school news, which could lead to greater accountability and increased awareness among parents.

“Now that we have a place that's delivering unbiased news, it's going to make a huge difference. The schools are on the forefront of that,” she said. “The most important thing for Newton is making sure that we have a really good school system that is diverse and represents a lot of different opinions in a respectful manner.”

Senior and Denebola co-editor-in-chief Abby Hepner said that increased school coverage could bring about change from people who were previously unfamiliar with what goes on at the schools.

“A lot of things regarding the public schools are heard through the grapevine or maybe it’s news that administrators have but the student body or the public doesn’t,” she said. “Knowledge is power. If people had more information, that could lead to more change, even on smaller levels like things at South.”

In a June 16 public meeting discussing the launch of The Newton Beacon, former Tab and Greater Boston newspaper publisher Greg Reibman said that despite any difficulties novel news initiatives may encounter, they will fill a vital need for more news coverage.

“We want somebody at City Hall to tell us what the heck is going on. When it's a pandemic and schools are closed and you want to know why they're closed … your only route right now is somebody's Facebook page that tells you maybe one perspective of it,” he said.

“At the end of the day, people want common sense facts of the issues that really matter to our people and that is what this is about. Everything else we can work on.”

issuu.com/thelionsroar

news | page 5

Your Guide to the Upcoming State Election Everything you need to know about the candidates and how to vote on November 8

by Anahitha Menon Graphic by Emily Cheng

GOVERNOR Maura Healey

mass.gov

Geoff Deihl

WAMC

Chris Doughty

WBUR

The Governor is the head of the executive branch and the highest state officer in Massachusetts. The incumbent, Charlie Baker, has announced that neither he nor his Lieutenant Governor, Karyn Polito, will run for Governor in November.

For the Sept. 6 primary, the race is uncontested on the Democratic side, with Maura Healey, the current Attorney General, as the only candidate. Healey’s main focuses for the campaign include increased investment in public transportation, affordable housing and child care and school modernization.

According to a July Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll, Healey has a 30 point lead over both Republican candidates in the general election. If she wins, she would break a streak of Massachusetts Attorneys General losing the race for governor — all three of her three predecessors ran and lost.

On the Republican side, two candidates will face off in the State Primary: former state representative Geoff Diehl and businessman Chris Doughty, who has never run for office before.

Diehl, who has Donald Trump’s and the party’s endorsement, led Doughty in a June University of Massachusetts poll.

SECRETARY OF STATE Bill Galvin

Boston Globe

Tanisha Sullivan

tanishasullivan.com

Rayla Campbell

raylaforma.com

The Secretary of State is responsible for the maintenance of public records, administration of elections, storage of historical data, preservation of historical sites, registration of corporations and the filing and distribution of regulations and public documents.

There are two Democrats running for Secretary; the first is the incumbent, Bill Galvin, who has served for 26 years, with voter access and historical preservation as his main issues. The second is Tanisha Sullivan, an attorney and president of the Boston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), whose platform includes transparency in voting, tackling economic inequality, preventing fraud and promoting the growth of small businesses.

Reporter at WSMIN Rayla Campbell, a news radio station in New Hampshire, is the only Republican running for the position. Campbell opposes mail-in voting and campaigns for more transparent elections and to combat voter suppression.

Ballot questions/measures A ballot measure is a law, issue or question that appears on a statewide or local ballot for voters of the jurisdiction to decide. A ballot measure requires a majority of those voting on it to support it to pass. Other questions related to alcohol retail licensing and medical loss ratios for dental insurance plans will also appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The Fair Share Amendment The Fair Share Amendment, also known as the Tax on Income Above $1 Million for Education and Transportation Amendment, would impose an additional 4% tax on incomes over $1 million, on top of the existing 5% flat-rate income tax, (which applies to all). The proposal would garner approximately $2 billion a year in new revenue, which would be dedicated to public education and repairing and maintaining roads, bridges and public transportation.

‘22 graduate Andrew Kupovich worked on the campaign for the amendment this summer. He said that he supports the amendment because the tax increase affects only a few people, while the money going to education and transportation benefits everyone.

“These are problems that face everyone,” he said. “This is a ballot question that absolutely everyone in the state has some sort of relation to whether or not they support it, and I've learned it's very easy to connect with people when you're not talking about some far-off political figure, but you're talking about their train ride or their potholes or their kid’s school.”

Other seats up for election Auditor - Position currently held by Suzanne Bump Treasurer - Position currently held by Deborah Goldberg District Attorney - Position currently held by Marian Ryan Congressional - Position currently held by Jake Auchincloss Governor's Council - Position currently held by Marilyn Petitto Devaney State Representative - Position currently held by Ruth Balser

ATTORNEY GENERAL Andrea Campbell Shannon LR

Boston Magazine

Boston Globe

Jay McMahon

salemnews.com

The Attorney General is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer in the state, whose duties include combating fraud and corruption, investigating and prosecuting crime and protecting civil rights.

Two Democrats are running in the State Primary. Andrea Campbell is a former Boston City Councilor who has the endorsement of Healey. Her campaign focuses on equity and equal opportunity. Shannon Liss-Riordan has earned the endorsements of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Senator Elizabeth Warren. For the past 13 years she has built a reputation filing lawsuits against major corporations on behalf of workers as a partner at her Boston-based law firm Lichten & Liss-Riordan.

Former candidate Quentin Palfrey, who dropped out of the race in August, has endorsed Campbell.

Trial attorney and staunch Trump supporter Jay McMahon is the only Republican candidate. McMahon opposes the firing of first responders who refuse to comply with vaccine mandates and has said that as Attorney General, he wants to bring cases in their favor.

page 6

September 8, 2022

EDITORIALS issuu.com/thelionsroar

The midterms are here. National headlines surround us seemingly everywhere, announcing the gravity of this fall’s elections. Stories of further restrictions to voting rights and fake elector schemes ring of ominous threats to the basic foundation of our democracy.

In Massachusetts, we can vote by mail without an excuse. In the past year, early voting has expanded, and we are making progress in the fight for bilingual ballots. Our access to democracy seems to be expanding — Massachusetts is not a place you’d think would have a problem.

But Massachusetts does have a problem.

Not enough people are running for office. According to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit political

In the scores of elections for seats without term limits, and without candidates challenging incumbents, voters are unable to hold those in power accountable to their promises and for their actions.

encyclopedia, in 2020, Massachusetts was the least competitive state in the United States with 73 percent of seats in political races uncontested.

In 2021, the number improved, with 20 percent of primary race seats being uncontested.

While reviewing the options for this Tuesday’s State Primary election, you might have noticed a smaller-than-usual list of candidates in a year when the whole slate of “constitutional officer” positions are up for election. Most races include just the renominated incumbents defending their positions.

On our ballots in Newton, the races for State Treasurer, Representative in Congress, Senator in General Court, Representative in General Court, District Attorney and Sheriff were all uncontested. Looking at Massachusetts as a whole, there has been an astounding lack of candidates, even in the most high level races.

The open race for Governor, as detailed in our “Guide to the State Election” piece on page 5, has just one Democratic candidate, Attorney General Maura Healey, after State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz dropped out earlier this summer.

Healey is positioned to win handedly in the general election, against either GOP opponent; according to a July Suffolk University poll, she leads each by over 30 points. Before even a primary election, the governor’s race seems to have already been decided.

Without an ample number of competitive candidates, there is no opportunity for discussion and debate, conversations that are

Editorial Policy

The Lion’s Roar, founded in 1984, is the student newspaper of Newton South High School, acting as a public forum for student views and attitudes.

The Lion’s Roar’s right to freedom of expression is protected by the Massachusetts Student Free Expression Law (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, Section 82). All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Lion’s Roar in no way reflects the official policy of Newton South, its faculty, or its administration.

Editorials are the official opinion of The Lion’s Roar, while opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lion’s Roar. The Lion’s Roar reserves the right to edit all submitted content, to reject advertising copy for resubmission of new copy that is deemed acceptable by student editors, and to make decisions regarding the submission of letters to the editors, which are welcomed.

The Lion’s Roar is printed by Seacoast Newspapers and published every four weeks by Newton South students. All funding comes from advertisers and subscriptions.

In-school distribution of The Lion’s Roar is free, but each copy of the paper shall cost one dollar for each copy more than ten (10) that is taken by any individual or by many individuals on behalf of a single individual. Violation of this policy shall constitute theft.

Volume 39, Issue 3

central to developing and fighting for our values.

In debates, voters are able to differentiate candidates and decide what policies are most important to them, voting accordingly. We need voters to feel that they can put their vote behind candidates who accurately represent their values.

Imagine you go to the store to buy cereal.

You’d like to have a lot of choice to make sure you are picking the box you really want. Now imagine you get to the cereal aisle and there’s only one option.

It might be the option you wanted all along, which is great. But it might not be — it might be one you don’t like at all. Then what happens? You could buy the cereal, even though you don’t want it. Or you could choose not to buy cereal at all.

And when eligible voters opt out of voting in elections, we end up with a state run by those who are already holding the power.

Wins are secured in uncompetitive elections. In the scores of elections for seats without term limits, and without candidates challenging incumbents, voters are unable to hold those in power accountable to their promises and for their actions. These politicians might see this as immunity to enact their own agendas without fear of retribution.

Perhaps due to our lack of contested elections, Massachusetts has had very low voter turnout in primary elections. While the number is steadily increasing year by year, we still have work to do. According to data from the

Volume XXXIX The Lion’s Roar Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com

Editors-in-Chief Emily Schwartz

Come to a meeting any Blue Lion Block in room 1201 to see what The Roar has to offer:

Improve your technique by shooting sports games, school events and staged illustrations.

Writing

Graphics

Conduct interviews, Draw, paint or use report on compelling digital techniques to topics or write about create pieces that your own opinions. accompany printed articles.

issuu.com/thelionsroar Message The-Lion’s Roar on Facebook or email srstaff@thelionsroar.com for more information.

Julian Phillips

Sarah Wei

Section Editors News

Grace Dempsey Jaesuh Lee Julia Lee Lily Zarr

Features

Photos

Eva Shimkus

Managing Editors Sarah Feinberg

JOIN THE R AR

Secretary of State’s office, in 2016, voter turnout was just 8.84 percent. The number increased to 21.85 and 36.58 percent, respectively, for the 2018 and 2020 primary races.

As high school students nearing voting age, driving to the polls to exercise our rights is still a novelty. We have to build good habits by voting even in quieter races.

By turning out to vote, we establish ourselves as an electorate that politicians vie for. We build a strong base, and especially with such low voter turnout, we have more sway over these elections. Fewer votes count for more.

By turning out to vote, we engage with the electoral process and stay educated about the issues. Especially in smaller, more local races, when the candidates aren’t always in the news, when debates aren’t broadcasted over major television channels, we are forced to do our own research. We learn more about the issues that matter to us, and therefore about the candidates.

With that knowledge, we can get involved ourselves. We can volunteer on campaigns.

In smaller races, we can work closer with the actual candidate. We can propose ideas and see the process up close. We may even get to be a sounding board for that candidate.

It is important that we have these debates and decide what is important to our state. We need to be turning up for our elections, especially those primaries, and we need to show off our beliefs, so we are well and adequately represented.

