International Dateline - February 2023 Edition

D.C.’s U Street murals: A hidden gem in the heart of the city

Middle school administration eliminates math tracking program

By MAIA NEHME, 2023

The middle school administration opted to replace the seventh and eighth grade advanced and regular math program with integrated math classes for the 2022-2023 school year, as well as subsequent years. The administration had been reconsidering the tracked math program since the IB altered its math curriculum in the fall of 2020, according to Middle School Principal Randy Althaus.

Previously, the IB had offered Math Studies, Math Standard Level (SL), Math Higher Level (HL) and Further Math HL, whereas the current course options are Math Applications and Interpretations SL and HL and Math Analysis and Approaches SL and HL. The IB made this switch in hopes of boosting worldwide student enrollment in math HL.

Althaus noticed that WIS’s tracked middle school math program did not align with the IB’s new focus on increasing accessibility to math HL. Students rarely switched between the advanced and regular math courses between seventh and 10th grade, and at the time, WIS mandated that students take 10th grade advanced math in order to take math HL. Consequently, students who were placed in seventh grade regular math effectively lost the opportunity to take HL math, which limited the chances that they would pursue math after high school.

inside look

Myanmar coup, two years later Through the eyes of a Burmese citizen globalnews page 3

Disinterest in upper school girls varsity basketball The 2022-2023 team is made entirely of middle school girls sports page 8

“Seventh grade you is not today you or even 10th grade you,” Althaus said. “Having an impactful [decision] for the IB made at the end of sixth grade was pretty high stakes, and it created a lot of stress and anxiety for people.”

Senior Juan Peltier took advanced math from seventh grade through 10th grade, and he now takes Math Analysis and Approaches SL. He believes that WIS’s tracking system weakened students’ self-confidence. “Middle school math was not the most complicated math in the world… I don’t think there was a drastic difference between regular and advanced,” he said. “Having that separation from such a young age fosters resentment and insecurities.”

Senior Ariana Sabathier took regular math throughout middle and high school, and she now takes Math Applications and Interpretations HL. “I’m one of the only people in HL math that was in regular my entire career before that,” she said. “Everyone follows the tracks that their teachers deem them to be on… You feel as if you can only stay in regular or advanced because that’s what they say you’re worthy of.”

During the 2021-2022 school year, the middle school began phasing out the tracked math program: while the current ninth graders remained in their tracked classes from the previous school year, the current eighth graders were placed in integrated math classes. The 2022-2023 school

Crumbl Cookies

A review of four cookies from one of TikTok’s favorite bakeries food page 9

year marks the first time that all middle schoolers have been in integrated math classes since the tracking program’s implementation in the early 2000s, according to Middle School Assistant Principal Kristin Gilliland.

Middle and Upper School math teacher Colin Buck, who teaches eighth grade math, highlighted the challenges of the new integrated math program. “I have seventeen [students] in my class and the ability ranges from those who could do the American Math Competition [(AMC)] to those who are struggling with very basic algebra,” he said.

During his classes, Buck often provides the strongest math students with AMC problems to work on individually while he checks in with students who do not intuitively grasp the subject. Though this method has been successful, he struggles to find a pace that works for all students when teaching the class as a whole. “If you go too slow, some of the students are going to be disengaged, and if you go too fast, some of them are going to get anxious and not understand,” Buck said.

Althaus acknowledges that this policy shift has led to a “painful point” for middle school math teachers, however, he believes that the administration is helping to ease this transition.

Gilliland meets with the sixth and seventh grade math teachers once a cycle, as well as the eighth grade teachers once

a month, to discuss teaching methods that take students’ varying math abilities into account. Moreover, WIS sent faculty members to the 2022 National Council for Teachers of Mathematics conference, which focused on differentiation in the classroom.

Additionally, Gilliland has provided all middle school teachers with a common language of differentiation. Teachers are encouraged to frame assignments through the terms “mountainous,” “hilly” and “beach,” in which the former is the most challenging and the latter is the simplest. Students can choose between the three based on what they are most comfortable with, or the teacher can recommend a difficulty level.

Some parents have voiced their concerns about the impact of detracking on strong math students. However, Althaus points to four decades of research on the topic, which show that while detracking boosts low-ability student achievement, it does not have a substantial positive or negative impact on highly gifted students. Althaus believes that the biggest benefit of changing the middle school math program is that it will prevent the emotional costs of the tracking system. “Math is a prestige subject which many [perceive] to be an indicator of success, which it generally isn’t,” he said. “I have not seen any students cry like I had when we had tracking.”

Winter Ball: A photo story of the dance at Decades D.C. wislife page 6

These are just two of the countless murals decorating the buildings along D.C.’s U Street corridor. Left: This mural features prominent Black figures like Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Prince and Michelle and Barack Obama. Right: This mural pays homage to famous Black musicians and genres, including Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers, funk and go-go music.

EILEEN MALONEY CUNNINGHAM/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

See BLACK HISTORY MONTH, page 10

The Bourke Effect: How teachers and students have adjusted to their new roles

By NAOMI BREUER, 2024

Former Upper School Associate Principal

James Bourke announced his resignation on Monday, Sept. 19 and left WIS at the end of the week, according to an email sent by Upper School Principal Sarah Polland to the upper school community.

Bourke’s resignation came as a shock to most students and teachers at WIS, given the short notice and the large role Bourke played for the upper school.

Eight days later, Polland sent a follow-up email announcing who would take on Bourke’s old responsibilities. IB Economics teacher Elke Gannon assumed the role of interim Grades 11/12 Assistant Principal, IB Math teacher Neil MacDonald became the IB Diploma Coordinator and IB History teacher Don Boehm took on the role of the Extended Essay (EE) Coordinator. Additionally, Associate Head of School Natasha Bhalla assumed the Upper School Principal position for two days each week, since Polland is working part-time during the 2022-2023 school year.

These replacements will fulfill Bourke’s former responsibilities until the end of this school year. On Jan. 25, Polland announced that Gannon will take on the role of Grades 11/12 Assistant Principal and IB Diploma Coordinator in July 2023.

For the 2022-2023 school year, however, the roles were distributed among current members of the faculty to ease the transition for everyone, according to Polland. They were approached for the various roles within the week after Bourke’s resignation announcement.

MacDonald has held the role of IB Diploma Coordinator before at another school, but he had little time to prepare for the sudden added responsibilities, which made him very busy initially.

“There was a lot happening,” he said.

“I kept being invited to meetings about… the Diploma Program, and I didn’t even always know what was happening straightaway. So it’s just been a lot of work trying to get caught up and understand what’s happening.”

In order to take on this role, MacDonald had to stop teaching his Grade 12 Higher Level (HL) Math Analysis and Approaches class. Polland sent an email to his class to announce that IB Math teacher Gary Piligian would be taking over on Oct. 3.

Senior Alessandro Ricci and his classmates were upset at first by this news. “We felt a little blindsided by the fact that [the administration] made this decision without asking for permission,” he said. “But their argument, which makes sense, was that it’s teacher matters and teacher salaries, which shouldn’t be up to students.”

MacDonald and Polland decided it would be best for him to give up this class since Piligian, who teaches the same course to another Grade 12 section, was an obvious replacement. MacDonald is still teaching three classes, while WIS teachers usually teach five.

meeting with other people around the school, so getting to know the upper school from a different view… It’s long days, but it’s really interesting as well.”

Gannon is still teaching her three IB Economics classes. She believes that her past teaching experience and familiarity with the IB Economics curriculum has given her enough time to focus on the classroom while also handling her added responsibilities.

“I feel like I still have enough time for my students,” she said. “And I do enjoy the classroom, so that was really something that was attractive to me as well: being able to stay in touch in the classroom and also take on this role.”

Furthermore, Gannon feels that her relationship with her students has remained strong.

““We felt a little blindsided by the fact that [the administration] made this decision without asking for permission.”

ALESSANDRO RICCI

“I’m still two-thirds a teacher and doing half a job [as IB Coordinator],” MacDonald said. “So I’m already doing a little bit more, but it helped to get rid of one class and have somebody take that over.”

Now that MacDonald has adjusted more to his role, things have settled down for him, though his day-to-day work is more than what it used to be.

“Before [Bourke left, MacDonald’s schedule] was planning for classes, being in classes and grading,” he said. “Now it’s that, plus going from place to place and

“Even more so now, I think my students might feel that they also have an advocate in admin,” she said.

Gannon had to stop teaching her freshmen geography class and advisory in order to make time for her new role. The decision on which class to give up was based on replacement teacher availability and schedules. IB Geography teacher Sushmita Vargo, who was already teaching the other section, took over the class.

Freshman Leo Naftulin, who was in Gannon’s geography class, found the sudden change strange, especially given that he was only in his first few weeks of upper school.

“Given that [Bourke] just dipped three weeks into school, I was not super impressed,” he said. “I was like, ‘could anything else have been done?’”

Naftulin wishes that more thought had gone into the change because of flaws,

such as the fact that Vargo now has fewer free periods, and the way the news was communicated to students. He received Polland’s schoolwide email announcing the new roles, and afterwards, a separate email explaining the situation to his class. The next day, Gannon broke the same news to the class in person.

“I wish the email had been sent a little further in advance for us to process, and then have the teacher tell us,” he said.

Though it was a shock at first, Naftulin adapted quickly to Vargo’s style and was happy to have her. Though the content shifted slightly, the class circled back to what they began covering with Gannon.

To take on her new role, Gannon had to give up her old roles of Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) Coordinator and Grade Level Coordinator (GLC) for the Class of 2024. Chemistry teacher Cathy Noon became CAS Coordinator, and Chemistry teacher Natalie Denney took on the GLC position.

Polland approached Denney about the GLC role shortly after the announcement of Bourke’s resignation. Though Denney had some struggles adjusting to her new leadership role, she is very excited by her new position.

“I love getting people to do fun [activities, and] being like, ‘okay, where are we going to be? And what’s next?’” Denney said. “I love being part of the party planning committee, as I think of it.”

Gannon believes the school has done a great job in efficiently and effectively dealing with Bourke’s sudden departure, partly because of the teachers’ extensive experience with various roles.

“There were [faculty members] ready to come in and take on leadership, and I think that really speaks to the depth of the professionalism and qualifications that we have here,” she said.

Unpacking the myth of the Mansion tunnels

By ANDREA BRUDNIAK-BERROCAL, 2025

As I walked along the paths of the Tregaron campus, I started to ponder the myths I continuously hear in the halls. The rumors about the underground tunnels. Is there a bowling alley? Are the tunnels even real?

