November 2010 Issue

the Parish Episcopal News vol. VI issue 2 | november 2010 | 4101 sigma rd., dallas tx, 75244

a perfect parishparish

sperry’ssperry’sThe new switch to Sperry’s this year, isn’t mandatory but it is defi nitely preferred. Many people have purchased the new uniform option and it has been a popular, comfortable option. Other than the occasional comment that they wear down too easily, many of us can thank Mrs. Bernard for the new option.

advisor DEBBIE POCHMANNeditor-in-chief MEREDITH CAREY

managing editor MICHAEL WILSONmanaging editor TEHJAL SURIopinion editor SHELBY KLING

design editor JASMINE FLOWERSentertainment editor ALEX FINEnews editor CATHERINE STACK

contributorsPRESTON HARRISON

TEAL COOPERADITYA RAJAN

MADISON VAN DE HEYZANDER MAPES

SARAH ROSENBERG

As a student-produced high school newsmagazine, Th e PEN seeks to highlight notable students, faculty and events within and around the Parish community. Th e PEN strives to inspire the Parish community through dynam-ic subject matter and innovative style, through both print editions and an online supplement, newsfromthepen.com. An editorial without a byline refl ects the opinion of Th e PEN, while an editorial or column including a byline represents that of the credited author. Neither necessarily echoes the view-point of the Parish community. By way of its standards, Th e PEN aspires to embody the Parish mission, “wisdom, honor, service.”Th e PEN welcomes all contributions. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] or delivered to the journalism offi ce, 4042.

pete’sperspective

Pete’s Perspective ranks Parish activities, student style and things-about-town on a scale from Pete’s Perspective ranks Parish activities, student style and things-about-town on a scale from one paw to fi ve paws, one paw representing a low opinion and fi ve paws refl ecting a high opinion.one paw to fi ve paws, one paw representing a low opinion and fi ve paws refl ecting a high opinion.

madison van de heycontributor

parish news

senior tailgatesenior tailgate

Senior parents and Parish faculty represent their alma maters at the fi rst offi cial senior lunch while seniors talk about their plans of attending college. While discussing plans for the future, they enjoyed tasty foods, like barbeque,donut cake, and jambalaya

legacy eventlegacy event

Wisdom 16 decorated pennants, foam fi ngers, and megaphones with Parish cheers and slogans in recognition of Homecoming along with the other Legacy groups at the fi rst Legacy event of the year.

spirit week themesspirit week themesFor those of us who didn’t feel like pulling out our wallets to purchase costumes this year, Spirit Week was a little hard to dress up for. Aside from TV character day, gathering up items around your house could only win you so many spirit points.

going green going green The new video screen in the chapel has been used every day to show pictures and videos related to the Homily. This has seemed to make students and teachers more attentive, and brighten up the chapel services. Since Parish is attempting to be a “green school,” maybe one day we could even put up the hymn lyrics on the board.

William Long and his fellow Parish Singers perform “Great Balls of Fire” in the Choir Concert on November 2nd. A huge hit with both the students and faculty, the concert also included songs such as “Say A Little Prayer for You” and “Cowboy Cassanova ”

choir choir concertconcert

Pete’s Perspective ranks Parish activities, student style and things-about-town on a scale from one paw to fi ve paws, one paw representing a low opinion and fi ve paws refl ecting a high opinion.

newsfromthepen com | 3

stack spots ssppiirriitt

11 22 33

44

55 66 77 88

99 1010 1111

11 Alec Thoveson (’11) and John Rector (’12) show of their bling to the judges on Bling Day; 22 Larson McQuary, Alexis Richter, and Taryn Dandurand (’12) pose of Wild West Day; 33 Sophomores and Kai Assoun (’14) pulled out all the stops as the cast of Glee; 44 Class representatives await the judges ver-dict on Wild West Day; 5 5 Nico Padilla (’12) carries Dru Smith (’13) into the Pep Rally; 66 Aubrey Moraif (’11) and Ryan Baldwin (’11) pose on the senior’sDisney themed day; 77 Lauren Gonzalez (‘12) and Julianne Jacobs (‘13) perform with the cheerleaders at the Homecoming Pep Rally ; 88 Asante Williams (’11) poses as Steve Urkel TV Character Day; 9 9 Cooper Lyon (’13) and Quinton Oliver (’13) celebrate their win for the sophomore class; 10 10 Mr. Kondysar and Will Hall (’11) show off their Super Panther Spirit in AP Calculus; 1111 Sophomores cast spells in class on their Harry Potter themed day

