Picture this: After a hefty day of classes, you begin to make a run for the cafeteria to beat the hordes of famished students and faculty. After you wait in the hot food line for half of your lunch period only to find that what’s cookin’ ain’t so good lookin’, you resort to a bag of chips and a can of San Pellegrino. Why? Because this is your only appetizing option. How come? Because of the gaping hole in both the cafeteria and the hearts of Upper School students that was previously occupied by the beloved sandwich/salad bar.
Sound familiar?
The virtual online ordering system has replaced our o food bar, and honestly, we aren’t so keen on it.
With the sandwich and salad bar, students and faculty alike had the option to customize their meals however they so chose. Sure, the line to get a personalized salad or sandwich was long, but the opportunities for condiment combinations were endless. We would assume that with this change, every option we had at the actual sandwich/salad bar would be offered on the website. However, one of us has enjoyed getting a tuna sandwich throughout her high school career adorned with the dried cranberries and spinach leaves that were on the salad side of the bar. On the website, she was eager to find a more efficient way to order her standard meal, only to find that those condiment options were only available in the salad section of the order form. Discouraged, she turned to the “Additional Comments” box, but feared that her request may be misunderstood or unacknowledged. It could thus be argued that this system stunts the palatable creativity of the community at large. We have found great solace in the personal interaction with Ginger and her staff when placing our specific orders.
The online system has good intentions for efficiency, and we see its incredible potential: Chadwick students’ lives are incredibly busy and we don’t have time to wait in line for 30 minutes for a salad. Nevertheless, we can’t help but imagine the sweeping ratio of students who used to purchase lunches from the bar to the number of students who fill out orders online now. Plus, we can’t ignore the forgetful and indecisive nature of teens in our generation. We have heard numerous accounts from students who ordered online and then forgot that they had a lunch prepared for them the next day or who forget about the system in general and have no idea where to find that darn URL in the first place.
If this is true, are we backtracking on our path toward grub efficiency?
Archive for December, 2010
by Franny Hocking
Students and faculty explored Manhattan in the second annual New York Trip.
Ranging from the top of the Empire State building to Central Park, the group toured the city over a period of four days.
Over the course of the trip, the eight students and three faculty members saw five Broadway shows. Billy Elliot, which they saw only an hour after arriving, seemed to be the crowd favorite.
Senior Fiona Stout said, “[The show] had stunning dance sequences and amazing talent. Overall, the show was just flawless.”
The rest of the shows the group saw included Avenue Q, Chicago, Mamma Mia! and West Side Story.
After watching the professional shows, the group witnessed street performers who completed back-flips and complicated dance moves for the crowd.
Another trip highlight included a tour of the NBC Studios. The tour took the group through various famous sets used in the studio, including the Saturday Night Live (SNL) set.
According to the group, the set was only a quarter of the size of what is seen on TV. They also saw the SNL band rehearsing and the set being prepared for that night’s performance. The excitement from seeing the live band compelled the group to rush back to their hotel to watch the latest show.
On that same tour they also found themselves in the same room as some of the cast from the NBC TV show 30 Rock. Not only did they see the legendary Tina Fey, who plays Liz Lemon on the show, but also the actors who play Jenna Maroney and Kenneth Parcell.
In between their sightseeing and TV star-sightings, the travelers treated themselves to New York’s famous Dylan’s Candy Bar as well as the Hershey’s store. Not only did they fulfill their sugar needs, but the group indulged frequently in pizza and desert at Roxie’s Deli in Times Square.
After one of their dinners, Choral Director Bob Marino treated the homeless with their leftovers.
Without any hesitation, Marino “proved to be very charitable and great with comedic timing,” according to sophomore traveler Chris Stanton. Stout said Marino’s encounters were “truly inspirational.”
After bonding and enjoying what New York City has to offer, the students and faculty felt a void for the rest of the Thanksgiving break.
“The trip was so much fun. From eating pizza at one in the morning, to touring the entire city, I can easily say that I had the time of my life. Not only were students great, but the teachers treated us with respect and as equals,” said Stanton.
by Amanda Long
Chadwick’s third student-written, directed, and performed show, Lost and Found, was performed on Dec. 3 and 4.
Senior director Molly Heller said, “It’s an inspirational part of the year that makes you feel like you can create an amazing production out of nothing.”
The collaborative theatre project featured 18 original scenes, songs, dances, poems, and short films. Fifty students were involved in some form of production in order to create this show. In addition, English teacher Chad Detloff acted as the faculty advisor, while also performing in the show itself.
The opening number of the show was a full-company dance choreographed by English teacher Erin Nordlund and senior Talia DeRogatis. “The opening scene poses the question the show is going to answer,” said DeRogatis. The number featured sophomore Hailey Waller as “lost,” and struggling to find herself through different parts of life that other cast members personified. These life stages included love, popularity, religion, and education. Even after testing the various opportunities, Waller still could not find herself at the end of the dance. As DeRogatis explained, the show was set to address this issue.
Senior Sarah Lindstedt and Francis McCarty, an Australian Round Square student, wrote and performed the song “8000 Miles Away.” This song was displayed as a video that was performed during a video-chat session between the two singers.
Another scene featured seniors Maddy Webster, Zoe Hamilton, Sarah Lindstedt, Ari Kassardijian, and Harrison Kidd in Molly Heller’s comedic musical number, “The Lost Dog.” Hamilton and Lindstedt played the two friends of Webster who had just lost her beloved dog. The friends told Webster to stop her unusual habits, ones that they found strange, but a popular boy, played by Kassardijian, found these habits attractive.
Senior Katie Starke wrote the satire “Lost In Translation,” which showed two teenagers caught within a conversation with translated hidden meanings. In the piece, a boy and girl would say one thing to the other, and then translate their line to what they actually meant. From communications to miscommunications to awkward pauses, the one act received big laughs.
Senior Ally Van Deuren danced in her brainchild “Pounding the Pavement,” with Chad Detloff. Van Deuren and Detloff played street performers who rhythmically hit trashcans and tap danced bare-foot. Originally, Van Deuren and Detloff performed separately, but after an impromptu competition, the two combined their musical sounds to create a dynamic duo that was more successful together.
“Bend. Break. Breathe,” was a scene submitted by an anonymous writer. Seniors Marisa Melideo and Berton (Cotter) Phinney acted in the poetic piece.
Another scene, “A Lost Life Story,” was a short documentary by Katie Hill and Lindsay Szper whose purpose was to get the audience closer to some of the people we may recognize, but may not have made an effort to get to know. The video was filled with interviews from Chadwick teachers to Starbucks baristas, all sharing their own stories.
DeRogatis choreographed and, Along with Waller, starred in the closing dance of the show. The duet was about “finding yourself through the realization that sometimes the best things come when you are lost and work your way out of it,” said DeRogatis. In the piece Waller, who was once lost, found herself. The whole company came on stage at the end of the dance to conclude the show.
Heller said the show was “more chill” than previous student-directed shows. “A couple years ago we had a really dramatic show, and last year’s show was pretty funny, but this one’s more […] hipster in a sense. It’s a lot more of a thoughtful production.”
“I thought the show was one of the better parts of my high school experience,” Heller continued, when asked about her inspirations for pursuing the project. Although Heller had been in earlier student-run productions, this one was special in its own way.
“It was super awesome,” said Starke, and DeRogatis added that it was a great experience for everyone involved.
Heller reflected on the cast, “I think it’s an incredible experience to see how committed every one of our cast and crew was and to see the spectrum of students that were involved in it.”
“At first I thought I would never want to go onstage and act and perform in front of all of those people […] but after trying something new, I think anyone who’s afraid to try it should just go ahead and take the risk.” said Roberts.
by Emily Nguyen and Alexa Aranjo
Two years of Chadwick effort on an international service project will come to fruition this summer when the Adopt-a-Village program builds a school in Chismaute, Ecuador.
The school would like to have students travel to Chismaute this June and July to help construct the school.
One of the leaders supervising the project, sophomore Emily Newton, explains that “the school will be built this summer during June and July no matter how much money is raised.”
This year both the Round Square Board and Chadwick students are dedicating their time and effort to reach their goal of $8,500 through various fund-raisers by the members of Round Square.
In addition, other commitees of Chadwick School recognize the whole-school project and have offered to donate part of the profits they earn through their fundraisers. Diversity Council has donated their entire profit from the Samosas sale, and the Community Service Advisory Board has promised to donate 10 percent of the profits it makes from the Faculty Spelling Bee.
Many students have a very positive outlook on the trip. However, some wish that they were more informed and directly involved in the process.
Sophomore Isabel Ngan said, “I do feel like they could’ve told us earlier why they were going to adopt a village. This way more people could’ve put more of an effort in all the community service drives for this project.”’
Ultimately, most of Chadwick’s community is intent on making sure that the children of Chismaute receive a good education. Faith Memmo, another leader of the project, said, “We also want gather a group of non-Chadwick students from other Round Square schools to participate in this project as well.” Gradually, Chadwick hopes that this project will become an international project.
In the future, after the school has been improved and helped in Chismaute, Chadwick hopes to be able to “expand the support to other schools” says history teacherJohn Nordquist.
Since 2008, the Round Square Board and Mr. Nord-quist have been raising money to help provide supplies for the school in the Chismaute village.
This project is part of the Adopt-a-Village program. In 2008 Nordquist’s Challenge 20/20 class began researching extreme poverty through the world and ways of helping. Through this research, the class discovered that education was the most effective way to help the suffering citizens of developing countries.
Meanwhile, Chadwick students attending a Round Sqaure conference in Vancouver. From speaker Craig Keilburger, the founder of Free the Children, they learned about the types of actions that youth in the United States could take to help improve the lives of the children in these impoverished countries Free the Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education. The goal of this organization is to bring the children out of poverty and exploitation.
As a result of this speech, Nordquist’s class asked fellow Chadwick students to help in the Adopt-a-Village program in hopes ofbuilding and continuing to support a school in Chismaute.
Adopt a-Village is based on the organization Free the Children. Founded in 1995, international child rights activist Kielburger has helped encourage more than one million youths to help other children in more than 45 different countries.
“We would like to build a relationship with the village of Chismaute over several years,” says Nordquist. “I don’t know what the future will hold. It depends a great deal on how the students respond to this challenge. We could make a significant difference in the lives of children over time. We also would learn a lot from our partners in the village. They have a lot they can teach us.”
by Kelly Lee
With much anticipation from its viewers, Chadwick Broadcast Service’s first show went on air on Thursday, Nov. 11, entering more than 100 homes of Chadwick students.
CBS is the broadcasting network for Chadwick School. CBS airs monthly shows titled “The Blow-Hole,” which features news segments, both local and global, as well as funny segments like “Chad-Pads.”
The first show covered the homecoming football game, along with its many homecoming events and festivities.
Along with the homecoming fun, CBS aired an exclusive interview with English teacher Chad Detloff about his recent trips to Thailand and Cambodia. Detloff was accompanied by Chadwick students.
The show also proudly presented a segment called “Chad-Pads.” This part of the show is similar to MTV Cribs. The CBS cameraman visits the house of a Chadwick student, and gets a glimpse into the home lives of the “typical Chadwick teen.”
The student introduces the cameraman to all of the aspects of his house. At times there is even an entourage accompaning the designated student. The first “Chad-Pads” featured senior Benjamin Krauss’s house.
“The first show was a good trial and error for the club,” said senior co-club leader and producer Breanna Madrazo. “For one thing, our website wasn’t as good as it could have been, and there were comments made that weren’t appropriate and weren’t monitored.