The myth is confirmed. The tunnel is real. Under your daily walk from the Man

sion to the Carriage House lies an under

ground tunnel, hidden in plain sight.

I met with the Director of Facilities and Operations here at WIS, Dale Temple. Temple led me to the Mansion basement. Not knowing what to expect, I followed him to the door of the tunnel.

As he turned on the lights, I saw what looked like a never ending tunnel.

The tunnel holds a lot of historical value as it was built along with the Mansion in 1913 by architect Charles Platt. It was built as a utility chase, which is a large machine used to heat small buildings in close proximity to each other.

The utility chase used to heat the Mansion all the way from the Carriage House, but now the tunnel is only used to store cables and wires. “There is no real need to have a tunnel like this anymore,” Temple said. “For a campus our size, it’s more efficient to heat and cool each building on its own.”

Walking through the tunnel and ducking my head to avoid hitting any tubes, I could not see the end of it. I did not know what to expect in terms of where the tunnel ended, but I did not think it would end right next to my former middle school science classroom.

I had walked past this door hundreds of times and would have never thought it opened to the infamous tunnel.

After seeing the tunnel I had one question left: Was the bowling alley real or fictitious? I asked Temple what people meant by the “bowling alley” and he led me through another door in the Mansion basement. Past the IT room and through a tiny hallway was a door that would uncover the real truth.

My middle school dreams were crushed when I heard that the old “bowling alley” is now used as a storage unit.

It is unclear if it was truly a bowling alley. Some say that former owner of the Mansion Joseph E. Davies built the bowling alley since he was friends with former President Harry S. Truman, who installed the first bowling alley in the White House in 1947.

The tunnel will be altered in the next couple of years. Due to the construction of the new science building, the tunnel’s depth and size will be adjusted, as the new

building and the tunnel are almost the same depth and would otherwise end up overlapping.

Temple explained where the tunnel will run in accordance with the new building. “The tunnel would run through the new kitchen and utility vault areas [of the new science building],” Temple said.

The area of tunnel blocking the northeast corner of the new building will need to be split during construction.

Hopefully the legend of the tunnel will live on in the hallways, regardless of whether it survives the new construction.

Blueprint of WIS’s Tregaron Campus with the tunnel. COURTESY OF DALE TEMPLE

The door leading to the tunnel in the basement of the Mansion.

ANDREA BRUDNIAK-BERROCAL/ INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

Migration wave exacerbates Westernization of D.C.’s Chinatown

munity through the destruction of Chinese businesses, causing the first wave of migration of Chinese residents to Fairfax County and the Montgomery County suburbs.

In 1997, the construction of a new sports and music venue, now known as the Capitol One Arena, dramatically increased property values in the area. Many Chinese businesses were forced to close down as they couldn’t afford high rent prices, creating another wave of migration to DMV suburbs.

The legacy of this migration can still be seen in Chinatown today. The Asian-American population in D.C.’s Chinatown has gone from 66% in 1990 to 21% in 2010, demonstrating a substantial decline. According to estimates by The Washington Post, there are only 300 Chinese residents left in Chinatown.

By ELIANA AEMRO SELASSIE, 2023

Popular restaurants’ storefronts are adorned with Chinese characters. The smells of dim sum, peking duck and fragrant herbs waft through the neighborhood. Large crowds step out of the Gallery Place-Chinatown metro station, rushing to see a basketball game.

D.C.’s Chinatown has been a popular hub for Chinese culture since its establishment in the late 19th century. Located between Fifth and Seventh St. in downtown D.C., the neighborhood is marked by Chinese restaurants, stores for Chinese art and cultural pieces and the famous Friendship Archway. However, recent increases in rent prices and the rise of gentrification have

contributed to a decline in the number of Chinese establishments in Chinatown.

Chinatown was created in the 1880s, thirty years after the first Chinese migrants came to D.C. Upon arriving in D.C., Chinese immigrants opened restaurants, pharmacies and stores in the South Pennsylvania Avenue area, before moving to Chinatown’s present-day location between Fifth and Seventh St. in 1931.

The D.C. Chinese community flourished in Chinatown, as the region grew in popularity among D.C. residents. However, the Chinese population in Chinatown began to decline over time.

The 1968 D.C. riots over Martin Luther King Jr.’s death heavily impacted the com-

Currently, the rise of gentrification has led several popular chain restaurants like Subway and Chipotle to replace Chinese businesses. Rather than being a Chinese cultural enclave, Chinatown now resembles many other parts of D.C., with a greater emphasis on entertainment and eating popular foods than taking part in Chinese culture.

Richard Chiang, the owner of a Chinese grocery store called Da Hsin Trading Company, is among many small business owners who have struggled with the impacts of gentrification and rising rent prices. Da Hsin opened in Chinatown over 26 years ago and is known for selling Chinese herbs, teas and cultural items.

Da Hsin’s mission is to provide the

neighborhood with “unique oriental goods where surrounding areas [do] not,” which has become increasingly difficult with the impacts of gentrification. “We’re struggling with all of the above,” Chiang said. “It’s hard to do anything with every [price] so high.”

Furthermore, D.C. Chinatown is among many Chinatowns across the country that were impacted by the rise of anti-Asian sentiment, which was fueled by rhetoric associating Asian Americans with the spread of COVID-19. According to a study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, hate crimes toward Asian Americans increased by 339% in 2021. D.C. is among many US cities where anti-Asian hate increased significantly.

In an effort to curb the rise of anti-Asian hate, the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs launched the “Hate Stops With US” campaign at the start of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2022. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness of the issues Asian Americans are experiencing in the D.C. community through increased education in D.C. public schools and community engagement.

Posters sporting the slogan #HateStopsWithUS can be found across Chinatown, emphasizing the importance of taking a stance against discrimination. Chinese businesses continue to grapple with the impacts of Westernization and anti-Asian hate, making efforts to preserve ethnic enclaves like Chinatown increasingly difficult.

‘The Wild West’: Two years after Myanmar’s coup d’état

By NAOMI BREUER, 2024

Feb. 1 marked the two year anniversary since the military coup d’état in Myanmar, which tore down the country’s fragile parliamentary democracy and arrested its top leaders (who had assumed power in the November 2020 elections), placing the power in the hands of General Min Aung Hlaing and his military junta.

Since then, the country has faced an outbreak of violence between the military, known as the Tatmadaw, and civilian protesters fighting for democracy. Village bombings, fires, shootings and targeted assassinations are all part of the conflict, with a total of 2,986 killings and 17,725 arrests, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Some of the leaders that were imprisoned in 2021 are now facing additional charges by the military regime. Former State Counselor of Myanmar, Nobel Peace Prize winner and advocate for democracy Aung San Suu Kyi was accused of election fraud in the 2020 elections and found guilty of corruption in December 2022. She was sentenced to seven years in prison, which added to the 26 years for other charges she has received since 2021.

Burmese civilians marked the coup’s two year anniversary with a nationwide silent strike. Meanwhile, the Tatmadaw has extended the state of emergency for another six months, delaying any possible new elections.

Coup d’états have been common throughout Myanmar’s history. In 1962, General Ne Win seized power from U Nu’s democratically elected government. While in power, Ne Win nationalized most aspects of society and implemented a one-party government under the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).

Ne Win was forced to step down after nationwide protests for democracy in 1988. General Saw Maung stepped in to brutally suppress the protests and appease the public by promising elections in 1990. Around this time, Aung San Suu Kyi formed the National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the majority vote. However, the Tatmadaw did not allow them to form the government, and forced them to sign a

constitution that guaranteed the army 25% of seats.

Finally, in 2011, a period of “liberalization” began. In 2012, the NLD became the majority party and it seemed that Myanmar was slowly moving towards democracy. That is, until 2021.

“Now it’s becoming a full blown civil war,” Burmese citizen Mimi said. (Mimi requested to be referred to by her first name for security reasons.)

The youth have been a significant part of the protests. They formed the People’s Democratic Forces (PDF), a student army that is using its own skills to build homemade guns and bombs to retaliate against the army. However, neither side has full control over Myanmar, which is leaving room for lawlessness and war crimes. “It’s like the Wild West,” Mimi said.

Winners of the 2020 election who fled after the 2021 coup formed a government in exile, the National Unity Government (NUG). They gained representation in the United Nations (UN), which passed a resolution in December demanding that Myanmar cease killings and that the world recognize the NUG as the country’s official government. The NUG has not been internationally recognized, but its foreign minister is currently traveling around the world to gain support.

Kit Young is an American musician and teacher who first became interested in Myanmar when she began learning the Burmese piano and language in 1987. She lived in Myanmar from 2003 to 2008.

Young started the Gitameit Music Center, a music school, with Burmese musicians in 2004. The school teaches general music skills in pop, jazz, classical and Burmese music at its campuses in Yangon and Mandalay. In 2021, she coordinated a project with a grant from the U.S. embassy to train Gitameit teachers to use poetry, theater and songs to help their communities get though personal and collective trauma.

“Everybody was so completely, completely devastated by eight months of guns and bombs… and being questioned by soldiers and having people die right in front of you,” Young said.

The project also involved creating an

online library that includes resources with techniques on how to center oneself and heal from trauma through art and mindfulness practices.

Currently, there are eight teachers from the school working with small groups of internally displaced children dealing with trauma. When the coup occurred, the school was virtual because of the pandemic, and the teachers decided to remain virtual afterwards. Though safer, the school still struggled due to the government cutting off internet access. The school is starting to move to a hybrid model, but many still prefer to stay virtual.

“The head of our piano department lives in an area where there’s pretty frequent weirdness [and] bombings,” Young said. “She said they built this bridge where there’s snipers that just walk back and forth, looking at the street.”

Another challenge the school faced was demands from local security that they owed $3,000 USD in taxes, which Young calls a “completely arbitrary number.” They want to tax the school’s electricity, which has not been used for two years, and land, even though the school is on a religious land exemption grant.

Mimi owns a restaurant with her husband in Myanmar, and the government also demanded money, even though the restaurant was closed due to the pandemic and the coup.

Mimi and her husband were in Myanmar when the coup took place, but managed to leave the country in May 2021. Mimi is in California now, but plans to go back soon to check on their properties. However, she is aware of the danger. “You just have to watch your mouth and mind your own business,” she said.

