Washington International School
3100 Macomb St. NW Washington, D.C. 20008
November 2021
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Senior gift divides Class of 2020 and administration Macomb Street on handling racism at WIS neighbors on new By ROSE BOEHM, 2022 In the midst of losing the spring of their senior year due to a global pandemic, the Class of 2020 reflected on George Floyd’s murder and death of a longtime art teacher and D.C. native, Mara Wilson. Nearing the end of their WIS careers, the Class decided to turn their senior gift to a fund aimed at tackling issues of racism that they had experienced, leaving a lasting impact on the school. Ultimately, the Class of 2020 and the administration worked together to create a fund in Wilson’s name. Wilson bridged the gap between WIS and more diverse areas of D.C., through her involvement in middle school minimester, educating students on food deserts, street art and trolley cars in D.C., according to Wilson’s tribute. The fund was fully capitalized last May, at $100,000, which amounts to $3,000-$5,000 towards educating the WIS community on racism per year. Class of 2020 alumna Anthea Walker, who is white, wanted to bring Wilson’s advocacy to WIS in a new form. “She was really working with the WIS community and teaching her students about not only D.C., but about the issues that plague D.C. and disproportionately affect Black people and people of color,” Walker said. Traditionally, WIS senior gifts options are dedicating spaces or donating to financial aid, but the Class sought out a new way to think about senior gifts. “The default was financial aid, and there weren’t really any ideas or thoughts about a third option,” Walker said. “We thought, ‘why don’t we use our position in this really unique time to come up with a third option that’s really our own and that’s based on [their experiences with racism].’” While the fund dedicates money to supporting education on racial inequities, the Class of 2020 initially wanted to help WIS diversify the student body, and still feels that WIS should. The background of the fund The Class of 2020 originally suggested that WIS admissions sponsor an US-born student of color to attend the school in an email to Head of School Suzanna Jemsby. However, because of the complexities of admissions, the administration encouraged the students to instead focus the fund on educating the current student body on racial inequities. This decision was because the administration tries to keep anonymity with financial aid, according to Head of School Suzanna Jemsby. “We’re not allowed to channel funds to an individual,” Jemsby said. “We can only fund a pot of money. And then, we would then have to report back to the endowment who the individual is, and we anonymize that.” In response, the administration suggested that either they add money to the D.C. Scholarship Fund or focus their fund on educating the student body on racism.
inside look
pursue the fund focused on education because it was more closely aligned with their original intention. Additionally, there was no guarantee that the money in the D.C. Scholarship Fund would go towards a student of color. Amidst the initial creation of the fund, racism at WIS came to light through an Instagram account, called “blackatwis.” The account details accounts of racism at WIS, such as a discontinued cotton-picking activity, teachers confusing students of color and prevalent use of slurs. These instances of racism on campus lead Black students to feel unsupported, according to Fabrice Gray, a Class of 2020 alumnus who is Black. “A huge part of this is that a lot of Black students at WIS did not, I don’t want to speak for a lot of them, but some of them did not feel very supported by WIS,” Gray said. “And the fund was meant to not attack WIS, but to help WIS.” The administration strongly encouraged every Class of 2020 member to donate money and sign off on the fund in a matter of days, according to Jemsby. She outlined that this was because the board needed to approve the fund, which would be more likely with full participation. “I actually think that it was a really good move to have 100% participation because [the fund] became more than it already was,” Walker said. Gray agrees. He felt confident that they could gain full participation, even in a short period of time. “I made enough good friendships at WIS where I could FaceTime anybody in the grade and say, ‘hey, we need 100% participation,’” Gray said. However, other involved students felt the requirement was strenuous, especially because their original senior gift of donating money to financial aid did not need full participation. “100% of the students did not sign off on the original money being sent just to financial aid,” Ye’Amlak Zegeye, a Class of 2020 alumna who is Black, said. “It seems
very iffy of them to suddenly want confirmation from everybody.” Regardless, the students worked with the administration in order to create a fund that aligned with their vision. The fund now “supports initiatives at WIS that increase awareness of racial inequities; instills a culture that directly challenges and denounces racism; and cultivates a school environment where individuals of color feel safe and confident,” according to the WIS
website. Philip McAdoo’s report spurs action The Class of 2020 also urged the school to hire an external company to do an evaluation of racism at WIS and where WIS could improve in their initial email. In response, the school hired Philip McAdoo, a diversity and inclusion consultant, who filed a report with insight from focus groups of faculty, parents, students and alumni. McAdoo finished his report in March 2021. “I think one of the pieces that came out of the focus groups that we had with [McAdoo] is that students want to be seen in the curriculum,” International-mindedness, Diversity and Inclusion (IDI) director Lisa McNeill said. McAdoo’s report outlined where WIS could improve. The school set up the faculty IDI committee focused on three areas. “The group is looking at school culture,” McNeill said. “We’re looking at the curriculum and teaching, and we are also looking at professional development.” At the beginning of the year, the fund sponsored faculty IDI professional development, focused on intersectionality, led by an organization called Human Rights Campaign which will continue to do two faculty trainings a year. The fund also sponsored a review of library materials on both campuses. “We’ve done a review of the library materials at both primary school and Tregaron, really looking at what voices are missing and seeing how they reflect the population,” Jemsby said. Other responses to the McAdoo report consist of a faculty fair searching for faculty of color, which will foster relationships with Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) like Spellman University and Howard University.
See FUND, page 2
MAP BY BEKA TATHAM. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAMILA LEVEY (WARD 1), BEKA TATHAM (2), DAVID ALLEN (3), NAOMI BREUER (4), BEKA TATHAM (5), ROSE BOEHM (6), ANIEKAN UDOFIA (7) AND AUSTIN GRAFF/WASHINGTON POST (8)
features page 4 Editorial Dateline Staff’s majority opinion on recent dress policy reminder
Girls Varsity soccer speaks on sexism at WIS The perceived disparity stems from scheduling, promotion, support and general biases
sports page 7
science building By MAIA NEHME, 2023
After nearly six years of trying to secure regulatory approval for a new science building, WIS is now one step closer. The Board of Zoning Adjustment offered unanimous oral approval of the plan on July 21, 2021, according to Head of School Suzanna Jemsby. Although the building process is expected to proceed smoothly, some Macomb Street neighbors still have concerns about the new facilities. The return to fully in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year caused traffic on Macomb Street to reach pre-pandemic levels. Director of Marketing and Communications Kimberly Bennett believes that many neighbors have grown accustomed to the traffic. “Most people who live on the street accept the fact that there’s going to be bad traffic between eight o’clock and 8:30, and between 2:45 and 3:15,” Bennett said. “That’s the price you pay for living on a street with a school.” However, some neighbors fear the new science building’s creation will cause traffic to spike. “Trucks will sit out here at 5:30 a.m. running their motors until 8 when they’re allowed to start working,” Macomb Street resident Nick Ide said. “So there’s the [issue of] management of trucks and construction flow through the neighborhood.” Another common concern is that the school will increase the student enrollment cap and host more events after the building’s construction, which would inevitably cause traffic to surge. Bennett explained that although the school has made clear that it doesn’t plan to increase the enrollment cap, some neighbors are skeptical. “There’s already lots of coming and going [in terms of traffic],” Ide said. “And there’s a new set of promises made about, ‘No, we’re not increasing the number of students,’ but those promises historically get lost in the shuffle.” Bennett also pointed out that certain aspects of the building plan are being misinterpreted by neighbors. “We’re planning to put in a new cafeteria dining area,” she said. “The current one is way too small. And [the neighbors think] it’s a commercial kitchen that we’re going to use to host events.” Another point of contention throughout the years was some neighbors’ concerns about proper historic preservation. In order to construct a new building, WIS needed approval from the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) because the school is located on the historic Tregaron Estate. WIS initially presented its plan to the HPRB in October 2015, which was rejected, as well as several subsequent plans in 2016 and 2017.
