International Dateline - April 2022 Edition

Washington International School

3100 Macomb St. NW Washington, D.C. 20008

April 11, 2022

www.wisdateline.org

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Upper School students push for sexual education reform Content warning: This article includes discussions of sexual assault. The article also follows Dateline’s anonymous source policy.

By ABIGAIL BOWN and MAIA NEHME, 2023 Between 3 and 5 million protesters gathered for the 2017 Women’s March on the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, according to the Washington Post. The march was a message to Trump’s administration that women’s rights are human rights.

WIS students were among the crowd gathered in front of the Capitol, waving signs scrawled with feminist and prochoice slogans: “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries” and “We are not ovary-acting.”

Five years later, WIS students are still driving change. Upper School students are pushing for reform of WIS’s sexual education curriculum and have created a Female Identifying affinity group.

This student activism stems from several instances of sexual assault off-campus in the 2021-2022 school year.

A WIS junior, Student A, recounted her experiences of assault by a fellow student.

The first time she was assaulted, she was under the influence of alcohol. “I’m tired, I’m drunk, I want to take care of myself,” Student A said. “He just flips me over and he’s on top, so I can’t get out. And it’s just happening.”

During a second encounter when she

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going to the administration because she didn’t know what support they could provide. “They should just be more explicit about what the action is that they would take and what the consequences would be,” she said.

She was assaulted off-campus by two WIS students. “One of these people grabbed my hand and brought me into the closet, and started making out with me and just taking advantage of the situation,” Student B said. “I was not in a state where I was able to consent. And I think that they knew that, but chose to do it anyway.”

Had Student B informed a faculty member of her assault, the adult would have been required to report the information to the administration. Every WIS employee who interacts with students is a mandated reporter, which means that they are required under federal law to report sexual assault and any other form of child endangerment.

The school uses the Department of Justice’s definition of sexual assault: “The term ‘sexual assault’ means any nonconsensual sexual act proscribed by Federal, tribal or State law, including when the victim lacks capacity to consent.”

If the assault were to happen off campus, it would be the family’s decision

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whether or not to report it to the police.

The school supports whatever action the family chooses to take.

However, once the administration hears about an instance of sexual assault, they report the information to Child Protective Services (CPS). “It’s not the school’s role, or any educational institution’s role, to judge or jury. It is up to the professionals to decide,” Upper School Principal Sarah Polland said.

Student A finds WIS’s role in instances of sexual assault disappointing. “I do wish the school would take more action, but at the same time, I’m aware it’s difficult and their hands are tied in a sense because of the law,” Student A said.

Nonetheless, the administration has other ways to work with students; they can and have moved students to different classes or advisories per their request to avoid interactions with their assaulter.

Another junior, Student C, did not go to the administration either about her experience of assault. “He just started kissing me,” she said. “It wasn’t very long, just gross. It was like he was blowing warm air into my mouth. It was so uncomfortable because there were so many people around.”

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was sober, he assaulted her again. “He [kept] doing all these things to try and manipulate me into letting him use my body,” she said. “Unfortunately, he did end up getting what he wanted. And that was so hurtful and I am so disgusted by the entire situation.”

Student A told friends about her experience, but chose not to go to the administration. After experiencing assault, students may be uncertain of the resources available to them.

If they do not want to directly contact the administration, they have access to a Health & Wealthness resource board on OnCampus with links to hotlines and educational websites.

Furthermore, each year, the school brings in guest speakers from Planned Parenthood and other sexual health organizations to present at assemblies. Moreover, Middle School seminar includes classes on sexual health and anatomy.

If students require one on one support, they can speak to Upper School Counselor Kelsey Morgan or Middle School Counselor Marilyn Wilson Odhiambo.

However, some students are unaware of these resources.

When another junior, Student B, was sexually assaulted, she decided against

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Upper School student advocacy sparks sexual education program reform from REFORM, page 1 Afterward, she blamed herself for the assault but eventually realized that it hadn’t been her fault. “Thinking about it now and reflecting on it, I’ve realized that I’d made it pretty obvious and clear to [him] that I didn’t want to,” Student C said.

In light of the several recent instances of sexual assault, juniors Astrid Bergman, Safiya Mugengana and Nina Young suggested a support group for assault survivors to Polland and Morgan. A separate group of seniors proposed the same idea to the administration.

Mugengana felt that this group was needed to support survivors of sexual assault, in addition to the resources already provided by the school. “There wasn’t any safe space for victims of sexual assault,” she said. “There’s only the options of moving classes [so the survivor isn’t in class with their assaulter], talking to Morgan [or] filing a police report which… adds more scrutiny on the survivor who literally just wants support.”

Although Polland understands why students would find a sexual assault support group helpful, she said that it was not a feasible option for a school. “We can’t have a support group when we have minors who may be coming forward, sharing experiences that their parents aren’t even aware of,” Polland said. “That’s just not appropriate for the school.”

Polland and the juniors settled on a Female Identifying affinity group instead.

“The affinity group is almost a place in the middle where we don’t just talk about sexual assault,” Mugengana said. “We also talk about rape culture and [what] we could do to not only protect but to inform our community about this topic.”

The seniors who initially brought concerns to the administration were dissatisfied with the decision and chose not to be involved in the affinity group. “Although a Female Identifying affinity group sounds very beneficial, it is not a fair substitute for a group for survivors of sexual violence as it implies sexual assault is a women’s issue, which it is not,” Senior A said. “Furthermore, it would exclude non-female identifying people who may have struggled with sexual violence.”

Bergman, Mugengana and Young are the leaders of the Female Identifying group. The first meeting was held on Mar. 4. Bergman chose to lead the affinity group in order to support other students. “It’s important that everyone feels that they can contribute, even if they haven’t experienced something [like sexual assault],” she said. “Their support matters and they can be a part of this group.”

However, the structure of affinity groups limits what participants can say in confidentiality. Upper School English teacher Susan Chung-Fontaine is the affinity group’s faculty leader, but she’s also a mandated reporter. “At the start of the first meeting, we will communicate that clearly and explicitly,” she said. “We do want confidentiality, but if I have to compromise that, I want it to be transparent.”

Once the sexual assault support group idea was deemed unsuitable for WIS, Senior A, along with another student, decided to devote her Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) project to revising WIS’s sexual education curriculum. Their goal is to solidify the concept of consent in the minds and behavior of students.

This sexual education is primarily taught in Primary and Middle School. It is

less emphasized in Upper School, where the seminar course briefly addresses sexual consent.

In Primary School, the counselors focus on teaching students about bodily autonomy and establishing physical boundaries. “If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right,” Wilson Odhiambo said. “No one should be touching you where a bathing suit would be.”

Wilson Odhiambo emphasized the importance of teaching consent to elementary school students in a way that’s age-appropriate. “You need to talk about these topics so that they can understand them at their developmental stage in life, hence the words, ‘good touch, bad touch,’” she said. “We wouldn’t do that with an eighth-grader.”

Instead, eighth-graders receive health classes on Consent and Communication, a curriculum designed by Wilson Odhiambo. During the classes, she brings in guest speakers from Planned Parenthood.

Eighth-grader Nico Watts thinks that one improvement for the classes is demonstrating the importance of sexual education to students. “Getting them to [understand] that this is actually important knowledge and it’s not just about sex and scary topics,” he said. “It’s good for us to be good citizens [and] good people when confronted with stuff like this.”

In her first year at WIS, Senior A attended a class meeting about consent. The guest speakers explained consent through the lens of sharing french fries, namely that you wouldn’t want someone to take your food without your permission.

She thought that the explanation was too childish. “It was not sufficient,” she said. “By the time you’re in high school,

you already have that basic knowledge and need to build on it.”

Senior A’s CAS project intends to introduce metaphors similar to the fries one in the Primary and Middle School. She and another senior aim to focus the high school sexual education on a variety of more complex topics instead, such as the responsibility of bystanders to intervene if they witness an assault and the different actions that students can take if they have experienced assault.

Another issue Senior A noticed is a lack of communication between the two campuses concerning sexual education.

“We’re attempting to work with Primary, Middle and [Upper] School coordinators all together to make sure that the sexual education curriculum is fluid,” she said. “[Middle and Upper School counselors] seem to have trouble communicating with the primary school considering they’re on a different campus,” Senior A said. “So we’re not exactly sure what their sexual education curriculum consists of.”

Wilson Odhiambo agrees that communication between the two campuses can be challenging. “The counseling department does meet as a whole, but it’s maybe two or three times a year,” she said. “It’s also typically more counseling related than curriculum related.”

Ultimately, Wilson Odhiambo hopes that the revised sexual education curriculum will teach students how to engage in healthy, safe relationships. “Safety can be having those conversations about using contraception and keeping yourself physically safe,” she said. “But there’s the emotional safety as well: being able to say no and not feeling that pressure to appease someone.”

ms news

Middle School ISU’s fight for WIS still adjusting to new affinity groups gender-neutral bathrooms

By ISABEL ROBBINS, 2028 The Middle School ISU and Middle School Assistant Principal Eric Beck are currently planning to implement gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms at WIS. The process is ongoing and the date of implementation is undecided.

ISU’s intent behind the implementation of these bathrooms is for gender non-conforming and transgender students to have a safe space so they feel comfortable going to the bathroom at school.

Gender binary means that a person identifies as one of the three biological sexes: female, male or intersex, which is “a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the boxes of ‘female’ or ‘male,’” according to Planned Parenthood. These people are cisgender and are most likely to use the gender-specific bathrooms.

