The Trinity Voice - December 2020

THE

TRINITY VOICE

December 4, 2O2O Volume 23 Issue 2 Trinity Preparatory School 57OO Trinity Prep Lane Winter Park, FL 32792

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Trinity implements new protocols to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak during the holiday season.

Page 7

NEWS

COVID-19 poses a threat to performing arts venues.

Page 4

LIFESTYLES

Video game Among Us brings the Trinity community together.

Page 11

FOCUS

Bilingualism is extremely common and beneficial within society.

Page 18

OPINIONS

American teachers continue to suffer financially despite an increased workload.

Pages 24-25

SPORTS

Coach Irwin Hudson returns to the Trinity basketball program.

Page 33

Table of Contents

October 2O2O

TABLE OF CONTENTS Focus

News

Bilingualism 18 Performance Arts O4 Learning Languages 19 College Applications O5 COVID-19 Travel Protocols O6 Personal Pronouns 2O American Sign Language 21 Babyak Retirement O7 COVID-19 Vaccine O8 Opinions Mid-Semester Exams O8 Teacher Pay 22-23 Habitat House O9 Lead Ed 24-25 Forensics Team 1O Online Testing 26 Lifestyles College Prestige Culture 27 Among Us 11 Sports Holiday Travel Plans 12 Girls Weightlifting 29 Working Out 13 Boys Cross-Country 3O Student Employment 14 Basketball Coach 31 Fast Fashion 15 Holiday Traditions 16 Alumni Teachers 17 Editor’s Note - The editorial staff of The Trinity Voice is proud to feature the writing of the Introduction to Journalism class.

These articles were written by the students over the month of November as a culmination to the course.

The Trinity Voice is a member of the Florida Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

The Trinity Voice is produced by the newspaper/journalism class at Trinity Preparatory School of Florida. Editorials represent the opinion of The Trinity Voice writer and are not necessarily the views of the administration, faculty, or Board of Trustees of Trinity. The Voice welcomes letters to the editor and freelance articles or photography. All submissions become the property of The Voice. Please send all correspondence to 5700 Trinity Prep Lane, FL 32792. The Voice may also be contacted via phone at 407-671-4140 and via e-mail at voice@trinityprep.org. For information regarding the purchase of advertising within The Voice contact us by one of the methods mentioned above. The Voice is a monthly publication during the school year (with the exceptions of November, January, and March).

VOICE@TRINITYPREP.ORG THETRINITYVOICE.COM @TRINITY_VOICE @THETRINITYVOICE “THE TRINITY VOICE”

Jaidyn Holt

Page 19

Mateo Membreno

Cover Photo

Staff/News Bites

October 2O2O

NEWS SPOTLIGHT

STAFF

Editors-in-Chief: Ryan Zehnder, Matthew Mapa Managing Editor: Matthew Halpin Copy Editor: Deniz Bölöni-Turgut Layout Editors: Emma Kim, Amy Qiao Online Editor: Maneesh Rajulapati News Department: Andrew Bachrach (Editor), Ava Savino, Julian Sealy, Jack Ververis Opinions Department: Connor Raffa (Editor), Maddie Peckham, Jake McCreary Focus Department: Deniz Bölöni-Turgut (Editor), Evan Huang, Marcos Membreno Lifestyles Department: Sidney Seybold (Editor), Alec Diaz, Sarah Zehnder, Amy-Ruth Gyang Sports Department: Jake Raffa (Editor), Oliver Johnson, Boaz Kim, Cate Williams Graphics Department: Henry Van Voorhis (Editor), Jaidyn Holt Photo Department: Kayla Alexandre (Editor), Mateo Membreno (Editor), Anuha Tatineni, Ella Craghill, Jessica Dorrien Fact Checker: Oliver Johnson Business Manager: Sidney Seybold Adviser: Erin Miller

This Month: By the Numbers 95%

46

effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines in clinical trials

Joe Biden is elected the 46th president of the US

250 million workers in India join national strike to protest anti-worker policies

The Headlines Francisco Sagasti is sworn in as the 5th president of Peru in 5 years Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek passes away after battle with pancreatic cancer

Bitcoin is now worth nearly $20,000, an all-time high

Quote of the Month To make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans.

President-Elect Joseph R. Biden, calling for unity and bipartisanship upon declaring victory 4 days after Election Day

Local Spotlight Orlando City qualifies to the MLS Playoffs for the first time in club history

Regal Cinemas temporarily closes 536 theatres, including here in Winter Park

News

December 2O2O

PANDEMIC FORCES THEATRE TO FIND NEW FORMS Article by Jack Ververis Photos courtesy of Trinity Prep & Orlando Shakespeare Theater

and Juliet.”

Mortimer also explained the relevant nature of Shakespeare.

“Theatre, a lot of the time, is the writer of In the early 1600s, outbreaks of the plague the show including analogies to day-to-day tore through London, killing over a fifth of the life, and things that they don’t exactly enjoy city’s population and closing shops and busiabout it,” Mortimer said. nesses for over a year. And yet, during those The heavily edited and interpreted play that years, William Shakespeare wrote legendary the company is putting on was written over plays like Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and the summer, and uses COVID-19 as a key plot The Tempest— plays not only inspired by the point. plague but adapted to it. Nowadays, many “This show includes quite a lot of that,” playwrights and theatres are facing the same Mortimer said. set of both challenges But while Triniand opportunities. ty found success in Performing arts moving plays outside, venues, which primarmany local venues are ily include live theatre turning to the digital venues and concert stage. Recorded perspaces, play a critical formances, live streams role in not only local and Zoom plays are all art and culture, but ways in which theatres in the strength of the are using the online creative industry as a medium to change whole. The Atlantic retheir craft. ports that local venues Barron’s Magazine provide opportunities Trinity thespians perform their socially reports that compafor innovative and ex- distanced play on Nov. 9. Movement nies like the Gulfshore perimental artists, and around the stage and distancing was a new Playhouse in Naples the venues themselves challenge for the actors. have held numerous also often double as online workshops and cultural and education discussions for actors, playwrights and memcenters in their communities. bers of the community. Some theatres are even COVID-19 represents a major threat to using this online medium to their advantage. those venues, which thrive on the collective Theatres like New York’s Working Theatre, experience of sitting down to watch a perforwhose online play “American Dreams” invites mance. But just as the plague informed Shakea level of audience participation that simply speare’s works, so will COVID-19 shape modwouldn’t be possible in-person. ern performances, from the stages of Broadway “We’re not going to close up shop; we just to those of Trinity. have to do it in a way that’s safe,” Jim HelsingThis past October, the Trinity thespians er, artistic director and producer at the Orlanput on the middle school play “Stage Pardo Shakespeare Theatre said. ents,” a comedy about the backseat direcAfter COVID-19 forced the theatre to end tors, phone-users and overzealous parents of its 31st season early, the Shakes (as it’s comschool theater. But rather than taking place monly known) shifted to recorded perforin the Blackbox or auditorium, the thespians mances, putting on the solo monologue “Poe: moved the play outside, providing a number Deep into that Darkness Peering.” The high of unique advantages. production quality and intimate performance “It’s outdoors, so you don’t need to set up achieved acclaim during its Halloween run. the light system, and it’s quite enjoyable to “The light never changed the whole time, perform outside when the sun’s not shining in and there was not a single sound effect that your face blinding you,” said sophomore Lene took place,” Helsinger said.

Mortimer, who performed in Trinity’s “SocialDue to COVID-19 safety protocols, the set ly Distanced Shakespeare Company’s Romeo

had to be assembled inside the actor’s home and all direction and cinematography done over Zoom. Once recorded, the footage then went to editing and lighting specialists in order to give the play the effects and flair that patrons would expect from a live performance.

“Everything you saw was added in post production,” Helsinger said.

However, these new forms of performances can’t replace the financial threat that COVID-19 poses to the venues. In a survey published by the National Independent Venue Association, over 90% of local venues say they will be forced to close unless they receive direct assistance by the end of the year, and Brookings Institution estimates a loss of over 1.4 million jobs in the performing arts industry.

Rallying around this crisis is the Save Our Stages (SOS) movement. The activist movement is largely centered around the passage of the SOS Act as part of a Congressional stimulus package, which would free up over $10 billion in grants for venues. But just because the Act is held up, that doesn’t mean that the music acts have stopped. As Variety reports, a recent #SOSFest virtual concert festival raised nearly $2 million for independent venues.

Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage”, and just as COVID-19 has closed and thrown the world into doubt, so has it with performing venues. But while many playwrights and producers long for the day when they can return to the live stage, they’re not putting up their pens in the meantime.

“I love theater,” Helsinger said. “It’s been around for thousands of years, and it will be around in the future. Humans find a way, and art finds a way too.”

Actor Stephen Lane performs on the set of the Orlando Shake’s “Poe: Deep Into that Darkness Peering.” The actor recorded the play in short takes, with the help of family.

December 2O2O

News

KEEP CALM AND APPLY ON COVID-19 restrictions change some aspects of college process Article by Mohil Kapadia Photo by Kayla Alexandre and Henry Van Voorhis

the need to cover COVID-19 costs. With the change in financial aid, a majority of schools have taken out the requirement of having stuFor decades juniors and seniors missed dents take standardized tests.

Colleges in California are going test blind, school days to visit colleges and universities, which means they will trying to envision themselves on a campus in “I think there’s something not even look at student test scores. However, hopes of finding the when a college goes test that happens when a student right one. COVID-19 has drastically changed steps on a particular campus. optional, they do not require a test, but they will this rite of passage.

They kind of either see themstill look at a test score if Students in the class a student submits one. of 2021 are forced to use selves there or they don’t.”

“If there is a stuYouTube videos, virtual dent who’s an excellent Brooke Beers, Senior tours and Zoom meetstudent and gets great ings to decide where grades and they work they want to spend tens of thousands of dollars very hard, but they’re not the best-standardand the next four years. This is just one of the many changes COVID-19 has caused in the ized test taker, this gives them the option to apply without those test scores,” Interim Dicollege admissions process.

Usually, the only time students can visit rector of College Counseling Christine Grover schools is by going in person and visiting them said.

With the changes in the admission process, or a representative from a school would come the college counseling department has adjustand speak at Trinity, but now you can scheded as well. These adaptations have increased ule an appointment online and tour the school virtually.

Some people feel that visiting school online is different than visiting it in person.

“There’s a feeling that you can’t necessarily get from being online,” senior Brooke Beers said. “If you are touring a campus the students aren’t there. I think there’s something that happens when a student steps on a particular campus. They kind of either see themselves there or they don’t.”

From in person to virtual college visits, the decrease in financial aid in some colleges is affecting the decision where students want to go as well.

According to IvyWise, in 2019 seniors applying to college were given a higher amount of money for financial aid in certain colleges, now some colleges have decreased the amount of money given to students due to COVID-19.

The amount of financial aid a senior could earn from last year was $5000 dollars, while this year it is a little less than $3000.

The decrease in financial aid is largely due to

the access to colleges, across the nation.

“The college counseling department has moved to a lot more virtual all over,” Grover said. “The university visits that would normally be in person have been all virtual this year which actually opens up an opportunity to have more universities than we’ve ever had before, so we’ve had almost 200 universities.”

While change can be difficult, some seniors think the changes to the department have been helpful.

“It’s been a really important thing for college counselors this year to hold workshops when [colleges] are virtual now, you can kind of learn about them just by giving students the feel for a campus in the school without actually being there,” senior Cole Best said.

Grover agrees with Best that going through the college admission process through a screen is difficult.

“There’s an intangible quality when you step on a campus,” Grover said. “There’s a feeling that you can’t necessarily get from being online and it’s also difficult to get that feeling now.”

Senior Alexis Roberts has been impacted by COVID-19 in her college admissions process. She decided to only apply to universities in the state of Florida because she feels that it is important for her to be able to get back home in the case of an emergency.

News

December 2O2O

TRINITY RELEASES NEW COVID-19 PROTOCOLS FOR TRAVEL Article by Ava Savino Graphic by Henry Van Voorhis When COVID-19 cases started to rise earlier this year, spring and summer vacation plans were forced to be modified or cancelled. Now as the holiday season comes around, people are more compelled to travel to reconnect with family and relatives rather than just for leisure.