photos by| meredith carey, taryn dandurand, wiley william


grandfriends day no longer draws interest

michael wilsonmanaging editor

grandfriends turn out in droves in the middle and elementary schools to sit in on classes and check their grandchildren’s progress, but in the up-per school, few, if any, grandfriends visit on this day.

{editorial}

randparents are the only people in the world who can show a picture of their grandchil-dren faster than a senior can sign out for off-campus lunch. Through life stories and advice, they help raise and shape us into the

men and women we will become. Some say it takes a village to raise a child, but only grandparents or grand-friends can make a child feel as though they waited all day to see just them and now their day was complete. Since kindergarten Parish has welcomed grand-friends into our school lives for half the day. Now in high school, several students and faculty-members ask the question, “After a decade, should we still celebrate Grandfriends’ Day in high school?” Many suggest grandfriends should be able to visit, but only for chapel. Oth-ers propose we alter the schedule and limit grandfriends visits to two classes. Several, simply put, believe the day should not exist in Upper School. Because the schedule completely changed lesson plans for teachers in the past, junior Mason Reiter believes “grandfriends shouldn’t have to come to Parish for not even one class.” After multiple years of Grandfriends’ Day, fewer attend each year. Freshman Abby Jennings believes Grandfriends’ Day should end in Upper School because “not many people participate and it is more for the

younger students.” Some students think Grandfriends’ Day should re-main. Senior Mahek Wazirali said, “It’s a way to show grandfriends what is going on in the school and how much we appreciate them.”Head of Upper School Mark Miner explains, “We are trying to fi nd the balance of welcoming the grand-friends without disrupting Upper School for the small number of grandfriends who do attend.” By seeing many grandfriends enthusiastically support their grandchildren in plays, athletic events, and some-times even running carpool for busy parents, Assistant Head of Upper School for Student Life Linda Bernard

has a unique viewpoint. Mrs. Bernard says, “Like many things in life, this is not about us; it is about the other person.” No matter what Mrs. Ber-nard believes, “If a grand-friend wants to visit Parishand see the type of educa-tion their grandchild is fortunate enough to have, then we should welcome

them with open arms.” The majority of people who question whether Grandfriends’ Day should remain in the Upper School think of how it hurts or benefi ts themselves and not the grandfriends visiting. Regardless of the opinions concerning Grandfriends’ Day, everyone in the Par-ish community is thankful for the signifi cant roles each grandfriend plays in our everyday lives.

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We are trying to fi nd the balance of welcoming the grandfriends without disrupting Upper School.

“”


can you fail religion?

shelby klingopinions editor

Most of us have thought to our-selves at least once, “How awe-some would it be if religion were pass-fail?” We complain with our friends, asking why and how a subjective class can be graded fairly. We ask why an elective has so much weight, but don’t realize religion classes are con-sidered academic.We gripe, but we never ask the source for an answer. Maybe we are too lazy or maybe we are scared of being turned down once and for all. Maybe we want to suggest mak-ing a change, but we never speak up. Until now. I spoke to Ms. Michelle Lyon, Mr. David Parks and Dr. Stuart Chepey. My fi rst question was “Would you consider making religion courses pass-fail?” Their immediate answers mirrored my expectations. I received three echoes of “No,” which I followed with “Why?” They seemed sur-prised and each took a moment to process. It seemed their an-swers were impulsive but none was sure why they responded so instinctively. After careful consideration, Mr. Parks answered my “why”, explaining that “Americans are religiously ignorant.” He also believes motivation to put effort

