The Pelican Issue 3 2022-2023

The Pelican

Vol. LXXII, No. 3

Midterms Elections Nationally and at St. Paul's

On Nov. 8, Americans went to the polls to vote in the 2022 midterm elections. As of Wednesday morning, it seems likely that the Republican party will take control of the House of Representatives, but Senate control is still a toss-up.

In New Hampshire, incumbent Demo crat Maggie Hassan held onto her Senate seat against Don Bolduc, a hard-right challenger endorsed by Donald Trump. House Demo crats Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas held off conservative challengers. Republican Chris Sununu won his fourth term as governor.

Going into Tuesday, Republicans need ed to flip five House seats and one Senate seat to wrest control of Congress. Given these slim margins and polling that favored the GOP’s chances, most analysts predicted that the Democrats would lose the House, many local elections, and likely the Senate. But the Democrats outperformed expectations.

Many races have yet to be called, but the Democrats seem to have avoided the red wave that most pundits forecasted. In Colo rado, Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet swept to an easier win than expected, ending the

night with a 12 point lead. In Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Democrats won key gubernatorial elections.

The most significant flip so far is the vic tory of Democrat John Fetterman over Re publican Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate race. The race was one of four close contests that could determine control of the chamber. Democrats must hold on to two of the three remaining seats in Nevada, Georgia and Arizona to maintain their Senate majori ty.

Contents

News 2

Clark House Skill Building Group

Friends Youth Mentoring

Fiske Cup Returns, With Changes

Features 3-4

SPS Squirrels

XC Instagram Feud

Pelican Poll

The SYA Experience

StressPS

However, Republicans flipped a num ber of seats in Virginia and Florida, inch ing the party closer to netting the five seats they need to wrest control of the House.

Voting could take days to wrap up. The Georgia Senate race is likely to go to a run-off vote in December. As results con tinue to roll in, America will see if Repub licans can close out the House, Democrats can hold on to the Senate, and which party will win the key elections that will deter mine the future of America.

Editorials

Humanities Peer Tutors

Study Hours Replace Study Conditions

Every year at St.Paul’s, school leaders revise the student handbook to better suit the needs of the community. Last spring, the Rule Revision Committee discussed an issue that had been in consideration for a while: study hours. Previously named “Study Con ditions” in previous handbooks, “Study Hours” is the updated policy in the 2022-23 student handbook.

The committee made three changes to the policy: the name, hours, and specificity. This year’s handbook states that “study hours, Sunday to Friday 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., are reserved as a time for quiet engagement in academic work and preparation. During this time, quiet conditions in residential houses support effective study.” Detailed guidelines for quiet conditions can be found on page 35.

Last year, study conditions were en forced from 7:30 p.m to 9 p.m. Dean of Stu dents Suzanne Ellinwood explains the rea son for the time adjustment: “It always seemed silly that intervis overlapped with study hours, and we wanted to really honor intervis and have that be a time for visiting with friends,” she says. The policy was re named in order to create a stronger foothold within the student body. “For students really struggling in the evening to get started on work, this makes it very clear,” says Ellin wood.

5

Timmy the Bird Student Life 6-7

Music at St. Paul's Editorial Board

New! Style Column

Saturday Night Activitiess Sports 8

Cross Country Soccer Highlight Volleyball Night Game

SPS Scores and Home Games

Opinions and experiences with this policy vary. Georgie Najar ‘26 admits that the policy isn’t very prominent in her house, Con/20.“I’m usually doing my homework, but sometimes it will be really loud while other times it’s very quiet,” she says. Kat Es teves ‘23, a prefect in Con/20, believes that study hours should be enforced. “There is already some level of independence that has been taken away from underformers,” she says. “It’s good to teach students to enforce their own study habits instead of opposing them.”

The study hours policy is less wellknown than others because it isn’t univer sally enforced within houses. The Rule Revi sion Committee, says Ellinwood, believes that “creating study hours and defining the conditions makes the dorms more condu cive to study in for students. It really reflects our developmental model of creating more structure for younger students and giving more autonomy for students as they move through St. Paul’s and mature.”

William Mao '23 reports on local and national results

Photo by Vin Chutijirawong '25

St. Paul's School

The Pelican news

Clark House Introduces Skill Building Groups

Cora Partridge '24

Counselors Ryan Shirilla and Debra Hansen are pioneering Clark House’s first two skill building groups in a new initiative to move counseling support out into the larger school community. The Anxiety Edu cation Group, facilitated by Shirilla, met for three consecutive Mondays in October. The Distress Tolerance Group, facilitated by Hansen, met for five consecutive Thursdays in October and November.

