THE
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VOL. 34 ISSUE 5
the LION’S
GRADE
CRAZE I hate that we have to be scared about getting Bs. Kaleigh Yee, ‘19
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Students trend toward singleminded grade focus, sacrificing learning and understanding By Michelle Cheng and Thomas Patti Photo Illustration By Netta Dror
Newton South High School
· Newton, MA · Est. 1984 · dec. 22, 2017
NEWS page 2|December 22, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
News@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 34, ISSUE 5
photo by Netta Dror
Senior Ashadieeyah Gaffney and junior Leo Friedes talk to students about their experiences as transgender students at the Transgender Day of Remebrance panel
South's GSA remembers transgender lives lost Sophie Goodman, Daniel Li & Jennifer Wang Sr News Editor, News Contributor, News Reporter
Last year, junior Leo Friedes had his first panic attack. “I was sitting in class, and there [were] a bunch of kids who … knew my dead name, and they knew the rest of my story, and they were just talking sh*t," he said. "It ended up giving me what turned out to be the first panic attack I was conscious of having.” Friedes shared experiences like this one on a panel organized by the Gender Sexuality Awareness Club (GSA) to observe Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which took place internationally on Nov. 20. Founded 20 years ago by Gwendolyn Ann Smith after the murder of Chanelle Pickett, a 23-year-old transgender woman of color, TDOR aims to raise awareness about anti-transgender hate crimes and commemorate those killed. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 2,300 transgender and gender diverse people worldwide have been killed since 2008. “[It’s] a day of mourning for us to recognize that these people’s lives have meaning, and that we miss them and that we wish the world didn’t look like that,” junior Jasmin Rotem said. At the Dec. 1 panel, Friedes and senior Ashadieeyah Gaffney, as well as guest speaker Landon Callahan, shared their personal experiences, spoke about issues facing transgender students and paid tribute to members of the transgender community who lost their lives to anti-transgender violence. They emphasized the individuality of each transgender student’s experience, junior Aviva Fidler said. “They kept saying on the TDOR panel ... that when you’ve talked to one trans person about their experience, you’ve learned the experience of one trans person, not anyone else because everyone’s so different.” Callahan added that the audience was eager to learn and show respect.
“A lot of people asked questions about how to refer to someone, how show respect, and there were really good conversations that took place," he said. "I think that everyone took away a new perspective.” Senior Sam Frankel said the panel is an important way to educate students and faculty on the hardships that transgender people face and the privileges of cisgender people whose gender identity matches the gender that they were assigned at birth. “[The panel is] just a really important step so people know that being cis is a privilege and not everyone has the same rights and abilities as a cis person does,” Frankel said. According to Rotem, South's establishment of the binary, the idea that every student is either male or female, is problematic. “The locker rooms are still boy-girl and [in] gym, you still get separated into a girl
discomfort of many transgender students. “I don’t think there’s too much harassment here at South, but I do think there’s a lot of ignorance about trans issues,” he said. “Therefore sometimes in class, it could be very uncomfortable when people mock or make fun of things they don't understand." Junior Ashley Gaffney agreed, adding that stubbornness and bigotry also pose challenges to South's protection of its transgender students. “It’s just that there are some kids who you can't really change,” Ashley said. “It's just the way that they see people, like ‘Oh, you're weird or you’re different, I don't want to be around you.’” Furthermore, guidance counselor Amani Allen said transgender students may feel anxious about coming out due to uncertainty about the general population’s reaction.
"It's important to talk to students because they are often left out of these conversations, and students have a really powerful role." - Landon Callahan and a boy together for square dancing, and if we didn’t put that pressure on sticking to the sex assigned at birth, then I think trans students would feel a lot more comfortable coming out and also just being out.” Friedes said specifically that South needs more gender-neutral bathrooms because not all students are comfortable using the men’s or women’s restrooms. “As a nonbinary person, I feel like I'm invading the women’s room when I use that, but I am also in no way comfortable using the men’s room because I’ve had so many negative interactions with a lot of the boys at school that I don’t feel safe using the men’s room,” he said. “It’s really frustrating; there are some days where it feels like this is the world proving me wrong.” According to history teacher Robert Parlin, ignoring these issues drives the
To address the issue of ignorance, junior Felix Flax said that people need to have a more thorough understanding of gender and sexuality. “Let them know from day one that gender is not necessarily what someone looks like, and transgender people are everywhere,” he said. “If you’re using slurs, someone’s going to hear you and feel unsafe because of that, regardless of whether you know that someone is there or not.” English teacher Jasmine Lellock added that awareness of transgender issues needs to increase. “I definitely think [there should be] more awareness of transgender issues [and] more discussion in classes with teachers, staff and faculty who are trained to lead those discussions to help students feel more comfortable [about] discussion of the use of the proper pronouns,” she said.
Callahan agreed, saying that including students in discussions is crucial. “It’s important to talk to students because often they are left out of these conversations, and students have a really powerful role in these conversations and in the process when students lobby and demand their right,” he said. “It’s extremely powerful.” Senior Analise Castillo said that it is important that South works toward a community where everyone feels supported. “I think one of the best things we can do is to try to support the community that you have at South and make sure everybody here feels a basic level of safety and make sure everybody here feels comfortable being who they are,” she said. In addition to the TDOR panel’s effort to raise awareness, a Department of Education representative visited South this past April to speak to the faculty about challenges facing transgender students. According to Parlin, the faculty appreciated the chance to learn how to better support transgender students. “I think those things are challenging for many adults, and every now and then they would say things in class that would lead the students in the class to feel that the teacher didn't really understand the way they thought of gender or sexuality,” he said. According to Superintendent David Fleishman, educating adults on trans issues is critical to creating a more inclusive school district. “It’s very important that we educate ourselves, so as adults we can do what’s best for students, and also do what’s best for adults because we want to make sure we are a welcoming and inclusive school district for all,” he said. Friedes added that without awareness of transgender issues, acts of antitransgender violence and homicides will only continue to occur. “If we don’t bring attention to it, it's just going to keep on happening,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to be killed for who we are.”
December 22, 2017|page 3
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|news
Students prioritize high grades over learning GRADES, from 1 Last year, two teachers taught the same course — one, senior Nika Hashemi said, a much harsher grader than the other. According to Hashemi, she took the class with the former. “I did learn a lot, and she was a very great teacher, but her tests were really hard, so I didn’t do as well as people in the other block,” she said. Despite learning a great deal in the class, Hashemi said she would have preferred a better grade over the greater knowledge. “The morally correct me says yes, it [was] really valuable,” she said. “But if I look back on it, I really would have rather not learned as much and gotten a good grade, and I think that a majority of students at South would say the same thing.” “When people don’t really care about the understanding, and all they want is the grade, I think that’s where the problem is,” sophomore Sara Modiano added. “And I do see that a lot with people — they’ll just kind of study the night before just to get the grade, but not actually learn the information.” This year, over 50 percent of the senior class have weighted GPAs over 4.0. Instead of alleviating student stress, however, this trend toward higher class averages has only further compelled students to prioritize grades over learning, junior Kaleigh Yee said. According to science teacher Alan Crosby, class leveling is largely responsible for South’s relatively high grades: placing students in CP, ACP, Honors or AP courses based on their demonstrated knowledge and interest in a particular subject maximizes their chances of receiving good grades. Science teacher Molly Widrick, however, attributed the high averages to South’s competitive culture. “There’s this huge shift in Newton Public Schools, especially Newton South, that if you don’t have an A, you’re not smart, you can’t do it,” she said. “It’s too bad to see the toll it takes on students and the stress it puts on them.” “It’s really frustrating that everything is normalized so that everyone basically has to get an A,” Yee said. “I hate that we have to be scared about getting Bs.” Senior Varun Mann agreed, saying that even a grade slightly lower than expected can cause panic. “If I know I can get an A in that class, even if my grades drop to a 92, I’ll freak out, and I’ll start prioritizing my grades instead of understanding the situation,” he said. As a result, many students, he said, opt to do the bare minimum on assignments offering only completion grades. In addition, senior Lee Ding added that he has seen students resort to dishonesty in pursuit of high grades. “I definitely know multiple cases of people copying homework [and] getting answers for tests,” he said. “I feel like this stuff is very present.” Widrick agreed, saying that competi-
tiveness can lead to cheating, particularly in higher-level classes. “Kids are so worried about not getting the A, and they have to outcompete their friend. They have to outcompete the person sitting next to them. ... You definitely see those not-being-a-great-person type of behaviors coming out of kids,” she said. “It’s unfortunate when you see that kid make that poor decision because they were just so worried about the grade, and they did something that they would typically never do.” To prevent this sense of competition in the classroom, history teacher Michael Kozuch said he does not allow students to discuss grades with each other. “I want it to be a student’s decision to reveal their grades and take away this constant feeling of pressure and measuring up,” he said. “There’s a lot of this constant, ‘ W h a t ’d you get? What’d y ou
in his classroom. “There’s a world happening around you,” he said. “There’s other things that you should be concentrating on, rather than always worrying about what another person got as a grade.” Easy, constant access to grades online could be contributing to students’ obsession with numbers, according to Kozuch. “One of the trends of our society is information overload and constant worrying about everything,” he said. “I wonder if this access to Schoology ... is feeding into the focus on grades rather than learning.” Crosby said he can often discern students’ true priorities based on how they ask about grades. “An example might be a student coming up and saying, ‘I think I deserved another point for this answer,’ instead of, ‘ I ’m n o t sure why this answer was marked down;
get? Where am I ranking to someone else?’ And that is unhealthy.” This behavior is common among Hashemi’s classmates, she said. “Everyone’s so focused on numbers,” she said. “If someone else’s numbers are better than yours, that makes you want to do more things to get better numbers than them.” Ding noted that discussion of grades consumes student interactions. “A lot of how we interact ties into all this college stuff right now. Talking about grades does dominate the conversation at South,” he said. “When you walk into the library, the table next to you would probably be talking about grades or courses they’re taking.” History teacher Kyle Stark agreed, adding that he frequently notices this behavior
could you explain to me?’ A n d it’s n o t about the points, it’s about, ‘I don’t understand what I didn’t do correctly,’” he said. “Kids are so obsessed with their grade that they forget that they’re here to learn,” Stark said. “[Students] say, ‘Mr. Stark, what do I do to boost my grade?’ And I always tell them, ‘You want to be able to figure out how you can learn more effectively — the grades will follow.’” Regardless, changing a single grade is often inconsequential, Kozuch said, though he does follow rounding rules. Having personally benefited from rounding, Mann said that receiving a grade just below a teacher’s threshold can be frustrating.