Opinions

Centerfold

Bella Ishanyan Matan Josephy

Sanjana Deshpande Ella Hou Molly Johnson Emma Zhang

Photo Managers Gianna Burgess Maureen Caulfield Ines Koci

Danielle Berdichevsky Ahona Dam Annika Engelbrecht Risha Sinha Melinda Yung

Sports

Marisa MacDonald Zach Rhein John Timko Clare Tourtelotte

Pawdcast

Ari Gordon

Faculty Advisor Ashley Chapman

Graphics Managers Caitlin Ang Emily Cheng Adrienne Lirio Julie Wang

issuu.com/thelionsroar

editorials | page 7

LETTER from the EDITOR Julian Phillips

Managing Editor Let’s face it: “The Garden City” hasn’t lived up to its name. From Route 9 traffic to cyanobacteria blooms, Newton’s landscape is home to just as many pollutants as parks.

Of course, I’ve found refuges in the concrete jungle that is Newton. Being in peak suburbia, it takes just as long to get to downtown Boston as the nearest farm. But exploring takes effort, and this summer, with the help of a summertime job, I discovered a new world 500 feet from my doorstep — the Charles River.

In July, I began work at a six-week outdoor day camp for elementary-aged children.

Running from 9 a.m to 1 p.m., four days a week, the camp seemed unintimidating. As short as it was, however, its location on the Charles introduced me to the boundless world of kayaking.

But at first, the river was not a pleasurable experience. When we went fishing, continuously baiting campers’ hooks was not pleasant work — mealworms writhed in my hands with pain as their guts spilled out onto my fingers. And when we ran aground on a boulder in the middle of the river, we were forced to call in support from the shore.

As days turned into weeks, however, I felt as though I belonged on the Charles.

As much as I dreaded the aforementioned

River reflections

encounters with nature, the issue faded away as I adapted to the realities of the river.

It took only two weeks until I found myself launching our banana-yellow kayak into the murky waters of the Charles. The stagnant water felt as calm as it was disgusting.

While I had gone out on the river plenty of times with my dad, I did less paddling than complaining.

ride and equipped with an energy bar, two water bottles and a bottle of sunscreen, I set out for the Moody Street Dam, 3.5 miles downstream.

After struggling through the muck of the Charles’ bank as usual, I felt a dramatic tug as the flow of the river’s 0.5 mph current propelled me downstream. A dragonfly landed on the front of the kayak like a hood orna-

Happiness is a mysterious concept that somehow has little to do with what you are doing. The key to kayaking is perhaps its simplicty. No matter your mood, it's always the same experience, and getting upset with something so predictable and elementary is difficult.

On that first day, I paddled upstream past great blue herons, muskrats, turtles and swans. I’m not strictly introverted, but the lack of human interaction was astounding — and a welcome change. Save for the occasional elderly couple or hard-core rower, the river felt like a no man’s land bordering Newton.

Luckily enough, I avoided an accidental drowning and a suspiciously combative goose, and I soon had my sights set on more ambitious journeys. Two weeks after my first solo

ment, guiding me into Waltham. While the experience didn’t feel unique or particularly inspiring, a wave of contentment washed over me.

As the dam drew close, I began to turn around. On the way home, the wind kept blowing me to the right bank of the river, and I soon grew frustrated with the activity that I was supposed to find fun. Indeed, kayaking was outside the boundaries of what I usually considered entertaining — physically difficult,

repetitive and with little real reward.

Happiness is a mysterious concept that somehow has little to do with what you are doing. The key to kayaking is perhaps its simplicity. No matter your mood, it’s always the same experience, and getting upset with something so predictable and elementary is difficult.

Back at home, I’ve tried to apply this mindset to my workload. For example, I always start my weekday evenings with math homework, as — geometric proofs aside — it often feels simple, although not by any measure easy. I work my way up to the most complex task, usually essay writing. For me, simplicity is a more important marker of a task than difficulty.

A lack of complexity is exactly what makes the Charles appealing to me. All of the lessons I learned from the river over the course of the summer could be meaningless, and I would still go out there.

Articles like these tend to be chock-full of inspirational messages, but at a certain point, the messages lose their strength. We must prioritize experience over analysis; by trying to make simple tasks complex, we risk losing their fun.

Finding peace in the chaos — and consequently discovering more about myself — is a process. But I’ve managed to open up a whole new world I never thought would be there for me.

page 8

September 8, 2022

OPINIONS issuu.com/thelionsroar

map graphic by Juli e

Wang

Volume 39, Issue 3

Emily e graphics by flag/airplan

Cheng

Roar's International Menu Paneer Makhani, Navratan Korma and Garlic Naan India

Risha Sinha

photo by Risha Sinha

D

uring my trip to India, I spent lots of wonderful time with my extended family and ate the most mouthwatering dishes I could have dreamt of.

The best food I ate was at a small restaurant on the side of the road during our return from the coffee-tree-filled mountains of Karnataka.

After we spent a couple of very eventful days exploring the lush green and incredibly-foggy roads of Chikkamagaluru (our bus got stuck in a ditch in the middle of the jungle, and we were stranded with no cell service in the dark and rain), my cousins’ family, mom and I packed up and started home to Bangalore.

Along the way, we succumbed to our growling stomachs and stopped to enjoy paneer makhani and navratan korma with garlic naan. After a tumultuous couple of days, this delicious comfort food was a marvelous way to end my trip.

Take a delicious trip around the world as Roar members discuss their experiences dining in five different countries this summer!

Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara

Italy

R

ome’s Il Barroccio Roma restaurant makes creamy pastas like no other. I traveled to Italy this summer, and this cacio e pepe and carbonara left a lasting impression as our first ever taste of Rome.

Located in a narrow bustling street right next to the Pantheon, the restaurant offered some of the best authentic pastas in the entire city. Italian restaurant hosts are probably some of the most persistent people in the world — each door front had employees vying for my attention, shoving business cards in my hands in the hopes of convincing me to eat at their ristorante.

Il Barroccio Roma stood out from others with its long history and cozy interior, complete with rows of fine wines and olive oils. We ordered two cream pastas — Rome is known for white sauce, as opposed to tomato or pesto-based sauces. The pasta was al dente and seasoned to perfection. To this day, my dad still cannot stop raving about the carbonara.

Canada

Melinda Yung

photos by Melinda Yung

W

hen I was in Toronto, my family and I began each day by trying different breakfast restaurants in a city offering a multitude of authentic Asian cuisine. One morning, we ate at New City Restaurant, which had the best wonton noodle soup and Hong Kong-style milk tea I’ve ever tasted.

The soup was so flavorful, and the wontons melted in my mouth, forming the perfect bite. Unlike regular milk teas, Hong Kong-style milk tea has its own unique and bitter flavor that is not too sweet or salty.

After we ate at New City Restaurant, we went to Snow Time, a Korean dessert cafe, where my family and I ordered a large mango bingsu to share. Bingsu is a delicious Korean shaved ice dessert. The thick mango pieces were fresh and nicely balanced with the pillowy shaved ice and soft serve. It was the perfect end to our breakfast and a great way to start the day.

Pastéis de Nata

Japie se Gunsteling

Jenna Kriensky

Annika Engelbrecht

South Africa

Portugal

Emma Zhang

photo by Emma Zhang

Wonton Noodle Soup, Hong Kong Style Milk Tea and Mango Bingsu

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

P

ortugal has become a favorite vacation destination for my family. Partnered with the country’s beauty, discovering new delicious finds made the trip deliciously memorable.

This summer, my family and I came across a traditional dessert while wandering around the streets of downtown Lisbon.

Hungry from a long day of walking, we discovered a bakery (Fábrica de Nata), and based on the line out the door, we figured it would be good. Little did we know our lives would be changed forever. Once inside, we discovered the coveted dish: pastéis de nata (cream pastries) — warm puff pastry filled with sweet egg custard, optionally dusted with powdered sugar or cinnamon and enjoyed with coffee.

The custard was creamy, sweet and oozing out of its shell with a thin, flaky and slightly-salty pastry. If you ever visit Portugal, I would definitely recommend trying this signature dish!

photo by Annika Engelbrecht

A

staple of my childhood and Afrikaans cuisine, Japie se gunsteling is a baked custard made with egg yolks, sugar, milk, a small amount of flour, orange juice, lemon juice and butter. The dish’s name translates to “Japie’s favorite” in English. My ouma (grandmother)’s trick when making it is to fold egg whites into the mixture to help it rise more.

She often makes me this dessert when I visit her in South Africa, as I did this summer — she even taught me how to make it myself this year. Even though I can only see my grandmother once a year, cooking has always been a way to feel connected despite the distance.

Whether it’s making pannekoek on Christmas or now Japie, I will always remember the two of us searching her newly-accommodated gluten-free recipes for the right amount of xanthan gum and me trying — and failing miserably — to crack an egg with one hand.

issuu.com/thelionsroar

opinions | page 9

The ultimate back to school shopping guide

By Grace Sousa

One of the most common mistakes I have seen people make when back-to-school shopping is overdoing it. Schoolwork is already stressful enough; there's no need to add to the chaos by lugging around 20-pound backpack.

Don't get me wrong — I have fallen victim to overdoing it when it comes to school supplies. But if you want to avoid shoulder pain and a messy binder filled with papers from every class, this is the perfect guide to back-to-school shopping.

Let’s start off with the basics: pencils, pens and markers. Make the most of the backpack's space and purchase a small pencil case. I promise, having 20 markers for aesthetic notes is not worth it. Stick to fewer than five different

colored markers for your notes and highlighting.

My favorite marker brand is Mildliner. Their soft-edged tips make the fewest number of annoying, squeaky noises.

When it comes to pens, Paper Mate’s InkJoy gel line has never failed me. You can never go wrong with a pack of three smudgefree, black gel pens. Pencils are a completely different story — you could buy a pack of 50 pencils and somehow end up with zero after the first two months of school.

There is no perfect way to avoid losing pencils, but my strategy is to bring five pencils with me to school at a time. Once my pencils get lost or are stolen by friends who "borrow" them, I replenish my barren pencil case.

photo by Julie Wang

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let's organize your papers. If you bring more than one binder or folder to school, you are doing it wrong!

Let's be real, teachers do not give out paper assignments as much as they used to. All you need is a two-inch binder and binder dividers for each class. Trust me, with this method, I never lose any papers.

The best organization tool is the Five Star Flex binder. Hardcover binders take up too much precious room in your bag, and you’ll want to save as much space as possible for your lunch box. Try to find binders with side pockets in case you can't hole-punch your papers.

To make sure that your binder doesn’t overfill, stop hoarding your papers! Clean out your binder every term and keep your old papers safe at home so that you can use them for studying before the dreaded finals.

One thing that you can't prepare for is notebooks. I have found that every teacher has a different suggestion. One of my teachers kept our notebooks in school, another suggested that we have one notebook for each class and some did not have a preference. So, that decision is up to you (my advice is to just be practical)!

An underrated back to school item is the water bottle. Hydration improves focus, so if drinking water will help my attention span during history, staying hydrated will be a top priority this school year! Before purchasing a reusable water bottle, double-check the products’ ratings and reviews. As long as your water bottle is reusable and spill proof, you

are good to go.