Young and Mimi worked together in the 1990s to empower Burmese youth and help reform the government. Recently, Young attended a Burma Round Table in Washington D.C. again, which was organized by the NUG. This gathering of American government and non-profit groups began in the 1990s to discuss how to assist the people of Myanmar. Young calls it “deja vu” how a new generation is back to doing similar work.

“That’s why it’s so sad. 30, 32 years later we’re doing the same thing,” she said. “That’s how invidious, how horrible this government is.”

Both Young and Mimi feel that Americans are not aware enough about the situation in Myanmar due to the lack of media coverage and a general numbness to violence. “People are just so used to all this conflict,” Mimi said. “They don’t have any more feelings.”

Furthermore, there is a lack of motivation worldwide to actually step in to assist the democracy protesters, according to Young. “Music and the protest art from the coup briefly dazzled everybody in the world,” she said. “But that was, from my mind, sort of artificial because people were interested in the art itself and the power of the protest, not in the answer, not in actually helping.”

The U.S. Congress recently passed the Burma Act of 2021, which imposed sanctions on the Burmese government in response to their human rights violations. However, Mimi believes that the only way the government will be reformed is if members within it step up to make a change. She believes that there are people in the army who want to step up, but are too afraid to do so.

She has faith, however, that the youth have been brought together by the internet, making them more committed to their ambitions.

Young also believes that it is important that the youth continue to fight for democracy in Myanmar to ensure that the country does not end up in a never ending cycle of failed democracy.

“We’ve done our thing,” Young said, referring to her generation. “It’s up to them.”

To honor the heroism and ingenuity of the youth, Mimi hopes the world will continue to focus on Myanmar. “The world has to keep publicity on it because this is really the last chance,” she said. “And this is really the first time the young generation is coming up and the [ethnic groups are] coming together with the Burmese majority. This is a real opportunity, and once we lose it, it’s going to be a failed state.”

A row of East Asian restaurants along H Street in D.C.’s Chinatown.

ELIANA AEMRO SELASSIE/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

Diving into the experience of being a male dancer

By DERIN KIRTMAN, 2025

The drapes rise as dancers begin to glide across a stage, perfectly in sync. One of them launches into the air, executing a flawless pirouette. These are some noticeable actions during a ballet performance. Yet a too often overlooked struggle is the one experienced solely by young male dancers.

Sophomore Lucas Springsteen has been dancing and practicing ballet for over ten years. “I love to dance; it’s one of my passions in life,” he said.

However, despite his fondness for dance, Springsteen has had moments of frustration throughout the years. “As a guy, the environment can be especially uncomfortable,” Springsteen said.

Springsteen is the only boy in a class of 20 dancers, making him self-conscious and creating additional pressure for him. “It was frightening in the beginning to be the only guy in the room,” he said.

There are significantly fewer boys engaging in dance than girls. Across the U.S., only 26.6% of dancers are men. The key to improving the situation for male dancers is balancing the ratio between male and female dancers.

Unfortunately, male dancers like Springsteen face obstacles that many might be unaware of, including gender stereotypes, that push them away from the dance industry.

“In this society, it’s expected for a guy to do sports rather than to dance,” he said. “There could be guys who don’t really like sports and love to dance but they don’t pursue their passion because they want to fit in.”

Early on, kids want to try new activities, so it is easier for young boys to participate in dancing. “At a young age, I wasn’t

influenced by those factors,” Springsteen said. “As I grew older, I realized that I was a part of a minority.”

Fitting into societal norms becomes even harder as boys involved in dance grow older. This blocks their ability to discover and undertake a graceful activity that allows for expression.

Jennifer Firschein is a sophomore at WIS who has been studying ballet since she was two years old. She believes there are bountiful benefits to dancing. “Ballet teaches [me] a lot of life lessons like discipline and time management, making me learn how to balance my schoolwork and dance,” she said.

Nonetheless, she has noticed that dance can foster a competitive and toxic environment, particularly when it comes to male dancers. “I think some people believe there’s always been this unwritten rule that boys shouldn’t do ballet,” Firschein said.

She believes this mentality is ironic, given that male dancers are “very valuable to dance studios.”

In ballet, men have immensely important roles that require them to have more height and power, elements that are necessary in performances. Yet people often overlook the extraordinary amount of practice and physical strength needed for such roles.

One of the most hurtful aspects of being a male dancer is homophobia and bullying. “There’s that [assumption] that guys who do [dance] are all gay,” Springsteen said.

He is grateful that he is part of the WIS community, since it has allowed him to pursue his passion without the discrimination that exists elsewhere.

It may be WIS’s international nature that creates a positive environment for male dancers. In many Latin American and

Anti-Abortion protesters gather in Union Station as March for Life comes to an end

By TINDRA JEMSBY, 2026

European countries, the stigma against men who can dance is significantly smaller, since traditional folk dancing involves both men and women. Examples of these dances include the Argentine tango, the Cuban salsa and the Polish polska.

For his Grade 10 Project, Springsteen decided to raise awareness about this topic. His main message was getting students to follow their interests and explore new things without being discouraged by gender stereotypes.

“[Your choices] shouldn’t be affected by what other people think of you. Do it because you love to do it, and don’t change who you are to please others,” he said. “You can do this. This isn’t weird.”

Rein in the mane: The stigmatization of curly hair

By MAIA NEHME, 2023

A girl squeezes a quarter-sized amount of curl gel onto her palms. She carefully runs her product-coated hands through her curls, alternating between the praying hands and scrunching methods. Ten minutes later, she grabs a diffuser and begins the final, and lengthiest, step of her curly hair routine: drying her hair.

Curly hair is often considered messy and unkempt, whereas pin straight hair fits into Western beauty standards. This stigma is present in all forms of media, from Mia Thermapolis’ famous makeover in “The Princess Diaries” (which involved straightening her frizzy hair) to 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton’s curls being likened to a “dog” on The Rush Limbaugh Show in 1993.

Over the last decade, this stigma has lessened due to the rise of social media curly hair influencers and celebrities who embrace their natural curls. Nonetheless, beauty standards still favor straight hair, which has a detrimental effect on curly haired girls’ confidence.

Junior Jenna Loescher-Clark has type 2C hair, or defined waves. She points out that people with curly hair don’t always achieve their desired results from their hair routine, whereas straight hair is simpler to maintain. “It’s really frustrating because when you have straight hair, it’s a lot easier to do hairstyles and just put [your hair] up and get it out of your face,” she said. “But with curly hair, bad hair days are easy to come by. If you mess up one aspect of the routine, then the curls just come out ruined and weird.”

Junior Sophia Jemsby has type 3B hair, or spiral curls. Though she thinks curly hair has become trendier in recent years, she has noticed pressure for girls to adopt

overly complicated hair routines in order to have flawless, frizz-free curls. “Anyone with curly hair has to have perfect curly hair like you see on TV, [but] curly hair is just so hard to maintain,” she said. “I don’t have the time for a 10 step curly hair routine, and it shouldn’t be the norm to have a 10 step curly hair routine.”

Beauty standards and the difficulty in maintaining “perfect” curls leads many girls to straighten their hair. Sophomore Margot Stavropoulos, who has type 3B hair, started straightening her hair at age eight and only began wearing her natural curls around eighth grade.

“Some people didn’t even realize that I had curly hair because I always had it up in a bun or a ponytail and it would just get really damaged from straightening it,” she said. “Natural curly hair looks so much better than straight hair for the majority of people with curly hair. And it was sad because I realized that a bit late.”

Seniors Sara Oueijan, who has type 2C hair, and Safiya Mugengana, who has type 3B hair, often straighten their hair for special occasions such as school dances and overseas trips. “I still struggle with loving my hair the way it is,” Oueijan said. “I definitely feel prettier with straight hair, which is something I’m working on.”

The stigma around natural curly hair is amplified for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), whose hair is labeled crazy, unattractive and even dirty. “When you are not white and you have curly hair, there is a lot more ambiguity that you face than white people with curly hair… because it begins to distinguish ethnicity and it becomes a basis on which people discriminate,” Loescher-Clark said.

Sophomore Nadia Clinton, who has type 4A hair, or slight coils, and Mugen-

gana both recall people touching their hair without their consent when they were younger. “In fourth grade, I didn’t really know how to do my hair… It was brushed out, dry and so frizzy, so people would want to touch it,” Mugengana said. “It made me feel like a spectacle.”

Additionally, Mugengana has noticed a difference in the way she is spoken to by strangers based on whether her hair is naturally curly or straightened. “I’m mixed, so I’ll tend to look more white with straight hair,” she said. “[People] are a little bit more polite and I think I’m also more approachable when I have straight hair.”

Moreover, though curly hair has recently become more widely accepted in the U.S., it remains stigmatized in many other countries. “In [BIPOC-dominated] countries like Algeria, there’s a lot of people that have curly hair, but they always straighten it,” freshman Tamila Akkache, who has type 3B hair, said. “It’s seen as messy or crazy or unclean, [so] a lot of people want to straighten their hair to seem more put together or more professional.”

Oueijan lived in Saudi Arabia for most of her life before moving to D.C. in the fall of 2020. “For the first time, I actually got compliments on my hair,” she said. “In Saudi, I never used to get compliments like, ‘Oh, you have such beautiful hair.’”

Ultimately, Loescher-Clark believes that the social pressures for girls to straighten their hair will continue to diminish over time. “There used to be a lot of stigma that curly hair was messy and that people with curly hair didn’t brush their hair or didn’t take care of themselves,” she said. “But with social media and people showing their curly hair routines, there’s a growing awareness that that’s just how hair texture can look on some people.”

A northbound D.C. Metro train screeched to a halt at Union Station, seven stops away from the Cleveland Park station near WIS. Crowds could be seen through the grimy windows, huddled on the platforms in matching knitted caps and neon orange vests. Discarded posters littered the marbled flooring tiles where school groups were sprawled, playing cards, eating food and swiping through their phones as they waited for their trains to arrive.

The date was Friday, Jan. 20, around 4 p.m. The annual March for Life at the National Mall had just started winding down, the first anti-abortion rally in D.C. since the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Union Station bristled with tension; in a city where 92.1% of the population voted Democrat in the last election, the hordes of people advocating for the conservative pro-life campaign were not greeted without enmity.

Hundreds of students and other anti-abortion activists milled throughout the station, some toting signs plastered with scriptures from the Bible and others decked from head to toe in bright anti-abortion gear. One man was reclined on a bench, his knee propping up a sign quoting “Desiderata,” a poem from the 1900s. “To all unborn children,” the poster read. “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.”