Choosing to travel could potentially lead to contracting the coronavirus and bringing it back to school.

Because of this, Trinity Prep has implemented new protocols and precautions to keep the campus safe from a COVID-19 outbreak. On October 28th, Trinity Prep released an email to parents with procedures for COVID-19 safety during travel for the holiday season. This letter introduced a plan including remote learning on November 30th through December 2nd, along with additional information about exams. Upper School Principal Patrick Mulloy said that these school procedures originated from the school’s COVID-19 Task Force.

Associate Head of School Dennis Herron said the school’s guidelines were based on information from the CDC. According to the CDC, coronavirus symptoms typically take 2-14 days to show up after someone is exposed. Herron said that having the online days would hopefully give people enough time to stay home and get tested if they develop symptoms before coming

back to school.

Riley is also using other methods to keep her “That gives us a safer feeling, so if someone and her family safe. She said that she won’t be were to contract it, they would find out about traveling outside of her family’s home except it and be able to stay home, let the school to visit the beach, which is just a drive away. know and stay off the property,” Herron said.

“We’re just going to our own house, and Both Herron and Mulloy agreed that they probably just around each other mostly,” Riley would not have students said. and faculty returning to “Be a responsible person To stay safe at the beach, campus from traveling Riley said that she and her and think about your own family will wear masks until provide a negative test, but they said that it was dis- safety and the safety of they arrive at their chairs, cussed with the task force. others. This is what we which will be socially disHerron said that because tanced from other people. of the risk of false negatives can do.”

Her family will also only inand false positives, a test - Bozena Lawson, World teract with other members would only be required to of their family.

Language Teacher return back to campus after Lawson said that she is testing positive. driving to Tennessee to visit “We discussed everything you could think family as well. While she is visiting a smaller of,” Herron said. “We went through a whole town, Lawson said that she will still be keeplitany of medical experts and the CDC advice.” ing her and her family safe with coronavirus The task force was also responsible for cre- protocols. ating a safety protocol to contain potential “We are definitely going to keep our masks COVID-19 cases, which includes contact trac- on, make sure that we avoid crowds of people, ing of anyone with the virus. Anyone who sits and that we are going to keep distance as much within a six foot radius according to class seat- as possible,” Lawson said. ing charts would be quarantined. The student While traveling increases the risk of catchwould also be asked to provide any additional ing the coronavirus, the school is taking every people that they came in contact with so that precaution to keep everyone on campus safe they could also be sent home for quarantine. and urging everyone to stick to the same proFreshman Taylor Riley and world language tocols issued by the CDC and the school. teacher Bozena Lawson are two members of “Be responsible,” Lawson said. “Be a responthe Trinity family that are planning on trav- sible person and think about your own safety eling for the upcoming breaks. Riley said and the safety of others. This is what we can that she will be visiting her family in do.”

Sea Island, Georgia. Riley said she is traveling by car, which she feels is safer than flying.

December 2O2O

News

BABYAK BIDS GOODBYE

Richard Babyak retires after 25 years of coaching ty to find positions as a physical education or math teacher. For his first three years at Trinity, Babyak taught two high school math courses After 25 years of service, Richard Babyak before making the full switch to a physical edhas finally made the decision to retire from ucation teacher. his position at Trinity at the end of the 2021 What Babkyak enjoys most about teachschool year. His commitment to the school is ing math and physical education is the ability seen through every position he has fulfilled to create a better player not only physically during his career. but mentally as well. With many strategies inBabyak is currently a Middle School Physivolved in sports, Babyak helps kids improve in cal Education Teacher and head coach of vartheir understanding of the game itself through sity boys and girls tennis. In the past, he has physical education. served as assistant athletic director, head coach “The best player is not always the fastest, of varsity boys basketball, head coach of boys strongest athlete in the room,” he said. “I think and girls bowling and assistant varsity coach of what makes a well-rounded, winning athlete is boys and girls golf. being able to outsmart your opponents, startWith his consistent motivational skills, he ing in the classroom.” was able to lead the tennis team to multiple Babyak said he enjoys teaching middle district titles while competing at the regionschool students because they are more willing al and state level. Babyak had high hopes for and receptive to learning the finer points of last year’s season but unfortunately, due to performing an athletic endeavor.

COVID-19, the tennis season was cancelled.

“I personally don’t believe kids should de“One of my biggest accomplishments was cide on one sport at an early age, I think they last year,” he said. “I think the boys varsity tenmiss out on a lot of other opportunities to nis team had a strong chance of winning the reach their true athletic skill in other sports,” state championship, but we will never know he said. for sure.”

After 25 years of doing what he loves, BabHaving the season cut short, yak will certainly miss that euBabyak said how important it is to phoric feeling he says comes with not take an opportunity for granted. a huge victory.

“You never know when your “That feeling of when you next match will be your last,” he come out on top of a team or said. “You have to make the most of individual that you weren’t supevery opportunity you have to play posed to beat is hard to find anybecause nothing is guaranteed.” where else outside the realm of Along with coaching tennis, sports,” he said.

Babyak had also served as the varBabyak hopes to leave a lastsity boys basketball coach for six ing impact on not only athletes years and the 8th grade boys basbut students with other interests ketball coach for 14 years. He had as well. Whether you are on the the unique opportunity to coach field or in the classroom, Babyak’s his own son during his senior year motto is to “always play hard.” on the varsity basketball team. One “If you are going to do someof Babyak’s favorite memories from thing, do it to the best of your coaching was the victory of the Lake ability,” he said. “Don’t ever do Highland rivalry game of his son’s something halfway, but make the senior year. Although they were the most of every opportunity you underdogs at the time, they still took receive, whether it is to play a Coach Babyak is seen teaching one of his middle school P.E. classes. the victory. sport or take a math class.”

Babyak said one of the reasons Article by Cate Williams Photo by Anuha Tatineni

he enjoys coaching is because it allows him the opportunity to watch athletes grow over time.

Another favorite memory of his was with a former rugby player and his first steps onto the field with the football team. He had never played before but during the last play, on the 10-yard line, he kicked a field goal for three points.

“The whole crowd was stunned, nobody had ever seen or heard of that before, and he immediately stood out to me as a unique player,” he said. “You will always remember the good wins and tough losses, but little things like that are what makes coaching so special to me.”

Babyak said he knew from a young age that he had always wanted to be a coach. His natural affinity for competition grew from his early exposure to a wide variety of sports. In high school he had played football, basketball, and baseball, and worked for his family-run summer camp. There, he would teach younger boys how to throw, swim, water ski or any other skill you could think of.

To pursue his career, Babyak also received a minor in math, allowing for more flexibili-

December 2O2O

News

HOW COVID VACCINES MAY IMPACT CAMPUS Article by Julian Sealy

The chance of a vaccine being widely available has significantly increased in the past few weeks as the company Pfizer’s drug has appeared to be 95% effective. Associate Head of School Dennis Herron said that the availability of a vaccine could have a significant impact on campus operations.

“The release of a vaccine, in the long run, would assist us in getting back to a normal operation,” Herron said.

Herron emphasized the likelihood of the school continuing with current protocols if there is not a vaccine by around the third quarter.

“If there’s no vaccine, we would keep having to continue doing what we’re doing right now,” Herron said. “As long as it’s prevalent in the infection rates or in certain areas, then we have to be careful and go through our protocols,” Herron said that the school will require

masks until they feel comfortable with what the CDC recommends.

“If you have one or two cases at the same time, you’re likely gonna have to send home anywhere from 50 to 75 people,” Herron said.

“We have 650 students on campus so if you take off 75 of them you just took off [over] 10% of the people on campus.”

Mr. Lawson and the task force would have to sit down and talk about the situation, as well as seriously consider the idea of going home for the community’s safety for a two-week period.

Herron said the school’s low infection rate is due to the community’s commitment to the protocol. “[That] is an indication that the way we’ve planned it is working,” Herron said. “But I come back to that because our kids and our families take it seriously too.”

Some have raised concerns that a COVID-19 vaccine might be unsafe or ineffective because of the rushed development process.

“The problem we have now, is that this is

an RNA virus, so you can make [a vaccine], but the difficult part is the manufacturing and getting it to people because it’s fragile,” Berube said. “After you make it, it can only last so long so they have to come up with a recipe where they put it in oils or put it in salts.”

She said it is important to not rush the process of the vaccines because if they do rush in some situations the vaccines can be deadly.

“You have to take your time and really see the statistics and the numbers and really test it on a lot of people and a lot of people from different backgrounds,” Berube and Jannotti mentioned that it is a personal decision on whether to take the vaccine or not.

“I think that’s such a personal decision for anyone and for any vaccine not just necessarily this one now,” Berube said.

Jannotti also mentioned that it’s not a quick fix and it’s not the only fix. She said that sometimes you do better just by masking up and washing and keeping clean.

COVID-19 CHANGES SEMESTER EXAM PROTOCOLS Article by Alec Diaz

In the beginning of each December and May, hundreds of students enter the RAC or the DAC to sit in uncomfortable, squeaky chairs at creaking tables to take hour-long exams that make up 10 to 20 percent of their final grade.

However, this year, students will not file into the RAC or the DAC due to COVID-19.

Instead, exams will be taken from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. from December 15 to December 18.

Face-to-face students will take each exam in the classroom where they learn each subject.

Precautions such as spreading out desks and requiring masks will be taken to prevent anyone from getting sick.

While not every teacher will offer online exams in the same way, all remote students will have to log into a Google Meet and have their cameras on at all times.

Students can be at school early for their exams if they have an exam at a later time, as students will be supervised. If a student only has a morning exam, they can leave early.

For bigger classes, they would still go into if I have four different classes, you know, and their normal classroom, to make sure they are I have to make lots of different exams for this, spread out properly and no one gets sick. yes, that would be strenuous, but this is just “One of our biggest classes is [AP Microeco- for Honors Chemistry, it’s not that bad.” nomics / AP Macroeconomics] and they meet Sophomore Charlie Lehr, who has been in the library, so they will take their exam in learning remotely since the beginning of the the library, where they meet,” Dryden said. school year, agrees with the decision to change Since students will be taking the same exam the exam schedule. at different times, English teacher Robert Bo“I think it’s the right thing to do, just beerth said he has to take cause exams are a big part measures to prevent cheat- “I feel like I’ll be safe be- of our grade and that for ing. cause Trinity has taken so kids who have relatives at “It is fair to say that obhome who can be affectviously that means that I many precautions.” ed by the virus, some kids and other teachers will be - Charlie Lehr, Sophomore can’t take their chances, putting in more time into because of the health the creation of the exams, risks,” Lehr said. because we have come up with you know, mulLehr also feels that Trinity has done an extiple different versions,” Boerth said. cellent job at keeping everyone safe, Science teacher Carrie Lopez, said she only “I feel like I’ll be safe because Trinity has has to make different versions of the exam for taken so many precautions,” Lehr said. her Honors Chemistry class, so for her it’s not that big of a deal.

“For Forensics Science, we don’t have exams, so I just grade their projects,” Lopez said.

“For Chemistry, obviously we have exams, so

December 2O2O

News

HABITAT HOUSE COMPLETED DESPITE PANDEMIC Article by David Hull Photo by Mateo Membreno

Every September the school starts constructing a house with Habitat for Humanity for a family in need and regularly finishes by the end of the school year. After being delayed for several months due to COVID-19, the construction on this past year’s Habitat house was finally completed on October 3.

Habitat for Humanity of Winter Park-Maitland works with Trinity every year to help the less fortunate in our community find a better place to live. The future owners of the house must work 500 hours with Habitat, called “sweat equity,” before Habitat helps them finance an affordable mortgage on the house.

The money is then used to help pay for new Habitat houses. Manybusinesses in Central Florida and across the country have struggled through the pandemic, but the non-profit organization has stayed strong and united through these tough times.

On September 28, 2019, Trinity broke ground on the new house. By December, they had already put the roof on and continued to make progress, but once the country went into quarantine, construction had to stop.

Habitat couldn’t do any work throughout all of March and April, but they took many precautions so they could have volunteers back at work in May. Students like junior Jack Gregg, who consistently volunteer at Habitat, have volunteered over quarantine with very few others, coordinated by Trinity’s Habitat Club Officers. Restricting the number of volunteers is one of many precautions Habitat has taken to make sure they are staying safe.