Counselors selected group themes to provide support around coping with the stress of life at SPS and to address common topics brought up in counseling sessions. Anxiety and distress are “part of the human condition. Everyone struggles. You aren’t born knowing how to manage,” said Hansen. As the title of the groups suggest, students learn these skills in stages.

Shirilla laid out the broad strokes of the groups’ progression. Counselors “started off on an educational track with psychoeduca tion,” he said, exploring the impacts of anxi ety on cognition, physiology and behavior. Following that, he said, the plan was to “move into how to identify anxiety that is getting in the way and how to cope and move forward.”

Counselors hope these groups will en

able Clark House to reach more students more effectively. They say the group setting is intended to create an environment of mutual support, so that people can learn from each other. Going forward, Hansen would like to see the Distress Tolerance group “bring more awareness to distress and coping strategies.” Shirilla, whose work prior to SPS focused pri marily on anxiety and related disorders, aimed to support “a deeper understanding of the human condition. Anxiety is a universal

Friend Youth Mentoring Returns to Campus

Marvin Cho '24

Over the past few weeks, students may have noticed many unfamiliar young faces roaming the St. Paul’s campus. Accompanied by SPS students, these Concord elementary and middle school students eat at the Upper dining tables, throw frisbees on Chapel Lawn, or read books in the library.

year. It’s hard to form bonds with someone when you’re only meeting them online for an hour a week,” says Ryan Doherty ‘23.

-Counselor Debra Hansen

experience.”

The counselors urge students seeking support regarding anxiety or distress toler ance to reach out to Clark House staff for more information on these skill building groups. The group facilitators say they want to accommodate the busy schedules of SPS stu dents and are open to input on logistics and suggestions. In general, Hansen wanted stu dents to know that the groups are “here to stay.” Shirilla agreed: “They’re here for every body, even if you are just curious to learn.”

These elementary-aged students meet with their SPS mentor once a week as a part of the Friends Youth Mentoring Program. The two-year partnership creates a deep connection between the SPS mentor and Concord mentee, which helps the mentee as they enter their teenage years. A small group of SPS students also mentor on Thursday af ternoons as part of the Concord 21c after school program.

“We're so pleased to be able to welcome the Friends Program back to campus this fall,” says Director of Global Engagement Victoria Bernier. “I'm really proud of how the SPS mentors were able to make the best of online mentoring for the last few years and know that being back in person this year will allow for the 26 mentor/mentee connec tions to really grow and thrive."

The Friends program moved online for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was tough being on Zoom for the entire

Fiske Cup Returns, with Changes

Sebastian Brigham '24

Since its founding 86 years ago, Fiske Cup has been an integral dorm bonding expe rience for students across the school. Tradi tionally, Fiske Cup involved students writing and performing an original house play. The activity is intended to foster bonds between students, as everyone in the house is involved in the creative process. Fiske Cup went on hi atus following the 2020-21 school year and has returned with some significant changes.

In Oct. 2022, members of the Dean of Students office assigned each house a script that could not be changed or altered in any way. Jack Bocresion ‘24, the director for Simp son House’s play this year, feels these changes affected his housemates’ motivation. “There was a lack of enthusiasm due to the lack of creative freedom,” he says.

According to Dean of Students Suzanne Ellinwood, the school implemented these changes in response to the Fiske Cup scriptapproval process becoming more “conten tious and adversarial” each year. “Things were said that were unkind towards students or disrespectful to faculty,” Ellinwood says. The new system aims to decrease the risk of stu

dent discipline spawning from the event. “It would be terrible to have the Fiske Cup plays go and to have there be discipline coming out of it,” says Ellinwood.

This year four houses competed, a rela tively low number compared to years prior. This low participation rate has been part of a greater trend in recent years. The changes to participation guidelines, Ellinwood notes, were intended in part to reduce pressure and enhance the lighthearted, fun aspects of the competition, reversing this recent downward trend in participation.

Center, Wing, Warren and Ford per formed their preliminary shows in common rooms and common spaces around campus. Tattie Gibbs ‘24 attended some of these per formances and noted a positive atmosphere and energy despite what she considered low attendance. Center, Wing, and Warren moved on to the Fiske Cup Final, which was origi nally scheduled for Nov. 5.

Because some student performers were not available on Nov. 5, organizers postponed the final performance to an undetermined later date. Wing House co-director Sophia Burdge ‘24 says that energy for the final was

high, but their performance of “Beauty and the Beast on Scooters” on Saturday wasn’t possible, as two lead actors were away for the weekend. Cora Partridge ‘24, the director of Center House’s “Elf on Scooters,” says the an nouncement of the final was “not anticipated.” This inhibited the house’s ability to perform, since many cast members had prior commit ments.