into a subject goes down sig-nifi cantly once the subject is no longer taken for a grade. He understands that pass-fail classes lessen worries over grades, but Dr. Chepey said, “Grades shouldn’t be a concern . . . [Parish is] ‘college prep’ and because of modern circumstanc-es, religion should be approached

like any other academic subject.” Their justifi cations altered my purpose, shifting from “religion should be pass-fail” to “How are and how should religion courses be graded?” Ms. Lyon recognized that she isn’t sure where the lines are between subjectively and objec-tively grading a religion class. She questions if essays in such classes are always graded on con-tent versus writing style, saying “What does an 83 mean?”

Dr. Chepey told me he doesn’t use a rubric but instead compares essays side-by-side. Hqualifi es that “admittedly, it’s a little loose.” As a result of my queries, Dr. Chepey explained his grading process to his classesthe next day to ease some doubtof objectivity. As I dug a little deeper into the reasoning behind continu-ing to grade religion courses, MrParks let loose some previously unknown information. Plans to create several more religion class options have been put intomotion. He didn’t reveal which classes might be in the works, but, possibly beginning next year, students will have more ofa choice of which classes they want to take. Perhaps a class in which students study the New Testament will be of interest or class that focuses on more un-common religions could capturea student’s attention. The administration appears to have heard our frustrations with the religion department anis now acting on the grumbles. Maybe soon students won’t needthe assurances provided by a class graded as pass-fail. Maybe classes tailored to student inter-ests will be suffi cient motivation

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{profile}

toi collins maddie jonesrob hankins

the power of

rob hankinsnsTS:TS: How long have you played football?RB:RB: Since I was 10, when I was in fi fth grade. TS:TS: What’s your favorite part about playing?RB:RB: Well it’s gettin’ me into college . . . for free!TS:TS: Was that always your aim?RB:RB: When I started to play football, I made that my goal—to be a collegiate athlete. And it’s pretty cool that I’ve now accomplished that goal. TS: TS: Where were you offered Where were you offered scholarships?scholarships?RB: RB: I had over 30 offers, in-I had over 30 offers, in-cluding Notre Dame, Berkeley, cluding Notre Dame, Berkeley, Stanford, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Stanford, Vanderbilt, UCLA, USC, Miami, Nebraska, A&M, USC, Miami, Nebraska, A&M, Oregon. Okay, I think that’s Oregon. Okay, I think that’s enough . . ..enough . . ..TS:TS: So everyone wants to know, So everyone wants to know, why’d you pick Arizona out of why’d you pick Arizona out of all of these offers?all of these offers?RB:RB: Well, I took 11 college vis- Well, I took 11 college vis-its and when I went to Arizona, its and when I went to Arizona, I felt more at home there than I felt more at home there than anywhere else. As far as fi t-anywhere else. As far as fi t-ting in with regard to location, ting in with regard to location, people, coaches and the football people, coaches and the football team, I just could see myself fi t-team, I just could see myself fi t-ting in at Arizona the best.ting in at Arizona the best.

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TS:TS: How long have you played volleybal?TC:TC: For seven years.TS:TS: What’s your favorite part about playing?TC:TC: After you get a kill or block, you feel like you’re on top of the world, like you’re a star just for that moment.TS:TS: Where do you want to play in college and why?TC:TC: OU because I know they have a good team and I think I could really fi t in with them.TS: TS: How are you feeling after How are you feeling after the championship game?the championship game?TC: TC: I was sad and cried a lot. I was sad and cried a lot. I thought we had them [the I thought we had them [the other team]. We were the bet-other team]. We were the bet-ter team. Coach talked to us ter team. Coach talked to us and I realized I was a senior and I realized I was a senior and I cried even more. I was and I cried even more. I was really mad. We didn’t have any really mad. We didn’t have any fl aws—we just didn’t fi nish.fl aws—we just didn’t fi nish.TS:TS: What are you going to miss What are you going to miss about your experience at Par-about your experience at Par-ish?ish?TC:TC: I’ll miss all the goofy things I’ll miss all the goofy things we do in practice—especially we do in practice—especially how Amshi, Taylor and I al-how Amshi, Taylor and I al-ways danced to the music and ways danced to the music and we would joke around and hit we would joke around and hit each other. each other.