“We were sticking to maximum 10 people at a time,” Executive Director of Habitat Winter Park-Maitland Courtney Kropp said.

Habitat requires all volunteers to wear masks, stay socially distant, and keep one volunteer per room. They also maintained a low number of volunteers, gave out lots of hand sanitizer, and didn’t serve any food.

Multiple Trinity students and faculty saw the help Habitat needed during COVID-19 and made sure they volunteered throughout quarantine. Upper School Principal Patrick Mulloy was one of these volunteers.

“When we all had a lot of time on our hands and COVID-19, I tried to make it more of a

regular priority to go and work,” Mulloy said. mask, because of how much they have enjoyed The house was dedicated in the name of their past experiences.

“My experiences are just really awesome,” the Secretary of the Habitat Board of Directors, Joyce Swain, who has worked with the Wilcox said. “I love the fact that we work with organization for over 15 years. The house was other volunteers. So you can bond with Trinity kids, but at the same constructed for Valerie Laurent and her family. “You can bond with Trinity time, you work alongside the families who are Laurent worked alongside other volunteers kids, but at the same time, going to own the house constructing her future you work alongside the fami- in the future.”

Many students home.

“Staying throughout lies who are going to own the come during Saturdays throughout the year to the year, and seeing the house in the future.” volunteer while having transformation of their - Kara Wilcox, Junior and Vice fun with friends. home and seeing them President of Habitat Club “It’s a nice way to accept the home is my spend your Saturday favorite part,” said Kara Wilcox, junior and Vice President of Trinity’s morning while also getting volunteer hours,” Gregg said. “And then it’s also nice to reach out Habitat club.

Despite the postponement due to to other people in the community.”

Now that the house for Laurent and her COVID-19, the house was finally completed in early October. Though it took longer than family is finished, Habitat broke ground on usual, volunteers put in many hours of work to a new house on November 21. Trinity and Habitat will work extra hard this year to make make sure they finished the house.

“We finished and the family is in and that’s sure that their seniors are able to dedicate the house before graduation, and Trinity volunall that matters,” Kropp said.

Students and other volunteers continued to teers will continue the decades-long committcome to Habitat, despite having to work in a ment to serving our community.

Last year, Trinity Prep completed its 21st Habitat for Humanity Home with the help of students and local community members. Not only does Habitat build homes, but they also aid in community projects and neighborhood revitalization. Worldwide, over 2 million people volunteer with Habitat each year.

News

December 2O2O

FLYING UNDER THE RADAR Nationally ranked forensics team’s success goes unnoticed by some Article by David Steinberg Graphic by Matthew Mapa Students and faculty gather together in the RAC for a traditional Homecoming pep rally. The drumline plays, students rise to their feet, and cheerleaders hype up the crowd as the football team makes its way into the gym. The bleachers erupt into cheers from all grades.

Among the students in the crowd are members of the forensics team, who are nationally ranked but whose accolades are not always as well known.

The forensics team is currently ranked as a top-20 speech team in the nation, a ranking few other programs can even compete for. Forensics Interpretation captain Lilly Nguyen said that forensics is an underrated program at school, and that the competitors on the team should get more acknowledgment for their hard work and accomplishments.

“I think speech and debate is one of the most underrated activities on this campus and definitely deserves more awareness not just by administration but also by the student body,” Nguyen said. “I think that because we’re not physically present in campus culture, people overlook what we have to offer.”

For those who don’t know what forensics

is, there are two main categories of events that make up a team; speech and debate. Within these groups are different types of competition. TPS Forensics founder and coach Dean Rhoads said that forensics has an event for every student.

“We have events for all sorts of different personalities and preferences,” Rhoads said. “And so depending on the kind of place you come from intellectually, there is probably an event for you.”

What makes a forensics team excel is a mix of good coaching and a will to work hard.

Forensics Head Coach Benjamin Gaddis said that the forensics team exhibits these skills, and that the competitors’ drive to get better is what makes the program successful.

Unlike other students, Nguyen said that she works on forensics for about an hour to two each day. She said that the feeling of winning is what drives her to work hard.

“I practice forensics for about an hour to two each day,” Nguyen said. “I do this because I love trophies and also just the feeling of being the best, that drives me to want to get better.”

This mindset has paid off, leading Nguyen to become the 6th best Dramatic Interper in the nation. She is only one of Trinity’s many

nationally ranked competitors.

With the new uncertainty of COVID in the world, forensics tournaments are now online.

The competitors had to get used to this new style of competition, but have adjusted well so far. The team recently placed 5th out of 300 schools in the nation-wide Florida Blue Key tournament and are not looking to slow down.

Gaddis said that the competitors are doing a great job adjusting to the new style of competition, and that this year will make the team better in the future.

“I think they’ve adjusted to the weirdness of the new normal,” Gaddis said. “And I think this year will actually prepare us for future years down the road.”

The forensics team has proven that they don’t need much recognition to succeed. Gaddis said that the hard work and dedication of the competitors is what makes forensics a great program.

“I think that forensics requires a lot of grit, dedication, and hard work,” Gaddis said. “A lot of times that hard work means that we’re more of the silent competitors here on campus, not necessarily the ones that are going to make the most noise.”

SPEECH AND DEBATE EVENTS Lincoln-Douglas Debate Congressional Debate Informative Speaking two competitors debate topics about societal questions

Public Forum Debate

Dramatic Interpretation

Program Oral Interpretation

competitors write bills competitors give a 1O minute speech competitors give a 1O competitors give a 1O minute and simulate the U.S. minute speech on a chosen dramatic speech consisting of (usually dramatic) using a binder and legislative process topic with visual aids selections from a published work selections from prose, poetry and drama

two-person teams debate resolutions on public policy and current events

Extemporaneous Speaking

Original Oratory

Humorous Interpretation

Duo Interpretation

competitors prepare a 7 minute competitors give a 1O competitors give a 1O minute two competitors give a speech in 3O minutes answering minute speech on a chosen humorous speech consisting of 1O minute speech of a a question on current events persuasive argument selections from a published work published play or story

December 2O2O

Lifestyles

AMONG US POPULARITY SOARS Article by Sarah Zehnder Graphic by Henry Van Voorhis

why is the game so popular World languages teacher Nicole Garcia’s advisory, like most, hasn’t interacted much in the past three years. The daily ‘hello’ and announcements are about all that happens each day. However, over the last several months, the advisory has had repeated lively debates about who should be voted out. It’s all part of the recent craze over the game Among Us. The premise of the game originated from the classic dinner party game Mafia, in which players try to identify who among them is the killer. Among Us has the same objective.

Among Us is a multiplayer murder mystery game where players work together to identify the imposter. The imposter’s only goal is to kill everyone before the crewmates finish all of their tasks, such as fixing wires or refueling the engine. If a crewmate reports a dead body, the game switches into a chat format where players share information and can vote out who they think is the imposter. The gameplay continues until the imposter is revealed, all the tasks are completed, or enough crewmates are killed.

“I was so excited when I heard about the game because I love murder mysteries,” freshman Katie Kohm said.

Although Among Us was released in June of 2018, it has boomed in popularity this year. So why has it recently become so popular? One answer is the growing popularity of streaming platforms such as Twitch and Youtube, where creators play games live for viewers. Another reason for the swell in popularity is the game’s accessibility; Among Us has a mobile version for all cell phones, as well as a PC version.

Still, Among Us has skyrocketed in success in 2020.

“All games have to start from somewhere,” president of Trinity’s Gaming Club junior John Gotschall said. “So, unless the game in question had a strong pre-release marketing push, it must start from obscurity.”

What makes Among Us so popular is its uniqueness. It has features that other games don’t. In the game, there is a chat feature where players can meet new people and discuss topics unrelated to the game. There are also multiple settings that change game play and many diverse modes. For example, Among Us has three completely different maps, different restrictions and rules that players can customize to their own liking.

Among Us has been trending all over social media since summer, especially on TikTok, Twitter and Reddit. Well-known gamers, like Pewdiepie, have boosted the game’s popularity by posting about and streaming Among Us. Even politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and well-known creators, like beauty guru James Charles and music artist Logic, have exposed the game to millions and helped it succeed in diverse communities on social media.

“I know of a couple of gamers who switched over from games they were playing to doing Among Us more regularly,” Gotschall said.

“Once they got involved, people started picking it up.”

The single best way for a game to gain popularity is word of mouth, as friends recommend games they enjoy to each other, which is a form of marketing a game can only obtain with time.

trinity life Among us has become a favorite group activity among advisories. Students also play together during lunch, free period or in-between classes.

“I love playing Among Us because it’s fun playing with my friends,” Kohm said. “I don’t know why, but it’s so addicting.”

According to a poll of 377 Trinity students from November 6, 46.2% (174 students) said that they play frequently, while 43.5% (164 students) play sometimes, while just 10.3% (39 students) do not play. Additionally, 64.5% of students who completed this poll said they play during the school day.

According to an interview on gamesindustry.biz, a gaming industry news source, “70% of [Among Us’] lifetime mobile downloads occurred across July and August.” An overwhelming majority of those students who participated in the Trinity’s poll said they first heard about Among Us this school year.

sequel Innersloth, the company that developed the game, has recently announced that they are canceling the release of the sequel game: Among Us 2. “We have decided to cancel Among Us 2 and instead put all our focus into improving Among Us 1,” the Among Us developer team said in an interview with gamesindustry.biz. Considering the recent popularity spike of the original game, the developers said there is no need for a sequel at this time.

However, will the game continue to rise in popularity? Or will it, like most trends, be left to die in 2020?

Lifestyles

December 2O2O

SANTA-TIZED HOLIDAYS COVID-19 brings challenges to beloved holiday traditions Article by Yael Ivan Graphic by Jaidyn Holt Most Trinity students have some sort of tradition or holiday to celebrate during the winter, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, to name a few. Many people typically choose to spend these holidays with family and friends or choose to travel, or both.

“As individuals, we have a natural need to feel like we belong and to feel connected with other people,” guidance counselor Rylan Smith said. “I think holidays give us a chance to reconnect with our family members, especially those that are distant from us, or friends and family that we haven’t seen in a long time.”

However, with COVID-19 precautions cautioning against large gatherings without masks or social distancing, many people will be unable to visit their families for the winter holidays, which can be particularly hard for extroverted people. “[Extroverted people] are struggling with not being able to hug or high five or have any kind of physical connection with people,” Smith said. “I think you’re going to see during the holidays that some people aren’t going to travel. I think we’re going to see maybe some virtual family gatherings, which will be very different.”

Virtual meetings have become very popular recently, as people can call and chat with their families as if they were all together in person.

However, Zoom and Google Meets meetings still constitute a challenge for many people, such as the elderly. They may not know how to navigate technology well or have access to virtual meetings. Some people may not even have easy access to a computer at all.

“[Elderly people] are also sometimes a little isolated, but during the holidays tend to reunite with everybody,” Smith said. “And now they won’t be able to do that. Or some people will choose not to do that.”

Across Central Florida, several beloved traditions such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Light Up UCF have been canceled due to COVID-19. However, theme parks like LEGOLAND, Seaworld, and local

attractions such as the Harry P. Leu Gardens and the Winter Park Christmas Parade are all open for the winter season.

Furthermore, travel is also a barrier in the pursuit of a regular family holiday. Christmas week, Dec. 23 through 29 is the busiest travel

week in the United States. Now it’s expected that not many people will be traveling at all.

“Every year for Thanksgiving, we fly up to Pennsylvania to see our extended family and we may not do that this year due to COVID,” 8th grader Skye Johannsen-Williams said. “We may not be able to see them at all, which is really disappointing because I always look forward to that. There’s just so much I can’t do now.”

However, there are all sorts of creative ways to work around COVID-19 restrictions and introduce normal holiday traditions in a Coronavirus friendly and creative way.

According to Chrismasphere.com, some ideas for out-of-box ways to observe beloved holiday traditions include long-distance secret Santas, where participants can mail gifts to each other’s houses instead of handing them to each other in person. While Zoom and Google Meet have become the new norm for people, there are also ways to make those exciting.

