INSIDE Universal Language Page 2 Saturday Classes Page 2 Faculty Profile: Mr. Griffith Page 4 Candlelight & Formal Pics Page 5 Taste of Westy: So easy a boarder can make it page 8 Guess Who How well do you know your fellow Martlets? page 8 Westminster School Simsbury, CT 06070 www.westminster-school.org Wednesday, January 21, 2015 Vol. 104, No. 5 “When I first came here, people asked me if I casually saw lions around,” expressed Nadira Abdilahi '16 from Somaliland, “People also asked me if I spoke African, which isn’t even a language.” For those of you who do not know me by now, I, Ashlyn Chin, come from Malaysia - a tropical country located in the heart of South East Asia, just south of Thailand. In other words, over 9000 miles across the globe. From pristine beaches to tropical dense rainforests to bustling cit- ies, Malaysia is home to an array of diverse landscapes. With either torrential down- pour or blistering heat all year round, the tropical climate provides us with an eternal summer (it never gets cold). As this is my first time studying away from home, I was initially rather surprised by the amount of both geographically and culturally-affiliated questions I received. In fact, I was stunned to find out that so many people didn’t even know where my country was located. Being complacent to the fact that we were talking about my country, I initially hastily regarded all these misconceptions as a result of maybe the prevalent ignorance within our school com- munity. However, eventually coming to a general consensus with myself, I realized that I really couldn’t blame anyone; maybe it really was just that my country was just that far away - and by far I mean 27 hours of travel time (and a 13 hour time differ- ence). Formerly a British colony, Malaysia gained its independence in 1957, however colonial architectural influences still pre- vail in settlements such as Malacca and Penang. While most people instinctively link the concept of a tropical country solely to untouched nature, this is only partially true. Although the country is “technically” mainly covered in rainforest, it has amassed a series of densely-populated big cities, due to rapid development. Our capital city and my home, Kuala Lumpur, is widely known for the iconic Petronas Twin Towers - the tallest twin towers in the world. With a population of over 30 million, the country is a melting pot of many differ- ent races and religions - constituted mainly of Malays/Bumiputera (natives), Chinese, and Indians - all of whom are considered Malaysians. Coming from Malaysia there- fore does not necessarily mean that one is “Malay”. This may initially be difficult to grasp, but I am of Chinese ethnicity, yet I am still a Malaysian. I was born and raised in Malaysia, not China. In fact, I’ve never even been to China. The languages spoken in Malaysia correlate with the multiracial ethnicities that exist, and therefore there is no such language as “Malaysian.” Most Malays would speak Malay (the national lan- guage) while most Chinese people would speak their respective Chinese dialects, such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, etc. Having studied in an international school following the British curriculum, with English as its principal language, I have spoken English all my life. Likewise, English is in fact the primary language spoken within my household, due to our fairly modern upbringing. Although this may seem shocking, there are indeed a lot of families that converse mainly in the English language as well, due to vast mod- ernization and exposure to Western culture. Words cannot capture the unique essence of living in a multiracial country; it inculcates values within oneself that pro- mote the necessity for the mutual under- standing of each others’ cultures as well as the invaluable principles of setting aside one’s differences to coexist, regardless of race or religion. Similarly, within our own multicultural Westminster community, despite our geographical differences, we have to be open and realize that we aren’t that different after all. It is important in a community such as Westminster to reach out and get to know someone who does not share your same background. You may never have this opportunity again. Cultural Misconceptions in a Modern World Je Suis Charlie Charlie Hebdo and freedom of speech In a culturally diverse community such as Westminster, it is important to take the time to get to know your neighbor BY ASHLYN CHIN '16 STAFF WRITER Freedom of speech – the inalienable right to think and say what one pleases– is a God-given liberty – an unquestionable, irrevo- cable, undeniable, immutable civil freedom. Amendment I of the U.S. Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an estab- lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridg- ing the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The charters of many other Western countries likewise bear similar declarations. As sentient individuals, human beings possess the freedom to formulate opinions independent of external influences. At its core, an opinion is simply the expression of individual sentiment – warranting respect, regardless of factual or moral validity. Charlie Hebdo, a weekly French satirical magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes, has long been considered an emblematic bastion in the exercise of free speech. Irreverent and strong- ly non-conformist in tone, the publication has oft described themselves as strongly anti-racist and left-wing, publishing articles on the extreme right. According to its former editor, Stéphane Charbonnier (“Charb”), the magazine’s editorial viewpoint reflects “all components of left-wing pluralism, even abstainers.” The paper is known to have published articles and caricatures mocking the religious prophets of sacred faiths such as Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. In general, the publications of Charlie Hebdo are considered extremely controversial. On November 2, 2011, the newspaper’s office in the 20th arrondissment was firebombed and its website hacked. The attacks were presumed to be linked to the magazine’s decision to rename a spe- cial edition “Charia Hebdo” (A reference to Islamic Sharia law), with Muhammad listed as the “editor-in-chief.” Two weeks ago, on January 7, 2015, two Islamist gunmen, identi- fied as Saïd Kouachi and Chérif Kouachi – French Muslim brothers of Algerian descent, forced their way into the Parisian headquarters of Charlie Hebdo and opened fired, killing twelve. Among those deceased include the editor of the magazine, Stephán “Charb” Charbonnier, seven other employees, and two National Police officers. Eleven others were seriously wounded. The terrorists were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, a shotgun, and a M80 Zolija anti-tank weapon. They fired up to CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BY DREW BRAZER '15 During the week of January 19-23, the MLK Planning Committee created opportunities that allowed students to learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy and the work that contin- ues today. To celebrate MLK Day, the committee invited guest speaker Ms. April Grigsby to address the school. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, with a mother from Trinidad & Tobago and a father from Liberia, Ms. Grigsby’s educational experienc- es shaped her thinking about the “exotic other.” She graduated from Kent School, earned a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, and pursued a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University. Growing up, Ms. Grigsby often thought about how to remain true to her identity as a woman of color. She was involved with consciousness-raising activities throughout her school life. For example, she was a newspaper columnist and editor, dorm prefect, and diversity club president at Kent, co-moderator of the Black Student Alliance at Yale, and head of the Christian Coalition at Columbia University’s School of Social Work. She also lived in Ghana and completed her Master’s thesis research in St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Eastern Caribbean). Now she is a therapist in New York City and works with groups and individuals, specifically with survivors of trau- ma, displaced West African immigrants, the formerly incarcerated, and severely emotionally disturbed children. On January 18, our guest Ms. Grigsby was wel- comed to Westminster School at a student and fac- ulty reception in Mr. Huguley’s house. On January 19, the school held a special chapel that celebrated Dr. King and the national holiday. Ms. Grigsby’s talk focused on how a person’s identity can be negoti- ated throughout life and how social workers think from the macro to the micro perspective. She asked students to think about their identity and to consider how their decisions affect the identities of others. The chapel also included student musical perfor- mances of U2’s song “MLK” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” As a way to continue cel- ebrating Dr. King and recognizing his fight against racial oppression, the MLK Planning Committee decorated the dining hall tables with historical facts about Dr. King and people who worked with him. On January 22, the Committee will also show a film that features Dr. King’s life in Connecticut. A special thanks to the help of the MLK Planning Committee: Jae’Quan Barr '15, Katherine Eckerson '17, Alexa Green '17, Joel Groves '17, Anissa Joseph '17, and Jeremy Mason '16, with Mrs. McGrath as the advisor. “In Honor of Dr. King” BY ANISSA JOSEPH '17 CONTRIBUTOR A week of activities to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. COURTESY OF SEATTLE TIMES The Westminster community took part in a week-long celebration of Dr. King’s fight against oppression Continued on page 7
Taste of Westy:So easy a boarder can make it page 8
Guess WhoHow well do you know your fellow Martlets? page 8
Westminster School Simsbury, CT 06070 www.westminster-school.org Wednesday, January 21, 2015 Vol. 104, No. 5
“When I f irst came here, people asked me if I casually saw lions around,” expressed Nadira Abdilahi '16 from Somaliland, “People also asked me if I spoke African, which isn’t even a language.”