TS:TS: How long have you run cross country?MJ:MJ: I joined the Parish cross-country team freshman year in high school.TS:TS: Why did you join the team in the fi rst place?MJ:MJ: I like to run. I’ve always played soccer and my dad noticed I was good at running, so he told me to try running for cross country. I ended up liking it so I stuck with it. TS:TS: What’s your favorite part about the sport?MJ:MJ: I like how it’s an individ-ual sport, so you have to push yourself. But then, at the same time, you get to be with all your friends and you’re all working hard together. And after the races, I get a rewarding feeling, like I accomplished something big today.TS: TS: What do you not like about What do you not like about the sport?the sport?MJ: MJ: It’s really hard work—like It’s really hard work—like every day in practices we have every day in practices we have to run at least four miles! But to run at least four miles! But it’s still all worth it.it’s still all worth it.TS:TS: Plans to run in college? Plans to run in college?MJ: MJ: Ha—no way! I would defi -Ha—no way! I would defi -nitely burn out real easily. nitely burn out real easily.


michael wilsonmanaging editor

Q: Where does your subject in art come from and how do you work?

A: I guess my subjects in art come from my sur-roundings, and I just work. Just grab a pencil and startdrawing or painting.

A: My purpose of drawing really depends on what Ifeel like I want ot do at the momoent. Like not all writers come up with some purpose every time, unless theyare stuck by an idea.

Q: Why do you make drawings? What is your purpose?

Q: What awards have you earned?

A: I don’t remember all of the contests I have en-tered, but I guess my biggest accolade would be the onI earned last year. It’s the Congressional Contest (Dis-trict) First Place.

Q: How long have you been drawing?

A: I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember. I’ve been drawing people ever since I was able to pick up a crayon, and my masterpiece would be the T-Rex I drew on my living room wall with a purple crayon. And no, I wasn’t trying to draw Barney. I was inspiredby that “Land Before Time” series.

A: My advice for younger artists is keep dreaming!And keep a positive mind. It brings you luck!

Q: What advice do you have to younger artists?

VIP:esther kimVIP:esther kim

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Q if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I hate my noseTo not wear glasses

I wouldn’t want to be so hard on myselfI wish I had bigger nostrils

I wish I had a normal size mouthI wish I had a third leg

I love me just the way I am

To not be so judgmental

the perception of

celebrities and body imageWhen I sat down to write this, I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. Sure, celebrity body issues are plastered on the cover of practically every tabloid in the grocery store, but how much infl uence do their insecurities have over us? It really hit me when I was watch-ing TV the other day. I was fl ipping through the channels and stopped on a commercial on E!. It promoted a new reality show called “Bridalplasty.” Sounds a lot like rhinoplasty (a.k.a. a nose job), right? The premise of the show is brides-to-be compete for a chance to get a complete makeover, courtesy of cosmetic surgery. I checked it out and “Bridalplasty” is the fi rst TV show to offer plastic surgery as a prize. These brides have a groom who loves them for who they are, not who they are going to be after they have their bodies adjusted. A celebrity has been legally barred

from getting any more work done on her body after ten surgeries at one time. Arriving at such an extreme, I believe we are walking a tightrope, where at any second teenagers across the globe may decide that they way they look is simply not good enough. Celebrities are supposed to be people we look up to, role models who use their success to help others, illuminate causes and pro-vide entertainment, not people who use their fame to show off the latest chemi-cal injection or silicone implant. But really, I can’t blame it on the ce-lebrities, just like I can’t blame the girls and boys who turn to bulimia, anorexia and surgery. It’s pressure—pressure from magazines that expect only the best on their covers, so they slim every inch of their cover model. It’s pres-sure for boys to be buff and girls to be rail thin. It’s a pressure that projects an overarching view that sends children, teens and adults to the hospital. An-orexia bulimia failed plastic surgeries

