Pelican Issue 4 2022-2023 (December 2022)

Vol. LXXII, No. 4

The Pelican

St. Paul's School

Student Opinion: Affirmative Action Should Be Upheld

Editor’s Note: Last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding race-conscious admissions policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University. The Court appears poised to overturn affirmative action precedence.

“It’s crazy how anti-white some colleges will be this year.”

Hearing this statement some weeks ago as the college application deadline approached, I tried not to laugh out loud, then tried to hide the shock in my face. What would make someone believe such a thing when it’s the contrary?

I am not white. My parents met as firstgeneration college students at Princeton University while their parents worked in the fields back home. They say their time at Princeton was the darkest time of their lives, no longer experiencing the comfort of being

in the majority in their predominantly Latino, impoverished hometowns. They felt the stark differences that often separated them and their white peers. They felt like they didn’t belong. And they didn’t.

Reviewing Ivy League college statistics over the past two years, white students make up about 41% of those student populations. The racial demographics of the US Census, however, report that 59.3% of the population is White, while 6.1% are Asian, 18.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Black or African American, and 1.6% Native. This data is disproportionate to the demographics at the Ivy League institutions as Asian students make up 21.6%, Hispanic 11.5%, Black 9%, and Native 0.9%. It’s alarming that the process of porportionalizing the numbers is considered anti-white when it’s simply ethical and equitable.

One could argue that acceptance should solely rely on meeting each school’s academic standard. And I agree. However, the deeper issue is inconsistency in pre-college educa-

tion. Structural racism goes back centuries and still affects minority communities today. Redlining and segregation limit the resources necessary for reforming and improving public educational institutions in communities of color.

My parents say they were by no means the best students in their classes, but how could they have been? They grew up in an education system inferior to those in more privileged pockets of the country. It is irrational to believe that all college applicants’ intelligence must be equal; that is not the point of affirmative action. Affirmative action ensures an equal opportunity to attain knowledge. It propagates equity and it needs to stay until the disparities of systemic racism are dismantled.

For information on the statistics cited in this article, visit pelican.sps.edu.

December 15, 2022

Art Installation to Debut at Crumpacker

Opening Jan. 15, the Winter Term Crumpacker Gallery show will feature the work of glyneisha johnson, who styles her name without capital letters. johnson is an artist and painter who engages in various methods of community art practice. Her show pays homage to Black lineages and forebears, and she aims to represent the significance of Black culture. Her artwork also connects with Black History Month at St. Paul’s and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Art can send important messages, says Gallery Director Leigh Kaulbach, and the show “highlights a community-based art practice by incorporating an artist who is using their art to help change the world.”

johnson’s show will include drawings, paintings, and collages, as well as a site-specific installation created from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2. The full show will be completed by Feb. 10, when the Gallery will host a grand reopening, and the site-specific piece will be destroyed after the show's conclusion in March. Students in some drawing and painting classes will be invited to attend on a scheduled basis to watch johnson create her piece.

Kaulbach says she is focusing on making the Gallery feel more accessible and interactive, so the creative process for this show will be different. The exhibition will only be partially complete at the show opening. johnson, students from drawing and painting classes, and ISP artist Elizabeth Ramos ‘23 will add pieces throughout to emphasize that art is an evolving process. Kaulbach encourages students to visit the gallery frequently to see if any new pieces or installations have been added.

In addition to her work in the gallery, johnson will hold student workshops and work with student affinity and alliance groups, centering on identity and life experience. These workshops will allow students to engage with the gallery, members of the community, and johnson herself. Once the show opens, the gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Kaulbach encourages everyone in the community to use the space during the day. The chairs are comfortable, she says, and the space is a great atmosphere for hanging out, doing work, or meeting with a friend.