Historically, students participating in Fiske Cup have viewed the event as a bonding experience between members of the house. Partridge felt that, through Center’s perfor mance this year, she was able to “get to know the girls in the house better.” Additionally, El linwood says one reason for moving the event from the spring to the fall term was fostering connections between students earlier in the year that could last throughout students’ time at SPS and beyond.

The next time the Fiske Cup tradition takes place, students can again expect change. “We would look to include student voices,” says Ellinwood. Ultimately, school leaders want Fiske Cup to be a fun, low-stress event with a high participation, bringing together students across forms.

With the return of in-person sessions this year, mentors and mentees are enjoying more opportunities for fun activities and deeper connections. “There definitely is a huge difference because we’re able to get din ner with them and spend multiple hours with them doing various activities,” says Doherty. “Being able to do hands-on things like read

ing books or playing sports together has been especially good for creating stronger bonds.”

Although it may be tempting to greet the mentors and mentees during their weekly ses sions, the mentors ask other SPS students to keep a polite distance and be mindful of pos sible distractions. “We are trying to build that one-on-one relationship, so [Friends coordi nators] want us to have uninterrupted time with our mentees to keep out other distrac tions,” says Jacob Kwon ‘24.

Visit our website: Pelican.sps.edu!

Faculty Profiles: Mr Sarmiento by Ryan Su '26

Mr. Harff by Lucas Miller '25

Mr. Ryan by Sebastian Brigham '24

Ms. McKinney by Ella Ruminski '26

Ms. Otterson by Monika Principal '26

Ms. Ansemi by Ava Price '24

Mrs. Pine by Nausicaa Cho '26

Mr. Durmer by Stella McNab '25

Everyone struggles.

You aren't born knowing how to manage.

Graphic by Julia Koeman '25

F eaT ures

SYA Student Experiences

Simona Mesgina '23

Amala Jenkins-Culver '23 had a new bag, a gift from her older sister, which quick ly became one of her most prized posses sions. She didn’t miss an opportunity to wear it wherever she went. One night, navigating her way through the Rennes train station af ter returning from Paris, “I realized my bag was missing. I started panicking and looking for it everywhere.” She reported it missing and, thankfully, was notified that it was be ing held at a station about an hour away. “It was far, but that purse had everything in it. My passport, my money, my credit and debit cards—even my bus card.” Jenkins-Culver’s host mother graciously made the hour-long drive to the train station with her that fol lowing weekend and, after much worry, Jen kins-Culver’s purse was back in her posses sion.

School Year Abroad, or SYA, prides it self on its housing process, Jenkins-Culver says, and host families can help students feel more at home and immersed in the local cul ture. “My host mother treated me as if I was her own daughter and supported me,” she says, although her “host mom’s parenting style was different from my mother’s parent ing style, so it did take some adjusting.”

Kimani Greene '23, another SYA France

"StressPS" at St. Paul's

Hudson Stovall '24

At 8 a.m. the buzzing sound of an iPhone alarm radiates throughout a 12 by 19 foot room, immediately waking Sixth For mer Aryan Mitta out of his slumber. He leaves the comfort of his bed, exposing his bare feet to the floor, and takes in his room through blurry eyes. Mitta breathes in deep ly, then exhales the serenity of the night, ready to embark upon the day ahead of him: rigorous classes followed by fitness practice, dinner and club meetings. Before long, it is 9 p.m. and his hours of homework thwart any plans for an early night. At 2 a.m. Mitta fi nally rests his head on his pillow. A few short hours later, the buzzing iPhone alarm starts all over again.

The schedule Mitta endures daily may

student last year, says she had a more difficult experience with her host family. “One of the most challenging things for me was not really feeling like I had a support system,” she says. “I had a great one from my friends and teach ers, but sometimes you kind of need that pa rental support.”

Students who sign up for SYA are aware that they are embarking on a potentially challenging journey. Jenkins-Culver felt it was worth the risk. “I wanted to be able to share that experience and relate to my moth er who had studied abroad in college and had a really good experience,” she says. Greene joined SYA “to strengthen my language skills and because it would be a refreshing change.”

Aside from math and English, SYA stu dents take all their classes in the local lan guage. Twice a week, SYA France students met for Experiential French. For their first meeting, students were told to leave their phones at school. “We were given a map, put into pairs, and dropped off in the middle of town and told to find things,” says JenkinsCulver. The activity pushed them to familiar ize themselves with downtown Rennes and enhance both their language skills and their cultural knowledge.

Greene entered SYA with six years of French experience and Jenkins-Culver had studied for nine years in a French immersion school. “The other students had various lev els of experience with French. You only need to have two years’ experience to do SYA,” she says. At the end of the program, students complete a capstone and present it in the lo cal language.

seem strange to those outside of St. Paul’s School, but it is all too common among stu dents. Mitta is part of a group of SPS students who say they sacrifice their mental, emotion al, and physical health to pursue academic success.