We have talked a lot about saving space and efficiency, so let's move on to the fun stuff — the personal back-to-school items. I never leave the house without what I call a“necessities kit,” which includes items for mini-emergencies, like deodorant, perfume, nail clippers, hair ties, floss, lip balm, tweezers, the list can go on.

Accidents are bound to happen so be prepared. Go to the travel section in your nearest supermarket and pick out miniature products for your very own personalized necessities kit.

Your necessities kit will not be complete without blue-light glasses. After a long night of studying (or procrastinating), your tired eyes won’t survive another day of staring at computer screens. Blue-light glasses have saved me countless times.

Another holy grail is headphones — whether it's while walking through the halls, studying or watching Netflix during free blocks, headphones always come in handy.

If one of your goals this year is to stay organized and well-prepared for your classes, take these tips into consideration while back-toschool shopping. If all else fails, just ask yourself three questions: is this practical, sufficient and reliable? If you answer yes to all, then you can’t go wrong! And make it fun!

If you personalize everything you buy, those cute school supplies will be worth it — some much-needed brightness into a dreary, test-filled week.

Good luck, and shop smart!

The American Accent Does Not Exist

By Yana Kane English is spoken by over 952 million people worldwide, so naturally there is a wide range of accents and dialects. In many countries, English is even the primary language. However, because American music and television reaches so many outside of the U.S., the English language has started to become associated solely with the“general” American accent, which could be detrimental to its immigrant population.

U.S. media is partly to blame for enforcing harmful stereotypes about people without an American accent. Such a phenomenon can be traced back to the early 1920s, when U.S pop culture began to dominate the global market.

As movies and music that included English with an American dialect spread worldwide, people began to perceive the American accent as the correct way of speaking because it was all they ever heard.

The film industry can also lack diversity among the actors they cast, which is problematic because it spreads the idea that America is overwhelmingly white and English speaking.

Protagonists in film are often played by white actors, who live up to the Western beauty standard, and if they differ from it, then the plot is most likely only about their struggles.

Diversity in the media needs to become normalized because it is the reality of day-to-day representation in America.

A strong nationalistic belief that promotes the idea that America is the greatest country and lacks any faults also contributes to the harmful misconception that the only proper way of speaking English is with the standard American accent that has come to dominate

the perception of how many in the U.S. talk.

In reality, no country is perfect and it is especially detrimental to the diverse population that America prides itself upon to suggest that accented, imperfect or dialectical English is uneducated or of low class.

For example, my parents immigrated to the U.S from Ukraine and have been citizens for over 20 years. Although they speak English almost perfectly, their accent sometimes causes people to judge them. Strangers sometimes speak slowly to my parents — as if they are talking to a child — because they assume that my parents don’t understand the language.

My parents’ knowledge will always be overlooked because of the way they speak. It is frustrating that an accent, which is out of anyone’s control, as no one can choose their native language or nationality, can cause such disdain from others. It is absurd for my parents and other immigrants alike to be disrespected for something they cannot control in a country that claims to be equal and accepting.

America may seem to be accepting of immigrants, but it is beyond offensive to discriminate against the way some may speak.

Immigrants work incredibly hard to overcome their struggles and make a place for themselves in this country, just to be belittled by people who are unaware of the world outside of their bubble of privilege.

America is supposed to be a country where every voice is equal, but so many residents are still ignored solely because they sound different. All Americans must understand that an inherently correct English accent cannot exist.

English is spoken all around the world, impacting many different cultures and communities, so there is no proper way of speaking it.

As America itself is home to many people whose first language isn’t English, it is impossible to even consider one accent correct.

There is absolutely nothing patriotic about shaming others for trying to learn. Instead, we should uplift the diversity found in America and celebrate the immigrants that continue to better the country — regardless of how they pronounce a word.

graphic by Caitlin Ang

issuu.com/thelionsroar

page 10 |opinions

While summer jobs are the perfect way to forge new connections, gain responsibility and earn money, they are certainly not as glamorous as they may seem

grap hic b y

Julie Wan g

Maggie Heberlein class of '23

Mari Cheng class of '23

Susan Hong class of '24

Amelie Hirst class of '25

I was scheduled to close the bakery one day but lost my voice. I wanted the money, and another guy was closing with me, so I still went to work from 4 to 7 p.m. without being able to talk louder than a whisper. At one point, he went into the back to do something else, and a customer came to the register, so I had to go help her.

She bought a bunch of stuff and wanted to pay with cash, so I would’ve needed to talk to her and tell her the total cost, but I couldn’t speak. After a minute, I saw my coworker coming back, and I ran to him, pushed him toward the register and ducked to hide behind a shelf.

One time I was training a new employee at West Newton Cinema, and they spilled popcorn oil all over the floor. We quickly had to mop and dry the floors with paper towels. It was a complete mess. At the same time, some customers were trying to buy movie tickets, and they had to walk around the mess.

The one good thing is that the person I trained learned a valuable lesson not to spill popcorn oil on the floor, and they were a very nice person. We laugh about this incident now.

In the end, everything turned out okay, but I had to explain to my manager what had happened.

My manager was not pleased.

In the final week of my internship, we needed to present a presentation to everyone on our team. It’s three days before our presentation day, and I receive a text from one of my teammates saying she’s in the emergency room because of an allergic reaction. Our mentor also messages all of us, saying that she hasn’t received our final presentation or script and that we haven’t met with her yet.

We finally decided to meet with our mentor on Thursday, the day before our final presentation. Somehow, we scrambled together an incredibly ugly and basic presentation less than 24 hours before our mock presentation.

It was my first day working at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing’s camp, and it was snack time. One of the girls in my group had finished her snack and was getting bored, so she started to wander around and was told to sit down. Then, I turned my head to eat some of my own snacks, and she was sprinting around the back of the building.

She proceeded to go through the back door, through the entire gym and back out the front door again until I had caught up to her.

She stayed still for the rest of the snack time.

Who would have thought someone could run incredibly fast with crocs in sports mode.

issuu.com/thelionsroar

opinions | page 11

The reality of gender neutrality

By Ari Gordon From Harry Styles wearing a dress to the ever-increasing prominence of unisex runway shows, the fashion industry has finally decided to experiment with androgynous clothing. But are these trends representative of a positive shift in today’s climate of social consciousness and a desire to strip away gender boundaries? The answer is no, not really.

The historical stigmas between gender and fashion are still pushed today, but the offending parties are no longer explicitly sexist or intolerant. Instead, corporations are lauded

for misplaced progress in gender-bending fashion, while still upholding the facade of a gendered nature in clothing.

In order to grasp the complexity of attitudes toward clothes and gender, it is important to see how previous ideas of intolerance manifest themselves in the present. There have always been two types of non-gendered fashion: unisex clothing and the far more controversial “cross-dressing.”

Until the 18th century, people wore clothing regardless of gender, with functionality and class differentiation being the only purpose of any form of attire.

However, in recent history, most Western fashion has shifted fully toward all garments being gendered, largely due to the feminization of the clothing women wear, which took precedence over class. Unisex clothing generally became manly if women wore it, with feminine clothing conversely becoming off limits for men. Both groups faced social ostracization or worse for choosing to dress in either manner. Today, stigmas still surround those who defy traditional gender roles in their personal styles.

Both the industry presenting unisex clothing as an alternative to implied gender-specific clothing, and cross-dressing creating a world where wearing another gender’s clothes is accepted, uphold the root idea that clothing is gendered.

Clothing, of course, isn’t gendered, and there is no attribute of a garment that could reflect anything in the wearer.

The wearers assign all association or importance to their clothes. It is logical to associate a piece of clothing with masculinity, for example, if masculine individuals overwhelmingly wear a garment.

However, today that distinction is made at the piece’s inception — now, making “unisex”

clothing or praising a man wearing “women’s clothing” gives the guise of being socially progressive while simultaneously solidifying the idea that clothing has gender.

This misguided way of breaking gender’s attachment to clothing is most apparent in something like the reaction to Harry Styles’ iconic Vogue cover in which he is wearing a dress. There is no fault in his (or his stylist’s) decision to wear a dress — in fact, it is quite progressive. Even Style’s response to the criticism of his decision reflects a relatively good understanding of the issues of gendered fashion.

“What’s exciting about right now is you can wear what you like,” he explained in Variety.

However, the response to his outfit, and worse, the reaction to the response, damaged his message and most of its positive impact.

Unsurprisingly, he earned massive amounts of hate on the internet for the dress, receiving sexist messages such as “bring back manly men” to suggest his clothing makes him less of a man. But the optics of a counterargument created a trap: anything said to defend Harry Styles would be some form of “men can wear women’s clothing.”

Of course, men can wear any clothes they want, but the counterargument, just like the boundaries Styles is trying to break, ironically enforces the idea that clothing is gendered. The more Styles is highlighted for his bravery in wearing a woman’s dress, the more it makes it a special act to simply put a piece of “women’s” clothing on. That’s not to mention that the public goodwill only seems to reach an archetypal pop icon, where there has never been such notoriety when it was any other celebrity.

This isn’t by accident either, and I am confident that Vogue stands more to gain from the headline of a man wearing women’s clothing than no headline at all. Because, ultimately, the outlet will not change its fundamental outlook on clothing, it will just get praise for being progressive. Harry Styles is just a small example of how gendered clothing dominates the fashion zeitgeist with corporate pseudo-progressivism such as Vogue’s prohibiting change.

There is no doubt in my mind that clothing catered towards men and women will continue to exist, which is perfectly fine. But companies and celebrities must stop posturing to do any sort of significant change by making new “gender-bending” product lines or advertising those wearing “another gender’s clothing” because this just creates new categories that further ostracize those attempting to break boundaries.

The only path forward for gender and clothes is for people to genuinely express themselves and stop waiting for companies and celebrities to do it for them.

graphic by Julie Wang

The Common Application Anonymous Each issue, the Roar releases a column on the college application process written by a current senior.

This past year, I have cycled through considering countless careers — medicine, academia, industry, teaching, you name it. Thankfully, there is an obvious trend here regarding my interests: science.

I adored freshman physics and enjoyed biology this past year — physics, however, is incredibly challenging, and I have been told by many that it is one of the hardest college majors.

If possible, I would like to avoid another four years of sleepless nights studying for tests.

While I am interested in biology, most of my extracurricular activities have been devoted to physics, and I worry this will hinder my chances of acceptance. Currently, I am trying to mesh these two interests by searching for schools with a biophysics major or majoring in biology with a minor in physics.

Trying to balance my interests has been a big concern throughout the entire process because if I choose a major that I end up not enjoying, I will have to work harder to figure out how to change my major and catch up on graduation requirements.

One constraint I have had to come to terms with during my college search is my parents requiring me to study in Massachusetts. They want me to stay close, which I appreciate, but it’s disappointing to be restrained to this area since college offers a chance to explore the world.

Luckily, Massachusetts has amazing options for schools.

I have persuaded them to let me apply to one out-of-state school: Johns Hopkins. I am looking for schools with study abroad programs, so that I can have the option to travel for a semester. After only three months of intense persuasion, my parents agreed to this.