“We connect so much of our own self-worth to grades,” he said. “When you get a 92.7, it’s just so exhausting to be told that you’re not good enough to get that A.” According to Stark, some teachers might believe that rounding to a higher grade reduces stress for both the student and the teacher. “If you give higher grades, you will likely get less student pushback and pushback from parents,” he said. “There might be teachers who feel like, ‘Well if a kid [is] on the edge, it’s easier to give them the higher grade. Therefore, they’re not going to get completely stressed out, then I don’t have to deal with an angry parent.’ I think that’s a minority [of teachers], though.” Senior Greg Umansky agreed, adding that many parents move to Newton specifically for the quality public education and thus have high expectations for their children. In response, difficult classes offer more completion grades in order to make up for harder material, he said. “Because that material is very difficult, teachers try to supplement that very difficult material. … That kind of helps people get their grades up,” he said. In the end, intense competition at South is a reflection of students’ growing concerns about college admission, guidance counselor Aaron Lewis said. “I think that certain colleges have made the move over the last five years to become more selective and more prestigious, obviously making it that much more difficult to get in,” he said. “I think that the pressure to achieve goes hand in hand.” “College is always kind of viewed as the endpoint of public education,” College and Career Counselor Kathleen Sabet added. “You get to senior year and your reward at the end of it is college. … That’s just kind of our culture.” Sabet added, however, that students are best served pursuing what they enjoy rather than what will lead to a high GPA. “In reality, you can do all the right things and have the right grades, but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you get into the right college,” she said. “So I think what I’d love to see is students pursue where their passions and their curiosities are, and then the grades should just naturally come because you’re interested and engaged and graphic by Thomas Patti invested.” Convincing students of this concept is easier said than done, Hashemi said. “Students are always going to be worried about numbers unless teachers magically decide, ‘Alright, tests are going to count for some of it, but I’m going to grade you based off how hard you work, how much you improve, how much effort you put into your homework, how much I feel like you are learning,’” she said. Widrick agreed. “Until we get the community to change and better embrace that it’s about being a good person and being a well-rounded individual and that it’s not all about the grades, it’s going to be very hard to change the culture of the school.”
page 4|December 22, 2017
Sports|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR
Songs for Scholarships
Newton music students perform at a benefit concert to raise funds for North and South’s music programs By Sophie Lu, Julian Fefer and Jackson Slater With the help of the Music Ambassador Scholarship Fund (MASF), South’s music program continues to thrive despite budget constraints, creating a close-knit community of musicians across genres and grades. Established two years ago, MASF bridges the gap between students and expensive musical opportunities South cannot afford to sponsor. In 2015, music teacher Lisa Linde and North music teacher Richard Labedz decided to create a scholarship fund that would allow students to attend summer programs, pay for private lessons and rent instruments. Linde said the fund was necessary because sponsors like the Global Education Leadership Fund (GELF) only apply to international opportunities. As a result, in 2016, students who planned to go on a joint North and South trip to learn about jazz music in New Orleans could not seek financial aid. “We realized that there was a need for some kind of fund to make sure that we can do this domestic travel,” Linde said. “Also, [there was] just this idea of being able to support students that can’t afford private lessons, to encourage students to take music lessons over the summer at summer camps.” In order to raise money for MASF, this year’s teachers and students created an ad book and hosted a benefit concert on Dec. 1. Members of North and South jazz bands and Madrigals, South’s most advanced vocal group, performed at the event, which also featured a silent auction, open bar and raffle. More than 250 people attended the concert and raised over $7,000 for the joint Madrigal and South jazz band trip to New Orleans in April, among in addition to other opportunities for student musicians. The number of attendees and amount raised increased significantly from two years ago, when the first benefit concert was held. The concert’s donors were eager to help North and South’s music programs, senior and concert performer Abigail Miller said. “We were going around selling raffle tickets, [and] people were just throwing in $20 bills because they just want to help, so
it was nice,” she said. Parent and concert attendee Meryl Miller agreed. “It was just a nice opportunity to give back to the music program ... by volunteering and giving donations [and] just having a really nice time together,” she said. Freshman and lab jazz student Phillip Amitan said the event’s philanthropic goal improved the concert’s atmosphere. “It was more of a loose situation, so we actually had fun,” he said. “It was more relaxed, [so it was] better than a concert. No one was really stressed. We could just walk around [and] enjoy ourselves.” In addition to raising funds, the event also successfully bolstered the music community both within South’s walls and across Newton. Students were able to meet others with similar interests, Linde said. “The Newton South kids [who] get the chance to hang out with Newton North kids [are] able to expand their social circle a little bit and realize that there are more people who share their interests,” she said. “Maybe it feels like there are some in this school, but there are even more at Newton North, so it’s just nice to be able to share music and appreciate each other.” Sophomore and concert performer Evan Kos said working with different groups revitalized the atmosphere of a typical jazz concert. Music teacher Benjamin Youngman added that students were genuinely invested in the project and made every effort to ensure its success. “We had kids who had the SATs the next morning and yet they came,” he said. “I don’t think they came so much out of obligation. I think they came because they knew it was going to be fun and they knew it was important. They knew that they play an important role in the group and [that] they were needed.” The benefit concert was an all-around success, senior and concert performer Danny Silverston said. “To informally hang out with the Madrigals and other demographics of the music department — not just my jazz band — was really fun,” he said. “I’m glad we had such a good turnout because people could see how much music is thriving at Newton South.”
photo courtesy of Abigail Miller
graphic by Clara Boberg
Newton music students perform at the benefit concert on Dec. 1 at Hibernation Hall.
December 22,2017|page 5
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|NEWS
South students presented with Human Rights Award Sebastian Tsao Sr. News Editor
On Dec. 5, Newton’s Human Rights Commission presented the Human Rights Award to two South students, seniors Kimia Tabatabaei and Khyla Turner. According to the Commission, the students’ recent work to combat civil rights violations earned them this recognition. Tabatabaei has been an advocate for human rights since a young age, she said, attributing her interest in activism to a variety of factors. “It wasn’t like a particular moment in my life where I was like I really need to start getting active,” she said. “It was like a combination of me becoming in touch with my Persian values and also becoming more aware of what is going on around me in the world.” In a city that hosts many activist organizations, Tabatabaei said, the hardest decision for entry-level activists is not where to find these groups, but which to choose. Tabatabaei is personally a part of activist organizations such as South Peace Action and Iran World Food Program. “I think people get really confused on what it means to fight for human rights. It doesn’t mean going to marches or creating marches every single day,” senior Khyla Turner said. “It could mean going to a WAI meeting, or a SASA meeting or helping out with the money drive for Puerto Rico, sending
supplies there because they barely have water. It starts with small actions and you using your voice.” According to North senior Alisa Caira, a who also received the Human Rights Award, Boston is full of opportunity for wide-eyed activists. If the transit proves too strenuous, there are other local options, including possibilites at both Newton high schools. “Anyone interested in learning more about human rights can join one of the many clubs dedicated to preserving them at both North and South,” she said. Choosing the organization is an external decision that holds few significant implications according to Tabatabaei. The real importance lies in the motive “The feeling that you know that you are doing something to help is the best reward,” she said. “Knowing that I am not helpless is the best reward I can get.” Incentivization with materialistic rewards is common among young activists, Caira noted, often giving students a false sense of accomplishment. She added that the Humans Rights Commission of Newton has better intentions in presenting this award. “I don’t think they are incentivizing people to do something good,” she said. “I think they are recognizing people who did do something good.” For North senior Josie Joseph, another recipient of the Humans Rights Award, great human rights violations served as a call to action. “As I learned more about the issues in my community and around the world, I grew
photo courtesy of Kimia Tabatabaei
Seniors Khyla Turner (center left) and Kimia Tabatabaei (center right) celebrate receiving the Human Rights Award.
more and more upset by them,” she said. “To combat those growing sentiments, I steadily began to take more initiative in fighting against the injustices I saw around me.” Like Joseph, Turner said her activism was fueled by her innate determination to initate change. “Before and after this award, I was doing all these things to take action because I really wanted to spark change and really wanted to shine a light on the things that people had turned the light off on,” she said. A majority of the human rights issues that circulate around Newton high schools pertain to local issues or state-wide issues, according to Joseph. Global injustices, however,
deserve attention as well, she said. “Along with my church, we did a service project and we took a week-and-ahalf trip all the way down to Cuba,” she said. “While we were in Cuba, we were working on farms and picking pineapples , along with educating elementary school level to middle school level Cubans, and teaching them very simple English words and phrases.” The fight for human rights is nowhere near complete, but the movement is spreading, and many believe progress will fueled by passions like Turner’s. “I had to speak out, I had to. I had to take action, I had to use the voice that I had, no matter how minute I felt it was,” Turner said.
South students to participate in anti-hate speech training Peri Barest, Izzy Klein & Dina Kats News Reporters
In late January, sophomores and juniors will attend a three-day training by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on facilitating anti-hate speech lessons for the freshman class. Last year, South teachers delivered antihate speech lessons in history and English classes, using a curriculum developed by history teachers Rachael McNally and Robert Parlin and English teacher Emma Leslie. Several incidents of hate speech, however, occurred at South even after these lessons had been implemented. Science department head Gerry Gagnon said the anti-hate speech curriculum was implemented last year after teacher surveys revealed the frequency of hate speech at South. “It was much higher than we would have liked, and it was much higher than I think a lot of us were expecting,” he said. The students chosen to be trained by the ADL were either nominated by their teachers and guidance counselors or expressed interest themselves following the anti-hate speech lessons in their English and history classes. According to history department head Jennifer Morrill, the program attempts to empower students to help one another become kinder. “If you have enough students who recognize and know how to call out hurtful speech, we’re going to change our community and make those spaces safer for kids,” she said.
“The school’s goal is to make South a warm and welcoming place where everyone is going to feel safe and respected and valued,” Gagnon said, adding that this incentive has manifested itself in the phrases displayed throughout the school: show respect, choose kindness, listen first and take responsibility. Principal Joel Stembridge added that in the last few years, it became clear that South needed more explicit values to clearly outline
the types of actions and behaviors that our political leaders are exhibiting and worry about the model that students may see as acceptable and attempt to replicate here in our school,” Stembridge added. Morrill said that teachers will have an important role helping the students, but will not be teaching the lessons to the students themselves. “We want to use the training to have
“We wanted to make sure that we stood up and that students knew what we stood for as a school” Gerry Gagnon, science department head what language does not belong at school. Sophomore Adina Smith said that while last year’s initiative helped raise awareness of hate speech, having an official organization to help with the curriculum will make students take the lessons more seriously. “I feel like they kind of focused on the extreme things and a lot of people would say I don’t do hate speech, but then they make an offensive homophobic joke or an offensive transphobic joke or stuff like that because they didn’t really cover that joking can be hate speech,” sophomore Shoshi Gordon added. Gagnon said the creation of last year’s curriculum correlates with the current political climate in the United States. “We have all been exposed to some of the toxic stuff that is being said at the national level,” he said. “As a principal, I am concerned about
the students come in and do some exercises on the teachers,” she said. “As if the teachers were the students, the student trainers would practice on the teachers and maybe gain some skills from it themselves.” Gordon added that the lessons will likely be more effective since fellow students will be instructing the freshman. “I think that kids realize what kids do more than adults because adults just hear things in the hallway or in their classroom, so it’s kind of hard to gage how students actually interact,” he said. According to Stembridge, students can bring authenticity to this conversation. “That’s what I hope the power is: it’s not just adults who are trying to set the tone, but it’s our student community and adult community working together to say, “No these are the values that we have in this building
and these are the standards we have for each other’s behavior,” he said. Sophomore Matthew Gonzalez, who volunteered to participate in the training, said that he wanted to help incite change at South. “I think especially over the past couple years there have been a lot of times where South has maybe felt disconnected and not like a good, strong community, and I think it’s important to have students tell people that we can come back together as a school,” junior Jack Tumpowsky added. Gagnon said the importance of this program outweighs the concern that students will miss three days of school to receive this training. “I think it speaks to just how important we think this is for kids that we’re, as an administration and as a school, willing to kind of pay that kind of a price for this opportunity,” he said. Stembridge added that it is always a risk to ask students to teach other students because three days of training cannot compare to the years of experience in education that teachers have, but it is important to show that the majority of students want South to be a safe place. “It’s not the adults who are the ones setting the tone for the type of language in the hallway,” he said. “It’s really other students.” According to Gagnon, the training will help and ensure that South is a safe and welcoming community. “Regardless of what’s going on outside of our school walls, … we can make this a place that’s special and welcoming and supportive for all students.”
EDITORIALS page 6|DECEMBER 22, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
editorials@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 34, ISSUE 5
the CAT’S
MEOW All the news that’s fit to print ... and then some!
Touch Tank Installation After several months of deliberation, the administration has decided that the former L bench will not be turned into a green space, but into a Touch Tank: an open-top aquarium that will feature an array of aquatic life from stingrays to a baby squid. “I see this as a bigger and better — also wetter — version of your classic elementary school class pet,” project coordinator Wet N. Wild said. South faculty hope that the Touch Tank will implicitly promote South’s core values. “‘Choose kindness’ by refraining from assaulting the fish and feeding them your unwanted fries,” biology teacher Marina Life said. “Fish are friends, not food.”
Parent-Teacher Conferences The 2017-2018 school year marks the first time teachers can request parents for parentteacher conferences. “I’ve had kids from the same family in at least one of my classes year after year, so every December I have to spend 10 minutes talking to Marsha Killjoy — the most odious woman alive, I tell you,” English teacher Midas Wells-Beded said. “My colleagues have told me that Sunny Robbins is an excellent conversationalist — and she bakes a mean carrot cake. So, she’s definitely my first pick.” Overall, teachers welcome a change of pace to the parent-teacher power dynamic. “Before, we had to compliment their children and boost their parental egos,” math teacher Aiyme Lyon said.“Parents are so gullible.”
New Year’s Day For the first time in NPS history, the adminstration has decided to cut winter break short and demand students come in on New Year’s Day in a poorly thought-out attempt to build school unity. “While we understand that students traditionally spend New Year’s Day at home with their families or celebrating with other loved ones, we thought that by requiring them to come to school, they’d feel similarly connected to their South family,” NPS administrator Ilove Katz said. Students will be excused from one block of their choice to partake in festive activities. “The freshman Physics and Engineering classes have been working on model ball drops, where students can push wooden balls down toilet-paper-roll chutes to simulate the Times Square ball drop,” student teacher Al Alone said. “New Year’s Day will be wholesome fun compared to the devilish antics students will undoubtedly commit on New Year’s Eve,” Katz added.
Subjectivity of grading blurs connection between effort and merit
While grades are meant to measure a student’s proficiency in a particular subject, they usually end up measuring that student’s proficiency in a particular class. Students’ grades and, concurrently, their academic success are dependent on factors unrelated to grasping material, factors including teachers and class difficulty. Though teachers may be incentivized to grade students more leniently to reduce student stress or raise their own class averages, they should acclimate their grading standards to their classes’ abilities. Classes where all students have As often lump together students of varying achievement levels and fail to distinguish superior students. Receiving an A on an assignment should be an academic commendation of exemplary work, work that exceeds expectations. Teachers’ grading systems should reflect this logic. Therefore, an entire class earning As in a particular
course should signal to teachers that they should reassess their standards for A-quality work. At the same time, the lack of standardization regulating teachers’ grading systems across all subjects can either significantly benefit or hurt students’ grades. Students generally find the issue of subjective grading especially prevalent in
grading are so unregulated, taking class-wide averages for student GPAs seems unfair. Teachers with much to offer end up with fewer students as those fearful of deflated GPAs flock to “easier” courses. The issue undermining fair grading seems to be the lack of correlation between effort put into a class and final grades. Generally,
The lack of standardization regulating teachers’ grading systems across all subjects can either significantly benefit or hurt students’ grades. South’s English department, where grading is often based on how well students’ papers align with their teachers’ ideas and stylistic preferences. In this case, the volatility of English grades drives students to “teacher-shop” — switching around their schedules for reputably easier graders — at the beginning of the year. Because some elements of
students who receive Bs in notoriously challenging classes have worked harder than students who receive As in reportedly easier sections of the same course. Fair grading persists as a point of contention among South students, who recognize that there are few measures that can be realistically taken to standardize grading — a system that at its core is inherently biased.
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The Lion’s Roar, founded in 1984, is the student newspaper of Newton South High School, acting as a public forum for student views and attitudes. The Lion’s Roar’s right to freedom of expression is protected by the Massachusetts Student Free Expression Law (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, Section 82). All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Lion’s Roar in no way reflects the official policy of Newton South, its faculty or its administration. Editorials are the official opinion of The Lion’s Roar, while opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lion’s Roar. The Lion’s Roar reserves the right to edit all submitted content, to reject advertising copy for resubmission of new copy that is deemed acceptable by student editors and to make decisions regarding the submission of letters to the editors, which are welcomed. The Lion’s Roar is printed by Seacoast Newspapers and published every four weeks by Newton South students. All funding comes from advertisers and subscriptions. In-school distribution of The Lion’s Roar is free, but each copy of the paper shall cost one dollar for each copy more than ten (10) that is taken by any individual or by many individuals on behalf of a single individual. Violation of this policy shall constitute theft.
December 22, 2017|page 7
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|DESK
Remembering why I’ve stuck EDITOR’S with dance (four years too late) DESK from the
Carina Ramos
since) that my hundreds of hours of dance each year would mean nothing to any respectable academic institution. AweNow 15 years into my dancing casome! Suddenly questioning how I’d spent reer, I’ve finally fallen in love with it. I can’t my entire childhood, I resented the time say why, or even exactly when, but after commitment that kept me from taking on years of begging my mom to call me in sick activities that would help my applications from classes, I now find myself sitting in (according to my “friend”). Eager to pass the studio parking lot, embarrassed to have blame for what I believed would be a future arrived so early. full of rejections, my absurd freshman self Much to my friends’ amusement, repeatedly asked my mom why she’d gotten I can’t seem to do jumping jacks without me into an activity that couldn’t get me smiling. I’m not a world-class ballerina — anywhere. or anything remotely close — but dance makes me genuinely happy, and I guess it shows. I’d become sort of disillusioned with dance during middle school, around the time when I realized my body wasn’t built Despite my annoyance, I stuck for ballet. I’d had my splits since I could around for my dance friends. I’d grown remember, but when face-to-face with the close with girls from other schools and ballet barre, my limbs wouldn’t do what towns, and quitting the activity that I wanted them to. With enough effort, I brought us together would almost guarknew I could overcome my inconvenient antee the end of all but a few of those anatomy, but chasing after abilities that relationships. That said, I asked my mom come naturally to much of my class got to skip class nearly every day. She held firm very old very quickly. As school intensithat if I really wanted to, I had to call my fied, I grew complacent, and my progress teacher myself and explain to her exactly slowed at the studio. why I’d be absent — complete transparWhen I got to high school and atency. Needless to say, I never skipped. tended my first club fair, everyone seemed As I grew older, each fall I followed to be focused on one thing: the Comthe same routine: I’d return from camp mon Application. I was soon informed inflexible and out-of-shape, forcing my by a “friend” (whom I have not spoken to teachers to dumb down my August solos to Editor-in-Chief
accomodate my subpar fitness. I essentially started over every September, losing the previous year’s gains each summer only to slowly regain them during the following school year. This year, however, I returned to dance well-stretched and conditioned, and I hit the ground running instead of retracing last year’s steps. The extra momentum helped me see my own potential for what felt like the first time, and I’ve been working to see how far I can go ever since. Here’s the best part: my relative
At a time when it feels like I’m doing everything for everyone else, it feels good to do one thing for me. success in dance, either within my studio or at competition, will never impact the course of my life. Aside from maybe my parents, literally no one cares if I succeed or fall flat, and that’s precisely why it feels so good to see myself improve — at a time when it feels like I’m doing everything for everyone else, it feels good to do one thing for me. I’ll admit, dance competitions offer tons of external validation. The thing is, the awards are practically meaningless now that even consolodation prizes sound like victories. At one competition, every score falls into one of three categories: “gold,” “high gold” or “platinum.” Worse
yet, when judges announce the distinctions, they call every single routine a champion, no matter what. You know the system’s broken when a dancer automatically becomes a “gold champion” just for paying the registration fee. While competitions offer a chance to watch and learn from other dancers, I’ve found my own meager classroom improvements far more exciting than any award an indifferent judge could bestow upon me. I’m not sure why it took me so long to throw myself into my studio, but I walk into class every day with the intention of being the hardest-working girl in room. Seeing that work pay off and my teachers take notice is infinitely more rewarding than hearing a bored-looking judge crown me a “platinum champion.” I’m ashamed to admit that I took dance for granted for the greater part of high school. I wish I had recognized the value of taking dance-breaks from homework when junior year almost killed me. I wish I hadn’t taken until senior year to realize that “getting me somewhere” shouldn’t be a mandatory criterion for the things I love. Only a few months from my final show, I can’t stand the thought of leaving dance behind. I may have 15 years behind me, but having only made the most of one, I can’t help but wish for a few more.
Volume XXXIV The Lion’s Roar Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com
Editors-in-Chief Michelle Cheng
Carina Ramos
Managing Editors Thomas Patti
Celine Yung
Section Editors Opinions
Features
Aviva Gershman Dina Zeldin
Centerfold
News Sophie Goodman Sophie Lu Sebastian Tsao
Rachel Gu Kimia Tabatabaei
Content Manager
Business Manager
Faculty Advisers
Gaby Smith
Sports
Catherine Granfield Dorra Guermazi
Graphics Managers Ellen Deng Eunice Kim
Cam Miller Ilan Rotberg Eu Ro Wang
Emily Belt
Ashley Chapman Faye Cassell
Photo Managers Netta Dror Adam Baker
Local Government Correspondent Michael Ryter
OPINIONS page 8|DECEMBER 22, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
OPINIONS@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 34, ISSUE 5
SHOULD COLLEGES RECRUIT STUDENTS FOR ATHLETICS?
YES
NO
JAMIN LIU
caleb lazar
graphic by Carina Ramos
I
f a student-athlete trains just as hard as a valedictorian studies, are they less deserving of a college acceptance? Whether it be academics, arts or sports, people’s passions are diverse. Judging one’s success in high school solely based on academic performance would undermine the many definitions of success. Colleges should recognize the hard work that athletes put in to succeed athletically, as well as the unique skills they gain as athletes. Colleges look for a strong work ethic and grit in their applicants. These qualities can be developed through both academic and athletic perseverance. The characteristics that student athletes develop from their athletics adequately prepare them for the academic rigor of exceptional institutions. Colleges accept students who they deem are most likely to succeed, and athletes are as prepared as anyone to do so by carrying their mindset from the stadium into the classroom. Moreover, athletics give student-athletes a unique skill set that may not directly translate to academics, but is useful in other ways. Colleges are supposed to prepare students for life beyond college. Bloomberg Job Skills Report reported in 2016 that leadership, communication and collaboration are among the most desired skills of recruiting industries — skills that athletes develop on and of the feld. We can see a direct correlation between successful athletes and successful businessmen. Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb was the captain of the Stanford soccer team and the Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan played rugby at Brown. Admitting student-athletes who are already equipped with crucial lifelong skills may give these students access to not only a good sports program, but also exposure to the intense academic rigor needed to further develop their intellect. Recruitment benefts both student-athletes and schools. A strong athletics program helps enrich a non-athlete student’s life in college. Schools can build tradition around sports, which often strengthens and unites their communities. Furthermore, athletics programs promote health and wellness for all students. Everyone works hard to get into college, and everyone has diferent paths to success. Colleges should help students discover the passions that will set them on to their paths to success. Passion for athletics should be no exception.
L
ast year, 119,000 students applied to UCLA, a highly-ranked college with an 18 percent acceptance rate. UCLA is also known for both its strong academics and its athletic success, its total NCAA championships exceeding that of any other school. But this isn’t UCLA athletics’ only exceptional statistic: they also recruit student-athletes with average SAT scores 247 points lower than those of the rest of the student body. While UCLA is an extreme example, their score diferences highlight the special prioritization that many student-athletes receive in the application process. When student-athletes apply to college, their chances of acceptance are much higher than those of non-athletes. In fact, the New York Times found that top colleges reserve up to 20 percent of their spots for athletes. In general, colleges accept student-athletes who aren’t as academically prepared as other applicants to handle the rigorous course loads, diminishing opportunities for other qualifed students. This disparity is also unfair to the athletes themselves. The NCAA reports that less than two percent of college athletes go pro afer college. Moreover, the college degree rarely helps student-athletes, who focus mostly on sports. Vice explains that because colleges are hyperfocused on giving athletes time for their sports, some schools steer them toward easier classes that ensure an easier workload. Since athletic directors want to make sure their athletes get good grades, fraud is systematically prevalent. A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette study fnds that athletes are sometimes grouped together into the same major through a process called “clustering.” This allows college athletes to be placed in “paper classes,” which are classes that require no attendance and barely any work. Business Insider reports that this is a growing trend among student athletes. More and more potential employers are aware of the low-level classes that some athletes take and are therefore more likely to pass them up for more qualifed candidates. Overall, colleges recruiting students for their athletic performance is unfair to both standard applicants and the athletes this process is designed to help. Instead, colleges should accept students based on their academic standing to give all students the best chance to succeed in the future.
december 22, 2017|page 9
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|opinions
ONE JEW, MANY VIEWS Everyone’s religious identity is unique and deserves individual consideration By Ilan Rotberg
I
n 2015, the Pew Research Center estimated that of the nearly 7.5 billion people on Earth, slightly over 6 billion have some sort of religious affiliation. This means that more than 80 percent of the population observes a religion. Despite the perception that the United States is unusually secular, the proportions are similar: 77 percent of Americans are affiliated with a religion. Many unaffiliated people still have misconceptions about the lives of religious people like myself— but I don’t blame them. With so many different religions, viewpoints and places of origin, it’s totally understandable that non-religious people become confused. My parents were both born to Jewish families, but neither of them was ever taught to be observant. I would say that my family’s relationship with Judaism has always been, to some degree, regulated. We indubitably identify as Jewish, but by no means do we observe to the point of growing out our sideburns and wearing black kippot on our heads — the way one might see Jews being portrayed in the media. In 2006, when I was only five years old, my family moved to Newton from Mexico City. My parents quickly enrolled me in a public elementary school. My time at Cabot School, however, was short-lived because my mother and father decided they wanted their kids to get a “proper Jewish education.” Thus, they enrolled me at the Solomon Schechter Day School (SSDS), a school as private and as Jewish as it sounds. As an incoming second grader, I had some of the same misconceptions that many people have about my own religion. Aren’t all Jews the same as I am? Why do I need to learn how to be Jewish — aren’t I already Jewish enough? What else is there to learn about a religion I already observe? Needless to say, my questions were answered. The Jewish private school, which I attended from second to eighth grade, introduced me to a plethora of aspects of Judaism. The first lesson I learned was that not all Jews are in fact the same. While we all identified as “Jewish,” almost every classmate of mine celebrated different holidays, observed different laws and held different views. Essentially, we were all Jewish but defined our faith differently. This revelation introduced me to the idea of pluralism: even within our community, the uniqueness of our traditions, values and experiences makes us different. But what is it that makes each individual different, even within the same religious group? As I went through the process of becoming a Jewish adult
through my bar mitzvah, I spent a lot of time exploring this question. When I found the answer, I was dumbfounded by its simplicity. Our differences as people of the same religious affiliation exist because every religion is multi-faceted. Within every religion are various religious texts, prayers, laws, values, holidays, forms of philanthropy, histories, holy places and communities. Each person’s unique experiences in these aspects of religious life come together into one, exclusive, ever-changing Jewish identity. Much like human genetics, so vast and complicated that it never produces two identical physical beings, no two people can have the same religious identity. My Jewish identity changed during my time at SSDS as I learned to pray, read holy text, speak, read and understand Hebrew,
oebe y Ph hic b p a r g
berg Blum
observe certain laws, study Jewish history, travel through the Holy Land and much, much more. Despite being at this school for eight years, I was never taught what to think, only how to think. The school wanted to encourage debate about our differences while acknowledging our common Jewish bond. At the end of that experience, I left as my own Jewish man. After graduating from middle school, I set my eyes on high school. After much thought, I knew I wanted to go to South. Obviously, my time at South would differ greatly from my time in a school with only 40 students per grade, so I knew I would have to make adjustments. Perhaps the most frightening part about this new era was that I needed to find an outlet for my Judaism outside of school. So I went out and
found United Synagogue Youth (USY), a conservative Jewish youth group that hosts events for teens every month or so. I began attending its gatherings and I once again found myself further exploring my religious faith. USY continues to teach me the value of community and coming together for a unified cause. But our community is only as strong as our will to question and learn from one another. I just recently graduated from an intensive Jewish program called Diller, which helped me explore even more aspects of my religious faith. During my time in this program, I learned about Jewish leadership, Israel and social action, but again in the context of pluralism. It was a group of 20 different fellows, all of whom had unique Jewish identities. We learned about what it will mean to carry the newest Jewish generation and how to lead it to prosperity. We learned about the Jewish state, what role we can play in understanding why it exists and how we can maintain its success. We learned about tikkun olam, which translates to “repairing the world,” and the social work we can do to make our community a better place. All of this took place within a group of completely unique individuals. Every Jew is different. There is no universal way of thinking as a Jew, because if there were, the Jewish people would be extinct. In our religion, we are encouraged to ask questions and discover our Jewish identity for ourselves. As an old joke quips, in a room with only two Jews, you’ll always have three opinions. All the different aspects of Jewish life are what individualize the religious experience, and no one’s individual journey can ever be replicated. I can only speak to what I’ve seen in my religious experience, but I can’t imagine a world in which every religious person is the same. As I stated earlier, non-religious people can sometimes too easily be confused by their religious counterparts. Yet, this is not an opportunity to be embarrassed; rather, it’s a chance to learn more. By inquiring about friends’ religious journeys, you’ll find that their experiences are beautiful in their own personal ways. In essence, there needn’t to be religious generalizations because no Christian is the same as another Christian, no Muslim is the same as another Muslim, no Jew is the same as another Jew and so on. Religion is an individual, ever-changing experience that shapes everyone in a different way. So don’t lazily accept the falsehood that religious lives identical — you’ll learn a lot by reaching out to your friends with an open mind.
page 10|december 22, 2017
Opinions|THELIONROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR
We Need Net Neutrality by zoë mccreary Imagine a world where large tech businesses suffocate promising newcomers, where social media sites are treated like television channels and where Americans use Yahoo more often than Google. Net neutrality affects everyone; its existence is the reason why the web remains worldwide. Now, both the government and corporate America want to take your internet freedom away. By the end of this month, the Internet will never be the same, and here’s why you need to start caring. In order to understand net neutrality’s importance, we must first define it: net neutrality means that internet service providers, or ISPs, need to offer consumers equal access to all websites, no matter the size of a website, its popularity or the website’s relationship with the provider. In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declared the internet a public utility, introducing strict laws on service providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast in order to ensure equality for all websites in terms of speed and reliability. With a new administration in place, however, the FCC has been encouraged to revisit the issue and ulti-
the fast lane, pushing rivals like Netflix mately erase net neutrality, offering ISPs and Hulu into the slow lane. Your ISP’s the opportunity to regulate the speed of decisions will start to affect the websites websites themselves. So what does an that you use normally. If you have Veriinternet with no net neutrality look like? Imagine two lanes, one fast and one slow. zon, but Google is your favorite search engine, the end of net neutrality may With the absence of net neutrality, ISPs will have the ability to send websites change that. Verizon owns Yahoo, meaning that they’ll send Yahoo through the that they favor through the fast lane, making them run better. That means they fast lane in place of rival search engines can also send what they deem to be lesser like Google. Scary, right? The websites through Depending on your internet provider’s speed of internet the slow preferences, websites you frequent may your based on lane, start to run slower compared to websites the websites making you use will these that your provider favors. not be the websites only change in your internet experience. more difficult to operate. This is where Soon, you will have to pay extra in order the ISPs’ decisions start to affect you. to use apps that come with your internet Depending on your internet provider’s already. preferences, websites you frequent may Consider Portugal, where mobile start to run slower compared to websites providers already bundle apps like they that your provider favors. For example, do with television channels, forcing conlet’s look at streaming services. Comcast, my provider, partially owns Hulu, so they sumers to pay more for access to social media, streaming and gaming apps in will send Hulu into the fast lane. the same way they pay extra for movie, But Netflix, my main source for sports and international channels. television and movies, might end up in Greedy companies want to make the slow lane, making it harder for me to extra money by charging you for access watch shows I watch every day. Verizon to the websites that they know you use will send its streaming app, Go90, into
a lot. Keeping your Snapchat streaks will cost you around five extra dollars a month if you buy access to social media. Buying clothes and books on Amazon will cost you another $5 if you buy access to shopping sites. And Googling anything will require the purchase of a search engine package, setting you back yet another five dollars. ISPs use many excuses to justify these charges, but one of the most popular ones is the argument that parents can withhold high-speed access to inappropriate websites from their children. Although the argument appeals to many parents, there’s a catch: if a parent buys high-speed access to streaming websites such as YouTube and Netflix, adult websites are also included, meaning that parents would have to choose between safe browsing for their children and the ability to watch their own favorite shows. Whether the government likes it or not, we all need net neutrality. Some say that repealing net neutrality fuels capitalism, but in reality, the repeal encourages large corporations to monopolize a resource that many countries declare a human right. Net neutrality is a crucial part of what keeps the internet alive, and we need to do whatever we can to save it.
campus chatter
December 22, 2017|page 11
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|opinions
UPGRADE
9 New Year’s resolutions
The Lion’s Roar asked ...
What is your New Year’s resolution?
Holiday lights
“Last year, it was to read more books. I want to say for this year, to consistently go to the gym. I want to keep that up.”
New Year’s parties
- Aidan Fitzmaurice, Class of 2018
End-of-the-year sales
“To study more for tests and stuff.” - Bella Hamilton, Class of 2019
New Star Wars movie Catching up on Netflix shows
“Personally, I don’t really have a New Year’s Resolution.”
- Jonah Raisner, Class of 2020
Homework-free December break NFL Playoffs
“To not procrastinate on my school work and not watch Netflix.”
- Sophie Gu, Class of 2021
Snow!
photos by Eu Ro Wang
9
DOWNGRADE
Pre-break tests/ labs/projects One-week break Crowded stores Short days Post-vacation blues Icy roads College rejections Broken New Year’s resolutions
Restaurant Review: Santouka by Eu Ro Wang Walking down Harvard’s centuriesold pathways, it’s hard not to notice a glowing shop on the corner of Bow Street. Upon entry, I found people of all ages standing shoulder to shoulder, waiting for their names to be called. For most of my visits to Santouka, I’ve had to wait anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes, depending on the time of day. The ramen, however, is worth every anticipatory second. When the waiter calls your name to be seated, the entire staff shouts “Irashhaimasse,” which means “welcome to our restaurant.” The authenticity of the heartfelt hello comes full-circle when the staff shouts, “arigato,” meaning “thank you,” when you leave. Throughout the entire meal, the restaurant’s workers, chefs and waiters exhibit an impeccable level of professionalism and attentiveness. From providing storage pouches to refilling my cup with ice water without my asking, the employees’ scrupulous commitment to their customers ensures a pleasant night out. The menu offers a wide variety of ramen. The restaurant’s four different types of ramen, priced between $10 and $12, all taste incredible. The appetizers are perfect for two people to share. My favorite is the gyoza, the Japanese fried dumpling, which
is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The ramen usually arrives in no time, even when the restaurant is packed. Personally, I order Shoyu ramen or Kara Miso (spicy) ramen. I also order Ajitama, soft-boiled egg, to add to the ramen. The immaculate harmony between the noodles and the egg is a must-try for ramen enthusiasts. Once the ramen arrives in all its beautiful splendor, you can’t help but revel at the remarkable wonder in front of you. This is the ideal time to open Snapchat and capture the food sitting before you. In addition to the incredible aesthetics of the dish, its taste exceeds expectations. The deep broth warms your entire body, the savory noodles dance around your tongue and the succulent pork belly exudes delicious juices. But words can only go so far; the only way to do the ramen justice is to try it for yourself. Santouka first opened its doors in Japan in the 1980s. Since then, it has developed a chain of restaurants, providing joy, comfort and love through ramen for decades. With new locations in Boston, we finally have the opportunity to taste this delicious Japanese meal. Whether you are a diehard ramen disciple or someone who has not yet encountered it, Santouka will not disappoint.
photos by Eu Ro Wang
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AsAsfreshman word openin herInstagram Instagramfeed, feed,the theonly onlything thingseparating separating havet neversaw sawa asushi sushirestaurant restaurantwhen whenI I her “I“Inever have herfrom frommouthwatering mouthwateringfoods foodsofofvarious various relia wasgrowing growingupupand andnever neverheard heardofofit ituntil untilI I her was reliabl cultureswas washer herphone’s phone’sglass glassscreen. screen. thissos wasmuch mucholder, older, shesaid. said.“Back “Backininthe theday, day, cultures was ” ”she this “I’mseeing seeingsushi sushiburritos burritosororeven evensushi sushi fromd wasbasically basicallypizza. pizza.There Thereweren’t weren’ta alotlotofof “I’m it itwas from donuts.I even I evenheard heardthat thatOreo Oreohas hascreated created options. donuts. options. ”” theirown ownline lineofofchurros, churros, shesaid. said.“I“Ialso also resta recentyears, years,interest interestinindiverse diversefoods foods their ” ”she InInrecent restau foundthese theseIndian-inspired Indian-inspiredtacos tacosthat thatsound sound repre hassurged surgednationally. nationally. found has repres superinteresting interestingsince sincethey’re they’reessentially essentially Nationalretail retailsales salesofofethnic ethnicfoods foods super National mashingupuptwo twovery verydifferent differentcultures culturesand and repo totalednearly nearly$11 $11billion billioninin2013, 2013,according according mashing totaled report tryingtotocreate createsomething somethingnew. new. 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Constantlyreverting revertingtoto with ”” Constantly “traditionallyAmerican Americanfoods” foods” “traditionally MarciaOkun, Okun,‘79 ‘79graduate graduateand andhistory historyteacher teacher wouldbore borestudents, students,senior senior Marcia would RobertDandliker, Dandliker,a apart-time part-time Robert chefatatLittle LittleBig BigDiner, Diner,said. said. yo South‘07 ‘07graduate graduateDeborah DeborahBernhard Bernhard chef South ofofyou “Peopledon’t don’talways alwayswant wanttotogogoout outand and withy notedLittle LittleBig BigDiner’s Diner’ssignificant significantinfluence influence “People noted with eata aburger burgerallallthe thetime. time.They Theywant wantnew newand and thegrowing growingpopularity popularityofoframen. ramen. eat ononthe adventurousthings, things,especially especiallyaround aroundhere hereinina a expa “WhenI was I wasyounger, younger,ramen ramenwas was adventurous “When expan placelike likeNewton, Newton, said.“Since “Sincepeople peoplewith with alon justthe thebrand, brand,like likethe theManchurian ManchurianRamen Ramen place ” ”hehesaid. just along moreeducation educationtend tendtotobebemore moreculturally culturally iden packets.ItItwas waswhat whatyou youate ateinincollege collegebecause because more packets. identit accepting,there thereare arepeople peoplehere herewilling willingtotopay pay wassosocheap cheapand andsosoeasy, easy, shesaid. said.“Now, “Now, accepting, it itwas ” ”she forthat thatsort sortofofthing thingand andwant want[more [morediverse diverse wereg seemsthat thatit’sit’sreally reallyfancy fancynow. now.Little LittleBig Big for it itseems were foods]totoexist existinintheir theircommunity. community. theirc Dinerhas hasquality. quality.They Theyadd addallallthese theseunique unique foods] ”” Diner their Southstudents studentsdid didnot notalways alwayshave have as differentingredients ingredientstotoit.it. South different ”” ononass accesstotoa awide widevariety varietyofoffood foodoptions. options. andfe Southculinary culinaryteacher teacherJonathan JonathanOrren, Orren, access South and South‘92 ‘92graduate graduateJeremiah JeremiahHill Hillsaid said herea previouslya arestaurant restaurantworker, worker,caterer catererand and South previously here whenheheattended attendedSouth, South,students’ students’food food great personalchef, chef,said saidthe thefood foodindustry industrywelcomes welcomes when personal greate optionsininNewton NewtonCentre Centreincluded includedonly only impo theever-growing ever-growingimmigrant immigrantpopulation populationininthe the options the impor AmericanizedChinese Chinesefood foodand andpizza. pizza. iden UnitedStates, States,which whichcontributes contributestotothe thediverse diverse Americanized United identi Students’beloved belovedTango TangoMango Mangohad hadnot noteven even Theyc foodscene. scene. Students’ food They movedin.in. assim “Openinga arestaurant restaurantisisa atype typeofof moved “Opening assimi UnlikeZhu’s Zhu’sexposure exposuretotosushi sushiburritos burritos businessthat thatdoesn’t doesn’thave havea alotlotofofbarriers barrierstoto Unlike business andsushi sushidonuts, donuts,history historyteacher teacherand andSouth South aremo m entry, said.“You “Youget geta alotlotofoffirst-generation first-generation and entry, ” ”hehesaid. are ‘79graduate graduateMarcia MarciaOkun Okunnever neverheard heardthe the immigrantswho whowill willchoose choosethe theoption optionofof ‘79 immigrants
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winG appeTiTe foR diveRSiTy
ng a restaurant because either they those foundational skills or because it is le and easy to start one, which creates ort of overlapping pattern of restaurants different parts of the world.” If the immigrant population dictates urant growth, this wide array of culturally sentative restaurants will only increase. This year, the Migration Policy Institute ted a two percent increase in the d States’ immigrant population in 2014, nding from 1.36 million to 1.38 million. Okun said that when she attended h as a three-year high school, the extent ersity fell solely to religious differences, fically among Catholic, Protestant and h communities. She added that the growing immigration ou. population plays a large role in ng the food diversity consumers see today. “When you move someplace, you bring your food with you,” she said. “It’s the part ur homeland that you can actually bring you and remember things by.” Not only has the ethnic population nded, but acceptance of new cultures with student pride in their differing ities has grown as well, Orren said. “Students from different backgrounds generally a little bit shy from sharing cultures. There was a greater emphasis similation, of students trying to look eel American,” he said. “Whereas now, at South, the array of cultures is so much er than when I was growing up. More rtantly, students are more comfortable ifying as someone from their culture. can have a hybrid identity instead of ilating to become American.” Junior Anika Sridhar agreed that people ore open to being culturally diverse. Continued on next page
page 14|December 22, 2017 Continued from previous page “People are trying to adopt trends from different countries in terms of clothing, mottos and foods as part of this effort to not just be one white American culture and to be more globalized,” she said. Dandliker added that he noticed this increasing interest in other cultures through ethnic foods’ widespread appeal. “[Little Big Diner] really doesn’t discriminate,” he said. “There are people who are actually Asian and Chinese, and they want to come in and have the food that we make, or it’s the yoga moms coming in with their kids, and they want to also have the food too.” In fact, this excitement toward culturally different foods is not limited to Boston and Newton. According to the National Restaurant Association, 88 percent of American
Centerfold|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR consumers eat at least one ethnic food per month, while 17 percent eat seven or more per month. Additionally, nearly one-third of consumers tried a new ethnic cuisine in the past year. Orren attributed the growing fascination with ethnically diverse food to the increasing popularity of cooking shows, magazines and websites across the country. “Today, you can go anywhere on the internet and you can find the information you need,” he said. “There are several channels dedicated to nothing but food, so we definitely live in a more global community, where that type of information is much easier to access.” Little Big Diner’s executive head chef Greg Stalilonis said that this “food revolution” dedicated to creating more unique restaurants results from the Food Network and celebrity chefs glorifying the food
industry. “A lot of people are now trying to open restaurants to be successful, so you’re seeing a trend in a lot of diversity due to people trying to give consumers as many options as possible because people are more willing to accept that now, as opposed to before,” he said. Garg noted that the international market has inspired different types of restaurants. “The access to different types of foods and the mixing of food types to get very Americanized forms of cuisine, I think, result from globalization,” he said. “It’s kind of an American attempt to get something of everything else that’s available in the world.” Stalilonis added that restaurants constantly pursue greater quality in their cuisine. “Restaurants will try to tweak what
has worked before to suit consumers’ needs, to pique their interest,” he said. “You can’t stay static; you need to keep moving and moving forward. That’s the sort of industry we’re in, where you have to be able to adapt.” When considering the future of the food industry, Dandliker noted his uncle’s experience living in San Francisco, where wealthy citizens treat food as a form of exploration. Dandliker said consumers will continue to want more exposure to different cultures. “They want new experiences by really trying to seek out real traditional food from Pakistan, India or wherever, but that might be hard to get. You can get the Americanized version of that, but it’s harder to find the real thing,” he said. “As we become more connected through globalization, people are going to continue to want more authentic foods.”
Shirazi Salad Chicken Curry
Tomato, Cucumber and Mint Salad
A Persian dish courtesy of Kimia Tabatabaei
An Indian dish courtesy of Deika Albert
from “Calcutta Cookbook”
1 kg chicken (for up to 8 pieces) 4 potatoes (cut into 2 pieces)
from “Joon: Persian Cooking Made Simple”
For the marinade:
Salad ingredients
1/4 tsp tumeric powder 1/4 tsp red chili powder 5 g ginger paste 5 g garlic paste 20 ml mustard oil
2 firm ripe tomatoes, peeled 6 Persian cucumbers, peeled (2 long seedless cucumbers) 2 spring onions, chopped (white and green parts) 3 radishes, sliced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1. Wash and clean the chicken. Marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients for half an hour. 2. Heat 100 ml of oil in a pan and add tumeric powder and saute lightly. Add the potatoes and salt. Saute until light brown, and then remove and set aside.
Dressing ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated ½ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3. Temper the same oil with bay leaves and whole garam masala. As they splutter, add onion paste and saute. “Joon: Persian Cooking Made Simple”
1. Dice the peeled tomatoes and cucumbers into 1 cm cubes. 2. Just before serving, in a salad bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing, adding the diced tomatoes and cucumber. Serve immediately.
4. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder and red chili powder. Add the chicken pieces and mix for 10 minutes. 5. Add 2.5 L of water and bring to boil. Cover and cook until chicken is half done. Add the potatoes, cover and cook for 10 minutes (until pouring consistency). 6. Season. Remove and serve when hot.
Okonomiyaki Savory Pancake For the batter:
100 g okonomiyaki flour 100 mL water 1 egg 1/4 cabbage 1 spring onion
1. Mix the okonomiyaki flour and the water together and set aside.
Toppings:
To Serve:
4. Once bottom is light brown, add toppings. Flip over to finish cooking. (Do not press down with spatula). Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, dried bonito flakes, aonori seaweed, pickled ginger, tenkasu tempura flakes
A Japanese dish courtesy of Risako Mizuyama from “Japancentre.com”
2. Cut the cabbage and spring onion into fine pieces. Add to flour mix. Add the egg. Mix until evenly combined (do not overmix). 3, Heat the frying pan to medium high heat with a little oil. Pour the batter into a circle in the center. If using meat, start cooking meat separate from the pancake. Cook the pancake for 3-4 minutes until bottom is light brown.
meat/seafood (bacon, shrimp, squid)
75 g onion paste, 10 g ginger paste, 10 g garlic paste 100 ml mustard oil 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp red chili powder 7 g coriandor powder 1/4 tsp garam masala powder 2 bay leaves 2 g whole garam masala Salt
5. Cover with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, sprinkle with bonito flakes, aonori seaweed, tenkasu tempura flakes and pickled ginger.
“Japancentre.com”
FEATURES page 15|December 22, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
FEATURES@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 34, ISSUE 5
Indigo
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orth senior Zoe Lee had tried everything: pop-up candy shops, blog-writing, bath-bomb selling, a patch-embroidery business, lemonade stands. Nothing seemed to work until she took a college art course over the summer and learned “shibori,” a traditional Japanese dyeing technique. Flash-forward a couple of months: Indigo Clothing Company founders, sisters senior Zoe and sophomore Ali Lee, along with an assembly of volunteers, are thrifting, buying, dyeing, drying, modeling, selling and shipping unique pieces of clothing out of their home. Their online following has gained over 1000 followers. “We don’t have a lot of real business experience, but we have been trying for our whole lives to start something,” Zoe said. After researching shibori and ordering indigo plant dye online, the sisters finished their cardinal t-shirt at 2 a.m. on a warm August day with a couple of friends during what became the first of many latenight dyeing sessions to come, Ali said. “We were all screaming because we
didn’t think it would look that good at all,” she said. Now, the business is steadily growing, outselling itself every passing week. North sophomore Jojo Wong, who dyes clothing and organizes inventory for Indigo, attributed the success of the company to its sense of community. She added that, while bonding over Home-Depot-sized buckets of dye is not the most typical Saturday-night activity, it has helped her form deeper connections with her Indigo friends. “They’ve created this nice environment where people want to come back and people want to be part of it,” Wong added. The company’s close-knit community has created hype around the product, South sophomore Zandra Baskin said. “Since it’s a Newton-based, highschooler-run company, everybody wanted to be supportive,” she said. “It creates a hype [where] if one person has it, everybody else will want it.” “Fashion trends right now are looking like people want something different and [to] not be normal. I feel like it’s in the right time,” Zoe said. “You didn’t see all-
North-student-run clothing company adds color to plaintivity, gains popularity at South By Dina Zeldin blue before, but now it’s something weird that makes you stand out.” North freshman Zachary SardiSantos, who models for Indigo’s Instagram, agreed, added that his peers were quick to jump onto the trend. “They tease me about it one day and then buy the shirt the next day, so I think I’ve done my job,” Sardi-Santos said. “It’s both funny and fun to see people wearing Indigo when you’ve helped make that happen,” North senior Mia Lietzke, who helps find thrift clothes and run errands before photo shoots, said. “I’m impressed with how much traction it got so quickly.” While the company is run entirely by students, its social-media content remains high-caliber, according to Sardi-Santos. “Here, they have a lot less equipment than professional photography studios, but they’re still very efficient,” he said. “If all this continues, ... this company will probably be all over — hopefully — Massachusetts.” A facade of professionality has helped Indigo appear more official, Zoe said.
“I’ve experienced this with art as well: ... presenting yourself is very important so people take you seriously,” she said. “When I was younger and was looking at big businesses, I assumed that everything was a well-oiled machine. Now that I have this, ... it’s kind of stressful, and it takes a lot of organization.” While the team continues to dye thrifted and new items, it also has handsewn a few original items. They have also partnered and released shibori-dyed crewnecks with Ride On, a non-profit organization run by North students in their Leadership and Diversity class that sells sweaters in hopes of raising money to fund a second bus for METCO program students. Next, the Lee sisters hope to create a limited-edition orange turmeric-dyed line. “There is a traditional aspect because … we have shibori all around our house and ... it’s something that we have grown up with,” Zoe added. “Ultimately, me, Ali and all of our friends are trying to build a brand that we can expand off.” Additional reporting by Talia Raffel
photos by Netta Dror
page 16|December 22, 2017
Features|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR
Washed Out Behind the Christmas Cheer photo illustration by Netta Dror
Christmas dominates the holiday season, alienating non-Christian students from festivities
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By Sophie Lewis and Carrie Ryter
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ver since she began watching commercialize the culture surrounding tion and knowledge of other holidays is a holiday specials on Disney Channel Christmas, the holiday welcomes all accontributing factor to America’s disproporshows in elementary school, Jewcording to Muslim junior Ghena Bakir. tionate focus on Christmas, according to ish senior Adi Volosov, faced a recurring “Christmas gets a lot of hype, so Bakir. dilemma: most people know about it,” she said. “I think people should be educated “Christmas was my favorite holiday Bakir added that Christmas was even more about holidays — not just Islam and because I just loved the music and the pervasive in the media in Libya, a majoriJudaism, [but] all the religious holidays, festivity, ... but it still felt kind of like a ty-Muslim country where she lived before like [those of] Hinduism, Buddhism,” she disconnect,” she said. moving to Newton four years ago. said. Now co-president of South’s Jewish “I feel like now [Christmas has be“[I wish that people would] unStudent Union, Volosov noted that she has come] less religious and more of a celebra- derstand … what the [Jewish] culture is,” felt the national prominence of Christianity tion [for] everyone,” she said. Volosov added. “I feel like I know a lot since she was little. A survey from Pew Research Center about their culture; why can’t they learn “I’d want to celebrate Christmas in 2013 echoed Bakir’s sentiment, indicatabout mine?” because it seemed like such a big thing for ing that 32 percent of American adults who In a city as culturally diverse as every TV show charNewton, however, not “It’s perfectly fine to celebrate Christmas acter that I idolized,” everyone feels that she said. Christmas gets the atpublicly. I think that celebrating Christmas Newton tention it deserves. exclusively publicly is a problem,” residents of other After movreligions echoed ing to Newton from Corey Davison, history teacher Volosov’s experiences, Scotland, atheist junior saying they abstain Julian Moller said he from Christmas festivities, yet feel overcelebrate Christmas consider it as more of has noticed more excitement for Hanukkah whelming media pressure to conform to a cultural holiday than a religious one. The than for Christmas. Christian holiday traditions. study also found that 81 percent of nonAccording to the Center for Judaic Growing up in Decatur, GA., as the Christians in the U.S. celebrate Christmas. Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, only Jewish student in a predominantly Citing his childhood envy of peers Newton’s population in 2002 was roughly Christian city, South parent Lisa Pearlman who recieved gifts during the season, Jew- one-third Jewish. Nevertheless, Hanukkah said she experienced even more pressure ish sophomore Matt Reinstein said that is still overshadowed, Volosov said. to conform to the commercialized holiday. pressure to celebrate Christmas resulted in “Even in Newton, where the Jewish Pearlman said she and her siblings begged jealousy. community is so prevalent in daily activtheir parents to celebrate Christmas, even “The only reason Hanukkah is so ity,… [Hanukkah] just feels like something visiting Santa every winter. popular is because of the commercial that goes [on] behind the scenes,” she said. “We were in the mall and were all success that Christmas brings,” he said. “It Catholic student and sophomore sitting on Santa’s lap, and [my younger made Jews feel like we need to have a holi- Lucia Cataldo added that, although less brother] goes up and he starts to cry and day that can compete with Christmas.” noticeable in Newton, the media’s obseshe says, ‘Santa, this year I just really want a “[The media] affects the community sion with Christmas is still evident. Christmas tree and not a Hanukkah bush.’” by further perpetuating the integration of “It’s more saturated with Christmas Pearlman said that Newton’s large Christian culture with American culture, than with Hanukkah, if you look at the Jewish population and welcoming commu- and it also discourages any meaningful or news,” she said. “It’s easier for me to apnity drove their family to move, as she did thoughtful integration of the conflation of preciate my own religion because I see it on not want her kids to experience the same the two,” history teacher Corey Davison the news.” religious discomfort that she felt growing added. Volosov aggreed, adding that the up in Goergia. “It’s perfectly fine to celebrate holiday spirit in school ultimately brushes “It was really just an unhealthy thing Christmas publicly,” he said. “I think that over Hannukah. to grow up Jewish with so few Jews,” she celebrating Christmas exclusively publicly “We don’t get time off [...] and it just said. is a problem.” feels like something that goes by behind While radio stations and TV shows The general lack of religious educathe scenes.”
December 22, 2017|page 17
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|Features
Evolving through art CLARA BOBERG features contributor photo illustration by Netta Dror
I
Crossing Generations
Students work to break intergenerational barriers and build new relationships with elders in their community By Aviva Gershman After attending an MIT event dedi“I’ve talked to a lot of people, and a tough. Being able to relive fun memories cated to multigenerational development, lot of people feel uncomfortable talking and games that they used to play is really junior Aviva Fidler said she became more to older people or don’t know what to talk meaningful and fun for them, they really aware of the issues that older people face about,” she said. enjoy having students who are interested in the contemporary world. That inspired Owings added that she has noticed in them and talking to them.” her to seek out new oppurtunities for that students are often more interested in Seidmann said that through conintergenerational connections. working with children, rather than spend- ducting interviews with the elderly via the “I found out that there was this ing time with older people. Newton Talks project, a program focused club at South that was there to help think “There are a lot of clubs that work on sharing the experiences and stories of of ways to help the older community in for kids, and they are definitely making longtime Newton citizens, veterans and Newton and create intergenerational [pro- a difference, but I think that those clubs immigrants, younger people can better grams],” she said. “I thought that sounded are more attractive because kids are cute,” understand their pasts. cool and that it’s important, so I joined.” she said. “I don’t think people realize that “Seniors can sometimes make histoLed by senior Emily Bulczynski, talking to an elderly person can seriously ry come alive,” she said. “You learn in high Crossing Generations is a student-run club change your life. I’ve had very interesting school about the Vietnam War, but we that strives to build relationships between conversations that I’ll never forget.” have had high school students interview Newton’s elderly community and local Ilana Seidmann, program coordina- veterans about the Vietnam War, and they high school students. tor for the Newton Department of Senior can hear firsthand individual stories about “[The club] focuses on finding ways Services, said that all generations benefit what it’s like to be a veteran. You can only to connect people of different generations, from intergenerational interaction. really get that emotion and that vividness specifically high school students with “I don’t think generations should of being somewhere in history by actually seniors citizens in Newton,” she said. only be interacting with only one another, speaking to the person [who]experienced For senior and it.” It is so appreciated and it is so meaningful for the seniors to club co-president Sophia Cataldo, spendCataldo have someone who is interested in their story. ing time with senior agreed with Ilana Seidmann, program cooridnator for the Newton Department of Senior Seidmann. citizens through Crossing Generations “That’s Services has a more personal why we do intermeaning for her. I think that all generations get a lot out of views and that’s why we throw parties and “I don’t have any living grandparents interacting with each other, because they that’s why we like to interact with them — anymore, so it’s almost like an outlet to be all have a lot to contribute,” she said. “I because they get a lot out of it and we get a able to talk to somebody that’s older,” she think that we have to have a set dialogue lot out of it,” she said. “We can teach them said. with each other, not just exist in silos.” about our generation and why we are Buczynski noted that some teens are According to Seidmann, some senior always on our phones, and they can teach unaware of the significance and necessity citizens do not have much contact with us about whatever they enjoyed when they of interacting with the elderly. young people , so they appreciate and value were growing up.” “Some people at first — myself the dialogue they have with the younger Ultimately, every elderly person included — might be like, ‘Oh, I’m not generation. has stories that deserve to be listened to, really sure what that is. I don’t know why “It is so appreciated and it is so Cataldo said. I should be connected to senior citizens,’” meaningful for the the seniors to have “We shouldn’t think of them just she said. someone who is interested in their story,” as old people,” she said. “They have lives According to senior Stella Owings, she said. that they have lived. To hear back from some students are uncertain of how to in“Loneliness is deadly ... A lot of that and to try to grow from that is really teract with people from older generations. senior citizens live alone, and it can be important.”
Artist Spotlight
n my eyes, art is an ever-evolving process. There’s planning that goes into it; it starts with a little idea, it becomes a thumbnail sketch, then it turns into a satisfying final piece. There is, however, a significant amount of editing to the work that happens, both intentional and not. When I start a painting, I first decide on the general shapes and layers of colors that I initially intended. Then I start to render the piece, but in the process of honing the shapes, the colors can change completely from blue and yellow to pink and turquoise. The change in color is usually unintentional, but it happens and I embrace that part of the process. The finished piece is often very different from what I had planned in my head and in my initial sketch. It’s the unexpectedness of how my artwork evolves that makes me continue loving it. Art has always been something I enjoy. It’s always been one of the constants in my life. I didn’t always think of it as my main thing, though. My freshman year, I started to take interest in actually improving, but it wasn’t until this past summer that my art really took shape and began to reflect my individuality. I did a four-week program this past summer during where I met so many amazing peers with the same interests as me. They all had their own style and sense of individuality, and I was blown away by their talent. Their creativity helped me feel comfortable exploring new materials and concepts and to push myself to try new things. I left the program with work I felt proud of and a new view of what art meant to me. I now see that art doesn’t have to be “draw exactly what you see.” It can be wacky, nonsensical or abstract, just as long as it has purpose or meaning. My work has changed drastically in the past couple of years as a reflection of how I’ve changed. I no longer wear jeans and Uggs together, and I am considerably more talkative than the meek 14 year old I was (although I still wouldn’t consider myself the most rambunctious person). The art room here at South played a part in this change because of its safe and accepting environment. Ever since I stepped foot in there, I have felt comfortable and welcome in it and free to express my ideas without judgement. Art at South gave me an environment to slowly branch out and discover who I wanted to be and how I wanted to get there. This process is not over, and my style and perception of things are likely to change in the future along with my art. All in all, if I have the opportunity, I would love to make art into a living. Check out my new Instagram art account @clarab.art to see some of my art.
page 18|december 20, 2017
features|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR
THE COMMON APPLICATION The Roar follows four seniors with different interests as they navigate the college application process and will reveal their identities and college plans as they make their decisions
By Dina Zeldin
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photo by Netta Dror
aniel Abdulah, previously known as Julian, committed to Harvard University ‘22. “I was first incredulous, just seeing the bolded ‘congratulations,’” he said. “I didn’t prepare for that scenario at all.” “Now, my big fear is that it might spontaneously gets rescinded, so I don’t want to have a major slump,” he added. Abdulah said he had his heart set on Harvard since taking a summer course there before junior year. “That’s when it really clicked for me. ... I liked how they handled math,” he said. “It was a really interesting course and I saw myself there, taking more classes. I really wanted to be in that kind of environment.” Abdulah is planning on double majoring in mathematics and biology. “Even making it to this point, everyone’s come so far and I have high hopes for everyone.”
C
aroline* has started her theater audition process, with an audition every weekend during the winter. “It’s not particularly relaxing, [but] I’m ready for it ... and I’m excited,” she said. Of her 16 schools, her favorite is the Boston Conservatory for its location and warm community. Since none of her schools are academic reaches, Caroline said that her acceptances are mainly dependent on her artistic abilities. “The audition is five minutes that makes or breaks you, … so it’s higher stakes in that aspect,” she said. Even though students must audition for schools and present the best of themselves, the opposite is true as well, she said. “Even though they get to [mail] the acceptance letter, … you still get to choose whether or not you want to go there.”
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harlie* was accepted to Boston College and Case Western University through Early Action, and is waiting to hear back from the University of Michigan. “It’s a relief to be [admitted] somewhere where I definitely see myself going,” he said. Charlie added that he plans to apply to reach schools through regular admissions, including Tufts University, Washington University in St. Louis and Georgetown University, as many of the schools he applied to early were safety schools. Witnessing the encouragement that many of his peers received after announcing their college commitments on Facebook these pasg weeks helped to alleviate his stress, he said. “I’m so happy for everyone,” he said. “It’s a lot less contentious than I thought; everyone’s super supportive of each other.”
A
graphics by Celine Yung
nnabelle* is working on finishing supplements to apply Regular Decision. She said that although supplement writing is not her forté she found motivation for her deadlines. “I realized how far behind I had fallen by Nov. 1 so [...] I had to get a move on,” she said. After spending time with family over the holidays, Annabelle said she began second-guessing her previous decisions. “I feel like talking about [the process], especially with older people, is annoying because they just rant on and on about their own application process,” she said. “You have to take advice very lightly.” “I can’t make up my mind,” she added. “You can’t choose what you want to do in your life within a three month period.” *Names changed to protect students’ identities
South musicians achieve success at Districts Aviva Gershman, Jacqueline Williams
Sr. Features Editor, Features Contributor
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very November, musically-inclined high school students across the state audition for Senior Districts, a music festival organized by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA). For participants from South, the Senior Districts Festival represents an opportunity to demonstrate their musical talent and bond with students of similar interests. “The experience of doing an audition and competing is quite an important one,” sophomore Jay Park said. “It’s worth putting on one’s resume.” According to sophomore Fionn O’Connor, the audition process for Senior Districts offers a relatively uncompetitive and friendly environment. “I didn’t really sense competition between me and the orchestra members, honestly — that doesn’t really happen in auditions,” he said. “Everyone is really rooting for each other and hoping that they get in.” Senior Jason Crowley, however, said that for some instrument players, there is stiff competition. “You’re competing with other people who play the same instrument because there are only a certain number of seats for your instrument,” he said. “There wasn’t much competition for me at school because no one else auditions for concert band saxophone.”
The Senior Districts festival can benefit music educators and teachers throughout the state, according to South orchestra director and music teacher Jason Wang. “All the [music] teachers in Massachusetts ... are aware of this organization because it provides a lot of support for teachers in terms of resources,” he said. Although potentially advantageous for aspiring musicians, the festival is not imperative to pursuing a music career, O’Connor said; what matters is practice and dedication. “If you want to go into a music career, you should probably consider doing Districts,” he said. “[But] because Districts is a couple of days, I think what’s more important is pursuing your passion in music and playing often.” Playing music with other students teaches important lessons about cooperation, senior Claire Deng added. “In an orchestra, there is a sense of teamwork,” she said. “You can’t do this on your own; you have to work with other people in the group and you can really create something spectacular.” According to Deng, music is about conveying an emotion to listeners. “When you’re playing music, you’re learning how to inject feeling into what you’re playing,” she said. Regardless of the end result, auditioning for Senior Districts can help student musicians progress and challenge themselves, O’Connor said. “It doesn’t matter how good you are if you take the time to audition,” he said.
“If you are challenging yourself and going out for an audition, … you’re growing as a musician and improving your playing.” For many students, a successful audition is an easy way to evaluate their progress. “[Practice] is something that I’m in control of. I really feel empowered. I’m going to choose how I practice, what I’m
going to practice and if I practice well,” junior Ronit Glasgow said. “I like to look at all practice as making me a better player, and then I transfer that to the audition.” For Park, music is a way to cope with pressure. “Music is a way of life,” he said. “It’s a way of expressing myself and a way of helping me deal with stress at school.”
photo illustration by Netta Dror
December 22, 2017|page 19
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|fun page
Rejected Core Values
South Crime Watch
COREY SAMUELS
Editors’ Note: Individuals are presumed guilty until proven innocent. FRAUD December 21, Main Office The administration apprehended three seniors entering fake names into the lottery for semester two parking passes. The administration became suspicious after noticing that 93 entries in the Google survey were submitted from one NPS account. graphic by Sophie Galowitz
BREAKING AND ENTERING December 20, Boys' locker room Two freshman boys were caught attempting to break open the new schoolprovided locks in the boys locker room. When questioned, the students claimed to have had reasonable suspicion that a peer had stolen their juul and hid it in his locker.
Overheard at SOUTH Yes, we heard you say that. Stubborn girl: “I'm a scoocher, not a mover." Confused Freshman: “Is that a man on a mini-Zamboni riding through the halls?” Grade-obsessed junior: “Wait, why did I lose two points? I thought a sign error was a one point infraction.” Annoyed math teacher: “You didn't even answer the previous question.”
sr. fun editor
bffls & bad puns Rejected Core Values: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Embarrassing Roar Staff Photo of the Month:
• • Granfield and Guermazi FaceTime to discuss page 23.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Clear Eyes Full Hearts Can’t Lose It Gets Better We Promise Math Is Useful Jam Is Short For Jamuel Bike Is Short For Bichael Work Harder It’s Not THAT Cold Outside, Mom. You Should be Able to Park Here What Is “Jeweling” We Know What Juuling Is Friendships are Measured in Snapstreaks Leggings, Sweatshirt, Mascara Drake Is Soft Tango Is Overrated Uber Everywhere My Printer Isn’t Working We Know Your Printer Is Working Fine I Shared That With You On Google Docs I Think My Mom Emailed You Anyway, Here’s Wonderwall Trap Music Is for Me I Deserve This You Are (More) Special Drink More Water I Can’t Take The Test Today College Acceptance Determines Your Worth We Don’t Have Any Traditions Yes, Freshmen, We Have A Principal No, Mr. Banks Isn’t Our Principal No, Mr. Lee Wasn’t On MasterChef Apply Early to Michigan Don’t Take My Spot at College It Should Get Better Skipping Centered Self to Do Work Is A Great Stress Management Technique Double Up On History Courses Senior Year Brown Will Be Impressed Will This Be On The Test? This Will Be On The Test Can You Put This On Schoology? This Will Be On Schoology Did You Read My Email? I Did Not Read Your Email Is There Extra Credit? There Is No Extra Credit In Life But That’s Not Fair The Adults Will Never Know We Know; We Did It Too PJ Is Always Right You Are Loved.
SPORTS page 20|December 22, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
Sports@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 34, ISSUE 5
City Split Newton high schools’ battle for athletic dominance raises stakes, excitement for players and fans By Emily Miao and Misha Ocheretyanny
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petition between North and South.” Junior gymnast Sam Arber, who competes on the joint team between North and South, described the athletes working together instead of competing. “We think of it more as a Newton team, not really a Newton South and Newton North team,” he said. Senior tennis captain Kayla Schwartz said that for non-combined programs, South’s level of rivalry against North varies with the scale of the competition. “For certain events like the playoff basketball game, [playing North] felt like a big deal, but for other smaller events it does not feel like as big of a deal,” she said. “Any sports games against North are always a must-see,” Arella countered. “People always seem to enjoy seeing both schools compete against each other. When we played North during the playoffs, everyone was pretty hyped about it, and both schools always look towards it. Also, South’s crowd was especially loud and rowdy, so that helped boost our confidence.” Cloud agreed that the fan-made atmosphere helps the players on the basketball court. “The atmosphere creates a better environment to play in, and it’s definitely more exciting,” he said. “I think the crowd’s impact on the game is really seen when we play North versus [when we play] other teams, so that amps up the level of play.” “During North games, there is a positive and friendly competitive atmosphere,” Schwartz agreed. “Both sides are spirited and eager to win.” y cb
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iarity with each other fuels the intense rivalry. “Part of [the rivalry] stems from growing up and playing youth sports with the kids from the other side of town,” he said. “My best friend is the star basketball player at North, and I see him every day, so whenever I see him I always bring up the way we beat them in the playoffs last year. ... It’s a personal sort of grudge, but also a friendship.” Senior volleyball player Jeselle Arella added that when she faces North, she matches up not only against friends, but sometimes against teammates from her other teams as well. “[North athletes and I] would play together in the same summer league and would almost spend our whole summer doing camps and clinics together as a preparation for our high school season,” she said. “Playing against them felt pretty weird at first because we were both so used to playing on the same side of the court, but then we always end up having fun.” Senior tennis player Wiley Chen, however, said that the rivalry stems from school pride more than player relations. “I think specifically with Newton South versus Newton North, the competition is not in sports. ... It’s actually in academics,” he said. “When you go to camp or outside of school, people always ask what town you’re from and whether North or South is better.” North junior tennis player David Orango said that the annual Garden City Cup tennis charity tournament between North and South satisfies players’ enjoyment more than creating a rivalry. “We’re playing in honor of a fallen coach,” Chen added. “It’s more [about] remembering her than a com-
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hen senior football, basketball and lacrosse player Luke Cloud entered the first round of basketball playoffs last season, he knew he would face friends from the other side of the city both on the court and in the stands. “North was favored to win, and the place was packed. People were going back and forth [in] the fan section with chants versus each other,” he said. “It was fun playing in front of all my friends from North and South. It was a really intense game.” In the first ever North-South boys basketball playoff game, South secured a tight victory. The North-South rivalry electrified the fan atmosphere, Cloud said. “It was the rowdiest game in terms of the fan section and the number of people we had,” he said. South plays in the Dual County League, while North plays in the Bay State League. Because of this difference, South does not face North in the regular season. Cloud said that he wished both schools played in the same league, so they could play each other more. He added that games in which he has personal connections hold greater significance. The rivalry between North and South creates intense, yet fun matches in all sports, North sophomore tennis player Aneel Chittilappilly said. “The fact that South is from the same city as us makes them stand out because there aren’t that many cities or towns that have two high schools in one city,” she said. “[Playing South] is a little different because ... with other schools, we are usually just playing against random people.” Cloud agreed, saying that the teams’ mutual famil-
Q&A
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THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts
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The Roar’s Catherine Granfield asked the two-time nationally-placing skater about his experiences on ice
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with freshman figure skater Phillip Baker
What was your path to nationals like? I won New England regionals both times, and then there was the East Coast [competition]. I got first my first year and second my second year. If you make the top four, then you go on to the next one. So I got first, and then I got first and second, and then at nationals I got fourth my first year and third my second year.
How did you feel while competing at nationals? It was a great feeling. It was a really big arena, the biggest I’ve skated in. I tried to keep my mindset the same [as usual]. I was a little nervous, but I controlled it, which is kind of why I did well. For my first [national competition], I competed to my medley from Jersey Boys, and for my second one, it was to [music from] Hamilton. I think I made a lot of improvements on the second one because I had better edge work and better moves.
What are you focusing on now? I’m getting ready for next season. I’m getting my jumps back and making improvements on those. I’m working with my coaches on the technique and working on my program for next year. The song is an Aerosmith medley.
Basketball looks to build new talent this season Jiwon Shon & Stephen Zhou Sports Contributors
Despite an almost entirely new roster due to graduated seniors, the boys basketball team hopes to build on the program’s recent success. Last season, the team got off to a slow start, senior captain Lucas Nathanson said, dropping three of its first five games. “We ended up really picking it up in the midway point of the season, like a six-or-seven game winning streak, which really helped us,” he said. “[The season] was a success,” senior captain and point guard Robbie Hodin said. “We worked hard every day in practice, and it definitely showed come playoffs, when we were prepared.” The team ultimately finished second in the DCL, falling to Needham after a victory over Newton North. “Last season ... we had a very experienced team,” head coach Joe Killilea said. “The only kid this year who played a lot last year was Robbie Hodin. He
started the point, but the rest of the team was a very mature team.” Nathanson added that the new players must adapt to the varsity atmosphere. “It’s definitely a huge step up from freshman and JV basketball,” he said. “A lot of the guys need to adjust to that quickly and be ready to play to that competition. that might be the adjustment we have to make relatively quick.” “We have a lot of new, young guys who are going to have to play a big role in their first season on varsity,” Hodin agreed. “That transition from freshman or JV team to varsity can be really overwhelming for some kids.” Junior shooting guard Marc Navarro agreed, saying that his varsity experience has been different from his JV experience. “I noticed in practice and in our first scrimmage that the pace is just a lot faster,” he said. “[The team] feels different [from] anything I’ve played before. I played AAU and MetroWest, and this is really different. A lot more is at stake.” The players’ talents are consistent across the roster, Killilea said, prompting the players to challenge each other.
“It’s a very balanced team this year. The difference between the fourth best player and the fourteenth best player is not wide,” he said. “They push each other a lot because they’re all pretty close in talent.” Nathanson added that their balanced talents promotes chemistry on the court. “We are really able to score the ball much better than we would have otherwise been able to because we are able to move the ball so well and get so many guys open looks,” he said. “We aren’t relying on one guy to score 30 points, but we can get four or five guys to score 10 points, which I think will really help us this season.” Killilea added that this year’s team, unable to rely on height like last year’s, must switch its game strategy. “We’re not a physically opposing team,” he said. “We’re going to push the ball, we’re going to try to get it inside to free the outside, and defensively we are going to have to work really hard at it and box out. We can’t give out second-chance points all the time.” “Our team needs to be better on defense,” senior shooting guard Izak Monaco
said. “The coach really emphasizes the defense as an important thing for us as a team, and that’s pretty much what we work on most of the practice.” Sophomore shooting guard Njavan Stewart said that during practices, players must push themselves through running. “Minutes are really the things that are held over our head,” he said. “If we don’t work hard, our minutes will be deducted.” Monaco said the team’s shooting will make up for the its small size. “We have a couple good shooters,” he said. “I feel like we all can hit threes consistently, and that will be big.” Nathanson said that despite few returning players and the lack of height, the team can succeed. “We are a little bit down especially on athleticism and talent compared to what we had last year, but what we do have that we didn’t have as well last year was really good team chemistry,” he said. “We move the ball, and we all take pride in our defense, so I think that chemistry and that pride we take in our team playing will really help carry us a long way this year.”
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Sports|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR
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By Dorra Guermazi
photo courtesy of Anna Ventouris
South’s dance team celebrates receives second place in the state competition at Braintree High School on Nov. 18.
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fter a long day at the state dance competition, sophomore Elizabeth Jin joined her team in Braintree High School’s gymnasium, excitedly awaiting South’s results. “When they called Newton South, we all jumped up into the air. We all hugged each other,” senior captain Milly Alvarez said. “We couldn’t even sit down. We were all crying.” Under the direction of new choreographer Amanda Weisman and new coach Laura Hawes, the dance team placed second at the state competition on Nov. 18, following a strong season of first place titles at various competitions. “It was a really great moment to see all of our hard work paid off, and we were all just really surprised that we placed so high,” Jin said. “We were so proud of ourselves and of our coaches.” Junior Nicole Shammay said Weis-
man and Hawes majorly contributed to the team’s success. “They are so involved with the team, and they put all of their hard work and effort into it,” she said. “They know how to push us to our limits without going overboard.” “It’s really helpful to have coaches who not only can give you another point of view, but can give you a dancer’s point of view,” Jin said. This season, strong team chemistry overcame recent program setbacks, Alvarez added. “We are all like sisters, including the coaches,” she said. “They encourage us a lot because they know what we’ve been through throughout the years with coaches and placements.” According to Weisman, the team’s dedication drove their success. “If the girls didn’t show up and they
photos by Netta Dror
Dance team works hard at practice after school.
weren’t prepared and didn’t care about [the dance], it would never had happened, but everyone was so into it and tried so hard,” she said. “I think the collaboration made that happen.” “We put a lot of dedication into the dance and into the practices, and we put a lot of effort into everything,” Alvarez said. “We put our all into that dance.” Junior Anna Ventouris added that the team’s efficiency during practices is their biggest strength. “We are learning a dance, and there is so much going on, but our practices are less than a regular team,” she said. “We have only three practices [per week] and we are very focused; we work faster.” In addition to the productive practices, the team utilizes its variety of dance experiences, Weisman said. “I would say diversity [is our biggest strength],” she said. “Everyone comes from
a different dance background. Some are strong in hip hop, some are strong in acrobatics [and] some are strong in contemporary, and we mush it all together, and that’s what gives us our dance.” According to Weisman, dance team allows students to enjoy themselves and alleviate stress. “This is a place where they can escape the drama and the high school atmosphere and just come to a place where they feel safe,” Weisman said. “It’s made me happy and made me feel like I’m able to express myself as a I dance,” freshman Jillian Reingold added. Ultimately, the team’s success speaks to their love for the sport. “It’s not all about winning, but if they weren’t passionate about [dance] then none of this would have happened,” Weisman said. “Their love for dance really shows [through] their abilities.”
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THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts
Sports Spotlights
Diving In SHAW MILLER sports contibuter
girls gymnastics
floating column EDITOR’S NOTE: Every issue, The Roar publishes a different athlete’s perspective from his or her experience on a sports team. Contact srstaff@thelionsroar. com if you are interested in writing this column.
Freshman Shanna Lacey on bars (above) and Sophomore Elizabeth O’Neill on floor (below) compete on Dec. 15 at Newton North.
I think if everybody steps up, we can be really good this year because I know a bunch of people have been training new and bigger skills” Ally Youngsman, ’18, gymnastics captain photos by Netta Dror
girls
basketball wrestling photo courtesy of Julian Turner
Girls basketball team defeats North Andover on Dec. 16.
photo by Netta Dror
The wrestling team hosts Acton-Boxborough on Dec. 13.
We are already clicking as a team really well and being really successful at practice. ... It looks like we’re going to have a good season.
Considering that there are so many beginners, and they’re doing pretty well so far, it means that the program’s going to be the best it’s been in years.
Shannon Laughlin, ’18, girls basketball captain
Eli Beutel, ‘18, wrestling captain
I start every dive with both arms at my sides, torso leaning slightly over my toes. First, my right foot steps forward, then two more steps follow. I extend my arms straight above my head. My left knee rises in front of me to a 90-degree angle, and then I kick it back down toward the board as I reach the peak of my jump. The moment my toes feel the rough surface of the board again, my arms swing down and around, then lock together above my head as the board stiffens below me. I ride its momentum upwards, extending my legs, back and arms until liftoff. Gravity then goes to work and brings me to my favorite part of every front jump — the briefest standstill in midair, which I enjoy before accelerating toward the surface of the water. My first exposure to diving was in the summer before fourth grade, when my mom signed me up for a week-long camp just to get me out of the house. After that meager introduction, diving slipped from my mind until the first day of swim practice during freshman year. Two students were stretching near the diving boards on the other end of the pool. I walked over to them, timidly stated my name and, despite my nerves, somehow managed to squeak out my intention to join the diving team. That day marked the beginning of a very long road. It turned out that a few weeks of lessons in fourth grade didn’t exactly make me an expert on, well, anything, and that I would have to put in the work if I ever wanted to compete. I showed up to practice every day. I practiced my forward approach hundreds of times; I jumped, splashed, smacked, flopped and otherwise attempted to commit myself fully to the sport. My first meet wasn’t exactly encouraging. I scored between two and five points out of 10 on every dive, and I finished dead last. The wonderful thing, however, was that last out of the male divers meant third place — I had scored points for my team! That small consolation pushed me to keep going to practice, learn new dives and laugh off the back flops. I ended freshman year as the second-best diver on the men’s team. Things took an upward turn in my sophomore year. I began exploring the realm of double frontflips, became comfortable with reverse dives (where one jumps off the board forwards, and then rotates back toward the board), and even whipped up the courage to attempt an inward 1 ½ (jumping off the board backwards and rotating forwards). The team began to applaud for me out of pride rather than pity when my scores were announced, and I finally felt as though I had earned my place. I am now returning to the swim and dive team for my third season, and I hope to continue putting those few extra points on the scoreboard for South.