“If you play a sport and you're involved in a club each day, you really have no time [to yourself] until after you check in. And that’s just not healthy, because then you have to do hours of homework late at night,” Mitta says his biggest challenge at St. Paul’s is balancing his commitments. Those who push them selves academically and physically have little space in their schedules for breaks. This lack of free time, they say, is amplified by the oneday weekend. In addition to Saturday classes, Mitta and many others spend their Sundays preparing for the week ahead, leaving them with little time to recuperate.

Some students say the schedule affects their social lives as well. “You never get to go to your friends’ just for the sake of having fun, and I think that's something we all need,”

Both students recommend thoughtfully considering the challenges of studying abroad before committing to SYA. “A year is a very long time,” says Greene. Jenkins-Cul ver cautions students not to overly romanti cize the experience. “I would recommend it, but it's not for everyone. It's not ‘Emily in Paris,’” she says. “If you’re not mentally ready to be away from your family and friends for

that long, or to be in a space where you are very clearly an outsider, then I wouldn’t tell you to go because it can get very difficult.”

Jenkins-Culver also reflects on the po tential challenges of being a student of color in a majority white city. “There are some cul tural and racial differences that you are going to feel when you go,” she says. “There is going to be some tension with that.”

says Mitta. This lack of social interaction and personal free time takes a toll on him: he can never escape the work mindset. “I don't think the school makes relaxing easy," he says.

Emerson Wang ‘23 also acknowledges his stress at St. Paul's. “There is not much

There is not much time to relax for me, especially day to day; Saturday night is the only day I have time to really relax.

-Aryan Mitta '23

time to relax for me, especially day to day; Saturday night really is the only day where I have time to really relax,” he says. Like Mitta, Wang also averages six to seven hours of sleep per night because of his hectic sched

ule, which he says exacerbates his stress.

Wang doesn't believe school culture is to blame for student stress levels. “I would say I'm stressed, but I think it is the same for many high school students everywhere. So I can't blame the stress levels on the school,” he says. Wang has little time for sleep or re laxation. Still, he believes his emotional, mental, and physical strife “is just the way it is.”

Mitta often resorts to artificial drinks for energy. “I've gotten so used to having no sleep throughout my time here, and I just drink coffee. I know that's not good for me, but I've just gotten used to it,” he says.

Ultimately, Mitta believes his sacrifices are outweighed by what he gains from SPS. “I think what will benefit me is my discipline, hard work, and time management. These are valuable skills,” he says. Similarly, Wang will ingly takes on a lot of work because he be lieves this will help him in college and later in his professional life.

Amala Jenkins-Culver '23 with friends from SYA France

F eaT ures

M edia h ighligh T

SPS Squirrels: We Investigate

Lulu Mangriotis '25

We all know and love SPS Squirrels, the Instagram account NOT affiliated with St. Paul’s School. I could write pages about this ac count, but there is only so much I can fit in this article, so let’s begin.

Whenever I see an Instagram post from SPS Squirrels on my feed, my day immediately becomes ten times better. However, it also ig nites a desire to figure out who is behind the hilarious posts and captions. My first step to figuring out the intentions and identity of SPS Squirrels was by conducting an interview for this article…via DM.

The account began in Winterim 2021 and was prompted by the anonymous creator’s at tendance of “The Nut-cracker.” You might be thinking: “but The Nutcracker has nothing to do with squirrels?” That’s correct. It has abso lutely nothing to do with squirrels. However, an event on the scenic winter walk over to Memo rial Hall brought inspiration. “I saw a poor squirrel fall from a really tall tree,” SPS Squirrels said. They went on to create the SPS Squirrels instagram account “in order to honor this fall en squirrel. Squirrels brought us abundant joy

during this dark time, and we hoped that its presence would bring other members of the community great joy as well.” Wow. Amazing things can happen when you attend The Nut cracker at Memorial Hall on Dec. 9, 10 and 11 this year (shameless plug)!

Avid supporters of the Instagram account may have noticed that posts have declined in number recently. However, despite a decline in submissions, the number of followers has in creased. “Recently, we have had many celebrities such as Mrs. Bohan, @spsboysxc, and lots of people's moms follow,” SPS Squirrels revealed. As teenagers in today's brutal Instagram influ encer world, we understand the pressure SPS Squirrels must feel to deliver positive content.