“However, it was definitely not bad at all for our first show,” she continued. “It gave us a good outlook on what we can improve in the future.”
Club leaders senior James Calhoun and Madrazo started designing the structure of the club over the summer, planning the leadership responsibilities that were necessary for such a production.
“I have always kind of had the idea [of creating this club], ever since sophomore year, and that’s when I first started the project,” said Calhoun.
“I had some software to test it out, but it didn’t really pick up. Now that I have better, more high quality equipment, it is a lot easier to produce the shows,” he added.
Calhoun is the club leader and director. With this job description, Calhoun must direct most of his attention to the more technical part of the show, such as filming and video editing.
Calhoun’s interest in filming, and his immense skills in the field of filming, became well known to the school last year. Calhoun debuted his first self-produced movie, Prominence, to the Chadwick students during the spring of his junior year.
“I have always been into film and television. When I went to New Zealand for a student ambassador program called ‘People to People,’ we did a mock live television show. I was the director for that, so I got to learn a lot of firsthand experience on running a live show,” said Calhoun.
Madrazo shares the same passion as Calhoun. Madrazo’s first objective when starting the club was to have a source of media that was neither The Dolphin yearbook nor The Mainsheet.
Junior Ally Melideo, one of the main anchors of the club, also joined the club to achieve her goal.
“I joined the club because being a news anchor is one of my future dream jobs, so I wanted to see what it was like,” said Melideo, “I also wanted to get involved with what’s going on around school.”
Calhoun says that his most personal goal is to leave something behind for the Chadwick community.
“I want it to continue onward even after I am gone. That’s my biggest goal, my master plan,” said Calhoun.
He has been making many changes and receiving as much feedback from the community as possible in hopes that the shows can run as efficiently as possible.
Although Calhoun feels the first show was a success, he remains worried for the future of his club.
“I personally thought it was amazing that we got the first show to go on air, but I was a little disappointed that [the process] didn’t involve everyone,” said Calhoun.
Calhoun felt that he ended up with the majority of the work in the end, which is what he hopes to prevent in the future. His plan is to teach the juniors many of his skills and let the them run the next couple shows, so that they can produce shows free of his help.
To inform its viewers on CBS’s newest changes, Calhoun and Madrazo created a Facebook page. This will allow everyone to keep up with CBS’s newest improvements.
CBS encourages students to use the show to get their message out to the community.
Various clubs now have the opportunity to publicize their fundraisers or other events through commercials free of charge.
When sophomore Isabella Gradney, the head writer, was asked to sum up her vision for the club, she said, “I really want this show to move forward. We have a ton of potential, and I think our talents will shine through in the future.”
For more information on CBS broadcasts, visit wickcast.com.
LA happenings in the months of December and January
Lissie comes back rocking at the Box
Lissie, a folk rock artist from Illinois, will perform at the Music Box at the Fonda in Los Angeles on Jan. 15. After debuting her first EP, “Why You Runnin’” about a year ago, Lissie has quickly risen to prominence. Before this release, Lissie began her career by opening for musicians who performed nearby when she attended Colorado State University.
After being noticed by the performing world, she opened for Lenny Kravitz in 2008 and caught the attention of the recording industry soon after. She released her first full album, Catching a Tiger in June 2010. Fans hope that she will perform her newest hits as well as her celebrated cover of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” at her 7 pm Los Angeles show.
Black Swan fulfills all expectations
The long-awaited psychological thriller Black Swan is now playing in movie theaters across the country. The film stars the adored actress Natalie Portman as well as the lesser known That 70’s Show alumna Mila Kunis.
The renowned director of the film, Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) is known for engulfing his audiences in delusions and paranoia. His work in Black Swan is no exception.
He tells the tale of a ballerina in the New York City Ballet whose competitive ambition is to dance the role of the Black Swan in Swan Lake. This passion sends her down a dark and reckless path. Its reviewers have confirmed the excitement behind the release of this film.
Next to Normal comes to Ahmanson
The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal is now playing at the Ahmanson Theatre through Jan. 2.
Written by former Columbia students, the celebrated rock musical tells the story of a mother who struggles with bipolar disorder and how her illness affects her family.
The musical also juggles many other concepts and issues such as grieving, suburban life, suicide, drug abuse, and the ethical code of modern psychiatry.
This show has been praised for its innovative and impressive revival of the musical. Viewers are said to experience every emotion, while being captivated all the while. Tickets to see this rare theatrical experience range from $35 to $100.
Folk sensation Iron and Wine to perform at LA’s Wiltern
The legendary singer-songwriter known as Iron and Wine will perform on January 26 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. After rising to fame with the help of cover songs, such as his famous rendition of “Such Great Heights” in 2002, the man behind Iron and Wine, Samuel Beam, gained a following. His music, compared to Simon and Garfunkel and Nick Drake, is performed mostly with banjo and acoustic and slide guitar. His newest album, Kiss Each Other Clean, will be released in January and promoted by the new tour. Opening for Iron and Wine is indie-folk band Low Anthem from Providence, Rhode Island. Sought-after tickets to this show are about $40.
by Nikki Stein
Under the leadership of Jasmine Love, the new Director of Multiculturalism and Inclusion, the Diversity Council has been active in a number of recent events on and off campus.
As recently as November, the council held a samosa sale to celebrate Diwali and hosted Natural November.
Organized by junior Letesia Fox, Natural November was held from Nov. 15-19, and established a new way of of celebrating diversity throughout the school.
Fox, the co-head of the African American Awareness Organization (AAAO), created the idea of Natural November after seeing the movie Good Hair by actor Chris Rock. Fox inspired students and faculty to wear their hair in its natural state: without the aid of hairspray, products, and straightening or curling irons. This was a process meant to stimulate everyone to embrace their natural looks, and “know that they are beautiful the way they are,” said Fox.
“We had Natural November to inspire people to feel beautiful. I wanted them to know that there is no such thing as ‘good hair,’ and that everyone can have natural beautiful hair,” continues Fox.
When asked if she would like to continue Natural November, Fox said, “I would love to continue to do this for years to come. I think women need to be comfortable with the skin that they’re in, and I hope that Natural November can be the light for people in finding their self love […] I mainly just wanted the Chadwick community to feel beautiful by just being themselves.”
In light of the recent involvement in diversity, Love feels that the Diversity Council has much potential to grow this year alone.
“I want to say that Diversity Council is evolving,” she said. “We have added Middle School students, and right now we are planning to introduce an ‘Identity Tree’ to the community. You’ll have to wait to find out what it is,” says Love.
Students have also participated in two diversity conferences in November, as well. All students, not purely Council members, were given the opportunity to participate.
At the conference titled “Across Colors,” one speaker talked about the stereotypes that some Americans hold about Islam and Muslims in general, otherwise known as “Islamophobia.”
Love, with the help of the Director of Admissions Milton Mitchell, chose eleven students to participate in the second conference on Nov. 20.
The students were accompanied by eleven faculty members. Faculty and students separated for two different conferences and ultimately collaborated during the combined conference at the end.
In addition to Love, Dean of Faculty Dan Place, science teacher Maya Rao, Middle School Office Manager Elizabeth McLean, Village Office Manager Anna Chavez, Assistant Head of Middle School Summar Aubrey, College Counselor Shawn Rae Passalacqua, and Village teachers Michelle Gallagher, Matthew Risk, Jessica Nelle and Christina Morse attended the conference.
Students from an assortment of grades attended as well, including juniors David Cullum, Sidney Cole, Delfino Gaspar, Letetsia Fox and Rachel Young; sophomores Paige Watson, Asha Kamack, Imani Ingram and Katherine Vargas; and freshmen Ke’Ari Brooks and Anige’r Oriol.
The separate groups worked in workshops and affinity groups for discussion; the adult conference was titled “The People of Color Conference,” and and student conference was titled “The Student Diversity Leadership Conference.”
“Thousands of people come—mainly people of color—so white people have the experience of being in the minority,” Love said. “[The discussion groups are] very intense but educational because you get to talk about things you might not talk about at school, and it is a safe place to just be yourself and explore your identity.”
By design, students get thrown into new situations that might make then feel uncomfortable. At these conferences one learns to step out of his or her shell and feel less awkward in these situations. Also students learn that cultural differences do exist, and it is possible to gain a better understanding of these differences.
When asked about this conference, Love said, “For me there were 3 highlights.First was watching our amazing Chadwick students represent the core values even outside of school, second was singing in the Multicultural Gospel Choir and also hearing Ernest Green of the Little Rock 9 speak.”
Love really enjoys Diversity Council this year. She said, “We’re still finding our sea legs and figuring out exactly what we want to do […] the main reason for Diversity Council is to have a safe place to talk about being different and to have an experience of fitting in. So that is what I like best about it. Everyone belongs.”
Love wants Diversity Council to be a place where everyone feels like they belong. She says, “This is a place where everyone should feel they fit in somewhere. Well, everyone definitely fits in at Diversity Council because that is the point, celebrating differences.”
by Jared Agnew and Blake Range
Chadwick added a special edition to the football staff this year with physical education coach John Ziegler.
Although Ziegler is known to the students as the new special teams football coach, there are many unaware of the life he leads off the field in the arena of polemic political debates and the media.
In addition to his job at Chadwick, Ziegler is a conservative talk show host, and after years of involvement in the media business, Ziegler became a controversial documentary film maker.
Zeigler began his work in media as a sportscaster for a television channel owned by NBC. After leaving that particular job, Zeigler moved on to work with Fox, also as a sportscaster. However, Ziegler’s sharp personality and sarcasm forced him to eventually leave that job, as well.
By the early 2000s, Ziegler had worked and been involved in multiple radio stations, but his outspoken personality caused him to continually move from place to place. Finally, he ended up in Los Angeles were he hosted a late night show on KFI 640.
Ziegler’s show consistently received high ratings, and as a result, he was named the 54th most important talk show host in the country by Talkers Magazine.
Ziegler decided that he wanted to pursue a career in discussing controversial topics. Thus, he went into talk radio on a station called WWTN-FM in Tennessee. On this radio show Ziegler was known to not only discuss the designated sports, but also politics.
His documentary, Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted, has become very controversial and examined the role of the media in the presidential election of 2008.
Ziegler says in his film “that the media did not fulfill its role as an unbiased institution, and left voters misinformed and uneducated.” He blames the media for the disfiguration of Palin’s stature.
In his documentary, Ziegler interviews Democratic voters. Surprisingly, none of them could tell him who Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank or Harry Reid were. Some had never even heard the names of these Democratic leaders in the U.S. Congress before.
When asked which candidate had a pregnant daughter or which candidate spent money on clothes, all of the interviewees named Sarah Palin. Ziegler blamed this lack of real political education on the media, who he feels “targeted” Palin and were a main cause ofthe comical image that the public came to accept of her.
Today Ziegler has an active blog called http://www.HowObamaGotElected.com. All over this site are videos of interviews and articles made by Ziegler that deal with his opinions on current events.
These videos focus on subjects such as Ziegler’s dramatic arrest outside a Katie Couric award ceremony, a politican threatening Ziegler’s life, and even his participation on a dating show.
by Chris Stanton and Franny Hocking
A continuation of the celebration of Chadwick’s 75th anniversary, a school wide assembly occurred on Monday, Dec. 6. The purpose of the asembly was to open a time capsule that students attending Chadwick in 1994 created as an all-school project to celebrate the opening of the Village School Science Lab. The former students labeled the time capsule to be set to open in the year 2010.