depression and other results of a kind ofpeer pressure are effects of the barrage of altered images we see each day on covers of magazine, on TV and on the silver screen. On top of that, a diagnosable disease called Body Dysmorphic Disor-der, can plague those who are controlled by imaginary defects that they “see” on their bodies. The message from celebrities needs to change. No, we can’t ask them to be completely confi dent in how they look every single day. We need them just to be themselves, vulner-able and honest, so that being yourself is the newest trend

on meredith’s mind:meredith careyeditor-in-chief

{feature}

She has blonde hair She has blonde hair and blue eyes. She fi ts and blue eyes. She fi ts the body measurements the body measurements 36-18-33. She is the one 36-18-33. She is the one most girls try to be like. most girls try to be like. And yet, she doesn’t ex-And yet, she doesn’t ex-ist. She is ist. She is BarbieBarbie. . It’s true: many girls aspire to be as perfect as Barbie. But what does it mean to be perfect? The PEN decided to take an inside look at how Parish students would defi ne perfection. Senior Mahek Wazirali defi nes it as getting everything you want in life, whether it is physical or mental needs. Another senior, Aubrey Moraif, de-scribes perfection as something that we all pursue but can never reach. “It’s like the grass is greener on the other side,” Aubrey said. “But we never get to the other side.” However, junior Olivia Twining associates perfection with character rather than personality. She describes a person as perfect if he or she is nice to everyone and doesn’t intentionally hurt anyone. “Their actions are what make people perfect. It’s not at all based on what they look like,” she said. And yet, while all three girls de-scribe perfection as an individual urge to be characterized by a certain trait, senior Maui Puebla offers a boy’s view on the topic. “When I think of perfection, I think of society as a whole trying to be just that—perfect,” he said. “Rather than individually trying to be perfect, a so-ciety describes perfection. The perfect world would be Utopia.” While all four students had different views on their defi nition of perfection, all four do agree that there are unnec-essary pressures on both genders to be perfect. And all four blame society and the media. “Magazines accentuate what we don’t have as women rather than reward the qualities we do have. This leads women to feel insecure about themselves,” Mahek said. “It’s as if they try to get women to want to be better than they already are, which is ridicu-

lous.” Olivia agrees that media has a big role in distorting our society’s percep-tion of perfection. She thinks the media causes girls to think negatively about their bodies. “Advertisements are very demean-ing,” she said. “The pictures of women are portrayed as having perfect bodies, perfect hair, perfect everything. And what girls don’t know is that all these pictures are altered to look perfect. But that’s not really what most of America looks like.” Aubrey thinks that society has set a standard for girls and how perfect they should be. She believes this standard has been set in stone for many years, and girls haven’t thought about the extreme pressures these expectations have. “Since forever, girls have been pres-sured by society to live life a certain way,” she said. “We’re supposed to be socially ‘cool’ and have these amaz-ing boyfriends, get good grades and be

good at sports and other extracurricular activities. We’re pressured to be per-fect in all these areas. It gets to be too much.” Yet, Aubrey thinks media plays both a good and bad role in portraying perfection. She explains that it’s good since it sets a standard, a goal for every-one to reach. But then sometimes, that standard seems too extreme. “It’s bad because the media sets stan-dards that no one can ever achieve,” she said. “But then it’s good because now I know how to look good, other-wise I would come to school looking really weird.” Still, girls aren’t the only ones feel-ing the pressures from society. Maui vouches for the boys and explains how media sets higher standards than many can really meet. “Boys are pressured to be perfect in sports,” he said. “Our coaches and par-ents set these high standards so that we can do our best. But sometimes a coach can pressure us to strive to be perfect,

to strive to do better than we already possibly can.” And society isn’t the only one promoting perfection, as these students believe that even Parish seems to put some pressure on them. Mahek defi nes perfection also as a refl ection of our personality. Mahek believes that a strict dress uniform increases the perfection pressure by limiting a student’s ability to express their individuality.