The most important part of this article was determining the identity of SPS Squirrels. Hav ing established a rapport in my interview, I asked for a hint. The response? “Nice try, Squir rel-lock Holmes. SPS Squirrels is not about the identity of the owners or about the identity of the production team behind it. It is about the identity of followers who send in their photos and spread joy to the squirrel community on campus.” This made me realize that I must take on this title of “Squirrel-lock Holmes” and use my detective skills to solve this mystery.

Article continued on p. 5

Boys XC Instagram Fame Questioned

Matthew Letourneau '23

The student body has been buzzing over the St. Paul’s Boys Cross Country team’s viral rise to fame, with the @spsboysxc Instagram account acquiring more than 5,000 followers seemingly overnight. Some students specu late that instead of thousands of real fans fol lowing the account, a team member bought fake followers. This begs the question: is one of SPS’s less prevalent sports suddenly gain ing stardom, or is it just a running joke?

Members of the Girls Cross Country team (which only has 220 followers) allege an Instagram feud may be to blame, with both teams racing against each other to achieve the greatest number of followers. Girls team co-captain Georgia Alessio ‘23 re

fuses to comment on the feud, and “can nei ther confirm nor deny the validity of any such allegations” of paid followers. Perhaps the girls’ team knows something we don’t.

“The large following that SPS Boys’ XC has acquired over the term has been the product of the hard work of the team’s stu dent athletes. The team refuses to acknowl edge any accusations at this time,” says Lon Walton, co-captain of the boys team.

Some students wonder why an account with over 5,000 followers has an average of just 75 likes per post. What are the cross country teams hiding, and when will the truth come out? When the truth emerges, The Pelican will be there.

The Case For Humanities

Peer Tutors

Nicky Fink '23

Among the myriad of classes, sports and activities available at St. Paul’s School, all students are unified by one experience: the Humanities curriculum. Regardless of aca demic strengths or past experiences, every one shares in the enjoyment and rigor of Humanities. While the school provides some resources to help students with their human ities studies, the lack of peer tutors in this subject is notable and should be remedied.

I have loved Humanities throughout my time at St. Paul’s. I enjoy the history we learn, and the literature we read, and I have grown to love writing. As a third former, however, I had trouble adjusting to faculty expectations for papers and essays. In my first pieces of writing I often misinterpreted topics, failed to properly cite sources and generally suf fered from a lack of understanding of those expectations.

Writing is not a skill that comes natu

The Death of Timmy the Bird

e diTorials

rally to everyone, let alone to the high stan dards demanded here. Strong writing is a dif ficult aspiration. We can’t expect all students to achieve writing excellence by themselves. Given students’ wide range of comfort with writing, it is unfair and unrealistic to expect that all students will succeed immediately.

Humanities peer tutors should be a re source for students. School leaders acknowl edge the important help peer tutors can pro vide in languages, math, and science classes. Peer tutors exist because those classes are challenging, and class time and office hours may not offer enough support. Peer tutors provide crucial help with empathy, as they likely encountered many of the same chal lenges.

Humanities is no different. Peer tutors can alleviate stress and help students improve their writing. While the Humanities curricu lum can change over time, the topics are con sistent enough for peer tutors to be familiar with course content and to share the strate gies they used in their previous classes.

The argument against Humanities peer tutors is the risk of plagiarism when students help each other with writing. However, peer tutors in other subjects face a similar risk. Humanities is no more prone to plagiarism as any other subject. Many Humanities

teachers already offer peer editing as an op tion when submitting papers. Students iden tifying which peer tutor helped with their work is no different than having a classmate peer edit.

Creating Humanities peer tutors is nec essary and requires at least an attempt at im plementation. This would help students suc ceed at meeting their teacher’s expectations and would cause no harm. If done properly, students will benefit from a vital resource.

Miya Zhang '25

“It was hard not to notice. Early in the school year I was parking my bike and there he was. Bleached white bones in stark con trast to the gray neutrals of the pavement. He looked like a work of art.” Fine Arts Faculty member Brian Schroyer gestures outside the window toward the terrace overlooking Crumpacker Gallery. The bones belong to a bird, whom Mr. Schroyer has nicknamed Timmy, who likely died from flying into the glass barrier.

Glass collision deaths like this one are estimated to be responsible for nearly one billion bird fatalities in the United States ev ery year, according to a 2018 study published by the National Library of Medicine, and the majority of these occur with low-rise build ings. At St. Paul’s, the low height of most buildings coupled with the campus’s proxim ity to surrounding woodland areas increases the likelihood of anthropogenic bird deaths. Many campus buildings have glass walls and are surrounded by vegetation. The reflection of this vegetation creates the illusion of open air, so birds flying toward the glass hit a hard surface that causes most to die upon impact. Birds that survive are likely to die later from sustained injuries.