Village School teacher Ann Biedenweg was onstage at the opening ceremony because, as a student, she helped bury the capsule at the time of its inception in the 1994 school year.
As a suitable representative of the group of students that assembled the time capsule sixteen years ago, Biedenweg said, “Every kid in the village was a part of it, and they thought it was exciting to put stuff in, they wanted to see how old they were going to be in sixteen years.”
She remembers the initiation of the idea of the time capsule, as though it was just yesterday.
“At the dedication ceremony to the new science lab,” Biedenweg said. “We held an all-school egg drop contest. In addition, someone had the idea of burying a time capsule. We then had the students make and bring sayings, pictures, memories and toys of the time.”
Years, later, Biedenweg witnessed the opening of the time capsule, and uncovered what she and her former classmates made and assembled together.
Before it began, the ambiguity of the assmbly left students questioning and eager to discover the purpose of the school-wide assmbly. “I was really excited. I had no idea what the assembly was going to be about,” said sophomore Jack Kirkpatrick.
The feeling seemed to encompass the entire student body as the students hurried to sit down in anticipation of what was about to happen.
Finally, All Student Body President senior Molly Heller announced the purpose of the assembly: to open a time capsule from the 1990s that Biedenwig orignally contributed to.
Excitement began to build in the room as students eagerly awaited the opening of the time capsule, which sat on a table in the center of the gymnasium. The capsule itself was a very plain looking cement tube.
After Heller’s speech, Upper School Director Mark Wiedenmann approached the table and began to open the capsule, which appeared to be quite a difficult task.
Besides Heller, alongside to help pull items out of the time capsule, were several student body representatives from both the Middle and Village Schools.
When the time capsule was opened, the Student Council representatives began to pull items out of it one by one. Among the items were several photo collages of pictures of 90’s items as well as a hacky sack and an undisclosed action figure.
Biedenweg reflected on the sought-after items her peers contributed to the time capsule. “Hacky sacks were really popular in the 90’s,” said Biedenweg.
The Student Council representatives also found among the items in the time capsule a cassette tape, which housed a recording of students singing the song “Queen Colman,” which they recorded because Village School history teacher Diane Colmandressed up as a British queen on fifth grade Colonial Day every year.
The time capsule was also buried alongside some trash, including an orange peel and several jar lids. The students that had buried the capsule wanted to see how much the garbage would have decomposed after sixteen years.
When asked about what she thought students got out of the experience of burying a time capsule at Chadwick, Biedenweg said, “I wish alumni could have come to see the unearthing. I thought kids would have come back to see what they had buried when they were five or six. I know I would enjoy reading things I wrote when I was in elementary school!”
At the end of the assembly, Heller got up once again to announce that Chadwick would be putting together another time capsule this year, thus making the time capsule cycle complete.
“Each grade this year will be contributing to a new time capsule, one that will be opened in 2025, on Chadwick’s 100th anniversary,” announced Heller.
Students immediately began to murmur and discuss ideas for items to put into the capsule, and each was left with a memory they would never forget.
Minneapolis dome collapses because of heavy snow
The Minneapolis Metrodome, home of the Minnesota Vikings football team, recently collapsed during a snow storm. The executive director of the Metrodome said that the extent of the damage has yet to be assessed.
Areas of Minnesota were hit with a blizzard that dumped 20 inches of snow. According to meteorologists the storm was one of the five largest to have ever hit Minnesota.
This is not the first time the Metrodome has collapsed due to excessive amounts of snow. It deflated in 1981, 1982, and 1983, each time due to tears caused by heavy snow.
The Vikings’ National Football League game against the New York Giants on Sunday, Dec. 12, was rescheduled to Monday, Dec. 13, because of the obvious damage, but it was not certain if the damage could be repaired by then.
Senator speaks out against tax cut for over 8 hours
In Washington, D.C., Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders fought Obama’s proposed tax cut for more than eight hours in the Senate. His speech began at 10:24 a.m. and did not end until 7 p.m. that evening. Sanders is an independent who tends to side with the Democrats, but he declared the tax bill would only increase the national debt and would give tax breaks to the millionaires “who don’t need it,” according to Sanders.
He noted that he might be repeating his points, but for the eight-hour span he blasted Republicans for their “hypocrisy” in supporting tax cuts for the wealthy while also complaining about national debt. He attempted to rouse the sympathy of the Senate by reading letters written by families who can’t pay their heating bills.
Despite this long display of protest to the bill, the Senate was expected to approve the bill and send it to the House in the next few weeks.
Wayward sea lion dodges busy traffic on Oregon freeway
In Yachats, Oregon on December 11, a sea lion that lost its way from the Pacific Ocean got an escort from state troopers off the highway. The animal was reported to have entered the US Highway 101 through a state park.
It scooted and slid a few miles while weaving in and out of traffic for about half an hour. To prevent futher danger for the sea lion, animal rescuers blocked a quarter mile of the freeway to ensure the sea lion’s safety.
The local animal rescue units used plastic boards and batons as they flanked the sea lion and tried to guide it back to the ocean.
The sea lion was escorted by a large procession of rescue personnel and Oregon residents as it was led back home into the safety of the Pacific Ocean, which was only about a quarter of a mile away from the highway.
by Emily Robertson and Susan Wang
Chadwick has implemented a new online lunch ordering system for students and faculty for the 2010-2011 school year. With this new system, students and faculty can pre-order their lunches on the internet through an online ordering form and can avoid waiting in long lines each day to get their lunches.
Last year, students waited in line when they wanted to use the salad and sandwich bar. The new system allows students to pick up their lunch at the window, granting students more time to eat, socialize with their friends, and enjoy their free time.
The system is also very useful for students who participate in afternoon activities. For example, it allows students who are involved in community service to get a personalized, fast lunch without being late to the vans.
Students also have the freedom to choose their own meat, bread, toppings, and condiments from a variety of options. This ability to personalize lunches also helps accommodate vegetarian students and students who have allergies.
In addition, with the online system, students can see exactly how much money is charged to their account as they are ordering, allowing them to adjust their order before submitting it if they are not happy with the price. Of the students who have started to order their lunch online, several, such as sophomore Stella Dong, have found it “really convenient” and useful.
However, some students feel that the Chadwick community is too absent-minded for the new system to work well. Senior Kari Ayoob said, “I always forget about [the system]. I have only used it once because I always forget to go online to order my lunch.” Students first heard about the new system through various emails in late September, and were reminded of it in mid-October. Since then, some students appear to have forgotten about all the ordering options available to them and have not been using the online ordering system..
As issues with the new system have arisen, the cafeteria employees are working to improve the system so that students and faculty can obtain their lunch more effectively and have more time than ever before to eat and regenerate for their afternoon activities.
Director of Dining Services Ginger Banino has high hopes for the new system. She loves the concept because students can be across campus or at home and order their lunches with no line and no hassle. In her opinion, it has been successful so far, but the cafeteria employees are striving to uncover and relieve kinks and flaws in the system.
She said, “It hasn’t really caught on with students as much as it has with the faculty.” According to Banino, the cafeteria employees face a number of new challenges because of this new system. They have to make sure they get everyone’s order right and have included every ingredient that a student orders. This can be a challenge because sometimes specific toppings are not in season, or they do not stay fresh for very long.
Banino said, “The biggest benefit is that you won’t have to wait in line or worry about paying for your lunch. It gives you more time.”
Chief Financial Officer Troy Grande originally wanted a more efficient lunch system, so he, Dean of Students Lauren Stern, and last year’s Student Council members came up with the idea for an online ordering form. The purpose was to have a cafeteria option for which you do not need to swipe your card or wait in lines, thus saving you time.
The reason for the change from the salad bar system, according to Grande, is that “we have limited space and not enough people working.”
The biggest difference between the salad bar system and the online system is that students don’t have to wait in line, but they can still get the lunch they desire. So far, it has not been as effective as originally planned, simply because not many people are using it.
Grande said, “We’d like to have 30 to 40 students use it every day. I’m hoping for a program to advertise and promote the system.” His wish will come true: in January, there will be a promotion for the system. Every day, one of the students who order online will be chosen to get a free lunch. Only those students who take advantage of the online system will be eligible for this special promotion.
For the future, Grande would like the online system to prevail over waiting in lines at the cafeteria. Students such as athletes will be able to get a late afternoon bag with a Gatorade and energy bar to take on a bus to away games. The idea is that students can get whatever they want from the cafeteria whenever they want it.
It’s that time of the year again, and the holidays are back. For many it is a time of family and giving, but for us it’s a time for a lot of fun. As the season comes around again, we would like to talk about our favorite activities that correspond with the winter season. Whether we are making snowmen or drinking hot cocoa, wintertime is always a good time.
1. Stanton Calendar. Our personal favorite is the annual website Stanton Calendar. We get to take pictures and win prizes for it. We love to get in touch with our inner bro and show off how much fun we are having during this holiday season.
What more could any man ever want than to win an Xbox and have fun while trying to win it? We also guarantee a victory, because of course our competitive nature is taking over and we are in it to win it.
2. College Football Bowl Games. During the long winter break, you may ask, “Don’t you get bored sitting around all day?” This is false because we do not get bored. Every day during the winter break, there is a college football bowl game. We don’t care if it’s Southern Alaska Tech vs. Maryland Christian State. It’s still football, and we will still watch it. Also the National Championship game this year will be one for the ages. It will be a competition between how tight Oregon will look vs. how much Auburn can pay Cam Newton.
3. Alumni Coming Home. Throughout the start of the year, we must survive without hanging with the bros of the past. This is tough, because they were the ones who taught us to be the men we are today. During this winter season, they all come home for holidays, and it’s great to be reunited.
4. Advent Calendars. Waking up every morning to a new chocolate or present is a score. Every day in the month of December, you can anticipate the sweet taste of chocolate until the night befor e Christmas. This is basically like getting a new present everyday, which is awesome.
5. Christmas Attire. Looking classy is of primary importance to any true man. Whether it’s a red wool sweater with Santa on the front, or socks with reindeers all over them, warm and prestigious clothing during the winter season is legit. Nothing says “swagg” more than a nice red turtleneck.
6. Gingerbread Houses. As one of the most anticipated events on Stanton Calendar, we always get pumped up for our gingerbread house making. We make our gingerbread houses into palaces of gumdrops and candy canes, so our gingerbread men live like bosses. If we were in their shoes, we would want to be kings of the castle as well.
7. Mammoth. During the two-week break, some students will sit outside looking at the sky and hoping for snow that will never come. We like to take matters into our own hands, and drive to the snow. The closest mountain with quality snow is Mammoth, where we can get a feel for true winter living. It’s always great to hit the slopes and enjoy the winter wonderland.
8. Santa’s Sleigh Comes to Manhattan Beach. Contrary to popular belief, sitting on Santa’s lap is one of the manliest things you can do. Not only do you get a candy cane, but also you get to show the ladies that you have a soft side, to compliment your massive biceps. A true man will sit on Santa’s lap with pride, to show other men “It’s okay to want a little lovin’ from Santa.”
So this holiday season, don’t forget to put up your Christmas lights, make gingerbread houses, take a lot of pictures for Stanton Calendar, and spin your dreidel because holidays here mean lots of holiday cheer!
We would like to wish all of you a happy Christmahanukakwanza from the bros and the staff here on Man’s Manifesto.
EDUCATION GIVES INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITIES
When asked to write this article, I had an immediate inspiration perhaps best summarized by a quote from a 101-year-old lady named Claire Holm, who said, “A sage knows there is both the wisdom of the universe and a wisdom of man and finds a balance between the two.”