For those of you who do not know me by now, I, Ashlyn Chin, come from Malaysia - a tropical country located in the heart of South East Asia, just south of Thailand. In other words, over 9000 miles across the globe. From pristine beaches to tropical dense rainforests to bustling cit-ies, Malaysia is home to an array of diverse landscapes. With either torrential down-pour or blistering heat all year round, the tropical climate provides us with an eternal summer (it never gets cold).
As this is my first time studying away from home, I was initially rather surprised by the amount of both geographically and culturally-affiliated questions I received. In fact, I was stunned to find out that so many people didn’t even know where my country was located. Being complacent
to the fact that we were talking about my country, I initially hastily regarded all these misconceptions as a result of maybe the prevalent ignorance within our school com-munity. However, eventually coming to a general consensus with myself, I realized that I really couldn’t blame anyone; maybe it really was just that my country was just that far away - and by far I mean 27 hours of travel time (and a 13 hour time differ-ence).
Formerly a British colony, Malaysia gained its independence in 1957, however colonial architectural influences still pre-vail in settlements such as Malacca and Penang. While most people instinctively link the concept of a tropical country solely to untouched nature, this is only partially true. Although the country is “technically” mainly covered in rainforest, it has amassed a series of densely-populated big cities, due to rapid development. Our capital city and my home, Kuala Lumpur, is widely known for the iconic Petronas Twin Towers - the
tallest twin towers in the world.With a population of over 30 million,
the country is a melting pot of many differ-ent races and religions - constituted mainly of Malays/Bumiputera (natives), Chinese, and Indians - all of whom are considered Malaysians. Coming from Malaysia there-fore does not necessarily mean that one is “Malay”. This may initially be difficult to grasp, but I am of Chinese ethnicity, yet I am still a Malaysian. I was born and raised in Malaysia, not China. In fact, I’ve never even been to China.
The languages spoken in Malaysia correlate with the multiracial ethnicities that exist, and therefore there is no such language as “Malaysian.” Most Malays would speak Malay (the national lan-guage) while most Chinese people would speak their respective Chinese dialects, such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, etc. Having studied in an international school following the British curriculum, with English as its principal language, I
have spoken English all my life. Likewise, English is in fact the primary language spoken within my household, due to our fairly modern upbringing. Although this may seem shocking, there are indeed a lot of families that converse mainly in the English language as well, due to vast mod-ernization and exposure to Western culture.
Words cannot capture the unique essence of living in a multiracial country; it inculcates values within oneself that pro-mote the necessity for the mutual under-standing of each others’ cultures as well as the invaluable principles of setting aside one’s differences to coexist, regardless of race or religion. Similarly, within our own multicultural Westminster community, despite our geographical differences, we have to be open and realize that we aren’t that different after all. It is important in a community such as Westminster to reach out and get to know someone who does not share your same background. You may never have this opportunity again.
Cultural Misconceptions in a Modern World
Je Suis CharlieCharlie Hebdo and freedom of speech
In a culturally diverse community such as Westminster, it is important to take the time to get to know your neighbor BY A SH LY N CH I N '16
STAFF WRITER
Freedom of speech – the inalienable right to think and say what one pleases– is a God-given liberty – an unquestionable, irrevo-cable, undeniable, immutable civil freedom. Amendment I of the U.S. Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an estab-lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridg-ing the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The charters of many other Western countries likewise bear similar declarations.
As sentient individuals, human beings possess the freedom to formulate opinions independent of external influences. At its core, an opinion is simply the expression of individual sentiment – warranting respect, regardless of factual or moral validity.
Charlie Hebdo, a weekly French satirical magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes, has long been considered an emblematic bastion in the exercise of free speech. Irreverent and strong-ly non-conformist in tone, the publication has oft described themselves as strongly anti-racist and left-wing, publishing articles on the extreme right. According to its former editor, Stéphane Charbonnier (“Charb”), the magazine’s editorial viewpoint reflects “all components of left-wing pluralism, even abstainers.” The paper is known to have published articles and caricatures mocking the religious prophets of sacred faiths such as Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. In general, the publications of Charlie Hebdo are considered extremely controversial.
On November 2, 2011, the newspaper’s off ice in the 20th arrondissment was firebombed and its website hacked. The attacks were presumed to be linked to the magazine’s decision to rename a spe-cial edition “Charia Hebdo” (A reference to Islamic Sharia law), with Muhammad listed as the “editor-in-chief.”
Two weeks ago, on January 7, 2015, two Islamist gunmen, identi-fied as Saïd Kouachi and Chérif Kouachi – French Muslim brothers of Algerian descent, forced their way into the Parisian headquarters of Charlie Hebdo and opened fired, killing twelve. Among those deceased include the editor of the magazine, Stephán “Charb” Charbonnier, seven other employees, and two National Police officers. Eleven others were seriously wounded. The terrorists were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, a shotgun, and a M80 Zolija anti-tank weapon. They fired up to
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEFBY DR E W BR A Z E R '15
During the week of January 19-23, the MLK Planning Committee created opportunities that allowed students to learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy and the work that contin-ues today. To celebrate MLK Day, the committee invited guest speaker Ms. April Grigsby to address the school. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, with a mother from Trinidad & Tobago and a father from Liberia, Ms. Grigsby’s educational experienc-es shaped her thinking about the “exotic other.” She graduated from Kent School, earned a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, and pursued a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University.
Growing up, Ms. Grigsby often thought about how to remain true to her identity as a woman of color. She was involved with consciousness-raising activities throughout her school life. For example, she was a newspaper columnist and editor, dorm prefect, and diversity club president at Kent, co-moderator of the Black Student Alliance at Yale, and head of the Christian Coalition at Columbia University’s
School of Social Work. She also lived in Ghana and completed her Master’s thesis research in St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Eastern Caribbean). Now she is a therapist in New York City and works with groups and individuals, specifically with survivors of trau-ma, displaced West African immigrants, the formerly incarcerated, and severely emotionally disturbed children.
On January 18, our guest Ms. Grigsby was wel-comed to Westminster School at a student and fac-ulty reception in Mr. Huguley’s house. On January 19, the school held a special chapel that celebrated Dr. King and the national holiday. Ms. Grigsby’s talk focused on how a person’s identity can be negoti-ated throughout life and how social workers think from the macro to the micro perspective. She asked students to think about their identity and to consider how their decisions affect the identities of others. The chapel also included student musical perfor-mances of U2’s song “MLK” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” As a way to continue cel-ebrating Dr. King and recognizing his fight against racial oppression, the MLK Planning Committee decorated the dining hall tables with historical facts about Dr. King and people who worked with him. On January 22, the Committee will also show a film that features Dr. King’s life in Connecticut.
A special thanks to the help of the MLK Planning Committee: Jae’Quan Barr '15, Katherine Eckerson '17, Alexa Green '17, Joel Groves '17, Anissa Joseph '17, and Jeremy Mason '16, with Mrs. McGrath as the advisor.
“In Honor of Dr. King”BY A N ISS A JOSE PH '17
CONTRIBUTOR
A week of activities to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
COURTESY OF SEATTLE TIMESThe Westminster community took part in a week-long celebration of Dr. King’s fight against oppression
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are published at the discretion of The News which reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, clarity, or factual accuracy. Anyone interested in contributing to The Westminster News should contact Hieu Do'15 or Drew Brazer '15, or any member of the Editorial Board for information on how to submit writ-ing, photographs, etc.
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News Nadrina Ebrahimi '15 Alaina Bisson '15
Cover Madeleine Percival '15
Sports David Swenson '15 Gustavs Gerkens '15
Opinion Rebecca Ryan '16
Features CC Lynch '15 Katie O’Connor '15
Layout Grace Brentano '16 Hyeonjo Jeong '17
Student Paige Brackett '16
Arts Aubrey Moulton '15
Photo Rebecca Ryan '16 Kevin Choi '15
Faculty Advisor Sara Deveaux
Contributors
Teagen Stedman '18Ashlyn Chin '16
Duncan Kellogg ‘15M. DeDomenico '16
Jackson Andrews ‘17Jeremy Mason '16Hadley Smith '15
Nicole Fox '16Shelby Gamble ‘15
Kyle Keir ‘15Sarah Poling ‘16
Mike Riberdy '18Anissa Joseph '17Jack Horrigan '16
Meg Richard '15Caldwell Perkins '15
Stone Brown '17
Editorial BoardCo-Editors-in-Chief
Hieu Do '15 & Drew Brazer '15
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CONTRIBUTOR
When exploring an idea, it is important to understand all of the possible (but more so the most likely), consequences of acting upon it. There are some major issues with the enactment of any plan pertaining to the integration of a language.