Virtual karaoke, ugly sweater competitions, online escape rooms, and games are a creative and fun twist to a regular virtual visit. Some students have also found ways to work around COVID-19 while still celebrating.

“With COVID[-19] restrictions, my family has been extra careful about keeping our distance with my family, and outdoor activities seem to be the best,” sophomore Sierra Jobman said. “I think this year we will do ‘Christmas on the patio’ and decorate outside instead of what we usually do traditionally. I think I’m looking forward to it. This year has definitely been interesting and changing our traditions will make things more memorable.”

December 2O2O

Lifestyles

WORK YOUR WAY OUT OF THE PANDEMIC Saints find new ways to exercise during quarantine Article by Lindsey Yared Photo courtesy of Ethan Cogdill For the last couple of years, senior Ethan Cogdill has been training twice a week at Functional Fitness, a gym in Maitland. However, when the pandemic hit back in March, Cogdill, then a junior on the varsity weightlifting team, was back to training, but this time it wasn’t in a state-of-the-art gym; it was an old Frito Lay truck. Cogdill’s trainer bought the truck and outfitted it with squat and bench press racks on the side, an exercise bike, and free weight racks inside. So while sports and activities across the US were cancelled, Cogdill was bench pressing in his driveway.

Like Cogdill, a lot of people had to adjust their workout regime when many gyms closed in March. Even when gyms reopened, some still wanted to stay at home due to COVID-19 concerns, so many fitness enthusiasts had to find creative ways to workout at home and still stay in shape.

“Working out in trailers is obviously very different from working out in a regular gym,” Cogdill said. “The shortage of space means

that workout movements often have to be re“I feel just as good [doing bodyweight thought.” strength] as I did when I was lifting weights, Physical education teacher Dee Starling said doing higher weight reps, and stuff with barthat when the pandemic first started, she saw a bells than I was at the [YMCA],” Watson said. lot more families going on walks.

“So why would I go back to the Y if I can do it “I think, in the beginning, it was a positive all in my house?” thing because the trails are busy, families were While Watson has been able to replace her out riding bikes, and you know, having more gym workouts with similar ones at home, outdoor time,” Starling Starling said that she said.

“I think people are having to has had to think of new Although there were ways to exercise. Starsome positives to work- be a little bit more creative ling said that she’s doing ing out during quar- with their workouts and a lit- more walking trails, and antine, she said that during quarantine, she tle bit more flexible.”

COVID-19 has taken found different paths to a toll on kids’ activity - Dee Starling, Physical Education walk on. levels when many sports “I’ve never really been Teacher stopped during quaraninto walking or running, tine. but I kind of had to [beAssistant to the Associate Head of School cause the] gyms are closed,” Starling said.

Tracey Watson said that she likes working out She suggested using apps to help motivate of her own at home rather than being at the home workouts. Some apps that Starling uses gym around other people. She feels like she are FitOn, Workout for Women, C25K, and gets the same workout using her own body- Runkeeper. There are also many Youtube vidweight. eos that people can follow for their workouts, and Planet Fitness now has interactive classes at their gyms even for non-members. Many companies have become popular over quarantine such as Peloton with the Peloton app, a new app by Apple called Apple Fitness+, and Nike with the Nike Training Club app.

“I think people are having to be a little bit more creative with their workouts and a little bit more flexible,” Starling said. “Definitely, people are doing more outdoor stuff just so they can have fresh air and a lot of people were taking bike ride[s], running, and doing trails.”

Starling said that taking care of oneself and working out can be a positive thing, regardless of a pandemic or not.

“This is a perfect example of why taking care of yourself is so important,” Starling said. “You may not prevent [COVID] from happening completely, however, if you are healthy and fit, your immune system is stronger and able to fight off, hopefully, things like COVID a little bit better.”

Senior Ethan Cogdill works out throughout the week in his trainer’s work out truck.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have had to improvise safe ways to do everyday things.

Lifestyles

December 2O2O

COVID-19’S EFFECT ON WORKING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Article by Carol Marques Photo by Kayla Alexandre

haven’t been able to get as much work, includ- thing affecting student workers; Lamar said ing me.” that new safety precautions have also made It was the middle of March, and sophoBest has worked for Winter Park Bounce for it hard for the workers to connect with their more Sophia Lamar had a tough decision to about a year and a half now and with less de- customers. make. COVID-19 cases were rising, and she mand, his pay has decreased.

“As somebody who works there, you want to had to decide whether to “My pay at first actu- be nice to your customers,” Lamar said. “You quit her job at Publix or ally went down a lot,” can’t always talk to them if you’re passing by, continue to work during “My pay at first actually Best said. “ I was mak- but a smile is usually helpful and...not seeing a pandemic. The sopho- went down a lot. I was mak- ing about half in a day the smile under the mask is definitely differmore had been working ing about half in a day what I what I usually would ent.” at Publix for almost a year because of the amount Best and Lamar both said they understand but was worried about usually would because of the of demand.” that the safety precautions are necessary, but her family’s safety, espe- amount of demand.”

Best said that his pay they still find them stressful to do each day. cially her grandparents. relies on the number of Even with all these challenges, all the students - Cole Best, Senior units they deliver, so believe that their jobs will help them in the Lamar loved her job, so she decided to give it a try the cancellations and future and give them helpful skills for later in and stay at first, however, she ended up quit- demands cut his pay down significantly. Like life. ting in the beginning of October.

Best, Swanson’s pay also went down during the “The thing I hope to learn from my job Like Lamar, many other working high pandemic. would probably be that to be successful, and school students have been affected by the pan“When there’s not many people in the to make a living and be happy, you’re going to demic. Some have quit their jobs, while others’ restaurant, I don’t make very good tips,” Swan- have to work hard for it,” Best said. “Nothing pay, work hours, and schedules have been af- son said. “There were some days when nobody is going to be given to you, so [I am] hoping to fected. wanted to go out, and I wouldn’t make any- just learn these basic working skills and work “When COVID[-19] first started happen- thing.” ethic.” ing, and I was still working, I was still 14, so Swanson was paid minimum wage plus tips, I could only work two and a half hours after so working hard and not getting paid much school no matter what,” Lamar said. “I did was difficult for him. Pay hasn’t been the only start to get scheduled a little bit more for shifts because so many people had called out.”

Lamar’s schedule became unpredictable, and she didn’t know when she would be called in.

Senior Liam Swanson had a similar experience with his employer, Sola Bistro and Wine Bar, in Park Avenue until he quit in August.

“The restaurant wasn’t making a lot of money,” Swanson said. “There was not enough money with the restaurant to hire new employees, so it affected my work, and I had to work long hours.”

The restaurant was struggling, and it only had two employees, Swanson and a chef, which meant the senior took care of all the shifts from Wednesday to Sunday.

Unlike Swanson, senior Cole Best now works fewer hours due to the pandemic. Best is employed by Winter Park Bounce, a company that provides bounce houses for children’s parties.

“Last summer, I was working Saturdays and Sundays all day, every day, and we were just slammed with business,” senior Cole Best said. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many have decided to quit their jobs to attempt to keep “But right at the beginning of COVID[-19], their families and themselves safe. Publix has protected their employees by putting up business went down a lot, so a lot of people plexi-glass screens and adding sanitizers to their registers.

December 2O2O

Lifestyles

SHOP SUSTAINABLY, SAVE THE EARTH Article by Eva Lane Infographic by Emma Kim

The average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing a year. According to the Association of Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles, more than 95 percent of all textiles can be recycled or reused in some way.

The difference between recycling a piece of clothing and throwing it away is just a matter of knowing how to shop sustainably.

Many companies, such as Shein, Zara, Zaful, and Hollister, engage in “fast fashion”, and sometimes create up to 100 new clothing items a week.

“The whole goal behind fast fashion is to keep up with trends as quickly as possible,” Fashion Club President, Hayden Lehr said.

“However, the whole ‘quickly as possible’ part makes a negative impact on our environment.”

Fast fashion clothing production uses a large amount of resources and energy. According to TheConsciousChallenge.org, a website about ecological footprints, electricity is needed to run machinery such as sewing machines and air pumps in textile factories. Significant amounts of heat are needed for washing, drying, and dying the cloth. Brands use toxic fabric dyes that can contaminate fresh water, so around 20% of industrial water pollution comes from there.

Around 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used to

ONE SHIRT IS WORTH

713 GALLONS OF WATER

dye clothes. Many of these chemicals end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans. They can be very toxic for both animals and humans. Instead, you can buy from sustainable companies.

“Sustainable fashion is basically the opposite of fast fashion,” Lehr said. “For example, it doesn’t misuse textiles. Think about it like this.

Basically you have to do the math. If you buy a skirt or a shirt that’s $10, think about where that money is going. And how and where it’s coming from. Usually that means cheap materials and cheap labor are being used.”

There are multiple ways consumers can help the environment through shopping. They can shop at ethical stores, reuse their clothes, and shop second hand here and there. Reusing clothes can mean multiple things, including giving them to friends and family members, rewearing them a different way, donating them, or turning them into something new.

Ethical brands are brands that don’t use cheap materials, don’t have bad labor conditions, use fair trade, have higher wages, and don’t use animal cruelty. Some ethical clothing brands are Boden, Levi’s and Athleta.

According to sustainyourstyle.org, bad labor conditions are when employees work with little to no ventilation, while breathing in toxic substances and fiber dust in unsafe buildings.

Accidents, fires, injuries, and disease are common as well. Along with that, clothing workers regularly face verbal and physical abuse. While the US may not have this, we outsource to developing countries that do this, so American brands are profiting off of this.

Fair trade is when workers get paid a reasonable amount for the work they do. This also means they have good labor conditions and no forced or child labor.

Animals including rabbits, minks, goats, foxes, crocodiles, alpacas, and llamas are used in the fashion industry. Their fur and skins are used to make a variety of what’s considered to be “luxurious clothing”. Fur farmers usually suffocate, poison, hang, electrocute, and beat the animals to get their fur.

You can also shop at your local thrift store or use secondhand apps, such as Depop and Poshmark where you can search for what you want.

So the biggest thing that I think that people can do is educate themselves on sustainable

2% of garment workers

earn a living wage The lowest-paid clothing makers are paid $3 a day fashion. If they educate themselves about certain brands and about which brands are sustainable or not, and actually take action into buying more clothes from sustainable brands.”

Lehr said. “Also, I believe thinking out of the box [could help], try restyling something in your closet. Try repurposing something. Maybe try DIY here and there. There’s so many options. Just think differently. Educate yourselves.”

And you may be thinking that not everyone can afford most ethical brands. And you’re right, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options.

“That’s the part where research comes in.

Research is a major part of sustainable fashion. There are definitely affordable brands out there. In fact, I recently found a website called ‘good on you.’ You can search up any brand, and it will give you ratings about its impact on the environment. Like the labor conditions they have and if the brand isn’t ethical. It’ll give you alternatives for more ethical brands.” Lehr said.

“I really suggest that you know yourself, know what you love, and buy something that you’ll wear for a long time.”

Lifestyles

December 2O2O

AN ARRAY OF HOLIDAYS

Cultures around the world celebrate different holidays and traditions during the winter season

Article by Adi Burgos Graphic by Henry Van Voorhis

Seventh grader Van Knudsen stands in the square of his family’s home town of Tørring kommune Midtjylland municipality, in Denmark, watching a straw goat go up in flames.

The goat is part of the celebration of Sankt Mortens Dag, a Danish holiday celebrating the end of the harvest season, on the Winter Equinox. Burning a goat is just a piece of the many holiday traditions Knudsen celebrates when he travels with his family to Denmark every winter season.

The winter season brings many holidays for students like Knudsen as well as people around the world.

While not many Trinity students celebrate Danish traditions such as Sankt Mortens Dag, many do celebrate Hanukkah, a celebration of the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem. According to the First and Second books of Maccabees, the Jews had enough oil for the menorah in the temple for only one night, but miraculously it lasted for a length of eight nights. Senior Gabriel Steinberg said that one of the special parts of the holiday is that it’s celebrated in Hebrew all over the world.

“So no matter where you are, like, if you go to Russia, … they’re going to know the same songs and the same tune in the same language, which is really, really cool,” He said.

