The Pingry Record - April 2022

FOUNDED 1895 • THE NATION’S OLDEST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Volume CXLVII — No. IV

record.pingry.org

PINGRY WELCOMES NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL Mr. Timothy Lear Becomes Next Head of School

OLIVIA BUVANOVA (III) After a comprehensive search, the next Head of School will be current college counselor and Assistant Head of School for Guidance and Student Life, Mr. Timothy Lear.

Mr. Lear has a long history with the Pingry community. After joining as a seventh grader and finally graduating in 1992, he returned to the Pingry family in 2007 as a teacher. In the 15 years since, Mr. Lear has led the College Counseling Department, taught English, served as an academic advisor, coached Varsity Cross

Country, and assumed leadership

a strong writer.

He credits

it also fosters a sense of community

community needs more time away

of Student Support Services.

Pingry for playing a significant

between you and your peers.”

from technology. “Turning off

Interestingly enough, Mr. Lear

role in influencing his decision

When asked if he would do

laptops and phones at some point

was very reluctant to come to

to become an English teacher.

anything differently in his high

during the day is crucial,” Mr.

Pingry as a child. Staying with his

In addition to teaching English,

school years, Mr. Lear immediately

Lear points out. In addition, Mr.

friends was a significant concern,

Mr. Lear loves running and watching

replied, “I would definitely not have

Lear would love to plan more

and he was not looking forward

movies in his free time. His all-

gotten a mullet!” Looking back,

events combining grades K-12 in

to a brand new environment. As a

time favorite TV shows are The

he recognizes that being you is

the future, with more interactions

middle schooler, Mr. Lear admits,

Mandalorian and Ozark. Mr. Lear’s

important. Overall, however, Mr.

between different grades.

“I was really struggling with the

love for running was born after he

Lear greatly enjoyed his time as a

Mr. Lear describes Pingry as

workload… things did not start

joined Pingry’s cross country and

student at Pingry and is grateful

fast-paced, fun, and having a great

off smoothly for me. I recently

track teams. He advises students

for the amazing faculty, staff, and

sense of community. He is most

found my old transcript, and I

to “join a team, a club — anything.

peers who shaped who he is today.

excited to meet more community

was shocked, to say the least.”

Whether it’s the lacrosse team, the

In the coming years, Mr. Lear

members, alumni, and students.

By his junior year, however,

school musical, or Taiko drumming,

hopes to implement a cell phone

Mr. Lear’s door is always open,

Mr. Lear had grown to love

being part of a club not only allows

policy, especially in the Upper

whether you want to discuss English,

Pingry. Over time, he became

you to learn more about yourself, but

School. He feels that the Pingry

mullets, or anything in between.

Photo Credits: Pingry Communications

THE PINGRY RECORD

2

SCHOOL NEWS APRIL 6, 2022

Lunar New Year Assembly with sharp motions and plenty of

MELINDA XU (III)

energy. Concluding the ceremony was Pingry’s very own fashion

On February 11, the Pingry

show which highlighted clothing

community celebrated Lunar

styles from many Asian cultures,

New Year through the Lunar New

demonstrating the diversity of those

Year assembly, which included

that celebrate the Lunar New Year.

a variety of lively and in-person

The Lunar New Year assembly,

performances. This year, everyone

in-person for the first time since

was glad to have everyone back in

the beginning of COVID-19, turned

Hauser for the glorious assembly.

out to be a huge success. Ms.

Symbols of the celebration

Weiwei Yu, Ms. Chao Wang, and

were shown on stage through

Ms. Yifan Xu, along with many

traditional costumes, the color

other faculty members, put in

red (symbolizing fortune), and

an enormous amount of effort to

performances, including face-

make this performance the best

changing which dates back to the

it could possibly be. We thank

1700s. Taiko drumming and the

students from Chinese classes,

dragon dance, annual traditions

Taiko Drumming, the Middle

at Pingry, were also revived in the

School, and many more for their

Hauser auditorium. Outside the

hard work on this assembly.

assembly, various symbols of the

Though times are still difficult,

Lunar New Year were displayed throughout the hallways. The

Kyra Li (V) and Charles Jiang (V).

then set the stage on fire performing

Liping Zhang performed biàn liǎn,

school was abuzz with New Year

The event began with Middle

“Loco” by Itzy, which was followed

or face changing, simultaneously

spirit by way of the Asian buffet

School Chinese C students

by a poem both recited and sung

interacting with the astonished

served during lunch, lanterns hung

performing a dragon dance that

by Upper Schoolers, including

audience. A comic drawing contest

up through the halls, and students

captivated the audience. Following

Natalie DeVito (VI) and Ram

was hosted by Sheryl Chen (II) and

in red clothes. Pingry was extremely

that, middle school students

Doraswamy (VI). A very special

Middle Schoolers drew pictures

lucky to make the transition from

performed “Yíméng Mountain”

guest was invited on the stage to

of tigers to welcome the Year of

pre-recorded videos to bringing the

with the traditional Chinese wind

perform one of the most fascinating

the Tiger. Taiko Drumming Club

magic back onstage through hosts

instrument, hú lú sī. K-pop Club

and difficult acts of the program;

performed “Hakoh,” a piece filled

the Lunar New Year assembly was undoubtedly an event that brought the entire Pingry community together and was a fantastic opportunity to spread the joy and happiness of the New Year. We wish everyone good luck and fortune throughout this season. Happy Year of the Tiger!

Behind the Scenes of the Black History Month Assembly SARAH GU (IV) & KEIRA CHEN (IV) On February 28, the Upper School student body sat in Hauser Auditorium to attend the Black History Month Assembly. Hosted

by Lailah Muhammad-Berry (VI), Olivia Telemaque (VI), Izzy Billups (VI), and Fara Odunlami (VI), the team spent two months of rigorous planning and rescheduling to complete their final product: a 25-minute video exhibiting poetry, food, discussions, and personal thoughts regarding experiences of Black people at Pingry.

The assembly opened with a live reading of original poetry, with each of the hosts taking turns to say a line. Afterward, the video was played to showcase a roundtable discussion with seniors who identified as African American or Black. They examined their own experiences as Black students and explored their sense of belonging at Pingry and the larger world. Berry, a participant in the talk, stated that she “wanted to give some final thoughts and advice to the younger students” before leaving the school. Initially, however, the team had been nervous about presenting the discussion. “Not everything was about our good experiences,” Berry said. “We were just hoping people wouldn’t receive it in a way that would bash Pingry, but rather [demonstrate] that there is

still more that needs to be done.”

Next, the hosts presented clips that asked Black students and faculty about their heritage to highlight the assembly’s theme of the African Diaspora.

The hosts depicted the diversity of the African American and Black community of Pingry, with backgrounds ranging from countries all around the world.

In the following segment of the assembly, Shacil Boatswain (V), Victoria Ramos (V), and Nubia Gooding (V) tasted and rated African diaspora cuisines while Sochie Odunlami (V) and Simone Powell (V) worked behind the scenes. The juniors

judged dishes while asking trivia questions, creating a “fun part of the assembly,” Berry noted.

The final part of the video showed clips of Black students and faculty speaking on what their history was, what their identity meant to them, and what Black History Month meant for them.

Participants responded with answers that ranged from family and friends to cultural aspects such as food, art, dancing, and clothing.

Despite the superb quality of the video, the process of organizing the assembly and making the video was an arduous one, involving many students and faculty alike. Berry, Billups, Telemaque, and Odulami

(the former two being leaders of the Black Student Union and the latter two being leaders of the Black Affinity Group) were highly involved in leading the project, as were Ms. Taunita Stephenson, Ms. Melody Boone, Mr. Jason Murdock, Mr. Gilberto Olvera, Mrs. Shelley Hartz, and many more. After spending over two months planning the video, the organizers had to spend another month recording the video, and finally edited it the weekend before the assembly. Because so many people were involved, it was difficult to get everyone together to record — be it from participants getting quarantined,

having busy schedules, etc. “We had to reschedule five times just to record [the round table discussion],” Berry said. “We had to go to the senior area and see who we could grab and say, ‘Come on, we’re recording this.’”

She also described the experience of making the video as “stressful and enjoyable at the same time,” because regardless of all the complications with planning, recording, and worrying about audience reception, it was amazing to be able to embrace her heritage and be able to share her and others’ cultures with the school.

Ultimately, the Black History Month Assembly was a successful collaboration between multiple students and adults. Several students later approached Berry to tell her that they were able to learn about a different aspect of their peers’ lives and that the video helped them to look deeper into the diversity of Black culture, which was what Berry and the other assembly organizers had hoped for. “I feel like I was able to express myself in a way that I’ve never been able to at Pingry,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who helped put the video and assembly together. Thank you to the Pingry community for watching it, and I hope that people were able to take something from it and change their view going forward.”

Thank you to everyone who was involved in the wonderful assembly!