Another excruciating piece of the college application is the personal statement. I just started writing my own essay, which is making me realize I am probably the most average person to ever exist on the planet. I have never once had a unique experience. I keep writing new drafts and then watching as them get obliterated by friends, and the worst part is that their edits make sense. I have now changed my idea maybe five times. It is a pain.

Apart from the normal pressure when it comes to the essay and other parts of the application, there is the added stress of South’s characteristic toxicity. It feels like a main focus at South is preparing us for the college process — parts of the school, seem structured in such a way that the point of going to classes is more to get into college rather than to actually learn.

I plan to apply early decision (ED) to my favorite school: Northeastern University. I think it has an amazing campus, community and education. I do plan to apply early action to schools like Tufts and Johns Hopkins, but in the end, I just want to get into my ED school so that I can put these tedious applications behind me.

Writing essays is probably the last thing I want to do in my free time, so I am incredibly excited for the day when I submit my final application. I hope that wherever I end up will be the right place. If not, I will already be a pro at transfer applications thanks to my irritating experience with the college admissions process.

Gettin Newton Public Schools' disinvestment in sexual health education creates risk of students making unsafe decisions

W

hen then-freshman Jane Goldberg* started talking to a boy two years her senior over Snapchat, it was as an escape. He had added her one day under the guise of mutual friendships, and their conversations quickly became Goldberg's escape from the loneliness she had been feeling constantly. When he asked her to hang out in-person, Goldberg quickly agreed — and soon found herself picked up and snuck over into his bedroom.

As the two watched TV together, Goldberg turned to see him removing his clothes. Unsure of how to respond, she said nothing — first as he finished removing his, and then as he took off her clothes as well. When he asked to have sex, she stayed silent, unsure of what to say in a situation that felt so new.

The boy took her silence as consent, and had sex with her.

Goldberg did not consent.

Commonplace in many aspects of the high school experience, sex and depictions of it are riddled within humor, history and the walls of bathroom stalls. However, its true nature is laden with pressure, fear and, at its root, a misunderstanding of boundaries, safety and pleasure.

Sexual education in schools is meant to provide students with the baseline understanding they need to safely navigate sex, yet many students and staff find the current curriculum inadequate and lacking comprehensiveness — creating dangerous potential for risky behavior and the violation of safety.

Within the District Both health and sexual education in Newton only remain available for two or three trimesters of middle school and a quarter of freshman year — far below the National Health Education Standard’s recommendation for comprehensive, age-appropriate health education to be available from pre-K through 12th grade.

As a consequence, some in Newton, like Brown Middle School health teacher Elizabeth Messina, believe students should be taught a more comprehensive health curriculum that prepares students for reality. Messina said that sex and health education should be implemented in more grades.

“Kids should have access to good information every year,” she said.“I would love to see

comprehensive health [every year] in middle school through high school.”

Oak Hill Middle School health teacher Carly Gibson said that Newton’s lack of health education through high school may prevent students from being able to make safe choices and seek out adults they can trust past middle school.

“By the time [students] are in 10th, 11th, 12th grade, who are [they] going to? A teacher from ninth grade or eighth grade?” she said. “[Students] feel weird about doing that.”

The fact that Newton has minimal health and sexual education at the high school level is far from unique in the state. While Boston Public Schools, the largest district in the state, offers comprehensive health education from Pre-K through 12th grade, the only districts adjacent to Newton that offer comprehensive health and sexual education more than once throughout high school are Needham, where students undergo mandatory health education in 9th and 11th grades, and Weston, where health education is available in 9th, 10th and 11th grades.

Meanwhile, Brookline, Natick, Watertown, Waltham and Wellesley mimic Newton in only offering courses for one high school grade level.

Such a profound dropoff in health and sexual education at the high school level stands at odds with trends surrounding teenage sexual behavior. Results from the 2022 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in Newton indicate that 15% of high schoolers have had consensual sex, and figures from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) find that the average age for first-time sexual intercourse in the United States is approximately 17 years old.

This indicates that the access teens have to comprehensive sexual education in Newton decreases as they reach the age where they may become sexually active.

According to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, upwards of 18% of girls and 3% of boys report having been victims of sexual assault or abuse at the hands of another adolescent. In Newton, figures from the 2022 Youth Risk Behavior Survey put the percentage of highschoolers who have engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity at 13% across genders.

While these figures within Newton rank below those of the nation, they still indicate that more than one in 10 teenagers in the City have experienced unwanted sexual activity — and that state and national trends surrounding consent involving teenagers extend to Newton as well.

Polarized Perspectives Opinions regarding Newton Public Schools’ (NPS) sexual health curriculum vary across the district. Students’ opinions are split regarding the scope and responsibility of any sexual education that should be taught at school.

Some, like junior Esther Dansinger, view NPS’ curriculum more positively, with Dansinger saying that health teachers do the best they can given the circumstances to educate students.

“They taught everything that could be taught,” she said. “There's stuff that only you can figure out, like how to pick a partner that you actually want to have sex with.”

Meanwhile, senior Deborah Davis* said that while her experience with sex education in middle school was adequate, the curriculum omitted important information beyond the basics.

“I liked that they gave a decent runthrough of birth control instead of just pushing abstinence, and I'm glad they stressed the importance of no STDs and no babies,” she said. “[But] they should’ve taught that birth control does not mean you should rawdog [the act of having sex without a condom].”

Senior Sylvie Nguyen said that her experience with health classes was insufficient, and did not acknowledge the full realities of what teens are experiencing.

“I feel like they don't really acknowledge that people in high school are having sex,” she said. “Talking about real things like, ‘You might bleed for your first time’ or stuff like that [would be helpful], because a lot of kids might just go and start googling stuff and think they have cancer or something, but it's really just normal and we haven't learned about it,” she said.

Along with not recognizing teen sex, junior Amirah Pitts said that health class places a heavy emphasis on abstinence, creating large gaps within the curriculum and opportunities for misunderstanding. She said that it is important to create a culture of communication.

“A lot of teenagers I know are not abstinent, and so it leaves us with not a lot of information on what to do, and then we have to go to the internet,” she said. “It leads to a lot of unsafe decisions during sex for people who may not have an open conversation with their parents or anybody in their life, because they don't really have anywhere to go to. There aren't many resources.”

ng Real

By Bella Ishanyan & Matan Josephy Graphics by Julie Wang

A Crucial Component The benefits of a comprehensive sexual education extend to the health and safety of entire communities, educators and medical professionals across Massachusetts, Alice Newton, the Medical Director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Child Protection Program, said.

She said that comprehensive sexual education curricula can improve safety within schools.

“If [schools] have a really robust sexual education program that is modern and that knows what is out there in terms of understanding of human sexuality, then there's less likely to be an atmosphere in a school where there's bullying around a sexual assault and more likely to be peer support,” she said.

Stephanie Campbell, director of the Massachusetts Office of Sexual Health and Youth Development, said that sexual education is a necessary part of growing up.

“Education is an important stepping stone. I really believe that sexuality education should be treated just as we prepare our young people for how to drive a car safely. We talk about helmet safety, and I just see it [as] one of these life skills,” she said. “Providing spaces where young people can get answers to the questions that they ask is critical.”

A comprehensive sexual education curriculum, defined by the CDC, is a curriculum that contains “medically accurate, developmentally appropriate, and culturally relevant content and skills.” The effects are apparent: a 2016 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics cites reduced rates of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in the communities that implement acomprehensive and evidence-based sexual education.

Massachusetts districts including Newton have used programs like the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts’ comprehensive middle school health and sexual education curriculum titled Get Real. Programs like these are critical public health tools, Jennifer Hart, Vice President of Education for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, said. “[Comprehensive sexual education] increases teens’ use of protection methods, increases their confidence and skills in talking with parents and other caring adults in their life and helps them to engage in healthier relationships with their peers and their partners,” she said. “It can complement their ability to do better in school, to have healthier relations, to be able to set boundaries for themselves and to be able to advocate for themselves and their health.”

A State of Failure Despite the benefits of comprehensive sexual education’s implementation within schools, Massachusetts still lags severely behind widely-accepted public health benchmarks.

Under current state law, Massachusetts does not mandate nor actively incentivize the implementation of any degree of sexual education in schools. Instead, such decisions are left entirely up to municipal school boards and districts. Any sexual education schools implement is only required to explain the benefits of abstinence and have an opt-out policy for parents unwilling to allow their children to engage in it.

Current state guidelines surrounding broader health education have remained the same since their last revision in 1999, as a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education effort to revise them has stagnated for years.

Alice Newton said that Massachusetts’ decentralized approach to sexual education is problematic.

“There needs to be a uniform approach,” she said. “The fact that each school district gets to decide what they want to do means that they are vulnerable to people who are very socially conservative and don’t want their kids to know things … There’s definitely a subset of parents who think that if their kids don’t learn about sex, they won’t have sex, which I think we all know is not the case.”

While attempts to mandate uniform sexual education across the state have faltered, legislation to reform Massachusetts’ guidelines has slowly progressed. The most prominent of current efforts is the Healthy Youth Act, a proposal designed to update and redesign what supporters call ‘antiquated policy’ surrounding sexual education in the state.

“Massachusetts needs to pass the Healthy Youth Act,” Hart said. “If a school district does decide to provide sex education, the Healthy Youth Act ensures that the sex education that is provided is comprehensive, inclusive of LGBTQ+ identities and based in consent.”

The Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts is one of the Healthy Youth Act’s public coalition partners. Hart said that current events around the country make efforts to expand access to comprehensive sexual education even more critical.

“There’s a lot of urgency right now in expanding access to sex education,” she said,“particularly now, as sexual reproductive healthcare is actively restricted in other states.”

Meanwhile in Newton, the need for a more expansive health and sexual education is clear, but

a lack of investment from the district presents a challenge, Gibson said.

“Every student in every school system should have health ed at least a few times a week, all year long, in every grade, but that involves money,” she said. “Schools put their money in math, science, English and social studies.”

NPS’ budget for the 2023 fiscal year reduced the district’s spending on resources for physical, wellness, and health education by 13.5%.

Beyond the middle school level, faculty at Newton’s high schools, like South health teacher Patrick JordanQuern, have also supported expanding sexual education. Jordan-Quern said that current health education offerings do a poor job of covering important topics.

“We need more of the mental health component instead of just ‘S.O.S.’ [‘Signs of Suicide’] and ‘healthy mind,’” Jordan-Quern said.“There’s all this stuff in between, and we need more support there.”

Students at South have also informed health educators of other components of the curriculum where they believe more time should be spent, Jordan-Quern said. However, he said that a lack of personnel and limited departmental resources have inhibited efforts to expand the course.

Maneuvering the Maze The implementation of a comprehensive sexual education is a critical component in educating teens about safe sexual practices. It ensures that teens are able to navigate sex in a responsible and comfortable manner and are aware of how to respond to unsafe situations, so that instances such as Goldberg’s can be avoided After her experience, Goldberg said that she viewed sex negatively until she met somebody she felt she could be comfortable with.