Elle Ruminski

Anonymous

Photo courtesy of glyneisha johnson

Contents

The Nutcracker Dazzles Winter Dorm Parties

Festival of Lights Student Life 3-4

Trotting Around Campus Editorial Board

Beating the Winter Blues Style Column

news

Features 5-6

Vishal Kumar

Library Proctor Book Review

A Recap of Holiday Events St. Paul's Crossword

Editorials 7

Club Cup opinion Sports 7-8

Letter to the Editor

Boys Hockey Hosts Jamboree

Girls Varsity Hockey Photo Gallery St. Paul's Athletics Fall Scores

The Nutcracker Act II Dazzles

prepare, and then they are ready for anything.”

The Return of Winter Dorm Parties?

Kelly Sung '25

With winter comes a rollercoaster of emotion for St. Paul’s students, who celebrate the first snow, feel nervous or gleeful over the beginning of a new sports season, and tingle with excitement about the nearing of winter break. Along with these feelings comes the stress of a hectic two-and-a-half weeks of winterim.

Among these many feelings is the bubbly excitement surrounding the dorm parties that sometimes take place during the winter season, and that just might be making a comeback this year.

Dean of Students Suzanne Ellinwood explains the school’s decision to change this tradition in recent years. “As St. Paul’s is a school that prides itself on inclusivity, we chose to alter this tradition into one that would fit with our ethos and way of conducting ourselves.”

Just like any other gathering, holiday parties were not permitted last year due to Covid-driven restrictions. However, these regulations no longer exist. “I knock on wood as I say this,” Ellinwood remarks with a chuckle.

On Dec. 9 and Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Hall, the St. Paul’s School Ballet Company put on its annual performance of “The Nutcracker, Act II.”

Act II of the Nutcracker, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is a signature performance of the SPSBC. Clara, played in each performance by Hannah Pappas ‘23, Ellie Sung ‘23, and Lauren Edouard ‘25, is whisked away to the Kingdom of the Sweets, where dancers representing different nationalities and special delicacies embellish the stage with clever costumes and mystical dances.

Preparation for the Nutcracker began in the fourth week of fall term. “There are always things that happen in a live performance that have never happened before in rehearsal,” says Kate Lydon, Director of the SPSBC, “so the dancers prepare, prepare,

In addition to intense preparation, the company adjusts choreography and roles every year. In this year’s rendition, a new “Peacock” role replaced “Arabian Coffee.” Harriet Clark, a renowned ballet instructor and dancer, developed the choreography. She visited the SPSBC over Zoom in the fall term to choreograph the dance with Hannah Pappas ‘23 and Lucy Mason ‘23.

Both the dancers and instructors were full of anticipation as opening night grew near and the performance came to fruition. “It is everyone’s favorite show. The Nutcracker is just really exciting,” Lydon says.

“I love that the greater Concord community was allowed to come back and watch the show,” adds Courtney Peix-Barros, Instructor of Dance and Assistant Artistic Director. “I hope that people can come into the theater and take a break from their regular lives for a minute to just feel the joy of live performance.”

Previously called “soirees,” these holiday dorm parties are an opportunity for people of the same house to congregate around the holidays and have a formal celebration with one another. The funds come from the house budgets of each dorm, along with supplementary funding from the Dean of Students office if necessary. With that support, each house plans their dorm celebration independently, and Prefects work with their Heads of House to make this magic happen.

In past years, dorm “soirees” were exclusionary events in which each person invited a guest of their choice from another house.

Graphic by Julia Koeman '25

Holiday dorm parties are a perfect way to spruce up a New Hampshire winter that otherwise can feel drab and gloomy. If the dorm parties do return, underformers will experience the excitement of their first winter dorm celebration, and upperformers will rejoice at the return of a wholesome school tradition.

The Festival of Lights: A New Tradition

Thad Lucentini '25

This year, St. Paul’s School welcomed a new winter tradition: the Festival of Lights. Members of the Chaplaincy team worked hard to prepare the Dec. 13 event, which was held in the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul.

The Festival of Lessons and Carols, a celebration of the Christmas story focused on the Bible and the Christian tradition, has been a school tradition for 51 years. Director of Chapel Music Nicholas White said the school’s newest winter celebration was intended to “complement [that] tradition” by exploring and paying homage to the diverse range of cultures and faiths on campus.