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Pingry Communications, Google Images

THE PINGRY RECORD

SCHOOL NEWS APRIL 6, 2022

3

COVID-19 Mask Regulations No More!

JIYA DESAI (III) Pingry has done everything in its power to make sure the community is a safe place regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The first laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case in the United States was reported on January 20, 2020.

When the outbreak first occurred, plans for in-person school were canceled, and many schools, including Pingry, had to switch to remote learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

After several months of Zoom and

Google Meet calls, Pingry was able to transition to hybrid instruction with strict COVID-19 protocols at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Protocols included plexiglass installation, face shield attire (which eventually was converted to safety glasses), Pingry-provided masks, twice-a-week saliva testing, morning prescreen forms, and consistent disinfection of chairs and tables. After several months of in-person with these strict safety measures, Pingry protocol started to shift due to changes in COVID-19 policy from Governor Phil Murphy.

With the dwindling Omicron presence, the most recent updates have ended the COVID-19 testing cycles and mandatory maskwearing as of March 7, 2022.

As Governor Murphy said, “[No masking] is a huge step toward normalcy.” With more than half of the school year completed, it is exciting to think about how the final part of the year will have fewer COVID-19 protocols. On January 18, 2022, there were 11,122 new cases in New Jersey; precisely one month later, on February 18, 2022, there were 2,307 new cases. Because

of the drastic drop in the number of instances, Governor Murphy is lifting the mask mandate. However, although cases throughout the country have continued to decrease, it is essential to keep in mind that the pandemic is not over. It is crucial to remember that this privilege comes after two hard years of many COVID-19 regulations, and if someone is feeling sick, they should still stay home.

Now, we will no longer have to wear masks at school. Nevertheless, two important things to keep in mind are caution and mental

health awareness. After two long years of wearing masks, it can be mentally challenging for many to transition to showing their bare faces in everyday life. Counselors are available to support anyone who is struggling to adjust. Another important topic is vaccination.

Students and faculty should receive all of their COVID-19 vaccination shots to protect themselves so that masking will not become mandatory again. Our community has grown in so many ways, so hang in there! The end is near.

LeBow Oratorical Competition SARAH GU (IV) On March 4, the Basking Ridge campus gathered in Hauser Auditorium for the annual Robert H. LeBow ‘58 Oratorical Competition.

This contest was founded by the Class of 1958 in memory and honor of their classmate Dr. Robert H. LeBow ‘58 and his public speaking and humanitarian efforts. Featuring six student speakers with four-anda-half-minute to six-and-a-halfminute speeches, the assembly is consistently deemed a favorite among the community. This year, the competition was organized by Ms. Judy Lebowitz, and was open to students from both the sophomore and junior classes. In a unique year of the competition, all six finalists selected were from the junior class.

Rachel Zhang (V) (“Life Imitates Art”) drew from her experiences as an artist and dealing with the pressuring opinions of others. In her speech, she recalled how a seasoned art teacher had completely altered one of her art pieces while Zhang

simply stood by. When she entered an art competition, she was surprised to find that she had won prestigious awards — but only for the pieces that remained untouched by others.

She underlined the importance of staying true to oneself, stating that “our doubts, insecurities, and pride often thwart us from discovering the best versions of us.”

James Beacham (V) (“Our Time is Ticking Closer”) analyzed the deceptive utopia that Pingry creates.

This sheltering, he said, prevents students from recognizing larger problems in the world. However, indiscriminate platforms like TikTok allow people’s voices to be heard. “I implore Pingry students to take after everyday examples, such as TikTok, in order to combat prejudice on small and large scales,” he says.

Milenka Men (V) (“Why I Mourn the Make-Believe”) explored the effects of using fictional experiences, especially tragic ones, as means of emotional relief. “It's really easy to fall into a trap of comparing reality and fiction, and I argue that it's

important to distinguish the dangers of treating fictional parameters as a method of validation,” she said.

Caleb Park (V) (“Your Mind on Arrogance”) investigated the difference between confidence and arrogance. In his speech, he recalled how, at a cello audition, his anxiety caused him to bring others down to raise himself up. He remarked that “after the initial high [of arrogance], the lack of true confidence eats away at anybody who abuses it.”

Shaan Lehal (V) (“Take One For The Team”) highlighted the difficulty of expressing differing opinions in today’s world. The culture that stems from the fear of getting “canceled” and herd mentality, he noted, leaves little room to be contradicted. In his speech, he stressed how “opinion is the parent of truth, and truth begets change.”

Mirika Jambudi (V) (“Your ‘One True Purpose’ Might Not Exist — And That's Okay”) searched for the meaning of passion in her speech.

She expressed her skepticism towards the idea of pursuing a

focused passion, stating that selfpressure and expectations teach us to turn passions into profit to ultimately gain extrinsic validation.

“Can ‘passion’ really exist for a high schooler?” she asks. “It's really easy to be blindsided by a ‘passion’ and it can limit creativity and exposure to new ideas and activities.”

After the speeches were given, the judges — among them, Dr. Frances Mecartty, Mr. Saad Toor, Ms. Carter Abbott, Dr. Delvin Dinkins, Mr. Gilberto Olvera, and last year’s winner, Elspeth Campbell (VI) —

tallied their scores and announced the winners of the competition.

Beacham was named the runnerup, and Jambudi was crowned as the winner of the 2022 Robert H. LeBow '58 Memorial Oratorical Competition. Each speaker eloquently delivered a powerful and poignant speech, with their messages resonating within the community and prompting discussion between students and faculty afterwards as they left Hauser Auditorium and returned to their own lives.

big crush on Bobby Strong. When the rebel poor finally secure the right to pee for free, they realize too late how fragile their relationship with their natural resources is. It is not a very happy musical because everyone dies at the end, but at least Urinetown teaches a valuable lesson in the time of overconsumption and climate change, providing plenty of laughs along the way!

The Pingry Drama and Music Department have proved their resilience time and time again throughout the pandemic, whether it be rehearsing over Zoom, building sets outside, or filming last year’s musical as a feature-length film.

Urinetown, delivered to a sold-out audience on two nights and streamed to audiences across the country on Friday, was a special triumph, marking our return to maskless, live, in-person theater. The weight of this moment was not lost on our cast and crew. Milenka Men (V), who played Little Becky Two Shoes, a perpetually pregnant member of the Rebel Poor, reflected, “It was really nice to see everyone’s faces onstage… Without masks, I felt like there was a glimpse of normalcy, and it just reminded me why I love performing.” However, acting maskless for the first time in two years had its challenges.

“Many of us struggled with breaking character in serious moments of the show. We were all really close, and someone would often get the urge to laugh! We all had to relearn how to ‘face act,’” Saniya Kamat (IV), a member of the Poor ensemble and understudy for Little Becky, said.

Despite the challenge of concealing laughter onstage, audience members loved the show. One even commented, “The songs stuck with me for weeks! I also thought it was fantastic that the idea of having audience members pay to pee was put into practice to benefit the Great Swamp Watershed Association.”

A big part of what made Urinetown so special was the number of graduating seniors who gave their hard work onstage and behind the scenes to make their last show such a success.

On Saturday night, a whopping 14 seniors joined their parents onstage to take their final bows as members of the Pingry Drama Department. With their effort, talent, and kindness, the seniors have made their mark on the Pingry stage, and can all be proud of the fantastic show they put on to close out their time at Pingry. They are sure that next year’s cast will deliver a fantastic show, as well. See you in Macrae next year, and until then, remember… It’s a Privilege to Pee!

Urinetown NATALIE DEVITO (VI) From February 23 to February 27, the cast and crew of this year’s winter musical, Urinetown, performed what was the final product of three months of preparation. In Urinetown, a town suffers from a severe drought, and water is tightly rationed. Young Bobby Strong (played by Aiden Blow (IV) and Mitchell Pressel (III)) works

at the poorest and filthiest public toilet amenity, where the poor pay to relieve themselves every day. As the play goes on, Bobby realizes the unfairness of this system, stands up to his supervisor, Penelope Pennywise (Sarah Gagliardi (VI)), and leads the poor in petitioning greedy titan of industry Caldwell B. Cladwell (Ram Doraswamy (VI)) into letting the people pee for free. As this revolution

grows, Bobby falls in love with Hope (Shannen Gallagher (VI) and Alivia Clark (VI)), Cladwell’s sweet, naive daughter with a big heart and misguided optimism about changing the world. Alternately narrating the show and joining in the fun are Officer Lockstock, (Finn McGurn (VI)) a corrupt but charismatic cop, and Little Sally (Natalie Devito (VI)), a precocious little girl with a

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Pingry Communications, Mr. Alan Van Antwerp

THE PINGRY RECORD

4

SCHOOL NEWS APRIL 6, 2022

Harvard Model Congress MIRIKA JAMBUDI (V) From February 24 to February 27, Pingry students participated in Harvard Model Congress (HMC), held at the Boston Sheraton Hotel. HMC is the largest congressional simulation in the world, in which students simulate the legislative procedures of the United States Congress.