Topography is a major fac-tor in the development of culture and language. Before the creation of quick means of communica-tion, rapid conversations between those in different places had been impossible, which restricted cul-tural development. Languages reflect and symbolize cultures. So called, “synonymous” translations have different cultural connota-tions which can cause major con-flicts between speakers. Although a great tool, Esperanto is an arti-f icial Romance/Indo-European language that would be of no ser-vice to most native Asians and Africans. Desire of any one place to control the new language could create conf lict. Thinking that any artif icial language would allow immediate peace is illogical. The implementation and regu-lation of such a specific concept requires consent, cooperation, and compromise. Some popula-tions might not have these three
necessary qualities. Eventually, the implementing process might become nothing more than the roots another international con-f lict. This having happened, application could be considered futile, or even to have had the opposite effect as intended.
Additionally, the process might result in a loss of culture. Evidently, entirely substituting the old language with the new would not be practical. Many teachers and translators would lose their jobs. They could keep their jobs only if the new lan-guage were to be integrated along-side the old. New jobs would also be created for teachers intending to teach the new language to chil-dren. Despite these advantages, cultural pride still might be lost, only to be replaced with the per-ception of assimilation.
There are many issues that act as barriers between lingual unification and our current com-municative confusion. It is easy to doubt that all, or even most humans, will ever speak the same language. It might be worth all of the effort, or it might not. We can only be sure about its effects once it is attempted.
Artifical language does not mean peaceBY M I K E R I BE R DY '18
The Adaptation of a Universal LanguageA common language could be a “catalyst of peace”
BY T E AG A N S T E DM A N '18
Over the course of history, perhaps the most defining evolu-tionary development among the human species, was the adapta-tion of verbal communication. However, for millennia upon mil-lennia, just as the construct of race has unfortunately, time and time again, divided human soci-ety, so too have our languages.
Today, there exist over 7,000 living, recognized languages. Obviously, it is even beyond the scope of a mortal man to achieve fluency in perhaps the 200 most commonly spoken of these lan-guages. This largely unnoticed “language barrier” may not seem to be an urgent matter, but ulti-mately it serves as a great divider of peoples – leading to the per-petuation of stereotypes and the alienation of cultures.
Out of this disparity, a few “artificial” languages have aris-
en over the past few centuries, striving to linguistically unite humanity and help foster peace. Languages like Esperanto, for example – with over 2 million native speakers – were created in the 19th and 20th century for this specif ic purpose, combin-ing aspects of the most popular and enjoyed languages to form a tongue central to all speakers. So why am I not writing this in Esperanto? Why don’t we move forward with this linguistic evo-lution? When wil l we “movi antauen,” beyond our current, divisive idiomatic tradition?
There is a dire need for a universal language. It is a need that, unlike curing the hundreds of different types of cancers or ending all war, is a relatively fea-sible and attainable summit to strive towards. A universal lan-guage would bring about a new
level of understanding between peoples all across the globe, creat-ing an interconnectivity between those in Buenos Aires and those in K iev. An interconnect iv-ity spanning from Hong Kong to Lebanon to Botswana, based upon English, Esperanto, or what-ever we may decide.
Just as nations side with other nations who share similar ideals and cultures, a common language is often another catalyst of peace in unifying countries. Nonetheless, the ultimate goal of a universal language would never be to squelch and homogenize all culture, forming a singular monotonous and difficult nation-state, but rather to free cultural development and allow people a truly global experience, not as nations, but as humans.
STAFF WRITER
“Can I have a bacon, egg, & cheese on a Cheddar bagel, and…?”
Phone orderings, such as this call to Brookside, are common-ly heard on campus, especially right after block 6 on Saturday. It seems that students can hard-ly focus during Saturday class-es, as their minds are set on that afternoon game or that evening dance. It would be even harder while texting with their friends, who simultaneously are enjoying their Saturday mornings at other boarding schools.
Saturday classes offer more class hours and, thus, should help students learn more; however, their anticipation for the end of the half-Saturday class is a dis-traction that compromises aca-demic performance. The obvious conclusion then is that Saturday classes should be removed—or should they?
Let’s f irst understand the benef its of having classes on Saturday mornings. Notably, these weekend classes most-ly occur at boarding schools, where students spend the major-ity of their time on campus with friends and faculty. Unlike public schools, where students do not go to school on Saturday, boarding schools offer Saturday classes to
encourage more in-class interac-tions with friends and teachers, which helps tighten the close-knit community of such boarding schools like Westminster.
As a compensation for the excruciating Saturday periods, students at boarding schools—blissfully, arrogantly, and worthi-ly—have longer vacations. Three-week winter and spring breaks, a ten-day Thanksgiving break, and two long weekends, not to mention a few surprising Hill Holidays—students happily take those vacations for the pester-ing 7 am alarms every Saturday. Nevertheless, should schools orga-nize Saturday classes every single week?
Some people might say yes, arguing that the extra class time is beneficial for students to review and practice. Others might argue that Saturday classes should not even exist and that students should have the full weekends to truly enjoy their social life. In fact, neither is favorable, because Saturday classes are necessary in order for students and teachers to make up for the missed work due to the extended vacations. In addition, it is better-off having a boarding school life balanced between work and play, so the question should be how often
should Saturday classes be held, rather than whether they should be held at all.
Saturday classes held infre-quent ly, mea n ing biweek ly or monthly, offer many ben-efits. With occasional Saturdays off, students could use the free time to organize club activities. At Westminster, there are many clubs, the majority of which are sadly inactive, partially because students do not have enough free time to gather as a club, not to mention do activities.
In fact, students actually learn many skills from self-initiat-ed projects and make great friends in the same clubs. Learning does not always have to come from in-class lectures. Student organiza-tions can be where the Martlets apply their knowledge into prac-tice, either through intellectual discussions on global affairs, or innovative robotic models. Or simply, students can also use their free Saturday to reflect and observe the beauty on the Hill. Self-ref lection as well as natural beauty is usually ignored in the hectic modern world full of dis-tractions, so a totally free week-end now and then will allow stu-dents to slow down, look back, and learn from their mistakes—that is how a person matures.
Saturday Classes: An Honest LookThe benefits & possible ammendments to Saturday classes
BY H I EU DO '14CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Write for The Westminster News! Everyone in the Westminster community is encouraged to write an article for
the school paper. Stay tuned for announcements about the next writer’s meeting.
We all do it. Some more than others, but either way everyone is a repeat offender. Bad habits are the addictive releases every-one indulges in. At a school with high academic and athletic expec-tations, we all drift to the chip bags, stubby nails, or deformed pencils. Some think these com-pulsive issues stem from a few select source. Some bel ieve it is because we all stay up late because of work, or the constant social opportunities one finds at a boarding school. We stay up late and thus we are forced to ease bouncing legs, vibrating hands, and rapid breath with some “bad habits”.
There are some “releases” that are worse than others. There are kids who incessantly tap their fingers or constantly rear-range their hair into the same style. Some berate their listeners with “like”s and “um”s. And then there are some people who feed their jitters with constant snack-ing, which is particularly bad at a boarding school where food is a stud run, short walk, or call away. But my least favorite, is complaints forced upon others to validate how much work a person
does. All of these habits are bad
and preferences makes some worse than others however, all of them can be stopped. These bad hab-its are fed by their comforting habituality. I thought that I bit my nails every time I got over-whelmed by schoolwork because it was an instant compensation for stress. But bad habits, I have real-ized, aren’t an action or reaction for any particular reason, they are just a familiarity. No one reaps reward from stubby nails, dumb-ed speech, or rounder stomachs, but they are relaxed by the habitu-ality of the action. It is because we are accustomed to an action that we continue it. The reason bad habits are so bad, is because they are fundamentally unnec-essary. And even though “we all have one” there isn’t good enough reason to continue an unhelp-ful trait. So, find something else to do with regularity. Maybe read a book or go for a run. Do something healthy and benefi-cial so constantly that it not only becomes a familiar habit, but a helpful habit.