The festival “celebrated the movement from darkness to light as witnessed by various traditions,” White said. Participants observed holidays such as Kwanzaa, Diwali, and

Hanukkah, as well as spiritual concepts from many religions and cultures. These explorations of cultural and religious heritage featured poetry and literature readings, candle lighting, and other traditions.

Musical moments were featured throughout the 50-minute event, and Flik Dining Services hosted a holiday banquet in the Upper after the festival.

The Festival of Lights, White said, was an inclusive and enriching experience that helped Paulies to “experience new and meaningful traditions.” The festive atmosphere ensured that the community gathering was a wonderful time for the whole school. White also shared that the Chaplaincy hopes the Festival will grow into another of SPS’s timehonored traditions, and that the event will “continue and develop in future years.”

Calling all writers!

Aedyn Kourakos '26

Photo by Blue Han '24

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Trotting Around Campus

10 seconds before the Alpine Team.

Beating the Winter Blues

Matthew Letourneau '23

What better way to work up an appetite for stuffing and turkey than playing an intense game of leapfrog on a rainy afternoon? On Nov. 16, the Nordic and Alpine Teams hosted the 70th annual St. Paul’s Turkey Crawl, a series of activities, games, and other festive traditions before the Thanksgiving feast in the Coit Dining Hall.

Tensions grew high during a game of leapfrog between the Alpine and Nordic teams, culminating with Nordic gobbling up a heroic victory for their sport.

The crawl started at 3 p.m. sharp with both teams and other community members running from the Athletic Fitness Center to the Nordic Stadium. There, competitors engaged in the first and most merciless activity of the crawl: leapfrog. “There’s a big rivalry between the Nordic and Alpine teams,” Lucas Salazar ‘24, a new member of the Nordic Team, says. “They think they’re better than us, so we had to beat them.” And beat them they did, finishing a cool

Brewster Smeyers ‘24, a member of the Alpine Team, believes that the leapfrog victory may have not been due to Nordic’s athletic prowess. “They had half the amount of people to jump over. Of course they won,” he says. Either way, the rivalry is still going strong, and the ski teams plan to compete again in an upcoming game of Capture the Flag.

Those who attended the Turkey Crawl also ran for a mile on the Nordic trails in the woods, danced the Hokey Pokey, sang hymns, read a poem, and ended with the traditional crawl in front of the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul. On all fours, participants crawled dozens of feet towards the statue of St. Paul on muddy grass. “Everyone moans and groans about crawling, but we all really love it,” says Nordic skier Edie Jones ‘24. “It’s my favorite St. Paul’s tradition.”

Both teams are excited to start their seasons and look forward to their first races. More importantly, however, they are ready to fight head-to-head in Capture the Flag.

'25

As the winter term begins, students adjust to Concord’s frigid temperatures and come to terms with shortened daylight hours. Many will experience their first winter at St. Paul’s School.

Boarding school can be hard for a multitude of reasons: being away from home, academics, sports, college applications. The addition of long nights and cold temperatures is no help in raising morale.

In winter, “oftentimes I find we all feel a little more groggy,” says Dr. Tom Peters, Director of Counseling. “It’s harder to concentrate and focus. Overall, we have lower energy and our mood tends to get down.” He explains that these symptoms are all side effects of decreased serotonin production, which happens due to reduced daylight hours and light overall. Serotonin is one of the chemicals responsible for regulating attention, mood and sleep. Decreased serotonin levels slow us physically and mentally, making it harder to deal with the cognitive aspects of school and sports.

“The good news is that we understand why our serotonin levels are being impacted and why we may be feeling the way we are during Winter Term,” Peters says. “To cope, it’s important to keep up with the basics: get enough sleep, eat well and exercise.” He recommends light therapy, which helps to artificially stimulate serotonin production. “There’s a light therapy room on the upper floor of Clark,” Peters says. “Spending ten to twenty minutes there could be very helpful. It’s important to do light therapy in the morning, before 10 a.m.”

"Decreased seratonin levels slow us mentally and physically, making it harder to deal with the cognitive aspects of school and sports."