Each student was assigned a current U.S. House Representative or Senator to represent in a specific committee while at the conference.

Before the Congress, students researched their roles to grasp their delegate’s stances on issues selected by the conference organizers.

During the conference, participants from around the country gathered to take part in lively debate and discussion; they learned how to craft legislation and compromise on the passage of bills. “I was able to work with delegates across party lines to write bipartisan bills and make

amendments. Overall, it was a really great experience,” Zala Bhan (V) said.

Mirika Jambudi (V) even passed a bill in the full House of Representatives and Senate committees, effectively signing the bill into law.

On Friday, during a break in the schedule, students had the opportunity to visit and tour the Harvard University campus. Sriya Tallapragada (III) won the Best Delegate prize in her committee, the House of Education and Labor.

Mirika Jambudi (V) was awarded an honorable mention for Best Delegate in her committee, the House of Energy and Commerce.

“It was a fun experience that allowed me to meet people from across the country and learn about parliamentary procedure in Congress,” Melinda Xu (III) commented. After an educating and engaging weekend, students look forward to returning to Harvard Model Congress.

Career Day LAUREN KIM (V)

by Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek

him to music publishing. He

and skill sets, going beyond the

performing arts, science,

himself, Cohen’s sense of humor

continues specializing in music

defined role and expectations

technology, and visual arts

On Friday, January 28, Form

set the tone for his speech.

as he works in the advertising

to make yourself stand out.

discussed their careers,

V and VI students took part in

Cohen has accumulated a wide

industry with megacorporations

After Cohen’s keynote address,

encouraging students to ask

Pingry’s annual Career Day to

variety of experiences, with many

such as Nike, Facebook, and

students attended breakout sessions

questions. These conversations

hear from alumni and explore

of his interests stemming from his

Google. His key takeaway from

with alumni panelists, who joined

provided students with a better

potential professional paths.

time at Pingry. Nearly 20 years

his unique experiences was that

both in person and virtually. Nearly

sense of which careers aligned

Career Day began with a keynote

after joining the school’s Quizbowl

“Everyone is a salesperson,” which

50 panelists working in the fields

with their personal interests and

address from Mr. Buzzy Cohen ’03,

Team, Cohen found himself

he reflected on in his speech.

of architecture, entrepreneurship,

goals. Overall, Career Day was a

founder of the music company

the Jeopardy! Tournament of

Cohen advises that in order to

finance, government relations,

great success, exposing students

The Teenage Diplomat and

Champions winner in 2017. Before

be successful, you must market

law, management consulting,

to a range of potential career paths

Jeopardy! contestant and guest

his senior year of high school, a

yourself; you must advertise your

marketing/advertising, media/

to consider and continue exploring

host. Nicknamed “Mr. Personality”

summer internship introduced

unique experiences, perspectives,

communications, medicine,

through college and beyond.

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Mirika Jambudi (V), Pingry Communications

THE PINGRY RECORD

COLUMNS APRIL 6, 2022

5

Holding onto Hope KELLY CAO (IV)

a message to the viewers about life,

harrowing lives of Seita and Setsuko,

family, and love. These films helped

as well as all the innocent souls who

“In 1945, on the night of September

shape my childhood, as well as

died prematurely, as fireflies do.

21, I died,” is the opening line to

that of millions of children around

By focusing on these two children,

Grave of the Fireflies, the 1988

the world. Grave of the Fireflies,

the film allows us to view war

classic by Studio Ghibli. Stated

however, takes a more somber

through the eyes of those who do not

by the main character, Seita, the

route than expected. It describes

yet understand the grand scheme of

line sets the tone for all that will

the impact war can have on ordinary

war, and it allows us to empathize

follow, as his rei, or spirit, travels

civilians, or in this case, Seita, a

with them as they undergo not

back in time to tell us the tale

fourteen-year-old boy, and his

only turmoil and despair, but also

of him and his younger sister.

four-year-old sister, Setsuko. Seita

happiness and joy. It allows us

Studio Ghibli has long been

grapples with the responsibilities of

to view their everyday lives and

known for its anime films such as

looking after his sister following the

the hope that they hold in their

Spirited Away (2001), My Neighbor

firebombing of their city, Kobe, and

hearts until the very end. Whilst

Totoro (1988), and Kiki’s Delivery

the subsequent death of their mother.

this film is rather heartbreaking,

Service (1989) — films that are

The title itself, Grave of the Fireflies,

Grave of the Fireflies teaches us to

simultaneously lighthearted and

or Hotaru no Haka in Japanese, is

treasure every moment in life, as

heartwarming, ultimately teaching

representative of the short and

well as to cherish our loved ones.

Mirika’s Reading Range MIRIKA JAMBUDI (V)

live in the same apartment building

and the myriad of social issues

and must grapple with the changing

from the eyes of children who are

With March rolling in with

dynamics of their community. While

trying to understand the world

some warmer temperatures and

geared towards a slightly younger

around them, something which

a long-awaited Spring Break, it’s

reader age group, I thought that

makes the book especially unique.

the perfect time to stock up on

this was a heartwarming story of

Another must-read is Kacen

some great books to read. With a

friendship and navigating issues of

Callender’s Felix Ever After, which

mix of some light-hearted staples

race and social justice set against

is a YA novel about a black, queer,

and critically acclaimed recent

the onset of Covid-19. The book

and transgender teen who grapples

releases, here are my must-

makes sure to include characters

with identitty and self-discovery

read novels for you this month.

from different backgrounds to

while also falling in love for the first

Starting off with When the World

highlight the different ways children

time. After an anonymous student

Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura,

coped with the pandemic. I have

sends him transphobic messages,

this is a book that was just released

read a few books about Covid-19

Felix comes up with a plan for

earlier in February. It centers

and our response as a global

revenge — but accidentally ends

around the stories of Shayla, Liam,

community, but I have not seen

up in a quasi-love triangle. As he

Ai, and Ben — four children who

anything that depicts the pandemic

tries to navigate these complicated feelings, Felix goes through a journey of self-discovery that helps him redefine his most important relationship — how he feels about himself. I think that this was a really well-written narrative, as Felix’s voice feels authentic and draws the reader into the story. I found myself relating to aspects of the book like the competitive and toxic college admissions process, which is explored through Felix’s desire to earn a full scholarship to Brown University through a summer scholarship program. The

This book centers around finding

caseworker, and of course, the

character development arc that

family, and was distinguished as

found family trope that ties the story

Felix goes through is well-executed

one of the top books released in

together. A major theme throughout

on Callender’s part, and I found

2021. The story follows middle-aged

the book is self-acceptance, as

myself really rooting for Felix as he

caseworker, Linus Baker, who gets

recounted through the perspective

navigated this difficult situation. The

sent by his managers to investigate

of Linus and the other characters.

intersection of race, gender identity,

a troublesome home for magical

This was a very heartwarming book,

and socioeconomic background

children that has seemingly been

which I would highly recommend

was really well-handled, as well as

kept a secret from everyone. When

grabbing during spring break.

the topics of discrimination and

he gets to the orphanage though,

I hope that you get the

bullying. Overall, it was a touching

what he finds is nothing near what

chance to pick up any of these

book, and it also was the recipient of

he had been remotely prepared

books for spring break! It’s the

the Stonewall Book Award in 2021.

for. I quickly found myself getting

perfect time to catch up with

The final book you should add

to the characters, especially the

some good books and take a break

to your collection is The House

six “dangerous” children, their

from the demands of schoolwork.

in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

mysterious caretaker, the invisible

And as always, happy reading!

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Google Images

THE PINGRY RECORD

6

Is AI Replacing Humans?

COLUMNS APRIL 6, 2022

The Truth Behind Olympic Medals JIYA DESAI (III)

OLIVIA BUVANOVA (III) In 2022, artificial intelligence is predicted to become the most revolutionary technology humanity has developed. According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, its impact will be “even greater than that of fire or electricity on our development as a species.” Though this may seem like an ambitious claim, artificial intelligence is already being used to help us tackle climate change, explore space, and develop treatments for cancer.

There have always been concerns that machines or robots will replace human workers, or even render some jobs completely unnecessary. However, as companies navigate the process of creating data and incorporating AI technologies within their teams, they have increasingly found that working with smart and cognitive machines actually boosts human abilities and skills. In fact, according to the Future of Jobs report by the World Economic

Forum, AI will create over 58 million new artificial intelligence jobs by next year. Although there is a good chance that by 2030 AI will outperform humans in most tasks involving mental computations, this certainly does not equate to taking away jobs.

In addition to benefiting labor in many job industries, AI will also increase productivity, specialization in job roles, and the importance of “human abilities,” such as creativity, problem solving, and quantitative skills. Contrary to AI, people have the capacity to imagine, anticipate, feel, and judge evolving situations. These abilities are unique to humans and do not require a provided dataset to function as is the case with artificial intelligence. Humans represent authentic intelligence — a different type of AI. For this reason, humans and machines are not in competition with each other; on the contrary, humanity relies on artificial intelligence in order to maintain a balanced society.

more. For some of these sports,

behind this is that Olympic gold

there were multiple subsections

medals are ironically not fully real

As everyone knows, the Olympic

for competition. Snowboarding, for

gold; they mostly consist of silver.