People who identify outside of the gender binary often fall under the gender nonconforming umbrella. One example of genders outside the binary are transgender people, which are “people whose gender identity is different from the gender they were thought to be at birth,” according to National Center for Trans Equality. Another example is non-binary people, who are “people who feel their gender cannot be defined within the margins of gender binary,” according to LGBT Foundation. These people often prefer to use gender-neutral bathrooms rather than gender-specific bathrooms.

“Our hope is instead of having to install [gender-neutral bathrooms], we can take bathrooms that are already in use and repurpose them to make them gender inclusive,” 7th grader and ISU Co-President Sienna Rapaport said. “It could take time but hopefully not an insane amount.”

The locker rooms are similar to the bathrooms, according to 8th grader and ISU Co-President Tindra Jemsby. As WIS

repurposes gender-specific bathrooms into gender-neutral bathrooms, they will also change the locker rooms.

Currently, the gender-neutral locker room at WIS is labeled the ‘Visitors’ Locker Room.’ WIS aims to change the name so that gender non-conforming and transgender students feel more welcome. “[The school should] make sure that everyone is okay and that they feel safe when they are going to go to the locker room,” 7th grade gender fluid student Finn Franusic Dauphin said.

The gender-neutral bathrooms will be open to all students, regardless of gender identity. “[It’s] gender inclusive, not gender exclusive,” 6th grade transgender student Caroline Gardiner said.

This school year, WIS implemented a Gender Inclusion Policy. “All students may use the restroom designated for the gender with which they identify and/or the gender-neutral option,” it states regarding bathrooms and locker rooms. “A student will have access to the locker room facility that corresponds with the student’s gender identity.”

WIS’s introduction of gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms, as well as the Gender Inclusion Policy, is part of a larger movement towards gender inclusivity in D.C. public and private schools.

The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)’ Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Policy Guidance outlines, “Transgender and gender nonconforming students are entitled to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity… All students must have access to the locker room facility that corresponds to their gender identity.”

By establishing policies promoting gender inclusivity and providing resources like gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms, DCPS and WIS are making gender nonconforming and transgender students feel safer and more comfortable at school.

By NAOMI BREUER, 2024

start of the creation process. At first, she tried to get as many students as possible to The rollout of WIS’s affinity groups has be involved in the groups. been a lengthy process of nearly a year “Whoever needs it will show up that and they have finally begun meeting. The year,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s two process has been a learning experience for or 50, as long as we provide a safe space for students and faculty alike. students as a school. If students choose to The Middle and Upper School affintake it, they can choose to take it.” ity groups are: People of Color, White Some groups, like the Middle School Awareness and Accountability, Touched By Touched by Adoption group, had no turnAdoption, LGBTQ+ and the recently addout in the initial meeting, signaling that ed Female Identifying group. Each of the “maybe we don’t have a need, and we groups have met either once or twice, with thought we did,” according to Chintha. the highest turnout in the LGBTQ+ group.

Upper School English teacher Susan Middle School English teacher Sonia Chung-Fontaine, who is facilitating the Chintha, who has been a major organizer Upper School People of Color group, beand is facilitating the Middle School Peolieves there are many factors affecting the ple of Color and LGBTQ+ groups, believes low turnout in the Upper School groups, they are doing very well, considering it is such as the fact that they meet at lunch, the first time they are when many students have being introduced at clubs or wish to take a WIS. “Each time that “It doesn’t matter if it’s two or break. we meet, I can see that 50, as long as we provide a “There’s still some just a few more kids questions around the afsafe space for students as a are coming, which to finity groups,” Chung-Fonme is a success,” she school. ” taine said. “There is maybe said.

SONIA CHINTHA just a lack of understandSenior Jesse Jacking like, ‘what are they? son, a student leadWhat do they really serve? er for the Upper School People of Color And what am I getting into?’” group, hopes for the groups to continue at To solve this issue, Chung-Fontaine WIS and intends to continue taking part in hopes to find ways to inform the commuaffinity groups in college. nity of the topics that will be discussed “I really think it’s beneficial for the ahead of time, such as partnering with ISU. students,” Jackson said. “Especially for the Jackson also hopes to improve transparenstudents who are a minority person of colcy with students on what the groups are or who don’t really understand their idenabout and when they meet. tity. For them to come together as a group In Middle School, eighth grader Eileen and for them to relate and connect with Maloney Cunningham has been attending each other… it’s an impactful experience.” the White Awareness and Accountability Initially, Jackson was disappointed by group and is finding the meetings benefithe lower than expected turnout. But he cial. soon realized that the conversations, not “The reason I chose to go was because the amount of people, made the experience I’d never really thought very much about special. the fact that I’m white,” Cunningham said.

Chintha’s perspective on affinity group attendance has changed from the Read more at wisdateline.org/wisnews.

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‘We’re going to end up without a planet’: WIS teens advocate against climate change

By ELIANA AEMRO SELASSIE, 2023 Teen activism for action on climate change has grown in recent years, according to the UN. Across the world, students have protested for and demanded concrete solutions to the impending climate crisis. Fueled by disappointment at politicians and world leaders, young people have taken it upon themselves to address the crisis on their own.

Student action was especially prevalent in 2019 when an estimated 1.6 million young people in 125 countries missed school for climate change protests, according to Nature. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was a catalyst in these global climate strikes when she began skipping school in 2018 at just 15 years old to protest in front of federal buildings in Stockholm, according to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

WIS students and faculty alike have their own thoughts on the state of the climate crisis and what measures need to be taken.

Junior Sophia Al-Samarrai attended a climate strike in D.C. in September 2019 because of her passion for climate justice.

She believes that protesting is a very effective method of combating climate change, as she does not see the actions of everyday people as the cause.

“The bigger pollutants and issues in the world are these big companies,” Al-Samarrai said. “This is affecting people who are not in places of power. So a lot of that is the indigenous people here in the U.S., and just black and brown people everywhere.”

Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) teacher Trish Beck describes her shock after attending her first climate protest in D.C. and seeing very few young people. “It’s their future, why aren’t they enraged by this?” she asked.

She adds that this played a role in her excitement when more young people became involved in climate justice later on. She stresses the importance of having young leaders like Thunberg to inspire young people. “That’s what I think the youth needed, a younger voice leading the people instead of having older people all the time saying, ‘you should care about this,’” Beck said.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) took place this year in Glasgow, Scotland, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.

tion in terms of my parents, and just older generations in general, that our generation is just going to fix everything,” she said.

“It’s always in the back of your mind [that] if I don’t take enough action then we’re going to end up without a planet.”

Al-Samarrai describes how her climate anxiety has grown as more climate disasters have taken place recently. “I think it’s really scary when you hear about these major events like all of the flooding recently in New York,” she said.

Parents are also experiencing climate anxiety as they worry about their children’s future. “I have two little boys,” Beck said. “So I think about what they’re going to inherit.”

Upper School Geography teacher Sushmita Vargo emphasizes that not all hope is lost and measures are being taken to address the crisis. However, she adds that the rate at which they’re being taken may not be fast enough to make a large enough difference. “We are doing things and the temperatures are changing,” she said. “However, are we doing things fast enough to be ELIANA AEMRO SELASSIE/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE able to cope?”

Left to right: Former student Sabine Thomas and juniors Lauren Brownell, Sophia Al-Samarrai adds that things can be Al-Samarrai, Braden Kiang, Madeline Robbins and Luana Dos Santos. The students done on an individual level to help with the are holding signs with messages against climate change. crisis, such as making lifestyle changes to reduce waste.

During the 26th annual conference, world conventions like COP26,” Pattison said.

“One person not using their car isn’t leaders and scientists alike came together Sophomore Klara Young sees the igno- going to change the world,” she said. “But to discuss the ongoing climate crisis. rance and selfishness of world leaders and if you have many people thinking like that, The summit received significant crit- people in general as a major factor in the then that could make a big difference.” icism from climate activists, as many be- worsening climate.

Young emphasizes that cutting down lieve concrete measures are not being tak“[People] think, ‘someone else will deal on meat consumption is one of the most en to address the crisis. Among the critics with that,’ ‘I can’t really do anything,’ ‘the beneficial ways to were teens who felt that this crisis was an- government will deal help the environother example of performativity by world with that,’ ‘it’s not my ment. Meat has been “If everyone at the school had two proven to be harmful leaders. issue,’” Young said. days where they did not eat meat for the environment Beck believes that climate conven- “That’s part of what’s tions are important because they raise making it so bad: the that would make such a differ- because of the large awareness about problems, but they lack fact that people just ence. And that’s just in our small amounts of land, enconcrete measures to address those prob- are not taking responergy and water use school.” lems. “It’s promises that they make,” she sibility for anything, that meat production said. “There’s no accountability being held or trying to help with KLARA YOUNG requires. to those things that they said they were go- anything.”

“If everyone at ing to do.”

Furthermore, the the school had two days where they did Junior Bianca Pattison feels that many phenomenon of climate anxiety has grown not eat meat that would make such a difclimate issues could be resolved if federal among young people as the crisis has wors- ference,” she said. “And that’s just in our governments worldwide put more restric- ened, according to the American Psycho- small school.” tions on corporations, given that 71% of logical Association, which defines it as “a Racine stresses that youth participaall emissions in the world are produced chronic fear of environmental doom.” tion in climate justice is critical. “I think by only 100 companies, according to The Freshman Clara Racine says that she the more we learn, the earlier we learn, the Guardian. “There could be so many inter- and her friends experience climate anxiety easier it will be for us to take action,” she national guidelines set by world leaders at on a regular basis. “There’s this assump- said.

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d.c. news

D.C. sexual health: Still a work in progress

By ALEK DANIELYAN, 2022

adults, who are often sexually inexperiDespite being one of the most progressive enced, risk-taking and believe they lack cities in the country, D.C. is still struggling control over their sexual health. In reality, to address and educate its residents about there are a number of free, confidential and a contemporary social issue in America: generally accessible sexual health resources available for young adults throughout sexual health. the city and online.

The district has The Defending especially been strugAccess to Women’s gling with encourIn 2019, D.C. had the highest rate Health Care Services aging healthy sexual of sexually transmitted disease Amendment Act of practices among its (STD) transmission (including 2018 allows womresidents, or proper chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis) en to get copay-free practices once sexual birth control without of any state or territory, according health issues arise. a doctor’s prescripto the CDC. In 2019, D.C. had the tion, which is an imhighest rate of sexuportant first step in ally transmitted discontraceptive accessibility in the city. Beease (STD) transmission (including chlayond government sponsoring, a number of mydia, gonorrhea and syphilis) of any state public organizations in D.C. provide sexual or territory, according to the CDC. health services, ranging from counseling to That’s not to say, however, that there is contraceptive provision to STD testing. a lack of sexual health resources in D.C. InD.C. hosts a clinic run by Planned Parstead, there is a lack of awareness of these enthood (Carol Whitehill Moses Center at essential resources. This issue is especially 1225 4th St. NE) that offers a vast number prominent and problematic among young

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of contraceptives and birth control options, morning after-pills (emergency contraception) and sexual education ranging from abstinence to safer sex education. It caters to English and Spanish speakers and has interpretation availability for other languages.

The WhitemanWalker Health clinic (at 1525 14th St NW) provides free HIV/STI testing and counseling, as well as PrEP, a once a day pill which is nearly 100% effective in preventing HIV infection for individuals of any gender or sexuality, and PEP, a 28-day emergency medication plan for those recently exposed to HIV. It also provides gynecology and breast health services, along with consultation and services for LGBTQ+ individuals ranging from mental health support to consultation regarding gender-affirming surgery

and hormonal therapy.

The AHF Wellness Center (at 650 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) provides testing for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV exposure. The testing is free, confidential and has no appointment requirement.

The D.C. Health and Wellness Center (at 77 P St NE) has a large number of both in-person and virtual sexual health services, including consultation, STD tests and both PrEP and PEP medication plans.

As sex becomes increasingly relevant to young adults in high school and beyond, so does sexual health, especially in D.C. Awareness and understanding of the resources available in the city is what will allow its young adults, and D.C. as a whole, to have safer and more confident sexual experiences.

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The fight for period products at WIS

By MAIA NEHME, 2023 A bathroom stall door slams open. A girl reaches into a small container next to the sinks and fishes out a colorful plastic square. She quickly unwraps it, revealing a pad without wings.

Since the 2019-2020 school year, WIS has provided free pads and tampons in the girls’ bathrooms. However, some students are frustrated by the low quality and non environmentally friendly nature of the products.

Junior Sophia Al-Samarrai only uses the products in case of emergency. “It’s nice that we have them and that they’re free,” she said. “But the pads are the worst.

They don’t have wings… They don’t last very long. And they’re just cheap. ” Alumna Lulu Moore was frustrated by the poor quality of the tampons provided by the school. “If you’re a public school, you might not have all the resources,” she said. “But you’re a private school that gets a lot of money and a lot of donations and a lot of tuition from all these families. And especially when it comes to tampons, those things have potentially dangerous side effects [like Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)].”

Sophomore Martina Tognato Guaqueta noticed these flaws and is working with ISU to replace the current products. Tognato Guaqueta hopes to implement August’s products, which are made of high quality cotton and are biodegradable.

“Sustainable period products are really important because they offer a way to diminish the environmental impact of WIS as an institution,” Tognato Guaqueta

said. “They also function as an example of After approving the initiative, the adincorporating sustainable products into ministration took several months to figure one’s day to day life.” out the logistics with the janitorial crew.

Each year in the US, 12 billion pads and So, for the first few months of the 20197 billion tampons are disposed of. They of- 2020 school year, then junior Clementine ten end up in oceans and waterways, ac- Rotsaert stocked the bathrooms by hand. cording to Stanford University. “That stuff “Every Sunday, I would go to CVS, buy is so bad for the environment,” Al-Samar- 20 boxes of tampons, and then Monday I rai said. “I feel like I go through so much would run around school and put them of it every month. into all the bathrooms,” If you think about a she said. school, the amount “I think the fight for feminine Although the school of girls on their pe- products represents students… did not take the lead on riods all the time realizing a need, and realizing providing free period [means there’s] so that it wasn’t being fulfilled by the products, the Primary much plastic waste.” powers that should be fulfilling it.” and Middle School health Another issue is curriculums both cover a stigma around peLULU MOORE periods. In fifth grade, a riods, which students puberty unit introduces and alumni feel the administration fails to students to periods. Additionally, in sixth address. Thus, students must take on the grade, all students “look at tampons and issue themselves. pads and pass them around to desensitize The initiative behind free period and get familiar with the feminine prodproducts was completely student-driven. ucts,” according to Middle School CounselDuring the 2018-2019 school year, then se- or Marilyn Wilson Odhiambo. niors and ISU Presidents Moore and MariHowever, Rotsaert was dissatisfied anna Ioannou focused their presidency on with the period education she received. providing tampons in the girls’ bathrooms. “The only thing I remember, which is inDespite Moore proposing the idea in stilled in my memory, was that the nurse her sophomore year, it took until the end was wearing white pants and she was of her senior year to officially implement like, ‘Look, guys, you can still wear white the products. “Everything with the admin- pants,’” she said. “We didn’t learn how to istration is a bureaucratic process,” she put in tampons or about [TSS] or that you said. “It was a lot of [empty] promises… If can either wear pads or tampons.” you have two young girls pushing for some Al-Samarrai feels that the lack of a form of initiative, it’s like, ‘Okay, let’s comprehensive period curriculum creates brush them off.’ But with consistency and a stigma around getting your period for the an agenda that we stayed true to, we were first time. “We didn’t talk about anything able to make something happen.” to do with periods,” she said. “The focus

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ILLUSTRATED BY ELLA BOWN

A girl angrily holds up a menstrual pad.

Alumna Lulu Moore was frustrated by the quality of feminine hygiene products in WIS bathrooms and pushed for change during her 2018-2019 ISU presidency.

was much more on boys and reproductive health and sex. I remember getting [her period] and being like, ‘Oh my god, it’s such a big deal.’”

Ultimately, although Moore is frustrated by WIS’s flawed period education, she is grateful that she and Ioannou left behind a tangible legacy in the form of the products. “I think the fight for feminine products represents students… realizing a need, and realizing that it wasn’t being fulfilled by the powers that should be fulfilling it,” Moore said. “[Ioannou and her] legacy just represents two kids who wanted to leave some form of change behind.”

What is college REALLy like?

Private university in America: Public university in America: Northwestern University UNC Chapel Hill

COURTESY OF SAUL PINK Alumnus Saul Pink, WIS Class of 2021, is a freshman at Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois.

By ZOE HÄLLSTRÖM, 2024 Alumnus Saul Pink, WIS Class of 2021, is a freshman at Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois.

Pink’s favorite part of college has been being with “all new people who come from different countries, have different backgrounds and have different stories to tell.”

Pink addresses that because WIS is such a small, “tight-knit community,” going to college, even a small one, will be a social adjustment. “Going to a new place, a lot bigger of a place from WIS… especially

after COVID, when you’re spending a lot of time alone, was a bit of a shock at the beginning,” he said.

Learning how to manage his time has been Pink’s biggest challenge. “You’re given a number of things to do on your own time, there’s not as much structure and you have to balance that with having a social life, joining clubs, getting enough sleep and exercising,” he said.

NU is widely regarded as an academically rigorous US college. “It’s a little bit of an intense environment sometimes,” Pink said. “You’ll walk into the library, and it’s dead silent. [You] can’t find a seat because everybody’s in [there]. All the engineers are grinding for their midterms. And it’s like, ‘Whoa, everyone’s just going very hard.’”

Yet, Pink says people don’t show off.

“There’s not much beef going on. Everyone is very collaborative,” he said.

Pink was a member of Dateline throughout high school and Editor-in-chief in his senior year. He continues his journalism career at NU, where he is majoring in journalism and is a reporter for NU and Evanston’s newspaper, The Daily Northwestern.

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

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

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

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

“Whatever college you go to, and wherever you end up, you’re going to figure it out,” he said.

COURTESY OF CLARA MELLO Alumna Clara Mello (left), WIS Class of 2021, and Alumnus Fabrice Gray, WIS Class of 2020, at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alumna Clara Mello, WIS Class of 2021, is a freshman at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

Going from WIS, with around 60 students per grade, to UNC, with around 4780, has been a drastic change.

Although Mello expected to have a hard time making friends, she made many off the bat. “Maybe it’s part of the southern charm, but everybody’s very friendly,” she said.

Mello likes that there’s always something going on on campus. “There’s always some club bringing puppies or goats to campus,” Mello said.

Mello enjoyed stepping out of WIS and D.C.’s “bubble” where she felt she rarely interacted with people who had different beliefs than her. “Big college schools will have lots of different people with very different perspectives in terms of political views,” she said. “I think UNC has made me

grow up a lot faster than at WIS because I have to socialize with people who don’t believe in the same things as me, and understand that that’s normal.”

There are many stereotypes about college and Mello thinks that UNC plays into them. “Sometimes when I go with my friends, we look around, and we’re like, ‘Oh, my god, this is a movie,’” Mello said.

Additionally, as a member of a UNC sorority, she thinks that Greek life plays into typical college stereotypes. “You always see sorority girls and frat guys as being terrible people, and very superficial and that’s what I was scared of… There’s a lot of people like that, to be honest,” Mello said.

However, she feels that UNC is big enough that she can choose not to be friends with people who embody those negative stereotypes.

One of her closest friends is alumnus Fabrice Gray, WIS Class of 2020, who attends UNC. She urges WIS students to reach out to alumni at schools they’re applying to or get into.

Mello notes that her experience at WIS made managing classes in college much easier. “Really take advantage of it because it does such a great job of preparing students,” she said.

Mello had strong connections with her teachers at WIS. “I feel like it was a very individualized experience because you’re able to tell your teachers what you need,” she said.

Consequently, it has been hard to transition out of that and be self-reliant. “I have great professors, but I can’t really rely on them to cater to every individual need that I have,” she said.

Read the third part at wisdateline.org.

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

arts

5

APRIL 2022

WIS language classes embrace diverse perspectives

By ROSE BOEHM, 2022 In French, students dissect the impact of colonialism on African countries. In English SL, students expand their scope through translated works from South America, Japan and Ancient Greece. In Spanish, students tackle the intersection between corrupt politics, religion and gender during the Spanish Civil War. During Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s first days in office, he banned Critical Race Theory, despite it not appearing in public education curricula. Around the country, debates over school curriculum and books have prevailed. But at WIS, different perspectives are something language teachers embrace.

“We have differences,” Upper School French teacher Charles Gueboguo said.

“The point is to show how they enrich us instead of how they just diminish us. So, perspective is very important to show also that there is not always one side or one point of view.”

Gueboguo finds his personal experiences inform his perspective and what is presented in his classes. “I was born in Africa, specifically in Cameroon, and back there I had my background, that culture,” he said. “We’ve been colonized by France so I also have French culture and mixed culture. All that helped me to see things differently.”

Upper School Spanish teacher Antonio Ramallo integrates perspectives from all over the Hispanic diaspora. His focus on perspective stems from his personal experiences, like Gueboguo.

“My family was a farmer’s family; we were poor people,” Ramallo said. “And of

course, we knew that. On the other hand, and choosing authors is an evolving promy family in Cuba is considered white.” cess. Loewen has given surveys to his stuIn order to develop perspectives taught dents asking about both what to keep or to students, teachers initially look for them change.

“So, we used to have Of Mice and Men in the IB prescribed titles for the Diploma Program (DP). They also choose texts that because it’s a really well crafted book,” present different perspectives for the ninth Loewen said. “But, we decided the skills that we’re trying to teach with it, we can and tenth grades.

“There’s a long list of prescribed texts teach with lots of other books, so I replaced for the DP, but we also have a choice,” Up- it.”

The language teachers agree that they per School English teacher Nicholas Loewen said. “So in the last maybe five to seven do not decide on a throughline theme years, we’ve been more and more conscious across their years reading literature, but they become recurring throughout their of spreading the four years in the Upper wealth between white males and other au“In the last maybe five to seven School.

“We can talk about thors.” years, we’ve been more and The IB’s emphathe situation of wommore conscious of spreading sis on internationalen in a patriarchal socithe wealth between white males ety,” Ramallo said. “Day ism also allows for the and other authors.” development of perone, we talk about the spective through the situation of people with NICHOLAS LOEWEN different sexual orientaprescribed texts. “IB is doing a great job so tion.” far in terms of identifying those global isBecause themes like identity are found sues,” Gueboguo said. “It is up to us teach- in several books, students can develop their ers… to be specific, to narrow it down.” understanding over their time at WIS. The Teachers do so through incorporating language department has tried to show the diversity, specifically the nuanced perspec- reality at the end of reading something, actives found in different literary works stu- cording to Gueboguo. dents read in class.

“My strategy is to start working on “You have here the problem of fascism those concepts without giving the name,” in Spain,” Ramallo said about “Antonía Gueboguo said. “What does postcolonialpoética,” a poetry book by Miguel Hernán- ism look like? For example, is it exploitadez read in eleventh grade. “But, also, you tion? Is there a lack of inclusion? Is it the have the product of diverse groups that lack of diversity?” were involved in the Spanish Civil War The material that is taught in lanfrom people that were communists, social- guage classes can be sensitive, includingists, anarchists, social democrats paying discrimination or government corruption the Spanish Catholic Church.” and its impact. Therefore, teachers do not Incorporating different perspectives

“

Student-run musical unsuccessful

By ISABELLA DUCHOVNY, 2024 WIS students tried to put together a student-run upper school musical in spring 2022 alongside the school-sponsored musical.

Senior Saul Meyer-Fong is one of the students who spearheaded the effort along with other students, such as senior Olivia Connolly. “I was also working with some of the cast from [Upper School fall play] “All In The Timing” and the general consensus was that they also wanted to do a real musical,” Meyer-Fong said.

The school-run musical this year was “Edges: A Song Cycle,” which was run by John Munt, the Upper School vocal teacher.

It is a coming-of-age song cycle. It is about “young adults at the metaphorical edge of their lives,” according to Musical Theatre International (MTI).

Although there is a theme, song cycles lack a continuous storyline. “That disappointed me because I don’t do musicals for the singing part,” Meyer-Fong said. “I do it for the fun of getting up on stage and doing goofy things with my friends and acting.”

The idea of running their musical was only related to “Edges” in that they wanted to run a typical musical but were in no way trying to compete with the song cycle, according to Meyer-Fong.

“We wanted to be able to do our own thing and have a fun, happy, lighthearted musical and not have to do something we weren’t interested in doing,” Meyer-Fong added.

The idea began to form over the summer when students didn’t receive an email explaining what musical would be put on this year. Usually, the email is used to gauge interest.

When Munt sent out audition sign-ups for the school musical, the students were getting ready to do something with their idea. After researching “Edges,” they still decided to try to run an additional musical.

The students narrowed it down to four feasible options, and ended up going with “The Trail to Oregon.” The show is the “most historically accurate musical por-

traying the Oregon Trail to date” and has five alternated endings, according to IMDb. They intended to pick a musical with a small cast and minimal set and prop requirements so that the majority of the school’s resources were still devoted to the actual musical.

The next step was to ask ISU for money. “This would’ve definitely been one of the larger things that ISU funds,” senior and ISU representative Nadim Mottu said.

“It would’ve involved, even after the initial funding, a big commitment from the other students for that money to be put into good use.”

Students requested $475 to run the show twice and get the legal rights to do so. Ultimately, ISU agreed on the condition that Munt agreed and the students provided a list of people interested in doing the musical.

“They only wanted enough money to be able to buy the rights to the show,” Mottu said. “They were very open to doing the rest of it themselves.”

Mottu added that when the students were asked about logistics such as the set and choreography, they said that they were doing it for fun and would take care of it on their own.

Munt agreed and added some other conditions on it, such as checking in with the school administration and working with the grounds, facilities and tech people.

“We weren’t even planning on really using anything in the way of tech or anything particularly special,” Meyer-Fong said. “The amount of bureaucracy stifled the energy because we were also working on mock IB [exams] and had to study.”

In the end, the student-run musical was unsuccessful. Although he understands what restrictions there might be on student-run projects, Meyer-Fong believes that high school should be a time for trying new things.

“I thought we had a winning idea,” Meyer-Fong said. “And if we had gotten the money we would be on our way to performing it right now.”

shy away from it, and instead, frontload it when starting a book.

“In discussion, [Toni Morrison] set up this black community at the beginning of Sula in Ohio,” Loewen said. “Black people lived in what’s called The Bottom and I talked about how historically in the US, oftentimes, [Black people] have to live in the lower area, while white people live in the higher area.”

Loewen approaches topics by being straightforward and honest, rather than glossing over the texts’ important contexts. Additionally, he does not allow slurs to be used in class discussions.

In terms of integrating perspectives, WIS diverges from the ongoing battle against varied perspectives in American public education. Developing these points of view are incredibly important to the language departments. “[This] is one of my main goals in life, not just to teach Spanish but to teach the students how to think critically, and to see reality in a critical way,” Ramallo said.

“And precisely the books that I choose or are chosen by the department give me the opportunity to do that. I feel very positive because I never remember any student who has rejected any of the ideas that we have to try to develop.”

Teachers are continuously changing the books they read in order to expand their curriculum and the perspectives they integrate into class as they acknowledge they could always do better.

“It’s a work in progress,” Loewen said.

“We’re always thinking about it and trying to choose new books and keep it fresh and evolving.”

9/10 journalism

Freshman raises upwards of $40 thousand for sea turtles

COURTESY OF GRAYSON HOUSTON-HENDERSON

Four-year-old Grayson Houston-Henderson holding his guitar in front of a local store to fundraise. This was the first year he started raising money for sea turtles.

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

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

Around 50 thousand sea turtles die in US coastal waters each year because of human intervention like poaching, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy. Back when WIS freshman Houston-Henderson was four years old, he was fighting for those turtles’ lives while all the kids around him were trying to get the hang of the ABCs. His organization is called The Sea Turtle Conservation Fund, which has raised more than $40 thousand for sea turtles and has helped over six species.

Houston-Henderson started this organization because he understood the importance of sea turtles in the marine food chain. “If sea turtle populations were to go

down… the population of microorganisms, fish, squid and other hundreds of creatures’ populations would increase dramatically,” Houston-Henderson said. “[The populations of] everything that those animals eat would begin to decrease.”

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

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

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

Read more at wisdateline.org/features.

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

wislife APRIL 2022

6

Class of 2022 Valentine’s Day Best Grams of 2022 To: Don Boehm, IB History Teacher From: Siddharth Kalra, 2022

To: Eleanor Hawkins, 2023 From: Eleanor Hawkins, 2023

To: Andrea Brudniak-Berrocal, 2025 From: Antonio Giorgianni, 2024

MILA MARTIN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

wislife APRIL 2022

7

“Happier Than Ever” Tour.

However, students also show off their one of a kind pieces. Freshman Shane Royster displays her homemade crochet top and junior William Williamson dons his recycled and reworked yellow Levi slacks.

Lastly, WIS students focus on fun prints: junior Sophia Al-Samarrai wears a cheetah-print jacket and seventh-grader Sofia Verata-Dadarlat sports a black and white plaid skirt.

2 F 2 as h 0

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chocolate brown garments.

Another common thread is students repping their favorite musicians through their clothing. Peltier dons a hoodie from Kid Cudi’s “Man On The Moon III: The Chosen” album drop and Holst is wearing a t-shirt from Billie Eilish’s 2022

i

on

Emilia Kudela, 2024 Chloe Chao, 2023 William Williamson, 2023 Sarah Fertikh, 2023 Madeline Robbins, 2023 Safiya Mugengana, 2023 Leo Sarzi, 2025 Ariana Sabathier, 2023 Bianca Pattison, 2023 Juan Peltier, 2023 Tristan Martin, 2023 Lucas Tafara, 2023 Ella Bown, 2023 Sara Auer, 2022 Harrison Rubin, 2025 Shane Royster, 2025 Sophia Al-Samarrai, 2023 Dexter Illing, 2025 Sofia VerataDadarlat, 2027 Tyra Holst, 2025

This photo story features WIS outfits that span decades: from freshman Tyra Holst’s 90s pattern mixing to junior Juan Peltier’s 2000s street style to sophomore Emilia Kudela’s Bella Swan style 2010s layering.

While each outfit is unique, there are a few common threads throughout the spring fashion. Multiple students sport Nike sneakers, notably junior Ella Bown’s Jordan 1 Mid Edge Glows and junior Ariana Sabathier’s red accented Jordan 1s. Additionally, juniors Lucas Tafara and Chloe Chao, along with freshman Harrison Rubin, flaunt

ng

From top left to bottom right:

Set: BoohooMan Shoes: Nike Mighty Swooshers “I feel like a beast, I feel like a boss.”

LUCAS TAFARA, 2023

Shoes: Nike Air Zoom Division “White Game Royal” Hoodie: Kid Cudi Pants: Thrifted Calvin Klein jeans JUAN PELTIER, 2023

Top: Self Made Pants: Depop Shoes: Nike Air Forces “I learned how to crochet when I was pretty young... I basically found a tutorial on the shirt and followed it.”

Shoes: Personalized Nikes Pants: Urban Outfitters T-shirt: Billie Eilish concert Gray sweater: Levi’s Jacket: Her mom’s from Taiwan TYRA HOLST, 2025

SHANE ROYSTER, 2025

By ABIGAIL BOWN, 2023

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

opinions

8

APRIL 2022

Letter of college advice to future seniors

By ELISE NAFTULIN, 2022

ended up changing my grades or pushing me to work harder. Instead, my attitude Dear future WIS seniors, ensured that I’d have trouble reconnecting with my priorities once admission deadMaybe you’ve been thinking about college lines had passed. I’m having to re-train for some time. Maybe you’re a junior, start- myself to write poetry, to set aside time for ing to assemble a college list and wonder- my friends, to read books, to run. The biging if 30 schools is too many (it is). A soph- gest piece of advice I can give is to keep in omore, choosing your IB courses based on touch with what you truly prioritize in life, the prerequisites for a certain program. A what you truly value about yourself, and freshman with a dream school. Someone pursue those things as far as you can. Not who hasn’t given a thought to any of it. only will you be happier and healthier, but Whoever you are, if you’re curious about you’ll have a clearer idea of what univerthe application process, I’d like to share sities would suit your aspirations, and the some of what I’ve learned after having college essays you write will be compelling gone through it. The short version: the because they’ll reflect what you love. process is a slog, but it’s going to work out.

It’s especially important to remember What’s more important than anything else that your interests are more permanent is not to let college aspirations consume than your preference for any university. your life.

Colleges you think you’re dying to attend I’ll be honest. In high school, there now will probably drop off your list, espewere more than a few times where college cially if you’re years away from applying. In was an obsession. The pandemic isolated tenth grade, I thought me from my peers and I’d apply Early Decikept me at home, so sion to Columbia Unithe concept of living I’d cemented a mental link versity, and in elevin a new place with between my life’s potential and enth grade, I thought friends was exhilarat- an acceptance letter from a it would be Vassar ing. In the fall of my prestigious institution. Even one College; I didn’t end junior year, I attended disappointing grade seemed to up applying at all to multiple college webieither school. I know a signal inevitable doom. nars per week, many lifer who daydreamed of which were packed ELISE NAFTULIN about a Canadian rewith other juniors. I search university and read the “Fiske Guide thought they’d never to Colleges” cover to cover. Every time I want to attend another relatively small worried about my grade in a class, whether school. In the end, they didn’t even apply I’d just taken a bad test or didn’t under- to the Canadian school and are now comstand the current unit, I’d check the GPAs mitted to their top choice: a US liberal arts of students admitted to my current top college. Another one of my friends was schools. By the fall of my senior year, I felt deferred from four of their first choices like I was having college-related conversa- and was then offered a once-in-a-lifetime tions in every hallway, during every quiet scholarship opportunity to another top moment in class, in the line to buy lunch school. It’s impossible to know what your from the Student Center. At that point, I’d college goals will turn out to be, so you can cemented a mental link between my life’s save some stress by focusing on your real potential and an acceptance letter from a priorities, rather than obsessing over what prestigious institution. Even one disap- you think is your top choice or worrying pointing grade seemed to signal inevitable about getting into college at all. I promise doom: I was deteriorating as a human be- it will work out in the end. ing.

Read this again at the end of senior If what I’m saying sounds at all famil- year: you’ll know what I mean. iar, I promise you that nothing I’ve just described helps to produce a good college All the best, application. None of my obsessiveness Elise, Class of 2022

“

Letter

from the

editors Dear International Dateline readers,

This print edition marks two years since our school’s transition to distance learning because of COVID. Like last year’s editing staff, the transition into and out of a COVID modified community has posed a new challenge for Dateline to bring the community together. Last year, we mailed our print editions directly to your homes, aiming to form connections with people we’d only see on a tiny computer screen.

Now, we see glimmers of hope in our final months of our final year through the things that were familiar to us pre-COVID: people’s smiles, full classrooms, Freh’s coffee and WISPA grill.

As we drew closer to a sense of normalcy, we began to realize many of these tra-

The shameless ambition of Youngkin and Miyares

By ZACHARY S. PAN, 2023 What do you get when the governor wants to be president and the attorney general wants to be governor? The Youngkin administration.

Over the past three months, both Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares have undertaken a slew of actions meant to ingratiate themselves to the Republican party base. Both aim to increase their political profiles at the expense of Virginians.

Youngkin eliminated vaccine requirements for government workers and banned mask requirements in schools. He created a tip line so that parents can report teachers for teaching “divisive” concepts. Youngkin even turned Virginia’s diversity office into an anti-abortion outfit.

Miyares, meanwhile, has taken the role of Youngkin’s hatchet man. He fired Virginia’s entire civil rights division. He removed the chief counsel of the University of Virginia for helping the Jan. 6 Committee, the Congressional panel investigating the Capitol insurrection. He withdrew Virginia from efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Youngkin’s and Miyares’ radical race to the bottom has been bad for the state but good for their political ambitions.

Youngkin has parlayed his newfound rightwing notoriety into multiple Fox News appearances. In February, he even obtained a prized slot on Sean Hannity’s popular conservative show, blasting “cancel culture” for a national audience of 3 million viewers. Miyares, meanwhile, also earned a primetime Fox News slot, a surprising opportunity for an attorney general. Youngkin and Miyares’ actions have earned them national media appearances at a cost to the Commonwealth.

State government should not be a stepping stone for higher office. It must not be a platform for radicalism and partisanship. The Commonwealth will suffer if good governance continues to be subordinate to Youngkin and Miyares’ personal ambitions.

ditions we have held close to our hearts throughout the pandemic were new to almost all the grades in the Upper School.

Even the juniors, who began their freshman year normally, have never witnessed a Senior Prank Day. Beyond COVID news, Dateline is finding its new role: surmountnig the gap between COVID and this newfound normalcy.

At WIS, both progress and tradition have returned. In February, seniors passed out Valentine’s Day grams for the first time since 2020. Students can explore their identity in-person in newly established affinity groups. And importantly, we can worry about the quality and sustainability of tampons in the bathrooms again. All of these things are part of this new sense of normalcy that Dateline is aiming to highlight in this print edition.

Beyond connecting members of the WIS community, Dateline has bridged a gap we have observed firsthand between WIS and the larger D.C. community. This year, Dateline created a D.C. News section following the closing of northwest D.C.’s local newspaper, “The Current.” Through this section, we have explored food, identity and quotidian life in the city, hoping to connect the WIS community to the city they live in.

As we transition from delivering prints by mail to handing them out around campus,

international dateline April 2022 Editorial Board Managing Editors

WIS News

Rose Boehm

Naomi Breuer

Beka Tatham D.C. & Global News Publications Editor Alek Danielyan Abigail Bown

Camila Levey

MS Dateline

Sports

Student Adviser

Philip He

Maia Nehme

Rauf Hurcan

Print Design

Opinion

Abigail Bown

Elise Naftulin Federico Opertti

Marketing Managers Rani Kumar

Features

Natalie Sanchez

Zoe Hällström

Photography

Arts

Mila Martin

Isabella Duchovny

Illustrator

Food

Ella Bown

Julia Dell’Ariccia

Faculty Adviser

Back Page

Alexandra Wilding

Maya Lopez

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.

MILA MARTIN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

Left to right: Dateline’s Managing Editors Beka Tatham and Rose Boehm.

Dateline and the school are returning cautiously towards normalcy. We hope that Dateline can be a source of knowledge, comfort and guidance during this transition, delivering you news about the school, from musical performances to student chess matches. We hope you enjoy this April print edition.

Your managing editors, Rose and Beka

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

food APRIL 2022

Three years, three companies: WIS’s tumultuous relationship with food providers

By SOFIA VAKIS, 2025 An email announcing a new food provider would replace Brock entered WIS students’ inboxes before winter break. The company, CulinArt, promised “innovative dining solutions to help students eat and live well.”

A couple of months into CulinArt’s time at WIS, students and staff have adjusted to the changes the company brought with it, but one question remains: Why has WIS switched food providers so frequently in the past few years?

Like Goldilocks, WIS is searching for a food provider that is “just right.” The story starts in 2018, when WIS underwent a thorough proposal process as part of a routine check-in. Sodexo had worked with WIS since 2007, so a trial was long overdue.

Students taste-tested the food offered by different food providers and voted on which they liked the most. Amongst these were Brock, a company called Flick and Sodexo.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Bethany Neumann oversaw the process since choosing, managing and organizing WIS’s food services falls under her jurisdiction. “[This process] helps ensure that your vendors are still providing the services that you really want at the school,” Neumann said. “It also helps you ensure that the fees that they’re charging are competitive.”

Brock ultimately replaced Sodexo, but its time at WIS would be brief.

Neumann explained that WIS was deciding between Brock and Flick during the original search process in 2018. CulinArt and Flick are both a part of a larger company called Compass. When WIS decided it was time to switch food providers again,

instead of hosting a whole new group of caterers, they used the research and surveys previously conducted and immediately reached out to CulinArt, according to Neumann.

Neumann highlighted the benefits of CulinArt over Brock. Even though CulinArt and Brock are both small businesses, one of CulinArt’s advantages is that Compass, a bigger company with more power, backs them up. “[By] having a big company backing up CulinArt… they can help with things like purchasing and [providing] resources,” Neumann said.

CulinArt describes itself as “a foodfirst company with a strong focus on health and wellness,” and seemed like the perfect match for WIS because the school was hoping “to increase the variety of the food offerings, provide more selection in the cafe and improve the delivery process at the Primary School,” according to Neumann.

Unlike other food providers that offer prearranged and set programs, CulinArt tailors their food services to best accommodate each individual institution. Neumann emphasized CulinArt’s flexibility as an especially significant factor in picking it for WIS, since most all-inclusive deals do not work due to the limited size and unique shape of the Tregaron and Primary School food facilities.

This flexibility is not only visible in the way they adjust to a smaller space, but also in the recipes they bring. Across grade levels, students agreed that the change in food providers came with both benefits and disadvantages.

“I think it looks more edible, and [that compared to Brock] when you bite into it you don’t think you’re going to die,” freshman Zoya Zwart said. She added that Cu-

linArt is not wasteful and serves adequate portion sizes.

Her comment was especially meaningful given that complaints about Brock throughout its time at WIS surrounded the size of their portions and wastefulness of their packaging, proving that CulinArt made valuable improvements to the school’s lunch program. In fact, complaints about meager lunch portions all but disappeared upon returning from winter break.

CulinArt is also living up to its promise to encourage healthy eating. “You can see that it is actually organic and real products and not something that is chemicals,” seventh grader Finn Franusic Dauphin said.

In the IB café, opinions about the changes are also overwhelmingly positive as CulinArt provided more variety. “Now, there’s a lot of new stuff like the danishes [and] the apple muffins,” junior Alessandro Ricci said. Other new café options include English muffins and packaged snacks, which rising juniors can look forward to enjoying.

In spite of the positive feedback CulinArt has received, it’s clear they still have things to learn as they adjust to WIS. Freshman Jennifer Firschein enthusiastically agreed that the change was overall better, however, she also added that, “[Brock] used to have a better paying system… [the long lines are] a good way to get sick [from COVID].”

As CulinArt’s time at WIS continues, it will be important to take note of whether their methods and systems change to meet the students’ and faculty’s changing demands. If they do, then maybe, just maybe, it will seem that WIS has found their Goldilocks zone.

9

Recreating “Paulie Cicero” from Cracked Eggery

By SOFIA VAKIS, 2025

After opening in what some refer to as Connecticut Avenue’s “unlucky storefront,” WIS students have practically taken over Cracked Eggery. This recipe is for those fans who want to recreate one of Cracked’s signature dishes, or for those who have never tried it but want to do so from the comfort of their homes.

The Paulie Cicero is a delicious sandwich. The saltiness of the prosciutto and parmesan cheese contrasts with the sweetness the honey provides, and the fried egg adds the finishing touch and signature Cracked Eggery flavor.

Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Medium Ingredients: 1 bun of challah (alternatively a hamburger bun) 1 tsp butter or a vegetable oil 1 egg 2 slices prosciutto 1/3 cup ricotta cheese Handful of arugula 1 tbsp parmesan cheese 1/2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes Procedure: 1. Heat a pan with butter or oil.

2. Toast challah bun for 3 minutes .

3. Remove from the pan and fry egg to preference (a slightly sunny side-up is perfect for the sandwich!).

4. Begin constructing the sandwich. To start, spread honey on the bottom bun.

5. Sprinkle parmesan and ricotta cheese.

6. Layer sun-dried tomatoes on top.

7. Place prosciutto and fried egg on top and finish by putting the arugula to top it all off.

sports Freshman plays for D.C. United Checkmate: WIS seniors can’t escape chess 9/10 journalism

By LEO SARZI, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

Though the academy’s main goal is to produce players that will be able to play professionally, players entering academies statistically have less than 0.5% of making a living from the game, according to Sky News. MLS academies are built to keep extreme pressure on the players.

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

15 Coach Matt Arrington said.

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

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

He was called back for three tryouts during winter 2020. He described the tryout process like “a pyramid.” “If they identified you as the better player during the tryout, you would have been invited to the next tryout,” he said. “If not, you would not be invited back.”

He was then recruited during the summer and started training with the team in August. However, once the players are offered a spot on the team, it’s not guaranteed. “Every day at the club is a battle, it’s a competition for your starting spot,” Talapatra said.

Training at the academy is very intense. It consists of one and half-hours of a lot of technical work, core, flexibility, crosses from the fullbacks, side volleys and finishing. The intensity of the training pushes the individual to become a better overall player. “All day we look forward to training, because training is just something special,” Talapatra said.

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

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

By PHILIP HE, 2022

like challenges,” Bazoberry said. “[Chess] is Walking into the Senior Lounge (Slounge), just intriguing and we all want to test our a group of seniors crowd around a broken skills against each other.”

Senior Rufus Leeth shares a similar chessboard, watching closely as a white opinion, as he wants to prove his skills pawn is pushed forward to start another amongst his peers. game.

“I was deemed really bad at chess, esOver the past two years, new outlets pecially by [Bazoberry] and Quinn [Confor stress have become increasingly promway] and a few other people,” he said. inent at WIS because of COVID-19. One “Then there was this one Friday when I activity has continued to dominate the had a free with and played [Bazoberry] and school, especially among [Conway] in succession.

I the seniors. beat both of them.”

The sudden surge of “When we play, we talk This competitive chess popularity was partspirit is not hard to find [it] over and have fun.

We ly due to the spare time with students often chalstudents had during the make memories lenging each other to pandemic. Additionally, se- and connections.” games. niors Kevin Galdamez and “Chess is a difficult AUREL ERSEK Mila Martin stocked the game to understand,” Slounge with chess sets, Leeth said.

“So if you can play chess really which has provided students with easy acwell and you win, it makes you feel good.” cess to the game.

However, Ersek believes that there is While more experienced chess players a more important reason as to why chess such as senior Aurel Ersek were quick to became so popular. pick up the game, this increased accessi“I think the reason people enjoy chess bility to chess boards has also caused stuis because it’s about knowing your oppodents who have never played chess before nent,” Ersek said. “When we play, we talk to try it out. [it] over and have fun. We make memories “I started playing the second half of and connections.” junior year,” senior Lucas Bazoberry said.

Despite chess being a two player game, “Some people played chess before and inseniors crowd around a chessboard during troduced it to me.” lunch.

People discuss different chess In addition to the increased accessimoves, compliment each other or jokingly bility, Bazoberry points to the competitive criticize each other. nature of WIS students that pushed chess “Sometimes we talk about the game. into such a prominent choice in senior’s Sometimes we talk about other things,” free time.

Ersek said.

“It is about connecting with “We are all somewhat competitive and other people while playing chess.”

“

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

4

covid

MONTH

APRIL 2022

evolution of COVID-19

Monday, Jan. 10, 2022:

WIS returns from winter break

5-6%

students quarantined

Week of Jan. 31, 2022:

1%

students quarantined Mar. 3, 2022: Announcement that no negative COVID-19 tests will be required post-spring break WIS continues to mandate masks indoors in accordance with D.C. mandates

The school urged 12-17 year olds to receive a booster COVID-19 vaccine

Mar. 12, 2022: Mask mandate lifted on the Primary School campus

Mar. 10, 2022: Mask mandate lifted on Tregaron campus

51% masking 49% not masking

Mar. 17-19, 2022 First in-person high school

musical

since fall of 2019

february

DMV students reflect on two years of learning in the pandemic

By ALEK DANIELYAN and CAMILA LEVEY, 2022 Almost two years after being sent into distance learning, schools across the D.C. metropolitan area have begun removing mask mandates. In light of this major step towards normalcy, Maryland and Virginia public school students reflected on the complications they’ve experienced in school throughout the pandemic.

Gray Rager is a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) in Maryland, part of the Montgomery County Public School system. Rager was firm in his critical stance on B-CC’s response to the pandemic. “[B-CC’s response] has been inadequate,” he said. “From the beginning of the pandemic until now, there’s a lot that could have been different.”

The school was one of many that implemented a hybrid learning model halfway through the 2020-2021 school year, along with providing students with masks and tests when the Omicron variant hit.

While vaccination rates in the D.C. metropolitan area have been steadily increasing, Rager still notes that at the beginning of 2022, “many kids [didn’t] feel comfortable coming to school… many kids want[ed] online school.”

Despite many of the student body sharing Rager’s sentiment, B-CC’s administration has not addressed dissatisfaction with their recent COVID-19 response. Rager notes that the school policies have not been revised and student feedback was unacknowledged after winter break. “The administration loves to pretend they care about [us] and then not do anything,” he said.

Claire Ducharme, a senior attending a Fairfax County Public School (FCPS), has been relatively pleased with her school’s response. “It could definitely be improved, but I can tell that they’re at least trying,”

she said.

However, she has questioned the justification behind certain policies, like having to eat lunch in the cafeteria. “If [students] eat anywhere outside the cafeteria we get in trouble, but we can eat in the cafeteria glued to each other, which truly does not make sense to me,” she said.

Unlike Rager, Ducharme feels that FCPS has taken student feedback into account. “I totally feel that FCPS is listening to student feedback because they heard us say that we wanted to keep our masks and went against the governor to keep us safe,” she said.

The recently elected governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, amassed controversy over his signing of Senate Bill 739. The bill requires that Virginia schools end mask mandates and remain open for in-person instruction five days a week, according to the Virginia’s Legislative Information System. Despite this, many schools in Northern Virginia, like Arlington Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools, continued to mandate masks for students, something Ducharme believes has been effective in preventing COVID outbreaks.

Andrea Villafuerte, a senior at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, notes that, although the majority of students at her school are vaccinated, there are still some students and parents who openly support anti-masking and anti-vaccinations. “There’s definitely anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers, which is kind of scary for the rest of us,” she said.

As schools in Virginia and Maryland have adjusted their policies for education and safety in light of COVID-19, D.C. policymakers have been faced with the challenge of developing their educational approach. WIS has risen to this challenge with policy adjustments such as the mask mandate being dropped for the Tregaron campus on Mar. 10.

january

10

Students turn to remote options during quarantine

By NAOMI BREUER and GABRIELA LEON-ACOSTA, 2024 The school day starts for most students with an early alarm and the morning rush to get to school on time. By 8:15 a.m., they are sitting in a classroom for period one.

Meanwhile, students at home get up at their own pace, in no rush to get to a classroom or leave the house. These students have COVID-19 and have no other option.

WIS is not offering a virtual learning option for students with COVID-19, so students have worked to stay caught up with their classes independently in a remote setting. The school requires students to quarantine for eight days after a positive test or appearance of symptoms, and they may return if they receive a negative test after the first five days.

Senior Natalie Sanchez tested positive for COVID on Jan. 4, during Winter Break.

She tested negative on Jan. 8, the day before school restarted, but had to remain at home because WIS was still requiring a 10 day quarantine due to D.C. Health guidelines.

“I was negative at the time that I was missing school, so it seemed counterproductive,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez missed three days of school.

To keep up with schoolwork as much as possible, she texted her friends about what they did and FaceTimed into class.

“For one of my classes, I was going to have a test that week, so I didn’t want to miss review,” she said. “So what I would do is FaceTime my friends and just listen to the classes, even though I wasn’t able to participate and ask questions, but just so I wouldn’t miss content.”

Sanchez said she was a lot more productive while working from home. She worked all day, since she had just had all of Winter Break to relax. However, she did fall behind a little in some of her classes.

Upper School Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) teacher Trish Beck has only had one to two students out from each of her classes at a time, so there hasn’t been too much overall class disruption.

She has been letting students FaceTime, like Sanchez, into class to listen, especially during lectures.

“The school’s a little late in trying to come up with policies for [students quarantining], because it’s such a new thing,” Beck said. “So at first [the school was] kind of saying, ‘no, don’t do [FaceTime].’ But now it’s like, ‘help people however you want.’”

She also has lessons from last year recorded that she can send students. Recently, teachers had a tech training meeting where they were taught how to audio record their classes and send them to students who are quarantining.

Senior Olivia Matuschek tested positive for COVID on Jan. 16 after a week of being at school. Her teachers were very accommodating and she had more time to work on her assignments and got to work at her own pace.

“I know that, obviously, I’m not going to learn the full extent of the content that was taught in school,” Matuschek said.

“But at least I have a good idea because of my teachers sharing it with me and on OnCampus assignments.”

Sophomore Mia Lahrech’s experience staying at home was somewhat unpleasant, partly due to her severe COVID symptoms which made it hard for her to concentrate on her assignments.

“There [were] some days where my brain fog was so bad [that] all I would do is stay in bed and eat bags [full] of cough drops,” Lahrech said.

Lahrech feels that teachers should be more understanding towards students who are symptomatic. She did her schoolwork by checking OnCampus and Google Class-

room. Her assignments started coming in at around 11:30 am and she finished her schoolwork at 2 p.m.

However, while in quarantine, she would’ve appreciated some sort of virtual learning. “It’s really infuriating and kind of irresponsible,” she said. “I’ve got finals that I have to work on. It’s very hard to figure out what’s going on.”

It is better for the school to be either completely virtual or in-person, according to Matuschek, who is sympathetic to why WIS is not offering virtual learning options for any students.

“I know that especially [for] a lot of people in my grade, at times it can be really overwhelming and it would be really nice to take one or a few days off to just go virtual, even if you don’t have COVID,” Matuschek said. “From that perspective, I understand that they want to keep school open and to not have hybrid.”

Sanchez, on the other hand, would have preferred WIS to offer a virtual option, especially since students have to miss a lot of class time.

“If WIS put specific rules in place, they would definitely be able to offer the option and it would work towards their goal of being safe,” Sanchez said.

A virtual option would be more disruptive to the overall learning, according to Beck. She also said that the school is worried about not having enough bandwidth for every class to be on Zoom.

“I’m not going to make the whole class do a distance learning lesson and not do something interactive there because we want to include the couple of people that are home,” Beck said.

As of now, Beck believes that the current method of helping students individually is working. But if more students are away, then a more substantial solution will need to be put in place.

Matuschek thinks that WIS needs to have a proper solution in place for students who have to miss exams, especially finals. She did not miss any exams and was a lot less stressed with the extra time she had at home.

“As long as your teachers are able to offer a sustainable solution while you’re at home, and to allow you to learn from home, that makes it possible to not have to have an online option,” Matuschek said.

Upper School Math Teacher Neil MacDonald has had four students in quarantine. According to MacDonald, the best solution for students at home would be for teachers to get on a call with the student at home, as well as teach the class to the students present.

MacDonald said he did this for a particular student. “The call wasn’t totally clear, but it was better than nothing,” he said.

However, there are multiple problems involving this method of teaching, namely bandwidth problems. MacDonald’s advice for students at home is to follow the school day routine and reach out to teachers over email if they need help.

When Sanchez returned to school, she was very excited to be back after a month of not being at school. “I felt super safe,” she said. “Especially knowing that I had been negative for the past five days. So it felt like I was safe and that other people were safe.

It didn’t feel like a hazard to anyone.”

Sanchez strongly suggests other COVID infected students reach out to friends and teachers to stay as up to date with their work as possible. However, all of this should only be done if students are feeling fine and able to do so.

“I think [at] the beginning of me being sick, I pushed myself too hard,” Matuschek said. “I was still trying to keep up with all my work, but I was still having symptoms.

Now I’m actually feeling better, and realizing that I should give myself a break.”

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

covid

EDGES A Song Cycle

APRIL 2022

11

By ABIGAIL BOWN, 2023 “Edges: A Song Cycle” by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul was WIS’s first in-person musical since “Mamma Mia!” in the fall of 2019.

Directed by John Munt, Peter Fischer and junior Ariana Sabathier, the show is a collection of songs with a common theme of growing up and discovering self-identity.

Sabathier emphasizes the challenges of being a student director. “Directing a musical while being in the IB has been one of the hardest but best experiences of my life,” Sabathier said. “The stresses that came along with being the director of the cast, stage managers, as well as tech, was crazy to deal with.”

Furthermore, the cast only rehearsed “Edges” for a little under two months.

Freshman Calder LeValley describes how quickly the show came together. “We didn’t get anywhere near enough rehearsal time,” he said.

Nonetheless, the show provided students with an opportunity to make new friends. “It’s nice to connect with people who I wouldn’t necessarily connect with outside of the theater,” junior Bianca Pattison said.

The show featured a pit band, with senior Michelle Hobdari on piano, junior Sumner Hood on bass and sophomore Henri Greamo on drums.

“Edges” premiered on Thursday, Mar. 17 and played through Saturday, Mar. 19.

april

march

COURTESY OF CHERYL TANSKI

To mask or not to mask: WIS NOLA to NYC: 10th grade trip revised for the Class of 2024 lifts mask mandate

By ANDREA BRUDNIAKBERROCAL, 2025 Almost exactly two years ago, the WIS community transitioned into distance learning.

On Mar. 9, Head of School Suzanna Jemsby announced the mask optional policy at the Tregaron campus, also stating that the Primary School would be lifting the mask mandate effective Mar. 14. Students and faculty had an array of reactions.

“I expect these changes will be welcome for some and a source of anxiety for others,’’ Jemsby wrote in the email sent to the school, acknowledging that the lifting of the mask mandate would provoke controversial and sensitive responses.

Though many in the WIS community think of this as positive news, students worry about the school’s instantaneous response to D.C. Health’s decision.

“I feel like the fact that WIS lifted this mandate immediately after the city allowed them to make it seem almost like they were only doing the precautions in the first place because the city made them, and not for the safety of the students,” freshman Madeleine Fine said.

Another important factor that has been emphasized consistently is that members of the community should have respect for people’s choices when it comes to not wearing a mask or choosing to keep it on. “When there is a mask mandate, all individuals should adhere to mask wearing,” Upper School Math teacher Andrew Sopher said. “That said, now that the mandate is lifted, individuals have the right to wear a mask, or not, at their discretion. It’s important for everyone to respect each other’s choices.”

The faculty stressed the importance of the students’ responses to their peers and their personal choices. “It’s an interesting conundrum, because it took so long for everybody to get accustomed to wearing masks and now we are going the other way, getting unaccustomed to wearing them,”

former WIS math teacher and now substitute teacher Mary Knautz said.

Others said they have been following the crowd and basing their decisions off of what their peers were doing. “I played it by ear and just wanted to see how many people were and weren’t wearing masks,” sophomore Robert Heneghan said.

Students against the mask optional policy said that everyone should wear masks, despite the option to be able to have them off, in order to provide a safer environment for staff and students. Some have chosen to prioritize their family members at home by keeping their masks on.

“My little brother is not vaccinated and has asthma, so I really don’t want to risk anything and bring anything home,” sophomore Sofia Braccialarghe said.

Some students worry about the future and how WIS will handle any further COVID outbreaks. “I think the removal of the mask mandate is good right now with how the levels are, but I’m worried that if it gets a lot worse the school is not going to be very proactive in changing back,” senior Ana Diaz-Young said.

Other students are wondering about future mask usage in a post-COVID world.

“I can totally imagine myself putting on a mask in times like the flu season,” sophomore Alex Wiseman said.

Students being accustomed to COVID regulations could possibly result in students wearing masks for other non COVID related reasons, decreasing the general spread of respiratory diseases.

The removal of the mask mandate is also seen as an opportunity for a step in the right direction. After two years of not having regular contact with students and the community as a whole, it is seen as a relief and progress in getting life back to how it was before the pandemic.

“Students and teachers need to be able to see each other’s facial expressions,” school nurse Molly Foa said. “It’s been a long two years.”

By SOFIA BRACCIALARGHE, 2024

The Upper School administration announced that the 10th grade trip is being brought back, but will be relocated to New York City (NYC) for the 2022 trip. Due to COVID-19, the 10th grade New Orleans (NOLA) trip has been canceled for the past two years.

The logistics of the New York trip first came out towards the end of February.

During a parent meeting, the 10th grade parents discovered that instead of visiting NOLA, the trip would move to NYC. This decision was made due to the higher risk of infection of COVID-19 by getting on a plane, rather than taking a bus to NYC, according to Grades 9/10 Assistant Principal Allison Ewing.

During the NYC trip, the same COVID precautions in place at school will apply.

This includes keeping a safe distance when going to public locations, bringing masks and wearing them if required by shops and making sure to bring vaccination cards.

At the start of the school year, Ewing was unsure of whether this trip would happen. Upon seeing the COVID-19 cases dying down, this 10th grade trip started becoming a possibility.

However, a number of parents expressed concern over the virus, so a survey was sent out to see what families were comfortable with and if they wanted to participate. “With a lot of students coming with us, we must be mindful with COVID and the Omicron strand going around,” Ewing said, “We were worried about the flights and the possibility of getting stuck in [NOLA] if a flight were to get canceled, so we’ve settled on a day’s driving distance by bus.”

Both the Class of 2022 and 2023 have missed their 10th grade trips due to the rise of the COVID-19 virus. “As a senior, not getting to go to NOLA was not as big of a deal as it felt originally in 10th grade,” senior Zach Roberts said. “But I think we did miss out on the culture of [NOLA] and

experiencing Louisiana.”

Similarly, the Class of 2024, now 10th-graders, missed their eighth grade language trips to Paris and Lima due to the pandemic in March 2020.

The eighth grade language trips consisted of a student exchange program led

by WIS and the partnered schools in Paris, France; Lima, Peru; and Madrid, Spain. The students each had a correspondent, who would live with them for 10 days in the fall. During the spring, WIS students would travel to their designated country to visit their correspondent.

Although the current seniors and juniors did not get to go on their 10th grade trip, they did get to go on their eighth grade language trips and many felt it was a great bonding experience for their grade.

“I’m definitely grateful that in the fall [of 2019] we did get a chance to have correspondents, but I think not being able to go was heartbreaking, because I wanted to experience a new city with my friends,” sophomore Klara Young said.

Many sophomores share Young’s opinion on the trip, as they want to experience a trip outside of the DMV and be immersed in a new environment.

The 10th grade trip to NYC consists of visiting the Tenement Museum, watching a Broadway show, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting the Empire State Building Observatory and a number of other group activities. Students will be staying at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in Midtown.

“A goal of mine throughout this trip is to learn more about New York and see places I haven’t before, while also experiencing a new culture and a good New York pizza,” Young said.

In the future, the WIS administration hopes to have more trips for the younger grades so everyone can experience such an opportunity as a grade. “I really do hope that the current 10th-graders can enjoy this trip,” Ewing said.“I hope they create a sense of community, bond and make good memories.”

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

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G R i A B E kn E n ws!

12

APRIL 2022

WIS plans to build library in order to turn it into another Design Lab

WIS Head of School Suzanna Jemsby recently unveiled plans to construct an entire library building at WIS for the sole purpose of turning it into another Design Lab. “We all know how much the students loved it when the original library was converted.

We want to do it again, and do it bigger,” Jemsby said. Jemsby’s plans, funded by previous Head of School Clayton Lewis, involve creating a six floor library building and converting it into an exact copy of the existing Design Lab one floor at a time to extend the satisfaction from taking away an important student resource.

By SAUL MEYER-FONG, 2022

ISU Treasurer Grades 9/10 Vittori revealed Assistant Principal not to be the Wolf Allison Ewing reveals of Macomb Street; that she doesn’t, in Actually a sheep fact, love all of you

In a recent interview, Grades 9/10 Assistant Principal Allison Ewing revealed that she only loves most of you. “I actually only love most of you. Just not certain 9th graders, among some others,” she said.

A recent student movement has arisen in protest upon discovering that the way Ewing ends her emails is in fact only a partial truth. When asked for comment, Grades 11/12 Assistant Principal James Bourke declined to answer whether or not he actually means all the best in his email signatures.

Despite running on a campaign based on being the Wolf of Macomb Street, senior and ISU treasurer Enrico Vittori was revealed to not be a wolf at all. Although he was self-appointed as the Wolf of Macomb Street, and evidently convinced most of the student population, recent blood testing reveals that the treasurer is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. This major revelation leaves the rest of the incumbent treasurer’s career in question, and it is unclear whether or not the presidents will put him out to pasture.

“I know climate change is bad and all but it’s supposed to give me more beach days.”

James Bourke: Warden or word-en?

Grades 11/12 Assistant Principal James Bourke has once again taken on the role as the warden of Extended Essay (EE) jail, ready to ensure that all students that have yet to turn in their EEs serve their sentences to their sponsors.

In an interview, Bourke commented that his renaming of EE jail to “EE Sequester” was to further “distract the public from the cruel nature of the prison system.” Bourke described how he was expanding his operation beyond EEs into Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS) and Phone-based subsidiaries.

Bourke also explained his plans to bring in subcontractors to make his new prison system “both punitive and profitable.” Despite his comments, it seems that the EE jail hasn’t made too much headway in reforming its convicts, with some only having served 300 words, or on average 15 sentences of the approximately 200 needed to be set free from Warden Bourke’s private prison.

Unfortunately for the senior class, the writing on the wall seems to be wearing orange while producing things that are black, white and read all over.

“It’s giving juicy chicken vibes.”

“I made Mr. Buck cry.”

“Decimals are for people like Elon Musk.”

“Pickles look like they should be made out of alligator skin.”

ILLUSTRATED BY ABIGAIL BOWN

“As an Italian I am offended you don’t know who Danny Devito is.”

“How do you feel about the kangaroo war in Australia?

They just declared it a second ago.”

“I need to lift some weights so I can be a better dancer.

My limbs are too noodly.”