The rally was a highly anticipated event by many, an occurrence which brought people from all over the U.S. to D.C. Among those who traveled far were Emma and Susie, two students at the Peoria Notre Dame High School in Peoria, Illinois.

Though their participation in the event was sponsored by the school’s prolife club, Susie shared that the beliefs that brought them to the rally were entirely their own. “I’m doing this because this is what I believe,” she said.

Other students traveled from Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, another private school with a pro-life club attending the march.

The fall of Roe v. Wade does not mark the end of the anti-abortion movement. According to the March for Life campaign, “We will continue to march every January at the national level until a culture of life is restored in the United States of America.”

Around 5 p.m., a garbled voice sounded through the station, prompting the school groups and other protesters to shuffle toward their trains. Students clambered aboard, one by one, already planning their return in 2024.

Protesters at the March for Life on Jan. 20 in Washington D.C. Many of these protesters gathered in Union Station en route home.

FRANCIS CHUNG/POLITICO

Lucas Springsteen dancing during a performance.

COURTESY OF LUCAS SPRINGSTEEN

Taylor Swift breaks records with ‘Midnights’: Is she a ‘mastermind’?

By OLIVIA MANDELBAUM RAZ, 2026

Think of a song that you’ve played recently that feels light, exciting and makes you want to dance. But when you start listening to the lyrics, you realize that the song isn’t as special as you thought it was. Hold that melody in your head. This is how it feels to listen to “Karma,” a hit song from Taylor Swift’s new album “Midnights.”

The album as a whole fits that characterization: it consists of tracks with catchy music, but can be easily overplayed due to its run-on nature.

In an Instagram post announcing the album on Aug. 29, Swift explained that the 13 individual songs explore emotions that she experienced on long, sleepless nights. From desiring revenge, to falling in love (and falling apart), to the challenges of being a superstar, life “is emotionally abusive,” per Swift’s song “Snow on the Beach.”

The general mood of the album is aligned with this vision; most songs have heavy, late-hour excitement or tired beats. Yet there are some songs, like “Karma,” that completely defy the moods set in the previous songs, and are a flash of upbeat energy.

Swift, 11-time Grammy winner, including three Albums of the Year (AOTY), worked with Jack Antonoff on “Midnights.” Antonoff is the lead singer of the rock band Bleachers and was formerly the drummer and guitarist in the band Fun, mostly playing in the pop/rock style.

Antonoff has worked with Swift on several albums, including her AOTY-winning “1989” and “Folklore.” Among the songs Antonoff has co-written with Swift are “Out of the Woods,” “I Wish You Would,” “You Are in Love” and “Getaway Car.”

Additionally, Swift credited her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn, and American actress, singer and model Zoë Kravitz for co-writing three songs on her album.

One of the inspiring aspects of this album is that Swift seems to be reflecting on herself in her lyrics. This change in perception allows the listener to dive deeper into Swift’s life and helps them understand a more

well-rounded part of the artist’s identity.

In the first track of the album, “Lavender Haze,” Swift sings, “The only kind of girl they see / Is one-night or a wife.” It doesn’t take a fan to see that she’s dramatically changed how she’s describing her future since her Romeo and Juliet metaphor in “Love Story” (“Fearless”). Using her songs as a medium, Swift shines a light on one of the major issues in the media world: it is always assumed that a woman will marry. Whenever her relationship with Alwyn is discussed, the constantly

looming question is whether a ring is in the picture. Swift brings attention to this and shows listeners how that negatively affects her relationship with her boyfriend.

That being said, this album had issues with its concept. Instead of creating something out of the box, which has given Swift the title of one of the best artists of the 21st century, she and her producers colored strictly within the lines for this album.

Each song had a concept; for example, “Bejeweled’s” was jewelry. To the listeners, it feels as if Swift came up with

the idea for the song and then pulled together all her jewelry-related lines instead of making something spontaneous, which is what fans most want to hear.

Furthermore, the album feels rushed. The record feels like it was a mass effort to release all of her remaining songs that were set aside or almost discarded throughout the years. The effect of this leaves an almost excess and runon feeling to her songs that are missing their usual finesse and polished feel.

Despite the criticisms raised, “Midnights” has a lot of redeeming qualities. The true Antonoff and Swift collaboration was explored in this album, consisting in different sound qualities that fans haven’t heard before. Even though they lacked in their classically creative bridges, they were spoton with the late-night feel in almost every song by using a technicolored pop sound.

Specifically, the song “Maroon” masters this. The synced sound, faded drum beats and the tired sound of Swift’s voice in the last chorus all make this song one of the most memorable on the album.

Moreover, Swift demonstrates relatable songwriting prominently in the song “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” where she connected with fans’ feelings of abandonment, insecurity and desire for a better life. Her tactful, and tragic, use of the line “I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this / I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss” conveys the theme of unrequited love.

It is also a demonstration of an epiphany during a party, a pattern occurring across the albums of “Red” and “Folklore.” Finally, the subtle, yet recognizable, addition of optimism in the song when Swift adds the line “you can face this” to the last chorus gives listeners a surge of hope. All in all, “Midnights,” despite its faults, is worthy of listeners’ and fans’ time. While there may be controversy as to how much Swift has upheld her lyric quality, there is no doubt the true mastermind in her came out in this album. The synchronized beat paired with the evening feel and mixed with some catchy lyrics make this an album that will keep listeners up ‘til Midnight.

Stanford University’s seemingly innocuous language initative is not as harmless at it claims to be

By ELEKTRA GEA-SERETI, 2024

We are living in a world in which language is becoming increasingly polarized. There has been a growing movement to scrub certain words and phrases from the English language.

To a certain extent, this makes sense. Racist slurs, homophobic insults and other harmful language shouldn’t be used and ought to be prohibited in all types of establishments. While there are certain words that should be removed from our vocabulary, that treatment can’t apply to all types of words we categorize as inappropriate. Censorship can come in a variety of forms, some obvious and some not. One form in which censorship seems to have risen in popularity is through universities and schools, in which the banning of certain words is normally used as an attempt to be more inclusive. The most recent controversial example is Stanford University’s released, and then withdrawn, “Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative.”

The “Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative” is described as a “multi-phase, multi-year project to address harmful language in [the Institute of Technology (IT)] at Stanford.” The goal of the project is to eliminate many forms of harmful language, including racist, violent and biased language, used in Stanford websites, as well as code.

The purpose of the website is to educate people about the possible impact of the words they use. It also includes a

disclaimer that Stanford is not assigning levels of harm to the terms, and is not attempting to address all informal uses of language.

The word list in itself is composed of different categories, the first being ableist, which means offensive language to those living with disabilities. The other categories include ageism, colonialism, gender-based, imprecise language, institutionalized racism, person-first, violent and additional considerations. Each word that is going to be eliminated comes with an alternative word for it and the context for its removal.

Some words have historical contexts that make them worth removing from our language, or are some type of slur that has passed unfiltered through society, some examples being “basket case” or “spaz.” These terms trivialize the experience of people living with disabilities.

Another example of a phrase that should be banned is the phrase “go off the reservation.” It has a historical context rooted in the violent removal of the Indigenous people from their land and the horrible consequences for them.

The phrases and words which have context, implications and connotations that are offensive should be banned. However, this same reasoning cannot apply to all the other words and phrases which were listed on the website.

Not being able to use the phrase “I killed it” when doing something incredi-

ble because it “equates doing a good job with death” is outlandish. Saying someone committed suicide, instead of “died by suicide,” does not trivialize the experience of those suffering with mental disorders.

Other examples include prisoner, in which the Stanford alternate word is “person who is/was incarcerated” and addict, which we should replace with “person who suffers from substance abuse disorder.” Does banning these words and replacing them with carbon copies genuinely make a difference?

In volleyball, when one’s team spikes the ball on the opposing side so hard that it directly hits the ground, it is called a “kill.” Do we now have to change our sports vocabulary because it is “too violent?” But what purpose does that serve? Omitting the word “kill” from our vocabularies doesn’t diminish the amount of violence and crime in the U.S. Nor does it teach young children that violence isn’t the answer to one’s problems.

Censoring language and phrases for the wrong reasons diminishes the fact that language is a constantly growing and evolving part of our lives. Certain words that used to mean something in the past have lost their meaning now, or their implications have simply lost impact throughout generations. Some words genuinely do not have a deeper meaning than what they are used for. Like the age-old adage, sometimes a rose is just a rose. There is no deeper meaning and no hidden intention.

Eliminating words such as “war room,” “submit” and even the word “Karen” is not going to have a tangible positive impact on society. The word “Karen” is one of the words that Stanford wishes to eliminate because “it ridicules and demeans a certain group of people based on their behavior,” even though the word itself has become more of a running joke on social media and among Generation Z.

Stanford’s initiative was eventually taken down after ridicule, mockery and widespread criticism. While its intent wasn’t a ban on speech, that was the message that had been conveyed. This is no isolated incident: that same message has been attempted several times throughout the years.

As a society, instead of education and understanding, we are moving towards censorship. That won’t teach anyone why what they are doing is wrong and it certainly won’t lead to a more educated, understanding society.

At the end of the day, if words must be censored, society should at least be fully educated on why certain words cannot be used. However, at the same time, we must also realize that certain words have lost their meaning and don’t carry the same weight they used to, or that they could unconsciously imply.

Personally, if I get a perfect spike, I will continue calling it a “kill.” It’s not a violent cheer. It is because in the sport I play, it is a direct hit and oftentimes a point worthy of achievement, celebration and respect.

Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” was announced on Aug. 29, 2022. The album cover was released at the same time, along with the caption, “Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out Oct. 21. Meet me at midnight.”

COURTESY OF @TAYLORSWIFT ON INSTAGRAM

WINTER BALL AT DECADES D.C.

Model UN club visits New York for CMUNCE conference

By NAOMI BREUER, 2024

The upper school Model United Nations (MUN) club recently went to the first in-person Columbia Model United Nations Conference and Exposition (CMUNCE) since 2020. The conference was held from Thursday, Jan. 12 to Sunday, Jan. 15 at the Columbia University campus in New York City. These students represented various

nations, political or historical figures in their respective committee sessions, debating and working with other students from across the world to find solutions to the issues and crises they faced.

Outside of committee sessions, students had time to explore New York City and spend time with peers and new friends from the conference.