Games occur every two years,

example, had different types, such

According to the International

alternating between the Summer

as parallel giant slalom, slopestyle,

Olympic Committee (IOC), both

Olympic Games and Winter

and half pipe. Altogether, each sport

gold and silver medals must be

Olympic Games, each of which

rewarded the top three women and

92.5 percent silver. Additionally,

occur every four years. The timing

top three men for each category

bronze medals are not fully bronze,

of this year’s Winter Olympics was

with medals for their country.

either. Bronze is frequently an

slightly off because of the delay

The Olympic Games have become

alloy of tin and copper. Therefore,

due to the pandemic. The Olympics

one of the most popular watched

bronze medals are always 95

took place in Beijing, China, from

events on television. As a result,

percent copper and 5 percent zinc

February 4 to February 20 and

there are certain questions and

alloy. Regardless of their material

included a number of thrilling

controversies that arise every year.

composition however, to win an

events, such as bobsleigh, curling,

A common question is aimed at the

Olympic medal is an incredible

figure skating, ice hockey, luge,

Olympic medals: are the medals real

accomplishment and deserves the

skiing, snowboarding, and many

gold, silver, and bronze? The truth

respect of one’s entire country.

“Right Down the Line” and Euphoria JULIA ENG (IV)

sound of “Right Down the Line”

searching his business partners.

are rewarded with affirmations of

the type that makes you want to

by Gerry Rafferty. It struck me

Maybe this is what contributes

love and devotion. And soon, you

purchase a mid-century modern

On January 10, I sat down on

as an odd choice. High-stress

to the scene and the song’s appeal.

forget that your favorite characters

house in Southern California,

my bed with my laptop, preparing

situations typically call for high-

There’s something about “Right

were ever at risk at all. This,

fry an egg on a Sunday morning,

myself for the first episode of

stress music. Fast strings, dramatic

Down the Line” and its laid-back

combined with its catchy opening

and take a barefoot walk through

Euphoria’s second season. I was

crescendos, and creeping drums

bass and hollow wooden clacking

hook, might be what caused it

Brentwood Market. It was a

thoroughly enjoying catching up

add tension to a given scene, but

that is so anti-“life-or-death.”

to shoot to the top of Shazam’s

song reserved for psychedelic

with my favorite characters until

this mindless, dazed love song

They contradict one another in a

“Top 200 Chart” and my “Top

fantasies of independence and

I heard the familiar whining of

that I’d been playing for years in

way that piques our curiosity, but

Tracks this Month” on Spotify.

love. But listeners have learned

an electric guitar through my

my bedroom was making its major

also helps to calm the woes we

Before its appearance on the

from Euphoria that “Right Down

AirPods. I was watching characters

on-screen debut to the visuals of

have about what we’re witnessing.

show, “Right Down the Line”

the Line” will be there as a safety

participate in a drug deal to the

a drug dealer’s bodyguard strip-

After the stress of the scene, you

was a “kiss in the kitchen” song,

net for circumstances that are less threatening than drug deals, but challenging ones nonetheless. It’s a song that times and composes panicked breathing into measures and places some of those ridiculously oversized yellow-tinted Gucci sunglasses on your face. And during the second verse, Gerry Rafferty sings softly to you, “You've been as constant as a Northern Star / The brightest light that shines / It’s been you, woman / Right down the line,” slowing everything down to a manageable speed.

Yes, it’s a song that alters our perception of the scenes depicted in Euphoria, but it also shifts our approach to everyday dilemmas.

“Right Down the Line” doesn’t fix problems, give us morals, or offer any special inspiration. But it lets us rebound from shock, come to our senses, and set ourselves up to take baby steps in the right direction.

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Google Images

THE PINGRY RECORD

COMMENTARY APRIL 6, 2022

7

Ethics Post-Remote Learning ALEXANDER HENRY (V) On February 9, Pingry was fortunate enough to be visited, albeit virtually, by the acclaimed author and expert on ethics, Patrick Radden Keefe.

During his interview, Keefe dove deep into ethics, going far beyond the simple concept of clear-cut right and wrong. As Keefe put it, the “day

Zoom,

to day” subtle questions of somewhat

cheating —

ambiguous morality are “often the

or as former Dean of Student Life

challenges, more than the big ones

Mr. Graham Touhey humorously

where somebody hands you the keys

put it, “grade inflation” — went

to someone else’s car and says, ‘do you

through the roof. Ironically, most of

want to steal this?’” Such an assembly,

the online students (who were the

centered on moral subtleties, certainly

target of this assembly) chose not to

has the potential to benefit the student

attend because, as with cheating, no

body immensely. However, for it to

one could stop them. Specifically, no

truly take effect, students must have

one could stop students who were

the ability to reject the car keys. That

usually in-person from attending class

is, students not only need to have the

over Zoom on test days, or as an AP

obvious — the capacity to understand

US History teacher said in an email

that it is wrong to accept the keys

imploring his students not to cheat,

— but also the capacity to act in

“being strategically remote” and

accordance with said understanding

searching the internet for answers.

before they can consider such

It is obviously immoral to cheat, but

complex concepts as identifying those

who can blame a student for cheating?

discussed during Keefe's assembly.

No one comes to Pingry to be moral.

No one can deny that every student

The vast majority of students attend

comprehends why it is wrong to take

Pingry to get into a “good” college from

the keys. The problem is that it has

which they can secure a high-paying

never been more unequivocally clear

job and an opulent life. Selfishness

that students lack the restraint to reject

is what keeps Pingry alive and well-

the keys than in the wake of hybrid

funded; Pingry’s lifeblood is the

learning. Thanks to the complete

selfish desire of wealthy parents who

absence of accountability caused by

live a lavish lifestyle to provide the

Pingry’s tolerance of test-taking over

means through which their children

might live an equally lavish

better

life. Keefe, who thought he was

anyone else that

addressing a morally complex

students will cheat

student body, spoke about ethical

if and when the

concepts which were completely

opportunity arises.

lost on many students. What he

Instead of addressing

did not consider was that Pingry

issue, the Honor Board continues to

exists because of greed, and students

double down on complex issues of

attend Pingry solely for personal gain.

morality, which students could never

Therefore, it would be fair to say

possibly benefit from when many

that the Honor Board is fighting an

have absolutely no moral ground

uphill battle. Tasked with turning an

to stand on. Whether it be through

intrinsically greedy school into one in

their speaker series or a town hall,

which students independently choose

the Honor Board continues to vastly

honesty over personal gain, the Honor

overestimate the moral integrity of

Board has been doomed to fail from

the average student, many of whom

the beginning. After digesting the

do not have a strong enough will to

effects of the pandemic, it is certain

resist cheating. Such naivety is the

that they have failed, as is evident

source of the assembly on February

with the rampant Zoom cheating.

9, which represents the latest of

However, the Honor Board's failure

the Honor Board’s miscalculations.

is not the result of any lack of effort

The Honor Board should instead

but is rather due to the fact that they

work on enforcing the simple morality

focus their efforts in the wrong area.

in which the student body has clearly

The Honor Board naively seems

demonstrated itself to be lacking.

to assume that students are already

Pingry’s time during hybrid and

too moral to cheat, despite knowing

remote learning revealed many of the

than

deep-seated this glaring

issues within its students’ morality, or rather, their lack thereof.

Pingry is taking action to prevent this in the future; for example, during Pingry’s most recent stint of optional remote learning, remote students were prohibited from taking tests at home — a clear admission that cheating was a major issue during remote and hybrid learning. Although it would be easy for the Honor Board to sweep the history of Zoom cheating under the rug and proceed as usual, such a course of action would do nothing to mitigate the immorality that we now know exists in the student body. With the information that the pandemic has brought to light, the Honor Board should focus its efforts on overcoming the intrinsically greedy nature of the school to instill values of basic morality that could prevent cheating in the future.

Word in the Halls How do you plan to spend your Spring Break?

Peter Youssef (VI) “I’m getting my wisdom teeth out.”

Vanya Shah (III) “For spring break we’re probably going to go to Peru… or Costa Rica we’re not sure yet… we might go skiing… who knows? It could be a variety of things.”

Emily Gao (IV) “Probably swim… also my sister’s fish died, so I think we’re getting a new fish.”

Alexander Henry (V) “Spend time with my brother because he’s back from college and work on some college stuff.”

Daniela Karnaugh (IV) “I have a big swim meet at the end of spring break, so I plan to spend most of my spring break sleeping and getting really energized for that meet.”