According to Steinberg, people will celebrate by eating fried foods such as latkes, which are potato pancakes, to signify miraculous oil supply. They will also play games with the dreidel, which is a 4-sided spinning top. He also said that decorations sometimes are put up, almost similar to Christmas lights.

“Some people do Hanukkah bushes with blue and white lights,” Steinberg said. “Some peo-

ple have lights [that] we put lights up in the front of our house, the blue and white lights.”

While for Christmas, people decorate with red and green, but for Hanukkah, people decorate with blue and white, which represent the colors of the Isralei flag. Unlike Hanukkah, which is celebrated at a different time every year, Kwanzaa is a holiday that is observed from December 26 through January 1. According to Social Science teacher Andrea Sockwell, who teaches World Religions, Kwanzaa was created

by California professor Dr. Mulana Karenga.

The Watts Riots happened in August of 1965, and they were a series of riots following the arrest of a black motorist, charged with reckless driving. Karenga created the holiday in response to the unrest happening in Los Angeles in 1965. It’s goal was to let African Americans grow closer to their heritage by partaking in traditions from different parts of Africa. “[Kwanzaa] was supposed to give African Americans a chance to celebrate culture, things that made them unique,” Sockwell said. “[Dr. Karenga] borrowed a bunch of dif-

ferent cultural things from all over Africa and incorporated those into Kwanzaa.”

The word “kwanzaa” means “first,” and Kwanzaa is a harvest festival, to honor the celebration of the first fruits of the harvest season.

Kwanzaa is one of the newest winter holidays celebrated, created in the 1960s. However, one of the oldest holidays and traditions celebrated during the winter is the Lunar New Year, in countries like China, Korea, Vietnam, and many more.

Eighth grader Victoria Zhang celebrates the Lunar New Year in January with her family.

“It’s something that I’ve been doing since I was really little,” Zhang said. “My family has been celebrating every year since.”

Zhang and her family celebrate the Lunar New Year with fireworks and parties with family and friends. They also put up fu, which are lanterns used for decoration. Zhang said she and her family eat a sticky rice pudding known as teng nueng and eat fish that represents luck for the new year.

Zhang isn’t the only student on campus who celebrates Lunar New Year. It is celebrated in many countries, and by students all over campus. During the new year, countries all over the world celebrate the upcoming year of the lunar calendar, and have many cultural celebrations and festivals all over.

During the winter season, many students on campus partake in many celebrations with friends and family. Not only can these traditions be seen over campus, but they can also be seen around the world, with various traditions for even the same holiday in different countries. The world is full of diverse celebrations, and each culture has its own unique and beautiful way of celebrating the holidays.

“Different cultures celebrate different things,” Sockwell said. “And each culture takes pieces that make it special for them, and assimilate that into their own celebration.”

December 2O2O

Lifestyles

FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DESK Trinity alumni return to teach Article by Siena Shenbaga Photos courtesy of Chi Rho When English teacher Hannah Parker was in ninth grade at Trinity, her advisory held a sleepover on campus. Parker recalls playing in the quad late at night and sleeping in her mother’s, Georgia Parker’s, classroom.

“I think it is just something I will never forget because it was so much fun and is something that a lot of people didn’t experience,” said Parker.

Beth Wehr, Brandon Burmeister, Eric Schneider and Hannah Parker are four alumni who have returned to campus as teachers.

Mathematics teacher Beth Wehr attended Trinity Prep from ninth grade to twelfth grade and graduated in 1982. Wehr said that, since she was a student, the school has gotten much larger and more diverse.

When Wehr was a student, she worked in the library after school as financial aid was not automatically guaranteed. Instead of being paid, the money would immediately go towards her tuition.

Wehr said that although the other students

Seventh grade English teacher Hannah Parker poses for her senior yearbook photo for the Class of 2013.

weren’t rude, they knew her for having financial aid as they saw her working in the library.

“Now, we have such a more economically diverse student body as well as diverse in other areas,” Wehr said.

Mathematics teacher Eric Schneider attended Trinity from seventh grade through twelfth grade and graduated in 2005. He said that the main difference is the size of the physical campus, which has gotten bigger since he graduated.

Schneider also said that while he was a student, he was not aware of the size of the student body and faculty.

“When you’re in middle school and upper school you’re separate Trinity Prep Class of 1982 and current math teacher, from each other. But now, as a Beth Wehr poses with a classmate while reading books teacher, you see the entire spec- on campus. trum,” Schneider said.

Schneider also recalls when his basketball to call them by their first names. team won the district championship during “It’s fun to hang out with them now as an his junior year. He said that his coach had al- adult, but it’s also super weird,” said Parker. “I ready printed championship shirts before they cannot call Mr. Krueger by his first name, it won the game. just won’t happen.”

“I guess she was pretty confident that we Social science teacher Brandon Burmeiswould win,” Schneider said. It was a great ter attended Trinity for his junior and senior group, and I’ve kept in touch with the majori- years, graduating in 2000. ty of them over the years.”

Burmeister said that on his first day of English teacher Hannah Parker was a Trinity school, students immediately opened up and student for seven years and graduated in 2013. talked to him. He thinks that although there Like Schneider, Parker also believes that the are various groups at Trinity, each one is open Trinity Prep campus has expanded, specifically to new people and inclusive in their own way. the Grille.

“There are many things about Trinity that Parker said that the old Grille was very small are different, and there are many things that and shed-like and only contained room for hot are very much the same,” Burmeister said. “I think the general kind of culture of the kids lunch on one side and snacks on the other.

Additionally, many of Parker’s old teachers is unique to Trinity, and I don’t think it has are still teaching at Trinity including Andrea changed that much.”

Sockwell, Kimberly Moreland-Garnett, Lynn Wilbur, Jason Dowdy, Robert Boerth, Susan Lilley, Carrie Lopez, Steven Krueger, and fellow alum Brandon Burmeister.

Although Parker enjoys interacting with her former teachers, she said it is a bit challenging

Focus

December 2O2O

MULTILINGUALISM IN THE US Article by Deniz Bölöni-Turgut Graphic by Jaidyn Holt A group of friends stand in line at a crowded restaurant when suddenly one of them hears the person in front speaking French, their native language. They initiate a conversation in French, while the rest of the group stands off to the side, listening uncomfortably to the foreign syllables.

Bilingualism or multilingualism is very common around the world, with some countries such as Switzerland or India even having multiple official languages. By most estimates, half of the world’s population can speak more than one language fluently, although the numbers vary by region. According to the 2010 U.S. Census data, only 20% of Americans speak a language other than English at home.

In the U.S., those who do speak languages other than English are often immigrants, like world language department chair Vanessa Spallone. French is her native tongue, but she speaks three other languages as well (English, Dutch and German).

“I feel like it cannot be compared with bilingualism in Europe, where I’m from,” Spallone said. “I think that the United States is so big that many Americans feel like they may never get a chance or desire to visit other countries,” Spallone said. “But, [the lack of bilingualism] can also be seen in a negative way [in] that there’s a lack of openness to other cultures.”

Although the U.S. doesn’t have an official language, English is by far the most commonly used. This can often translate to prejudice against those who speak a language other than English in public. Junior Isha Shukla, who speaks English and Marathi, has felt a certain expectation to only speak English in public.

“I’ve always been encouraged to not speak

And why learning another language is a benefit

Marathi in [the U.S.],” Shukla said. “If I want to talk to my parents in public, I’m always told to speak in English instead of Marathi so that I don’t get any comments or backlash about it.”

As for why this prejudice might exist, Spallone said that speaking another language might come off as rude.

“When I’m in the U.S., I speak English,” Spallone said. “[If ] I meet someone who’s French and I revert to speaking French to that person, … I’ve learned to quickly switch back to English if there are English speakers around us because it’s true that it’s not very inclusive to do that.”

It might seem that speaking the non-official language in any country would lead to a certain degree of alienation among those who don’t understand that language. However, Shukla said that she has had a different experience with that.

“I’ve also lived in India and, in India, people speak a lot of languages because there are so many regions and each region has its own distinct language,” Shukla said. “When people speak English in India, they don’t really face backlash because American culture is really prevalent in India whereas, in America, Indian culture isn’t really that prevalent.”

For those who weren’t raised bilingual or multilingual, learning another language might seem unnecessary, especially if your first language was English. According to Ethnologue, an online and in-print reference publication, English is the most commonly spoken language in the world. So the question is, why would you ever learn another one?

“I think it’s all about relationships,” Spallone said. “If you approach a person and you speak the person’s language, … right away the person

has a big smile on their face. … As soon as you hear your language, you are attracted to that person, you want to speak to that person. I think it creates friendships much more easily.”

Beyond personal relationships, Shukla and Spallone said that speaking multiple languages is useful for a variety of jobs and enables you to learn about other cultures.

“Because I’m learning Spanish, if I become, say, a doctor in the future, I can communicate with patients in Spanish instead of having to hire an interpreter,” Shukla said. “Learning Spanish specifically has allowed me to learn a lot more about Mexican culture and the culture of other Spanish-speaking countries, which I think is really important. I think it makes everyone more open-minded and more aware of other customs and cultures.”

On the other hand, some people claim that speaking more than one language is detrimental to cognitive development, especially if more than one language is introduced early in childhood. Spallone, who spoke French to her sons from birth, disagrees with this assumption.

“There’s always a little bit of a worry and sometimes there’s a bit of a [speech] delay, but it’s temporary and it’s so beneficial in the end,” Spallone said.

At the end of the day, both Spallone and Shukla agree that learning a foreign language is very beneficial.

“Even if you’re not the best at it, I think it’s nice to try anything new,” Spallone said. “It’s not just the language. Hopefully when you are in a language class not only do you learn how to speak it and read it but you also learn about the culture. So, … perhaps you will still fall in love with that country and want to visit. … It may change your life forever.”

December 2O2O

Focus

A NEW LANGUAGE IN A NEW COUNTRY

The experience of learning a foreign language at school is vastly different than experiencing it in person Article by Evan Huang Graphic by Jaidyn Holt Throughout history, communicating with others has continuously been one of the most crucial aspects of life. In almost every corner of the world, schools and teachers stress the value that learning a language has in our everyday lives. However, learning a foreign language is a long and difficult process that can’t only be taught through a textbook.

World language teacher Mariela Saad-Delgado was raised in Venezuela with part of her family Venezualan and the other half Lebanese. As a result, she grew up learning how to speak both of her family’s foreign languages, Spanish and Arabic.

“I grew up with those languages, but growing up, I would want to get better and better at them … I wanted to [eventually] be able to use them for my profession,” Saad said.

Through school and her travels around the world, Saad started to learn more languages.

“English was more cultural and something my parents told me I had to learn because it is the language of business,” Saad said. “But in Venezuela, they teach us English at school, but it’s only a couple hours a week, so I would have a tutor, so I would have daily lessons to learn English.”

The knowledge gained from learning a new language through experience and your environment is distinctly different than learning a new language through school.

“For example, Arabic, growing up you know how to speak it, but you really need to study it to know how to read and write it,” Saad said, “Having the experience and getting involved [with the language] like going to a new country, will help you learn and understand it faster because sometimes going by the book isn’t enough.”

A study by the European Commision found that 90% of European schoolchildren learn

English during their upper secondary education. Meanwhile, only 58% of middle schools and 25% of elementary schools offer a foreign language other than English according to a 2017 study by the Commission on Language Learning.

Senior Caio Marques learned the English language from an American school in Brazil but said it took him about a year since moving to America to become fully competent in communicating with his peers and classmates. “[The difficulty] is more about the culture than it is straight-up about the language,” Marques said. “It’s [more] casual, and the words that you commonly use are different, so that was harder for me.”

Marques said that each of the methods of learning a foreign language have their benefits.

“If you learn it at school, you learn the correct way of conjugating verbs and other [formal] things,” Marques said. “But if you only learn how to socialize with people then you

can still hang out with native speakers.”

The biggest factors in adapting to a new language are repetition and frequent practice.

“The more you speak the language, the more you try to communicate, the more you listen, the more you surround yourself with the language the better [you’ll get],” Saad said.