By TINDRA JEMSBY, 2026

What archetype most closely describes your teenage self?

NATALIE DENNEY (D): “The romantic. I wanted to travel the world and ride the rails.”

TONY GODWIN (G): “The opposite of me now. Potentially nerdy, very sporty.”

SUSHMITA VARGO (V): “You’re making me say it; I was one of those ditzy persons.”

What is one thing you hated about being a student?

D: “Getting up early, for sure. And the lack of freedom.”

G: “The attitude of the teachers, it was punitive.”

V: “I didn’t like that they boxed you. Children grow. ”

Could you describe a time when you got in trouble?

D: “When I was younger, I was a troublemaker, because I just wouldn’t do anything that reeked of standardized tests… I was a little bit mouthy. I was a little arrogant with one of my English teachers; she spelled things wrong and I let her know.”

G: “You’ve got to be caught to get in trouble. But no, not really. The consequences of being rebellious were too awful. But in terms of, ‘Did I do my homework?’ ‘Did I study hard?’ ‘Did I get things on time?’ ‘Was it my best work?’ And mostly yes, but you know, did I? Did I study early enough to be successful? Not really. I could cram like anybody the night before.”

V: “Yeah, I did get in trouble. And it is very, very shameful. I had a textbook, and my romance novel inside. And in the quad, they put a chair and I had to stand with my hands up. And your hands get tired, and you get embarrassed to death. I think I was in 10th grade. I couldn’t stop laughing.”

On a scale of one to 10, how much did you enjoy going to school?

D: “Eight, maybe? Kinda high? I got a lot of good feedback from it.”

G: “Am I allowed negative numbers? Yeah, no, I didn’t enjoy it. My recollection is that it was something you did because you had to do it.”

V: “I really did enjoy it. I would say nine?”

Denney , aged17, before seniorprom. Sheisnow a WIS chemistryteacher.

What profession did you want to go into growing up?

D: “I wanted to be a hobo. I wanted to be a person without a home, just traveling. I would have loved to play guitar for money and go buy some food and then keep going.”

G: “I thought I’d be an engineer, just like my dear old dad. I joined the company when I was 21, and bought some suits, cut my hair and became an engineer.”

V: “I wanted to be a mom. My mom was really upset with me. And the question was why? ‘Because,’ I said, ‘I want to boss my

children around.”

What was your favorite subject(s) in high school?

D: “English for sure. I absolutely loved literature, like the written word.”

G: “I know this is going to be hard to believe. I really enjoyed art, history and geography.”

From

to

Students eating dinner in Morningside Heights near Columbia University. Students on the subway on the way to committee. Delegates after buying lunch on Jan. 15.

WIStory: Who were our teachers as students?

V: “Yes, there are some kids who are uniquely more brilliant, and other kids work hard. But you’re all in the same boat.” How would you describe yourself as a teenager?

D: “Earnest. I was a really academic kid, very grade focused. And I was really into theater and stuff. I was not into science at all.”

G: “Introverted, subjugated and abused. If you grew up in the 60s in South London, it wasn’t exactly party time.”

V: “Awkward, because I thought that everybody was talking about me when nobody was.”

What were some of your favorite hobbies?

D: “The guitar. When I was much younger, I was always on the monkey bars. I definitely was a naturally athletic kid.”

G: “Aside from sport, I would say that I made a lot of models of anything from aircraft carriers to Roman soldiers.”

V: “Oh, I loved to read romance novels. And I did embroidery. What else? I chatted a lot. Talk, talk, talk.”

V: “I love geography. I liked chemistry. Because you know, it was natural system.”

What is one thing you wish you had appreciated more in the moment of being a student?

D: “My teachers. I wish I had done a little more to thank them. And I wish I’d played a sport. It would have been better being the worst kid on a team than not being on one.”

G: “That would have necessitated opportunity, and there was none. But I couldn’t see that the grass was greener in the next field because the fences were too high.”

Did you have any favorite musical artists or bands?

D:“I was lovingly teased for being 30 years too late in all of my music taste. Like Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan. But I did get really into Guns and Roses when I was in seventh grade.”

G:“In the late ‘60s, I started listening to a small transistor radio… a little brown cube thing. And you could pick up radio Caroline, for instance. I liked the British Invasion… I liked [Jimi] Hendrix.”

V:“In my older teens, we watched [music] on TV. I like everybody from the ‘80s, I really do. I like Wham and Duran Duran.”

From top to bottom: Chaperone Desirae Matthew waiting for students. WIS delegates after committee on the Columbia campus. Sophomores and a freshman near Bryant Park.

top

bottom:

Upper school Model United Nations club on the last day of committee, Jan. 15, at the Columbia University campus.

NAOMI BREUER/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE NAOMI BREUER/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

COURTESY OF DESIRAE MATTHEW

Lack of interest in WIS girls varsity basketball team

Coach Brian Brennan encourages middle school-composed team to focus on progress instead of wins and losses

By KAS SALEHI, 2025

No abrupt transition is clearer in WIS sports than the weekend between the end of the soccer season and the beginning of the basketball season.

On Sunday, Nov. 13, purple and white confetti fell onto the Catholic University field, marking a bittersweet end to the WIS boys varsity soccer season. Over a hundred WIS teachers, parents and students filed out of the stadium after the team’s disappointing loss in the final round of the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Boys Soccer Championship.

Just a couple of days later, as teachers and the few remaining students left the campus at dusk, the boys varsity basketball team tipped off the first game of their season to a meager crowd of around two dozen spectators. The team would lose by 33 points.

Nowhere is the lack of a basketball culture at WIS more evident, however, than in the girls varsity basketball team. The same day the boys started their season at home, the girls set off on a 30 minute bus drive to McLean High School. The team, which is entirely made up of middle schoolers, would lose 52-13 against a team containing people applying to colleges.

During the 2021-2022 school year,

which was the first sports season since the start of the pandemic, only two upper school girls signed up for the team, causing the school to cancel the season. Hoping to better promote a basketball culture for girls at WIS, Athletics Director Floreal Pedrazo ran a girls-only basketball clinic before the start of the 2022-2023 basketball season.

Pedrazo also knew that going into the new season, he would need to find the right coach: someone who was patient, worked well with kids and was interested in a long term plan. Through networking and contacts, Pedrazo met Coach Brian Brennan, who had already coached some of the current sixth graders in a nonprofit basketball league called the Palisades League.

Brennan is a former National Championship winner as the coach of St. John’s College High School, but recently left when he got married and became a father. “I had to stop volunteering my time and be more cognizant of the baby and managing my time so I could generate revenue,” Brennan said. “[Pedrazo] gave me an opportunity and [I] decided to go with it.”

Additionally, Pedrazo sat down with Brennan and stressed the importance of realistic expectations going into the 20222023 girls basketball season. “This is a project,” Pedrazo said. “You’re not going to come in here and win championships right away.”

Pedrazo believes that Brennan is doing a great job of keeping the kids engaged, which is challenging since the team is losing the vast majority of their games by a significant margin. “It’s about the kids’ progression and development, not wins and losses,” Brennan said.

This idea of focusing on long term goals and gradual improvement has helped the players keep a positive attitude throughout the season. “They’re not going to see [improvements] in a day, but they’re going to see it in a month because they’re going to have been playing against varsity level [opponents],” Brennan said. “The only thing that can do is help you as an athlete.”

He also hopes that the students’ passion for basketball and having fun will lead them to improve, as they will be more likely to put in the effort to get better.

Varsity basketball coach Sean Whalen brings international experience to WIS

By KAS SALEHI and LEO SARZI, 2025

When Coach Sean Whalen walked into Tregaron for the first time as the boys varsity basketball coach during the 2021-2022 school year, he inherited a team in turmoil which hadn’t experienced a winning season in multiple years. In just two years, Whalen has earned the trust of his players and has transmitted his experience and passion for the game to the team.

Whalen started his basketball career in 1998 as a recruited athlete at Concordia College. He scored more than 1,000 points in his first two seasons, earning the Freshman of the Year title.

In 2001, he transferred to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, playing at the college Division II level. During this time, his team became both East Regional champions and conference regular season champions. The team was ranked 11th in the nation going into the national tournament. Whalen was a three-point threat for the team and positioned in the top five of the conference regarding his shooting behind the arc.

In 2003, Sean Whalen embarked on his path to professional coaching as Head Basketball Coach and Camp Director at a Basketball Development Camp in the D.C. area. He stayed at this position until 2015. Whalen focused on workouts which were aimed to help improve professional and college players. In the meantime, from 2005 to 2009, Whalen was also the Head Varsity Coach at The Potomac School.

He then moved to professional basketball in 2010 as the Head Coach of the Algerian National Team, leading the team to become the Algerian Cup Champions. After coaching internationally for five years, Whalen returned to the D.C. area as an assistant coach at Howard University in 2015.

In 2021, Whalen decided to apply to be the head coach of the boys varsity basketball team due to WIS’s international

Howard University’s former Assistant Coach Sean Whalen during a basketball game. Whalen is the new coach of the WIS boys varsity basketball team.

aspect. Whalen’s past experiences from his extensive resumé have shaped the coach he is today at WIS.

He highlighted the lessons he’s learned from his successes and failures all around the world that have influenced how he leads his team. “Every position I have had as a coach has led me to believe that every person on the team has value,” Whalen said. “Players, coaches and managers all have different roles, but we all have the same value.”

This philosophy is very important to Whalen and stems from his passion for the game. He tries to convey this philosophy to all his players and believes this is a key factor in players’ growth. “[Having] an understanding that working on your game and practice does make them better players… makes the team better,” Whalen said.

Students believe this way of thinking has led to a greater camaraderie and stronger team spirit. “He’s really helped in keeping the team together as we’ve gone through rough losses throughout the year,” sophomore Dylan Anderson said. “[Wha-

len] always tries to keep the team energy high and tries to knock away the negative energy, which has helped us in our wins.”

Compared to other high schools in the DMV area, the WIS varsity basketball team is relatively small with a roster of about 10 players, so it has been hard for the team to reach its full potential. “[Whalen] has been helping us overcome the adversity of being one of the youngest and smallest teams in the league,” Anderson said.

The faith and resilience Whalen has instilled in his team, as well as the one on one attention he devotes to each player, has improved the students’ technique. “Last year I only made one [three pointer] the entire season, and after putting in work with Coach Whalen, I’ve made nine ‘threes’ midway through the year,” Anderson said. “He has helped me develop as a player and up my game during his time as coach here.”