I was privileged and lucky to have attended college not only during one of the most socially progressive periods in recent times, but also scientifically inspiring. We landed a man on the moon, the atomic age was born, and computers first appeared on college campuses.
It was also during this heyday of such explosive scientific advances that C.P. Snow delivered to the British House of Commons his influential and much debated treatise on “Two Cultures.” During this lecture he focused on the burgeoning and dangerous divide that he perceived arising between scientists and literary intellectuals, and the very troubling consequences that such a schism presented. Half a century has passed since “Two Cultures” was first debated, and the gulf between scientific understanding and scientific illiteracy has only widened.
Today, one only has to listen to the nightly news and current politicians to hear the resurgence of this reoccurring rebellion against science, against objective knowledge.
This brings me to the need to stress the value of your science education at Chadwick. Do not succumb to anti-intellectual dialogue which praises minimal academic achievement as a valuable asset or a badge of honor to be worn proudly; be wary of those who are hostile and distrustful of scientific evidence even if they happen to speak with arrogantly loud voices as perhaps they are just arrogantly ignorant. Rather, fear of science is generally based on the inability of the protagonists to understand the wisdom of evidence based on honest observation.
As scientific knowledge continues to expand, this gulf between “understanders” and “non-understanders” will only continue to grow at an exacerbated rate. It is therefore crucial that each of you, as educated young adults, continue to embrace your responsibility to remain informed citizens.
This does not mean that every Chadwick student will attain a level of expertise in all areas of science, but rather you should understand enough science so that you are able to engage in intelligent and informed discussions on ethical questions, technology, and scientific concepts.
Listen to qualified scientists who attempt to translate complex scientific information into political decisions. Likewise, be wary of those who masquerade scientific claims as legitimate when such claims have not undergone careful scrutiny, or claims that have been deliberately contrived for either personal or commercial reasons.
Our nation and its citizens must learn to do a better job at marshaling its scientific resources into sound scientific policy.
Superficial science does little for the advancement of knowledge, progress of technology, or transcendence of political boundaries. And therefore, while scientific knowledge may not be essential for an individual’s personal economic success, it is an essential ingredient in the success of a modern democratic society. Countries and people that live within the walls of scientific illiteracy soon find themselves separated from an advancing world.
Therefore, I hope that as future Chadwick graduates, each of you will use your education as an engine to promote ideas based on fact and reason and not unsubstantiated rhetoric.
Your education has given you the opportunity to be both articulate and sensible in your approach to problem solving. Embrace debate with tolerance, vigor, truth, and intellectual strength of thought. Do not let ignorance trump knowledge, mediocrity trump excellence, or rhetoric trump truth.
PRO: Natalie Tecimer, Senior
A big, green lawn is full of potential. Birds can nest in its trees, plant life can grow abundantly, and microorganisms beneath the soil can assist in the natural carbonic processes of life.
Chadwick’s Main Lawn has many other important attributes as well. It is a bonding place for students. Senior Paulyne Lee says, “In terms of the campus structure of Chadwick, the Main Lawn is a significant part” and is a place of “many of Chadwick’s traditions.” Starting as early as the Village School Halloween parade, even the youngest of Chadwick’s students get to experience a quintessential aspect of Chadwick culture. The Main Lawn is the place where all of Chadwick truly becomes a community.
What would happen if we took away the Main Lawn?
Math teacher Bill Park explains what he feels would be the major differences. “For most people, an expansive green lawn with trees interspersed is a visual delight.”
When one sits in this splendor, one becomes tranquil and relaxed. Contrast that with schools that have brick, mortar, and concrete only. There’s no place where one can easily become relaxed. Throw in the benefits of Vitamin D from the sunshine, fresh air, and companionship, and you’ve got the makings of a very therapeutic experience.
I cannot even imagine what Chadwick would be like with concrete instead of grass. Not only would the school lose its visual appeal, but also students would be so much more stressed. A gray “lawn” would take away the cheery and happy atmosphere that is currently at Chadwick.
If I were given the choice to sit on the grass or to sit on a bench in a concrete area, I would choose the grass every time. I would choose the grass even in the rain because being surrounded by life makes me feel better about everything. Concrete is dead. Grass is alive. Concrete, or even fake grass does not invite warm and friendly feelings that students feel on the Main Lawn.
Freshman Andres Valencia says, “I get to spend time and enjoy the companionship of my friends while enjoying nature.”
The Main Lawn is also a melting pot of grade levels. Other than during my activities, I would have no opportunities to go talk to my friends in younger grades if I didn’t have a comfortable place to do so. On the Main Lawn, age and gender barriers are broken, and every Chadwick student is on the same level. Circles of friends can be found on any given day eating lunch and doing homework. Clusters 
of people often sit under the shade of the beautiful trees on a hot and sunny day or even sunbathe on a cooler one. On rainy days, I know that I gaze longingly at the lawn and wish that it weren’t too muddy to sit down and relax.
There is something to be said for getting in touch with nature. The earliest human beings relied on their environment for everything, but do we? When was the last time any of us took a benefit from our surroundings and then gave back to it? With Chadwick’s Main Lawn, we can do these things. I will acknowledge that from a sustainability standpoint, the Main Lawn is costly and uses a lot of resources. However, the Main Lawn allows students to appreciate the simple beauty of nature. It teaches us not to litter because why would we want to ruin something so perfect? It teaches us to step out of a world of constant technology and stress.
Most importantly, the Main Lawn teaches us to look inside ourselves, and it gives us a unique and rare opportunity to do so.
CON: Martin Byhower, 7th Grade Science Teacher
Humans probably have an innate affinity for lawns. Human physical and societal evolution might have been spurred, at least in part, by the existence of extensive grasslands in much of the world between and during past ice ages.
From the Middle Ages through Elizabethan times, particularly in England, having a lawn in one’s yard was a status symbol. Nowadays, most Americans keep lawns out of habit and tradition.
Unfortunately, due to changing rainfall patterns, deteriorating water supply systems, competition for water sent over vast distances, disappearing groundwater supplies, and an ever-thirstier population, we are about to experience an unprecedented water crisis in Southern California. In many arid or highly populated areas of the state and country, it is actually now illegal to even have a lawn (or at least to use the amount of water required to maintain a lawn). In just a few years, we may be told to get rid of our lawn, whether we like it or not!
From an ecological and economic standpoint, lawns are a disaster; they are the antithesis of sustainability. Most lawns are water-hungry monocultures, composed of a single, non-native grass species. They greatly reduce biodiversity, especially when the lawn covers a large area. Lawn grasses typically require extensive maintenance, not to mention the addition of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. The energy cost due to the petroleum that is burned in order to pump water to So CA (and to make it drinkable) is huge, as is the ecological impact to the areas from which we take our water.
We have site-specific “lawn challenges” as well. The clay soil that underlies our lawn is impermeable, meaning the lawn requires constant aeration, irrigation, and reseeding. Instead of sinking into the groundwater table, rain floods the lawns into a muddy mess. Constant foot traffic overwhelms our Main Lawn, so that much of the time we can’t use it anyway, navigating our way around it while we wait for portions of it to recover. I wonder how much money we could save and how much important work the school’s limited and overworked Maintenance Staff could accomplish without the hours and resources spent on trying to keep the Main Lawn emerald green, let alone alive?
What to do? First, let’s figure out how we use the lawn, and if there are alternatives. If we need a pretty, sunny place to sit and converse, let’s do what truly sustainable campuses are doing–coordinating groups of handy and creative students to use locally available materials (cut trees, stone, clay, and even mud) and/or recycled plastic and lumber to construct a large number of benches and seating areas that are naturally integrated into the surroundings. Native plants and trees can still provide structure and shade, while beautiful native bunchgrasses and shrubs can accent areas containing local rock, woodchips generated by trimming our trees and shrubs, and other permeable surfaces. Excess water can drain into natural-looking channels and then be captured and stored for later use.
We should keep our athletic fields, of course; the water we save by getting rid of the Main Lawn can help irrigate them! But the Main Lawn should go. Sometimes to be truly green you need to remove some green. Think about the message we send when we demonstrate that we are willing to take some chances and make some sacrifices in order to come up with new, sustainable ways of living—ways that we might even come to appreciate as much as we currently appreciate our lawn! As an educational institution and as members of both a local and global community, we have an obligation to do no less.
The holiday season is arguably the best time of the year. There are certain things we forget the importance of in the humdrum of our normal activity. Christmastime is when all the good in life is dumped onto our to-do lists. We are reminded to focus on doing things like spending time with our family and taking a homework break to decorate cookies.
Unfortunately for the Chadwick student, this time of year also tends to be the busiest and most stressful. For the Chadwick senior, in addition to the normal workload, we have the daunting January 1 deadline on our horizon. All of this business has the potential to shift us out of the Christmas spirit. We may find ourselves not decorating our tree because we’re studying eighteen IDs for tomorrow’s history test. We may accidently miss out on making this year’s gingerbread house because we were toiling over a math problem.
Now, I don’t know how to exactly solve this dilemma. I am in the same boat as everyone else and have already found myself disregarding my own Christmas spirit because of homework. However, I have made myself a list. This is a bucket list of things to do to get into the Christmas spirit, and stay in the Christmas spirit for the rest of the season. In hopes of spreading the joy of Christmas to the rest of Chadwick, I have decided to share this list with you.
1. Participate in Stanton Calendar. I am a somewhat biased proponent of this activity, but it actually does achieve Christmas spirit. Forcing yourself to do one task a day makes sure you get a small dose of holiday joy no matter what. Even if you don’t really feel like going out in the cold and putting reindeer antlers on your car, just do it anyways.
2. Go Christmas caroling. Now, this task has a bit of potential awkwardness attached to it. It’s easy to say how fun Christmas caroling would be, but the idea of ringing someone’s doorbell and singing to them for a prolonged period of time reeks of discomfort. I encourage you to play the optimist here. If you get the right group of friends (preferably somewhat tone deficient), knock on the doors you know will be answered, and keep the event nice and short, a good time is guaranteed. If nothing else, this will initiate an incomparable Christmas mood granted only to those who are willing to make some sacrifices.
3. Take a stroll around your neighborhood to look at the lights. Christmas lights serve as a constant reminder to the time of year. So take a break from the desk life and enjoy the toil of your fellow neighbors.
4. Cuddle up with hot chocolate and watch a Christmas movie. Whether it be Elf, Polar Express, or The Grinch, there are too many classic holiday films to count. Take advantage of the month of December when the themes of these fabulous films are most prevalent.
5. Take part in every family tradition. We tend to brush off family traditions as unimportant. The same ornaments are put on the tree every year, the art of cookie decorating has been perfected, and it’s no secret what Christmas album will be playing throughout the house. Even though these traditions have all become monotonous, what would the holidays be without them? Christmastime would be indistinct and melded into the normality of the other eleven months. Seniors especially, this could be the last time we participate in some of these traditions. Cherish them and don’t miss out on a single one.
6. Listen to Christmas music all day, every day. This one requires little to no effort. Put on those favorite Christmas tunes all day long. The goal is to have your mind become consumed with the joy of Christmas which requires constant brain stimulation to support the holiday season.
7. Celebrate Hanukkah. Celebrating a holiday other than Christmas seems a bit counter-intuitive when the ultimate goal here is Christmas spirit. However, try it out. Making a guest appearance to light the Menorah not only allows someone else to share their Hanukkah spirit with you, but it simultaneously elevates your own holiday mood.