See SCIENCE BUILDING, page 3
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Fall 2021 Homecoming Fashion Review arts page 5
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‘Audopher’ Newly engaged Andrew Sopher and Michaela Audette discuss the WIS origins of their relationship
opinion page 6
The D.C Scholarship Fund is a preexisting financial aid fund run by WIS for students that meet national poverty criteria, according to Jemsby. The students chose to
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NOVEMBER 2021
WIS creates new Gender Inclusion Policy in student handbook By JENNA LOESCHER-CLARK, 2024
portive environment of the school. “When WIS recently updated its Community schools have policies, it demonstrates to Handbook and added a gender inclusion the community what they stand for and policy. The policy is intended to support what they stand against,” Grades 9/10 Astransgender, nonbinary and gender-fluid sistant Principal Allison Ewing said. students. It includes details on how to ad- Ewing directed the inclusion policy dress bullying and discrimination, student drafting and involved Director of Student support, student privacy, support for tran- Information and Registrar Tracy Dodge, sitioning students, protocols for overnight International-Mindedness, Diversity and trips, physical education (P.E.) classes, Inclusion (IDI) Coordinator Lisa McNeill and Middle and Upper School Counselors bathrooms and yearbooks. The handbook states that the gender Marilyn Wilson Odhiambo and Kelsey Morinclusion policy was created using resourc- gan. “[Ewing] was really the one who speares such as GLBTQ Legal Advocates & De- headed the effort,” Morgan said. fenders (GLAD), the Human Rights Cam All teachers and faculty will receive paign (HRC) and Gay Lesbian and Straight training on how to support LGBTQ+ stuEducation Network (GLSEN). dents, led by Morgan and Wilson Odhiam “To create this safe environment (in bo. “We’re taking small steps, but thoughtregards to gender), WIS has adopted the ful steps,” Morgan said. following policies to support LGBTQ+ For students in the process of transimembers, including transgender, nonbitioning, they can initiate a plan with the nary and gender-fluid students,” the polschool to change their name, pronouns, icy states in its opening attire and accommoparagraph. dations. The plan will The handbook states “They can feel confident. highlight the date of that discriminatory beThey can feel good in their the transition, who havior such as the use skin. They can feel like they’re will be involved and of slurs, harassment or which updates to the accepted for who they are.” bullying is unacceptable student’s records will in the WIS community. be made. In terms of incidents regarding harrasSARAH POLLAND The policy describes steps for name ment, the next steps are and pronoun changes. defined in the handbook’s “Anti-bullying, Students in middle and upper school are child abuse and anti-harrasment policies” able to change their names and pronouns section, found on page 14. through OnCampus. This change will be After establishing racial inclusion polvisible to all students, faculty, staff and the icies, WIS identified a need for similar polstudents’ parents or guardians will be notiicies supporting LGBTQ+ students. “We’ve fied of the change. [created support policies] in areas of race. For students in primary school, teachWe do that in areas of academic support,” ers and parents or guardians will also be Upper School Principal Sarah Polland said. involved in the process and need to ap“I think gender is one that was lacking.” prove the changes. The policy is meant to put the ideals There is also the ability to change their of WIS into writing and solidify the sup-
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pronouns on OnCampus and on other platforms, such as Seesaw. Parents or guardians must contact the assistant principal to put gender changes on the schools’ records. In terms of P.E. and sports, the handbook has a specific plan. “A student will be permitted to participate in [P.E.] and health classes in a manner consistent with the student’s gender identity,” the handbook states. In extracurricular sports, students are able to compete with the team that is “consistent with the student’s gender identity,” as long as the league allows it. The Potomac Valley Athletics Conference (PVAC) recently established a gender inclusion policy that would allow WIS students to play with their preferred team. Students will have access to non-gendered locker rooms and bathrooms located throughout campus and in the locker room area. For overnight trips, students will be assigned by the gender on their record, unless “a student already has a Gender Support and Communication Plan in place that indicates a different preference.” This plan is personalized for each student. Writing the gender inclusion policy was a group effort, with counselors looking over to make sure no language was unintentionally harmful. Ewing also notes that the policies are open to editing, based on what works best for students and faculty. Ultimately, Polland hopes that if students have a safe space to express themselves at school, they will feel safer expressing themselves in the outside world as well. Furthermore, she hopes that once students finish their high school journeys, “They can feel confident. They can feel good in their skin. They can feel like they’re accepted for who they are.”
Students and teachers reflect on the Dress Policy By ISABELLA DUCHOVNY, 2024 The WIS administration recently reminded students and teachers of the Dress Policy. The reminder was sent out in the upper school’s weekly Devil’s Details, beginning the week of October 4, and teachers were previously reminded of expectations in a faculty meeting in early October. The Dress Policy, found in the Community Handbook, provides guidelines for students’ dress, what they can wear and what they can’t. “It’s not so much a change as much as there is a more purposeful approach to the dress [policy],” Grades 11/12 Assistant Principal James Bourke said. With everyone back on campus, the leadership team saw the need to remind the community. “We’re hearing from teachers and some students in our community who are feeling uncomfortable,” Bourke said. Both assistant principals believe their role is to uphold the dress policy. Andrew Sopher, a middle and upper school mathematics teacher, agrees. “The dress code is just, in my mind, another rule,” Sopher said. “It’s as simple as [not] running in hallways.” However, he wouldn’t dress code a female student if her bra straps are showing because “as a male teacher, that is outside of [his] comfort zone.” There is a wide variety of opinions on the dress policy. Grades 9/10 Assistant Principal Allison Ewing said she has heard both sides of the argument: those who are against the dress policy and those who support it. “I understand the reason behind it,”
upper school English teacher Susan Chung fying students generally wear. Fontaine said. “I like the idea of respecting “I’d be interested to see the data,” Ewthe institution and community, and I like ing said. She added that at her previous the idea of holding a certain standard.” school, Bullis School, they had a period of Many students are aware of the dress time where teachers would track who they policy and are opposed to it.“Unless it’s talked to and when they reviewed the data, something really revealing, like you can “there was not a really vast difference” see everything, the only person it’s really between male and female-identifying studisturbing is the person being dress cod- dents. ed because it makes them feel like [exple- “I’ve had a lot of conversations over tive],” sophomore Lila Lefevre-Iwata said. the years about the dress [policy], and Sophomore Charlotte Collins remem- specifically, female-identifying and febers teachers in previous years chasing af- male-gendered students feel that it’s unter her, trying to talk to her about the dress fair,” Chung said. “And they have good arpolicy and her clothes. Students added guments for that.” that the only thing the dress policy affects, Ewing and Bourke said they welcome if anything, is self-exdiscussions and student pression. perspectives. Sopher Sophomore Valeria and Chung agree, hop“I think it’s very sexist. I’ve Cuesta Lopez believes ing that the administranever seen a man get dress that the rule that teachtion and students come coded and I’ve seen them ers can report a student to a fair and inclusive walk around half-naked and to administrators inagreement. stead of directly telling “I don’t think no one even bats an eye.” them they’ve infringed everyone is an offender on the dress code policy AMARA MICKLE or even people are tryis unreasonable. ing to disrespect the in “If you have a probstitution,” Chung said. lem with me and my outfit, tell me direct- “It’s just that we all have different points ly,” Cuesta Lopez said. “But you have to of where respect and comfort and stanhave a reason behind it.” dards lie.” Another common concern is bias in Nevertheless, many students still the policy. don’t feel like their concerns are heard and “I think it’s very sexist,” sophomore think there is a lack of clarity behind the Amara Mickle said. “I’ve never seen a man dress policy. get dress coded, and I’ve seen them walk “It feels like the school should’ve done around half-naked and no one even bats an something to solve the issues around the eye.” dress policy ages ago, and they’ve still Freshmen Zora Brown and Maria Cris- done nothing,” sophomore Alex Wiseman tina Restrepo agree that the dress code pri- said. “It’s frustrating that this is still a conmarily restricts clothes that female-identi- versation.”
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Mara Wilson Fund FUND, from page 1 Continued frustration with lack of diversity at WIS While WIS has made efforts to strengthen racial education at the school through the fund, the lack of diversity at WIS still frustrates students. McAdoo’s report also found that students wanted more diversity from their faculty and peers. “Representation needs to happen simultaneously with this change of curriculum because the problem is not only having the educational material, it’s having somebody in the room with the adequate knowledge and experience to be able to say, ‘this is the right way to teach it and this is the right thing we’re teaching,’” Zegeye said. As of the 2020-2021 school year, 52% of the WIS student body identified as nonwhite. However, only 6% identified as African-American comparatively to 46% of the D.C. population that identifies as Black. Gray wishes other students that looked like him had the same opportunities he was given, like his full ride to college. He points out the return that WIS could receive bringing in more students of color. “It doesn’t really matter how many kids we sponsor,” Gray said. “If we sponsor one kid, we’re going to get a return on it, that’s what we understand by investment. WIS invested in me and my family so much.” However, becoming a more diverse space is a lot more difficult than it seems, according to Jemsby and Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Mary Hastings Moore. Hastings Moore explains that WIS attracts internationally minded families, and that people who come to WIS ultimately have shared values. Many American minority students may not have been exposed to these ideals like internationalism and language, according to Hastings Moore. “If you grow up in a very American focused educational system, you don’t have an appreciation for internationalism; you haven’t been exposed to languages,” Hastings Moore said. “We’re not going to resonate with you.” Additionally, in comparison with other D.C. independent schools, WIS is younger, with much smaller financial aid endowments. For example, Sidwell Friends School’s endowment is $60 million, compared to WIS’s $6 million endowment, according to Jemsby. “The average [financial aid award] at WIS is actually higher than the average reward at any of the other schools,” Jemsby said. “But we are able to give fewer awards because our endowments are smaller.” Both Jemsby and Hastings Moore emphasize the importance of diversity in the WIS community but outline that an obstacle to diversity is that families of color may be unlikely to choose WIS. Student creators of the fund agree that it is a good first step, but it is hard to educate on racial issues without significant numbers of students of color in the room. “If they’re going to put it in their mission statement, they need to be allocating money to actively making WIS a more diverse place, and I don’t know if they’re doing that,” Zegeye said. Students want to have further representation in the classroom and grant other students the same opportunities. “WIS invested in me as a little Black kid, and I’m trying to give back to other little Black kids like me,” Gray said. “I think that’s how WIS will grow. Inequalities will go down, diversity will go up and only the school can go up.” The Mara Wilson Fund creators hope that WIS will continue to make WIS as diverse as possible while simultaneously supporting students of color. “Obviously, this problem is not solved,” Walker said. “But I think that it is a first step, and I hope that this will inspire and lead to further more concrete steps and programs and changes.”
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d.c.news NOVEMBER 2021
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New D.C. history course Science building update: challenges students to Macomb Street neighbors explore the city’s roots By CAMILA LEVEY, 2022 Middle school students at WIS were introduced to a new elective course this year: D.C. History. The class introduces students to the rich history and culture in the city, covering a wide variety of topics from the Indigenous peoples who live in the area to the influence of Go-go music. Lauren Wright, a Middle School humanities teacher and the new D.C. History teacher, divided the topics into three subgroups. “Because it’s an elective course, there’s nothing that we have to cover,” Wright said. “I broke it into three different units: Indigenous history, the making of the capital city and government and African-American history. Students also do original research where they investigate topics that are current to D.C.” Wright’s interest in D.C. originated in being a D.C. resident but feeling that she lacked knowledge about the city. She feels that research and learning can help her become a better citizen. However, after the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, she felt that it was important for middle school students to learn about how the event relates to D.C. history. “As a teacher, the events of Jan. 6 crystalized that thinking for me,” Wright said. “I felt like middle school students were
missing important pieces of information to process something that was obviously really affecting them. It was our city, and it was confusing and maybe a little bit scary.” Wright also cited the international nature of WIS as a reason for starting the class. “I think it’s also really important to understand the historical context and the cultural context for where the school’s located, even if you’re not American or you’re not here for long,” Wright said. While planning the class, she was worried that middle school students would not want to take the course due to its more academic approach. However, D.C. history intrigued the students, and they helped her plan an assembly about the importance of the Anacostan, originally Nacotchtank, and Piscataway people in the area. Wright aspires to keep the course at WIS, and she is especially excited to take the students on field trips around D.C. to learn about the content of the course firsthand. She also hopes that the topics that students learn about will inspire them to take action to help the D.C. community. “The ideal scenario for me would be that this would be about history, but also social justice and action,” Wright said. “People could think about how we, as residents, can help the city that we live in. Part of that is understanding the history.”
D.C. violence: How will WIS keep its peace? By ALEXANDER DANIELYAN, 2022 It seems like every other day, there’s a new headline with the word “homicide” in the D.C. community’s daily media. There’s been more than just the COVID-19 pandemic troubling D.C. this year, as the city has been plagued by violent crime in all of its wards. 150 murders took place, making this the most violent year since 2004, according to MPD statistics. While violent crime is a daily occurence in some communities within the district, it has often remained unacknowledged. The emphasis on richer neighborhoods in select wards makes politicians turn a blind eye to the tragedies tearing apart lower-income communities. A whopping 60% of homicides in the city occurred in the two poorest wards (the poorest quarter) of the city, according to the MPD crime map. Additionally, Ward 8, the poorest ward in the city, had over 26 times more homicides than Ward 3, the richest ward, in 2021. This lack of city-wide acknowledgment was no different in 2021 until stories of violent crime started to spread throughout the entirety of the city. One such story is that of Nyiah Courtney, a six year old girl who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Southeast D.C. while waiting at a bus stop on July 16. Her death shocked the local community and inspired a community peace walk that ended on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, where Courtney had been shot days earlier. Despite this tragedy, the majority of the city remained ignorant of the level of violent crime that was slowly seeping into other D.C. communities, until July 22. Just days after Nyiah Courtney’s death, there was a shooting outside of Le Diplomate, an iconic French restaurant in Ward 2, the ward with the fewest annual murders. Two people were shot as people flooded into the restaurant for cover, terrified by the unfamiliar occurrence.
With a murder having occured this year in Cleveland Park, safety is as important as ever. Early in 2021, 54-year-old Donald Arndt was beaten to death by his son Christian Andt using a metal baseball bat during a psychotic episode. WIS senior Maya Lopez considers the WIS campus safe and secure, which is reflected by the low crime statistics of the neighborhood. While a guardhouse was set up in front of the school for security, some community members still have concerns about safety. Lopez highlights WIS’ location on the Tregaron Conservancy and its connection to Rock Creek Park, both of which are publicly accessible. “WIS could do more at its entrances to make it more secure,” she said. “If someone wanted to hurt WIS, it would be pretty easy,” Lopez said. “I don’t think WIS would be prepared in the case of a violent crime occurring on campus.” WIS security has a number of protocols and routines to ensure the safety of all students and faculty. Eric Monday is a security staff member who works to protect the community. “On a normal day, I come in at an early hour, like 5:50,” Monday said. “I open up the gates, turn on the alarms, unlock the guns and the doors, then start [directing] the traffic in the morning.” During the rest of the day, he monitors both the inside and outside of the building to ensure security. Monday also described the protocol in the event that there is an active shooter at WIS. “We make a P.A. announcement and communicate so that everyone knows where the gun is, we announce to emergency response team members that there’s an alert, then we call the police,” he said. Violent crime in D.C. is on the rise and safety is always a top priority for the WIS community. There are a number of measures taken so that those on campus remain safe and secure throughout the year and beyond.
COURTESY OF MICHAEL VERGASON
COURTESY OF SUZANNA JEMSBY
Top: WIS’s April/May 2017 science building proposal, depicting the view of the building from Macomb Street. This plan was rejected by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), primarily due to the building’s visibility from Macomb Street. Bottom: An overhead view of the current science building plan, which has been approved by both the HPRB and the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). The building will replace the Dacha and will no longer be visible from Macomb Street.
SCIENCE BUILDING, from page 1 “It is still difficult to reconcile how a building of this size, location, and overall impact are compatible with the character of the landmark,” the May 25, 2017 HPRB hearing staff report said. “It will be a full three stories tall at its highest point, unfortunately at the northwest corner where it is closest and most visible from Macomb Street.” Ide strongly opposed the previous building plan. “It was modern and looming over the street,” he said. “It seemed to me to be almost a violation of the historic nature of that property and the neighborhood.” Over the next few years, the school redesigned the building and it ultimately received approval from the HPRB on Dec. 3, 2020. According to Bennett, the revised plan included a permanent guard structure at the entrance to the school. Yet the HPRB decided that a permanent structure was in-
MILA MARTIN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
The new temporary guardhouse, located at WIS’s entrance and visible from Macomb Street. The guardhouse has caused tensions to grow between neighbors and the school, since some neighbors believe it defies Tregaron’s historic nature.
compatible with the historic nature of the property. WIS chose to implement a temporary guardhouse instead, since this technically didn’t defy the HPRB’s ruling against a permanent structure. “The neighbors who follow the process closely think that we have defied HPRB’s ruling… they’re unhappy because they believe it’s a slap in the face to the neighborhood,” Bennett said. “Some of them thought that a guard house would look intimidating or unwelcoming.” The conflict over the temporary guardhouse is indicative of the larger debate between neighbors and the school over the issue of historic preservation. “I can’t replace my front door,” Ide said. “I can’t build a little rain shelter in front of the house without going to the Historic Review Board. Minor changes to our houses suddenly become a big deal. And yet, [WIS is] going to build some shiny edifice that stares up here in this neighborhood.” But not all of the Macomb Street neighbors feel this way. “[Some] take historic preservation very strongly and take the view that what’s there should remain there, and what’s not there should not be added there,” Macomb Street resident Bob Ward said. “Others, including myself, would say that you have to respect the historic landmarks that we create, but they have to be kept up to date to fit in with the time.” Ultimately, despite the clashes between some neighbors and the school, many neighbors are in favor of the new building. “Construction projects come and go, and then you’ve got a great product. Right now, I’m looking out my window at the beautiful Cleveland Park library. It was a mess during the construction project, but it’s over, and now we’ve got this wonderful library,” Ward said. “I take the long view that construction projects are fleeting, and a lasting product is what you’re looking for.”
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features NOVEMBER 2021
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‘Audopher’: A WIS love story for the ages By ZOE HÄLLSTRÖM, 2024 Ever since Middle and Upper School Mathematics Teacher Andrew Sopher and Middle School Learning Specialist Michaela Audette started dating, WIS students have been invested in their relationship. For the first time in three years, they are addressing their relationship and recent engagement with International Dateline. Although they have been shipped for years by students, the couple just decided on their ship name, Audopher. “It makes me smile the most because it’s ridiculous,” Sopher said. Sopher came to WIS in 2019 as a longterm substitute for Middle School Science Teacher Amy Tong-Meisels. That week, Audette was at professional development in Texas. When she returned to campus, they touched base so that she could get Sopher acclimated with the student body. Their first impressions of each other were indifferent. “I was sizing him up as a teacher and not as someone I was looking to date,” Audette said. Sopher shared a similar sentiment. “I was focused on new buildings, new students, new classrooms. Everything was just new for me, so I didn’t put much thought into anything in particular,” Sopher said. The couple first hung out in large groups and soon realized that they had lots of things in common. “We just kept gravitating towards each other,” Audette said. They chaperoned field trips, minimester trips, and the school dance together. “When you see TV shows and movies, there’s this whole build-up to, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to go on a date,’ but our first unofficial date was when we went to the middle school [musical], ‘Anything Goes,’” Sopher said. After the musical, the two of them, as well as Middle School Principal Randy Althaus and former Media and Theater Coordinator Mark Perkins, ate dinner on the rooftop at the Cleveland Park Bar and Grill. Later, Althaus and Perkins left at the same time, leaving Audette and Sopher alone. “They knew exactly what they were doing... but they’ll never admit it,” Sopher
ILLUSTRATED BY ABIGAIL AND ELLA BOWN
Michaela Audette and Andrew Sopher got engaged during summer 2021. said. The next week, the couple had dinner together again. “It happened organically,” Sopher said. Audette describes Sopher as “competitive, thoughtful and detail-oriented.” When asked about Sopher’s beard, she said that she finds it attractive to a certain point. She thought that his famous COVID beard was “too much.” “Andrew was sometimes like, ‘why did you let me do that?’ and I’m like ‘because if I told you not to do it, you would have grown it twice as long,’” she said. Sopher compares Audette to a golden retriever because she’s happy-go-lucky,
a people pleaser and doesn’t like conflict. “She’s very thoughtful in the way that she thinks about the world, in the way that she thinks about our relationship, the way she thinks about our dog, thinks about my family and her family,” Sopher said. The couple likes cooking together and eating out. Some of their favorite restaurants are Siam House, Hank’s Oyster Bar, El Chucho and Medium Rare. “During COVID, [we made] an effort to not travel too much for food and eat as close to this area as possible, even if it was just takeout, to support the Cleveland Park neighborhood,” Sopher said. The couple also likes running and hik-
ing together in Rock Creek Park. At school, Sopher and Audette didn’t try to hide their relationship. The faculty caught on pretty quickly, and then the students did too. “It’s common knowledge and it’s part of the conversation if students want it to be,” Sopher said. Now, even some parents are invested in their relationship. “I’ve gotten a few emails recently from parents saying a short congratulations on the engagement, so the parent community knows,” he said. The couple said that working together hasn’t affected their relationship, especially since Sopher works primarily in the Upper School and Audette works in the Middle School. “There are days where we don’t see each other at work or don’t communicate at work, ” Audette said. They catch up at home. “There are positives because we know everybody, so we can have a good conversation,” Sopher said. The only downside of working together was that during distance and hybrid learning, they were working in their apartment at the same time. “Two people having Zoom meetings in an apartment can be overwhelming and stressful,” Sopher said. During the pandemic, the couple started discussing the possibility of getting married. “We have similar life plans or goals so we’ve always been able to talk out loud together about [the] future,” Sopher said. They looked at rings in April and May of 2021, once things were starting to return to normal. “It was silly to get married during COVID because people would want to see us, to celebrate, to see the ring... we were very COVID conscious so we put everything on hold,” Sopher said. Sopher proposed this summer while they were on vacation on Anna Maria Island in Florida. The couple was having a picnic on a beach. “I was surprised in the moment,” Audette said. As Audette shoved a handful of chips in her mouth, Sopher took the ring out. “I had the ring [out] so it’s not like I could hide it. I was like, ‘Oh, okay, I guess this is happening,’” Sopher said.
food
Connecticut Avenue’s Cracked Eggery: An egg done right By BIJAN AKHTARZANDI-DAS and GIOVANNI MANCINI-GRIFFOLI, 2023 The chicken or the egg? Take the egg, if it’s from Cracked Eggery! If you are looking for a protein-filled meal, a nearby location and friendly service, be sure to check out the new Cracked Eggery in Cleveland Park. Among a large selection of egg sandwiches and egg-based bowls, we suggest the unique egg burger, a WIS student favorite. From food stand to food truck and now to restaurant, Cracked Eggery grew from one success to the next. Clients have come to the restaurant in search of something new since its opening on Sep. 10. The restaurant boasts a 4.4 star rating on Google Reviews and has experienced a large increase in customers since its opening day, according to a Cracked Eggery vendor. In response to the high demand, the restaurant extended its closing time from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Among the juniors at WIS, the restaurant has received high praise. “It’s the best place to eat on Connecticut,” Juan Deverines García said. Many other students were equally impressed when first trying the restaurant. “I found that it was very different from the norm in the way that it explores different tastes,” junior Sebastian Illing said. “I had never seen an egg on a burger, but it actually tastes surprisingly good.”
The eatery can accommodate about two dozen customers inside and another dozen outside. The restaurant is fun and its relaxing music is welcoming. The delicious smell of eggs wafts from the large kitchen. “The very lively atmosphere and the niceness of the waiters make up the great experience of eating at Cracked Eggery,” Deverines García said. Scurrying waiters and emphatic orders from the kitchen ensure the food is served in no time. Apart from its signature egg sandwiches and bowls, Cracked Eggery serves a variety of sweet and savory Tater Tots, as well as a few dishes from around the world. The most acclaimed is the “Seoul Mate Bowl;” a Korean combination of pork belly and kimchi. The restaurant also provides a few pescatarian and vegetarian options,
such as “The Bubby,” a salmon, egg, and cream cheese sandwich. Illing became an immediate fan of “The Bubby.” “It was a combination of flavors I don’t usually like that come together to form something I actually really liked,” he said. Additionally, the eatery provides a large variety of gluten free rice bowls. “I was actually pleasantly surprised by how many options they had,” junior Eleanor Hawkins said. Hawkins has Celiac disease, and often struggles to find options at restaurants. For those with parents who watch over their nutrition, here are some reasons why an egg-based diet can actually be healthy. Eggs are the only source of natural proteins that contain all 21 amino acids. Nine of these amino acids cannot be synthesized by our bodies and must be acquired from our diet.
Cracked Eggery serves a variety of sandwiches, each with a different egg.
In fact, the Biological Value scale ranks eggs at the most efficient source of protein. Plus, most sources claim that it is healthy to eat up to three eggs per day. Because of its excellent source of protein, the Cracked Eggery menu is also perfectly suitable for gym rats! Despite its many positive aspects, Cracked Eggery does not provide any background information or guarantees on the quality and origins of its ingredients. In a society that is increasingly looking for healthy and ecological options, the eatery should opt for an all organic menu and offer more vegetarian alternatives. However, the minimal use of wrapping and packaging is appreciated by environmental enthusiasts. Cracked Eggery will likely become a prominent part of the Connecticut Avenue restaurant scene due to its original menu full of healthy choices, a lively atmosphere and an ideal location. Checking out Cracked Eggery is a must for WIS students and faculty.
COURTESY OF CRACKED EGGERY
INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
arts
5
NOVEMBER 2021
HOCO Fashion review By BIANCA PATTISON, 2023 Dateline’s Bianca Pattison reviews WIS’s 2021 homecoming outfits. Photos courtesy of senior Mila Martin and Guy Neal.
Best Dressed Couple
Best Dressed Chaperone
Of all the couples at homecoming, the best dressed of the night were juniors Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das and Sara Oueijan. They both brought formal but fun as they rocked the color coordination of burgundy in their outfits.
Everyone was clamoring to get a picture with Charles Gueboguo (pictured centrally), the best dressed chaperone of the night. His look was classy and colorful, the perfect combo for the theme.
Best dress
Best SUIT
Honorable mention (SUit)
The best dress of the night was worn by the lovely Olivia Matuschek, a senior, in a stunning red dress. The dress was unique but classic with ruffles and the perfect statement color for the theme.
Taking the title of best suit is junior Max Bakker, sporting a James Bond-esque tux. He was fully decked out with ruffles and a bowtie, both formal and fitting the theme.
Shoutout to the freshmen boys, Dex Illing, Luca Delcoco and Anton Jordan (left to right) who brought the house down with their young, fresh suits and their identical hand placement.
A look into narrative film class By ISABELLA DUCHOVNY, 2024 Project Studio B is full of ninth and 10th graders working to create short films about tacos and mystery and everything in between. They are part of the narrative film class, taught by Michael McCorkle. The class is very popular, and due to strong interest, the school is offering the class in an extra block next semester. Narrative film is divided into multiple groups that act as production companies. The first group, sophomores Klara Young, Lila Lefevre-Iwata, Ava Gonzalez, William Crawford and Martina Tognato-Guaqueta, call themselves One Girl production. They have finished filming their movie and are now working on the editing process. “Basically, the story is [Crawford], who’s playing George, all of his things go missing and his friends are missing too,” Lefevre-Iwata said. “The only person left is this new girl he doesn’t know.” Part of the class’s appeal is the unique moments that happen during filming. One time, Crawford’s pants ripped when they were filming. “It was a scene where I kidnap [Crawford] into the classroom, and [his pants] caught on the door handle,” Lefevre-Iwata said. They replayed the scene and the rip was audible in the recording. The second group was working in A03 to download music for their film. They were using classical music to match the main character’s personality. “I’m a fine arts guy,” sophomore John Merz added jokingly. Tu tu Productions consists of sophomores Samuel Huffard and John Merz and freshmen Margot Stavropoulos and Francisco Gonzalez-Berrington. They created a movie about a high school reunion, an idea Huffard had last year when he took narrative film and wanted to try out. The third group, Diversity Highers Incorporated, has just finished filming.
The group, sophomores Robert Heneghan, Biram N’Diaye, Kyle McIndoe and Leo Franusic Dauphin, were creating a movie called Tacos for TikTok. Franusic Dauphin is the lead actor and Heneghan took on the role of directing. “In the early days, we did nothing, and two classes ago we had to start reshooting everything because it was all awful,” Heneghan said. He also added that students are given “a lot of room [to] experience the filming process for ourselves.” While each students’ favorite part of class differs, they all have one thing in common: their love for Craft Services. Craft Services is a table in Project Studio B that McCorkle puts together for students in his classes and clubs to enjoy. The idea stems from how, in real movie productions, the staff is there all day and so they’re provided with a snack table. McCorkle is recreating this for his classes. One person from each group in the narrative film class brings something in, so it’s a collaboration. “It’s a lovely idea and we all really appreciate it,” Heneghan said. However, students want to remind their peers that there are some guidelines. “It was also reported that students not associated with the narrative film classes, the clubs that I sponsor or receive the emails that I send, have been availing themselves to the craft services table,” McCorkle said in an email. He asked students to extend him the couresy of asking for permission before taking snacks if they aren’t in a narrative film class, The 3100 Show, Black Student Union, or the Upper School Film Club. “He’s never going to say no if you ask [McCorkle], but it’s very impolite to just go ahead and take some,” Huffard said. Overall, students enjoy the class, love their teacher, and would highly recommend it. “We would recommend it and we really think [McCorkle] makes the class special,” Heneghan said.
Most underdressed
Juniors Terrence Williams and Alejandro Diaz-Lerman came to homecoming dressed more for a day in New Orleans than a night, but killed it nevertheless. Williams repped his favorite institution, Salisbury University, and Diaz-Lerman showed off his knowledge of monochrome.
opinion
Mansfield Park: Why art can’t exist in a vacuum By MAIA NEHME, 2023 Convoluted love triangles. Elaborate fêtes. Characters with dubious motivations. When I first read “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen, I was dazzled by its glitz and glamour. I was swept up in the dramatic lives of the Regency-era elite through the naive eyes of the protagonist, Fanny Price. But a closer look at the text reveals the underlying influence of slavery on the 19th century British upper class. Towards the beginning of “Mansfield Park,” Fanny’s uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, has to leave home for his property in Antigua on “business.” He departs for Antigua in 1808, the year after the slave trade was abolished in England. With the slave trade’s abolition, the influx of enslaved people to the Caribbean halted. This change, coupled with high mortality rates due to inhumane living conditions for enslaved people, created a labor shortage. Many British plantation owners at the time traveled to the Caribbean to resolve this issue, which was likely the motivation behind Bertram’s return to Antigua. Additionally, Bertram’s home in Britain, the titular Mansfield Park, is described as being modern. This contrasts heavily with the centuries-old family estates described in Austen’s other books. Mansfield Park’s modern style suggests that Bertram is “new money” and used funds acquired from his sugar plantation to build the estate, according to The Telegraph. Many wealthy British individuals in the 19th century had ties to slavery, and Jane Austen was no exception. Like Bertram, Austen’s father was a trustee of an Antigua sugar plantation, which meant that she could focus on her writing instead of supporting her fami-
ly, according to CBC. The beloved tea she sipped while drafting her novels must have been a product of slave labor. Clearly, Austen benefitted economically from slavery. Writers are often told to “write what they know,” which is precisely what she did: she modeled her characters after her family. Slavery is inextricably intertwined with her life and her work. But because Sir Thomas Bertram’s involvement in slavery is never explicitly stated in the novel, some Janeites, devoted fans of Austen’s work, choose to ignore these subtle allusions. Jane Austen’s House, a museum located in Chawton, England, recently chose to include her references and personal ties to slavery in their exhibits, according to the New York Times. The museum received backlash from Janeites for its decision, many of whom labeled it “revisionist history.” Some claim that Austen was an abolitionist and that therefore the museum is unfairly portraying her in a negative light. It’s unclear whether this is the case. In some letters to her sister, she described her love for William Cowper’s poems. Cowper was a fervent abolitionist who often wrote about the horrors of slavery. But other then these hints to her support of the abolitionist movement, Austen’s letters never reference slavery. Other Janeites feel that discussing her allusions and personal connections to slavery is unnecessary. These fans treat Austen’s work like it exists in a vacuum. But by dismissing her family’s links to slavery, we ignore the reality that 19th century British high society profited from the institution. No matter how morally reprehensible they found it, they benefited from it through increased financial stability.
INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
opinion
6
NOVEMBER 2021
EDITORIAL: Dissecting the wis dress policy The WIS administration reminded students of the WIS dress policy via the weekly Devil’s Details on Oct. 4. Since then, the dress policy has been included in every Devil’s Details. This dress policy was nothing new, although in recent years teachers and administrators had largely relaxed its enforcement. In practice, the dress policy disproportionately applies to girls, and when paired with the administration’s announcement, it blames this heightened policing on the girls themselves. The dress policy has an inherent gender disparity. Of course, no clothing is inherently “men’s” or “women’s” clothing. However, in our society, gender is polarized such that norms for men and women are defined, in part, by being opposites. For this reason, most types of clothing are marketed at and typically worn by one gender or the other. The gendering of clothing is especially true in a high school setting, where social pressures emphasize social conformity. The dress policy primarily attacks girls because most of the prohibited clothing is part of current women’s fashion, not men’s. More girls than boys wear cropped, strapless or backless tops: the dress policy prohibits all three. More girls than boys wear bras, so they have more undergarments to hide: according to the dress policy, even accidentally showing a bra strap is considered “unacceptable.” Shorts marketed towards girls are typically shorter than those marketed to-
wards boys, and it can often be hard for strap just as offensive as a derogatory girls to tell whether shorts are too short T-shirt slogan? Without tank top straps, until they’re at school and it’s too late. are girls’ shoulders somehow provocaRegardless, the dress policy blames girls. tive? If “appearance is a source of pride,” Not all of the dress policy dispropor- then are girls’ bodies a point of shame? tionately impacts girls. It is reasonable Does the dress policy want students to to expect that all clothing must be clean, look professional? If jeans and a hoodie are because dirty clothing could make school considered professional, but a short skirt property dirty as well. It is not problem- is not, then this idea of “professionalism” atic to expect students to wear shoes. De- stems from the same gendered respectabilrogatory messages should not be allowed ity standard that plagues the dress policy in any context, including clothing. But itself. Does the dress policy want to prepare the dress policy’s particstudents for a workular fixation on regulatplace where casual ing girls’ clothing mirIf “appearance is a source attire is inapproprirors a historic trend of ate? If that were the of pride,” then are girls’ female hypersexualization. case, it would require bodies a point of shame? a formal uniform. In We live in a society where girls are taught that addition, for most their bodies distract men: students, the next that, by dressing in clothing deemed un- step after WIS is university. If what we wear respectable, they are responsible for any before employment determines what we’ll unwanted male attention. It’s hard not wear to our jobs, then every college-eduto read that stigma between the lines of cated employee would wear sweatpants the dress policy. More women’s clothing to work. Of course, the notion is absurd. is prohibited than men’s clothing, and to The IB instills a stressful academic cliparaphrase the dress policy announce- mate, and high school creates social stress ment, wearing this clothing indicates dis- on top of that. Students shouldn’t experespect for the WIS community. In fact, rience additional anxiety about whether the dress code states that “appearance they are accidentally wearing too-short is a source of pride,” heavily implying shorts, especially if that worry predomithat girls should be ashamed of wearing nantly applies to one specific gender. In mainstream women’s fashion because the announcement, the administration it somehow counteracts ‘serious work.’ acknowledged that students should feel What, exactly, is so inappropri- comfortable, but that can’t happen with a ate about a girl’s stomach? Why is a bra dress policy that’s anachronistic and bla-
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WIS seniors: Let’s change our attitude towards college By ELISE NAFTULIN, 2022 The college admissions fever is upon us. Common App. Coalition. UCAS. Most seniors have already submitted applications, while others are just weeks away from their first deadlines. No matter what, it’s a stressful time for everyone. Unfortunately, WIS seniors’ predominant attitude towards college is destructive. We as WIS seniors need to unite around this common experience, not tear each other down. At least once a day, I hear some form of college-related competition among students. I hear seniors express concern about applying to the same schools as supposedly “better” students. I’m worried. Person X mentioned they’re applying to my top school. Their grades are amazing. Translation: They’re going to steal my spot. Similarly, I hear seniors’ dismay after learning that they might go to college with someone they don’t like. I hear seniors name-drop and joke about schools they don’t consider to be “good,” not considering that someone in the room could be applying there. I hear students compare GPAs and guess each others’ standardized test scores. I hear students predict where other students will end up. And I’ll willingly admit, I’m guilty of these too. Of course, these attitudes aren’t coming from nowhere. We have too many sources of input in the college process: a process that should be our own. I’ve learned to accept that, whenever an adult finds out how old I am, they’ll ask, “So, what colleges are you looking at?” I’ve gotten lectures from people who barely know me about where I should apply. On a national level, the highest-ranked schools on U.S. News and other rankings are automatically considered the “best” schools, where everyone should aspire to attend, even if they aren’t best suited to a student’s interests or way of learning. Our individual decision-making process takes on layer after layer of external pressure. So it’s to be expected, then, that we’ve absorbed the attitudes around us. I know I
Progress in peril as Republicans take over Virginia By ZACHARY S. PAN, 2023
GRAPHIC BY ABIGAIL BOWN
have. I consider the prestige of my future school and spend too much time worrying how others might react to where I end up. But even if we can’t rewire our brains to think differently about college, we need to stop encouraging those attitudes in our peers. Every college has a certain reputation, but we need to collectively acknowledge that prestige doesn’t necessarily translate to the best education. In fact, the US News ranking system itself is biased towards wealthy and already-prestigious schools. Besides, every student has their own goals. Only they know what they are and what schools will provide the opportunities they want. We need to stop comparing grades or college lists or Early Decision schools. We need to stop dismissing certain schools as “bad” schools. We need to stop asking our peers what specific schools they are applying to and allow each other to share the parts of their process they want. Everyone’s process is different. Some of us have held onto a “dream school” for years. Some of us have no idea where we’d like to end up. We need to talk in terms of “college”: a place and/or time that we’re excited about and that our friends or classmates are excited about. The college admissions process is tough, and we need to support those around us to help everyone get through it.
In a disheartening development, Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin defeated former Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s gubernatorial election on Nov. 2. By electing Youngkin, Virginia struck a devastating blow against decency and progress in the Commonwealth. Youngkin centered his campaign around divisive culture wars. He blasted COVID restrictions. He vowed to eliminate mask and vaccine mandates. His central campaign pledge was to ban critical race theory in public schools. What is truly absurd is that critical race theory is an academic framework on racial justice that is not even taught in public schools to begin with. The fact that Youngkin prevailed by undermining science and inciting false fears is deeply disturbing. Youngkin’s victory also endangers years of progress in Virginia. Over the past two years of Democratic leadership, Virginia has passed clean energy bills, implemented background checks on firearm sales, expanded healthcare access and made voting more accessible. Youngkin opposes these initiatives and has promised to “change the trajectory of the commonwealth.” It is likely that Youngkin will attempt to repeal progressive policies, and implement new restrictions on abortion. Fortunately, Youngkin’s power will not be unchecked. Democrats still maintain a fragile one-seat majority in the Virginia state senate and can halt Youngkin’s more radical proposals. Critically, many WIS seniors and juniors will have the opportunity to defend that majority in the 2023 legislative elections. Nov. 2’s defeats were a bitter pill to swallow. Glenn Youngkin and his Republican allies will undoubtedly seek to return Virginia to the past. In the end, progress will depend on the resolve of the Virginia State Senate and the commitment of young voters like us.
tantly unrealistic. An overwhelming portion of women’s tops that are produced are cropped, and this is especially true in the summer. During hot weather, it can be particularly difficult to find clothes that adhere to the dress policy while being comfortable. Anyone who wears a bra knows how hard it can be to match a bra with a shirt that will hide it. Women’s shirts are often see-through or too thin or low-cut, which usually isn’t evident before buying. The dress policy hides sexist views behind a facade of professionalism. It is antithetical to the respect it seeks to promote, and it must be revamped. Its sections that target girls must be revoked, and its language must be revised, so that it no longer upholds unacceptable prejudice.
international dateline November 2021 Editorial Board Managing Editors Rose Boehm Beka Tatham
WIS News Naomi Breuer
Publications Editor Abigail Bown
Global News Alek Danielyan Camila Levey
MS Dateline Student Adviser Maia Nehme
Sports Philip He Rauf Hurcan
Print Design Abigail Bown Naomi Breuer Isabella Duchovny
Opinion Elise Naftulin Federico Opertti
Features Marketing Managers Zoe Hällström Rani Kumar Natalie Sanchez Arts Isabella Duchovny Photography Mila Martin Food Julia Dell’Ariccia Illustrator Ella Bown Back Page Maya Lopez 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.
INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
sports
7
NOVEMBER 2021
Girls varsity soccer team speak on sexism at WIS By ELIANA AEMRO SELASSIE and LAUREN BROWNELL, 2023 As each new school year begins, excitement for WIS soccer teams continues. However, many players on the girls varsity soccer team feel that they are treated differently than the boys varsity team. The perceived disparity stems from a number of issues including scheduling, promotion, support and general biases. Senior and girls varsity soccer player Ana Diaz-Young believes that the differing treatment comes from scheduling issues, more specifically their lack of home games. As the vast majority of their games are away, the players have to leave school early to attend, meaning they have to miss classes. The scheduling of away games means players have to return home late which further affects their schoolwork. “Because it’s my senior year, all my classes are really difficult,” Diaz-Young said. “I have so many things to do [like] college [applications] and coming home super late at night is really difficult.” Additionally, the girls team has games that cut into class time. Their quarter-final game against Washington Waldorf School started at 2:30 and their semi-final game against Sandy Spring Friends School was at 3:00. Team members have also noticed that the girls team is promoted differently than the boys. Regardless of home or
MILA MARTIN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
Left to right: Abigail Bown, Juliette Bakker and Kiri Diaz-Asper.
away games, the boys varsity soccer team is known to have considerably more supporters than the girls. “I think it’s always nice to have a group of people supporting you, because it shows that people are interested in what you’re doing,” junior Eleanor Hawkins said. “But the more difficult part is the comparison between the guys getting that support, and the girls not.” The girls team’s lack of promotion within the WIS community contributes to the disparity in support between both teams. The boys soccer team typically receives significant promotion from spirit coordinator emails, while promotion forthe girls’ team is either at the end of the email, or not there at all. Alumnae have experienced similar problems in the past. “In terms of fan attendance, the team just felt demoralized when we noticed a lot more fans show up for the guys game which was right after ours,” Alumna Julia Brownell, WIS Class of 2020, said. Junior and International Student Union (ISU) spirit coordinator Juan Peltier explains that he didn’t realize the impact of the unequal promotion of the girls team until recently. “But now that it’s my responsibility, now that I know about it, and I’m focused on it, there’s more publicity that can be shown for the girls varsity soccer team,” he said. However, Hawkins also blames the team’s schedule for the lack of fans, as most of their more competitive games are away. “It’s not necessarily as fun, or as enticing to watch [the girls less competitive home games] as the [boys] game against Gonzaga, which is obviously a really good team that will have a really fun, interesting game,” she said. The disproportionate treatment of the girls team is visible not only in their games, but also practices. Hawkins explains that the girls team has to share the field with either the junior varsity or varsity boys teams, and rarely get the entire field to themselves. “Not being able to practice as a whole unit, not having that space to practice inhibits our ability to learn new skills and to practice our endurance,” Hawkins said. “There’s a lack of respect towards the girls’ practice space.” Additionally, there is a notable disparity among the resources available to the girls team. “We have four balls that are normally not pumped, when the guys have a whole bag of mostly matching balls and it’s super organized,” Diaz-Young said. Hawkins explains that her biggest frustration is the number of small issues, like old uniforms and deflated balls. “It’s
MILA MARTIN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
The girls varsity soccer team celebrates after a goal by junior Eleanor Hawkins.Left to right: Mariana Savastano, Celeste Martin, Eleanor Hawkins, Lydia May, Sarah Fertikh and Malena Suarez Touzon.
an easy fix,” she said. Boys varsity soccer player Nikola Zec believes that a significant cause of the issue is people’s general biases towards women’s soccer. “There’s a stigma that they’re not as good or the level isn’t as competitive,” he said. “And I think because of that stigma, people don’t always show up to the games as much as the boys.” Alumna Riley Contee, WIS Class of 2021, agrees with this assessment. “I believe that a change in the mentality of the student body around supporting one team over another could be beneficial,” she said. WIS’s new Athletic Director Floreal Pedrazo disagrees that the disparity in the girls soccer team’s treatment is because of scheduling. “It’s pretty balanced out in
regards to who gets the field for practice, who gets the field for games, who gets which pass to go on away games,” he said. “And there’s no difference between boys and girls.” He also explains that scheduling alternates annually, as one year the girls will have many away games and then next year the boys will. However, Pedrazo acknowledges that there is an imbalance in terms of fan attendance at the girls games in comparison to the boys. “If there’s a chance to increase attendance for girls, we should,” he said. “I hope to see more support and hype around girls soccer in the future,” Brownell said. “That would be a huge step towards improving the culture of sports at WIS.”
*Including sixth period for upperclassmen.
DATA COURTESY OF WIS
Soccer Coach James Martin’s PVAC reign comes to an end By PHILIP HE, 2022 After taking a sabbatical then retiring from WIS to travel in France, former economics teacher James Martin returned to his position as head coach of the boys varsity soccer team. “When I retired, it got a bit complicated because of some scheduling issues,” Martin said. “In the end it didn’t work out, and I decided not to return [to teach]. However, I hate to leave abruptly, and I wanted to keep ties with WIS so I asked to coach one more season.” However, Martin’s plans were interrupted by the pandemic, which caused the 2020-2021 season to be cancelled. Nonetheless, Martin intended to keep his promise of coaching, and with the arrival of new Athletic Director Floreal Pedrazo, Martin was a prime candidate for the position. “Not one of the soccer coaches, nor the athletic director has been through a season of soccer before,” Martin said. “There’s just so many weird little things to know about scheduling. I was the only person who had done it for a long time.”
Throughout Martin’s time coaching at WIS, the boys varsity soccer team has turned into a serial winner of the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) league and tournament. But it hasn’t always been this way. Martin originally started coaching in 2009 with no experience in tactics and training. “I should not have been coaching soccer,” he said. “There’s no way.” Miraculously, the team managed to win their first season undefeated with both PVAC banners. However, Martin attributes that win more to luck. “[Winning that season] was the worst thing that could happen to me,” Martin said. “The first game of the [next season] we lost 7-0 to Sandy Spring [Friends School].” This losing streak continued, and at the end of the season, WIS was in the middle of the PVAC table, a long cry from the champions they were the previous season. “I tried this, and I tried that, but I just wasn’t good enough of a coach to figure out [what went wrong],” Martin said. “I had not spent enough time [on tactics] in my first season because I got lucky. The worst
thing that can happen to coaches is when they have a lucky season.” His complacency in his first season made him realize that he had to work harder tactically and gain a better understanding of soccer to become a better coach. Since then, Martin has led WIS to a state title in 2016 and several PVAC titles, including this year. His return to WIS was a shock to some players. “I was surprised,” senior and boys varsity Co-Captain Matteo Caloia said. “It showed great dedication for him to come back whilst not teaching.” With Martin’s return comes his specific playing style. “His playing style is very focused on team play rather than individual runs,” senior and Co-Captain Jonathan Baunsgaard said. “He’s looking at how we can work together to move the ball up the field effectively without having to dribble past three or four players.” WIS maintained a record of nine wins, one loss, and one draw, and played against competitive teams outside of the PVAC such as the Maret School and Sidwell Friends School.
However, before the D.C. State Athletic Association (DCSAA) boys soccer championship tournament (“states”), there were still some concerns about facing bigger teams such as Gonzaga College High School, which was WIS’s only loss this season. “We were dominating right at the beginning of the game,” Martin said. “However, our [lack of] fitness and athleticism started to embarrass us.” Baunsgaard agrees with this assessment. “There’s always a bit of fitness missing in our practices, especially in the preseason,” Baunsgaard said. Unfortunatley, the boys soccer team lost 0-1 to the Maret School in the DCSAA quarterfinals on Nov. 12, ending their season with a PVAC championship banner, but no states title. This bittersweet ending also marks the end of Martin’s role as boys soccer coach, as he will not be returning next year. But, despite a sad loss in states, the team still had a great season. “I’m finally retiring just when I’m getting decent at coaching,” he joked.
INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
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NOVEMBER 2021
The airconditioning errors of WIS By FINN PORTER and KAI VON LIPSEY, 2023
ILLUSTRATED BY ABIGAIL AND ELLA BOWN, 2023
Fluctuating temperatures have long plagued Tregaron Campus’ Mansion and Carriage House. “The school needs to fix it,” Stuart Campbell-Jourdan said. Students and faculty alike agree that classes should not be hosted in an ice cave. “The air conditioning should have been left in the 1900s with the carriages,” Campbell-Jourdan remarked icily. “My house has better AC, and it was built in the 1840s.” Despite the apparent function of the machinery, as denoted by its constant droning, no actual temperature control takes place. “I feel like I’m in an airport when I’m in the Mansion [because] there’s so much noise,” one student stated. He added that because of his ADHD, the AC’s ambient noise often distracts him. Many students can vouch that the white noise often lulls people to sleep. The only thing that wakes them is the biting cold. However, those who wear flannels
and snow pants often miss the entire class as the frigid temperatures do not wake them from their slumber. As it stands, the school need not worry about scandalous clothing as people are too cold to wear anything but ski gear to school. Some students have taken to wearing apparel such as winter sweaters, ski jackets, and even, albeit rarely, pajama onesies. Science teachers should start leaving the fetal pigs out without properly preserving them, as the Carriage House closely resembles a meat locker when it comes to temperature. However, there are potential downsides to the ambient temperature being so low. After all, the Carriage House is the one building where the temperature is directly linked to students’ education. Upon returning the samples you’re using for your biology Internal Assessment (IA), you might find them frozen. As it stands, the school administration should consider changing the school motto to “Winter is coming,” which would be more appropriate.
WHO is THE BAD
PARKER? Senior Edition
It’s only been a few months since the start of school, and the seniors have already provided a wide selection of bad parking. See if you can guess who did what parking job!
COURTESY OF MATHIAS CERISOLA
MAIA NEHME/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
OLIVIA YOUNG/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
The story behind the red car: “As I was parking my car there was one more space available which meant I had to parallel park on the side of the road right beside a fairly steep hill. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but when I was adjusting my car after pulling into the spot, I couldn’t reverse anymore. At this point, I walked out to see what was wrong and [the] back wheel was elevated slightly above the ground. Since the road was so thick, it almost acted as a curb at the cutoff where the road ends and the grass starts. [I] went back in to fix it and now the hill right by the parking caused problems because reversing my car would only lead to the car slipping downwards even more. [I] had to wait until after school where some faculty and I called a tow truck to pull the car back up from the side of the hill. WIS’s parking spots are way less than ideal. Like, there are good parking spots, then there are bad ones, and then there’s WIS’s parking spots... I would say that if I hadn’t been rushing to get to class early, I could have probably prevented this from happening if I had just taken things slower. [It’s] not because I was parking badly but because my car woudn’t have slipped in a weird way, which could have been prevented entirely if the spot itself wasn’t as atrocious.”
COURTESY OF RUFUS LEETH III
Get 15% off CRACKED EGGERY on any purchase one time with your WIS student ID COURTESY OF @WISCLASSOF22
Answers left to right:Alex and Toby Davies, Zachary Roberts, Maya Lopez, Ivan Nolia and (once again) Maya Lopez.