Photo Credits: Alexander Henry (V), Saniya Kamat (IV)

THE PINGRY RECORD

8

COMMENTARY APRIL 6, 2022

A Fur-ever Friendship SANIYA KAMAT (IV) The concept of a “pet” has always fascinated me. How is it that we decided to take in a random species and coexist with it? Of course, animals have been domesticated over the years, but the reality that dogs evolved from wolves is still slightly wondrous to me. I can’t even imagine having a wolf in my backyard. So how do we accept dogs so easily? How do we feel such affection for animals with whom we can’t even communicate?

According to the 2021-2022 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 70% of US households (approximately 90.5 million homes) own pets. In a survey conducted by Harris Poll, 95% of owners regard their pets as family.

The reason people feel so emotionally intimate with their pets? Pets have actually been proven to make people happier. Animal interaction increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, which creates feelings of happiness, trust, and bonding.

Especially during COVID-19, I got to see my dog a lot more often. I was basically with him all the time. As an introvert, it’s sometimes hard for me to maintain relationships and spend time with people without constantly

draining my social battery, but I could always spend time with Leo without ever getting bored or tired.

He kept me company while doing homework, snuggled with me in bed, and always was so incredibly happy to see me every time I walked through the door. Whether it had been ten minutes or ten hours, he would always run to the door wagging his tail, waiting for me to pet him. Of course, my friends are generally happy to see me (or so I would hope), but I doubt any of them are overcome with ecstasy just hearing the door open every time I enter a room. Losing my dog felt like losing a best friend, regardless of the difference in species. There was no one I felt I needed to be for him. It was just mutual, unconditional love.

A pet will always be there for you. With humans, some verbal communication is usually necessary to form a bond this strong, but with pets, you can just exist with one another and feel how deep their affection is. I haven’t yet walked through the door of my house without thinking of my dog and remembering how he would greet me every day. Pets make you feel loved even when it feels like the entire world is against you. And no

matter how much your pet barks, drools, bites, scratches, or pukes, you

know that you will always love them back. The bond between a person

and an animal is truly irreplaceable.

Nothing will ever replace mine.

Thank You, Yuzuru Hanyu MILENKA MEN (V)

gold medal. I was furious. Adelina

pressured to vote for the Russians.

boldly went for it. The media decided

this will be my last Olympic games.”

Sotnikova, Russian figure skater 17

While there have been reforms to

to focus on the fancy Olympic title,

That is the spirit of an athlete who

I fell in love with figure skating over

years of age, had beaten Kim by a

the ISU judging system since then,

failing to acknowledge the quad axel

has fallen in love with a sport — an

a decade ago, when I first laced up

margin of 5.48 points. Just looking

figure skating has always been a sport

since it hadn’t been landed cleanly. To

athlete who persists despite the

my pair of Riedell boots, pretending

at Sotnikova’s free program, she

dictated by connections and collusion

everyone else, it was deemed a failure,

disrespectful score deflation and

to be Sasha Cohen circa her 2004

was awarded 20 more points at the

rather than the integrity of athleticism.

and everyone assumed that Hanyu

corruption. His legacy is so much

“Swan Lake” program. I would wake

Olympics than at a previous skate

The ISU knows what it’s doing and

would be retiring after this Olympic

greater than figure skating itself.

up at 5:30 a.m., practice my footwork

of the same program in the same

doesn’t care. Judges who have been

season. To the media, Nathan Chen

Skaters like Yuzuru Hanyu, Alysa

before school, and change in the car

season. While she added a few more

caught cheating are still certified,

is the TES and Yuzuru Hanyu is the

Liu, Yuna Kim, Meryl Davis and

on the way there. On the weekends,

technically difficult elements to boost

perpetuating the political game that

PCS, and nowadays, artistry always

Charlie White, and Alena Kostornaia

I would once again wake up at the

the TES of her program, she didn’t

haunts the figure skating system.

falls behind the technical. Although

continue to bring me back to a sport

crack of dawn to head to the arena,

skate cleanly at the Olympics, both

There have been suggestions to

his era may be waning, Hanyu has

that is notoriously corrupt. Thank you,

grinding out spins and jumps. Since

two-footing a jump and suffering an

reform the system so that it is built

confirmed that he has no intention of

Yuzuru. Thank you for reminding me

quitting the sport in 2017, I have

edge call. Even if she had skated the

only on technical ability, but that

retiring, commenting, “I don’t know if

why I love figure skating so much.

continued to follow the figure skating

modified program cleanly, her base

would mean stripping figure skating

world. Nevertheless, as I revel in the

TES would only have had a 5.38 point

of its essence. It is both a sport and

beauty of the sport, I also mourn for

difference. The 20-point increase

an art, built on years of training and

the athletes who have fallen in love

was due to the manipulation of GOE

grit. With technical elements taking

with a sport that doesn’t treat them

and PCS scores. She was consistently

precedence over artistic abilities,

fairly. At its core, figure skating is

scored higher on all of her elements

figure skating is rapidly becoming a

subjective; unlike the simplicity of a

than she had been scored before —

jump-fest; with the world abandoning

foot race, beauty is in the eye of the

including the ones with clear issues

the importance of artistry, the media

beholder. Unfortunately, attempts at

in execution. On the other hand, Kim

only fuels the unfairness towards the

objectifying the judging scale for figure

skated cleanly, but her TES and PCS

skaters who truly respect the sport

skating have fallen short of removing

scores were both lower than they had

enough to maintain both quality of

human nature and judging corruption.

been in previous skates in the season.

footwork and quantity of jumps, siding

While I’d rather not bore everyone

When the International Skating

with the ISU. Look no further than the

with the nitty-gritty, figure skating

Union (ISU) released the scoring

recent Olympics, during which rife

scores are essentially dependent on

sheets, Kim had been given lower

score inflation resulted in massive

two components: the technical and

GOEs, while Sotnikova had been given

margins between skaters. I woke up

the artistic. The technical score (TES)

higher GOEs, ultimately resulting in

on February 10 to headlines such as,

is contingent on the base difficulty of

a considerable margin. Once she got

“Yuzuru Hanyu Fails to Make History.”

elements in the programs. Judges

off the ice, Sotnikova embraced one

To that I say: Yuzuru Hanyu is history.

award positive or negative points

of the judges with a beaming smile.

While he may not have grabbed a third

based on execution (GOE scores).

Turns out that the judge is married

Olympic medal, he landed the first

The artistic score (PCS) is obviously

to a leader of the Russian Skating

certified quadruple axel in history.

more subjective, although the idea is

Federation, which had nominated the

While he could have easily switched

that the opinions of nine judges on the

judging panel. This wasn’t an isolated

out the risky element for an easier

panel evens out any biased scoring.

incident. During the 2002 Olympics in

one in his free program after slipping

In 2014, I watched Yuna Kim’s

Salt Lake City, judges were bribed to

into eighth during the short program,

“Adios Nonino” free skate at the Sochi

score skaters from Russia and France

he had gone into the Olympics with

Olympics, hoping for her to close out

higher. French judge Marie-Reine Le

the resolve to achieve his childhood

her competitive career with another

Gougne admitted that she had been

dream of the quadruple axel and

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Saniya Kamat (IV), Weibo

THE PINGRY RECORD

COMMENTARY APRIL 6, 2022

Fighting Through Off-Day EVAN XIE (IV)

medals strung around her neck.

her Olympic experience, ending it off

Thus, when Shiffrin

with her best finish and an extremely

Everyone has off-days. Days when,

uncharacteristically crashed out of

positive attitude. Instead of dwelling

from the moment they wake up in the

her first event, the giant slalom,

on her poor performances, she

morning to the moment they sleep at

millions around the world stared in

recognized her successes, noting,

night, everything seems to go wrong,

shock. The narrative repeated itself

“I think there is a lot of positive.

whether it be failed tests, irritating

three days later in Shiffrin’s best

I’ve had some of the best skiing I’ve

friends, or angry parents. This was

event, recording a “did not finish.”

ever done here, in Beijing, in the

no exception for American alpine

In the following days, she placed

training, in the downhill over the

skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who seemed

ninth in the super giant slalom

last week, in my slalom even today.”

to be trapped in a never-ending cycle

and eighteenth in the downhill,

Shiffrin’s experience in Beijing

of off-days during the two-week-

before suffering yet another crash

provides invaluable insight into

long Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

in the alpine combined event. In

dealing with off-days. Oftentimes,

At the age of 26, Shiffrin has

her final race, the mixed team

the appeal of giving up on an off-

already established herself as one

event, Shiffrin placed fourth, which

day can grow overwhelming. After

of the greatest and most decorated

was her highest finish but still

all, everyone would rather scroll

alpine skiers of all time. Since

not enough to crack the podium.

through TikTok or binge Netflix

the beginning of her professional

Breaking down her three DNFs,

than continue to suffer through

career eleven years ago, she has

Shiffrin explained, “I don’t think

whatever a terrible day has in

won a myriad of titles in various

there’s something to fix. It just

store. But Shiffrin proved that

alpine skiing disciplines, including

went really, really wrong.” Even

persevering through the difficulty

three Olympic medals (two gold

when she was in the zone and

can reap rewards, such as her

and one silver), three Overall

skiing swiftly, letting her muscle

fourth-place finish. Moreover, she

World Cup championships, and

memory and years of training take

faced these difficulties head-on

73 World Cup wins (the second-

control, she stumbled and fell. Her

instead of trying to dodge or hide

most ever by a female alpine skier).

lack of an explanation for these falls

from them. Even after her DNFs,

Seeking to expand upon her already

suggests that a concrete reason for

she was willing to speak to the media

illustrious career, Shiffrin was set to

her underperformance does not

and share her thoughts and feelings,

compete in — and podium in — all

exist. Perhaps, she just experienced

sometimes while shedding tears.

six alpine skiing events at the Beijing

an unfortunate series of off-days.