8. Put some decorations up in your room. Decorations most likely never cross the threshold of your personal space. Break the norm this year, and put a little tree in your room or hang some tinsel from your shelves. This will be a constant reminder of the time of year.
9. Don’t pass up any holiday-time food. Living in Southern California, we don’t have the luxury of cold weather which allows the covering up of holiday bulge. It’s tempting to pass up that peppermint bark to watch the waistline. I’m here to say don’t say no to that glass of egg nog. It’s once a year, so just live it up.
10. Sit around the Roessler non-demonational-holiday-tree. We all have the privilege of one extra holiday tree in our lives. This one just happens to be giant and smells exactly what Christmas should smell like. Take that extra minute to admire its beauty. Appreciating this tree will ensure the Christmas spirit will reach you even during the school day.
Once Thanksgiving break came along, we needed a good old fashioned hearty American meal to kick off a week of shenanigans.
With the advice of Russell Paulson, an expert in all things American, we ended up at Smokin’ Joe’s Barbeque next to California Pizza Kitchen on Crenshaw, joined by old friends Adesh Jain, Jordan Agnew, Charlie Madden, and of course, the typical guido, Luigi Cervantes.
Although a BBQ place is not usual guido territory, Larry’s mouth was watering in anticipation of tasting the variety of warm sauces that Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ had to offer.
It was a brisk Tuesday morning. As we walked into the restaurant, delectable aromas warmed our noses and hearts. The interior had been newly completed with a large space for many wooden tables, yet the contemporary style was accommodated perfectly with the comfortable luxuries of multiple flat screen televisions and rolls of paper towels on each table, thus combining business and pleasure like a party in an office.
We strolled through what seemed to be a never-ending array of wooden tables to the lovely cashier, and we looked up to a hauntingly inviting menu looming over us in temptation. Although normally guidos need to watch their figures in order to successfully creep on chicks, we felt a bit saucy and decided to indulge ourselves. Our eyes floated across the menu’s various options, and they landed upon the family meal for six, which hosted a plate of essentially everything on the menu. Unfortunately, we needed to pay up front, but since Ari was feeling rather chipper this fine morning, he decided to pay for the meal, to which Larry responded, “’Tis the season!”
The array of concoctions that came to our table was as amazingly extensive. Originally we only had a booth set up for the six of us, but fortunately Luigi pulled up another table for latecomers Jordan and Adesh. Having been to Joey’s before, he said to us, “You guys don’t even know. We’re gonna need reinforcements.”
The table could barely fit all the food that came out of the kitchen. From the first plate of ribs that came out, we knew we were in for a treat. After that came a plate of pulled pork doused in barbeque sauce, a whole chicken, one pound of brisket, BBQ beans, macs and cheese, and a slice of cornbread for each of us. Even with the enormous amount of food we ordered, the impeccable service got it all out less than ten minutes after our order.
The unanimous winners were the ribs and the chicken. Although the ribs may not have been as meaty as Jordan has previously eaten, he still appreciated the fact that they fell right off the bone and that they had a nice smoke ring to show for their time spent in the smoker.
In Luigi’s past experiences, he had found smoked chicken to be dry, but Joey’s kept it moist and tender. Larry was a sucker for the pulled pork, since he rarely gets to indulge in porcine products, especially during Hanukah. In fact, he claimed it was the best pulled pork he has ever had.
The ultimate loser in the meat department, however, was the brisket. Unfortunately Joe’s haughty advertisement of a super lean brisket on the menu led to a lack of fat, which in the end resulted in a lack of flavor and moisture. All the sides were appetizing, with the sweet cornbread standing above the rest, but the beans were too watery for our taste as well as the mac and cheese not being cheesy enough.
At the end of the meal, Jordan, who had been in Texas a week earlier, said, “This is better than any of the stuff I had out there.” Joe’s BBQ is even rated by Zagat. So if you don’t believe the guidos, trust Jordan and Tim Zagat, because Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ is a definite must go.
(Stella, Shaun, and Andrew)
MS: So you three are all in Kindergarten?
All: Yeah.M
MS: How is that going?
All: It’s good.
MS: What’s been your favorite part of kindergarten so far?
Stella: My favorite food is bananas and my favorite part is recess.
MS: What do you do at recess?
Stella: Play.MS: What kind of things do you play?
Stella: Tag, chase boys…Shaun: She pokes a lot of boys.
Stella: No! Just two.
Shaun: Jake and Ryan.
Stella: Yeah that’s all.
MS: Well, you seem quite busy then.
Andrew: I like ice cream for dessert!
MS: Okay, so right now we’re in the month of December. What kinds of things are in December that you know about?
Shaun: Hanukkah!
Stella: Christmas, Santa, Christmas trees.
Shaun: I know some things that we did about Hanukkah.
MS: Do tell.
Shaun: We ate latkes, and we got a dreidel.
Andrew: And chocolate coins! There were big chocolate coins.
MS: What holidays in December do you guys celebrate?
Stella: I celebrate Christmas.
Shaun: And I celebrate Christmas.
Andrew: Christmas.
MS: Do you know of any other holidays in December other than the ones we talked about?
Stella: I know one! Ramadan. But that wasn’t in December.
Andrew: I know Diwali.
MS: Nice! Any others?
Shaun: There’s that Kwanza one, too.
MS: You three are so informative.
Andrew: Oh wait! There’s something in February… Valentine’s Day.
Stella: I know something else about February. We leap seconds and leap hours. But I like Christmas because we get presents and we get to decorate a tree, which is really fun.
MS: Do you have anything in particular that you want for Christmas?
Stella: I want a big, big bike with two wheels because the one I have now has three wheels and I’m ready for two. And I want to get my ears pierced, but my mommy says I have to wait until I’m nine.
Shaun: I want an arcade speedball, Uno, a real magic wand!
Stella: I want a real magic wand, too!
MS: What would you do with a real magic wand?
Shaun: I don’t know…
Stella: I would want to turn people into frogs!
MS: If you could create your ideal holiday…
Stella: What’s an ideal?
MS: Okay if you could create your own, best holiday, what would your holiday be like?
Shaun: I know! Eat apples.
MS: What would your holiday be called?
Shaun: Apple Day?
MS: That sounds like a fun day.
Stella: I’d play with my mom and dad.
MS: What would you call it?
Stella: Play Day!
MS: Anything else you’d like to say to the high school?
Stella: I like you because you come over and play with us.
Shaun: I’d say good job.
MS: For what?
Shaun: For the oldest kids for winning that tug of war thing.
Andrew: Yeah, the seniors got points and the juniors didn’t.
Shaun: They’re the champions!
by Molly Zuckerman
Students don’t normally like getting F’s, but they certainly enjoy these three F’s: Formspring, Facebook, First Class. All of the new ways to interact, both anonymously and regularly, on the internet, bring up the question of where Chadwick stands on potential issues and interactions between students.
Formspring is a new phenomenon that has hit the internet over the last few years, rising quickly in popularity with the younger generation. It is unique in that anyone can ask any of their friends questions on their profiles, but they are all anonymous.
The website has the ability to bring out the worst in people, for they are now able to ask whatever secretive and offensive question that they have always wanted to ask but never dared. Even though the website is based on the basic human desire for drama, many Chadwick kids use the website religiously.
Sophomore Isabella Gradney said, “Being rude or cruel to someone over Formspring really just shows how weak a person is, that they aren’t strong enough it to your face. and have to hide behind the title of ‘anonymous’. It’s unnecessary and really naïve.”
Head of Middle School Charlton Jackson also has some opinions on the nature of Formspring and how it affects the Chadwick community.
He said, “an issue [that] we did deal with was apparently there was a student who was I guess received a lot of mean spirited comments on Formspring.”
According to Jackson, Chadwick’s policy on internet interactions is “if you are a member of the Chadwick community, then we expect you to abide by the core values in your interactions with other members of the Chadwick community, whether you’re at Chadwick school or are not at school […] the policy for Facebook or any other web service would be the same as face to face interactions, so if the was a student threatening another student outside of school, we would deal with it the same way as doing that on Facebook, or on any other online service.”
To put it as simply as possible, Jackson said, “in any type of interaction between student to student […] we would deal with it.”
However, some students have a different opinions.
Sophomore Jack Kirkpatrick says, “I don’t think it’s a school’s job to control online happenings that do not take place at school.”
Junior Jasper Burns agrees with Kirkpatrick’s views on school control; he said: “it seems that generally online social networking cannot be monitored, and also that the problem is not large enough to warrant a school intervention.”
Also in agreement about the potential overreaching of power is junior Raxon Cho, who said, “I think that the school shouldn’t control what happens outside of school. The school can like advise people to like not be involved in cyber bullying and stuff, but I don’t think they should try to monitor stuff that happens outside of school.”
FirstClass is another online source that the school is directly connected to.
Jackson says, “It’s not like your private account and that goes for teachers as well, so anything that is done through the first class system is considered school property.”
However, this in no way means that teachers spend hours reading your emails for fun.
“If an email were sent that was inappropriate or mean spirited or just not aligned with the school’s core values, and then typically, the way we find out about it is someone will bring it to our attention,” said Jackson, “we don’t go through and check all the emails because that would be way too many.”
Facebook is another online site that students should remember the core values on.
Jackson said, “If you were saying things that just weren’t true about the school, it is something that, that’s been dealt with in the upper school.”
An example of a case that involves that school dealing indirectly with comments on Facebook happened last year. Freshman Christie Lane had made a Facebook group called, “You know you go to Chadwick when,” as a forum for people to post funny stereotypes of jokes about going to Chadwick School.
However, she deleted the group after an announcement was made at assembly about having talks with people who let things that were bad for Chadwick remain on Facebook. She doesn’t remember everything that was written in her group, but in reference to a negative image of Chadwick, Lane says, “Someone wrote something racist on it but I can’t remember.”
This incident shows the line that Chadwick takes when protecting its image, and also upholding the core values for its students.
Jackson said, “It’s [online comments are] more a bigger picture of being a member of the Chadwick community, that’s what it’s basically about, so by being a member of the Chadwick community you are expected to abide by the core values.”
Mainsheet: First, tell me about yourself.
Ryan Halvorsen: Well, that’s kind of a broad question, but I guess this is senior year, so it’s just kind of a stressful year with all the college applications and classes. You know, all my friends are hearing back from colleges, and I have been hearing back from colleges myself, so it’s been like a crazy time but also a really cool time because we are all kind of leaving Chadwick and going off on our own adventures.
Mainsheet: How long have you been going to Chadwick?
RH: I have been going to Chadwick since I was a freshman, so I have been here for only four years.
Mainsheet: That’s not too bad. What colleges are you looking at or which colleges would you like to go to?
RH: I am looking at a lot of colleges. I don’t have like one decided in particular, but you know like I applied to schools back east and a few in California as well, so I am trying to get a wide variety, so then if I get accepted to the universities I applied to then I would have a wide range of choices and opportunities.
Mainsheet: What do you want to major in?
RH: I want to major in political science or international relations.
Mainsheet: So far, what do you like most about senior year?
RH: What do I like most?
Mainsheet: Yeah.
RH: I think the thing I like most about senior year is that this year has opportunities for incredible closure. Everybody is trying to finish up everything they wanted to do, so this year I played water polo for my fourth year. It was really fun. We had our banquet over the weekend, so it was just like a celebratory thing. Even though I was finishing, it was really cool because I got through all four years of playing water polo. I am also doing a musical, and I did one last year. It’s kind of fun trying out all those different things that I didn’t get to do freshmen, sophomore year, finishing off my time here at Chadwick on a good note.