All of Whalen’s time spent coaching and instructing his players links back to his lifelong passion for basketball, which he hopes to convey to everyone he works with. “I just want the players to have a good experience in the sport that we all love,” Whalen said.

Brennan and Pedrazo are very excited about the future of girls basketball at WIS. Pedrazo is planning to continue to run clinics in the spring and summer to make sure the girls stay engaged and confident.

Brennan understands that no one likes losing every game, but he hopes the girls will remember that this is a process. “The ultimate goal is to keep those same girls engaged for one or two years, so next year we will have experienced ninth graders,” he said.

Despite how difficult this season may have been thus far for the girls basketball team, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel for the players that are sticking with it. Pedrazo intends to try out this process for other sports that are low on numbers, an issue more prevalent in girls sports.

He is very hopeful that this long term strategy will work out for the girls basketball program, but recognizes there is still work to be done.“We need to really find a way to promote girls sports,” he said.

Overall, Brennan believes the benefits of the players’ experience vastly outweighs the drawbacks. “I’ve learned how tough these girls are,” he said. “No one can say they’ve done what [these players have] done.”

international dateline

February 2023

Editorial Board

Managing Editors

Abigail Bown

Maia Nehme

Publications Editors

Naomi Breuer

Isabella Duchovny

Marketing Managers

Leo Sarzi Sofía Vakis

Print Design

Dora Baptista dos

Santos

Abigail Bown

Isabella Duchovny

Tindra Jemsby

Eileen Maloney Cunningham

Photographer

Martina Tognato

Guáqueta

WIS News

Andrea BrudniakBerrocal

Global News

Eliana Aemro Selassie

Sports Kas Salehi Opinion

Zachary S. Pan Features

Zoe Hällström

Derin Kirtman Arts

Dora Baptista dos Santos

Selena Said

Food Lauren Brownell

Faculty Adviser

Alexandra Wilding

International Dateline is a publication of the student body and therefore has a responsibility to reflect student, school and community affairs. It will strive to inform, entertain and inspire its readers in a broad, objective and accurate manner.

Dateline also provides an open forum for the opinions of the student body, Dateline staff, the faculty, the school administration and people in the community.

Dateline staff editorials reflect the opinion of

Dateline’s editorial board. Over 50% of the editorial board must support the opinion. Editorials do not reflect the opinions of individual writers.

Submit a letter to the editor:

Go to wisdateline.org or scan the QR code on page 1.

“Submit a letter to the editor” will appear in the top right corner of the screen. Letters must be under 250 words and can address any issue concerning Dateline or WIS.

“

“No one can say they’ve done what [these players have] done.”

BRIAN BRENNAN

RODNEY PIERCE/HOWARD UNIVERSITY

“

“[I] believe that every person on the team has value.”

SEAN WHALEN

Exploring the authenticity of D.C.’s Italian restaurants

By SOFIA BRACCIALARGHE, 2024

As an Italian living in D.C., I’m always seeking out restaurants which will do justice to my country’s cuisine. D.C. boasts about 21 Italian restaurants, largely due to the mass influx of Italian immigrants to the U.S. during the 20th century.

Recently, I decided to visit three of D.C.’s most popular Italian restaurants and taste-test their signature dishes (pizza, pasta, gelato and more).

Sfoglina Van Ness

The first restaurant I went to was Connecticut Avenue staple Sfoglina Van Ness. Sfoglina is best known for its pasta and the restaurant’s name is even derived from pasta di Sfoglia, an ingredient used to make pasta. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I spotted the chefs making the pasta from scratch. Specifically, they craft pasta all’uovo by hand, which is an Italian recipe for making pasta from eggs. In doing so, the chefs not only serve delicious dishes, but also provide a comforting aroma of homemade pasta wafting throughout the restaurant.

I decided to order the Fettuccine al Ragu Bolognese so that I could compare it to the one my nonna makes in Italy. As soon as it arrived, I noticed its wonderful blend of different scents and flavors, many of which were from similar herbs to the ones my nonna uses. Overall, I found Sfoglina Van Ness to be an authentic place

and the perfect choice for anyone craving a mouthwatering plate of pasta.

Il Canale

Another Italian restaurant I went to in order to determine whether it lived up to the hype was Il Canale. Il Canale is best known for its pizza napoletana, or Neapolitan pizza. When I entered the restaurant, I noticed

Crumbl: The cookies that broke the internet

By ELEKTRA GEA-SERETI and ZOE HÄLLSTROM, 2024

If you have TikTok and like cookies, there’s a very high chance that you have heard of Crumbl Cookies, a business that has a reputation for its cre ative flavors, rotating menu and thirst-trap-like pro motional videos.

Since opening in 2017, Crumbl has expand ed to over 600 bakeries in 47 states and is the fastest-growing cookie company in the nation.

New flavors are added fre quently, usually weekly, and their current recipes are also updated and improved upon, sometimes based on public feedback. Their cookies draw inspira tion from popular foods and desserts including pies, cakes, candies and even breakfast foods.

But are Crumbl Cookies really worth the hype? This is what Dateline set out to test.

Dateline reviewed Crumbl’s weekly flavors from Jan. 8 until Jan. 14. The following are our comments about each cookie.

Confetti Cake: This is our favorite cookie of the week. The cookie base is fluffy like a funfetti cake and surprises you with sprinkles through out. The cream cheese frosting offers a depth of fla vor and smooth texture that Crumbl Cookies’ simple but tercream frosting cannot compete with.

Peanut Butter Cup Featuring REESE’S: The cookie has a natural-tasting peanut butter flavor and is fudgy, yet is also very stodgy and sticky to the touch and in your

mouth. Both in terms of visual appearance and flavor, the cookie is one-dimensional.

Lemon Cheesecake: This cookie looks artificial, but we appreciate all of its elements that vary in texture and flavor. The cookie base tastes like a sugar cookie, not a graham cracker crust, and the toppings taste overly sweet and mildly tart with no trace of cheesecake flavor. Texturally, the toppings are gelatinous, which is not ideal.

Rocky Road: This cookie is identifiable as being rocky road flavored but like the classic flavor combination of chocolate, marshmallow and almonds, it is average.

The cookie base is decadent and is complemented by dark chocolate chips. The texture of the marshmallow is perfect: it oozes into the rest of the cookie. Also, the almonds add a crunch but their flavor is overpowered by the other components’ sweetness. On average, Crumbl is worth the hype, with some extremely unique flavors and ideas and an excellent appearance. Additionally, these are undoubtedly social gathering cookies, as it’s fun to try the different flavors and review them with friends. However, they have a steep price and can easily burn a hole in your wallet. Dateline recommends purchasing these cookies once every couple of months unless you’re willing to pay the price! You may think the flavors desperately require trying, but don’t worry: there is always next week.

that they had pizza samples by the door.

I was seated in the upstairs area by a very nice waiter, who explained to me in Italian how they make their pizza. The restaurant uses the very famous Italian wooden oven, which gives the pizza a stronger taste of all of its ingredients and comes out very warm.

I decided to order my favorite pizza,

arts

the Pizza Margherita, composed of pizza dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. When the pizza arrived, it smelled amazing. The smell was a delicious mix of basil and tomato sauce. The mozzarella was perfectly runny, but I noticed that so was the tomato sauce, which was not much to my liking. The flavor was delectable, representing a good Southern Italian pizza.

I’m Eddie Cano

The last restaurant I decided to try was I’m Eddie Cano, which is also located on Connecticut Avenue. Similarly to Cafe Milano, the restaurant had a great ambience, including Italian music playing in the background. A unique aspect of I’m Eddie Cano is that the building has beautiful bay windows, which are used as benches to be seated at tables. I also quickly noticed that the menu was split into two sections: one with American food and the other with Italian food.

As an appetizer, they provided handmade bread with olive oil. I ordered the cacio e pepe pasta, which is pasta with pepper and a creamy sauce. My brother ordered a simple pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs. My order was flavorful and truly Italian. On the other hand, my brother’s pasta was not as authentic and the meatballs were a bit tasteless. Overall, though the restaurant had tasty dishes and a lovely atmosphere, the food was a bit more “Americanized” than in the other restaurants.

The final curtain falls on ‘The Phantom of the Opera’

By SELENA SAID, 2026

Broadway’s longest-running show, “The Phantom of the Opera,” is set to have its final showing on April 16. This closing date was extended from Feb. 18 due to a jump in ticket sales during Thanksgiving week, which holds the record of the musical’s highest-grossing week in its history.

“The response to the news that ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ is finally going to end its record-breaking original Broadway run after 35 years has been as phenomenal as the show itself,” producer Cameron Mackintosh said in a Nov. 29 statement announcing the show’s eight-week extension. The musical revolves around the Phantom, a murderous masked musician, who lives under Paris Opéra House and develops an obsession with a stunning soprano named Christine Daaé. Since its Broadway debut in 1988, this phenomenon of a show has been seen by more than 145 million people across 41 nations and has been performed in 17 languages.

However, Mackintosh decided to shut down the show since it wasn’t attracting enough of an audience to cover its running cost. This financial strain was exacerbated by the negative impacts of inflation and the pandemic.

Some members of the WIS community are big fans of the show and were saddened to hear that it is closing.

Middle and Upper School math teacher Andrew Sopher has seen “Phantom” between 20 and 25 times, both virtually and in person. “The music is phenomenal… it’s my favorite musical score by far,” Sopher said.

Middle and Upper School instrumental music teacher Josh Frayer was introduced to the soundtrack in high school, yet he has never seen the show live. On the other hand, he has watched the 25th anniversary edition and conducted the show at WIS in 2015.

“It touches on some really disturbing things with mental illness,” Frayer said. “I

like the whole back and forth between the evil and the good, and sometimes you can’t decide if you’re on the evil side, or if you’re with the good side.”

Similarly, Sopher enjoys that the show doesn’t fit in with the cheerful and singalong standard of other musicals. “There’s a lot of things that are hidden,” Sopher said. “If you’re just watching it for the first time, it takes some time to really understand what’s going on, in my opinion, and the depth of the characters that develop over the course of the show is really impressive.”

Frayer has seen various iterations of the musical, but his favorite parts are always the organ in the opening number and the famous chandelier drop at the end of Act I. “[It’s] supposed to frighten the audience and, depending on the stage, there’s fireworks and real fires sometimes,” Frayer said.