“The story of what I consider losing my virginity was when I was in a healthy relationship with a girl who I was in love with and she was in love with me too,” she said.“This was my first time having consensual sex and it was her first time having sex at all. We were both still learning what we wanted and what we liked and it was a little scary to be that vulnerable with someone else but it was a really great experience. It made me see sex as something positive whereas before I saw it as something negative after my first experience.” *Names changed to protect interviewee’s identity.

Behind the Stats data from the Newton Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2022

Percentage of students in each grade who reported sexual encounters consensual intercourse unwanted sexual advances 10

3

9th

11

9

10th

30%

of gender nonconforming people

19%

of females

5%

of males

15 20

11th

17 31

12th

reported experiencing unwanted sexual advances

30% 34%

reported ever sexting of those sexually active did not use a condom the last time they had consensual sex

63%

lack a trusted adult to help them find sexual health resources

page 15 September 8, 2022

FEATURES issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 39, Issue 3

A Greener Newton Experts and students share the ways that we can stop the spread of climate change on a local level

By Sanjana Deshpande

T

o the average Newton resident, climate change can feel like a distant thought, only existing in news reports and on social media. Because we may not experience drastic flooding or severe droughts, taking action can feel unnecessary. Local students and experts, however, would disagree.

Marcia Cooper, President of Green Newton, said that the earlier our community acts, the higher the chances are that the effects of climate change locally will not be as extreme. Her environmental nonprofit focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the Newton area. The organization offers materials on their website, webinars and e-newsletters to inform the public on ways to get started.

“We want people to know that 60% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to how we use energy in our homes and how we transport ourselves,” she said. “We’re trying to educate the city to the best of our ability on how they can take action in their own practices.”

‘16 graduate Liza Sockwell is the founder of the 4C Tree Project, which, starting in 2021, began planting trees to honor Newton residents who lost their lives to COVID-19. In collaboration with Green Newton, Sockwell brought the project to life, offering a way to commemorate the coronavirus’s toll while fostering a greener community.

“Everyone at Green Newton was super responsive and kind when I reached out and proposed the idea of a COVID-19 tree memorial,” she said. “That’s when I really started working on the idea of the tree memorial. It took a lot of collaboration and innovation to make the memorial a reality, and Green Newton was

very helpful with that.”

Ron Blau is a member of the Newton Node of the climate action organization 350 Mass, which works with organizations like Green Newton and Mothers Out Front, striving to keep climate awareness in the public eye. He said that Newton’s efforts to slow the spread of local climate change should not be overlooked, as many of the actions taken have benefited the community.

“In the last few years, we've seen solar panels being erected in parking lots,” he said.

“We're working hard to make sure that the fossil fuel companies don't get to lay down a whole new infrastructure of pipes that will guarantee that gas is delivered to homes for the next 40 years. We want to halt that in its tracks as much as possible. We recognize that fossil fuels need to be used as a transition, but we're doing everything we can to make sure that fossil fuels are not entrenched in Newton's future.”

photos contributed by Marcia Cooper

If we, as a community, know that the other people in our community care about this issue, then we're more likely to see things happen.”

Liora Sikes City Energy Coach

Liora Sikes, the city’s official Energy Coach, is also working to guide residents away from fossil fuels towards more renewable energy choices for housing appliances like insulation, heat pumps and rooftop solar panels. She said that housing plays a large role in local climate efforts.

“A lot of the city is residential property and commercial property owned by private citizens,” she said. “My job is here to educate and encourage and support people in making

I know that students care, but what needs to happen is that you all need to get involved ... you don't just need to talk about the doom and gloom of it all. You can focus on solutions, and that's the first step.

Marcia Cooper President of Green Newton Students from Green Newton's youth program pose for photos at different events

home energy upgrades. I can't force someone to change their home, but I can help them navigate the steps that help create a greener community.”

By publicizing climate marches, rallies and campaigns, 350 Mass, specifically the Newton Node, keeps the climate in conversations where it can often be ignored, Blau said.

Sikes said that communication is the first step to slowing the spread of climate change.

“The more you talk about climate change, the more people do things about it,” she said.

“So even just talking about climate with friends and family and classmates is shown to make a big difference in the community. If we, as a community, know that the other people in our community care about this issue, then we're more likely to see things happen.”

Beyond the general public, Cooper said students should take direct action by involving themselves with local organizations.

“I know that students care, but what needs to happen is that you all need to get involved,” she said.“Green Newton has a youth leadership program … You don’t just need to talk about the doom and gloom of it all. You can focus on solutions, and that’s the first step.”

Junior Ishaan Tewari, who has worked with the Newton Node of 350 Mass in the past, said that there are many ways students can help.

“Until people get to voting age, things like spreading awareness and educating yourself and others on current policies and projects can also be very helpful,” he said. “It’s important to realize that even small improvements are good improvements, even at the local level.”

page 16 | features

the lion's roar

SUMMER SCRAPBOOK Teachers and students share what they've been up to this summer

By Emma Zhang

Michelle Caine

Faye Cassell

Biology teacher

Data analyst & scheduler

B

iology teacher Michelle Caine organized a nine-day trip to Costa Rica this summer and chaperoned a group of 16 students from across the nation to explore reservations.

Caine’s past trip to the Galapagos Islands through an Ecology Project International fellowship inspired the Costa Rica trip, which she said felt like the perfect opportunity to explore abroad after coming out of the pandemic.

“It was an adventure, especially after feeling so limited in what we were able to do throughout the past few years,” she said. “It was certainly a much more peeled-back version of living than a lot of us were used to, so for a lot of students, it was new for them to be able to experience life in that way.”

Whether it was observing monkeys or

F photo contributed by Michelle Caine

sea turtle hatchlings, Caine said that it was amazing to see the animals and scenery native to Costa Rica, especially from her scientific background.

“We saw turtle hatchlings in their nest, a bunch of different monkeys, butterflies laying eggs and rare birds. Everytime I see it, I'm struck again by how beautiful and amazing and magical nature is. It never gets old for me,” she said. “I can see on the kids' faces that they were having a moment, too, so it was nice to see some of the joy that I was experiencing reflected in them. Every day there was something that took my breath away.”

rom hiking Machu Picchu to visiting rural schools, data analyst and scheduler Faye Cassell made the most of her time in Peru. As the Massachusetts delegate to the National Education Association Foundation Global Learning Fellowship, she spent 10 days working with Peruvian education policy makers.

As a former history teacher, Cassell said she appreciated the community of fellows filled with diverse and passionate perspectives.

“The only stipulation of the fellowship is that you have to be a member of the educators union. We had elementary school teachers, dance teachers and IT specialists,” she said.“Being able to think about education with such a broad cohort of people was fascinating because when I go to Machu Picchu, I think about it from a historian's lens, but

N

ine days in the Costa Rican wilderness isn’t exactly what comes to mind when most people think of a field trip, but for senior Willa Foster, that’s exactly what the class trip organized by her biology teacher Michelle Caine was like. The group learned about wildlife conservation along with 15 other students from schools across the nation, who each joined the trip for their own reasons, she said.

“I've always wanted to go to Costa Rica, and I love being outdoors. Some people there were into the ecology, and they got a lot out of it, but so did the kids who went just because they thought it would be fun,” she said. “Everyone

a music teacher comes at the experience in a completely different way.”

Cassell said that she values making an impact on schools beyond just Newton and teaching the emerging generation what it means to be a part of the global community.

“Even if you never interact with anyone outside of your city or state, you will at some point start to encounter global connections,” she said. “This fellowship is designed to help educators think about teaching those things to students. What does it look like to be a global citizen, and what are our rights and responsibilities as global citizens?”

Willa Foster

Claire Lee

had a great time no matter who they were.”

While most people would shudder at the thought of trying new things, Foster said she did everything she could to make the most of her time.

“One of my outlooks I had throughout the trip was to take every opportunity to do the things I would never be able to at home,” she said. “For example, one of our instructors would always point out a fruit or bug that was edible, and I always said, ‘Yes, I'll eat it. I'll eat this random root.’”

Foster said that she will forever hold fond memories from the trip.

“It was nice to be able to get to know Ms. Caine outside of school,” she said. “Everyone bonded during the trip in different ways, and when we see each other in classes in the future, we will always have a talking point.”

Lee said that for her, music has always been about sharing joy with other people.

“In the past when I did rhythmic gymnastics and sports, all I cared about was just being better than others and winning,” she said. “But when playing music, especially in these concerts, I realized that it's really about sharing the love and making connections with other people.”

As Lee continues to play with both the South orchestra and Boston Youth Philharmonic, she said that she is only more inspired to dive deep into her music.

“After this tour, my love for music has just gotten bigger. Now, it’s not just that I can enjoy it, but I realized that everyone in the world can enjoy and understand music,” she said. “I will always have music in my life to some level.”

Senior

photo contributed by WIlla Foster

photo contributed by Faye Cassell

Junior

F

photo contributed by Claire Lee

or two weeks in June, junior and violinist Claire Lee toured six different cities in Greece with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The orchestra collaborated with local young musicians to play in concerts.

Though there was a language barrier between Lee’s orchestra and their Greek audience, she said their music was able to bridge connections.

“Each piece we played has a story behind it. One of the Shostakovich pieces was very emotional because he used music as an escape from his life,” she said.“Even though you didn't say anything to the audience, the audience could really understand what that joy meant.”

Gerald Ng

Ari Zeren

n July, physics teacher Gerald Ng played on a team of 10 bowlers from around the country in his third United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Open Championships.

With tournaments every weekend from May to mid-July in Las Vegas, there were more than 50,000 bowlers of all skill levels playing together.

Ng said that while his team played well and earned some prize money from the tournament, he has always bowled for the joy and community the sport offers.

“Growing up, I [went bowling] with my parents three or four nights a week. Bowling has been one of those things that I've built so many communities and relationships through, unlike some other sports like basketball or hockey,” he said. “Bowling is a chance to talk to people and to connect

enior Ari Zeren went abroad to Granada, Spain as part of the Arcos Learning Abroad Program. For four weeks, Zeren stayed with a host family for an immersive Spanish experience. In the daytime, he took language classes with professors, and on the weekends and evenings, he toured landmarks and cultural centers. In a country with so much history and a language with so many nuances, Zeren said he found himself caught in between student life and tourist life.

“Four weeks is enough time that you're not just there as a tourist, but it wasn’t enough time to be fully living there,” he said. “That's the weird balance in this summer program. I definitely want to go back to Spain or maybe to a country in Latin America at least at some point in my life.”

Since Zeren’s mother is a French teacher

Senior

Physics teacher

I

S

photo contributed by Gerald Ng

with your teammates.”

Ng said that as bowling builds off of hard work rather than physical strength, he feels welcomed in the bowling community and motivated to put in the work.

“Growing up, I was never thought of as a very athletic guy, but bowling is one of those things where really anyone can do well or do poorly depending on how much effort and time you put into it,” he said. “Especially for this tournament, I spent a lot of time researching, watching lots of videos, thinking about equipment and training. It was exciting to see everything come together.”

photo contributed by Ari Zeren

at South, he said that learning about language and culture will always be a part of his life, even as small as a casual conversation on the streets of Granada.

“I just love chatting with people in Spanish. It's actually really funny because I talk faster in Spanish than I do in English.