Mainsheet: That’s great, and what are you looking forward to as a second semester senior?
RH: I think I am looking forward to for one thing, no college applications, so that will be all done with, and we will just be waiting for responses. I think just being able to spend more time with my friends, because everyone has been so focused with their academics and colleges, so everybody has been kind of isolating themselves. I am hoping that in second semester, we will be able to hang out more often.
Mainsheet: Are your friends being secretive about their college decisions?
RH: I think it’s just how Chadwick is. A lot of people like to keep their colleges personal. It’s kind of their personal thing, so I won’t ask them if they got in or not. I would just wait until they tell me if they want to tell me.
Mainsheet: What have you been doing lately other than college applications?
RH: We are starting our rehearsals for Chicago, so I am pretty excited. I also admiralled for the orchestra concert last week. I was able to park and stuff, and that was pretty fun.
Mainsheet: Do you have any winter break plans?
RH: Pretty much just staying home. Kind of hanging out with the family. It’s been like a tradition at my grandma’s house every year. All of my mom’s side of the family comes together, and we have a holiday/Christmas festivity.
Mainsheet: What’s one thing that no one knows about you?
RH: I guess an interesting fact about me is that one of my aspirations to do in the future is like learn how to fly a plane. I have always been really intrigued about flying, so this is like a weird goal: I have to get a pilot license.
By Ally van Deuren
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…Stanton Calendar is back for its third annual competition among Chadwick students!
Stanton Calendar is a 25-day holiday adventure open up to any students up for the challenge. Students are asked to post pictures on the Stanton Calendar website, created by Omar Qazi, that relate to the theme of the day.
Stanton Calendar was officially made a Chadwick tradition by senior Nicole Stanton during the December of her freshman year.
She originally aimed to spread holiday spirit amongst twelve of her best friends by creating a paper calendar with a special holiday event for each day of December leading up to Christmas.
Once Qazi got wind of this calendar, he moved quickly and decided to make a website and go commercial.
Stanton comes up with the themes for each day, which get posted on the website at midnight.
Students can then begin brainstorming and posting pictures individually or in a group that relate to the theme of the day. Examples of themes include “Make a Snowman,” “Take a Bubble Bath,” and “Perform a Random Act of Charity.” Qazi maintains the website and all of its pictures.
There are many changes to look forward to during this holiday season’s Stanton Calendar competition.
This year, Stanton explains that she is helping Qazi out with the commercial aspects of the competition more so than in previous years.
Since Qazi usually makes a good deal of money from advertising, all proceeds will be going to charity this year. Stanton and Qazi are also taking requests for events that inspire creativity.
“There’s been a lot of controversy in the past about who’s won,” said Stanton, “so this year we are making stricter rules.”
She explained that in order to win, one must not only participate in all events, but he or she must also produce creative pictures that coincide with the theme of each day. “Last year, it was based on completing the tasks,” said sophomore Moises Valencia, who is participating in this year’s competition with sophomore Peter Biedenweg, “[but] it’s a lot more competitive this year.”
Stanton also explained that there is an emphasis on being appropriate during this competition, as this has been an issue of concern in the past two years.
Another new thing to look forward to on the website is an instructional video to inform all participants of Stanton Calendar of logistical issues.
Most students agree that Stanton Calendar is the hub of cultural life on campus during the holiday season.
Junior Ben Gorman loves to see “the way [the students] interpret the different tasks. It puts the school in the Christmas spirit.”
Stanton agrees wholeheartedly with Gorman.
“I think it’s a fun thing people look forward to,” Stanton said. “It’s a stressful time of year for many of us, and [Stanton Calendar provides] one silly thing a day that will help that.”
Both Stanton and Qazi will collaborate during Winter Break to decide the winner of the competition.
To view students’ pictures or submit your own pictures, visit http://www.stantoncalendar.com.
by Laura Gonzalez
It’s been over three months away from home, and definitely they have been the best three months of my life. Being able to live in the US for a year, going to a school like Chadwick and meeting such amazing people like Chadwick students is my own American Dream, as I would say in Dr. Andrews’ class. However, although I love the U.S., it’s also true that sometimes, it can be very different than Spain.
There’s a video online about culture shock, where a guy gives important advice to exchange students, the golden rules to survive in the U.S.
First, if you meet someone for the first time, don’t kiss him/her on both checks like you do in Spain, just, shake hands; otherwise, he might think that you are flirting.
Second, there’s something called security distance. Let me explain. If you don’t know someone pretty well, at least maintain 1 meter distance from him or her. Even if you know that person, there must be 50 cm between the two of you. I did try to cancel this security distance once, and I ended up sitting in the sofa alone.
Thirdly, saying thank you for everything is considered polite all over the world. Nevertheless, in the U.S. it’s really important not to forget about those two words if you want to seem grateful. Believe me, the rate of thank you/per day is twice in America what it is in Spain.
One more thing, if you live in California there’s at least one rule: love In & Out.
During my time here, I’ve learned by experience how useful those tips are and how different two countries can be. If I had to summarize how my experience has been so far, I would need just one word: AMAZING. Starting with Chadwick, Homecoming Week was memorable. It was a totally new world for me; since at my old school, we never did any activities together as a grade. Decorating the whole campus, sleeping over at the Hills’ house, being woken up by Arjun Bedi, working on the dance for the homecoming game and going to the homecoming dance later on that day are moments that I wouldn’t change for anything. Before I came here, one of my friends told me, “So, Laura, you know what you have to do, right? You have to become a cheerleader and stand by the locker waiting for the quarterback to ask you to the prom.” I didn’t become a cheerleader, and Chadwick is amazing not only because of prom, formal or homecoming; it’s the people and both academic and athletic programs which make it special.
Thanks to Chadwick, I’ve become part of the water polo team, I’ve been drinking water for the first three weeks of practice and above all I’ve been having fun with water polo fans. Surprisingly, I’ve talked to my teachers about more than science or English, more than history or photography, I’ve talked to them about PERSONAL STUFF, WHO COULD IMAGINE THAT TEACHERS ARE NORMAL PEOPLE? Lost and Found became my life and were memorable because of Maddy’s cry, Talia’s dance, Fiona’s dance and the other scenes of the show. This season, Chicago is the center of the theater production, and my prediction is that it’s going to be AMAZING.
Apart from the school, I’m totally in love with California. Partly because of the weather: at this point in Spain, I would be wearing enough clothes to have just a little frame for my eyes in order to be able to see. Because of the sunset: I don’t know if you still appreciate it, but the Californian view from Rolling Hills makes my day every afternoon. And of course, because of surfing: I’m still not really able to ride a wave but at the end of the school year, I’ll be a pro or at least I’ll try.
Finally, all the moments that I’ve lived, wouldn’t have been the same without the amazing people that I’ve got the chance to meet. Thanks for letting me get into your world. I hope I’m leaving behind as many good memories as the ones you’re giving to me.
by Margot Zuckerman and Vanessa Contratto
If you are a part Chadwick’s daily life, familiarity with the complicated schedule is essential for maintaining one’s sanity.
Chadwick’s current Middle and Upper School schedule is a combination of block and non-block periods. The plan behind the block part of this schedule has two main purposes: one, giving students a break when it comes to homework each night, and two, allotting a longer class time so projects can be worked on for longer, and more in-depth lessons can be taught.
In 2002, the current schedule was implemented. It was a work of all of the teachers’ ideas put together by math teacher Michael Cass.
Because of Chadwick’s schedule, students complain about the amount of homework due for Tuesday, but enjoy the extra time afforded to them during free periods.
Freshman Rebekah Roberts, believes the block schedule is nice when it comes to homework, but she found the new schedule hard to adjust to in the beginning of the year.
“At first in was kind of confusing, […] but I got used to it,” she said.
Middle School math teacher Yasuko Morihara believes a block schedule is not as beneficial for math as it is for other subjects.
Morihara said, “A little [math] everyday is better than large chunks.”
Aside from the rotation of classes on each day, the amount of time allotted for each class period at Chadwick seems very foreign to some of our friends who attend neighboring schools, as well.
A non-block day, such as Mondays, Tuesdays, or Fridays, consists of six academic classes each holding time slot of forty-five minutes. On the block days, Wednesdays and Thursdays, students attend only three academic classes for 80-minute periods.
The 215 minutes spent in class per week at Chadwick is far less than the total amount of time for each class at nearby schools. At Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, students spend 280 minutes in each class per week, and the students have each class every day. And, at Palos Verdes High School, students have a three block classes each day and spend a total of 285 minutes in class per week. In comparison with these two schools, Chadwick has very short individual class times.
Despite the shorter class periods, Chadwick students still get out of school later than both PVHS and MCHS students: PVHS’s average school day finishes at 2:50, and MCHS’s average school day finishes at 2:55. Chadwick’s school day ends at 3:40.
However, these other high schools have their sports practices after school, while Chadwick’s sports start anywhere from 3:00 to 3:30, cutting into the school day. And, at Chadwick, a higher percentage of the student population is involved in sports compared to its neighboring schools.
Besides the issues of sports, Chadwick’s school day is significantly longer than other high schools, even with its much shorter class periods. The long school day doesn’t affect some of the student body, like seniors, who are permitted to leave school as soon as their classes are finished.
Senior Kari Ayoob said, “In terms of the whole day, […] I’m never here past like two o‘clock anyways.”
Aside from these exceptions, the question still arises of why Chadwick has a longer school day but shorter class times than neighboring schools. The key in this answer is what classes Chadwick offers after lunch.
In both the Middle and Upper School, all academic classes have to be short enough to be finished before lunch, leaving much time for clubs, activities, sports and free periods in the afternoon.
Morihara believes that these activities are beneficial to the students’ pleasure and are something unique to Chadwick.
However, Morihara said, “There is a lot of time that I think could be compressed” because of the activities, but she admits that her daughter valued these greatly once she graduated from Chadwick. Nonetheless, Morihara believes that longer class times would help her students learn more. Chadwick has a much shorter school year than most local and international schools, which is why Morihara feels that longer class times and school days are necessary.
Similarly, Cass believes the 80-minute class periods are necessary for projects, group work, and anything else that might not be manageable in 45 minutes.
On block days, he says, “I feel a lot freer to plan more creatively and let my students work more together and use the time to collaborate on problems that are more time-consuming.”
Cass also believes the additional time for arts is unique to Chadwick’s schedule.
“Not only does it dedicate time to the arts, which is a wonderful outlet for many students, but it also gives free time to the students not involved in the arts,” he said. “Those students can use the time to rest, socialize, or even see teachers for extra help that might not otherwise happen.”
Dean of Students Lauren Stern believes that Chadwick’s schedule is valuable, and if anything, there should be more time allotted where students can participate in student leadership groups.
Stern believes that groups like Student Council, the Community Service Advisory Board, and other clubs should have a longer amount of time during school to meet so students who are unable to come to early-morning meetings or who are involved in other activities during seventh and eight periods will still be able to participate.
In a recent survey, many students commented that they want a full block schedule every day. They said that having a full block schedule lets you go into more depth in class, get more accomplished and gives you less homework to complete every night.
Students also commented that 7:55 is too early to start, especially for students who have farther to travel to get to school.
Because of the length of the school day and the sports they participate in practice late into the afternoon, students are unable to participate in out-of-school activities.
When sports have away games, athletes must participate late into the evening. When they get home, they have 5 or 6 subjects of homework to complete almost every night, causing them to go to bed very late and having to wake up early to get to school on time.