Sopher enjoys the masquerade scene and the last 17 minutes of the show, during which the Phantom, Christine and Viscount Raoul de Chagny, who is a childhood friend and love interest of Christine, all sing together.

“[It’s] really impressive that they’re harmonizing with different rhythms and different lines,” Sopher said.

Frayer was saddened to hear about the show’s closing, particularly because he had never seen it on Broadway. However, Sopher had mixed feelings. Though he believes that experiencing the show in person is much more thrilling, the 25th anniversary live performance, the soundtrack and several film adaptations are accessible to anyone through the internet.

Additionally, Sopher believes that younger generations are more reliant on short-term entertainment, which has made the show less popular. “People like technology better, they don’t leave the house as much and when they do, they’re staring at their phones,” Sopher said. “Sitting down in an opera house to watch a performance is just less common nowadays.”

COURTESY OF SFOGLINA RESTAURANT

Fettucine al Ragù Bolegnese from Sfoglina Van Ness. The egg pasta and blend of herbs and flavors created a mouthwatering dish.

top to bottom: Confetti Cake cookie, Peanut Butter Cup cookie, Lemon Cheesecake cookie and Rocky Road cookie. Crumbl’s menu rotates each week.

Civil Rights trip serves as new addition to WIS’s racial education

By ABIGAIL BOWN, 2023

In Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews’ column on the school’s treatment of race in the curriculum, he wrote, “I consider [WIS] one of the best schools in the country, but even it struggles with this.” Four years later, the school is introducing its first-ever civil rights trip: a four-day tour through cities in Alabama and Georgia for its IB History students.

WIS’s treatment of race has previously been criticized by both students and former faculty on the now-deleted Instagram account black@wis. The account shared anonymous statements from students and alumni about racism they have faced at WIS and problems with racial education.

The WIS administration has made several changes since Mathews’ article, from community handbook clauses prohibiting the use of racial slurs to a thorough examination of classroom textbooks. Still, the upcoming civil rights trip marks a sizable addition to WIS’s racial education.

The new trip, organized by IB History teachers Nora Brennan and Don Boehm, hopes to give students a firsthand look into the civil rights movement and supple-

ment the information they are learning in the classroom. “I think it’s important for students to realize that history is not just stuck in the past and forgotten,” Brennan said. “There can be something really powerful about having that experiential component.”

When planning the trip, Brennan found it challenging to balance the “developments in the civil rights movement we wanted to highlight in conjunction with what would be feasible for a trip.”

The itinerary was finalized in December 2022. Starting on March 2, the group will fly into Atlanta, Georgia and swiftly make their way to Montgomery, Alabama, where they will first visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Legacy Museum.

The memorial “is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence,” according to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)’s website.

The Legacy Museum encompasses exhibits on Black history, from enslavement in the 19th century to mass incarceration starting in the 1970s. “The museum and memorial are part of EJI’s work to advance truth and reconciliation around race in America and to more honestly confront the legacy of slavery, lynching and segregation,” according to the museum’s website.

These topics are all studied through WIS’s high school curriculum: Sophomores study slavery and the American Civil War, seniors study the Jim Crow South and both study the civil rights movement.

Montgomery is also the site of the 1955 bus boycotts, in which activists protested the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. These protests led to the integration of the Montgomery bus system, a historical win for civil rights activists.

The tour through Montgomery complements an anthology studied by WIS’s IB English Higher Level (HL) students: “On the Bus With Rosa Parks” by poet Rita Dove. Grade 12 students who take both IB History and IB English HL will be able to draw connections between their classes during the trip.

One of the anthology’s poems, “Rosa,” describes how Parks protested the bus’ racial segregation. “Doing nothing was the doing: / the clean flame of her gaze / carved by a camera flash,” Dove writes. “How she stood up / when they bent down to retrieve / her purse. That courtesy.”

The intersection between WIS’s History and English Literature classes continues in Selma, Alabama, where the students will visit the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams in 1965, 600 civil rights activists marched on the bridge, a day later known as “Bloody Sunday,” and were attacked with tear gas and bullwhips by police officers.

WIS students study the graphic novel “March,” co-written by Lewis, in eighth grade, which outlines these same events.

COURTESY OF EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice includes sculptures and architecture in order to “contextualize racial terror,” according to the Equal Justice Initiative. The memorial also includes 800 hanging columns, each engraved with a United States county in which an act of racial lynching took place.

D.C.’s U Street murals in photos

“I think any meaningful academic study can see the intersection of how literature illuminates history and how the historical context would help one understand litera-

COURTESY OF FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY

The Legacy Museum has a large collection of Jim Crow-era signs, illustrating the racial segregation that Black Americans faced for decades.

ture,” Brennan said.

The trip, concluding on March 6, will meld WIS’s interdisciplinary studies of race in the U.S. with the benefits of experiential learning. “I am happy to offer this experience to mitigate the thought that the Black experience is not as important in U.S. history because, to me, I think the Black experience is what has driven American history,” Brennan said.

Black Student Union: ‘A platform as well as an outlet’

By MARTINA TOGNATO GUÁQUETA, 2024

The Black Student Union (BSU) is led by seniors Eliana Aemro Selassie and Zione Yeboah-Amankwah and is sponsored by Upper School Narrative Film teacher Micheal McCorkle.

Centered around celebrating Black identity, BSU’s mission is to provide a “platform, as well as an outlet, for students of color, specifically, African American students,” according to McCorkle.

BSU meets during lunch every other week on Thursdays. Meetings begin with a presentation by Aemro Selassie and Yeboah-Amankwah which focuses on a discussion topic or central question. Past presentations have tackled issues ranging from the role of Black athletes to timely events. Afterwards, conversation flows freely, providing a space for all students to participate.

Aemro Selassie believes that BSU is a necessary safe space due to the low number of Black Upper School students at WIS. Additionally, many of BSU’s members are non-Black students, so the club aims to create a space of education and awareness of the Black experience.

Recent conversations within the club have been focused on planning for Black History Month, which started Feb. 1. This year, BSU led a Black History Month assembly on Feb. 2, which featured guest speaker Dr. Herman Beavers.

Beavers is an English and Africana

Studies professor at the University of Pennsylvania. At the assembly, he spoke about the role of Black literature in society and his perspective on Black History Month. “We tend to construct [Black History Month] around the achievements of great people, notable people, [but] it tends to push into the background everyday people,” Beavers said. “Who does Black History Month belong to, [and] what is the contribution that people who are not Black can make to the conversation?”

Throughout the rest of the month, BSU will organize events such as weekly advisory trivia competitions and a potential movie night, all centered on embracing Black identity.

Aemro Selassie and Yeboah-Amankwah’s goal is to make all WIS students feel welcome to attend BSU meetings and participate in discussions. “BSU is for everyone to come and learn about different experiences and people,” Aemro Selassie said.

EILEEN MALONEY CUNNINGHAM/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

Left to right: Eliana Aemro Selassie, Dr. Herman Beavers, Denise Long and Zione Yeboah-Amankwah.

COURTESY OF CHERYL TANSKI

Top: This mural, which was designed by the D.C. Office on the Arts and Humanities, depicts the neighborhood’s Black heritage and evolution over time.

Bottom: Created by street artist Aniekan Udofia, this U Street mural illustrates famous Black musicians Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (left to right).

Ben’s Chili Bowl: The heart of D.C.’s Black community

By ZOE HÄLLSTRÖM, 2024

Although U Street and Washington D.C. as a whole have seen many changes over the past 64 years, Ben’s Chili Bowl’s (“Ben’s”) commitment to serving D.C.’s Black Community remains the same.

As a Black-owned D.C. landmark, Black History Month is meaningful to the family that founded Ben’s.

“It means a great deal to bring the focus to the Black community,” Ben’s co-founder Virginia Ali said. “This is something that’s been going on for many, many years and it gives us time to concentrate on the culture and the values of the Black community.”

In 1952, Virginia moved to segregated D.C. and started her first job at Industrial Bank, located a block and a half away from Ben’s. Howard University was within walking distance, and because of Jim Crow laws, highly educated Black people were confined to living in the Shaw neighborhood. “It was a very proud, self-sufficient community at the time,” Virginia said.

In 1954, the Civil Rights Movement began. Around the same time, Ben Ali proposed to Virginia and asked her to partner with him on a restaurant, and in 1958, they opened Ben’s as newlyweds.

When Virginia asked Ben if she should leave her job right away, he had a memorable response. “‘Yes, we will make this work, even if we have to get rid of the apartment, sell the car, bring in a bathtub… and a bed and sleep right here,’” she said, echoing the words Ben had spoken over six decades prior. “We didn’t have to do that, but we were willing to make that kind of sacrifice if we had to.”

Although Ben’s was successful from the start, as a Blackowned business, it was challenging to gain access to financial services such as liability insurance.

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. came to D.C. and visited Ben’s. He spoke to Virginia about his plan to unite people to protest the injustices faced by the Black community, which later became known as the March on Washington.

“We were there that day, looking over a sea of people of all colors and ages and backgrounds,” Virginia said. “He made that wonderful ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and it was a very inspirational day.”

In the following years, the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of

1965 were passed. But on April 4, 1968, King was assassinated, and a mourning crowd rushed into Ben’s.

“We [didn’t] want to believe that. [We thought,] ‘it can’t be our very much loved, nonviolent, peaceful leader,’” Virginia said.

“That sadness turned to frustration and frustration turned to anger, and an uprising began in our community, on U Street.”

The civil unrest and rioting lasted for three days and the D.C. mayor at the time put a curfew in place to try to contain the violence. Ben’s was the only business that was permitted to remain open to provide food and shelter for those working to restore order, and it extended its hours to 3 a.m. on weekdays and 4 a.m. on weekends.

“It was a scary time, but we were able to do that,” Virginia said. “All the folks in the community were there to support Ben’s because they knew we would support them and had supported them all those 10 years, so no one touched the turntable.”

When the uprising was over and the National Guard had gone home, Blackowned businesses and Black homeowners moved to other parts of D.C.

“We were integrated,” Virginia said. “The middle class moved away, heroin moved in, crack cocaine moved in and our beautiful, proud, classic community went downhill and became a ghetto.”

After years of delays, construction on the U Street-Cardozo Green Line Metro station began in 1987. Ben’s struggled throughout much of the construction and was kept open by just two employees: Virginia Ali and an associate. Once the construction was complete, a city survey found that only three businesses in the immediate vicinity had survived: the Industrial Bank, Lee’s Flower Shop and Ben’s, which are still there today.