“Honestly, I think the glass barrier is pretty unfair to wildlife,” says Schroyer of the FAB terrace. Elizabeth Ramos ’23, one of Schroyer’s Advanced Drawing students, agrees. She suggests using stencils on the glass to warn birds while retaining the ter race’s aesthetics. Schroyer is in favor of this idea. He hopes to implement the stencils quickly, as Timmy was recently joined on the terrace by another victim of the glass just last week.

SPS squirrels continued

Here are some clues. I received two re sponses for each question: one from the ac count owner and one from the “SPS Squirrels team manager,” revealing that there are indeed TWO contributors to the account. Further more, the account was started last year, mean ing our suspects are fourth, fifth or sixth form ers. In my personal opinion, it is unlikely that fourth formers created this account in their third form year.

Lastly, these contributors have an amazing sense of humor. For example, when I asked @ spssquirrels how many squirrels they see in a day, one of the contributors replied: “My record is about 50, but then again maybe I saw the same squirrel 50 times.” So what I have deduced for the SPS community is: The owners of this ac count are two fifth or sixth formers who support the SPS Ballet Company and have an impeccable sense of humor. Take your guess, SPS!

Graphic by Julia Coleman '26

SPS squirrel in its natural habitat / Photo by Sophia Pace '24

Glass collision deaths like this one are responsible for nearly one billion bird fatalities in the United States

sT uden T l i F e

Getting Better Sleep: Tips and Tricks

Gracie DeSimone '23

My third form year was a blur. I gave myself fifteen minutes from waking up to leaving my room for breakfast, where my eyes stung until that first sip of black coffee. During class I laid back in my chair, my eye lids closing for a little longer each time I blinked. I survived on naps during my free blocks and lots of caffeine.

I had friends, was doing well in school and sports, and I saw my family a lot. But I constantly felt sad, lonely, and anxious. Small actions and words sent me into a trench of sorrow and my head felt like a jumble of thoughts that couldn’t be straightened out.

Today, as a senior, my life has changed. I feel alert and high energy during school, sports, and studying. The only thing that has changed in my life? My sleep schedule. At St. Paul’s School, sleep feels far too low on stu dents’ priority lists.

Many SPS students acknowledge they are getting insufficient sleep. Some report sleeping four hours a night, and even those who think they get enough are only adding up six to seven hours. According to medical director Dr. John Bassi and director of coun seling Dr. Tom Peters, the goal is eight to ten hours.

“I have a headache, I can’t keep my eyes open, and I cannot focus in classes,” says one student. Sleep deprivation symptoms de scribed by Bassi and Peters include delayed reaction time, poor mood, and nausea. Oc casional poor sleep will not cause long term damage, but chronic sleep deprivation can. Bassi says these include hypertension, high cholesterol, and an increased risk of heart at tacks.

What can students do? Here are some steps to improve quality of sleep and life:

Start off with a good baseline

Create a cycle of going to bed early and waking up early. Occasionally using a safe dose of melatonin (1-5 mg) can kickstart a good sleep schedule, though it should not be taken repeatedly in order to avoid reliance on it.

Avoid over-studying

Peters explains that choosing studying over sleep means “you are working against your own physiology.” Sleep allows the brain to synthesize knowledge gained during the day. “The information goes from working, short term memory into long term mem ory,” he says. Reducing sleep also reduces students’ ability to retrieve information during an assessment.

No caffeine after 12 pm

School nutritionist Erica Mumford explains that caffeine boosts in the latter half of the day can affect sleep quality. According to a study done by the doctors of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in 2013, caffeine within six hours prior to bedtime causes a decrease in sleep quality, an increase in the time to fall asleep, and a reduction in overall sleep time.

Turn off devices

Bassi recommends turning off devices and avoiding stress-inducing activities about 30 minutes before bed. This includes physical activity, school work, and social media. Peters suggests setting your phone to “night mode” to minimize the amount of blue light radiating from it.

Prioritize sleep

Sleep must take priority over other nonessential activities, including waking up too early to go to the gym, staying up late watching a movie with housemates, or going to early morning breakfast with friends. While all of these tasks are fulfill ing, they should not be prioritized if they inhibit a good night’s sleep.

Editorial Staff

Maddie Rosato '23

Ashley Zhou '23

Editors in Chief Managing Editors

Lidia Zur Muhlen '24 Skylar Christoffersen '24

Photo

Editor

William Mao '23

Assistant Editor Matthew Letourneau '23

Art Editor

Sam Seeley '23 Adviser Ms. Sarah Ludwig

The Power of Music at SPS

Chris Shia '23

I started down the path of music entirely by accident. When my older brother refused to go to piano lessons, I became the replace ment. Fifteen years later, I’m still playing the piano and have added the cello. Through dry études and bombastic concertos, I have expe rienced the full spectrum of emotion music can bring. Some of my teachers and mentors have been strict, others more lenient, and all incredibly talented. To better understand the importance of music education, I spoke with three St. Paul’s music faculty members.