When nothing is working out, it

Olympics. Her consistency and

Yet, Shiffrin was still able to battle

can be helpful to shift expectations

dominance throughout the years

through the adversity, continuing

and settle for less. Otherwise,

made it seemingly inevitable that

to compete in event after event.

repeated disappointment will only

she’d leave the Games with multiple

Ultimately, she was able to “salvage”

serve to worsen an already bad day.

For Shiffrin, this meant celebrating

9

Club Spotlight: Lighthouse Relief ANIKA SINHA (IV)

Last year, Pingry held its first fundraiser for the non-profit organization Lighthouse Relief, selling PEZ candy to faculty and staff as a means of donating funds to the organization. At Lighthouse Relief Club our goal is to spread awareness and raise money for displaced refugees in Greece. Lighthouse Relief is a humanitarian organization that provides aid for displaced refugees in Greece, focusing on the youth and those who seek asylums. Over the course of the past five years, the organization has helped many families get back on their feet and find new homes. This past year, with COVID-19 in full force, the Lighthouse Emergency Response team worked tirelessly to provide essential resources, shelter, and care for those greatly affected by the pandemic.

In the past, LHR Club has run several fundraisers: to kick off the school year, the club held numerous candy fundraisers and bake sales.

Right before Thanksgiving break, the club put together a movie night featuring The Kite Runner, which reflects the living situation of many of the refugees whom LHR has supported. Around this time, a campaign was held to encourage

friends and parents to donate money.

People from the club pitched in as well, and we were able to raise eight thousand dollars just from that campaign. In the future, the club is looking to host even more events.

In March a dodgeball tournament featuring faculty will be held, and a joint-event with Comfort Creatures during MLK Day will be happening in April. LHR Club also hosted a writing collaboration with Pingry students and members of the LHR refugee community. It was an amazing experience and truly offered different perspectives on the living conditions of those we do not often interact with.

These are just a few of the impactful events that the LHR Club has planned, but during flexes, the club also hosts smaller interactive activities; poster making events, box designing contests, and fun idea discussions are just a few examples.

“I really enjoy being a part of a community that helps out people in need in fun ways,” Andre Masache (IV) said. If you are interested in getting involved — whether you want to chaperone an event, design cool posters, or help bake things, you can email Anika Sinha (IV) (asinha2024@pingry) to join! If you want to keep up with the club, give them a follow @lhrclubpingry.

every completed race as a victory.

Finishing an off-day with positivity can help people put the day behind themselves and prepare for their next performance. The worst thing that can happen is for negativity and disappointment from an off-day to carry into the next day. Shiffrin’s positivity at the end of the Olympics suggests that she is following this trajectory, so, hopefully, we will see her bounce back and perform at her peak again in the coming months.

Should We Get Rid of the Penny?

CAYDEN BARRISON (V)

The penny, introduced to the American public in 1783, is one of the oldest coins still circulating in the United States. Recently, this small coin has caused some big debate.

Many people see the penny as an ironically expensive nuisance, while others prefer to embrace the coin as a mainstay in the United States’ repertoire of currency. According to a 2020 survey by Rapyd Financial Network, 45% of consumers would like to see the penny phased out of US Mint circulation, up from 34% in 2014. America is very divided on this matter, but why?

Despite its near worthlessness, the penny is still beloved by many Americans. Many people see the penny as an American treasure that is tied to our history as much as the Revolutionary War. A substantial amount of Americans agree that the penny has served the public so long

that it might as well stick around.

Furthermore, cash users argue that removing the penny limits their ability to continue paying exact amounts.

Consumers also have their concerns.

Phasing out the penny might cause prices to slightly increase. Without the penny, consumers would have to be given their change rounded to the nearest five cents. This, in a sense, would put a “rounding tax” on consumers. Economist Raymond Lombra warns that this rounding tax could collectively cost Americans upwards of a billion dollars each year and trigger

inflation. However, this concern is contradicted by the actions of our neighbors up North. Canada

stopped making one-cent denomination coins in 2013 and began rounding change to the nearest nickel. They have experienced very little extra inflation or rise in prices in the past nine years, making it reasonable to assume that eliminating the penny in the US would not destroy our economy.

Arguments in favor of keeping the penny are based more on feeling than fact. In reality, the penny is, quite literally, useless.

You cannot buy a single thing with a penny. Very few

people have ever used only pennies to purchase something. Most very cheap items can simply be bought with quarters or a dollar. In a world where credit and debit forms of payment are becoming increasingly more prevalent, pennies often pile up in people's wallets or homes never to be used. This is a bigger problem than you might think. Pennies cost the government approximately two cents to manufacture, meaning that the US loses a penny every time they create a penny. According to the US Mint, the United States made approximately 7.6 billion pennies in 2021, essentially costing taxpayers a loss of almost $80 million. Of those pennies created, economist Robert Shapiro estimates that each is used only twice a year. Back in the heyday of the penny, one could get substantial use out of spending it, but today pennies are both useless and surprisingly expensive to Americans.

Pennies are also indirectly harmful

to humans and the environment. A penny is 97% zinc, a material that has to be mined and then refined in factories. In large quantities, zinc can be harmful, and pennies continue to make it possible for zinc to pollute the soil, water, and air. Refining zinc in factories not only expends a massive amount of energy but also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to the degradation of Earth’s ozone layer.

Thus, eliminating the penny would be beneficial to the health of our nation as well as the environment.

Organizations on both sides of the penny argument continue to debate this issue and make their cases to Congress, but it is clear that the circulation of the penny has more negative than positive impacts on the lives of Americans. It remains to be seen whether attachment to the penny will be enough to keep it around or practicality will prevail and result in its ultimate demise.

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Google Images, Anika Sinha (IV), Milenka Men (V)

THE PINGRY RECORD

10

COMMENTARY APRIL 6, 2022

The Toxic Limits of the English Language SRIYA TALLAPRAGADA (III)

violence, poverty, global warming,

to engage in discourse, it is often

prove that you are a good person.

from different sources that I

oppression, destruction, and death.

divided into our varying perceptions

But there are things that we can do

was slowly able to find my own

February 24, 10:37 a.m. I opened

We feel a sense of urgency to

of “good” and “bad.” Political

to help, and they all center around

stance on this issue. The feeling of

up social media to see a flood of

respond to these events, and for

conversations are especially coded

taking the time to educate ourselves.

hopelessness that overwhelmed me

posts announcing that Russia was

that, we utilize the tool of language.

in this language and oftentimes end

For me, this meant researching

on February 24 was replaced with a

officially at war with Ukraine. I

However, as teens, our ability to

when participants disagree with

the complicated Russia-Ukraine

sense of control and confidence in

spent the remainder of the day

help out or do something significant

one another. I worry that outlook on

relationship and developing an

myself, one that has empowered

trying to come up with ways I

in response to these injustices is

life can lead to an echo chamber, in

understanding of Putin’s actions.

me to write this very article. Upon

could organize the thoughts in my

incredibly restricted. This cycle

which language and prominence of

Taking this time allowed me to

reflection, I realized that the

head and make sense of what was

could desensitize us to genuine

the speaker is valued over logic and

make informed decisions about

language and words we use aren’t

happening in the world around

discourse, as we are so pressured

reason. This is especially prevalent

where I could best contribute,

as restrictive as I thought. While

me, but I was unsuccessful. For

to respond with words and share

in the age of social media. Take the

including places to donate and

it is hard to express ourselves in

the first time, words failed me.

our sympathy. This was indeed the

summer of 2020 Black Lives Matter

organizations to advocate for. I

the face of global issues, taking the

Upon further dissecting the issue,

case for myself in response to the

movement. Black squares blurred

found that I learned more from

time to stay informed could bring

I came to the conclusion that my

Russia-Ukraine war, and my lack

the lines between performative

trusted news sources and hard

more power and justification to our

self-obligation to constantly feel

of words left me feeling disturbed,

activism and true allyship. Social

data than I ever could from looking

opinions in any given discourse.