“When it opened finally in 1991, all the new businesses began to move in, the new residents began to move in and now our community is a thriving, young, educated community,” Virginia said.

Ben’s has also evolved over the years. It opened four new locations around D.C., opened another restaurant and bar next door called “Ben’s Next Door” and ships food nationwide through its online store.

Its number one item on the menu, a chili half-smoke, was also voted D.C.’s signature dish.

“It was a breakfast sausage that really was served at breakfast time but my hus-

band, in particular, thought it was a great idea to put that in a nice, soft, hotdog bun and dress it up with mustard onions and our very own special chili sauce,” Virginia said.

Ben’s has also expanded its menu to offer a variety of chilis, hotdogs, subs and sandwiches, vegetarian options, sides and desserts.

Ben’s iconic food and powerful story continue to attract people from across the country and all over the world. Politicians, celebrities and activists that have visited the restaurant include former President Barack Obama, former US Representative John Lewis, tennis player Serena Williams and singer Bruno Mars.

Virginia believes that her restaurant’s long-lasting success and popularity stem from its devotion to hospitality.

“I’ve served presidents and judges, professional people and actors, you name it, but I’ve also served heroin addicts and crackheads and bums,” she said. “If you treat people the way you’d like to be treated, I think they allow you to stay in business for 64 years.”

Moreover, Virginia owes her restaurant’s longevity to her community, which has supported her for over six decades.

When a reporter wrote that Ben’s was struggling due to the pandemic, the surrounding community wrote Virginia letters

and checks. The restaurant used that funding to prepare boxed lunches for the Howard University Hospital staff, who were taking care of patients with COVID-19.

In return, Ben’s helped the community over the years through miscellaneous tasks and by serving on the boards of local charities. In 2011, Ben’s established “The Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation” to provide service to the community and the neighborhoods in which they work and live.

As for the future, Ben’s was passed down to Ben and Virginia’s three sons and their wives after Ben died.

Ben’s will be celebrating its 65th anniversary on Aug. 22, Virginia’s 90th birthday on Dec. 17 and will soon announce that Ben’s will be franchising.

Although Virginia is 89 years old, she is energized by hearing others’ stories and sharing her own story in the restaurant each day. “I’ve had the pleasure of serving people from all walks of life,” she said.

Now, Virginia has taken a step back and allowed her children to continue her legacy. “We’ve been a place that shows if you stick with your business, if you do a good job, if you treat people the way you like to be treated and you provide some very tasty food and [a] warm and friendly family atmosphere, that’s what it’s all about,” she said.

WIS Book Club’s Black History Month book recommendations

By RUTHIE

To celebrate Black History Month, the Book Club hopes to expand WIS’s literary horizons and support Black-owned businesses and creators. With that intent, the following is a list of novels by Black authors, many of which address issues such as racism and inequality.

the aftermath of police shootings and how they affect the people living in the community where the shooting occurred. Kekla Magoon recounts a tale that we are all too familiar with, but in a way that we have never seen before. Through multiple viewpoints and powerful vignettes, she addresses oppression, racism, police brutality and how much people’s lives can change in

ic, who are called divîners or maji. Their children, marked by their white hair, grow up under intense oppression. In the novel, protagonist Zélie stumbles upon a disguised princess, Amari, who is carrying a scroll that can awaken divîners’ powers. Zélie’s quest to restore magic to the land becomes all the more difficult when she is forced to depend on an ally she is not sure she can trust. However, the solstice is quickly approaching and she only has a narrow window of time before it’s too late.

Tomi Adeyemi’s novel, although fictional, beautifully illustrates some West African culture and religious beliefs. The book also wrestles with themes of oppression which are mirrored in the U.S. and the world.

Other Black authors to support:

• Angie Thomas

• Jacqueline Woodson

• Nnedi Okorafor

“Children of Blood and Bone” takes place in a fictional African country named Orïsha, where King Saran has ordered the killing of all adult practitioners of mag-

• Renée Watson

•

“Ghost” by Jason Reynolds Ghost is running. He’s not running anywhere, just away: away from his past, his father, from a lot of things, actually. That is, until he meets Coach, the first person to notice his natural talent and encourage him to join an elite track team. Ghost quickly befriends Patina, Lu and Sunny and realizes that he can be so much more than he ever thought he could be. He hits roadblocks along the way, but with the help of his friends, he overcomes barriers and fixes his mistakes. Jason Reynolds is the national ambassador for young people’s literature and “Ghost” is just one of his many books that celebrate the stories of young Black people.

“Light It Up” by Kekla Magoon

A thirteen-year-old Black girl is shot by a policeman on her way home on a cold winter night. The next day, the town is in upheaval and the streets are flooded with protestors. “Light It Up” is a story about

“Children of Blood and Bone” by Tomi Adeyemi

“I’ve served presidents and judges, professional people and actors, you name it, but I’ve also served heroin addicts and crackheads and bums.”

VIRGINIA ALI

The Original Ben’s Chili Bowl at 1213 U Street.

COURTESY OF VIDA ALI

BAROSSE, NORA GALIZIA and ALESSANDRO RICCI, 2023

1 Abbreviation of state which features Jamestown.

4 Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat make these types of products.

9 Precedes any word with a vowel for the first syllable.

11 You need these for the Winter Ball.

14 Alien spaceship, e.g.

15 Informal; to catch someone’s attention.

17 By Kim Petras and Sam Smith.

19 Rather than go backwards.

24 Student ______; dreaded in college.

25 Disruptive sound; part of a Camila Cabello song title.

27 Managing a brand or persona.

28 A sound of horror or surprise.

29 You are aware, in text slang.

30 Nickname for a grandmother.

31 Rather than basic; pH scale.

32 A more reliable COVID test.

34 Post-workout; involves stretching.

37 First word of 2021 “Spiderman” movie.

38 Be quiet!

39 Genuine; often something old.

40 Like a web; normally metal.

42 Closely related to evolution.

44 _____ Raiders; from “Star Wars.”

46 Conical tent of canvas.

47 The school year does this in June.

48 “Finding __mo.”

49 For math, instead of collegeruled.

50 Sometimes has a suffix of -ment; the goal of a student.

Down

1 Wine in Italy.

2 One in charge of a committee.

3 This substance can be medical, hair, pen or hand.

4 Instead of Mr.

5 University in Northwest D.C. with an eagle mascot.

6 Often used to reference President Donald Trump; the previous man.

7 Repeating yourself; being on _____.

8 A camera function; ___-mo.

10 Neither.

11 The Netherlands is famous for these, in spring.

12 Fail or fall asleep; ____ out.

13 Thanking someone by text.

54 A type of bubbly chocolate bar.

56 A tailless primate.

57 Religious brothers; part of a group.

58 Exclamation of celebration.

61 Over____; what Narcan can reverse.

65 White peace symbol; soap brand.

68 Of a book; filled with notes.

73 Grain-based drink offered as an add-in at Starbucks.

75 Mythical beasts, e.g.

76 First two initials of SCOTUS Justice that died in 2020.

77 Maturity rating for movies with some content not suitable for kids.

78 “Water drop” in Colombia.

79 French acronym for Reporters Without Borders.

81 Phrase used to ask somebody to get on a horse, e.g.

84 A war involving a mega horse.

88 “Chief Twit” married to Grimes.

89 These two letters form a Latin vowel.

90 0.01667 of one hour.

91 Transliterated Greek μ symbol.

92 Where d’you get that pumpkin spice latte?

96 James Cameron movie that grossed around 2 billion at the box office.

98 To cause to grow late.

99 To make amends.

101 Build something without aid.

102 The opposite of learn.

103 “__ I Still Love You,” a 2020 sequel.

16 Friday updates from Lisa McNeill.

18 A play in which Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two of many deaths.

20 Currency used in Switzerland.

21 Co-op whose logo is a pine tree and two mountains.

22 Netflix dark comedy set at Nevermore.

23 Small, open-fronted hut where refreshments are sold.

25 A risk to health due to experiments.

26 First album to fill every top Billboard slots with its songs.

30 _____’s applesauce.

33 Chatbot created in November

2022.

34 Bow-wielding Valentine’s god.

35 German secret society or the prefix to -laryngology

36 Ends on March 20.

39 Acronym; heritage month in May.

40 Annual conference in NYC.

41 Birth name of the author of “Spare;” Meghan’s husband.

43 Precedes the words “situa tion,” “wolf” and/or “Straits.”

44 ____age Dirtbag.

45 Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix.”

51 Manager of a company, plural.

52 Channel 97.1; �� radio

53 Primary villain in season four of “Stranger Things.”

55 Seaboard where D.C. is located.

56 Famous on the big screen.

60 OnCampus assignment status update, present tense.

63 “And you?” in France.

64 State abbreviation, capital in Boise.

65 Design elective, abbreviated.

66 Keeping careful watch for danger.

67 “The” in Chile.

69 Most organized.

70 Foot cushion, or an empire with 695,000 mi² of land.

71 State abbreviation, capital in Little Rock.

72 Science DP option; cannot be

CROSSWORD BY TINDRA JEMSBY

an HL.

74 First letters of hit Gayle song.

75 Comic-___; fantasy festival.

78 Coldplay x Selena Gomez; “Let Somebody __.”

80 A swirling mass of snow.

82 Code of dots and dashes.

83 Homestay offering food, sleep.

85 A lively style of dance from the ‘50s.

86 ____ de Armas of “Knives Out.”

87 Hairless.

89 Also called.

91 Informal name for a mother.

93 People of mainland SE Asia.

94 Messy; a pig’s residence.

95 University of D.C.

97 Compulsory IB core class.

Highlights from WIS Feuds Podcast

Spanish vs. French

“French sounds better, we’re cooler, we’re better, we’re elite and we rule the WIS community.”

“Who are you putting up against Sr. Ramallo?”

“I’m putting up M. Delair.”

“Middle school? He’s your top guy? Your top dog?”

“You’ve been lied to your whole life.”

“You drop me in any Spanish speaking country, I can speak with anybody I want.”

“I drop you with my grandma and you can’t.”

“You were gonna say Monaco is in France. It’s not.”

“Well, that doesn’t count. It should be.”

“I just looked up French accents and I’m bewildered at the sheer amount that I’m seeing.”

“Now you’re just degrading the culture of France.”

“Zara carries.”

scan me