Several seniors echo Peters’s advice. “Don’t slack off on work,” says Tessa Demain ’23. “Really try to enjoy the Christmas spirit.” Beatty Cathey ’23 nods her agreement. “Balance is important,” she says. “Try to get ahead on work but also remember to socialize and eat.” Tina Yang ’23 encourages people to stay active over the cold months. “It’s important to exercise. Try different types of sports like swimming or yoga, or meditation with Mr. Pacelli now that he’s back from his Sabbatical. It’s also beautiful outside when you go running around sunset,” she says.

Despite the inhospitality of this time of year, winter term does have some bright spots: a long break, the start of new sports and new classes, the campus dusted with snow, the holidays and friends and family.

Style

Column:

Matteo Lorenzo-Giguere '25

Lidia Zur Muhlen '24

Editorial Board

Editors in Chief

Maddie Rosato '23

Ashley Zhou '23

Managing Editors

Lidia Zur Muhlen '24

Skylar Christoffersen '24

Assistant Layout Editor

Andrew Choi '24

Photo Editor

William Mao '23

Art Editor Sam Seeley '23

Adviser Ms. Sarah Ludwig

Whether in the dance building or on the paths, Matteo Lorenzo-Giguere ‘25 never fails to impress with his incredible outfits. His style is original, yet not over the top, giving us everything we didn't know we needed and more. Adapting to the quick turnaround of winter weather during Winterim can be difficult, but Lorenzo-Giguere keeps his outfits interesting in cold New Hampshire. He is pictured wearing wide leg, dark blue jeans, a light blue sweater layered over a white tshirt, and Birkenstock Boston clogs, a perfect touch. He accessorized the outfit

with a yellow balaclava and brown shearling mittens. In the winter LorenzoGiguere exclusively dresses in “sweaters and knits” because his “soul needs them.”

Style can either tell us a lot about who a person is, Lorenzo-Giguere says, or nothing at all. “I hope that my style says that I like to have fun, and sometimes take risks, but I also enjoy emotional and physical comfort,” he says. He wants to be seen as “an individual at St. Paul’s and in the world outside of school.” Drawing inspiration for outfits can be difficult, but Lorenzo-Giguere believes that “the best

Miya Zhang

Graphic by Julia Koeman '25

Assistant Editor

Matthew Letourneau '23

Photo courtesy Michael Seamans

STYLE Continued from p. 3

inspiration is the people who surround you.”

Certain moments can completely change your perception of how you want to dress, Lorenzo-Giguere says, remembering a mother waiting in line at a cafe in Copenhagen who inspired him. “The way [her outfit] all fit, the comfort of it, and the way she wore it, just made so much sense.” It's moments like these that stick with you, Lorenzo-Giguere says, and he continues to “emulate and achieve the feeling her outfit gave me in my own style.”

When it comes to accessorizing, Lorenzo-Giguere believes this is an area of fashion to truly take risks. “I try to find the weirdest, most unique, or sentimental version of whatever I’m looking for.” He changes his accessories to suit the environment around him. “It gets freezing in Concord so you want to stay warm. For that, my favorite thing is a giant obnoxious scarf or pair of mittens.” He says

sT uden T l ife

accessories can be unique without being “out there” and crazy. His tote bags, for example, each have their own story. “One I actually stole from my sister who lives on another continent,” he jokes. The more personal an item is, he says, the more connected you feel to what you're wearing.

Lorenzo-Giguere is a proud outfit repeater. “If I know something looks good, I’ll wear it a lot,” he says, and believes people should not be afraid to wear something they feel confident in more than once. His final words of advice are to “take one risk a week,” and elaborates that his sense of style changed when he began shopping in the women's section of stores. For a long time he held back, but “one day I just did and now so much of what I wear is women’s.”

The best thing anyone can do, he says, is “rip off the bandaid with your style and wear that shirt you think is too different or weird.”