Global NewsFerguson: What Do We Know? The importance of knowing the facts before making up one’s mind
BY JACK SON A N DR E WS '17STAFF WRITER
W hen The Westminster News editors suggested an article on the Ferguson investigation, I cautiously raised my hand to assume the task, knowing fully well that if I took a particu-lar side, whether it be defending Wilson or seeking punishment for Brown, I would be offending large groups of people. Therefore, I eventually decided to take another route and present some facts that some of you may not know.
The Ferguson case refers to the shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown, an 18-year-old black man, expired when Darren Wilson, a 28 year old white Ferguson police officer, fatally shot him [1].
A common misconception about the Ferguson investigation is that the police officer Darren
Wilson was tried in court and presumed innocent. The reality is that Wilson never went to court and never actually faced a hear-ing. Robert P. McCulloch, the Prosecuting Attorney For Saint Louis County, Missouri, decided to bring the case to a grand jury to establish if there was probable cause in Wilson’s actions (prob-able cause is the means by which an officer has the right to use police force when criminal charg-es are being considered during the apprehension of a criminal). If there had been probable cause, Darren Wilson would have gone to trial.
T he big ge s t d i f f e renc e between a grand jury and a trial jury is that the trial jurors must not only establish probable cause on the part of the law enforce-ment, but a lso determine i f there is proof beyond a reason-able doubt that a crime was actu-ally committed. Therefore, the standard by which the grand jury weighed Wilson’s actions was much lower, meaning that they needed much less evidence to indict Wilson of a crime, than that of a trial jury.
The facts laid out above, cou-pled with the looming accusations of racial profiling on the part of Wilson, made the grand jury’s ruling not to indict Wilson all the more shocking. The ruling led many legal analysts to voice con-cerns over McCulloch’s “unortho-
dox approach, asserting that [his] process could have influenced the grand jury to decide not to indict [Wilson] of a crime”. Claims that McCulloch had actually suc-cessfully attempted to protect Wilson, the police officer, further cast a scandalous shadow over an already controversial case.
Before jumping to conclu-sions, however, one must consider a few facts that certainly help to defend the prosecuting attorneys’ positions. Firstly, the grand jury’s ruling did not actually have to be unanimous. According to Ed Magee of the Washington Post, only nine of the twelve members of a grand jury have to vote in favor of indictment of a crime (this in unique to the state of Missouri). Proof that there must have been sufficient enough evi-dence produced to the jury that at least five of them thought Wilson had probable cause to shoot at Brown. Another interesting fact to be considered is that if any new evidence surfaces, whether it be damning or not, a new grand jury can be convened. The possibil-ity of the case being reopened is further proof that legal experts and officials have yet sequestered Wilson’s actions from future scru-tiny.
T he de a t h of Michae l Brown on August 9, 2014 was a terrible event for our country as a whole and will go down as one of the most controver-
sial deaths in American history. For the f irst time since 9/11, the U.S. was pushed almost to the point of social pandemoni-um, caused by the protests and riots that ensued after the shoot-ing. Whether you support the Wilson’s actions, or defend the outlook that Brown was the vic-tim of a shooting, know that there are more than just those two to blame for this incident. Perhaps instead of judging Wilson, read up on McCulloch’s actions as the prosecutor. Come to terms with the knowledge that both parties involved in the shooting, Wilson and Brown, were potentially at fault, not just one. Understand that Wilson may not have need-ed to fire one, and certainly not eight, shots at Brown to detain him. Also be aware that before the actual shooting, Brown and his collaborator had robbed a con-venience store and were walking down the middle of an intersec-tion blocking traffic to a major road, both crimes punishable by arrest with probable cause. Most importantly, be safe with knowl-edge that this is an issue not of black or white, but grey. Even though the Ferguson case is over, there is still much that is unre-solved: was McCulloch’s prosecu-tion was purposefully weak; were Wilson’s actions were appropri-ate; did Brown indeed need to be shot to be restrained; or to keep Wilson safe from harm.
Protesters at a rally.
Gunmen kill 12 at French satirical magazine
“Twelve people were killed and 10 wounded by two gunmen who entered the Paris office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and opened fire, police said Wednesday.” ~Time
Boehner keeps his job as House speaker
“Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) fought off challenges from two hard-line conservatives on Tuesday tohold onto his job as speaker of the House for a third term.” ~NYT
U.N. accepts Palestinians’ request to join the International Criminal Court
“United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said late Tuesday that he had accepted the documents Palestinian officials sub-mitted ratifying the International Criminal Court, clearing the way for the Palestinians to join the war-crimes tribunal in April.” ~AP
Divers confirm location of AirAsia jet’s tail
“Indonesian authorities con-firmed Wednesday that they had found part of the tail of AirAsia Flight 8501 at the bottom of the Java Sea. The country’s search-and-rescue agency, Bambang Soelistyo, said divers had managed to take pictures of the wreckage and would investigate further.” ~WSJ
BY DU NC A N K E L LOG G '15
STAFF WRITER & COLUMNIST
Bad Habits: Why Do We Do What We Do?
BY N ICOL E FOX '16STAFF WRITER
AP PRESS
OPINION
BY JACK HOR R IG A N '16CONTRIBUTOR
At the end of every year since 1927, TIME Magazine has always selected “The Person of the Year” by considering major world events and the people involved. In the selection process, the magazine chooses 8 nominees to be be con-sidered for the final winner.
The 2014 nominees were: Taylor Swift, the Ebola Fighters, the Ferguson Protesters, Vladimir Putin, Roger Goodell (NFL com-missioner), Tim Cook (Apple CEO), Jack Ma (CEO and founder of Alibaba), and Masoud Barzani (president of the Iraqi Kurdish Region). These people were selected because over the
past twelve months they have inf luenced millions of people across the globe and have had a profound impact on society.
The winner of the title would be set to join the ranks of pre-vious winners, an elite group of people that includes Pope Francis, Martin Luther King Jr., Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Gandhi. The only member of 2014’s shortlist who had been a previous winner was Vladimir Putin who won the title in 2007.
On December 10, 2014 the winner and runners-up were announced. The 2014 winner of TIME Person of the Year was the Ebola Fighters and the runners-up were Vladimir Putin, Jack Ma, the Ferguson Protesters, and Masoud Barzani.
Nancy Gibbs from TIME Magazine explains the choice with the use of a proverb: not the glittering weapons fights the fight but rather the hero’s heart. Through this proverb Gibbs explained that the Ebola Fighters are so special and impressive because they managed to effec-tively fight Ebola, a feat which the World Health Organization, the US government and other major entit ies couldn’t accomplish,
despite the fact that they lacked resources and modern medical technologies.
These people put them-selves in very real danger for the sole purpose of helping others in need. Even in the face of a ter-rible painful death these people remained selfless and determined to alleviate the pains of Ebola in Western Africa. In a bad situation that seemed would only get worse these brave individuals found the courage to run towards the storm, not away from it as the majority of the world had done.
While many nations outside of Africa focused simply on keep-ing Ebola outside of their borders, the Ebola Fighters realized that the only lasting solution would be to quell the epidemic at its source. As a result of these peoples’ efforts, the fatality rate of Ebola infection has decreased dramati-cally and they continue to work to control the disease. TIME Magazine has honored these peo-ple and their self less bravery by distinguishing them as the people of the year.
The Ebola Fighters were select-ed as the Time Person of the Year, 2014
AP PRESS
TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Wednesday January 21, 2015 3
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Wednesday January 21, 20154
Evie’s AdventuresSYA Spain offers a whole new world
BY K AT E L I N G OCH BE RG'16
Evie Pope '16 is spending her Fifth Form year abroad in Zaragoza, Spain with Student Year Abroad (SYA). Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Pope, are both faculty members here at Westminster. Mrs. Pope is an Associate Director of Admissions and the Director of the Davis Scholar Program. Mr. Pope is the Head Coach of First Girls’ Hockey, the Head Coach of Second Boys’ Football, and teaches Honors Chemistry. Last year Evie decided to spend a year abroad in Spain after a fantastic year in Spanish 2 Honors. She fell in love with the Spanish language as well as the culture and wanted a chance to experience all that Spain has to offer first hand. Evie lives with a host family in Zaragoza, and was lucky enough to be placed with a host family that has a daughter around her same age. She is having the time of her life, so the Westminster News wanted to ask her about her experi-ence so far. Evie has a blog called evieinzaragoza.wordpress.com if you would like to learn more about her experince in Spain.