Saad says that while she continues to use English in almost every moment of her life, she values the importance of continuing to speak other languages.

“If I don’t keep practicing my Spanish or call my family and talk to them then … [I] have to start thinking about [to use] the words because … [I’m] not using them as much as [I] used to,” Saad said.

While approaching a foreign country may seem frightening from a communication perspective, Saad and Marques both have had positive experiences.

“If you go to Europe, they have people there who speak English,” Marques said. “But if it’s a foreign country that isn’t invested in English, then I recommend getting a local or a tour guide to help you out.”

Saad said that the most important aspect is to keep trying to speak the language and to realize that making mistakes is something everybody does when learning a new language.

“The key to learning a new language is to keep trying,” Saad said. “And most people are going to be very friendly and and appreciate that you’re trying hard to speak the language.”

So while many of us can’t imagine moving to Spain without knowing Spanish or France without knowing French, Saad encourages everyone to try.

“If you don’t have enough confidence [to do it] or you’re not going to try to learn [the language], then that’s a big mistake,” Saad said.

Focus

December 2O2O

PRONOUNS EVOLVE

The rise of gender diversity in the english language Article by Marcos Membreno Graphic by Jaidyn Holt The English language is always changing.

Every year, depending on prevalent topics in society, new words and definitions emerge or fall out of use.

Through social movements and slang, words like “normalizing,” “hellacious,” “jedi,” “stan,” and even “whatevs” have been established into the English lexicon. This dynamic process is always adapting to cover developing topics with appropriate terms.

“It comes about through general practice,” English teacher Dr. Robert Boerth said.

“There’s a somewhat organic process that occurs where some people will start an effort to come up with it and those neologisms [newly coined words] spread from there.”

Such is the case with the LGBTQIA+ community and the major strides they have made this past decade — people are identifying with more than just the traditional “he/him” and “she/her” pronouns. This has called for the use of alternative pronouns, with the most popular being the gender neutral “they/them.” Pew Research reports that “one-in-five (18%) americans say they personally know someone who goes by such pronouns.”

Although the word “they” is not a new word, the connotation has changed over the course of this decade. In search of ways to address people without assuming gender, society shifted the plural form of “they” to a singular one.

Boerth explains that growing up, it was preferred to use a masculine pronoun “when you were applying it to all people regardless of gender.” Later, it switched to “he or she,” and then finally where we are today, the unspoken rule is to use “they.”

Partly because of “they’s” shift to a singular pronoun, people started viewing it as an alternative to the traditional genders to represent their gender neutrality, or non-binary gender.

According to BBC, studies showed this change went smoothly as it had been occurring for centuries in literature and in fact “[reduced] mental biases that favour men and [increased]

positive attitudes towards women and the LGBT community.”

Last year, Merriam-Webster defined “they” as “used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary,” making them the first of many renowned dictionaries to recognize this emerging use.

“I think it’s a huge step because we still trust dictionaries,” English teacher Jay Jay Stroup said. “They feel very official and standard.

Dictionaries are very much part of human’s attempt to catalog the universe and share that information widely.”

This act was a firm step in opening up non-traditional pronouns to more people, and might soon be happening with other pronouns. Pronouns like “Xe/Xer” and “Ze/Zim” are being embraced by the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Now that [these pronouns] are coming to light, I think it’s very productive in allowing people to be who they truly want to be,” said sophomore Lainey Wilemon, who is part of the leadership in the Diversity club.

However, widespread use of non-traditional pronun is dependent upon awareness. To introduce these new words and ideas, Stroup said that she believes it comes from directly educating and exposing students and teachers.

“When surveys at the beginning of the year are handed out, [teachers] could easily say ‘what are your pronouns’.”

Whether it is through school or online resources, this rise in non-traditional gender pronouns is something that will need to be integrated into students’ lives if it’s to grow in the English language. As of February this year, there are 40 schools that allow students to insert their pronouns into course rosters, according to the New York Times. Outside of school, students have taken initiative to include their pronouns on their own social media bios.

All these changes and additions to pronouns in language show that there has been and will be a need for more inclusivity in English.

“A language that doesn’t update itself and doesn’t track new connotations is not doing its job,” Stroup said.

ASL: A LANGUAGE OF ITS OWN Article by Sidney Seybold Graphic by Jaidyn Holt

Sign language has existed for thousands of years. However, up until the mid-20th century, in America it was considered “broken English,” a mode of communication that was less sophisticated than the spoken tongue.

Zulma Santiago-Zayas, Professor of American Sign Language and Deaf Culture at the University of Florida, was born hearing in Puerto Rico but was deaf by the age of two and a half. She said that growing up, her teachers would hit her when she used sign language, and it wasn’t until she moved to the United States in the 1970’s that she learned and was allowed to use American Sign Language (ASL).

In fact, contrary to popular belief, ASL is not the gesture form of English; it is its own real language with regional dialects, tones, slang and even historically offensive slurs.

First, people often wonder why sign language interpreters use such intense facial expressions, and according to The Atlantic, they are used for grammatical purposes. For example, when signing a verb, squinting one’s eyes adds the adverbial clause “a little bit” to alter the meaning. Likewise, movements and expressions are also used to communicate various tones and emotions.

“When you are speaking, you don’t want to sound monotone,” Santiago-Zayas said. “It’s the same concept.”

Like spoken languages, there are also regional dialects in ASL; for example, Santiago-Zayas said that people from New York and California sign quicker than people from Florida. One of the biggest dialects of ASL is Black American Sign Language (BASL), which

emerged largely because of segregation during Jim Crow. According to Splinter, an online political news organization, “phrases like “what’s up” and “my bad” are signed differently in BASL, which tends to be more expressive in nature than mainstream ASL.” Like in English, code-switching, the process of switching dialects depending on the person one is interacting with, also exists, as African Americans often use BASL amongst themselves and mainstream ASL otherwise.

ASL also has its own slang, and similar to English, the increased push for politically correct language has diffused to ASL. Handspeak. com, an online resource to help people learn sign language, explains that “kissfist,” which is signed by literally kissing one’s fist, means to really love someone or something, and “accept hard” is used to say ‘suck it up.’

Beginning in the mid-1990’s, many signs for countries — particularly Asian countries — were changed to be more culturally sensitive. According to the Baltimore Sun, the old way to sign ‘Japanese’ was to put the pinky finger next to one’s eyes, twist it and bring the hand back out, which goes back to historically stereotyping the Japanese as having slanted eyes. Similarly, to sign ‘Chinese’ used to be to shape the hand into a ‘C’ around the eye for the same reason. These signs, and others — including the signs for Jewish, homosexual, and African American — have since been replaced; Japanese is now communicated by forming the silhouette of the island of Japan.

Furthermore, ASL is not the only sign language. WorldAtlas says there are about 300 different sign languages around the world, and even countries like the US and the UK that

both use English have different sign langauges.

World language teacher Courtney Zsitek uses ASL at the intermediate level, but it wasn’t until she traveled to Spain that she realized how different sign languages around the world are.

“I tried to join the conversation and realized that there are not that many similarities between American Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language,” Zsitek said.

Finally, one of the most influential events to happen to the Deaf community was the passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The ADA requires that people with communication disabilities be supplied ways to communicate effectively, which for the Deaf might mean providing an interpreter or closed captioning.

Santiago-Zayas said that the ADA has helped her immensely in the work-place, and in general it has made her less reliant on her husband as an interpreter.

“I experienced growing up without the ADA,” Santiago-Zayas said. “Until the 1990’s, during that time I was working without an interpreter for the weekly meetings. Once the ADA was established, they realized I needed an interpreter.”

However, the ADA is not without its faults.

In 2017 during Hurricane Irma, a sign language interpreter at a press conference in Manatee County, Fla. went rogue and, as stated by the New York Times, “warned of pizza and bear monster.” The interpreter, Marshall Greene, claimed his skills were not advanced enough for the situation; either way, the Deaf community was at a disadvantage.

Yet, despite historical challenges, ASL is thriving and is becoming the sign of the times.

Opinions

Article by Andrew Bachrach Graphics by Jaidyn Holt Nowadays, there seem to be very few things that Americans can agree on. However, when nearly 60% of Americans believe that teachers are underpaid, according to a September 2018 survey from USA Today, you would have expected some sort of meaningful action, right?

Wrong. In fact, the pay gap between teachers and other comparable professionals’ education has grown exponentially to its largest ever: the Economic Policy Institute found in 2018 that teachers make 18.7% less.

Our society continues to show a lack of respect for American teachers for all of the work they put in to educate the leaders of tomorrow. With low pay, negligible benefits, a lack of respect from society and education funding drying up, it is critical that we address the state of teaching in our nation before future generations begin to suffer the consequences.

Since the 1990s, teacher wages have stagnated more than any other profession, and in certain states, Time Magazine finds that some teachers have actually seen a decrease in wages when adjusted for inflation. In Florida, the estimated average public school teacher’s salary is about $48,395, far lower than the national

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UNDERPAID, UNAPPRE

WHY DOESN’T AMERICA RE

average. As wages often vary significantly from state-to-state, they may not always cover living costs, especially in Central Florida. Mathematics teacher Shannon Bergman, who previously taught for Seminole County Public Schools, said she agrees that teachers across the nation are underpaid for the work that they do.

“This year, obviously, I think we’re being asked to do two and three people’s jobs all at the same time,” Bergman said. “It really has doubled, tripled exponentially … the things we have to do. So, no, they’re not paid enough.”

As it is becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet, many now leave the profession early, or are forced to work a second job, because of how difficult it is to support their families. It is devastating to the American education system that qualified and bright young teachers simply cannot afford to continue in the profession, and this needs to be fixed soon.

“Many young people find it very difficult to make ends meet when they are first starting, especially in our capitalist society that pressures us to buy things,” English teacher Dean Rhoads. who has taught at TPS for over 40 years, said. “What that ultimately means is that we lose good people.”

Many experts believe low teacher pay is a symptom of larger problems. Susan Moore Johnson, a professor of education at Harvard, believes that the roots of the industry’s relatively low pay lie in sexism, as the majority of teachers in the 20th century were women.

“The hidden subsidy of public education is the fact that teachers for many years were working at suppressed wage levels because they really had no options other than teaching,” Johnson said in a Time Magazine interview.

However, the larger ailment plaguing the American education system may be a lack of respect from our society, coupled with a lack of political motivation to legislate for change.

The Atlantic reports that in 1986, 91% of respondents said that parents and teachers respected each other. Today, that number has fallen to 49%. Statistically and anecdotally, parents have been showing less and less respect for educators. Sadly, teachers are begin-

ning to see this behavior rub off on students.

“There’s been a perception that teachers are not civil servants, they’re employees of parents,” said Social Sciences teacher Brandon Burmeister, who previously taught at Winter Park High School. “There has to be some way to break that cultural viewpoint. If anything, we are employees of the kids.”

The societal consciousness has begun to affect the morale of teachers, as just 34% of American educators believe that society values them, according to The National Council on Teacher Quality. While parents should definitely be involved in their children’s education, there is a line that they should not cross. Once parents begin to question teachers’ authority in their own classroom, that consciousness begins to spread throughout society.

“It becomes a problem when parents think they can tell you what to do in your classroom and what to teach,” Bergman said.

As society’s viewpoints on the education

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ECIATED, UNPROTECTED:

ESPECT OUR TEACHERS?

system have changed, so have our federal and state governments’. According to The New York Times, President Trump and his Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, have been, in the words of Nebraska teacher Patrick Fielder, “the most toxic thing ever to happen to public education.” It’s true — the New York Times found that the Trump Administration has continued to divert billions of dollars from public schools to programs like vouchers and charter schools that don’t help the average American student.

“Our legislators at the state level think they know everything about education because they were once educated at a school,” Bergman said. “But actually being a teacher is a whole lot different than being the student sitting in the classroom.”