I met with Director of Music Orlando Pandolfi in his office on the top floor of the music building, the sounds of violins, cellos, and clarinets echoing from downstairs. He described his career in music as a “pragmatic decision.” Playing for nightclubs, Pandolfi “was making a lot more money than my friends bagging groceries at the supermarket, and it wasn’t that hard. I thought of it more as a trade than art at that point.”

Now, Pandolfi believes music is a critical experience for everyone, from the music we hear on the radio to a Mozart concerto. “It goes after the senses,” he said. “Just as we see something beautiful, it moves us, when we hear something beautiful, it moves us.”

Members of the SPS music faculty could have chosen the path of performance, but teaching music is their passion. “You get something back from a student, and each sit uation offers an intellectual challenge when playing can be repetitive,” said Coordinator of Strings Rodger Ellsworth.

Music education provides enormous benefits. Students learn discipline and work collaboratively. They must also “state their case as to why a piece should be performed in a certain way, and to be able to take direction,” said Director of Chapel Music and Organist Nicholas White.

According to the Save the Music Founda tion, studies show that “music can help hone motor, language, and communications skills, as well as influence brain plasticity. One study showed students who took four years of art

and music courses scored over 90 points higher on the SAT compared to students who took one semester or less.”

However, federal and state governments are steadily defunding music education. A 2018 study commissioned by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences “says we are at a crisis point, where access to arts education is declining steadily,” according to the report.

“There has been a persistent decline in sup port for arts education, particularly in com munities that cannot finance it on their own.”

White describes declining arts education funding as “a self-fulfilling prophecy, and with generations of people growing up with gaps of appreciation or skills, it’s going to have an effect.”

Pandolfi believes music is a critical experience for everyone, from the music we hear on the radio to a Mozart concerto.

At St. Paul’s, students maintain access to an excellent arts education. As I sat across from Ellsworth in his dim office, sheet music on every surface, orchestra musicians warmed up outside. The sound of laughter and out-oftune arpeggios drifted into the room. “Music is not entertainment at a certain level,” he said. “It’s much more powerful. If you stick with it, you’d be surprised what it brings to your life. You’re never done, it’s not about achievement. It’s about the discovery of your self.”

sT uden T l i F e

New! Style Column: Cole Edwards '24

Even if you don’t know Cole Edwards personally, you probably know him for his unique sense of style. He never disappoints with his wardrobe, and keeps everyone on their toes wondering what his next outfit will be. On the day we met with him, Edwards wore a pink beanie, striped polo, white blaz er, and khaki shorts. The colorful polo and beanie made a statement, and the more sim ple khaki shorts and white high top sneakers pulled the look together. His sartorial choices illustrate not only that less can be more, but also the importance of a distinct piece to keep an outfit interesting.

“There is no better way to express your self at SPS than your wardrobe,” says Ed wards, who loves to be “as creative and artis tic as possible.” He explains that his outfits are a form of self-expression, just as the arts might be for others. The early style of Kanye West, while is not a good role model today, is one of Edwards’s inspirations. “I still love when he would dress almost exclusively in Ralph Lauren polos and Louis Vuitton back packs,” Edwards says.

Edwards believes that incorporating dif ferent and unique pieces into outfits makes them more creative. “How many kids at SPS have you seen walking around in a Rugrats windbreaker?” he asks by way of example.

While he believes it’s important to ex

periment with style, Edwards says his “gold en rule” is that “colors should match. As long as I have a blue jersey with my UNC 4s or a green hoodie with my green Air Force 1s, anything goes,” he says. “It’s that little bit of cohesiveness that separates the clean from the chaotic.”

While experimenting with clothing can sometimes feel risky, Edwards encourages everyone to be “real with themselves.” At the end of the day, he says, style is different for everyone, and a satisfying outfit looks differ ent for different people. “As long as you’re comfortable and confident in your clothes, they’ll always be valid.”

Crossword Puzzle

Henry Dennis '24

Answers posted on the Pelican website: pelican.sps.edu

Saturday Night Activities

The SPS Night Life committee has gone through many changes in the past weeks on its path to creating exciting activities for all of Millville. In the days leading up to Fall Ball, Student Activi ties Coordinator Amanda Tapparo an nounced her resignation, leaving the student committee to organize the dance. As the decorations went up on Oct. 14, members of the Dean of Stu dents office assured students that there was no need to worry. Indeed, Fall Ball

disco-danced late into the night and ate pumpkin delicacies at EcoFest the fol lowing day.