News: Hey Evie! What are you up to? What’s Spain like?Pope: It’s pretty different.News: What is the food like?Pope: The meals are really different here. Typically we eat a large lunch
and a smaller dinner later in the evening. There’s a lot of oil and meat here, but in general the food quality is much healthier because most of it is locally grown. My host grandfather has a farm where we get most of our vegetables. Also the food is a lot less processed.
New: Do you have any american cravings?Pope: A plain Brookside bagel with cream cheese would be perfect right
now. News: How much homework do you get each nightt? Pope: I have more than Westy just because it takes longer since the
majority of it is in Spanish.News: What did you do for Thanksgiving?Pope: Everyone from SYA went out for a big dinner, but I missed my
family – especially my mom’s homemade cranberry sauce!News: What was the adjustment like from Westy to Zaragoza?Pope: The little things have been the hardest to adjust to. For example,
seeing the street signs in Spanish and not having all of the shops open in the late afternoon
News: What has been your favorite moment so far?Pope: My favorite moment thus far was on the first night of the Pilares
Festivals when they had a ceremony called Pregon and there were thousands of people all crowded in the main plaza of the Zaragoza to hear the mayor offi-cially start Pilares and then everyone sang and watched the fireworks.
News: ¡Gracias Evie, Adiós!Pope: ¡Adiós!
Student Profile: Charlotte Lenox
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Charlotte Lennox '16 is new to the Hill this year. The daughter of an a lumna, Jane Lennox '88, Charlotte wanted “something different” as she had been going to a small, all-girls private school all her life. What, then, caused her to venture and want a new and unfamiliar set-ting?
Let’s just say that being pro-nounced dead twice can really alter one’s perspective on life.
Charlotte’s first ‘death’ was
as a baby. Her mother went in to the doctor’s office for a pregnancy check up. As hard as the doctor tried, he could not find the baby’s heartbeat. To his dismay, he sol-emnly told Charlotte’s mother that she had a miscarriage, which was the expulsion of the fetus in the mother’s womb. “I can’t imag-ine what it must have been like for my mother to hear that I was dead,” Charlotte said. However, a few weeks later when she returned to the doctor’s office, the baby miraculously had a heartbeat. Charlotte Lennox lived past her first death.
Her second demise happened just last year when she was a soph-omore in Ohio. Charlotte was in the middle of a tough practice on her club swim team when a vertigo struck her with a dizzy sensation. When asking her drill sergeant coach permission to sit out, she was replied with a stern
“No.” “It would wear off soon,” he said. No, it didn’t. Soon after she got back in the pool, Charlotte lost consciousness in the deep end and sunk to the bottom while her teammates rapidly relayed forwards. “I don’t remember anything after that,” Charlotte exclaimed.
According to stories recount-ed to her, her teammates quickly dived to the bottom to pull her out of the water with the help of a lifeguard. An ambulance finally arrived, paramedics quickly lift-ing and loading her into the car. Scrambling to find a heartbeat, they could not. The lines on the chart quickly began to plum-met and eventually went f lat. The doctors called out to use the defibrillator. After a few shocks, nothing happened. The head doctor pronounced her dead. A determined nurse tried one more time, and on the fifth total shock,
the machine beeped. Charlotte Lennox survived her second entanglement with death.
News of the episode led to discovery that Charlotte is hypo-glycemic, which means that her bloodstream lacks glucose to function normally. The day she drowned in the pool, her blood pressure had fallen extremely low, which consequently progressed her dizziness into unconscious-ness. “I had not understood the concept of death until this point,” Charlotte said.
After that incident, Charlotte began to tediously take notice of her blood pressure. Friends and family began to notice that Charlotte was quitting extracur-ricular activities and was extreme-ly unmotivated and sedentary. Charlotte soon realized that the atmosphere in her town and school “was not what I wanted.” She began to embrace a mantra, “
Why waste my time doing some-thing that I do not want to do?” To be truly happy, she believed in a change of scenery, and imple-menting herself in a new environ-ment was exactly the way to do it. Just a few weeks after, she applied to Westminster. Charlotte Lennox was accepted, eager to start a new chapter her life.
Since the first day on the Hill, Charlotte has adapted well to the new environment, despite the weird feelings of having few female student in her form. “I feel like I am finally settling in, and am so happy to have come here,” Charlotte expressed. Her story shows that there is always more to a person than what meets the eye. It also encourages all people to treat each day with a particular enthusiasm and optimism, and to enjoy every moment. .
photo courtesy of Charlotte Lenox
BY PA IGE BR ACK E T T '16
Charlie Griffith has not just been a part of the Westminster School community for the past twenty-one years, he has grown to represent it. A graduate of Middlebury college, where he was an economics major, and Yale University, where he gained an MA in history, Mr. Griffith has an impressive resume. As a mem-ber of the faculty at Westminster, Mr. Griffith has done it all. In addition to having taught, “virtu-ally everything in the [history) department,” Mr. Griffith is an award winning coach and author of, The True Life, a 25 year his-tory of the school.
Most recently Mr. Griffith received the designation of, “Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year for Large Prep.” To him this award is not just an honor but, “a reflection of Coach Solís, the team, the program and the school”.
As a high school student in New Jersey, Mr. Griff ith had a wide range of interests. Even though he had always loved his-tory, his favorite classes – Physics, English and German – had more to do with their teachers than the subject matter.
Additionally, Mr. Griff ith was not a lways the wise and witty history whiz he is today. He
began his career right out of col-lege working at Manufacturers Hanover Trust in New York City. Although he had always consid-ered teaching, they offered him a job right out of college and he accepted it. “The bank wanted to send me to business school” which would be a 6 year com-mitment, “I enjoyed being in New York, but I did not want to do that for the rest of my life, so that’s why I made the change when I did,” says Griffith.
When asked if his experience helped him to bring a different perspective to the classroom he replied: “working in New York and being kind of plugged into the – for lack of a better word – “real” world helped me to see a different perspective on history, as opposed to looking at it in a purely academic sense”.
Today, a typical day in the life of Charlie Griffith is busy and structured. Rising at around 6 a.m., he begins his day by getting organized. Next, he heads over to the dining hall for breakfast with what he calls, “the usual 7 a.m. crowd” – Mr. Reeves and Mr. Nwatchuku. He normally arrives in Armour academic cen-ter around 7:30 to do some grad-ing. After classes he coaches and participates in whatever activi-ties are going on around campus, before returning home. Finally, he does some grading followed by some reading. He is currently in a, “Cormic McCarthy Phase,” and is on the second book in his “Border Trilogy,” The Crossing.
When it comes to teaching, Griff ith does not like any one class more than another, it varies depending on the subject matter being studied at any given time.
This year Mr. Griffith teaches all Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Although he does not feel pressure to teach “to
the test” he does wish that the College Board would make classes less of a survey and give teachers more flexibility. The way the col-lege board wants subjects taught is, “not good pedagogy”, he states matter of factly. As far as stu-dents go, he believes that, “it is important to take ownership of your learning”.
With regard to art history, his passion, he calls himself an, “amateur,” and says that he is, “mostly self taught.” His favorite part about art history is think-ing, “about the way art ref lects the spirit or zeitgeist of a period”.
As a teacher at an indepen-dent school he believes that the biggest challenge is when students make mistakes. Griffith says that faculty members, although very aware that kids make bad choices, “invest a certain amount of time, energy, and trust in a student and when they make a decision that causes them to lose their place at the school, it is heart breaking.” He says that the loss of a student, “has a profound effect on the fac-ulty” and that,“kids don’t appreci-ate the impact it has on teachers.” With that being said, his attitude toward his relationship with stu-dents is, “I want to be friendly with you but not your friend”.
For those students who have not yet had Mr. Griff ith as a teacher or gotten to know him, consider introducing your-self. You may just walk away with some sage words of wisdom that could change your life.