Text by Lulu Mangriotis '25

Graphic by Ava Price '24

Photo by Luna Huang '26

f eaT ures

Vishal Kumar: A Shining Light at SPS

Lidia Zur Muhlen '24

If you have been to Kwok Cafe, you definitely know Vishal Kumar, who works tirelessly every day to make sure students are happy and fed. On long, difficult days he can be the shining light at the end of a dark tunnel, always smiling and asking how students are doing. “Vishal is an inspiration to us all, and also makes St. Paul’s feel more like home,” says Jacob Kwon ‘24.

Many SPS students may want to know more about Vishal, so The Pelican felt it was time to interview one of the most loved people on this campus.

Vishal has actually been at St. Paul’s longer than one might think. Although he says he “did not have a big cooking background, but would do it here and there,” he started by working in the Upper “about three years ago.” One day he was asked to fill in for a colleague at Kwok. He did such an amazing job that “the rest is history.”

A great part of Vishal’s job is that on certain days he gets to work with his wife. “We make a great team, and it makes my job easier to have her with me,” he says. He says he has the privilege of spending his days with the people he loves the most, and that working at Kwok has been a great opportunity. He has been able to interact with students more than in the Upper. He says he loves hearing about students’ days because it reminds him of the importance of his work. “They can talk to me, I can talk to them, it’s the perfect part,” he says.

Vishal has a positive impact and spreads kindness throughout the St. Paul’s community, but who inspires him? He says his biggest role model is Bill Gates, because “he is a self-made man, and the world would not be in the place it is today if it were not for him.” Vishal wants everyone to know that hard work in school will pay off in whatever they aspire to accomplish.

Finally, he has a message for his fans. “You all are amazing,” he says, “and I want to continue to help you every day.”

Library Proctor Book Review: The Idiot by Elif Batuman

Madison Andree '24

The Idiot by Elif Batuman is a coming-ofage story following Turkish-American student Selin through her first year at Harvard and the following summer during the mid-1990s. Selin enrolls in an introductory Russian class and becomes obsessed with language and the intricacies it brings to life.

This obsession runs parallel to the feelings she develops for a senior (and very unavailable) math major in her class, Ivan, with whom she holds an email correspondence. These exchanges turn into a weird string of incomprehensible writings, and her obsessions with language and Ivan collide.

Throughout, Selin slowly realizes that she is going to become a writer. As the title says, Selin is a bit of an idiot. There are two types of characters who are “idiots”: one you laugh at for their shortcomings, and the other for whom you feel such immense second-hand embarrassment that you cannot help but love them. Selin is most definitely the latter.

While her awkward interactions with her peers and unending obsession with the unattainable Ivan (which leads her to spend the summer in a Hungarian village) can be annoying, these elements make her the most human and relatable.

Batuman’s specificity about Selin's navigation through life is astonishing and it’s unsur-

prising that the book is essentially a work of autofiction about Batuman’s time at Harvard. His writing reflects Selin’s tendency toward overanalysis through its compilation of her observations about the world around her, which are often hilarious and thought-provoking.

At 423 pages and with a lack of a linear narrative, staying engaged in the closing half of the novel is a challenge. Still, The Idiot is worth the read for its quick wit and striking commentary on adolescence, love (maybe obsession), and language.

Holiday Events during Winterim

Sarah Ernst '24

The holiday season is upon us, and St. Paul’s Night Life (SNL) planned some exciting events for students during the Winterim.

Leading up to the Nutcracker, students and faculty took part in watching the World Cup, with prediction brackets being sent out for each new bracket. All games have aired in Raffini and students have been enthusiastically cheering for their favorite teams!

On Dec. 9-11, the SPS Ballet Company performed The Nutcracker with fan-favorite

dances such as the Candy Canes, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and more. Students left the performance in the holiday spirit and traveled to Friedman Community Center for a holiday movie marathon and hot chocolate.

The following morning, the Club Cup held the gingerbread house competition, where students spent their time decorating small houses. Stay tuned for the gingerbread house competition winners and more exciting SNL events!

Vishal Kumar in the kitchen of Kwok Cafe / Photographed by Lidia Zur Muhlen '24

f eaT ures

The SPS Crossword

Henry Dennis '24

e diTorials

Why Aren't We Talking about Club Cup More?