“If a headband is too big or is the wrong color, we can’t wear it, which limits us,” she said. “These strict en-forcements on our uniform show they expect us to be perfect and restrict us from expressing our personality.” Olivia opens up to show just how much the effect of all this pressure has had on Parish girls. She describes these young women as being very thin and very beautiful, but they’re getting a lot of things done to them to make them look perfect. “So many girls have fake hair, fake nails, fake tans for events like home-coming, or even getting fake color contacts,” she said. “They’re constantly trying to change their image to fi t in. I know girls are on laxatives and diet pills, just trying to reach what society portrays as beauty.” Aubrey’s advice to someone trying to achieve perfection: good luck. She thinks that perfection is a two-edged sword. There’s the quote, “Shoot for the moon, because even if you miss you’ll land amongst the stars.” “So even if you shoot for perfection, even though you won’t reach it, you’ll still be really good at what you do or be,” Aubrey said. “But the problem is, you’re shooting for the moon, and you only make it to the stars. You become discouraged because you know that’s not what you really wanted—you re-ally wanted to be at the moon. “It’s admirable to want to be the best,” Aubrey said. “But when you expect too much of yourself, it’s dis-couraging. And, a lot of times, you end up quitting or hurting yourself along the way.”

tehjal surimanaging editor

“Our coaches and parents set these high standards so that we can do our best.”

“So many girls have fake hair, fake nails, fake tans”

Plenty of high-schoolers set their futures in motion based on the avail-ability of athletic scholarships or the strength of a varsity football team. I know at least fi ve people who are already talking about the race to get tickets to their future colleges’ football games. Then again, there are the kids who want to get away, far away, from football and basketball and soccer. They just want to revel in the col-lege experience, minus athletics. While the athleti-cally-minded students generally have a good idea of where to go for “normal” sports, those who want something more imaginative feel a bit lost. Well, I have excellent news. I’ve scoured college websites just for you to fi nd schools that think a bit outside of the wrestling ring and a little deeper inside the racquetball court. I’m sure I am correct in assuming that every high school student plans to join a wallyball team. Right? Or how about cornhole? Well, you all may roll your eyes when an ignorant person asks, “What are wallyball and corn-hole?” In case anyone reading this isn’t up-to-date, I should explain. Wallyball is a combination of handball (that’s racquetball with no racquet), tennis and volleyball. It follows the concepts of the three sports from which it was spawned and is actually quite diffi cult.

Cornhole, on the other hand, is a game of easily acquired skill and most of you have probably played it. It’s nothing more than a game of grown-up bean-bag toss. So, if you are competitive but are sick of traditional sports, head to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and join the wallyball team (Girls only. Sorry, guys!). And if you would like

to say you’re a varsity athlete but don’t want the time or skill commitment, you might con-

sider the cornhole team at Elon Uni-versity located in Elon, North Carolina. A bro’s idea of sports usually goes LAX LAX LAX, but never fear! Bros can fi ll their non-lacrosse hours with other athletic options. At Kenyon Col-lege in remote Gambier, Ohio, a prac-ticed video gamer can participate in the X-Box campus challenge. Only an intramural sport, it’s a good alternative to varsity. If a bro wants to be pum-meled but doesn’t like the thought of a male wrestling partner straddling him, he can consider Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and join the paintball team. Getting attacked was never so much fun. Girls, don’t think I’ve forgotten you. Perhaps you would like to become a synchronized skater. Well, Northwest-ern University in Evanston, Illinois is calling your name! You can satiate

your pre-teen longings to be Michelle Trachtenberg from Ice Princess. If you’re more of an adventurer, perhaps you should study up for those SATs so you can get into Harvard and join the ballooning club. That’s hot air balloon-ing. Being a ballooner means you get to fl y around in a colorful bubble, and it’s all university-funded. If none of the previous activities are enticing, perhaps you should jump on a plane and take a look at the varsity ta-ble tennis team at the Fashion Institute of Technology. FIT may be known for fashion, but they also support adver-tising, communications, fi ne arts and general design majors. If you have even one artsy bone in your body and a crav-ing for some Balls of Fury action, take a look at NYC and plan a trip to FIT. If you can’t take the cold, think about California and Pepperdine University’s surfi ng team. It’s a bit more athletic, but maybe your muscle memory of the balance beam at age seven will spring into action and you’ll learn to ride the waves with the best of Malibu. Whether you have the athletic prowess of an earthworm or are more akin to Hercules, you will be able to fend off the infamous Freshmen Fif-teen. You may go for a traditional varsity sport or instead choose a lesser-known activity, but there is no doubt every student can fi nd a suitable sport – on the soccer fi eld or in the balloon-ing basket.