RICHARD BERGEN
Mr. Griffith, an honorary member of the class of 2014, takes part in the Pin Ceremony
Faculty Profile: Mr. GriffithThe man, the myth, the legend
BY M AG GI E DE DOM E N ICO '16STAFF WRITERCONTRIBUTOR
STUDENT LIFE EDITOR
Evie and her mom in SpainEVIE POPE
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Wednesday January 21, 2015 5
Candelight 2014BY PA IGE BR ACK E T T '16
The perfect beginning to the winter holidays
A l w a y s a f a v o r i t e Westminster t rad it ion, the Candlelight Service of December 2014 was as breathtaking and inspiring as it has ever been. Ms. Stevens, the director of the pro-gram, says that attendance for both the 4 o’clock and 7 o’clock services was higher than previous years, including countless alums, proud parents, and of course stu-dents. “Everyone loves the tradi-tion, which is shown by such a high alumni attendance.”
S t a r t i ng i n 20 0 6 , t he Candlel ight Ser vice embod-ies the spirit of Christmas and the holidays with fundamental Westminster authenticity, includ-ing Bible readings from John Hay vestry members and sixth form-ers, and other student singer per-formances from choral groups and individuals. This year was Ms. Stevens’ third year direct-ing the Candlelight service, and she happily shared her thoughts regarding this year’s perfor-mances. Starting the service with a magical twist, Ms. Stevens says “I literally get chills when the service opens with Once in Royal David’s City.” Although a Christian tradition based ser-vice, Westminster does pride itself on being a non-denominational school, welcoming all religions to celebrate and worship on cam-
pus. All chapel services, but spe-cifically Candlelight, embody a prominent core value on cam-pus – community. Candlelight is always the best way to end the calendar year on the Hill. No matter how excited students are for break, the Westminster com-munity sits, ref lects, and enjoys the Candlelight service and stu-dent performances. “ Candlelight is a great way to start off the holi-day season” says Ms. Stevens “ and a nice way to send us all off to break.”
Ms. Stevens would like to say a special thank you to all of those who performed, as well as helped organize and set up for the event; Mr. Chrzanowski for all of his effort and dedicated time to helping singers practice, Ted Sirbaugh '16 and Duncan Kellogg '15 for running the lights, and all John Hay members who either read aloud or spent hours set-ting up decorations in the cha-pel. On behalf of the Westminster Communit y, the newspaper would also like to say a special thank you to Ms. Stevens for all of her hard work and dedication to the performance. The service is always one of the favorite high-lights of the year.
Winter Formal 2014
KEVIN CHOI '15
PHOTOS BY RICHARD BERGEN
STUDENT LIFE EDITOR
KEVIN CHOI '15 KEVIN CHOI '15
KEVIN CHOI '15KEVIN CHOI '15KEVIN CHOI '15
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Wednesday January 21, 20156
Movie Review: BirdmanThe Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
BY S TON E BROW N '17
Birdman follows the strug-gle of former movie star super-hero Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who is preparing an ambitious Broadway production that he hopes will bring his slug-gish career back to life. It’s a risky and creative venture. Courage, creativity, unwavering determi-nation, and of course relational strains, are interwoven themes laced throughout the movie, as Keaton takes a major risk on his stellar comeback.
Injury of one of the main leads forces Thomson to hire a new actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), whose purpose is to salvage and bring vivacity and a felt sense of realism to the perfor-
mance. Keaton delivers a fantastic
depiction of Riggan Thomson. Much of his riveting performance is derived from personal experi-ence. Riggan Thomson is bat-tling between doing what’s right or doing what’s easy and invites the audience to consider, do you try and be the well appreciated actor you know you can be, or do you sell out and become the Birdman again?
There are no forgettable per-formances in this movie; Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Michael Keaton, and Emma Stone give astounding and very memorable renderings. The movie excels in its cinematography, filmed to look
as if it was taken in one long shot. Not only is the concept remark-ably original but also strikingly revolutionary, evoking the poi-gnant effect of bringing the audi-ence onto the stage and into the middle of the dilemma, an unfor-gettable treat.
An additional impressive feature in the movie is the refer-ences to pop culture. There are references to Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man, Ryan Gosling, Hurt Locker, etc. – a factor that allows you to feel more immersed in the Birdman universe. When you’re on the set of Riggan’s play, you feel as if you’re there backstage – a unique experience and rarity at the movie theater..
First Girls’ Basketball
The beginning of the sea-son focused a lot on learning new and old plays, getting fit, and learning to play together as a team. With a few new play-ers joining the team and earning starting positions, the chemis-try on the court is vital to the team’s success. The other heavily focused aspect of the season in December involved a lot of fit-ness with new Assistant Coach, Corinne. Werner (also known as CDubs). Before heading off for winter break, the team spent a
few more days together on cam-pus at the St. George’s basketball tournament in Rhode Island. Between supporting the boys’ basketball team in their tourna-ment at Loomis, team meals, and intense games of lazer tag and salad bowl, the team enjoyed a lot of bonding before heading off for winter vacation. Going into the New Year with a 2-4-0 record, the team hopes to secure a few more wins and finish out a great season.
First Boys’ Squash
1st Boys Squash has shown great promise so far this win-ter season in the two matches played. The team came out strong in thefirst match against Salisbury with a 6-1 win and then had a tough match against Loomis, 1-6; all matches were well-played and the team showed
their potential for the rest of the season. Although the team only has two returning players from the previous year, all new players have shown that they are willing and capable to compete at the 1st team level. The team’s bond is strong which will help win many matches in the future.
Movie Review: Theory of EverythingBY SH E L BY G A M BL E '15
The Theory of Everything, d i r e c t e d by Ja me s M a r sh (Wisconsin Death Trip, Man on Wire), is based on Jane Hawking’s autobiography Travel l ing to Infinity: My Life with Stephen. The f ilm begins at the end of Stephen Hawking’s studies at Cambridge University in the 1960s. Marsh sets up a fairy-tale atmosphere wherein Stephen and Jane, a literature student, fall in love. This charming ambience is suddenly shaken when Stephen is diagnosed with motor neuron disease, a degenerative condition that gradually destroys voluntary
muscle activity. Although Stephen is given only 2 to 5 years to live, Jane remains committed to him, and he continues to forge on with his study of physics.
The rest of the film’s time-line moves quite quickly, and as Stephen and Jane’s family expands and his career progress, so too does his disease. Eddie Redmayne (Red, Richard II, Les Miserables) pulls off a stunning performance. In a Daily Show interview, he describes visiting an ALS center to learn exactly how the disease affected muscular action, and how touched he was by the open-
ness of the patients. His research and commitment to the role pays off big time; it’s often hard to believe that level of incredible stiffness is merely acting! Felicity Jones (The Tempest, Like Crazy, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) plays the role of Jane Hawking, and although her role did not require the same level of physical intensity, it is just as impressive. Her emotional portrayal of a wife and mother burdened with the exhausting task of taking care of a family practically all by herself leaves a lasting impression.
Flood-Marr Tournament ReviewBY K Y L E K E I R'15
Every year during Winter break, the Westminster First Boys’ hockey team takes part in the Flood-Marr Hol iday Tournament. This year marks the prestigious and well-established tournament’s 50th anniversary. Taking part in the tournament are the Noble and Greenough School, Hotchk is s , Phi l l ips A ndover Ac ademy, Mi lton Academy, Deerf ield Academy, K i mb a l l Un ion A c a de my, Sa l i sbur y, and Westminster School. The games were fiercely competitive and exciting.
This year, Westminster was placed in the Owen Division and was slated to play Milton, Hotchkiss, and Phillips Andover. Westminster was required to have the best record within its division in order to advance to the cham-pionship game. The Westminster First Boys’ team swept the first three opponents they faced. They beat Milton with a score of 5-2, Hotchkiss with a score of 2-1, and finally Phillips Andover with a score of 2-0. By outscoring their division challengers 9-3, they set themselves up for a game against
Salisbury School, the reigning New England Champion hockey team. Salisbury was undefeated in the Harding division, trouncing every opponent they faced as well.