It doesn't always work out great, but my classic move has been to spit out a ton of rapid-fire Spanish and get there eventually,” he said. “Spanish kids are just like us for the most part and are super welcoming. I find it a lot of fun to just talk to other people with other cultures.”

issuu.com/thelionsroar

features | page 17

New to South

Core Values

Alan Reinstein

Meet six new members of South's staff

English Teacher

By Ella Hou Laura Fukushima

L photo by Marty Basaria

Kellie Robinson

W photo by Marty Basaria

ith 20 years of experience teaching at Walpole Public Schools, Kellie Robinson will begin this fall as a special education teacher at South, assisting in programs like STRIDE, which helps support students with learning disabilities. Robinson said that she was drawn to South’s community and dedication to helping students with special needs.

“It’s such a phenomenal school that gives so much support, and it’s so progressive with Likewise, in Film Studies, students work towards creating their own 10 to 20 minute film, which is screened at a film festival at the end of the year.

Outside of the classroom, Michaels said she is eager to be a class advisor for the Class of '25.

“I’m really excited to get back into [organizing] spirit days and class bonding experiences and end-of-year events with the students,” she said.

Vanessa Allaway

P photo by Mary Pierce

to become a teacher,” he said.

Vance worked previously as a teaching assistant for chemistry teacher Marianne McChesney, and he said that he is looking forward to continuing to learn from his new colleagues.

“I’m really excited that the chemistry department is 50/50 with teachers who have been here in the past and newer teachers … the teachers who are our mentors are phenomenal,” he said.

what they’re doing,” she said.

Robinson said that she hopes to continue being a mentor for her students.

“I want to make a difference in students’ lives and be the teacher that I either had or wanted to have,” she said.

Additionally, Robinson said that she hopes to join the Best Buddies program, which fosters connections between people with and without disabilities.

photo by Marty Basaria

student support in the Newton Public Schools.

“I’ve heard such good things about how there’s a lot of resources and support for students at South,” she said.

Allaway said that she is not only looking forward to the change that comes with a new school; she’ll also be working with a new age range of students.

“I’ve always taught middle school, and now I’m working with high school students, so it’s very exciting,” she said.

James Vance

ames Vance, an‘07 South graduate, studied culinary arts and nutrition before pursuing chemistry, which he will teach at South.

Vance said that this change in focus was inspired by a previous job mentoring students in sports.

“Some of my chemistry background comes from nutrition, but at one point in my career, I started coaching cross country and track and field, and I loved doing that. That was what really pushed me towards wanting

rior to South, reading specialist Vanessa Allaway worked at Boston Public Schools for nine years and in Austin, Texas for six years. Allaway said that her experience with a family member motivated her to teach.

“I had an aunt with intellectual disabilities. She had amazing teachers that changed her life, and that inspired me to go into teaching,” she said.

Allaway said she is impressed with the

photo by Mary Pierce

Lexi Michaels

A

fter working at South for part of last year, Lexi Michaels will return fulltime to teach 11th grade New Media Communities and 12th grade Film Studies.

Michaels said that she is excited about the hands-on approach of her classes. “[New Media Communities] is really fun because we do a lot of work with documentary studies and filmmaking, looking at news articles or social media and production of different forms of media,” she said.

J

ing an idea of how it works,” he said. “There’s something about the look in their eyes at that moment when you’re like,‘I’ve opened the doorway for them to be able to now walk through for themselves.’ It can’t really be compared to anything.”

Dammer said that he is looking forward to becoming part of the South community.

“I’m excited to get to know the space, get to know the students, get to construct these new classes and to get everything working,” he said.

after a neighbor recommended the position.

“He told me about the job opening, and [Newton's] a great school system, so it was very appealing,” she said.

Fukushima said that she looks forward to returning to teaching after taking a break to focus on her family.

“I was a stay-at-home mom for a long time. I’ve got twins, but they’re getting older now, so I’m excited to get back into the classroom,” she said.

Caelan Dammer

A

fter a year as a student teacher in Amherst, Caelan Dammer will be teaching ninth grade Physics and Engineering and the senior elective Astronomy and Earth Science at South this year.

Dammer pivoted from his initial interest in scientific research after he fell in love with teaching as a teaching assistant in one of his college classes.

“It’s the moment when you see someone go from not understanding something to hav-

aura Fukushima taught at Boston Latin School as well as in her home state of Tennessee for several years before coming to teach Latin 1 at South this year.

Fukushima said that her passion for the language dates back to high school.

“I love my subject matter. I really love Latin. When I heard in high school that there was a shortage of Latin teachers, it got me thinking about teaching it,” she said.

Fukushima said she was excited to apply

“Let’s All Try…”

photo by Marty Basaria

I’ve got a small problem with the four South core values that are posted up in our school hallways and classrooms. You know them: show respect; listen first; choose kindness; take responsibility.

I have no problem with what’s at their collective core, the fundamental value of respecting others, and no problem with the two tips for practicing respectfulness, to listen and be kind, or with the all-important fallback plan for when we fail — taking responsibility, owning up and apologizing.

My problem instead is with the way they come across — like commands from adults who have already mastered them, rather than communal rallying cries for what we can mostly agree on are important interpersonal skills that we should all be trying to get better at. It’s the phrasing that needs a change, an uplift. Keep the substance; change the style.

What I suggest is a short opening phrase slyly attached to each aspiration.

Here it is: “Let’s all try to …” Just plop it in front of each one.

Let’s all try to show respect. Let’s all try to listen first. Let’s all try to choose kindness.

Let’s all try to take responsibility. A modest addition for a bold difference, in two ways.

First, this is what “Let’s all” does: it reminds students right away that the adults in the school are also accountable for practicing these values within our community. The responsibility for civility in our school falls to all of us to practice — but perhaps even more so to the adults, whose failures in this area will signal to students a hypocrisy that will swiftly reduce any civic motivation to push further to improve on any of these virtues.

Students should expect daily interactions with adults — teachers, counselors, support staff, administrators, custodians — who are respectful, attentive, kind and who, when they fall short, are able to apologize.

Second, the “Try to” segment is an indispensable reminder that these values are hard to practice consistently. This begins my third year writing this column, and in each of the first two years, I’ve opened the year acknowledging that these core values are easy to announce but tough to follow, and that is what I want to say here, too. They’re always tough — at least, they are for me. It can be exhausting to show respect for folks whose opinions or behaviors you disagree with, and no doubt challenging to listen.

Being kind to them is even harder. And who likes to apologize? The “Try to” extension acknowledges these challenges and assumes people’s good intentions from the start, that we’re doing our best (even when we’re not).

So as the year begins, here’s an invitation for all of us. Let’s open the year by accepting that studying, teaching and working in a place where respectfulness is prioritized is on all of our wishlists. And then let’s each choose to work on one of these other three values that we know we’re weakest in. Maybe some of us will want to practice listening better — really listening — to the people around us (that’s mine). Or some may want to work on being kinder to people we don’t agree with or just don’t like. Or maybe some of us struggle with a willingness to take responsibility for errors or slip-ups.

Whatever you choose to work on, you can’t go wrong. And you’re not alone. We’re all working on getting better, and it’s not easy.

So let’s at least all try.

page 18 | features

the lion's roar

Farmers market: A space for local connections Sanjana Deshpande Features Editor

Every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. from June to October, local bakeries, farms and small shops come from near and far to sell organic produce, unique treats and specialty items at Newton North High School and Cold Spring Park.

For over 40 years, Newton’s farmers markets have been a summer staple for residents. A sense of community extends to the vendors alike.

At Uncle Joey’s Cannoli’s stand, employee Domiana Piazzisi fills fresh cannolis and hands out business cards. She said that the farmers market offers her a welcoming environment and exposure to new customers and business.

“It’s really taken off in the past two years.

We’ve expanded on adding new flavors, and we make all of the filling from scratch,” she said. “The customers here are really easygoing, nice people. It’s just a very fun, chill, laid back environment, and I like making people smile, and people usually always smile when they get a cannoli.”

Farmers markets like Newton’s provided Robert Frassica with an avenue to start and grow his business, Pocket Watch Bakery, after graduating from culinary school. His father, John Frassica, said the COVID-19 pandemic made opening a bakery even harder, so they had to find alternate solutions in order to

photo by Emily Schwartz

Shoppers at the Wally's Vegetables stand

pursue his goal.

“It happened to be that he graduated right when COVID broke out, so to start something at a brick and mortar, meaning a storefront business, at the time, just wasn't a good idea. It was impossible. So he created this business where he rents a kitchen and he sells online and at the farmers markets, and he gets

himself an opportunity to promote his cookies that way,” he said.

“He wants to start his own bakery, but right now, he's working with the farmers markets because it's amazing the people you can meet in different locations of the state. And now he doesn’t want to leave. He loves it.”

The pandemic hit Rose Chipalu, who owns Bridges Nepali Cuisine, hard as well, as she missed being able to interact with customers and see their reactions to her food.

"We were here two years back before the epidemic, and then we came back again,” she said. “But during the epidemic, we were not able to participate in the markets, and that was a little frustrating because we wanted to come out here and see people and see their responses to the food.”

The farmers market strives to serve the entire community no matter customers’ financial situations. Stephen Lesiczka, owner of Wally’s Vegetables, said that the market offers programs which both assist those with lower incomes and allow vendors to bring in more revenue.

“One great program that we have at the market is through food stamps, SNAP cards and EBT cards. It’s called the Healthy Incentives Program, and anyone on a food stamp is allocated 40, 60 or 80 dollars, depending on their family's [income], that they can spend here at the market that is covered by the government,” he said. “So that’s been great for us too because it brings in business that otherwise we would never get.”

Market Manager Nancy Scammon said that while the pandemic was difficult for the market as it was for everyone, it has bounced back successfully.

“We did have restrictions,” she said.

“But we got through like everybody else did, and I think that the vendors are happy to be back here. We actually had some vendors who weren't going to dump the market only because they knew that they would get better sales in this spot. So it was important to them, and I think that to the vendors, having this space is special and important.”

For vendors like Piazzisi, the community that the farmers market has fostered is the best part of selling there. Piazzisi said that she has formed connections with the other businesses at the market.

“I really like talking to them, and everyone is willing to help everyone set up and things like that,” she said. “It doesn't feel like it's just me. It feels like it's all of us.”

Beyond selling cookies, Frassica said that he loves getting to form connections with customers and leaving a long-lasting impact on the community.

“The experiences we've had with customers that we didn't know before, but who now all of a sudden come back every week and we've gotten to know their names, is an awesome feeling,” he said. “When you see a customer come back every week, and you know that his name is Mark, or Tony or Jill, and you say, ‘Oh my gosh, they're back again,’ that's just an awesome feeling.”

Newtonville Books captures the community Molly Johnson & Feiya Wang Features Editor, Features Reporter

The small bookstore on Langley Road is an island in America’s current storm of chain retailers and online stores. Since 1998, local book lovers have come to Newtonville Books for a quiet spot to read, opportunities to learn, and a community oriented atmosphere.

Owners Mary Cotton and her husband Jaime Clarke bought the store in 2007 and have both been managing it since.