responsible to respond to matters

as though my inability to add to

media has the devastating potential

through my Instagram feed. I also

This experience affirmed both my

in a way that valued empathy over

the global discussion was somehow

to reduce movements and social

realized that finding snippets of

belief in the strength of my voice, but

processing could interfere with my

perpetuating the injustice.

change to a hashtag. In reality, you

information from sources that were

also in the understanding that self-

view of empathy as a virtue. Every

This also prompted me to consider

shouldn’t feel the need to share an

not verified don’t tell the full story.

worth isn’t measured by my ability

day, we consume news stories

the tricky dichotomy of language.

infographic about something you

It was through this process of

to speak up in any given situation.

about the horrors of the world: gun

Even when we are empowered

know nothing about to simply

reading both op-eds and reports

Fondly Recalling Fire Alarms

BRIAN LI (VI) Nostalgia is one of the most powerful forces that exists. But what makes a memory truly fond to look back on? Which memories constantly replay in our heads when we want to relive better, or simpler, times? I recall reading a quote that said our best memories are those involving initial difficulty but allow us to form closer bonds with each other. These events, when converted into memories,

without any hotel mayhem or

night’s sleep. I was soundly asleep

guess can be attributed to walking

case of the negligible possibility

sleep deprivation; I was certain this

when, completely out of nowhere,

outside while still half–asleep.

that the power went out again,

would allow for the most efficient

the fire alarm went off, shattering

While we were laughing about the

stranding us on the sixth floor

creation of nostalgic memories.

the peace of my desperately-needed

absurdity of the situation and the

when our room was on the seventh

Oh, how wrong I was.

slumber. Not only did the siren

pandemonium of the hotel, we

floor and the stairs would set off

The universe must have

destroy our eardrums, the alarm

half-jokingly came to the conclusion

the fire alarm if opened. We had

chosen our Hampton Inn to be

also played a voice recording

that the fire alarm was triggered

barely been in our room for 10

that weekend’s chaos center,

instructing us to leave the hotel

by the sheer amount of marijuana

minutes when the power shut off

because more happened there

immediately using the stairs and

smoke ubiquitous in the building.

again. Needless to say, another

in three nights than I have ever

not the elevators. In the semi-

On Saturday night, divine

round of hotel mockery began.

experienced before in my life.

conscious state of my dreams, I

intervention struck the hotel once

What do these events have in

Immediately after checking into

thought it was either a lockdown

again. While I was reminiscing

common, besides being completely

the hotel and entering the elevator,

announcement or, given the recent

about our Nationals experience

out of the realm of a normal hotel

the pungent smell of marijuana hit

Russian invasion of Ukraine and

with the other seniors at 1:00 AM,

experience? They allowed us to

my nostrils, as a forewarning of our

other world events, a warning

the hotel’s power suddenly cut out.

become closer together, lower our

weekend. Thursday night passed

about an impending nuclear attack.

Not only was the weather perfectly

personal barriers, and create fond

without incident, but we had an

Everyone in the hotel rushed

clear, our Hampton Inn was the

memories to look back on. Sprinting

8:00 AM match on Friday, requiring

outside into the freezing midnight

only building in the vicinity to lose

out of Hampton Inn due to a fire

us to wake up at 5:40 AM. Thus, we

cold, many without proper clothing.

power. For 30 minutes, we sat in

alarm and laughing at two isolated

went to bed at 11:00 PM (my first

Virtually all members of our

darkness, ridiculing this sequence

power outages within one hour will

time sleeping before midnight in

team were wearing t-shirts and

of events together, before the power

be ingrained in my mind forever,

at least two years, in fact!), fully

shorts, and two underclassmen

returned. My roommate and I

and are what truly set this year’s

prepared to get a relatively good

were completely barefoot, which I

decided to return to our room in

Nationals apart from any other.

are the best to look back on and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

One such example of this phenomenon can be seen with the season-ending 2022 High School Squash Championships, which took place from February 25 to February 27 and brought together squash teams from across the nation.

While I was excited for the first Nationals in three years, and the first edition of the tournament in the brand new Arlen Specter Squash Center in Philadelphia, I was deeply saddened that this would be my last time attending Nationals. My junior squash career was three days from its end, closing the book on seven years of my life that I’ll never experience again. Despite this realization weighing down on me, I knew that in order to prevent my Nationals experience from turning into a sentimental mess, I couldn’t dwell on the thought during the entire weekend. Prior to Nationals, I had hoped for a relatively uneventful and chaos-free tournament, one

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): US Squash

THE PINGRY RECORD

COMMENTARY APRIL 6, 2022

11

Scary New World

ANDY WONG (VI) By all accounts, we Gen Zers have grown up in a remarkable period of history. The aftermath of the Cold War in 1991 ushered in the first unipolar global peace in human history, as the victorious United States emerged as a global

hyperpower. Our generation would be the first born into this new chapter of history, and we should be thankful that we were. We’ve been brought up in an era of unparalleled world peace and cooperation.

Globalization has allowed us to gain access to cheaper goods, while simultaneously raising our standard of living. The rapid advancement of technology has revolutionized global society in countless ways. In every metric, we have been raised in the best era of human history.

Except now, this chapter is quickly coming to a close, and we’re entering a scary new world.

With Russia’s unprovoked and brazen invasion of Ukraine last

month, the rules-dependent, postCold War international order that was responsible for nearly 30 years of relative world peace and stability has come to an end. The largest war since 1945 now rages in Europe, as the Ukrainian people valiantly defend their homeland from Russia’s aggression. Across Eastern Europe, a refugee crisis on the scale of millions of people is brewing, as Ukrainian women and children attempt to flee the fighting, while the West walks a tightrope of both supporting Ukraine in the war and avoiding an escalation ladder that could result in nuclear Armageddon.

The effects of this war, however, aren’t confined to only Ukraine

or Europe. As Russian tanks roll across Ukraine, the global economy, already battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, is entering a new period of uncertainty. Globalization is proving to be a double edged sword.

The West’s energy entanglements with Russia remain an Achilles’ heel that will undoubtedly have negative domestic consequences as oil and natural gas prices skyrocket to 10year highs. There may soon be food shortages across the Middle East and North Africa, who rely heavily on Russian and Ukrainian exports of wheat and corn, not to mention an increase in global food prices overall. Furthermore, the prospect of a liquidity shortage and credit crunch looms large over many European and American banks, who now find themselves locked out of more than $300 billion of assets lent to Russia, thanks to Western sanctions banning transfers of money. How will these now-missing $300 billion impact the banking sector? History says it could potentially be catastrophic.

For reference, Lehman Brothers, after losing $200 billion in the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008, was forced to file for bankruptcy, which subsequently helped trigger the international banking crisis.

Meanwhile, the power of technology and cyberspace is allowing this war to transcend borders and has allowed ordinary individuals to wield immense amounts of power — with potentially horrifying consequences.

Technology has brought the war to our very own fingertips. With the widespread use of apps such as

Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, this war is being live streamed across the entire world. Every bullet fired, every bomb dropped, and every death on the battlefield is visible to anybody on this planet with an internet connection. Warfare in the cyber domain is now being tried for the first time in human history.

Digital armies of hackers from both the West and Russia have joined the conflict, and maurade across cyberspace, launching cyberattacks on everything from government websites to messaging platforms and have gone as far as to begin targeting civilian infrastructure and industry.

The consequences of such actions could be potentially catastrophic for billions around the globe.

This is the new reality we live in. This is a new era where a great power conflict has been revived, and where its consequences are scarier and more devastating than ever before in human history. Peace can no longer be taken for granted.

Wars have no more frontlines.

Ordinary individuals now have the power to cripple entire nations at their fingertips. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is only a small taste of how crazy the digital and wired world we live in can become, and it’s only going to be crazier from here as the geopolitical world rapidly changes to meet this new reality. A new chapter of human history is dawning upon us, and it's in this scary new world where we Gen Zers will begin making our mark on history. Get ready — it’s going to be a long ride.

The Chinese School Experience HANSEN ZHANG (IV) Chinese school is an almost universal experience that Chinese American children have been through. If your parents wanted you to learn Chinese, you were probably dragged to one of these schools on a bright and sunny day to spend your afternoon in an overheated classroom. Usually, at nonprofits such as the Huaxia Chinese School, the main focus is teaching Chinese (hence the name).

However, these schools do far more than this. They are places where kids and parents with a common culture can convene in a large community while also taking extracurricular classes with friends in aspects such as basketball, chess, and pingpong.

For me, Chinese school was always defined by the weekly memorization quizzes that I frantically studied for in the car, the somewhat musty gyms of Edison High School, repeatedly being scholar’s mated in chess, and the Chinese supermarket trips after class. Normally seen as prisons by the students themselves, people usually realize the importance and appeal of Chinese school only after graduation. There are mixed opinions held by previous students of Chinese schools; some believe it was plain torture, but others who have held that opinion in the past have

since changed it. I am of the latter.