Rhys Henrikson '26

Before starting at SPS, I assumed the more the Club Cup would be a significant part of student life. The Club Cup is a century-old competition between the clubs Isthmian, Old Hundred, and Delphian in events that happen around every month. Pulling my ideas of house-based contests exclusively from “Harry Potter,” I pictured the Cup as an intense competition commanding the attention of the entire student body in everyday life. But I’ve never had a teacher shout, “five points for Isthmian!”

The Club Cup doesn’t seem to be a recurring topic of conversation around campus. Students from all forms and clubs across campus, when asked if they were engaged with the Club Cup, answered a resounding “no.” One Third Form student who wished to remain anonymous asked: “What’s the Club Cup?”

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editors,

As co-captain of the 2022 Boys Cross Country team, I feel a responsibility not only to my team but also to the entire St. Paul’s athletics department to shut down your baseless accusations. The men of the SPS Boys Cross Country Team represent the purest form of athleticism, sportsmanship, commitment, and brotherhood that St. Paul’s has to offer. By publicly voicing your claims against the honesty of our Instagram account’s recent fame, you are blatantly devaluing the core values of our program. The Cross Country Team’s 5,100 followers is due to nothing more than our content, reflecting the grit that the boys bring to the trails everyday.

Naturally, the SPS community was bound to take an interest in “the most athletic group of guys on campus,” as Austin Evans, a member of the team, says. I have spoken with the team’s head of media, Andrew Carroll, and he is confident that the program’s following will only continue to grow in the offseason. He has bold predictions of “10,000 followers and a New Englands championship win” by the end of next season.

I am hopeful that this information can help you reevaluate your opinion of the Boys Cross Country team.

The Cup’s lack of significance among the student body might be attributed to spreadout scoring opportunities, the only time we give the competition much thought. Additionally, the student body’s diverse academic and extracurricular interests often take priority over sporadic events like the Club Cup.

Despite students’ lack of enthusiasm, the Club Cup is an opportunity to connect members of the community. “I don't think that student participation is particularly high,” says Club Scorekeeper Skyler Sharfman ‘23. To change that, Sharfman is working with the planning committee to increase participation in upcoming significant club scoring opportunities, including the gingerbread house competition.

I look forward to future events where I could personally make a difference for my club. Also, I can’t wait to get a sweet pair of Isthmian sweatpants, which will increase my club spirit.

sPorTs Boys Hockey Hosts Jamboree

Will Ekstrand '24

During the last weekend of Thanksgiving Break, The St. Paul’s School Boys Hockey Team hosted three independent schools for the annual Winter Jamboree, a friendly pre-season hockey exhibition tournament. This year, SPS welcomed the Taft School, Groton School, and Tabor Academy to Millville’s Gordon Rink to kick off the winter festivities. Although non-competing St. Paul’s students were not on campus to cheer on their fellow Pelicans, it was an exciting time for The Big Red nonetheless.

For new members of the squad, the Winter Jamboree provided an excellent opportunity to learn about the team in a unique setting. “Staying in the hotel with my teammates and getting to know them on and off the ice during that time was valuable to us,” said Patrick Cooley ‘25.

Ice hockey at St. Paul’s has a storied history, dating as far back as the late 19th century when the School hosted the first organized ice hockey games in America on the Lower School Pond. The rich tradition of hockey at St. Paul’s brings special meaning to those fortunate enough to wear the red and white out on the ice. “In my last year playing for this team, I am most looking

forward to wearing the jersey, battling alongside my great teammates, and ultimately winning some games in front of our classmates and teachers,” said co-captain Matthew Grady ‘23.

In their three games over the course of the weekend, St. Paul’s played hard and contested each game to within two goals but ultimately

failed to secure a win. Moving forward from this tournament, the boys are scheduled to play 25 regular season games as they strive toward their ultimate goals of a Lakes Region Championship and a NEPSAC playoff bid.

Graphic by Cole Hamilton '24

Photo by Gabby Purvis

sPorTs

Girls Varsity Hockey Photo Gallery

Graphic by Cole Hamilton '24

Graphic by Sam Seeley '23

Photos courtesy of SPS Communications