Competition with larger non-independent businesses where customers can purchase books online, such as Amazon, has become a major challenge for the bookstore, Cotton said.

“We’re a small bookstore where we do have a lot of things, but not everything, and so we have to try and make sure our place is pleasant enough or we’re giving people something they can’t get online,” she said.

Newtonville Books staff member Julia Woodward said that the bookstore has a much more personal atmosphere than her previous job in commercial retail.

“Independent places feel a lot more collaborative and based on people’s ideas and realities rather than something handed down from a corporate overlord,” Woodward said.

Woodward said that she and her colleagues typically have pleasant experiences while assisting customers, whether it be finding new publications, recommending books and genres, or ringing up purchases. Before working at the bookstore and returning to school, Woodward taught at a high school. She said she especially enjoys her interactions with teachers who visit the store. “[Teachers] always talk about books and teaching and what they're going to be

reading with their classes. I love to meet all of the teachers,” she said.

For students like Woodward and her colleague Julio Baez, the bookstore serves as both a fun part-time job and a connection to the local community. Baez said that he enjoys the atmosphere in bookstores.

“I just thought if I was going to look for a job that I would probably start in a bookstore just to be around a bunch of books all the time,” he said.“Bookstores give off a really good vibe.”

After closing for nearly two years due to the pandemic, the store is still adjusting to a new normal. To keep up with the changing circumstances, Newtonville Books has adapted to the needs of customers, Cotton said. In addition to a morning mask mandate, which gives elderly and immunocompromised customers a reliable time to shop safely, the bookstore began selling books online last year. “[ The online store] was new for us, and we mostly did that because of COVID and so a lot of people didn’t want to come into the stores,” she said. “We’re always trying different things.”

Additionally, COVID meant fewer and less frequent author events. Author events advertise the bookstore and enable customers to connect with authors and build community.

“This is what you can get when you come

here. You can have this community, someone presenting something to you about something you didn't know about and something thoughtful that you can then think about, and maybe meet new people and talk about it,” said Cotton.

The value of such educational opportunities is immense for customers like Yusuf Nasrullah, who said he missed attending author events and reading in the store when it closed.

Nasrullah said that he especially enjoys attending author events, as they allow him to get his first-edition books signed and learn from the writers.

“Because [an author’s] books are complex and get me thinking, I

in her store by providing a diverse selection of books. She said that she always thinks about underrepresentation when stocking the shelves.

Nasrullah said that he appreciates the diverse content and interactive opportunities the bookstore provides. “[Newtonville Books] covers a lot of different perspectives, nationalities, sexualities, religions, belief systems and certainly a lot of diversity in thought as well,” he said. “That's the magic of books: they help us relate to the world.”

gr ap hi

cb yJ ul ie

love the ability to ask them a question in person and see their process in writing. I’m always interested by the spark and what exactly leads them to come up with a certain premise,” Nasrullah said.

In addition to hosting author events, Cotton also creates a welcoming environment

W an g

page19 September 8, 2022

SPORTS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 39, Issue 3

In the Swim of Things Two seniors describe their experiences working by the water this summer

By John Timko Graphics by Adrienne Lirio

Sammy McClintock Brae Burn Country Club

A

competitive swimmer for Crimson Aquatics, Sammy McClintock stayed by the pool this summer, working as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Brae Burn Country Club. She said her inspiration to try lifeguarding came from her swim club teammates, many of whom are lifeguards as well.

“Being a lifeguard is a really good job because you get to use your strengths — it’s important to be a strong swimmer to be a lifeguard,” she said.

She said the job was straightforward and relaxing, as there was plenty of break time to swim with other lifeguards in between her shifts watching the pool.

“It’s a really positive working environ-

ment. Everyone there is super friendly, and it’s a very chill place to work,” she said.

As a swim instructor, McClintock taught younger kids new swimming skills and even helped some overcome their fear of the water.

“It’s really rewarding when you teach a kid something new and help them be more confident in the water,” she said.

Lifeguarding this summer allowed McClintock to be outside during warm summer days and soak in the sunshine and fresh air.

Despite the extended periods of time sitting in her lifeguard chair, she said that if someone is looking to spend time outside and hang out with friends next summer, lifeguarding is the way to go.

photo contributed by Sammy McClintock

Maya Jha Paddle Boston

O

n a warm summer day at Paddle Boston, Maya Jha helps customers board and unboard canoes on the Charles River. She hauls the canoes from their storage racks to the water and back again when customers return.

Ironically, Jha’s summer job opportunity came about from her winter sport. ”Paddle Boston and the Weston Ski Track are connected, and I do Nordic skiing,” she said. “So I was on the Weston Ski Track’s email list, and I got an email that they were hiring.”

This summer was Jha’s second at Paddle Boston. She worked at Nahanton Park, one of Paddle Boston’s smaller locations, with only four or five colleagues at a time. She said that while the majority of employees are college students, a large number of South students work at Paddle Boston as well.

“The people there are always super fun,”

she said. “Especially on the weekdays when nobody comes in. You basically just get paid to hang out with people … It’s literally camp, but you get paid.”

One downside of the job is the frequent close encounters with critters, which Jha said contributed to her eventual decision to quit.

“They have these massive spiders,” she said. “They’re wolf spiders, and they’re absolutely terrifying.”

This summer, Jha also worked at J.P. Licks in Newton Centre, opening and closing shifts, which allowed her to fit both jobs into her schedule. By lifting canoes all day, Jha said her physical strength improved. Although she often deals with massive lines at J.P. Licks, high traffic is not as much of a problem at Paddle Boston, where there are fewer customers. Jha said that while both jobs are fairly similar, she recommends Paddle Boston as a more laid-back opportunity.

The people there are always super fun ... When nobody comes in, you basically just get paid to hang out with people.

sports | page 20

issuu.com/thelionsroar

Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX

By Emily Schwartz and Clare Tourtelotte

Before 1972, fewer than 300,000 girls nationwide played high school sports. That changed on June 23, 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Civil Rights Act — groundbreaking legislation that bans sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs. The law requires that all co-educational institutions display no discrimination relating to athletics participation numbers, scholarships, program budgets and coaching salaries, creating a widespread impact: today, the number of high school female athletes has increased tenfold from 1972 to more than 3.5 million. Immense strides have been made to advance gender equity and sexual harrasment protocols in high school and college sports and sexual harrasment protocols. In honor of Title IX’s 50th anniversary, sports editor Clare Tourtelotte and editor-in-chief Emily Schwartz compiled the stories of female athletes continuing to fight for equity in Boston.

1967: Women run the Boston Marathon Katherine Switzer was the first woman to officially register for and run the Boston Marathon. In the 1960s, there was a sexist belief that long-distance running would permanently alter women’s “feminine” figures, making it an uncommon sport for women.

Despite societal discouragement, Switzer fell in love with marathon running and signed up for the race with her initialed name, K.V. Switzer, unintentionally concealing her gender.

Switzer completed the marathon, overcoming race director Jock Semple’s attempts to rip her number off and push her off the course when he realized there was a woman racing. Even though it would take five years for women to officially be allowed to race, Switzer helped demystify female athletes, demonstrating to people all over the world that women are photo courtesy of Runner's World Switzer overcoming Jock Semple's attack capable, strong and powerful.

1991: First FIFA Women’s World Cup

photo courtesy of US Soccer

In 1975, Switzer ran a Personal Best in Boston of 2:51:37

photo courtesy of SB Nation

2000: Boston Breakers Established Professional women’s soccer in the United States has been precarious, unhelped by limited television coverage and franchise deals, but in 2000, the Boston Breakers was founded in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), the world’s first women’s professional league to pay all players salaries.

In the wake of the success of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, hosted and won by the United States in the iconic Rose Bowl penalty shoot out, 20 U.S. National Soccer Team players worked to secure investors, markets and players for the new league and play began in 2001 with eight teams.

After the WUSA folded in 2003 and a second attempt at a league, Women's Professional Soccer, folded in 2012, the Breakers was one of eight teams to play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Until 2018, when the franchise folded due to a lack of marketing and subsequently a weak fanbase, the team played in Cambridge and Somerville stadiums. Notable Breakers players include World Cup champions Rose Lavelle and Alyssa Naeher. The NWSL has expanded to 12 teams for the 2022 season.

USA takes home the World Cup in 1991

Title IX’s passage mandated equal spending on male and female collegiate athletics, fueling a surge in women’s collegiate soccer programs. As a result, in 1991, the Federal International Football Association (FIFA) hosted the first world cup for women, named the “First FIFA World Championship for Women’s Football for the M&M’s Cup.” To this day, FIFA continues to belittle women by calling the men's tournament simply“The World Cup,” and the women's “The Women’s World Cup,” only furthering the notion that FIFA doesn’t see men and women equally.

Nonetheless, in Guangdong, China in 1991, the United States won the Cup with a victory over Norway. Captain April Heinrichs and players Carin Jennings and Michelle AkersStahl formed a forward line so dangerous that it was deemed the "Triple-Edged Sword." Team USA’s 1991 performance laid the groundwork for the victorious 1999 Women’s World Cup, which further encouraged the growth of female athletics.

2016, 2021, 2022: Boston Pride wins the Isobel Cup, the national championship

photo courtesy of Equalizer Soccer

photo courtesy of Soccer Today

The Boston Breakers in 2015 and 2017, respectively

On March 29, 2022, Boston’s professional hockey team, the Boston Pride, became repeat national champions, winning their third Isobel Cup in program history. Although they are not as recognized as their male counterparts, the Pride have been dominant since 2016, when the Premier Hockey Federation, formerly called the National Women’s Hockey League, was formed as the first professional women’s hockey league to pay its players.

As one of four founding franchises, the Pride won the inaugural Isobel Cup in 2016 and continued to dominate the expanding league, winning the title in 2021 after a tumultuous COVID-19 season. In September 2020, Boston Logan Airport honored the Pride’s championship wins by unveiling banners alongside those of the Celtics, Bruins, Patriots and Red Sox. The two banners were the first time Logan Airport recognized a women’s professional sports team’s wins. The Pride begins their 2022-2023 season in November.

photo courtesy of The Victory Press

photo courtesy of The Hockey Writers

Boston Pride winning the Isobel Cup

Q& A issuu.com/thelionsroar

What does a normal day look like during pre-season?

te db yG ens er

I’ll get here around 8 because almost all the teams for fall sports have tryouts. I'm here basically from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. If there are injured players, then I help treat them and rehab them, and I make sure that everyone is safe. If there are any injuries that pop up, I'm the one that takes care of them. And

t ri on oc phot

bu

When did the recruitment process start?

It started at the very beginning of junior year, summer going into junior year…

I went to a showcase for my coach Alison Foley. And there were a bunch of coaches there, and a few coaches reached out to me.

I started talking to Dartmouth for a little bit and then that's when the whole process started. I had a few tournaments away in places like Florida for my club team, and that's when I started talking to more coaches as well.

What do these upcoming seasons look like?

I'm honestly just really excited. Some of the pressure is off because I know what school I'm going to, but the upcoming school year and seasons are still so exciting. I'm just going to enjoy my last seasons.