college caravanone senior’s cross-country mission to fi nd the perfect college fi tshelby klingopinions editor


{columns}

stay tuned for part three shelby’s college search series

“You have the athletic prowess of an earthworm”

couple nights ago, I mindlessly “liked” a page on Facebook, “If

I could remember school work like I can remember lyrics I’d be a genius.” After suggesting it to practically all my friends, I thought, “How many songs can I spontaneously sing to, albeit not very well?” I grabbed my iPod and wandered over to my speakers, put-ting it on shuffl e and slowing browsing through my 2,000-odd songs. “If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it.” “Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world.” “It’s time to try defying gravity.” ”Goin’ coast to coast. Goin’ coast to coast.” “I used to rule the world. Seas would rise when I gave the word.” “I break all the rules like Evel Knievel. It’s a spectacular show, ‘cause my heart pumps diesel.” It was then that I realized that I could recite the lyrics to each and every one of the 2,319 songs that played through my iHome that day. And then it hit me. I regularly sing and hum when I’m bored, when I’m in the middle of a conversation that triggers a line of lyrics to spout from my mouth and when I really should be doing something other than listening to all of my songs on shuffl e. I interject jingles

from commercials into everyday con-versation. Movie and television quotes, everything from Mean Girls to Psych, come up almost every night at dinner. You would think that my brain was fi lled with information I had accumu-lated over the last 17 years I’ve spent reading, studying, learning, etc. But there is a far better chance that I’ll be able to regurgitate the lyrics to the latest 3OH!3 song more quickly than I can recall the Spanish vocabulary that I learned in class three weeks ago. Maybe what I need is a mental re-cycle bin. I could toss the unnecessary lyrics and random knowledge of Disney

princesses to make room for math equa-tions, literary terms, and the periodic table of elements. I could can the snip-pets of summer movie trailers, “Look at that fl uffy unicorn. It’s so fl uffy, I’m gonna die!”, and all of the other quotes, famous or not, that crowd my brain’s already packed memory bank. I mean really. In twenty years am I going to need to remember Dory’s “Just keep swimming. Just keep swim-ming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim.”? Or will I need to remember that Cupcake Wars is different than Cake Boss which is different than Ace of Cakes? Shouldn’t I be able to priori-tize what is in my brain? Or do I have

to continue singing Aladdin’s “A WholeNew World” every time that phrase comes up in a class or a conversation with my friends? But why would I remember these random tidbits if they weren’t impor-tant? Dory teaches me to persevere. And Miley, as weird or raunchy as her video is, pushes us to be ourselves and never be tamed. So maybe this really isn’t useless. Maybe the memories, lyrics and arbitrary information that I have compiled in my brain subcon-sciously teach me, lead me, mold me into believing that “a dream is a wish your heart makes.”

meredith careyeditor-in-chief

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Maybe what I need is a mental

recycle bin.”“

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art by esther kimnewsfromthepen com | 11


{entertainment}

what is your interpretation of the arts programs as of now? what is your interpretation of the arts programs as of now? In the past week, I had a chance to hear [the Drumline] play, which was very en-lightening and exciting to see. I spent a lot of time on paper looking through things and doing “archeological work.” So, I’m digging down to see what kind of classes there are, what the teachers do and how the scheduling works. The second part, which is a lot more fun, is when I get a chance to hear band concerts. I get a chance to hear what kind of players there are, and what kind of music they’re doing. Last night I was at the [middle school] play, Seussical, which was a tremendous amount of fun. I think Parish is on a really great trajectory for doing absolutely amazing things, and I know that because there are already wonderful things going on, in spite of the fact that at we don’t have a concert hall or a regular theater.