Education funding is also a rare commodity in Florida. Along with the Trump Administration’s assault on public education, the Florida state government has continued to leave our public schools behind. By robbing

our schools of funding, we are robbing our students of a successful future. According to the Florida Sun-Sentinel, compared to the national average of about $12,000, Florida spends just below $8,000 per student, which is frankly appalling. Even more appalling was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ order to open all public schools in the state, under threat of funding cuts. In the midst of a global pandemic that has already killed over 270,000 Americans and nearly 19,000 Floridians according to the CDC, DeSantis’ actions are immoral, disrespectful and dangerous. Why would you punish schools that chose to not risk the health of their communities? “[Lower education funding] is…detrimental to the state,” Rhoads said. “It’s short-sighted. Florida is educating students who aren’t capable of filling well-paying jobs. We have to have a more educated population, and our population simply isn’t being educated.”

The state has also continued to impose unreasonable standards and guidelines that, according to Mathematics Teacher Michael Hill, who previously taught at Winter Park High School, believes have negatively affected the quality of public education.

“Is my task much different than 25 years ago? No, I don’t think so,” Hill said. “I think what’s happened, at least in public schools, is all the other peripheral things that are put on educators by non-educators.”

We can debate the issues all day, but in order to solve this exponentially growing problem, we need real world solutions that work. The Conversation, a non-for-profit global network of newsrooms, finds that both state and federal governments need to invest in incentives to attract new teachers, and should also draw prospective educators to areas where there are teacher scarcities. With hefty college loan debt often being one of the biggest obstacles to potential educators, if we invest in programs for student loan-forgiveness, teachers may instead look for jobs in areas that need teachers, rather than where the money is or work a second job.

Every year, fewer Americans want to become teachers, contributing to a growing teacher shortage that shows no signs of slowing down,

especially in the world of COVID-19 and school shootings.

“There’s a possibility that you could be killed in this occupation,” Burmeister said.

The time to act is now. As teachers continue to go underpaid, undervalued, unprotected and underfunded, we neglect the cornerstone of our society: education. So, when we as a nation ask ourselves why we don’t respect our teachers, we should instead be asking why we don’t want the future of our world to be made in America. Teachers need more resources at their disposal to educate the leaders of tomorrow. However, with all of Americans’ focus on the shortcomings and problems of education, we forget to respect and thank our teachers for all of the hard work they put in every single day, for us students.

“Because there is so much focus on what’s wrong with education, we don’t value the positives, and we don’t see what’s right about it, which makes it more disrespected,” Bergman said. “I think that teaching is a harder job than a lot of people ever realize or ever will realize.”

Opinions

December 2O2O

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE With claims of voter fraud and a slew of lawsuits, the election of 2020 was one for the history books. As ballots were counted––and recounted––the election was decided by a slim margin of only a couple hundred thousand votes in a few key states. Yet, despite this close result and heavy contentions from the opposition, in reality, Joe Biden won the popular vote over Donald Trump by nearly 5 million votes. No lawsuit can change the fact that he was clearly the candidate favored by the American people. That this election was as close as it was in spite of this margin reveals a clear flaw in our democracy: the Electoral College.

The Electoral College, as established in the Constitution, is the formal body that elects the President and Vice President of the United States. Among other reasons, it was created by our Founding Fathers out of fear of mob rule and in an attempt to consolidate power among an elite few. Our founders didn’t trust the masses to make an informed decision re-

garding the President and determined that it was best to leave the decision to an educated group of electors appointed by the states and given the power to vote independently.

However, this process has become antiquated for several reasons. In the late 1700s, it might be true that many people lacked the information needed to make an informed decision. But the nationalization of political parties and widespread access to the internet has eliminated the need for electors to make decisions for an uneducated populace. The vast majority of Americans have access to a variety of information at their fingertips or at least have a decent idea about what the candidate stands for, and the thought that they cannot make an educated decision is an insulting one.

Moreover, these electors are no longer independent of the states. Over time, the majority of states have enacted “winner-take-all” policies, in which each elector in a state votes in accordance with the results of their state’s pop-

ular vote. In fact, 33 states have passed laws punishing “faithless electors” who act contrary to this popular vote. In the other states, electors are not technically required to act how their state wishes, but still rarely act against it––only 165 people have as of 2016––as these electors are nominated in the first place by whichever party wins the popular vote in a particular state.

The constitutionality of these laws punishing faithless electors was challenged, but they were upheld in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court last July. Essentially, while the practice of being a “faithless elector” is still legal, the court ruled that states have the right to punish these electors, preventing our flawed system from becoming any worse.

Maine and Nebraska are exceptions to this winner-take-all system. They’ve adopted what is known as the “district method” in which electoral votes can potentially be divided among candidates. In these states, two votes

2020 ELECTION: THE BREAKDOWN states that have ratified the NPVIC states that have not ratified the NPVIC General Election Campaign Event by a 2O2O Presidential Candidate

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Opinions

SHOULD BE ABOLISHED are awarded to whoever wins the state’s popular vote, while the other two are given to whoever wins each congressional district (there are two in Maine, and three in Nebraska).

Though it has its nuances, the system we have now, in theory, is just a convoluted popular vote; however, history has shown it doesn’t work that way. In 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016, a candidate won the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote, proving that this system doesn’t effectively capture the will of the people.

The origins of the Electoral College are also shrouded in racism, which seems to receive very little attention. It was a system created in the midst of widespread slavery and was a further implementation of the infamous Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted African Americans as three-fifths of a person when determining a 33 state’s population.

James Madison knew the South would 11 never agree to a direct election or popular 13 vote because, excluding slaves, populations 13 in Southern states were significantly smaller.

Thus, with a popular 18 vote, the South feared 21 the North would have a disproportionate influence on politics. So, Madison created the Electoral College in which electors would be awarded by population size, a number, which as a result of the Three-Fifths Compromise, included slaves.

It may seem obvious, but it warrants being said: with all these antiquated reasons for the formation of the Electoral College, why does it still exist? Preserving such a system is illogical, racist and detrimental to our democracy, and it’s remarkable it has persisted as long as it has.

Those in favor of the Electoral College claim

that it protects small states and ensures their voices are heard. To a certain extent, this claim is valid. Despite a larger number of electoral votes overall, California receives 1 vote for every 680,000 people whereas Wyoming receives 1 vote for every 190,000 people. Supporters argue that this ensures that smaller states are represented in government and that it prevents candidates from campaigning in only large cities, as they would if the Electoral College was abolished in favor of a national popular vote.

Yet, the way the Electoral College is set up, candidates only campaign in a small number of swing states, to begin with, and will rarely visit rural areas. In 2020 for example, 96% of presidential campaigning was done in just 12 battleground states.

Thirty-three states (constituting much of rural America) and the District of Columbia received no visits at all, proving that these smaller, rural states are 47 not as protected as proponents of the Electoral College may lead you to think. In theory, a candidate only needs to win the 11 states 31 with most electors to earn 270 votes and win the presidency, regardless of how the other 25 39 states vote.

Even if the Electoral College did give smaller states more of a voice than they’d have in a national popular vote, it still restricts more voices on an individual level. To a Democrat in Alabama or a Republican in California, their votes don’t matter, as their states will simply award all their electors to the opposition party, regardless of their opinions.

In a national popular vote, a vote in a swing state matters the same as a vote in a safe blue or red state.

While some may argue that it is best to simply reform the Electoral College and award

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votes via the “district method” as they do in Nebraska and Maine, this system is technically not proportional, and with the issue of gerrymandering––the manipulation of congressional district lines for political gain––estimates have shown this leaves even more margin for error than the current system. Thus, the best solution to our flawed system is simply a national popular vote. Though this may reduce some certainty in the outcome of elections as popular votes can be quite narrow, it’s the only way to guarantee everyone’s voices are heard.

Since the Electoral College is included in the Constitution, changing the system would need a Constitutional amendment, which would require a two-thirds majority vote from both houses of Congress. But, the Electoral College largely favors Republican candidates in close races, and with the partisan deadlock we see today, it is becoming increasingly unlikely this two-third majority could ever be reached.

Luckily, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact has proposed a workaround to this dilemma. This is an agreement between states that would bind each states’ delegates to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote. While the Constitution is clear that states must appoint electors, it never says how the states have to use them, which is why this could be effective.

Currently, the compact has been agreed upon by 15 states and the District of Columbia and encompasses 196 electoral votes. Once it reaches 270 electoral votes, it will take effect, and this will guarantee the presidency to whomever wins the popular vote, a true representation of the will of the people.

If the United States is to remain “the world’s greatest democracy,” or frankly come anywhere close, the Electoral College needs to be abolished. It’s racist, outdated and restricts the voices of the people. In a true democracy, everyone’s vote should matter, and only through replacing the Electoral College can this ever be achieved.

The lead editorial expresses the opinion of the Trinity Voice editorial staff. Please send commenets to voice@trinityprep.org

Opinions

December 2O2O

VARIED ASSESSMENTS YIELD GREATER SUCCESS Article by Madeline Peckham Graphic by Henry Van Voorhis With COVID-19 dividing classrooms between in-person and remote students, testing has had to undergo significant changes. Many teachers have implemented new measures specifically designed to curb cheating, such as using lockdown browsers. But, in many cases they are ineffective and have proven to do more harm than good. If there were a wider variety of evaluative assignments--like projects, presentations, or posters--it would help alleviate some of the added pressures of online testing, reducing stress and raising grades altogether.

While some teachers are more rigid with online test-taking rules, requiring cameras always being on and desk space being visible, other teachers are taking more of an honor-system approach.

“I’m in AP Chem, and each test has been kind of different so far,” junior Isha Shukla explained, “For the first test, my teacher sent it out the night before and asked us not to open it. However, not many abided by that request.

Now, they just send it out a few minutes before.”

Teachers want to trust their students, but unfortunately, many have taken advantage of that trust in the past. With added challenges for teachers to prevent academic dishonesty, testing has become a more challenging process.

“The hardest thing is maintaining the integrity of the tests,” social science teacher Robin Grenz said.

“Assessments are supposed to be a measuring tool for teachers and students.”

When students don’t take tests as honestly as they’re supposed to, it creates an obstacle with this process.

Teachers can’t tell if their lesson was successful or not, and students are lulled into a false

sense of security when they do well on the test.

Neither teacher nor students know what they actually understand. This makes the semester exam that much harder, because the amalgamation of knowledge from the entire semester is already compromised.

With all of the added ways teachers are trying to make sure students honestly complete assessments, it can add stress for students.

There’s even measures that have some unintended consequences. If a student is taking a Canvas quiz, it monitors when you switch tabs and for how long. A remote student may be checking the Google Meet or an approved resource, but be flagged as cheating without any way to prove their innocence.

All of these measures could be doing more harm than good. When it comes to remote students and testing, there will be no fool-proof

way to prove that they aren’t cheating. For the honest students, it only adds more stress to an already stressful process.

Maybe testing should be used less often where possible, and teachers should try to favor variety by using projects.

“A well-developed project is good for practicing and showing skills,” Grenz said.

These projects, while not every class can use them, can allow for students to not only learn, but show what they know creatively. Students can take creative liberty by using intriguing visuals, presenting the material in a new way, or just having fun with it. Projects can reduce the risk of mistakes on account of test anxiety, but can altogether improve the student’s learning process with reduced pressure.

By taking advantage of using projects or other creative processes instead of tests, teachers can give students more opportunities to show what they have learned with a reduced risk of cheating. These small changes can make a big impact on students Ultimately, teachers want to know how their students are doing. This can be done through assessments other than tests, which can allow for an altogether different experience in the classroom and a better learning process for many students.

“I want to encourage students to embrace the testing process as a time to demonstrate learning,” Grenz said.

December 2O2O

Opinions

OPPORTUNITY OVER REPUTATION Why college rankings aren’t as essential as they seem Article by Jake McCreary Graphic by Jaidyn Holt

As we near the end of the first semester of one of the most “unique” semesters of Trinity Prep’s history, the newest generation of juniors is nearly ready to formally begin the college application process. With dozens of essays to be written and important decisions to be made, it’s easy for any student to lose track of what they truly want for their futures. Students desire certainty when making potentially life-altering decisions, thus they turn to a trait every college has: prestige.

A school’s prestige or ranking is what makes it deceptively misleading to many applicants.

Students and parents alike will equate the prestige of a university with the probability of success and happiness; the mental image of a Yale or Harvard degree hanging on the wall is the ultimate goal.

In the field of psychology, the term “prestige bias” refers to a phenomenon where people are more likely to believe or follow something when a prestigious or famous person backs it up. A similar effect is on full display in the minds of many applicants when they look up national college ranking lists.