I am guilty of previously holding Chinese school in a bad light. After my Chinese school graduation, the once dreaded Chinese classes surprisingly became a nostalgic memory I could reminisce about — less of Chinese class itself, but more of the environment. I miss seeing old friends in Edison who I’ve had to part with, the crazy drawings in the halls, and even the musty volleyball and basketball gyms. Motivated by my previous nostalgia and a general curiosity of the operation of Chinese school, I tried to join the chess class this year during their second semester. This was a spontaneous decision which was probably quite confusing for my mother, who had to convince me just to finish Chinese school and take the advanced placement classes. However, in my erratic decision, I had not considered that the class would be online. It was later canceled because of a lack of participants. Receiving this news was strange, yet unsurprising. Chinese school has been online since the outbreak of COVID-19, and two years of online school (while necessary given the current circumstances) is a recipe for losing students. Many of the extracurricular courses have been canceled. Losing these classes, which are an essential part of the

fun in Chinese school, affects the Chinese school experience as a whole.

Without the seemingly random courses offered by the Huaxia schools, Chinese school loses its appeal, becoming torturous and boring weekend school for kids.

Whether the Chinese school experience will revert to its former glory remains questionable. The extracurricular courses offered

may change, but the biggest factor is the lack of the participants who have not returned after the pandemic. COVID-19 has stripped students and teachers all around the world of a “normal” learning environment, enticing us to ask the relevant question: “Will life ever be normal again?” The Chinese school experience is currently unattainable, only emphasizing the fact that I

took my time at Chinese school for granted. Similar to my story, students have realized that they have taken school for granted in general. When we’re ripped apart from normal school life by remote learning, there’s nothing more we want than to be back in school with our friends.

The moral of the story?

Appreciation must be found for school before we are forced to leave it.

Photo Credits (Top to Bottom): Google Images, Hansen Zhang (IV)

THE PINGRY RECORD

12

COMMENTARY APRIL 6, 2022

Eradicate the Eteri Expiration Date MILENKA MEN (V) On February 17, the screams and sobs of two broken young girls shattered the glass palace of figure skating. With the conclusion of the Beijing 2022 Olympics Women’s Figure Skating event came not cries of joy, but the cries of decade-long abuse. The legacy of figure skating had been twisted from a beautiful, artistic sport into the exploitation of teenage girls being used as sacrificial pawns on an international stage. It all started in 2014.

At the Sochi Olympics, Russian 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, under the tutelage of Eteri Tutberidze’s Sambo-70 skating school, became the youngest Olympic champion of all time, winning gold in the team figure skating event. With her program to the theme of Schindler’s List, she became known as the “girl in the red coat,” dazzling everyone with both her artistry and innocence.

While she gained a massive following after Sochi, she retired only three years later at the age of 19, after many unsuccessful performances throughout the season. She faded from the spotlight as 15-yearold Evgenia Medvedeva, another Sambo-70 skater, skyrocketed to number one, winning consecutive World titles and breaking every world record. Lipnitskaya later revealed her struggles with chronic back pain and anorexia. Her battle with body image opened up the field of figure skating to vulnerable conversations surrounding female expectations and paved the way for Tutberidze’s fame.

Cue the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics; Medvedeva’s status as queen of the ice had been stolen by Alina Zagitova, another Tutberidze trainee. Zagitova, who had just qualified for her senior debut in the 2018 season, was only 15 years old and packed her programs

with an arsenal of technically difficult jumps. She won gold in Pyeongchang while Medvedeva slipped to silver with a margin of only 1.21 points.

Soon after her Olympic win in the 2019-2020 season, Zagitova started to fall behind the next Russian star, Alena Kostornaia (on her senior debut as a 15-year-old), and has been on hiatus since 2020, stating that she had no more motivation. Pictureperfect Zagitova disappeared from competitive skating as Medvedeva switched coaches to Brian Orser, struggling with back pain just as Lipnitskaya had. A trend can be seen; new, talented Russian girls meteorically rise to the top of the figure skating world only to retire two to three years later at around age 17 — the “Eteri Expiration Date.”

In a post-Olympic interview, Medvedeva and Zagitova revealed that, over the course of the Olympic Games, they had been forbidden from drinking water and consuming solids in order to reduce their body weight to achieve the difficult technical components of their programs; a lower body weight means easier rotation and more points. Ironically, Tutberidze’s methods have been on full display since her “Eteri army” graduated from the junior to the senior arena two years ago, launching the “Three As” onto every podium sweep — Alena Kostornaia, Alexandra Trusova, and Anna Shcherbakova. These girls have been known as the “quad revolution,” as they transformed the world of women’s figure skating into a sheer race for quadruple jumps.

Now, it is impossible to place without such elements. The success of these elements is dependent on the bodies of teenage girls who have not yet gone through puberty. Tutberidze’s success relies on pushing young adolescents to the body’s breaking point, preventing them from

competing for more than three years.

The fleeting careers of these skaters are not normal. Carolina Kostner, 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, competed at the age of 31 in the 2018 Olympics and currently has no intentions of retiring. Michelle Kwan won five World Championships and two Olympic medals before retiring in her late 20s. Because of the quad revolution, skaters are now sacrificing their physical longevity. In 2019, less than two years after the Olympics, Zagitova admitted that quads had become too dangerous for her and explained, “I would need to prepare for them physically and mentally. I will also need to lose some weight, something like three kilograms, to decrease the risk of injuries.”

Eteri Tutberidze is widely regarded as the world’s expert in crafting the perfect figure skating champions.

Team Tutberidze openly discusses dehydration and copious dietary restrictions; puberty is delayed through the ingestion of only “powdered nutrients” or by taking Lupron, a drug known to induce menopause. The girls are subjected to daily public weigh-ins and are forced to skate injured, huffing “smelling salts” or wearing knee braces in order to push through the pain only to collapse after programs. This politically justified child abuse has only been encouraged by those in power in the figure skating world, namely the International Skating Union (ISU).

In 2020, Tutberidze was celebrated as the “Coach of the Year,” and Ted Barton, the executive director of the major Skate Canada competition, even commented that Sambo-70 was a “stable of thoroughbred horses.”

Instead of questioning her methods, powerful institutions, such as the ISU, NBC, and others, continue to produce a sanitized view of beautiful ice princesses. Their silence has

allowed Tutberidze’s abuse to thrive.

Nothing has been more painful to witness than the Beijing 2022 Women’s Figure Skating event — ironically an event dominated more by pre-pubescent teens than female adults. The doping scandal of 15-yearold Kamila Valieva will forever follow her everywhere, though she is only one example of the trauma that these girls have endured in order to fulfill vicarious, adult desires to win. Allowing her to skate in the individual event despite the doping test results has vindicated her abusers and left her alone to grapple with the aftermath of broken dreams and shame. Alexandra Trusova’s breakdown after discovering she placed silver and not gold is the image of irreparable harm. Trusova screaming that she should have won, Valieva crumbling on the ice, and gold medalist Shcherbakova’s selfproclaimed “emptiness” as she stands expressionless with no one on her team to celebrate with perhaps sum up the current state of women’s figure skating. These children have listened and hung onto every word spoken by the adults surrounding them — the adults that have ultimately failed to protect them. This is about more than just who placed first and who placed second. This is about more than just who landed how many

quads or who has the gold medal around their neck. This is about three girls, three abuse victims, three children who made it to the Olympic dream only to be destroyed by the media and by the silence.

Raise the minimum age requirement.

The victims of an abusive system that continues to go unchecked takes priority over the debate on score inflation and judging bias. These girls are being used and discarded, one after the other. People cheer them on when they win, but in reality, they’re just cheering on the ghosts of these empty children who have been starved and abused for years. The ISU, Russian Federation, and Eteri Tutberidze are being cheered on for such behavior. There is no argument that can justify the destruction of these girls. The entire world knows that in two years, maybe even one, no one will remember them; there will just be a new batch of talented young skaters to pick from.

How has this become the legacy of women’s figure skating? How much is a little girl worth? If I’ve learned anything from these past couple of weeks, the answer is nothing. That is how much the system has failed them. I wish I could give them all a hug and tell them, “It’ll be okay,” but it would be a lie. This is what women’s figure skating has become.

HITS AND MISSES Volume CXLVII, Number IV

Editors-in-Chief Brian Li Andrew Wong Senior Assistant Editor Emily Shen Faculty Advisors Mrs. Meghan Finegan Dr. Megan Jones

Layout Editor Kyra Li

HITS

MISSES

SERENADES MARCH WORKLOAD NO MASKS DRESS CODE

Assistant Editors Keira Chen Mirika Jambudi Copy Editors Sarah Gu Saniya Kamat Kate Marine Milenka Men Evan Xie

SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SPRING ALLERGIES SNOWBALL OLYMPICS JOHN MULANEY HOSTS SNL URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL WORDLE

SENIORITIS EUPHORIA KANYE WEST’S INSTAGRAM

NEW RECORD STAFF

Photo Credits: Google Images