Associate Dean of Students Thomas Gregston emphasizes that while some students may think SNL stands for Sat urday Night Life, “SNL is SPS Night Life.” He points out the committee’s in volvement in planning student activities throughout the week.

Looking ahead to Winterim, SNL members report that the group has many exciting events in the works, such as a Club Cup gingerbread house con test and roller skating at the tennis courts. The committee continues to brainstorm ideas, including a winter formal with casino night, bouncy hous es, bringing back SPS ILY, and many more evening events.

This weekend, students can attend performances of “These Shining Lives.” After the show on Saturday, SNL is host ing Big Prize Bingo in Raffini Com mons, along with Open Gym.

Stay tuned for more great activities this year!

Sarah Ernst '24

Lidia Zur Muhlen '24

Graphic by Ava Price '24

Photo by Liz Esteves '23 and Luna Huang '26

Photo by Liz Esteves '23 and Luna Huang '26

sPorTs

Varsity Volleyball Beats Brooks

watch, and the crowd did not disappoint with the cheering and enthusiasm for us,” said Ken nedy Hinojosa ‘24.

As the fall term comes to an end, St. Paul’s athletes continue to exhibit their passion and sportsmanship through their sports. Student and faculty spectators consistently show their support and revel in the joy that interscholastic competition brings to the SPS community. A popular way to recognize team spirit and pro mote games is to designate night games for each team. Packed with a full schedule of night games, October has proved to be an exciting month for the Big Red.

Closing off the month on the last Friday of October, SPS Varsity Volleyball hosted a highly anticipated night game against The Brooks School at home. The game-time atmosphere was an exciting one, as the fans showcased their en thusiasm with a new color theme that assigned each form their own unique colors to wear to the game. “Seeing everyone come out for the night game and participate in the theme was su per fun and rewarding,” said Georgia Cooper ‘24 of the support.

The team was fueled by the crowd’s energy. “The cheering was so much fun and it really showed school spirit. Volleyball is such a fastpaced game, which I think makes it fun to

The game concluded with a St. Paul’s victo ry in three straight sets, with 16 aces, 19 kills, and a service win percentage of 68.5%. Hinojosa led the team with six aces, and Ellie Pingree racked up four kills for the Big Red. Sarah Hu contributed ten assists and five digs to her team’s victory.

“To me, being a part of this team means be ing a part of a family. I have nothing but love for the game of volleyball, but being surrounded by friends is truly why I love it so much,” said Hi nojosa.

Graphic by Sam Seeley '23

Team Highlight: Cross Country

The Girl's and Boy's Cross Country teams have run an exciting season. Led by captains William Mao '23, Alonzo Walton '23, Georgia Alessio '23, and Kate Taylor '23, the rosters are full of promising new runners and experienced returners.

During the Girl's Cross Country race against Winsor and Phillips Exeter Academy on Oct. 29, several athletes ran their season best or set a personal record. Taylor finished in seventh place with a time of 22:11, followed closely by Phoebe Opler '23, who crossed the finish line in ninth with a time of 22:25. Katie Allen '23 also scored for St. Paul's, finishing with a time of 22:46. After a demanding event, the team lost to both Winsor (30-25) and Exeter (46-15).

Head Coach Kate Daniels explains that the team's loss did not lower morale. "The girls who are running don't feel discouraged, they just feel like they should run as well as they can for the whole team," she says. "Oftentimes, girls will find that they are capable of doing more than they ever thought was possible."

The boy's team also competed against a tal ented PEA squad, with both teams running a fast race. The Pelicans lost 48-15, with a top Ex eter athlete setting a new course record.

"We had a tough loss, but now the athletes are even more motivated to kill it in the upcom

ing championship," says Clara Tcherepnin '26, referring to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) race on Nov. 12.

St. Paul's hosted several schools on Nov. 2 for the Lakes Region tournament. The girl's team had several top ten finishers, including Ae dyn Kourakos '26, finishing at 21:30, Kate Taylor at 22:09, and Phoebe Opler at 22:15. George Alessio, Lidia Zur, and Ali Cabot ran their best times of the 2022 season.

The boy's team had an equally impressive run. Lon Walton ran 17:17 to score first place overall. Several boys made it into the top ten, including Jonny Dase '24, who ran at 17:30, Ja mie Campbell '23 at 17:41, Cam Perry '24 at 18:25, and sophomores Ian Chang and Andrew Caroll at 18:37 and 18:50.

The NEPSAC race will be hosted at St. Paul's, and all athletes involved say they would love for the community to come to support those who are running.

Will Ekstrand '24

Stella McNab '25

Several athletes ran their season best or set a personal record

XC captains pose for camera after a big SPS win//photo courtesy of @spsgxc