The championship game be t ween We s t m i n s t e r a nd Salisbury set up to be a battle bet ween t wo h igh-powered teams, both of which were rear-ing to stake claim to the coveted Flood-Marr trophy.The teams squared off at Flood Rink at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts at two o’clock in the afternoon. Although the game was tied going into the third period, Salisbury managed to land the puck in the net midway through the last peri-od and skated away with the win after driving home an empty-net goal with one second remaining. Despite fighting hard until the last whistle, the Martlets could not pull away with the champion-ship victory this year. However, Westminster did come through this tough holiday tournament with a 3-1 record, pushing them to 6-2 overall. They have played with a high level of intensity and
will need to continue to do so in order to succeed through the heart of their schedule.
The First Boys’ hockey team showed great dedication to their sport and school by spending part of their Winter break at this pres-tigious Boston area tournament. Such commitment is a testament to the school’s motto, “grit and grace”. The success that the team has had to date has been pro-duced by the time and effort put forth on the ice. However, it is not only the boys’ hockey team that illustrates this type of commit-ment. Every other Westminster winter team is just as passionate about his or her sport. This leads to camaraderie on the court, in the pool and in the rink.
The Flood-Marr holiday tournament is just one example of the desire Westminster athletes have to play and succeed for their school.
CONTRIBUTOR
STAFF WRITER
Steven GerrardFrom Liverpool to America
BY GUS TAVS GE R K I NS '15SPORTS EDITOR
Steven Gerrard is coming to America.
Many FC Liverpool fans burst into tears when they heard that their beloved captain is leav-ing Liverpool after this season, having joining the team in 1998. Since then, Gerrard has become an icon of Liverpool – scoring 180 goals and winning 8 trophies with the club. Leaving the club for him has been by no means easy: “This has been the toughest decision of my life and one which both me and my family have agonized over for a good deal of time.”
Even though Gerrard has had an illustrious career in Liverpool, he will leave with some unac-complished goals – the Premier League trophy is something that Gerrard wil l probably never hold in his hands. Currently Liverpool stands in 8th posi-tion in the Premier League, so there is not much of a hope that he will walk away with the title. Not winning the title is also prob-ably the reason Gerrard has not left earlier, but now he feels that this is a nearly impossible task for Liverpool and has decided to move on.
While the British are mourn-
ing, the Americans are celebrat-ing. Steven Gerrard will join a solid list of British players tak-ing their talents to Major League Soccer. The most notable was probably David Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy at the age of 32. While he did not play as well as in his glory days, Beckham defi-nitely helped with raising the pro-file for soccer in United States. Ironically, Gerrard is most heavily linked with the same exact club and is expected to join after leav-ing Liverpool. This will definitely help American soccer, as it has proved its power over the last cou-ple of years to attract world class players.
As for Gerrard, from all that has been said about him after the announcement, these are the sen-timents of Liverpool’s manager Brendan Rodgers: “Steven came to see me and promised that he would be 100 percent behind me and do everything he could to help as we looked to introduce new ideas and a new way of work-ing. He wasn’t just true to his word, he vastly exceeded it. As a leader and as a man, he is proba-bly incomparable to anyone I have ever worked with”
Team hopes winter workouts lead to success BY M EG R ICH A R D '15
CONTRIBUTOR
A young but determined teamBY C A L DW E L L PE R K I NS '15
CONTRIBUTOR
PETER DECOTEAU PETER DECOTEAU
CONTRIBUTOR
Contributive ActivitiesWhich activities contribute most to Westminster’s sense of community?
BY H Y EON JO JEONG '17
Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsBY S A R A H POL I NG '16
On February 20th, 21st, and 22nd, Westminster Dramat will perform the musical “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” Taking place in the French Riviera, the come-dic musical is characterized by a jazzy score by David Yazbek. The musical is based off of the 1988 MGM film starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine and is filled with mischief and sudden, hilari-ous plot twists. Mr. Rasheed, the director, said the musical is “like a bunch of Saturday Night Live skits put to music, but still man-ages to be very charming.” Emma Alfeld '16, who plays Jolene in the musical, describes the musical as having “raunchy humor that will make you laugh, and charac-ters that will leave you chuckling and cringing at the same time.” She also said that the “unexpect-ed twists and turns in plot cause mystery and suspense, which all lead to an ending that will leave the audience shocked.”
The songs in the musical have jazz influences and generally upbeat tunes. Mr. Chrzanowski, director of music, teaches the songs to the cast. Eventually, the music and acting are married together. Mr. Rasheed says that one of the hardest things about directing a musical is that people tend to stop acting when they start singing, but in reality they should act more when they are singing to convey the emotions of the songs.
The musical has a mixed cast of veterans of the stage and people that have never been in a
Westminster production before. Mr. Rasheed describes working with the new people as surprising-ly fun. Despite needing some help with the acting, the new actors are rising to the challenges of the musical and facing them with the right attitude. Mr. Rasheed says that the show doesn’t seem hard on the page, but its complexity is revealed when the cast starts running the scenes. He also says that this musical, and the cast, is giving him a lot to be happy about and working on a show like this makes him appreciate what he does.
The members of the cast are not the only people hard at work on the musical; the technical crew is also contributing lots of time and energy to make the sets, mas-ter the lighting, and memorize all the cues. Nicole Fox '16, a member of the crew says that she loves working on the sets because the students are given lots of cre-ative control and get to choose what they want to build based on what interests them. She says she has been doing a lot of paint-ing recently, because she loves it. Also, Fox says that a perk of being in the crew is that it is a great group of students who are all friends and work well together. In the end, it is essential for the actors and the tech crew to work together in order for the show to run smoothly. The musical will be engaging and hilarious with lots of plot twists being thrown at the audience, so be sure to come see it in February! !
COURTESY OF WESTMINSTER-SCHOOL.ORG
Mandatory extracurricular activities are an important part of Westminster student life. Although all of the activities contribute to our community, some are more beloved than others.
According to a school-wide survey, 85% of students said that after-school activities (namely sports, dra-mat, and community service) are of the most import to our community. 46% of students replied that chapel-talks were the most significant, and 44% declared the importance of visiting speakers. Westminster offers many choices for afternoon activities, including sports, theater, community service, etc. These activities give students a break from school and allow them to meet new friends outside of the classroom. Also, athletic teams compete in matches for Westminster School in order to achieve honor and glory. Theater performanc-es also provide the school with enjoyable art performances. Likewise, chapel talks allow our community to have an opportunity to learn about different people’s experiences. Since our community has students from diverse backgrounds, listening to people’s fascinating experiences/ideas helps us to better understand our community. Visiting speakers are also very interesting and teach us vital lessons that are important to high school students’ careers. Interaction with professionals from different backgrounds can give us more opportu-nity to ponder our futures.
On the other hand, 56% of respondants said that the work programs are the least contributive to the school community. Washing dishes in Pit, cleaning classrooms, and tidying libraries can be a tedious work to do after school. Work programs are intended for students to give back to the community and increase responsibility as a community member. However, the statistics showed that many people disapproved of the work programs because they are tedious, sometimes dirty, and time-consuming. Commitment to Pit is most students’ fear because it is difficult to stay in the dish room for a long time, when there is a lot of work to do, and washing dishes is not the most enjoyable thing to do. In addition, 52% of the school community voted that family-style dinner does not contribute as much to the community as other activities. It suggests that the awkward conversations may not necessarily help our community to know each other better. Also, some boarders voiced that they wish day students could be part of family-style dinner. Lastly, 38% said that he idea of awarding the students who performed well during the term is very promising, but after a few terms, one can see how repetitive and long they are. Mostly, the same people receive the awards and it can exclude some students or athletes that worked hard, but do not get recognized by the community.
All activities do meet our four core values of “community, character, balance and involvement”, but we have to consider the communities’ opinions on these activities and make changes if possible
ASSISTANT LAYOUT EDITOR
STAFF WRITER
50 rounds with their automatic rif les, shouting “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.” Following the attack, and during the manhunt for the two suspects, the French government raised its terror alert to its highest level and deployed military units in the Île-de-France district. On January 9, police tracked the two assailants to an industrial estate in Dammartin-en-Goële, where the terrorists had taken a hostage. The siege lasted for around eight to nine hours, culminating in a tactical effort by police to appre-
hend the subjects by landing on the roof of the building. However, before the officers could reach the two men, the pair ran out of the building and opened fire on the surrounding police. The brothers, who had expressed their wishes to die as martyrs, were gunned down. A cache of weapons was later found near the scene.