Having an all block schedule could let students leave school earlier and have more time for homework, which would be a valuable change. This is what about one fifth of the students who took the survey thought is the best idea.
Overall, though Chadwick’s class schedule can be confusing and is controversial, most people agree that it is on the path to becoming a good fit for all. Morihara may be speaking for more than herself when she said, “I sure like teaching here!”
STUDENT OPINIONS AND RESPONSES
-It’s good. Not so long that you (Usually) dread going to class or count down the minutes to the bell, but not so short that you cannot learn anything. 45 minutes is a good length.
-Non-block days make the classes go by gruelingly slowly, even to a miserable pace sometimes. Those days feel three times longer than block days, and they’re probably less efficient too. We don’t get as much done.
-Sometimes I wish we could have all block days so we could focus on one thing for a longer period of time without wasting minutes changing classes.
So when exactly did our school newspaper, the Mainsheet, start? Back in 1937, when the school was still a small boarding school, the minute student body united to create the Foghorn, Chadwick’s first news publication. For this year’s 75th anniversary, we would like to commemorate major events in Chadwick’s history as seen through our the eyes of our “ancestors”: the student journalists of the Mainsheet.
In the summer of 1954, a group of Chadwick students and alumni went on an expedition to find a sea snake. They were successful and brought the snake back to share with schools and colleges in the area. It ws the first live sea snake brought into captivity alive.
Blast from the Past is made possible by the contributions of Chadwick Archivist Fran Pullara.
by Woody Hansen
The first live sea serpent in captivity was delivered to the Marineland curator last month by Mr. and Mrs. Hamner. Not the legenday giant, crested reptile of the old salts’ yarns but a 2-foot-long sea snake, the sea serpent was flown from Guayamas, Mexico, to Tijuana, where the Hamners took delivery. This rare and deadly reptile was captured off Baja California by a marine zoological expedition headed by Dan Mulford ’53, the Hamners’ son-in-law, who is a zoology graduate student at Colorado College.
With Dan are his wife Judy Hamner ’56, Billy Hammer ’57, the Hamners’ son, a junior at Yale; Matt Overton, former Chadwick student; and Chadwick sophomores John Muchmore and Bobby Earle.
The expedition, which took off from the Hamners’ campus residence early last month in two jeeps, is based at young Overton’s La Paz cottage. The party cruises from there. It is collecting specimens for Colorado College, Yale University, UCLA, and Marineland. All but the two Chadwick undergraduates are graduate or undergraduate zoology majors at their colleges.
If you should see in the sand of a Mexican or Central American beach a wriggly track suggesting an animated wire had passed that way, the trail may have been made by a sea snake. For, Mrs. Hamner states, the sea snake has a keel-shape belly. Stretched out, the snake topples on its side, so it prefers the sea, to which its family (Hydeophidie) has become adapted.
And what elaborate equipment was used to capture this rare, death-dealing serpent in the open sea? “An oar,” says Mr. Hamner. “They slugged it over the head with an oar while the crittur (sic) was basking (sun snoozing to you) on the surface,” he added.
“But what do you suppose they want to pay us for this unduplicated speciment, after all the expense and trouble of getting it here,” he demanded truculently—
“Only $10— ten measly dollars.”
by Drew Von Burgen
December 17th
TRON: Legacy (PG)
Twenty-eight years after the original cult classic, Disney is betting big on this high-tech 3D sequel. The sci-fi action film stars Garrett Hedlund as a young man whose search for his father, played by Jeff Bridges, gets him caught in a digital world. Olivia Wilde and Michael Sheen also star. Although the film is directed by newcomer Joseph Kosinski, it is already receiving praise for its stunning visuals and its score by French electric duo Daft Punk.
How Do You Know (PG-13)
Reese Witherspoon stars as a former athlete who gets caught up in a love triangle with two men, played by Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. Jack Nicholson has a supporting role. Written and directed by Oscar winner (and frequent Simpsons writer) James L. Brooks, this romantic comedy looks to be a contender for the Golden Globe’s Best Picture Comedy or Musical category.
December 22nd
True Grit (PG-13)
In this Western, Jeff Bridges stars as a Marshal who helps a young girl find her father’s killer, played by Josh Brolin. Matt Damon is also featured in the film by Oscar favorites Joel and Ethan Coen.
December 31st
Blue Valentine (NC-17)
Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling star as a couple who fall in and out of love. The two are said to give Oscar-caliber performances, but the film caused controversy recently after receiving the rare NC-17 rating for “a scene of explicit sexual content.” The company behind the film is appealing the rating, which would allow the film to play in significantly more theaters than its current rating would allow.
January 7th
Season of the Witch (PG-13)
Nicolas Cage stars in this action film about a 14th century soldier who is put in charge of transporting a young girl accused of being a witch. Director Dominic Sena does not have the best track record, and the film has been delayed several times to avoid competition, which is usually not a good sign for the quality of a film.
January 14th
The Green Hornet (Not Yet Rated)
Seth Rogan stars as the heir to a vast media empire who decides to begin fighting crime. With the help of his assistant, played by Jay Chou, the two masquerade as villains in order to hunt down real ones. Cameron Diaz also stars in this action film, which is being converted to 3D after being shot in 2D, a technique which rarely (if ever) produces quality results.
The Dilemma (PG-13)
Vince Vaughn plays a man who must make a tough choice after he discovers that his best friend’s wife, played by Winona Ryder, is having an affair with another man, played by Channing Tatum. The film’s trailer came under fire recently, due to a gay slur. The scene was removed from the trailer, but is still in the film, according to director Ron Howard.
by Jimmy Corteau
What is more important to colleges: knowing that E=mc2 or scoring lots of touchdowns?
Everyone knows that academic prowess can help get you into a college with competitive admissions. But relying on only sports for your success is very risky; it has to be a combination of the two. How many times have we heard about college athletes no longer eligible to continue playing their respective sports because they failed to meet the minimum academic requirements of their school?
There is no doubt that a strong combination of academics and sports is a ticket to admission to competitive colleges. Chadwick seeks to keep things in perspective. Just ask Coach Rollie Johnson, Charlton Jackson, and Marian Hersh about the balance of sports and academics.
According to Director of College Counseling Marian Hersh, “The most important factor is your academic record.”
However, Hersh goes on to explain that there are several other factors that play into college admission, including the courses students take in high school, extracurricular activities, which include sports, and of course SAT or ACT scores. She also says that some athletes are brought to college campuses for the purpose of enhancing a school’s diversity, spirit, recognition, and competiveness.
Thus college admissions comes down to chemistry. The solution includes the right amount of academics and sports. The resulting products create you.
For college sports, athletes have to be careful not to underestimate academics, because sports can lead to a detrimental injury. An injury can end any sports career, and without the academic strength to balance the sports talent, athletes may find themselves unable to sustain their college careers. No one has ever broken a leg or arm reading a history book or sprained a wrist pulling a book off a library shelf. Students have to be able to see the need to focus on both academics and sports.
Charlton Jackson, Director of the Middle School, says colleges look for well-rounded individuals that can succeed academically as well as athletically. But academics don’t have to be your only focus.
“If you have a particular talent or skill, it is beneficial to display that talent as well as maintain strong grades,” said Jackson.
Not everyone is capable of achieving the combination or the balance. But it is important to realize that it is a major part of the real world and college admission. Colleges receive vast income and increased alumni donations due to successful sports teams, and those dollars translate into buildings, labs, and academic programs. Colleges thus have a strong incentive to recruit athletically strong students to their school. The college campus is a combination of academics and sports. The library dwellers are sitting in the stands cheering on the football team, and athletes are sitting in the library, studying for their next exam.
Jackson is a perfect example of the combination between sports and academics. Jackson graduated from Chadwick and was recruited to play football at Dartmouth.
Today, Jackson teaches Math and coaches the Varsity basketball team at Chadwick. In other words, Jackson balanced his sports prowess with his academic accomplishments.
In addition, Marian Hersh and Rollie Johnson played sports during their college years and now advocate academics and sports at Chadwick.
One way to improve chances of getting into college is to plan which part to emphasize to maximize your academic and athletic strength to enhance your image for college.
The bottom line is that maintaining strong academic grades and playing sports, gives a strong advantage over others.
“They [Harvard, Princeton, Yale etc.] like Chadwick students…we are ‘A’ students and we can play sports,” said Head of Athletics Rollie Johnson. This is not to say that students have to play sports to get into a good college, but they give you an advantage over students who don’t.
So, the short answer to the question, “what is more important to colleges: E=mc2 or a touchdown?” is that there is no real preference. It is the combination and balance of both that will help students gain the attention of those colleges and universities that you would like to attend.
Already, all Chadwick students have an advantage over others. Chadwick students are enrolled in an academically challenging environment where they are encouraged to develop into the best person they can be. They have access to the academics and sports possibilities necessary and any support they might need.
So, go long and get ready to catch your algebra book.
This past summer, millions of Americans showed a first time interest in the world’s most popular sport: soccer. We in the states have our own brand of football, an indication of soccer’s low popularity in the United States.
Until this past summer, our national interest in soccer ended after AYSO Soccer. Many saw the sport as the game of “Old Europe.” The MLS, Major League Soccer, and the NFL, National Football League, don’t even belong in the same room together.
However, this sentiment took a 180 degree turn. Americans sat on the edge of their seats as the US made an incredible run in the sport’s pinnacle event, the World Cup. At an impressive moment, the US tied their faceoff against England, possibly the world’s most soccer-ized nation. We cried along with American team members as we suffered a tragic loss to the Nigerian national team.
South Africa hosted this past World Cup and did so in noteworthy fashion. The world watched as the once apartheid ridden nation came together with a newfound sense of unity and pride.
FIFA, the Federation of International Football Association, meets every eight years and decides the next two locations of the World Cup. Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup, which makes sense: Brazil holds the record for most World Cups, and the event has never made it to the South American continent. FIFA delegates met in Zurich, Switzerland to decide the location of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. The US, due to its newfound excitement over the game, hoped to host the 2022 event.
Ultimately, Russia was chosen to host the 2018 games. The country may not be good at soccer, but at least it has a solid infrastructure and can be found on a map by kindergarteners. It’s too bad Russians would rather spend a Saturday afternoon with a bottle of vodka watching figure skating. One Russian hopeful was quoted saying “Maybe we’ll get better roads. I’d like that.”
You might be wondering why the world’s largest country is bad at soccer. Russia has a disconnect between those with knowledge and those with power. Russia’s command inefficiently allocates the resource of soccer ability.
However, Russia wasn’t the main shocker out of the Swiss FIFA meeting. Instead of choosing the US to host 2022 FIFA, the host will be…Qatar! We know what you’re thinking: that’s a country?
Qatar is roughly the size of Connecticut: the state that needs a line drawn to it on a U.S. map because the letters don’t fit inside. However, Connecticut has more residents than Qatar, with a population size around 1.5 million. FIFA chose Qatar with hopes of spreading the popularity of the game to less soccer-oriented nations. An admirable goal, except for the fact that Qatar is ranked 113th world.
The real reason for the choice is, of course, money. Oil-enriched Qatar has promised to build ten brand new air conditioned, solar powered and open air stadiums. Qatar will donate all of the stadiums, except one, to soccer loving, less fortunate nations.
As generous as this may be, is this really a message worth sending to the world—that a game based on equality of nations can be bought? Does skill at the sport not serve as a prerequisite to host the event? Could Chadwick host the Superbowl? We think not.