The Roar's Marisa MacDonald spoke to two of the biggest names in South athletics about their new opportunities and positions

!"##$ %"#&

As South's new Athletic Trainer for the upcoming school year, Wang will work on-site with sports teams and athletes

that would be from blisters and cuts to more serious injuries to their muscles or bones. I'll take a look at whatever they need.

What will your role look like during the fall season?

When the school year starts, it's going to be very similar. Just the day's going to be

cut shorter. If there are games, then I'm going to definitely be at the games because those take precedence over practices.

Right after school I know there's a big rush, so I'll try to get all the teams that are going out to away games their Med Kit [and water] … ready to go so they can just grab it and they can just leave … then I'll tend to whoever has games because they have priority, and then whoever has practice …

Not too busy.

'"(($ )*#+*,

ot ph

This is my first job out of school.

Before South, I went to UMass Amherst for undergrad, and then I went to school at Merrimack [College] for my master's in athletic training. I grew up in Hyde Park for the first part of my life and then moved up to Lexington, so I know South and I know North. I've played in this gym before. When I was looking around for jobs, I recognized this name, so I decided to apply here.

!"#$#%$&' !"#$#%$&'( #()*)&' #)*+*&'

o

by B

ell a

Isha nyan

What has been your favorite part of the job so far?

Definitely just always being around sports. I've been an athlete all my life, so I love sticking around sports and watching good sports. It's really fun. I get paid to watch sports and talk to athletes. It's also easy to connect with all the players here because I'm not that far apart in age from them. It's been easy to talk to all the athletes.

It’s been a great start.

Genser shooting the ball during a basketball game her freshmen year

The senior captain of the girls soccer and girls basketball teams committed to play both sports at Colby College next year

How was the process of being recruited different because you play two sports?

At first, I just wanted to play D1 soccer. I was talking to Miami. I was talking to a few other schools. And then I hurt my ankle, and then my whole life kind of switched around. I had a really good basketball season for South. I was just thinking to myself [that]I can't quit this sport.

Then I started looking at NESCACs (New England Small College Athletic Conference), and I was talking to Wesleyan and Middlebury as well. And then at this ID camp, Colby saw me and I just fell in love with Colby right away, and they took me right away. I just could not say no to them.

And they offered me a spot.

How do you feel being the captain of both teams you committed for?

Being a captain of both teams, I know a lot of kids look up to me, and they see the actions that I do. It's kind of a cool thing that the younger kids will look up to me now that I'm a senior who is going to school for the sports that I love.

How was the overall experience for you?

Even though it's been stressful and there have been a lot of changes, I've just enjoyed every second of the journey. I'm glad that I finally accomplished my dream that I've had since I was a little kid.

er uted by Gens photo contrib

Why did you decide to come work at South?

sports | page 21

page 22 | sports

the lion's roar

Fall Forward girls

soccer

After a top five state finish last season, senior captain Bria Abbiati knows results are expected.

“We have pretty high expectations. We have nine out of 11 of our starting squad returning. And pretty much everyone that's coming back has been playing [club soccer] and playing competitively year round. So everyone's getting better. We want to win the DCL and we want to win states,” she said.

Communication is one thing the team can improve upon, Abbiati said. A unified group can flourish, and she said she wants to make sure the team feels connected.

“We need to be able to communicate well towards each other on and off the field.

We need to hold each other accountable. We're trying to change that culture so that we're all working as a unit, instead of last year when it was a little more individual. We want to make sure the chemistry is there,” she said.

With communication, resilience and connection, nothing is impossible for this team.

golf

The golf team has been hard at work in the offseason, doing their best to better their game, senior captain Will Freudenheim said.

“Since golf ’s an individual sport, it’s your own responsibility to practice and try and improve during the off-season,” he said.

“Everyone on the team was able to play at a golf course or use some sort of practice facility to better their game.”

Still, golf is very much a team sport.

Freudenheim knows he has to push the team to their best to go far in the tournament.

“Our team is already composed of hard workers and people who have a genuine passion for the game, so in my mind the only thing for me to do is encourage my teammates to continue to practice as much as they can,” he said.

After placing fifth in the Dual County League Cup last year, the golf team is looking very competitive as they seek revenge on their opponents this year.

By Zach Rhein and Tate Slater

boys

Despite an extremely talented roster last season, the boys soccer team fell short due to inconsistency, senior captain Kamar BurrisKhan said. This season, he's prepared to make the changes necessary to ensure the team is always at 100 percent efficiency.

“As a captain, I'm going to decrease toxicity by making sure that we win and lose as a team, and even when we lose, we are optimistic about the next game,” he said.

Although a state championship run is no easy task, Burris-Khan said he is hopeful after a strong preseason.

“We're looking really good. I've always said it. I've been playing with these guys since elementary school. I've always said when we're seniors, we're gonna have a really, really good squad,” he said.

How many other teams in the DCL can say they’ve been playing together since elementary school?

There’s no doubt the team’s camaraderie will play a big role in the upcoming season.

football

Senior captain John Toyias has high hopes for this season. He said he thinks the football team has what it takes to succeed.

“It's looking really good. We have a new offense this year, and we're doing some really good things. We've got some great personnel this year. We can go really far,” he said.

Despite a talented roster last season, injuries held the team back. Toyias said that the key for this season is getting the team to enjoy working hard at practice.

“That's my major goal. It's a grind, and you gotta put some effort in, but at the end of the day, it's got to be fun. You’ve got to have fun stepping out playing with your friends,” he said.

A strong, hard working roster that genuinely enjoys the game? That sounds like a lot of trouble for the Dual County League. The 2022 Newton South Football team is ready to smoke their opponents with a smile on their faces.

dance

photo by Gianna Burgess

The dance team works on a new routine

An in-depth look at the teams you'll be rooting for

The dance team is prepared for another great fall, as they have been hard at work in the offseason, senior captain Luisa Pedreira said.

“We already had some practices and reunions where we started preparing our incredible choreography for games, competitions and other presentations,” she said.

Pedreira said she’s looking forward to building on the team’s strong foundation.

“I really want to help bring the team together and create a great image … for incoming freshmen who want to join,” she said.

The dance team will not only show off their skills in competitions of their own, but also during Friday nights under stadium lights.

“This season, our goal is not only to bring home a DCL title, but we’re also very excited to hype up the crowd during football games,” she said.

The dance team will be bringing the energy this fall; if you still have your voice after attending one of the games, you, quite frankly, did not bring enough.

photo by Marty Basaria

Boys cross country huddles during a presason practice on a hot August afternoon

cross country boys

Last fall, the boys cross country team edged out Concord-Carlisle in a thrilling win.

This year, senior captain Aidan Lieberman said that he is excited to secure another victory in their rematch later this fall.

“Last time, we ‘Conquered’ Carlisle, so we hope to do that again,” he said.

While wins are important, Lieberman said that individual improvement is also a priority for the team.

“I want the team to improve and I want the team to win. I also want everyone to make it through the season healthy,” he said.

The key to this goal is training during the off-season, he said.

“One thing that makes cross country different from other sports is that you really have to be working over the summer if you want to have a successful season,” he said. “Fitness is the whole sport.”

While only time will tell if Lieberman and the cross country team can repeat their big win, there’s good reason to believe that the team will have a successful season regardless.

girls

Girls cross country is ready to take on the fall season as a team. Senior captain Margot Madison said that the girls program has a long history of team tradition.

“Carrying on traditions is always something that we look forward to, especially because we weren't really able to do [a lot] with COVID-19 and other restrictions,” she said. “[I look forward to] bringing back a lot of team traditions that people may remember from their freshman season.”

Another way to establish a strong community is by staying in the win column. Madison said that helping others reach their goals can only strengthen the team’s record.

“We are trying to help everyone achieve their personal goals because everyone comes from different places,” she said. “And that's helping someone out on a long run or being there at the finish or halfway as encouragement.”

Establishing a community within a team truly goes a long way, and will no doubt be helpful as the girls cross country team takes on the powerhouses of the Dual County League.

field hockey volleyball

Senior captain Caroline Blum is confident that the girls field hockey team can rise above challenging opponents this fall.

To prepare for strong competition, the team put in hard work during the summer.

“Our league is a super competitive league, so I expect the teams we are playing against to be very competitive games. This summer, many people on our team attended an overnight field hockey camp that the captains organized, and this really improved our play coming into the season,” she said.

Blum said she hopes that field hockey will be able to share the spotlight that’s taken up by other school sports.

“Often people at South do not take field hockey very seriously, but I want to show the students at our school that we are a very hardworking, serious, competitive team that deserves more respect.”

Blum is shooting to put field hockey on the student body’s radar this year, and a stellar season will do just that.

The girls volleyball team has an exciting season ahead of them, with strong opponents filling up their schedule. Senior captain Lily Gamburg said that she has a couple of games on her radar that are sure to be entertaining matchups.

“Our senior night this year is against Newton North, so that's going to be really fun.

We also have a game against Needham. That's our Big Pink game, which is a fundraiser for breast cancer funding, and it's always a good time,” she said.

To take on such strong opponents, the team has to do some preparation before stepping into the spotlight.

“A lot of us play club volleyball and grass tournaments in the summer in the offseason to prepare. We need to do what we can to get the team ready,” she said.

We will see if the preparation is enough to thrive against teams like Newton North and Needham. This talented team will be sure to put up a good fight.

issuu.com/thelionsroar

fun | page 23

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Fun fact: U.S. paper currency isn't made of paper. The notes are a blend of 25 percent linen and 75 percent cotton.

Source: uscurrency.gov

ACROSS

2. Florence Pugh and Harry Styles star in which new psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde? Here’s a clue: the title is “Don’t Worry ________”.

4. Upcoming digital news association for the Newton community, “The Newton _____”.

A fire or light on a high position that signals a warning.

6. Number of new teachers featured on page 17.

7. Central American country visited by a group of South students this summer. The group was supervised by biology teacher Michelle Caine.

9. “_______ Books” is a Langley Rd

bookstore that has operated since 1998. Name of one of the thirteen villages of Newton.

11. Popular teen summer job that involves enforcing pool regulations and rescuing swimmers (gerund form of the word).

12. New Taylor Swift album set to be released on Oct. 21.

14. Last name of the new interim superintendent who is replacing David Fleishman for this school year.

DOWN 1. Katherine Switzer was the first woman to participate in which famous Boston race?

3. Last name of the senior who committed to Colby College for soccer and basketball (interview on page 21).

5. “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is

ANSWERS a new prequel series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. Which multinational technology company is behind its production?

7. Delicious creamy pasta dish from Rome featured on page 8 — its sauce contains eggs, pancetta, parmesan and black pepper.

8. Ice cream shop in Auburndale (also known as “The ‘Dale”) that features the “Campfire S’mores” flavor.

10. MBTA line that shut down for 30 days of renovations beginning on August 19. A citrus fruit whose juice is often consumed in the morning.

Midnights 14) Smith tonville 11) Lifeguarding 12) 6) six 7) Costa Rica 9) NewAcross: 2) Darling 4) Beacon Wallys 10) Orange 13) TitleIX 5) Amazon 7) Carbonara 8) Down: 1) Marathon 3) Genser Answers:

13. 1972 civil rights law that prohibits sexbased discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds.