International Dateline (9/10 Class) - January 2022 Edition

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Freshman raises upwards of 40K for sea turtles

By DERIN KIRTMAN, 2025 The only visible sight is a full moon, shining in the darkness of the night. The only sounds are the waves washing up on the beach shore. The only movement is the hatching of baby loggerhead sea turtles.

That’s what four-year-old Grayson Houston-Henderson saw that night, and his outlook on sea turtles changed forever.

Around 50,000 sea turtles die in US coastal waters each year because of human intervention like poaching. Back when WIS freshman Houston-Henderson was 4 years old, whereas all the kids around him were trying to get the hang of the ABCs, he was fighting for those turtles’ lives.

His organization is called The Sea Turtle Conservation Fund, which has raised more than $40,000 for sea turtles and has helped over seven species.

Houston-Henderson started this organization because he understood the importance of sea turtles in the marine food chain. “If sea turtle populations were to go down… the population of microorganisms, fish, squid and other hundreds of creatures’ populations would increase dramatically.

[The populations of] everything that those animals eat would begin to decrease.”

Additionally, since sea turtles have been around since the dinosaur-era, he finds the fact that they are now endangered really troubling.

While Houston-Henderson was in Topsail Island, North Carolina, staying at his grandparents’ beach house, he decided to fundraise for the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.

After locally fundraising around his beach town, he presented himself to Karen Beasley, the leader of that hospital. “I came in with $450. $450 in terms of what we’re doing now isn’t that great of a sum of money, but a four-year-old coming in there and showing that level of dedication is rare,” Houston-Henderson said.

After a short hiatus, he asked his parents if they could continue to fundraise for the hospital. After they agreed, there was no stopping him. “I sat out in front of my house on probably the quietest street in the city and played my guitar, Twinkle Twinkle, the only song I knew how to play, and I raised 25 cents the first time,” Houston-Henderson said. “The next time, I went off in front of a cafe, and probably raised about 30 [dollars]. Then the next time we went to Eastern market [a popular market southeast of DC], and I raised 300 [dollars].”

Travelling around the city, day after day, Houston-Henderson got better at fundraising and every year the money he gathered kept on growing to heights neither he, his parents nor the Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital expected.

Mariam Ghaznavi: The life of an Afghan woman

By SOPHIA JONES, 2024

Afghanistan has been in internal conflict for decades: the once beautiful country in which women could roam freely is now torn apart — bringing women down with it. A war spanning 41 years beginning with the Soviet invasion in 1979 and followed by a long civil war, the Taliban takeover COURTESY OF GRAYSON HOUSTON-HENDERSON in 1996, and the U.S. intervention in 2001 Four-year-old Grayson Houston-Henderson holding his guitar in front of a local has long troubled the country. Now, after store to fundraise. This was the first year he started raising money for sea turtles.

20 years of reparation and growth- the Taliban’s oppressive government based on Houston-Henderson initially fund- in September became a 501C3 organiza- their misogynistic interpretation of Islamraised in DC for five years. When he moved tion which gave him the legal authority ic law has once again taken power. to Paris in 2015, he persevered to keep his to evade federal tax. This achievement In August, the world witnessed the fundraising operation alive. “When you led Houston-Henderson to establish con- Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan; the memove countries, it becomes a little bit more nections with small local businesses and dia was in an uproar of dread and sympachallenging to do fundraising without a li- accept donations of larger quantities. “It thy. The world watched American forces cense and stand in one of the busiest, most gives a layer of legitimacy in terms of at- withdraw from the country, leaving Afvisited cities in the world, right at a tourist tracting donors that will be really benefi- ghanistan to regress to a state of war and attraction, asking for money,” he said. cial in carrying out our purposes,” he said. fear for all of Afghanistan. While the me In Paris, he started a GoFundMe and In the future, Houston-Henderson dia has provided the public with insight, acquired all the permits and licenses need- plans to create more connections with tur- an insider perspective that has witnessed ed to lawfully fundraise at places like the tle hospitals and clinics around the nation. Afghanistan’s development over time truly Eiffel Tower. Being able to access those His goal is that his organization becomes does put the conflict in a human perspechighly visited locations, allowed Hous- the go-to establishment to help turtles. tive. ton-Henderson to expand his organization Houston-Henderson shared some tips Mariam Ghaznavi, 29 years old, was and touch more people’s hearts. t o start an organization. “[You should]​​ born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1992. Shortly

At 13, Houston-Henderson returned to know what you’re talking about. after she was born, Mariam and her famDC and decided to take new steps. “I started Don’t just do it because you want to ily fled to Pakistan to escape the brewing understanding, ‘okay, I’ve been doing this raise money, but know why you’re Civil War. “I didn’t see my country until for nine years now, and it’s something that raising money,” he said. “If someone 2002,” Ghaznavi said. “We went there after I enjoy doing, and I see it’s very importasks you [about your organization], the U.S. intervention.” Once she returned, ant and I need to keep this up,’” he said. be able to tell them more about it. Be she found her home in ruins. She described “But I also [understood] that it’s going able to write a whole essay about it. Be the state of Afghanistan as buildings being able to be an expert on your subject. I’m lined with bullets, houses without walls or not saying be a PhD expert, but under- roofs, and a scarcity of trees. stand the problem,” he said.

“I mean, for me, for someone who grew For those who want to check out his up in Islamabad, where I went to a private organization, his website is theseaturtle- school, and I had a pretty decent life- my conservationfund.org, and he also first experience of my country wasn’t very, has an Instagram account @the_ you know, exciting, because there was litseaturtleconservationfund. erally nothing, including schools.” Ghaznavi said. She attended a local school with women twice her age, women who had never had the privilege of education before. The school had broken glass, bullet to be harder for me as I holes, and students worked on the ground. get older to just continue “Sometimes we went around to play asking for money and around the house. Sometimes we cried.” just standing out there.”

Ghazvnavi responded when asked what she Houston-Henderson worked did in her free time. to make his organization a verified non Ghaznavi is part of the Hazara tribe, profit, which was difficult because it rean Afghan ethnic and religious minority quired investments and time. For example, COURTESY OF HOUSTON-HENDERSON known for its progressive ideals. The Hazappointing agents to assist you, applying Houston-Henderson’s first time work- ara have faced discrimination and even to the government and most importantly, ing a sea turtle release. He had just be- persecution under the Taliban’s forces bewaiting to see if you get accepted. Last May come old enough to help transport the cause of their Shi’a faith, which the Taliban (2021), he became officially recognized by turtle down to the ocean along with oth- strongly opposes. the D.C. government as a non-profit, and er members of hospital staff.

See MARIAM GHAZNAVI, page 7

inside look

Freshman Ethan Elusive Stories Laurie Talapatra: D.C. Anderson exhibit “The Weather” at the Hirshorn United Keeper

sports page 5

Hit or miss: Marvel’s newest film ‘Eternals’ arts page 4

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Talapatra’s dream is to pursue Profile Experience living professional in six different countries soccer

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January 2022

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JANUARY 2022

Parent grill will return in January 2022

By ALEXANDER PAXSON, 2025 Students wait in line eagerly as the scent of Grill's food fills the air. That was what the traditional Friday Grill was like before the pandemic. Brock has been operating Grill since the start of the pandemic. The Parent Grill will come back once per month starting in January of 2022, according to Bhalla.

The WIS community loved the Parent Grill and their food, and have been working to bring it back since spring 2021, according to WIS Parent Grill Head Luisa Caro.

While the Parent Grill will be brought back, there will be some changes. The two changes will include how often there will be Parent Grill and steps to prevent contamination. Parent Grill will take place Jan. 21, Feb. 25, Mar. 18, Apr. 15, and May 20, according to Bhalla.

The decision to bring back the Parent Grill for only once a month is not set in stone. “I don't think we're ready to go full force back into every Friday having a Parent Grill, but we're gonna start slowly and see how it goes,” Bhalla said.

There will be a couple steps implemented to prevent COVID-19 contamination. Grill will require all Parent volunteers to be vaccinated as the Grill serves food to over 400 members of the WIS community.

Packaged goods and utensils will be present at the Grill to reduce the possibility of anybody getting COVID-19. There will also be hand sanitizing stations, and Grill will be asking students to spread out in line to avoid bunching up and spreading COVID-19.

Because of COVID-19 compliance reasons, the Parent Grill was initially postponed and then replaced by Brock Grill.

“It was really hard to keep and protect the health and safety of the kids who were here. And so that was really the reason that we didn't have Grill last year,” Bhalla said.

“Returning to the WIS plan that the admin-

Parent Grill Staff on Halloween.

istration issued did not provide for parents to be on campus or for Parent Grill,” Caro said.

The Parent Grill has been a tradition for over 25 years and has evolved over time, according to Bhalla. For example, Grill hasn’t always been on Fridays, as it was on Wednesdays at one point, then Thursdays, and finally Fridays.

However, Grill has always been a WISPA (WIS Parent Association)/parent-run fundraiser that has helped to fund the 10th grade trip to New Orleans, among other things, according to Caro.

The last Parent Grill was on March 13, 2020. Because everyone has missed Grill so much, Grill is not looking to raise funds this spring, but simply bring back this tradition.

The Parent Grill and Brock Grill’s menus are different. The Brock Grill con-

COURTESY OF LUISA CARO

tains chips, mac and cheese, burgers, a salad, some brownies, cookies and some drinks.

Meanwhile, the Parent Grill contains many more options (see the menu below).

Additionally, the prices are higher for Brock Grill: a burger is $4.50 and a brownie is $2 at the Brock Grill. The burger was $3.50 and a brownie was $1 at the Parent Grill2. The price comparison with Brock is not necessarily appropriate since Brock needs to pay its employees,” Caro said.

Many students miss the Parent Grill and prefer it over the Brock Grill. “So let's say out of five stars, it's probably a 1.5,” ninth grader Luca Delcoco said. Delcoco has experienced the Parent and Brock Grill, as he has attended WIS since first grade.

“I'm going to turn into a food critic here. The food… has too much salt all the time. [It] could be either undercooked or

COURTESY OF CARO AND WISPA

Parent Grill Menu from WISPA.

way over cooked,” Delcoco said. “I really don't want to go to Brock Grill. But I do anyway because I'm hungry after the third period.”

On the other hand, he loves the Parent Grill, as he believes they had more variety and cooked the food better. His favorite dishes are the burgers, pesto pasta, and steak and rice bowls. “They really can cook burgers,” Delcoco said.

covid report

IB program during COVID, and what was done to deal with it

By ESTRELLA APARICIO, 2025

COVID hit, and suddenly in 2020, students of all schools were undergoing mass stress because of the loads of essays and projects, and trying to stay alive at the same time.

The IB program at WIS is no different, and students in the program have to adjust under all the possible stress factors.

It’s no surprise to notice that it became a struggle to adjust after the major impact of COVID. But A member from WIS faculty, Mr. James Bourke, the upper school principal and IB program organizer, admits he feels the school did a good job in helping students-- a better job than most schools, at least.

“You know, I think the big challenge not just for WIS but worldwide was with school closures, distance learning. And then obviously, like the mental health impacts of the pandemic. The big thing that WIS was facing and IB Diploma schools around the world were facing was just, you know, we have this this program that has a lot of requirements, and how are we able to help kids to get through this, when there are so many restrictions and challenges and limitations that are put on the learning process, right?” Says Bourke after he and the IB faculty analyzed and asked themselves what needed to be done.

The idea of staying home under the crucial circumstances placed a load on everyone’s mental health and general lifestyles, so adjustments to our class schedules and assignments were made to not overwork and overload us. How this worked for IB students was practically the same; the IB program is difficult in itself so a few changes were made throughout the year to help students.

ILLUSTRATED BY CLARA MELLOW

Student doing her classes online in her home, with a mask on to represent protection against the pandemic.

Bourke gives a few examples on what they changed throughout the year: “There are many examples (...) the sciences, you know, biochem, and physics, they all had their paper three exam removed (...) music has like an entire assessment called the contemporary music maker that just come off. You know, so those are some of the things like that’s a big project for higher level music students that they don’t have to do, because the IB removed that.”

Adjustments for the program took place, but students also had to adjust indi-

vidually. Camila Levey, 12th grade IB student at WIS, said she felt as if changes, like the online and hybrid switches, or exam changes for example, truly helped her deal with the pandemic. “...Especially the weeks that I was at home, was really helpful for, like, some ways like for long assignments I had more time to do my work because I didn’t have to worry about my commute…”

High school and IB history teacher Don Boehm noticed how students like Levey learned how to manage work bet-

ter to mitigate stress because covid, and comments on how it is something that we should learn how to do even without covid.

“And largely, you’re going to have to figure out how to manage it on your own.

So learning to- to manage [a] project, manage, I think, is really an essential skill. And I think that helps deal with the stress (...) learning to manage and plan effectively, I think is one thing that I’ve seen some of the students, you know, who have been able to do that to deal with their stress a little bit better.”

Whether this new skill continues to be used even after COVID depends on us.

Going back into in-person school shook us all: nostalgic memories flowing back and seeing all of our friends again, it all felt new. But that didn’t take away from the academic challenges that would soon arise.

This meant that getting used to everything would be somewhat difficult after having things being taken easy on students.

“Um, I mean, it’s really nice to see everybody and I like definitely- I’m definitely glad that I’m not like having to do schooling at home anymore. But I also feel like when I’m at school, I get tired. So much more easily than before. COVID like my fourth period, I’m already exhausted.” Said Levey.

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, however. Levey gladly mentions how returning to in-person learning makes it easier to reach out to teachers, and more time in school means less time to get distracted at home.

In the end, surviving COVID somewhat taught the IB students a lesson on how to survive school, especially during the toughest situations.

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JANUARY 2022

Substance abuse prevention speaker visits WIS

By WILLIAM GREEN, 2025 During the week of Nov. 15-18, Jennifer Danforth, a speaker from FCD Prevention Works, visited WIS to educate students about the consequences of drug usage.

Danforth first took up drinking to cope with school induced stress, soon becoming dependent on the substance. She eventually sought help, leading her into a long recovery still going on to this day. Inspired by her past, she seeks to inform others so that they do not make the same mistake she did.

The talks come at a time when drug overdose deaths are at an all time high around the country, affecting students and adults alike.

Danforth credited the main causes of repeated drug usage to “family, age of first use, and the person’s surroundings.” Not everyone tries drugs for the same reason.

One person may have tried drugs to cope with an abusive house, whereas someone else may have tried them solely to try and fit in with their peers.

According to Danforth, many students often take drugs as a method for coping with school or home induced stress. Drugs bring a relaxing, carefree feeling to those who take it, making them attractive methods of stress relief. Nonetheless, the relief is temporary, and only provides the illusion of relief. The temporary feeling caused is what incites an individual to try it again, until they develop a need for it, an addiction, said Danforth.

Another factor that may aid in making a person try drugs are social norms, or social acceptance. If someone sees a group of people participating in something, good or bad, or thinks they do, they will likely follow the example and do the same in search of social acceptance. According to Danforth, “what people think everyone else is doing becomes the norm.”

COURTESY OF THE CDC

Graph representing drug overdose deaths involving opioids. Drug overdose deaths from heroin and opioids are continually increasing, affecting both adults and teens.

This can translate into drug usage.

People who are surrounded or think they are surrounded by others using substance become far more inclined to use it themselves. Nonetheless, Danforth says that “people consistently and dramatically overestimate the use of alcohol and other drugs by their peers”, and that these “false perceptions lead to greater use”, because fundamentally they are an excuse to do it yourself. “[For this reason, we must] be very careful of how we use the word everybody,” Danforth said.

The more someone uses a drug, the less effective it becomes on the user. The user doesn’t get the same amount of dopamine that they got the first time, even though it

was all an illusion. This leads them to use the drug more and more in an attempt to get the same feeling they had before, only increasing dependency and attachment to the substance. They have a need for the drug, and feel empty without it, leading to severe depression as well as conditions like paranoia, high blood pressure, an irregular heart rate, and much more, says the National Institute of Health.

The usage of drugs can, and almost always has an adverse effect on student’s grades, social interactions and more. “Our brains develop at age 25, making the effect even harsher [on youth]”, Danforth said.

Despite the consequences, the usage of certain drugs in colleges and schools

around the country is dramatically increasing. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, “Among college students, 44% reported using marijuana in the past year in 2020, compared to 38% in 2015, representing a significant increase.” Usage of other drugs such as heroin is also on the rise. Vaping has also seen an increase in popularity, replacing cigarettes whose usage has continued to decline. On the positive side, alcohol usage has continued to decline. “In 2020, college students reported significantly lower alcohol use across numerous measures compared to 2019, with 56% of students reporting alcohol use within the past 30 days (compared to 62% in 2019),” according to the NIDA.

In Washington DC, we have the highest rate of drug usage in the country. According to Addiction Center, an organization that provides drug users with rehabilitation said that, “In 2019, a report showed that Washington D.C. ranks number 1 with the highest amount of drug use and addiction in the US.” The evidence shows that COVID-19 has led to increases in substance abuse as a method of relief from stress induced by the pandemic, something most felt. Moreover, social and economic changes caused by the pandemic have negatively affected the accessibility of treatment options for any drug users, furthering the problem.

The use of these drugs massively worsen the symptoms of COVID, contributing to a larger death toll, says the National Institute of Health.

To avoid even considering drug usage, Danforth recommended to “have three things that make you feel better,” and that these should be activities that one enjoys participating in. These could be a sport or some other kind of game, reading, gaming, and so much more. Doing these things provides genuine relief, unlike any kind of drug.

Moving countries during childhood

By IRMAK AKGUN, 2025 Many say that moving around during young ages can be frustrating but Juliette Bakker proves this theory wrong.

Bakker is a freshman at WIS who has lived in 6 different countries: France, South Korea, Hong Kong, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France again and the United States (present).

Her dad is Dutch and her mom is Belgian. She was born in Paris, France 14 years ago, and has been moving around ever since.

“I’ve been to eight schools… it’s all because of my dad’s [job],” Bakker said. “...He actually started off working there as a college student and he was an intern.”

Bakker’s dad works as a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) in a company, where he manages profit and changes prices of products.

Bakker has a brother in 11th grade, Max Bakker. She mentioned that they both have the same opinion on traveling often.

“I think that both he and I enjoy traveling and living abroad internationally and meeting new people,” Bakker said.

Although a 2010 study done by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that if children move frequently, they are more likely to become unhappy, Bakker disagrees. “I love moving around, I get a fresh start every so [many] years, which I very much enjoy,” she said.

“I get both perspectives, but I like moving around.”

Bakker said moving a lot has helped her adjust to new surroundings and people easier. “I’m very good at socially interacting with people,” she said. “I think it’s also shaped me as a person. I’ve become smart-

IRMAK AKGUN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

Juliette Bakker, a new freshman at WIS who has lived in 6 countries. Photos from 2008-2019 in 5 different countries as titled.

er… because… I’ve just been around different people, and different cultures, and ethnicities.”

Bakker said she adjusted to WIS prettyquickly thanks to the helpful students and teachers. Her friend Adanne Yeboah, another new freshman, agrees that the students are welcoming and that Bakker has adapted quickly.

“I think she’s adjusted way faster than me. She knows all her classes. She knows where to go.” Yeboah said.

Yeboah, expresses Bakker as a social person. “I would describe Juliette as funny, curious, entertaining, and very easy to get along with,” she said.

Bakker’s mom, Eva Bakker, said similar things about her daughter. “I think

she’s very courageous. She’s sometimes a bit emotional as well, but I think in a good way, which is courageous,” said Eva Bakker.

“She’s an optimistic... go-getter. When she really wants something...she goes up for it.”

Bakker and her family chose WIS because it is international. Bakker mentioned how going to international schools was the one constant thing in people’s lives who moved around a lot. “​​We find that international schools have more close communities, usually the schools are smaller...

It’s also because we come from different backgrounds as well. So it’s just nice to be in a community where others are also from different parts from around the world.” she said.

Many kids who move throughout their childhood view their friends as their physical possessions and tend to leave them behind when they move to another country. Moving can impact long-term relationships immensely, according to a 2016 paper. “I still have a lot of contact with people,” Bakker contradicted. However she said she didn’t have contact from Switzerland, since she lived there for a single year, which didn’t give her much time to make strong relationships.

Moves are the hardest on kids when they happen during middle school, teenage years or in the midst of a year. Bakker’s mom said that it was the hardest for Bakker to move to Paris in the middle of fifth grade.

“She had a hard time when we told her,when we’re going back to Paris.We really had a lot of crying, and, I think what made it extra hard was the fact that we were moving in the middle of the school year,” she said. “And it was fifth grade, so she couldn’t graduate in her school with her friends.”

Moving can have negative and positive impacts on young adults and it’s not always easy for everyone. Bakker looks at it in a positive way and she goes where life takes her.

“The funny thing is, Juliette is always the most vocal about moving, and sort of saying, ‘I’m not sure, I’m gonna miss my friends, and how do I make friends,’ and etc,” Eva Bakker said. “And then actually, it always turns out, she’s the first one who makes friends, and she does it naturally. And I am really proud of her. She just makes the best out of it.”

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JANUARY 2022

Jenny Firschein, freshman, a young ballet prodigy

By SASKIA HOOD, 2025 Jenny Firschein is a young, upcoming ballet dancer whose love for the sport is wildly strong. She is a freshman who dances 6 days per week at Séber Method Academy.

Each of her practices are 5 1/2 hours long and she is constantly practicing her moves, even when she isn’t in ballet class.

“Ballet is physical as much as it is mental. Some days I love it and some days I don’t. Honestly once you get on the stage in costume and makeup, it makes all the hard rehearsals and hard work worth every minute. I love it a lot and I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t do it,” Firschein said.

Firschein started ballet at the young age of two, but didn’t love it immediately.

“I only partially liked [ballet] at first but after you perform it’s so so worth it and there are so many things that are my favorite about it. If I continue talking we’ll be here forever,” Firschein said.

Firschein used to dance at Washington School of Ballet but switched to Séber Method Academy, and is still dancing there. She certainly enjoys it and has made many close friends.

COURTESY OF JENNY FIRSCHEIN

Jenny Firschein, ballet dancer for Séber Method Academy striking a pose.

“I used to go to Washington School of Ballet but I wanted more individual attention and heard it [Séber Method Academy] was good. My very best friends and I have met through ballet,” she said.

Not only is Firschein practicing hard

six times each week at Séber Method Academy, but she has also been in multiple performances including being in the Nutcracker one year.

“One year [I performed] for the TWSB nutcracker at the Warner theater. I was in 23 shows and I performed with NYCB when I was young at the Kennedy Center which was very big for a 9-year-old,” Firschein said.

Firschein’s close friend Leo Sarzi, freshman, believes she has a future in ballet.

“She has a very bright future ahead of her. Her commitment to the sport emphasizes her passion and the fight to take it to the next level,” Sarzi said.

Sarzi has been to some of Firschein’s ballet practices and after watching her, believes she has a true talent for the sport.

“I’ve been to multiple practices that she attends. I would say she’s exceptionally good,”Sarzi said.

Sarzi isn’t the only one who can vouch for Firschein’s talent. A student in her ballet class, freshman Lucas Springsteen, has been in the same ballet class for multiple

years and believes she has amazing talent.

“She’s a really good dancer. Her technique is crazy good, she can learn choreography in seconds. Even when she says she’s dancing badly, I can’t even tell. There’s just something about her technique that’s different from the rest of the dancers in her class. She can do combinations quickly, slowly, sharply, and gently. She just has really good control of how she moves her body,” Springsteen said.

He has watched Firschein dance for many years and has observed her technique closely.

“She is good at turning, jumping, and combinations across the floor. [She has] really good control of how high she can raise her legs. Her technique with her arms and hands is really good. [She has] really good body placement and alignment. She’s really strong, so she can hold positions for a long time,”Springsteen said.

Firschein definitely hopes to continue ballet in college and maybe even do it professionally. “100% as much work as it is I would love to do it both in college and professionally,” she said.

Elusive stories: Laurie Hit or miss: Marvel’s Anderson at Hirshorn newest film ‘Eternals’

(ISABELLA DUCHOVNY/DATELINE)

The entrance of Laurie Anderson’s exhibition at the Hirshhorn, “The Weather.”

(MARVEL STUDIOS)

By ISABELLA DUCHOVNY, 2024

It’s hard to know what to think when you enter Laurie Anderson’s most recent installation at the Hirshhorn.

A recent New York Times article tells the story of Anderson’s most recent exhibit. When the Hirshhorn Museum in D.C. first reached out to her to create a retrospective exhibit, she said no. A retrospective exhibit looks back on an artist’s career, showing their development over time.

A retrospective exhibit in a big museum would go against everything she believes in: she doesn’t want to look back and stand still but instead wants to keep going forward.

In the end, she agreed to put on an exhibit, but on her terms. She has old work interspersed with new pieces.

“The Weather” will be at the Hirshhorn from Sept. 24, 2021, to July 31, 2022.

It stars “Four Talks,” a room whose walls are covered in text in Anderson’s handwriting and which features three sculptures. The exhibit also stars “Habeas Corpus,” a projected video on a foam sculpture retelling the story of Mohammed el Gharani, one of the youngest detainees at Guantánamo Bay. The exhibit also features interactive components: viewers can try out the “Handphone Table” where vibrations in the table create music and there will be live performances by Anderson herself from January through July 2022.

Anderson has done just about every-

thing a creative person can do in her staggeringly unique five-decade career.

She is an artist, performer, writer, and Grammy award-winning musician. She’s worked with a variety of mediums, from essays and books to performances to virtual reality.

Anderson has released seven albums for the Warner Brothers, including “O Superman” in 1981, which rose to No. 2 in the British Pop Charts. She’s also currently Harvard University’s Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry.

Anderson is a storyteller of fraught, impossible, nonlinear, elusive, unfinished stories at the heart of it all.

“The Weather” is like nothing I’ve ever seen at the Hirshhorn. There is no clear beginning or end and it’s not straightforward at all but in the most amazing way. It makes the viewer think.

It’s hard to describe something that so forcefully pushes the bounds of creativity and art simply with words.

“Four Talks” was full of people moving around the room, trying to read all the text on the walls. “Habeas Corpus” told a powerful and heartbreaking story in an unexpected way. Words and sounds and images combined seamlessly to tell a story no one could have predicted or imagined.

When I walked out, I was still attempting to grasp the experience, still fully immersed in the exhibit.

Anderson tells stories in a way never seen before and it’s something you shouldn’t miss.

The poster from Marvel Studios “Eternals.” From left to right: actors Lauren Ridloff, Kumail Nanjiani, Barry Keoghan, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Angelina Jolie, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden and Gemma Chang.

By CLAIRE KHAJAVI, 2024 The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise has spanned over 10 years, releasing many incredible films and Marvel’s newest film, “Eternals,” is no exception.

In this film, Marvel introduces an entirely new superpowered team known as the Eternals to the MCU.

The movie begins with a prologue detailing how Earth is protected bwy a group of immortal beings known as the Eternals from supernatural beasts known as the Deviants. The Eternals have to work against the clock to save everyone and everything they hold dear as a catastrophic event approaches. They face betrayal, moral dilemmas of duty versus love and supernatural threats.

“Eternals” is a highly anticipated action adventure film, starring many household names such as Angelina Jolie, Kit Harrington, Richard Madden and Gemma Chang. The movie is directed by Golden Globe, Oscar and Academy Award winning director Chloé Zhao.

Viewers who watch it in theaters have an immersive experience, losing themselves in the cinematic and fantastical world of the Eternals. Additionally, longtime Marvel fans will find that this movie measures up quite well to many of the other films.

One unique aspect of “Eternals” is that it is made up of a dynamic and diverse cast of characters, including characters who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, the deaf community and many different ethnicities and races. Marvel’s choice to diversify its cast allows the movie to be more open and relatable to a larger audience.

The movie has a lot to cover as it introduces many new characters, yet each character is still well developed and independent. The actors all bring their characters to life despite having minimal screen time.

However, some critics point out the film’s weaknesses, including the pace at which the plot line unravels and how the film switches between the past and present.

Nonetheless, considering this is the first time Zhao has made this type of blockbuster film, its quality is especially impressive. Zhao adds her personal touch by including nature through wide range shots, grounding the film in reality while still bringing to life a fictional world.

While the movie’s storyline is heavy hitting and sad at times, the actors bring comedy into the mix, allowing for a very well rounded film. As a whole, this film is a definite hit.

For those who enjoy a good Action and Adventure movie combined with the supernatural, “Eternals” is a must watch.

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

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JANUARY 2022

WIS freshman plays for DC United pre-professional academy

By LEO SARZI, 2025 Nervously waiting at home, freshman Ethan Talapatra, received an email regarding his tryout for the pre-professional team, D.C. United Academy. The academy is the youth and development program that feeds Washington’s Major League Soccer (MLS) club, D.C United.

It’s Talapatra’s dream to pursue professional soccer and making this pre-professional team is a huge step in that direction. “My goal is to make it pro someday, and I feel like I am on track to do so,” he said.

The stakes at the academy are unlike those at any other team, according to MLS Next. One of the academy’s main goals is to create a professional environment of competitiveness, which increases the pressure on players.

After multiple games with National Scouts watching during the 2020 fall season and tryouts, Talapatra plays on the team as a goalkeeper, where he has a chance to take his game to the next level and earn a professional team contract in the future.

Talapatra was ready to take a step forward to pursue professional soccer. “It was just a surreal push to get in, now I need to take advantage of this opportunity,” Talapatra said.

The team consists of twenty-three players, however only eighteen get to make the team every week.

Though the academy’s main goal is to produce players that will be able to play professionally, players entering academies statistically have less than 0.5% of making a living from the game, according to Sky

COURTESY OF ETHAN TALAPATRA

Freshman Ethan Talapatra pictured mid-game, playing for D.C. United Pre-Professional Academy.

News. MLS academies are built to keep extreme pressure on the players.

“The club tries to make the players feel uncomfortable, consequently putting in the maximum effort,” D.C. United’s Under 15 Coach Matt Arrington said.

Talapatra played for Bethesda’s Under 14 MLS Next Academy Team last year. MLS Next Academy Clubs are associated with several professional teams, either in North America or in Europe. The academies offer a pipeline of talent to the professional club.

Talapatra was scouted multiple times during his Bethesda journey. He was later identified as a goalkeeper in the area by a National Scout.

He was called back for three tryouts during winter 2020. He described the tryout process like “a pyramid.”

“If they identified you as the better player during the tryout, you would have been invited to the next tryout,” he said.

“If not, you would not be invited back.”

He was then recruited during the summer and started training with the team in

August. Competition is a key for the success of pre-professional academies. Once the players are offered a spot on the team, it’s not guaranteed.

“Every day at the club is a battle, it’s a competition for your starting spot,” Talapatra said.

Players need to work for playing time every single week. Some weeks your name will be on the roster, and some weeks it won’t. Talapatra, is the shorter of the two keepers on his team, and he struggles to start due to his height.

“I was able to get playing time,” he said “I was able to prove myself for a lot of games. I showed the director, the coaches, what I’m all about.”

Finding balance between school and soccer life is one of the hardest challenges for Talapatra. “None of us like schoolwork”, he said.

Training at the academy is very intense. It consists of one and a half-hour of a lot of technical work, core, flexibility, crosses from the fullbacks, side volleys and finishing. They also go over video analysis to become a stronger and less predictable team.

The intensity of the training pushes the individual to become a better overall player. “All day we look forward to training, because training is just something special,” Talapatra added.

Ultimately, respect between teammates is one of the academy’s primary goals. Talapatra tries to be a captain on and off the pitch, leading his way to becoming a professional player.

“On the pitch, we all compete for our spots,” Talapatra said.. “Off the pitch, we are gentlemen.”

How the WIS varsity basketball team is practicing during the season

COURTESY OF @WISVARSITYBASKETBALL

Boys varsity basketball roster for the 2021-2022 season.

By TANCREDI MAZZEI, 2024 The basketball season started in late november 2021. The whole team is practicing together and building relationships to be prepared for the season. There is a new coach at WIS called Coach Whalen.

He definitely wants to start his WIS career well. Dedication will be the most important factor this year for the varsity team.

Varsity player David Ochaita says “the team has a really high possibility of going

all the way to a championship, if everybody stays dedicated to going and practicing, going to team meetings, and like, playing with passion and emotion throughout the games.”

According to David Ochiata, The practices for the team are very tough. Conditioning for the team is the norm. The coach conditions the players very often so that they will never be tired during games. He not only conditions the players but also uses conditioning as a punishment. If a

player messes up an easy shot for example an open layup or an open shot the coach adds a lap to their conditioning workouts.

David Ochaita said “I feel like the training is pretty tough. He conditions us a lot so that we don’t get tired in games.

So if we mess something up as basic as an open layup or an open pass, then that’s an extra lap added. So that helps the team stay focused.”

Working out and building strength is a big factor to be successful in basketball.

All players are taking time out of their day to condition for the game. The coaches use conditioning to build relationships with the players. This year the coaches are doing personal workouts with the players during the weekend.

There is also a strong dedication of the players outside of the practice. There are a total of three different coaches that give the opportunity to do personal workouts. Many players are contacting Coach Mathew and Coach Pop for personal workouts after school. PLayers are also working out together after school to build strength for basketball.

David Ochiata says“Coach Matthew and coach pop they, they’re available for anybody to do a workout. You just send them a message or something and they’ll try to plan a workout during the weekend.”

The new basketball coach is dedicated to making his first year at Wis a good year for him and the team. When practice is happening he wants all players to be dedicated and ready for practice. He expects that all players give their 100% during the two hour practice. If a player can’t make it to practice he expects the player to reach out and tell him that he will not be able to attend practice.

Point guard Jacob Drimmer says “he wants us that in the two hours out of the 24 hours in the day, or we have practice or game he wants us to only be focused on the game. And if we can’t make it a practice he wants us to know that we can reach out to

him and he wants us to reach out to him.

The players all have outside lifes. Some of the players’ main sport is not basketball.

They might have other extracurricular activities outside of school that are more important to them. But when these players are playing with the team, their number one priority is to give it their all at practice or in games.

Jacob Drimmer says “there’s a few that basketball isn’t their main sport. It’s not like their number one priority. And maybe they play another sport outside of basketball. Like there’s some players that play soccer, so some have to prioritize their main sport over basketball, but when they’re at the practices or with the team, they understand and they know that the team is where they need to be focused.”

international dateline June 2021 Print Contributors Staff Writers Irmak Akgun Benjamin Aisen Estrella Aparicio Naomi Breuer Charlotte Collins Isabella Duchovny William Green Zoe Hällström Saskia Hood Claire Khajavi Derin Kirtman Tancredi Mazzei Alexander Paxson Leo Sarzi Print Design Abby Bown Faculty Adviser Alexandra Wilding

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

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JANUARY 2022

What is college really like at a private university in the United States?

By ZOE HÄLLSTRÖM, 2024 Alumnus Saul Pink, WIS Class of 2021, is a freshman at Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois. Pink was a member of Dateline throughout high school and Editor-in-chief in his senior year.

Pink has enjoyed his time at NU so far. “I have had a lot of fun [and] met a lot of people,” Pink said. “Especially after COVID, everyone is very excited to be here.

There’s definitely a good vibe on campus.”

Pink’s favorite part of college so far has been constantly being around and meeting new people his age . “I was at WIS since I was four years old,” he said. “I grew up with my friends and obviously I love my friends, but it has been nice to be with all new people who come from different countries, have different backgrounds and have different stories to tell.”

Initially, Pink struggled with the switch to a bigger school after attending WIS his whole life. “Going to a new place, a lot bigger of a place from WIS,… especially after COVID, when you’re spending a lot of time alone, was a bit of a shock at the beginning,” he said.

Pink addresses that because WIS is such a small, “tight-knit community,” going to college, even a small one, will be a social adjustment.

Also, being in a new college environment has been a challenge for Pink, and at times, he’s missed home. “When you think about it, it’s kind of crazy,” he said. “You’re shipped off to this place you’ve never been to before, where you don’t know anybody, away from home, living in this little room with another person.”

Pink has also had to adjust to the dining hall food. “I am definitely starting to get sick of it,” he said. Yet, he still eats most of his meals there. “I’ve only gone out to eat a few times all quarter,” he said. This is because he lives on the part of campus furthest from downtown Evanston, where most of the restaurants are. Also, eating out is often more expensive and it can be hard to coordinate with people to go out to eat because of their different schedules.

Although Pink enjoys the independence that comes with college, learning how to manage his time has been his biggest challenge. “You’re given a number of things to do on your own time, there’s not

in the dining hall, just talking to someone in your lecture, going to grab food with people, small little, prosaic things are just as important as going to bars or to a huge party,” he said.

Also, Pink doesn’t think that college is as cliquey as it appears to be. “You can do what you want,” he said. “Nobody’s judging you, nobody cares what clubs you do, or what your grades are, or who your friends are.”

Pink shares some advice to WIS students that are planning to go to college.

“Don’t fret too much. You’re going to be fine,” he said. “Whatever college you go to, and wherever you end up, you’re going to figure it out.”

Look out for the next article in the series in which International Dateline reveals what college is really like at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), a public university in the United States.

COURTESY OF SAUL PINK

Saul Pink, WIS Class of 2021, at the University of Michigan for the Northwestern versus. University of Michigan game with WIS Class of 2021 alumni Jonas Tomkin and Diego Maldonado, who attend the University of Michigan, and Alex Gatti Roaf, who attends the University of Chicago (left to right).

as much structure, and you have to balance that with having a social life, joining clubs, getting enough sleep, and exercising,” he said.

However, Pink thinks that WIS, and especially the IB program helped prepare them for the workload in college as it taught them to make sacrifices and manage their time. “If I have three or four days to write a 750 word essay for my history class, for some people that might be really daunting, but I think because of WIS I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ve done stuff like this. This isn’t that bad. I can do this,’” Pink said.

Notwithstanding, NU is the ninth-best college in the United States according to US News. “It’s very hard,” Pink said. “It’s a little of an intense environment sometimes. You’ll walk into the library, and it’s dead silent. [You] can’t find a seat because everybody’s in [there]. All the engineers are grinding for their midterms. And it’s like, ‘Whoa, everyone’s just going very hard.’”

Yet, Pink says even though everyone

at NU is very smart and has many accomplishments, people don’t “flex” it or show off. “There’s not much beef going on, everyone is very collaborative,” he said.

Pink continues his journalism career at NU and is majoring in journalism and is a reporter for NU and Evanston’s newspaper, The Daily Northwestern. “It’s a higher standard and it’s a little more rigorous,” he said. “But honestly, the way I approach a story is about the same,” he said.

The Daily Northwestern prints on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and releases news online on Tuesday and Thursday.

“It’s a very intense, almost professional, full-time job for some people,” Pink said.

All articles go through six editors who are in the newsroom from 6 pm to midnight at the earliest each night, putting out the paper.

Pink doesn’t think that the college party culture shown in movies and shows reflects what college is really like. “The smaller interactions, like in the hallways,

COURTESY OF SAUL PINK

Saul Pink, WIS Class of 2021 (top, second to the left), with friends in Chicago, Illinois.

wisnews

WIS’ new focus on IDI prompts introduction of affinity groups

By NAOMI BREUER, 2024 Affinity groups will be implemented on the Tregaron campus in January for the first time at WIS. Affinity groups are spaces for students and faculty who identify with the designated group, which will be People of Color, White Awareness & Accountability, LGBTQ+ and Touched by Adoption, to have conversations about identity and connect with people with shared experiences.

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020, WIS introduced the International-mindedness, Diversity and Inclusion (IDI) committee. The committee is made up of faculty members and parents who began discussing ways to make WIS more inclusive towards identity.

Students requested the groups after attending the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), according to Upper School English teacher and People of Color affinity group faculty leader Susan Chung-Fontaine. The IDI committee sent out a survey last school year to faculty, admin, students, alumni and parents, which showed, from the 802 responses, interest in having designated places to discuss identity.

The IDI committee was split into smaller subcommittees with specific focuses. The school culture subcommittee started planning affinity groups in early 2021. By June, they had planned to start

MILA MARTIN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

Affinity group faculty leaders Michael McCorkle, Sonia Chintha and Susan Chung-Fontaine.

with affinity groups for faculty members.

But after meeting in August before this school year began, they decided to roll out all the student groups first. According to Middle School English teacher Sonia Chintha, the faculty felt that the school had “waited long enough and that it needs to happen.”

“What we realize is that there’s such a large culture shift that needs to happen at WIS,” Chintha, who was on the school culture subcommittee and will co lead the middle school People of Color group, said.

“We need a ton of education, so because we had already introduced it to students, we feel more confident [in the idea].”

The groups are each going to be led by teachers who identify with the groups. This was taken into account while creating the groups, since there needed to be a faculty member identifying with the designated identity in order for a group to exist.

Meetings will be once a month, and most likely be 30-40 minutes long. Each group will meet at different times, most likely after school, to give students the op-

tion to be a part of multiple affinity groups, according to Chintha. Participants must maintain confidentiality of all that is discussed in the groups, since sensitive topics may come up, according to Chung.

Affinity groups are optional, and neither Chung nor Chintha see them becoming required at any time. They believe members should have their own personal interest in the groups.

“People are in different places. And some may feel like ‘I’m good. I don’t need to go on that journey at school,’” Chung said. “But for others, they might still have questions and be in this place of ‘yeah I know I’m this. I identify here, but I don’t really know what it means.’”

Many teachers feel strongly that these affinity groups will benefit students and the community tremendously. Middle School English teacher Marissa McCauley is leading the White Awareness & Accountability group in the middle school.

“A white allies group [is] where we can talk about what it means to be an ally, but also specifically to talk about what it means to be a white person in our world,” McCauley said. “Both of those things are very important. I think both of those things are very much connected.”

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WIS’ New Focus on IDI Prompts Introduction of Affinity Groups FROM PAGE 5 McCauley has already planned the first meeting, where she will share her experience living as a white person in the US. She thinks the group is especially important to have because often white people are allowed to live without thinking much about their race in society.

“It’s missing out on an opportunity to really know yourself well,” she said. “It’s thinking about our role as white people in anti-racist work.”

Chung wants students to give the affinity groups a try, even if they are unsure.

They are also welcome to try or be a part of various different groups.

“I would say, don’t just go in for a minute or two, but really go for the entire time, and give it a chance and be open,” Chung said. “If you walk away like, ‘actually this doesn’t resonate with me, but I also identify in that one,’ then yes, you can absolutely go to that one as well.”

Initially, Chung hopes to have very intentional activities, events and discussions. As time goes on, she believes discussions will become more organic. Students will also become more comfortable sharing with each other, which she hopes will lead to very honest conversations, resulting in better learning.

“My hope is that people will bring more of their full self to school,” Chung said. “My other hope is that we can better start engaging and navigating difficult conversations, and some of those difficult conversations have to do with identity.”

The People of Color group will break up into smaller groups, according to Chung.

She had a major role in the development of this project, and she will co-lead People of Color in the upper school with Grades 9/10 Principal Allison Ewing and Narrative Film teacher Michael McCorkle.

“There’s so many racial groups or ethnic groups in [People of Color],” Chung said. “But the plan was to break up into micro-affinities, and make sure that each

group that attends it still has time and space to explore their specific identity.”

McCauley says conversation will be open to create more groups. “In no way do any of us think that this is an exhaustive list of everybody’s identities on campus,” she said. “I think we’re very much viewing it as a jumping off point.”

While creating these groups, Chung wanted the particular groups implemented to be as true to WIS as possible, since it is an international school. She took in student opinions from a feedback form sent out after the announcement of the groups, and is still open to adapting.

McCorkle is hoping for very open diaogue in these groups. He doesn’t want to restrict what students can talk about, since he believes it is counterproductive, and hopes for organic conversations.

“It’s like a teacher that has a lesson plan,” he said. “You can come up with the best laid plans, but it doesn’t always go to plan.”

Faculty and student leaders have begun to receive training. A guest speaker came to the one student training session that has taken place so far, explaining the basics of affinity groups, according to sophomore Valeria Cuesta Lopez, who is training to be a student leader. They were also taught how to react in specific situations when someone may be rude to another person, or someone who they feel doesn’t belong with the affinity group shows up.

As of now, Cuesta Lopez does not know which group she will be leading. Student leaders filled out a form, where they selected which group they would prefer to lead, and she chose Person of Color, and hopes to lead the Hispanic subcategory, if it becomes an option.

Cuesta Lopez has heard criticism from peers about the affinity groups creating more division, but she hopes students will give the groups a try before making assumptions, even if they may be doubtful.

“If you don’t know what it is, just try

it,” she said. “You don’t have to commit to it, you can just come to one, or talk to someone who’s in one. But don’t purposely judge something and spread rumors about something you don’t know. Just try it out, you’ve got nothing to lose.”

Upper School Economics and History teacher Guy Neal, who was adopted as a baby, will be one of the faculty leaders of the Touched By Adoption group. He was very intrigued when he found out this group would be an option as it is something he has never seen before, and something personal to him.

“To see Touched by Adoption was almost mind-blowing,” Neal said. “Because in a professional setting or an educational environment, I’ve never seen it before. Being with others, faculty and students, who share that experience could lead to some fascinating discussions.”

Neal is both excited and nervous about leading this group. Since he has never led a group like this before, he is ready for flexibility.

“​​It offers an opportunity to take this specific affinity group in whatever direction the faculty and the students may take it,” Neal said.

Although there is excitement, faculty leaders are also preparing to be challenged.

McCauley acknowledges that exploring identity can be difficult, and that mistakes will be made along the way.

“Sometimes it’s messy, and sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it feels uncomfortable,” she said. “So the idea of doing that for myself, and also doing that alongside students and trying to support students in their own messy explorations of identity.”

McCauley is looking forward to the meetings and thinks it’s really important to have these spaces for students.

“WIS will really feel the value of this opportunity,” she said. “The idea that our community is making this a priority says a lot about the direction that we want to head in. And our goals for providing spac-

es for kids of all different identities to feel like they have a space within our community where they can fully be themselves.”

Both Chintha and Chung have taken part in affinity groups before, which have proven rewarding to them both. For Chintha, it was a very empowering experience.

“There’s nothing like being able to say ‘I understand where you’re coming from, and I’ve been there,’” she said. about leading this group. Since he has never led a group like this before, and it is new to WIS, he is ready for flexibility.

“​​It offers an opportunity to take this specific affinity group in whatever direction the faculty and the students may take it,” Neal said.

Although there is excitement, faculty leaders are also preparing to be challenged.

McCauley acknowledges that exploring identity can be difficult.

“Sometimes it’s messy, and sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it feels uncomfortable,” she said. “So the idea of doing that for myself, and also doing that alongside students and trying to support students in their own messy explorations of identity…

I think there’s, of course, the potential for making mistakes.”

McCauley is looking forward to the meetings and thinks it’s really important to have these spaces for students.

“WIS will really feel the value of this opportunity,” she said. “The idea that our community is making this a priority says a lot about the direction that we want to head in. And our goals for providing spaces for kids of all different identities to feel like they have a space within our community where they can fully be themselves.”

Both Chintha and Chung have taken part in affinity groups before, which have proven rewarding to them both. For Chintha, it was a very empowering experience.

“There’s nothing like being able to say ‘I understand where you’re coming from, and I’ve been there,’” she said.

Mariam Ghaznavi: The life of an Afghan woman MARIAM GHAZNAVI, page 1 Ghaznavi is part of the Hazara tribe, an Afghan ethnic and religious minority known for its progressive ideals. The Hazara have faced discrimination and even persecution under the Taliban’s forces because of their Shi’a faith, which the Taliban strongly opposes. “I will tell you that they have attacked our schools, they kill our children,” Ghaznavi said. “They attacked our maternity wards, they kill our pregnant women and their newborn children. They attack our mosques, and they have been killing our people there.”

Mariam once accompanied her mother to give prayers at a mosque with fellow Hazaras. The mosque was ambushed by Taliban fighters. “100 women, old women and children were there. They all started running toward the door,” Ghaznavi said.

“I was with my mom and all I could do was like, only push her toward that door so that she wouldn’t get stuck. . “And I heard the voices, you know, then I heard the shooting. The bullets and everything. I heard that the sounds were coming. And I felt like they were shooting from behind. I covered my mom. Even if there’s a bullet, so that it wouldn’t hit her, but so that it would go through me.”

Ghaznavi tells how her mother managed to slip out of the crowd and to the safety of a staircase, but Ghaznavi stayed stuck among the other women and children. She remembers her mother staring at her from the stairs, while Ghaznavi made hand movements for her to go upstairs, but she continued to stare at her daughter.

“Later when everyone got out [...] I asked her what was the reason you were

COURTESY OF MARIAM GHAZNAVI

Mariam Ghaznavi representing Afghanistan in CAREC.

still standing on the stairs, and she said ‘I thought this was the last time I was seeing my daughter.’” Ghaznavi says.

Being a woman automatically puts a target on your back in Afghanistan, but as a Hazara, the risk becomes greater. “That’s, you know, the level of trauma, the level of fear- that everyday, we left with. [...] In addition to our daily worries that every other person had in the country, Hazaras were scared.”

In 2020, Mariam left Afghanistan to work and temporarily live in Dubai because of threats she encountered working with the Afghan government and formerly with the U.S. government. Threats intensified to targeted killings as the Taliban tightened their grip on the capital. “The day I left, the next day, my colleagues were bombed.”

Ghaznavi said.

In Dubai, she still experienced moments of panic. She remembered having gone to a fireworks show with colleagues, but when the first firework went off, panic from her life in Afghanistan resurfaced.

“The moment it started, everyone else was clapping, and I was trying to run away; and then I realized ‘wait no, I’m in Dubai’.

Sometimes you don’t even know how much it affects you,” Ghaznavi said.

“I was very conscious about every step I was making. Where am I sitting? Where am I going? What if someone sees me here?

How am I going to talk to people? What am I going to dress? Do I still need to carry my scarf with me?”

Mariam has a cousin currently residing in Afghanistan who was working towards a

medical career before the Taliban takeover.

“I remember she used to study day and night to get the highest score, and then she can go to a medical school,” Ghaznavi said.

She was finally accepted, but after the Taliban took over the city [...] now she’s staying at home. Imagine she studied for 12 years, and now she has to stay home because there’s no University for them.” Ghaznavi’s cousin is an only-child with an old father. In a male-dominated country where a woman needs to be accompanied by a man, there’s a large chance she will have to marry a man that will “control her life”, as Mariam explains, and leave her dream behind.

Changes like these are what women in Afghanistan have been forced to yield to.

Before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan was thought to have been growing and progressing in regards to women’s rights, but the majority of those rights have regressed back to their state in 2001.

Mariam now lives in Los Angeles with her family who was able to evacuate Afghanistan. She explained she still has frequent nightmares about being chased by the Taliban. She worries for fellow Hazara and Afghan women who are currently still in danger.

“You need to send this message to everyone, that Afghans did not choose [the Taliban]. Afghans did not choose terrorists. [...] Afghan women fought for 20 years. We made sacrifices. We fought for our rights.

We finally reached a point where we could say, if not all women, at least a number of them were able to be independent. [..] Why are we so quiet about women in Afghanistan?”

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Worn conformity: Undertstanding trends

By CHARLOTTE COLLINS, 2024 Clothes are an initial element of public perception, telling their narratives simply by being worn. And though fashion may be a form of self-expression, retelling history is an integral part of its story. So many choose to dip into the past, forming a following to what has been done, trends of antiquated innovation.

Trends are the very substance of conformity, only able to gain traction with a collective unity. Though, they lack inventive thought, many having been inspired by trends of years past, which those have previously followed the same behavior.

Historically, revolutionaries have kept an encroachment of industry on individually and destroying creativity, though, in a world so dense with tailored and targeted information; it’s strenuous to swim away from a current of sameness.

“An important point for [the] trend cycle thing because it can, you know, it could be revival of a revival of a revival,” fashion historian Caroline Milbank stated.