Gentlemen’s Soccer
by Montana Morgan
Boys soccer is looking to start the year with big wins against some tough schools. The team faces challenging opponents including Flintridge and Pasadena Poly from the Prep League, as well as Peninsula.
To beat these consistently strong teams, the players are focusing more on their integrity as a team. “Each of our members is really talented and good at the position he plays. But what I think we could do better is play as a team. We need to do more passing and communicating,” says senior Saagar Shah.
The team will have to use these new tactics to compensate for the loss of their talented seniors from last year. The team also lost their backup goalie Kyle Ulman.
“We feel like those holes can be easily filled,” said senior Jacob Li. “There will be a lot of new freshman and people moving up from JV this year.”
“The team definitely looks a lot better this year. Last year was more of a transition period. Now with everyone so much older and with a lot more experience, we expect great things,” said Li.
Li states a modest motto on the team’s success thus far. “We don’t make resolutions, just reservations,” said Li.
The team’s hopes for the season are summed up by junior Jim Simmons, “Why would I walk on the field if I expect to lose?”
Ladies’ Soccer
by Katherine Richardson
The girls soccer team kicked off their season on unsteady legs, but their progress has been slowly gaining momentum. The group this year consists of 21 girls, all part of one big varsity team.
The girls’ coach, Luis Morales, said, “We still have six starters out because of injuries or club soccer activities. But it has still been great to see these girls work together and overcome obstacles.”
The team first played Banning and won 1-0, with junior Jessica Hale scoring the only goal of the game. Next, the team played El Segundo High School, where sophomore Miranda Conlon scored a well-needed point, tying the match 1-1.
In the past two years, the soccer team has made it to CIF quarterfinals, and the girls hope to do it again this year.
“They have played hard every game so far. There are a couple of girls that have not played soccer before, but they are doing their best to adapt to the game at this level,” said Morales.
Merging JV and varsity teams has allowed younger players to interact with the soccer veterans and learn the game quickly.
“I, personally, feel like I really improve a lot by playing with such amazing soccer players,” said Conlon.
The Chadwick girls look forward to an amazing season, planning on delivering for Chadwick. “With our fun traditions and team spirit, we’re playing our best in every game,” said senior Lisha Kim.
by Justin Hoot
The girls water polo team started their season strong and with optimistic goals, with their first game marking the start of a four-game win streak.
Early on in the season, the team had doubts about their future success since they could not find a goalie. However, freshman Sara Baronsky stepped up to become the Dolphin’s goalie this year.
“The season is going much better than expected. We’re lucky that Sara Baronsky stepped up to the plate for the team,” said junior Molly Zuckerman.
Both Redondo Union and Peninsula High Schools are in Division 1 for water polo. On Nov. 30th, the Dolphins closely defeated the Peninsula Panthers 12-10. The Dolphins then proceeded to beat-down-city in Redondo Beach on the Dec. 1, gaining an 11-4 victory against the Sea Hawks.
The team won yet another game at Torrance on Dec. 8, winning 10-5. The match seemed nearly finished with a 4-0 lead established early. The competition escalated, leading to a final score of 10-5.
“We are doing well and going to do well,” said coach Will Didinger. “We went undefeated in league last year, and we only lost two starters. We are looking strong early in the year, and we have just got to be getting better and better.”
On Dec. 3 and 4, the Dolphins competed in a tournament in Newbury Park. The team crushed Calabasas in the first two games with scores of 10-3 and 14-1.
The Dolphins then lost the last three games, losing the fourth game 6-7 in overtime and the final game 5-8.
Despite these losses, the team expresses optimism towards the season’s future, having strong faith in their players’ capabilities. Seniors Dana Ayoob, Kari Ayoob and Sarah Lindstedt are the veterans.
“This year, we have three seniors that are pretty key to the program. We are only getting better and better because we have a good team that truly understands the game and what’s necessary for this competition,” said Didinger.
Furthermore, each individual player is consistently improving their game, working hard in practice to ensure victory.
“At first, I was awful, but I think I’m getting better,” said Baronsky. “I’m trying my best to help the team win games, and with the help of everyone, I know we can have a great season.”
“I think we should definitely close the season strong, because we have beat some of these teams since I came to Chadwick,” said Katie Fester.
Other Chadwick students also have faith in the girls water polo team, impressed with the team’s progress thus far in the season.
“I think the team has a lot of potential this year, and they will definitely win this year as well as in future years,” said sophomore Jack Kirkpatrick.
by Austin Peterson
Despite the season’s rocky start, the girls basketball team still intends to crush their competition in the season to come.
At the time of this writing, the team is in the Inglewood Classic tournament against bigger public schools, in contrast to the St. Anthony’s tournament of the past three years. The team is confident, though, in their record of two wins, one loss.
Indeed, the girls have already established high goals for the season.
“We fully intend to win Prep League and go further than we did last year, which would mean going to CIF finals,” said senior Emily Lapham.
In particular, the addition of new team members has reignited the team’s enthusiasm. Sophomore Lauren Ouye and freshmen Kelly Ouye and Kylie Bethel to the team have, for the first time, brought the team’s goals into reach.
“We have ten amazing players who can contribute both on and off the court, and we are definitely going for a championship,” said Lapham.
Also, the return of senior Val Geiger is guaranteed to attribute to the teams success this year. “It is good to be back. The whole team wants CIF real bad, and it really shows in their effort,” said Geiger.
Last year, the girl’s varsity basketball team barely had enough players to fill the court, and the larger team has inspired increased optimism.
“This year, we have a full bench of subs, opposed to our last couple of years with a team of seven players,” said senior Haley Bush. “The bigger team really gives us more depth.”
This full team has also improved the quality of practice held by the team.
“I’m so happy that we finally have a full squad. My freshman year we only had 7 varsity players, but now we have 10 and can run scrimmages in practice,” said junior Nicole Compton.
Although the team has ten people, it is sorely missing one key player, senior Breanna Madrazo. Earlier this year, Madrazo re-tore her ACL. Now that Madrazo is out for the season, both Ouye’s as well as Bethel are crucial members of the team.
“The Ouye sisters and Kylie Bethel have been good additions to compensate at the guard positions I used to play at,” said Madrazo.
Madrazo’s physical presence on the court is missed, but she still has a huge impact on the team.
“It was kind of a bummer not playing with Bree,” said Lauren Ouye. “I was expecting to play with her and I really thought she would help us get somewhere. We all want to step up our game to fill her shoes and to win for her.”
New players have integrated themselves well into the team, and love the dynamic between old and young players.
“I don’t have problems asking questions or just talking to them because they’re all so friendly,” said Kelly Ouye.
With the girls’ ambitions to win Prep-League and CIF and the talented new players, the upcoming season looks promising.
“We have a mix of returners and newcomers, so after some practice, I know that we will play perfectly together,” said Lapham.
By Colette de Beus
The boys basketball has had an aggressive start to their season, boding well for the following weeks.
The members of the team agree that the games they are most worried about for this season are the ones against Flintridge Prep and Pasadena Poly, because of their experiences in years past. But the team captains, seniors Brian Shaw and Ryan Hood, both have an inspiring influence on the team.
“They both have had varsity experience starting their freshman year. They have always been the go-to leaders of the team,” said senior Matthew Jamele.
Because the team has all its players returning from last year, the squad has great chemistry. “We’re pretty supportive of each other, and there seem to be no problems,” said Shaw.
Some of the freshmen have already proven themselves to be great assets to the team early in
the season.
“The new freshman, like Tyler Conlon and Kevin Doi, have added a great deal of depth to the team at the point guard and forward and center positions,” said senior Chudi Iregbulem.
Charlton Jackson is also a new addition to the team this year, taking over the position as head coach.
“Coach Jackson has changed the way we practice to a more scrimmage-based practice. This way, we get more conditioning in as well as more hands-on learning,” said Shaw.
The players are all very enthusiastic about being a part of the basketball team, and many point out that their favorite part of being part of the team is not what happens during the games, but before them.
“We usually eat together before each game. If it’s home we go to In-n-Out, but my favorite part is the shenanigans in the locker rooms,” said senior Chase Crawford.
by Nicole Compton
Mainsheet: So is basketball the only sport you’ve ever played?
Breanna Madrazo: Nope, I played tennis and golf when I was younger and tried vol-leyball freshman year.
MS: So when did you start playing basketball? Playing competitive club basketball?
BM: I started playing when I was in second grade, and I joined club in sixth grade.
MS: Was your goal always to play in college?
BM: Yeah. When I was younger I wanted to go to the WNBA for some reason, but they don’t make money so I changed my mind. I want to be a doctor now, but I still have aspirations to play in college.
MS: After tearing your ACL twice this year, is playing in college still an option?
BM: Well, I was getting recruited mostly by small D3 schools and some D1s. I called the college coaches the day after I got injured in October. I was crying on the phone, but they said they were still interested in including me in their program.
MS: That must have been a huge relief, right?
BM: Yeah, it was! Most people don’t recover 100 percent after an ACL tear, twice especially, so it was really surprising that none of them ran away like I thought they would. It made me want to work even harder now.
MS: Do you think you went back too soon after you injured your knee the first time?
BM: Well, I think I had one of the best orthopedic doctors in the South Bay for my first surgery. But it was homecoming week, and I didn’t have time to train for this college recruiting tournament with my club team that was happening that weekend. The tournament brought a lot of pressure and involved a lot of contact that I might not have been ready for.
MS: How long had you been training to get back on the court after your firs
t ACL tear?
BM: I had been training every day since I got cleared in mid-July and for five hours at a time towards the end of the summer at the gym and parks and stuff.
MS: Are you continuing to participate with the Chadwick program? What do you think your role is?
BM: Well, I can’t be a player, but right now I’m focusing on what I can do from the side- lines to help the Chadwick team. I help the coaches with practice and I’ll be attending all of the games I can. I’m definitely still a member of the team; I want a ring, and I’m going to help the team win it, for sure.
MS: Besides playing, what’s your favorite part of being on the team?
Emily Lapham (walking by): Team bonding?
BM: Ha, no, not team bonding. Probably getting sweaty with everyone.
MS: Seriously?
BM: Well, the whole team is working for a common goal, and we’re getting sweaty together.
MS: I heard you play jokes on the underclassmen. Is that true?
BM: No, I only play jokes on Laura. We had a tournament in Arizona last season, and I was sharing a room Laura and Lena. We exiled her to the couch and enjoyed the beds ourselves. When she decided to come into our space, I took her out to the balcony and locked the door behind her. I locked her out for about 20 minutes while she continuously pounded and shouted on the window. I thought it was hilarious.
EL: What about when you gave Coach Jarrett’s number out?
BM: Ha ha ha! Why was I telling Laura’s story? That’s such a better story! Ok, so we were in the airport, and a few of us gave our coach’s number to this Jamaican man working at McDonalds. Our coach, Coach Jarrett, is also Jamican, so we decided this was the perfect fit for her since she was single. He had a job, and worked in the city. It was meant to be!
MS: How did you pull that off?
BM: I just wrote it on the back of the receipt and walked away. That night, Coach got a text saying, “this is dee guy from dee airport.” She denied that she was turned on and it turned into a joke the rest of season!
MS: Well played. Anyways, what does it mean to you that you were chosen for the athlete spotlight even though you are injured?
BM: It’s weird actually. Mainly because I’ve only played for Chadwick, technically, for two and a half years. But another senior told me that I have the athlete state of mind instead of the wellness factor […]so I guess that counts. I take it as a huge compliment, though.
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