In actuality, the college selection process is far more complex than any ranking list will lead you to believe. Experts say that a variety of factors ought to take higher priority when considering the best college for a student.

According to New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, the vast majority of parents and children believe that an acceptance into a highly selective school isn’t just another goal.

A yes or no from an ivy league school to them is the collective measure of a student’s worth,

an essential verdict on that student’s life.

The pressing issue with relying on prestige rankings is their susceptibility to manipulation. In response to many applicants’ attraction to highly ranked universities, colleges will employ several tactics designed to lower admission rates and raise their average test scores, ranging from delaying admissions to being test-optional.

These methods often lead to disproportionate levels of prestige that have little correlation to ones’ odds of success. Researchers have pointed out a serious disconnect between the average citizen’s perception of prestige and how much prestige actually matters through tests and surveys.

For example, a school’s 20-year net return of investment, or the difference between the median graduate salary from a university minus the median salary of a student who only attended high school, reflects that prestige isn’t equivalent to getting a high-paying job.

Surprisingly, no ivy league schools appear in the top ten ranked schools. Other schools like the U.S. Military Academy, SUNY Maritime College, and the Colorado School of Mines all have 20-year NROIs circa $1,000,000 despite barely making the top 100 in terms of prestige.

A 2019 Gallup poll revealed that about 80% of American adults see a job candidate’s alma mater as very important in the consideration process. However, the same poll revealed that the majority of American business leaders (54%), those that actually offer job positions to graduates, regard a candidate’s degree as not important at all.

What matters most when looking for the ideal school is the quantity and well-suitedness

of the opportunities that the school presents.

Programs like internships, study abroad opportunities, etc. are an academics’ true keys to preparing for the real world as well as appealing to potential employers.

While one may think that the top ranked schools are as high as they are because they possess the highest quantity and quality programs, that’s actually not the case. The correlation between a school’s prestige and the average salary of graduates isn’t very strong.

When consulted, the college counselling team stressed that a college’s ranking ought to be a low priority for any applicant.

“It should not play any role, whatsoever in a student’s college search,” college counselor Maya Lupa said. “Students should be looking for schools that fit all aspects of their identity — academic goals, extracurricular activities, cost, location.”

For example, let’s take shoes—there are many brand name shoes that vary in popularity. If you have a particular brand of shoes that is extremely expensive and popular because it is released in limited editions do you go out and buy them? What if they are uncomfortable? What if you can’t walk in them? Would you commit to wearing them for four years and spend a good portion of your saving on them in order to be popular?

Former Trinity student and current UF sophomore Pranav Upalappati provides a good bottom line when it comes to college choice.

“Choosing a college should have little to do with its prestige,” Upalappati said. “Thorough research into a school’s opportunities and programs is how you determine what’s best for you and your future.”

2 out of 1O CEOs in the Fortune 5OO’s top ten highest net worth attended Ivy League schools

Out of the top ten fastest growing companies of this year, O attended an Ivy League school

The Ivy League with the highest 2O-year NROI is Princeton, coming in at number 15 in the country

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Sports

December 2O2O

GIRLS VARSITY WEIGHTLIFTING INTRODUCES NEW FORMAT FOR MEETS Article by Jake Raffa Photo by Mateo Membreno

Adapting in the face of a challenge is a necessity in this COVID-19 plagued world. For a sport requiring players to lift inside, packed together in a small room, girls varsity weightlifting is the perfect environment for an outbreak. In order to minimize exposure, the season this year will be virtual.

“We compete in the bench press and the clean and jerk,” girls varsity weightlifting coach Harry Meyers said. “At meets this year the girls will do their lifts, and we might get a video for the parents to watch.”

Although referred to as “virtual” meets, the only truly “virtual” element would be the video for parents to watch. Meet scoring will still proceed as normal, with the biggest lifts for each weight class scoring the most points.

However, instead of having all the teams competing in the same place, each team will lift in their own weight room. Then, they will record their own scores, and coaches will compare their scores with other schools once a week,

trusting that each coach is telling the truth about the scoring.

Senior leader Clara Dowdy is returning for her fourth and final season as a varsity weightlifter. Dowdy prefers being able to lift in her own weight room, as she is much more familiar with the equipment. But she notices a downside to these virtual meets as well.

“Not having anyone [in person] to compare my lifts to will make meets harder,” Dowdy said. “I’m a very competitive person, and I like seeing my competition in person to push me to success.”

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place, coaches have to alternate which girls are competing each day. With the team consisting of slightly more than 60 lifters, this creates a unique issue.

“We can only have 20 to 25 girls competing in one day, but the most important thing is trying to get everyone qualified for districts,” Meyers said. “Nowadays, you could find out half your team has to quarantine right before districts, so you really just never know.”

As of now, the girls are competing in the

Sophomores Morgan Cox and Anna Miliotes bench press in the weight room after their first virtual meet of the season. This new format allows for the girls to practice even after meets.

Citrus League, but only Windermere and Bishop Moore have teams. Additionally, Bishop Moore’s team isn’t affiliated with the school, so they won’t qualify for the postseason. Under the new virtual format, the girls could possibly lift against teams outside the Citrus League, but this is still up for discussion.

One potential issue of these virtual meets is cheating. For instance, as the coaches simply compare notes of each girls’ lifts, it becomes almost entirely merit-based. Cheating could potentially spike, with each team in charge of judging its own lifters, and the ability for each coach to lie about their best lifts. However, Coach Meyers doesn’t believe this will be a problem.

“We’re not too concerned that other teams might be cheating,” Meyers said. “You can lie all you want [in the regular season], but once you get to districts, which will be in person, you have to do the lifts. The only issue you start to run into is how strict your judges are on your kids, compared to a live district meet with real judging.”

The regular season meets aren’t the only thing that’s been impacted; the girls have to change the way they practice as well.

“Right now, we can only have 18 lifters in at a time, two at each station, but theoretically we could have 27 lifters, three at each station,” Meyers said. “The girls have to alternate which days they come to practice, so we even added a Saturday practice to fit everyone in.”

Junior weightlifter Alexia Steinberg sees an upside to this new format.

“I like practices this year more than last year,” Steinberg said. “The weight room isn’t as full, and I have more space to work out.”

Despite all the changes, Meyers believes that the team is ready for a successful season.

“I don’t like talking about winning and results before a season, but I think we have a good chance of winning districts and can genuinely compete in regionals, maybe even winning a regional championship,” Meyers said.

December 2O2O

Sports

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY FINISHES STRONG Article by Boaz Kim Photo by Ella Craghill

As he runs through the finish line, junior Nick Carpenter glances at the race time: 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Out of breath from running one of his fastest times, Carpenter is crowned the boys Citrus League champion.

All the hard work the team has put in this season has paid off.

The boys cross country team had a (regular season record) regular-season record. The Citrus League, which includes Trinity Prep, Windermere Prep, TFA, Lake Highland Prep, Bishop Moore and Montverde Academy was no match for the boys, led by boys Citrus League Champion Nick Carpenter and their coach, Sara Dowdy.

The boys have been working even before the season started so they could ensure their successful run in the postseason.

“I trained consistently over the summer,” Carpenter said. “A few of the cross country boys even went up to North Carolina for two weeks to train. I actually joined a local road bike group and rode with them a few times to get in shape and be ready for the season.”

The boys’ practices during the seasons also helped them improve their running.

“The practices were always under the hot sun, so it was not easy,” sophomore Koray Tekin said. “Coach Dowdy pushed us to get better and in the end it helped us improve.”

The biggest challenge this year was not getting faster but instead, the challenges that came from COVID 19.

“The number of team qualifiers was cut in half, masks were required for practices and meets, meets were started in waves, only limited spectators were allowed at our meets, some of our runners were quarantined and our traditional team dinners and annual pre-district team lunch was cancelled,” varsity cross country head coach Sara Dowdy said. “All of these really hurt the team bonding aspect of our season but we were able to get through it and still have a memorable year.”

The boys made it to the district meet, where Carpenter left his competition in the dust and became the Citrus League champion.

“It felt great because it showed me that my work had paid off,” Carpenter said. “It was also a good feeling to beat our local rivals in

the Citrus League.”

Carpenter has since been looking for recruitments. He says he has emailed a lot of coaches and colleges and has gotten in contact with the University of South Carolina and the Naval Academy.

“It is good to know that colleges are interested in me because it motivates me to keep working and to get better,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter gets high praise from his coaches and teammates for his hard work and determination.

“Nick Carpenter is with no doubt, the top runner in the Citrus League, and one of the best runners in the state in 2A,” Dowdy said.

“He has been focused and motivated all season. His PR this season is 15:54. To break 16:00 in the 5K is a huge accomplishment, and to do that his junior year is remarkable.

He is a beautiful runner.”

Due to COVID 19, it has been hard for all athletes to get noticed by college programs.

Because of this, they have had to work even harder in their sport to be recruited. Sports like cross country have especially been impacted.

“It definitely puts a question mark on many of these programs because the cross country and track teams are not considered as important as other sports, so many of the colleges are dropping the program for the time being,” Carpenter said.

However, Carpenter says he is still optimistic about his future and will continue to strive to become better.

The boys ended up placing 9th at states and Carpenter had a podium finish, finishing in 7th place.

“I am very proud of the team this year because we all worked so hard to get to where we got and I am already looking forward to next year,” Carpenter said.

December 2O2O

Sports

COACH HUDSON RETURNS TO THE COURT Trinity rehires varsity basketball head coach Article by Oliver Johnson Photo by Kayla Alexandre

know their position, and play to the best of state championship after winning regionals their ability.” and districts. Although this is a tall order, it’s Hudson sets high expectations for the team something he truly thinks the team can acthis year. complish.

“My whole life I shoot Hudson puts for the moon, and if I a huge stress on miss, I’ll be amongst the the importance of stars,” Hudson said. the staff around Hudson said he’s him. He’s brought - Irwin Hudson, Head Coach a few coaches with followed this mantra throughout his coachhim this year to help ing career. Before the season even started, he him accomplish these goals and lead the team set out goals for them. He wants to win the to success.

Hudson is working with four other coaches including Mitch Valdes, Clyde Williams, Justin Fountain and math teacher Eric Schneider.

All of these coaches work alongside Hudson as assistant coaches, and Williams works as a strength and conditioning coach to make the team stronger and healthier.

“I feel like now I have got the best coaching staff in town,” Hudson said.

Coming into the season Hudson can already see the team’s potential.

With multiple college-bound players and an incredibly experienced coaching staff, he is extremely enthused for what’s to come.

“I really am super excited,” Hudson said. “I tell [the players] everyday, we’re looking great team-wise.

We’ve got a lot of talent, skill and experience.”

After the departure of the previous varsity basketball head coach, Trinity has re-hired Irwin Hudson to lead the program. Hudson was the varsity basketball coach at Trinity for two seasons from 2013-2015 where he led the team to one of its best seasons ever.

Hudson brings a substantial amount of experience to the program as he’s been coaching junior varsity and varsity teams for 27 years. He has coached at many different high schools across Florida including Oak Ridge, Lake Howell and Bishop Moore. In addition to coaching high school, Hudson has coached AAU basketball for 15 years and owns OHoops, a highly successful AAU program that specializes in basketball training.

Hudson has already made an impact on the program even before the 2020 season kicked off. He has been holding high intensity workouts for the players two days a week to prepare for the season.

He has also worked to form a Trinity AAU team where athletes have had opportunities to play in multiple tournaments, playing teams like Windermere Prep and St. Cloud.

“The chemistry is really what we’ve got to build right now,” Hudson said.

According to Hudson, one of the keys this year is going to be how his players work together. With some of the players on the team transferring into the school just this year, Hudson said he must work to build up the chemistry on the court moving forward.

“If we work together, then The new basketball coach, Irwin Hudson, calls out a play. The team we’ll win together,” he said. played their first preseason game against Windermere Prep.

“They have to know their role,

“If we work together, then we’ll win together.”

Photos

December 2O2O

PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSITION HOLIDAY SHOWCASE

Ella Craghill

Mateo Membreno

Anuha Tatineni

Kayla Alexandre