A series of separate but not unrelated attacks also occurred within a week of the Charlie Hebdo shooting, including the hostage takeover of a supermarket at Port de Vincennes in east Paris,
which culminated in the deaths of three terrorists and four civilians.
In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack, the phrase “Je suis Charlie,” French for “I am Charlie” has been displayed across the globe as a sympathetic message of support and solidar-ity. On Sunday, January 11, 3.7 million people, including leaders from around the world, marched in anti-terrorism rallies in Paris and other French locales. The day was emotional and peaceful, a gesture of unity in the wake of fear and bloodshed. Prominent
politicians present at the ral-lies included: French President Fra ncoi s Hol la nde , Br it i sh Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancel lor A ngela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and the unlike-ly duo of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. President Barack Obama was not present at these demonstrations.
Muslims around the world have condemned the actions of the Islamist terrorists as sac-
ri legious and barbaric . And despite the terrible losses of edi-tor “Charb” and so many other employe e s , C har l i e Hebd o is back on its feet, fighting for their inalienable, irrefutable, and eternal freedom of speech. The magazine’s latest cover shows a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad weeping while hold-ing a sign saying “I am Charlie”, and below the headline “All is for-given.” Five million copies of this magazine have already been pro-duced.!
Charlie HebdoContinued from Page 1
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Wednesday January 21, 2015 7
THE WESTMINSTER NEWS, Wednesday January 21, 20158
So Easy . . .BY JE R E M Y M A SON '16
STAFF WRITER
Independent Studies in Creative Writing is a class that explores all kinds of creative writing from traditional stories, essays, and poems, to blogging, play writing, and even songwriting. This class takes advantage of the many opportunities offered to Westminster students, as well as the ever eventful surrounding area. Mr. Cervas is in charge of the class. This year’s students include Shelby Gamble '15, Aubrey Moulton '15, and recent exchange student Jake Solomon '15. For our class, we read literary journals, subscribe to a daily poetry service, and post works in progress to our Haiku page. Often, we will share pieces of writing we enjoyed on the “poem-of-the-day” whiteboard, which can be found in the English department wing of Armour.
We also head into Hartford for as many literary readings, concerts, and museum exhibitions as possible. One particularly memorable event was visiting the Wadsworth Atheneum to hear state poet laure-ates from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut read. It was a wonderful evening of diverse poetry that included comical lan-guage experiments, thought-provoking reflections, and stunning pieces with beautiful rhythms and sounds.
All of us are working on expanding our bodies of work in prepa-ration for an upcoming Friday Night Reading here at Westminster. Students and faculty who wish to stretch their creative muscles can submit their pieces to The Martlet, the literary and art magazine we’ll be compiling in the spring term.
The following student shared a couple of fun facts that he/she thought no one would know about him/her. Can you guess who it is?
1) This person used to run a baking business.2) He / She used to do diving off a 1m board.3) He / She has never been out of the country.4) Frozen is his/her favorite movie.5) He/She used to be in a band called “Pradiggy” 6) His/Her band made an album with his/her cousin in middle
school featuring a song called “Numbah One Girl”.
The answer to December’s riddle is: DAVID
While sitting in the library with Kevin Choi, I received the following email: “Newspaper arti-cles due this week!” After giving long thought as to what I should create, I petitioned Kevin for an idea:
“Hey Kevin… What should I make for the newspaper?”
“A nuke,” he replied sarcasti-cally.
A nd t hu s , t h i s c om ic exchange then led to a Pintrist search for “nuke recipes”. To my surprise, hundreds of easy micro-wave recipes instantly appeared! Finally, after scrolling through countless recipes, I settled on this easy microwave, or “nuked”, quiche recipe. Enjoy!
• 1 large egg• 1 1/2 tablespoons whole
milk• 1/2 tablespoon butter• A pinch of salt• A pinch of pepperAdd vegetables and cheese to
desire Obtain a coffee mug and
place the butter in it. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until melted. Add egg and milk; mix until egg whites have broken. Add any cheese or vegetables and place back in microwave for 1 minute on high.
And there you have “Quiche in a Mug”! You can easily make this at breakfast by simply asking whoever is at the flat top to crack an egg into your coffee cup.
Dear Sage, My best friend lives in Cushing and I live in Gund,
and sometimes it feels like we are so apart. Last week she called me at 2 a.m. because I was still awake and she asked me to help her unravel her latest mistake. She said win-ter just isn’t her season! She feels like “she walks through doors and feels so criticized, but thinks the critics are all such hypocrites, here for the very same reason” (maybe she means school?) What can I do to help her when she calls and needs to breathe?
– 2 a.m. Dear 2 a.m., Wow that sounds quite dramatic! It really sounds
like she needs to just take a deep breath. You just need to remind her that life’s “like an hourglass that’s glued to the table and that no one can find the rewind button” and she just needs to keep moving forward since she can’t jump the track. And most importantly, she “can cradle her head in her hands and just breathe.”
– Sage
Dear Sage, So I play basketball and it’s my passion. Ball IS life
but lately I’ve been struggling to find my swag. Last year I so swagged out nobody could stop me, but this year I just have no confidence out on the court! Coach says “to fake right and break left, watch out for the pick and keep an eye out for the defense.” He always says, “don’t be afraid” but I AM afraid! I know I just need to get my head in the game. I also auditioned for the musical and it’s all I can think about! Sometimes I feel like I have my head in the game but my heart in the song. What can I do to get my head back in the game and get back to the life of a baller?
– Not In It To Win It Dear Not In It To Win It, Your coach is right, don’t be afraid! If ball is life then
you just got to get your head in the game and go after it. As for the musical, you can still play basketball and have your heart in the song! Just make sure to get that rebound for that second chance, and just hit all the right notes. And remember, you just got to get your head in the game.
– Sage
Dear Sage, What is it with this school and nicknames? There
are so many and it feels like everybody has such a great one that everyone uses, even teachers! One of my coaches gave me a nickname one day in practice and it stuck! My entire team uses it and I hate it, but at such a small school, the name spread and now almost everyone is using it. I’ve said, “say my name, and say my name!” But they’re all act-ing kind of shady; I don’t understand the sudden change. What can I do?
– Say My Name Dear Say My Name, Nicknames can be rough sometimes. Maybe try talk-
ing to your coach and ask that they call you by your given name at practice, so that the team will get out of the habit of doing so. OR to be super effective, start singing “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child and not only will you entertain, but you will get your point across in a memorable fashion.
– Sage
It happens to all of us: one of the artists that we love dearly puts out a new song or album that sounds, just, different than what we are used to hearing from them. It is then that we are faced with the tough choice: do we give it a chance, or jump ship?
I encountered this recently, when Fall Out Boy released a few songs from their upcoming album American Beauty/American Psycho and I realized that 2015 Fall Out Boy sounded a lot different than 2005 Fall Out Boy.
I (not surprisingly) loved it anyway, but as I read through posts and reviews online, I discovered that a lot of fans felt as though they didn’t want a change, and were deciding that maybe it was best if they didn’t spend their time and money on music that no longer resonated with them. This intrigued me, and I asked myself the question, how do Westies feel?
I asked various Martlets the same question: if one of your favorite artists decided to change their sound, you would give it a chance or simply jump ship? The results surprised me. On average, out of every five students asked, three said they would stick it out, and two said they wouldn’t bother with it.
“It’s not really a question for me. If I’ve loved them up until that point, I’ll probably like their future stuff, even if it’s in a different way. I think I’d at least give it a chance,” one student expressed.
Another countered with, “I mean, if it was really different, yeah, I’d probably just give up. I don’t want to waste my time on it anymore when there is tons of other stuff out there that is the kind of stuff I like, and am looking for. That’s just what makes the most sense to me.”
In the end, what did I learn? Well, I learned that there is no right answer. It boils down to simple personal preference, and, at Westminster, there exists a nice balance.
Dear Sage
Fall Out Boy’s ReleaseCan a band change it’s tune?
BY H A DL E Y SM I T H '15STAFF WRITER & COLUMNIST
Guess Who?BY CC LY NCH'15
FEATURES EDITOR
An Indepedent Study in Creative Writing
BY SH E L BY G A M BL E '15 & AU BR E Y MOU LTON '15 STAFF WRITER & ARTS EDITOR