Analysts have labeled occurrences of trends resurfacing and adapted from the past “the 20-year rule.” Though descriptive in the current sphere, its title can hardly describe archaic patterns. The timespan between trends being catapulted from obsolescence into peak popularity is ever closing, as is the trend cycle. The past is more accessible through modern innovations, and trends can spread more quickly than ever before.

“The 1960s looking at 1920s was a 40 year thing. The 1970s looking at 1930s was still 1940s,” Milbank analyzed. “I would say there is a little bit of 50s revival in the 80s, that would be 30. [...] I think you could say it’s [revived trends] gotten shorter, like it’s gone to 20 years from being 30 or 40.”

Even the most creatives in a field take inspiration from previously directed formations. Paul Poiret is often dubbed as

COURTESY OF CAROLINE MILBANK

Exerpt on Paul Poiret from the “Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion”.

“the first brilliant designer” and “radical” by redirecting a socially and physically constrained silhouette to one of the past, one which matched the needs and voices of the people in the era. He polished a fossilized idea, establishing a trend.

“And then, in order to come up with a new silhouette, [Paul Poiret] really looked back at the styles worn after the French Revolution,” Milkbank said.

The buoyancy of past trends is ever current, sinking upwards from the depths of antiquation. Over the past couple of years, there has been a return of the 1990s and the 2000s, feeding into the “20-yearrule.” With such accessibility to engulf oneself in seeking out information, it is not uncommon to see what has been be. Likewise, social media allows for subcultures and styles to flourish, for what is forgotten to be celebrated, especially in a younger generation who has not already seen past fads at their peak and reactively recreate it.

“A lot of trends come from the past and they come back worse. For example, the alt girls were taking all these stylized items from the past and in the past, they were what people could buy for cheap to be a part of this like grunge community, but

now they’re buying them all expensive and throwing them out within weeks,” sophomore Jenna Loescher-Clark elucidated, a student aiming to “relieve dependency on large [fashion] corporations” and alleviate clothing waste for her 10th grade project.

Modernization has had an enormous impact on the fundamentality of the trend cycle. Though often influenced by prominent figures for all of history, with greater access to social media and vast sharing, trends arise more efficiently and quickly.

They are kept in style with such media platforms and aided by brands and clothing manufacturers’ ability to hop on such phenomena. Once the trends peak, they fade. Then, new trends come about, until the original trend is obsolescent, now more rapidly than ever.

“Most fashion ideas really came from designers and they would show them to clients and then clients would wear them in public, and then other people would see them and start to want them,” Milbank explained.“Now they could come out of someone in their bathroom with their friends doing something and people seeing it, and I think it could emerge in a matter of days.”

Consumers have gotten so accustomed to the ability to get clothes quickly, they often do not bat an eye at the almost may-

COURTESY OF GRANT COLLINS

Massive landfill outside Dehli plenty of clothes and other waste.

fly-like life of their clothes. Clothing companies can replace their stocks at lighting speed to profit off what is now voguish and toss what is considered prehistoric, left to rot. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the impacts of such processes are immense, accumulating 16 million tons of textile waste each year.

“The enormous growth of fast fashion [...] has contributed significantly to the plastic waste crisis that afflicts the world’s oceans,” illustrates Grant Collins, strategic advisor to Circulate Capital, a climate-related investment management firm. “Especially through microfibre leakage into wastewater systems and the plethora of discarded clothing items in unregulated landfills, because it [the industry] relies on virgin plastics derived from oil to produce its base materials it causes about 10% of the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.”

Trends establish a hierarchy: those who can achieve such desires will be praised for their fashionability and those who can’t are dubbed outdated by an industry praying on consumers to follow that which they will profit from. The pressures to conform prevail. And although some social constraints have been elevated in a more modern and accepting world, trend structures often erase an ability to be individual, an ability to be without judgment.

“There used to be this sense of being dictated to, this is what you’ll wear,” expresses Milbank. “And [that] idea [...] that’s long gone. But it’s been, it’s been replaced by two things. One, the person who is an influencer [...] And the other thing that’s really become a factor is, is the whole idea of other people like you liked this sold out and this many clicks [....] but you can’t get it, or this is this is on the waitlist. I feel like that’s a new kind of tyranny. Even in a much more egalitarian world, there’s still going to be status.”

wisnews Admissions and the experience of new students during COVID

By BENJAMIN AISEN, 2025 The pandemic has affected the way that the education system works. WIS has felt some in admissions and social life for new students at the school in the 20-21 and 2122 school year.

According toAn article on CNBC, says that 41% of parents were more likely to prefer the education and the system used in private schools over public schools post pandemic according to a survey done by EdChoice. Before the pandemic private school enrolment was actually slowly declining so the pandemic boosted private school enrolment all over the US.

The big question that a lot of us may have on our mind is: Did WIS feel the change of people wanting to enroll into private schools more? The answer to that is not really.

Admissions Director Ms. Moore here at WIS said, “I think what surprised me is there were that it was comparable to previous years, when we did a very in person, admissions process, the fact that families couldn’t really come and see the school during the school day, I think so much about seeing what’s in action is really important, and families couldn’t do that. So I was just surprised how strong admissions was in an all virtual process.(...)we have a higher enrollment right now, but it’s not significantly higher.” It seems like WIS didn’t really feel the impact of the private school enrollment boost at least at the moment. The pandemic is still happening so this might change in the future.

COURTESY OF MARY HASTINGS MOORE

This is a graph of enrollment at WIS in the past 9 years.

With the pandemic Ms. Mary Hastings Moore, the Admissions Director here at WIS, said the admissions process shifted to an all virtual process. So much of what WIS did in the past was in person and one on one with families. And that had to go away during the pandemic.

“I’m not sure we’re post pandemic.(...)

So we moved on to resume and had to really recreate the entire admissions process,” she said. “. So we had to do all interviews.

Virtually, we had to send home admissions tests with an honor code policy, which is different than what we’ve done before.”

Ms. Moore says that WIS gets a significant number of new students that are three, four and five years old,. So they’re,

but as they’re going through the process, they’re two, three and four years old. So WIS still need to be very sensitive to their situation and the fact that they are not vaccinated.

Ms. Moore says “we’re not really changing the process at all. For this year, we’re doing another year of virtual admissions.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely affected the way people learn and interact with each other. Last school year there were a few new people. Leo, a 9th grade student, recently joined WIS last year and said that he had to do distance learning from Italy and the time difference affected the way that he worked he would work.

Leo Sarzi Braga said “I had to stay online on Zoom until like, nine in the night, which was wasn’t really the best, and then I would wake up and do the homework,.” he said. Since Leo lived in Italy before because of the time difference he had to do this process.

This year, Josef Dobler is a 9th grade student here at WIS who found out about WIS by many of his family’s friends. The school gave him the test and he completed it and said it was fairly simple. He also said that he got interviewed. On his arrival to the school he said that he has adapted pretty well to his start to Highschool at the school.

Ms. Moore says that she thinks that parents that had their kids in the DC public school system were particularly frustrated with the amount of time that the kids were in distance learning and that WIS demonstrated big leadership through the pandemic by opening up early.

Ms. Moore said, “I think particularly for families that were in the DC public school system, they were particularly frustrated, how long they stayed in and in an all virtual teaching model. And I think that was very hard for them. So I think they decided that they wanted to move to an independent school. And I think we had demonstrated tremendous leadership during the pandemic, and we’re able to open up our school, starting in October, even in a hybrid model for the older kids, but it should, I think, have a reputation as being in a leadership role during the pandemic.”