i hate hamletif you missed the latest upper school production, the PEN was there to catch the action

alex fi neentertainment editor

what do you hope to accomplish for the arts programs in years to come?what do you hope to accomplish for the arts programs in years to come?I think that Parish is uniquely positioned in the Dallas area for a number of reasons. There’s an opportunity to grow the programs to meet the demand of enrollment from that growth. I also think there’s a more progressive attitude than in a lot of places. Mr. Monaco’s really working with the faculty to vision a little differently and bigger and more contemporary so that we really get a face for the 21st century. For example, one of the things that I’m pressing the faculty with is to build ideas on how we can incorporate the arts into the school regardless of whether somebody is signed up for a class or not. The arts are an integral part of any education. It’s really critical that we teach you how to learn because it’s not the content, it’s the process. what is your background in the arts and how did you get started in the what is your background in the arts and how did you get started in the arts?arts?In kindergarten, my teacher wanted to do a song that had a drum part to it. I just fell in love with hitting a drum and I thought, “This is what I’m going to do.” After col-lege, I started to teach and then got a gig playing for a summer orchestra in Austria. Eventually, [I] became a band director at a private high school. I took a job as head of the American Boychoir in Princeton. They performed on the Academy Awards with Beyoncé, the Boston Symphony and at Carnegie Hall with Paul McCartney.

dr. karl reissdr. karl reiss

daniel pappas ’11 addie abene ’12 rachel davis ’12 claire criss ’13 john cakerice ’14 alec kirazian ’14

more than your average dinner and a movie

Ask any teenager what the coolest places are to hang out with their friends; you won’t get many different answers. The top two responses likely will be the mall anthe movie theater, two locations that on any given Friday or Saturday night will bepacked to the gills with caffeinated 15-year olds. However, in my opinion, the only reason I like hanging out at the mall is becauI am with my friends. In reality, walking around a collection of clothing and makeuoutlets isn’t that fun. With the same hangout spot every week or so, one’s social life can become a boring story fi lled with clichés. However, there is hope for a fun, new, and even exoticplace—Strikz. Compared to other bowling alleys such as Main Event and 300 Dallas, Frisco’s Strikz scores because it is local, small and, on weekends, cheap. On Sundays, Strikzoffers a special of $2 a game, a great deal in this unpredictable economy. The staff is friendly and, as for the food, Strikz’ pizza is at least as good as Sbarropizza in the mall, minus the crazed crowds and horrifi c prices. While you bowl, music videos play and lights fl ash, making the bowling alley anadrenaline-pumping hangout. Strikz also offers laser tag, arcade games and pool forthe occasional bowl-a-phoebe.

When you and your friends are looking for a new hangout, consider a place that doesn’t smell like perfume or have popcorn on the fl oor. That place just might be Strikz.

alex fi nealex fi neentertainment editorentertainment edito

{preston harrisoncontributor

}

1 2 3

4 5

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World – Of-fering an indie-rock sound, Scott Pilgrim’s soundtrack offers for everybody. It’s a great collection of songs. Even the main band from the fi lm (Sex Bob-Omb) sings songs written with the help of Beck. The overall sound offers a variety of rock and has a nice overall sound. I love it.

Get Him To The GreekGet Him To The Greek – This movie was drop-dead hilarious, and the soundtrack is no exception. Featuring songs from the movie’s band, Infant Sorrow, including Russell Brand, they capture an edgy alternative sound, with songs for everybody, such as “The Clap” and “Bangers, Beans And Mash.” Not only is the band a very talented group, but they are very amusing to hear.

InceptionInception – During the summercritics were raving about this fi lfor its unique plot and nonstop suspense. Yet, the soundtrack isanother element added to the lithat makes this an unforgettablfi lm. Composed by none other tHans Zimmer (who composed fgreat fi lms like The Dark Knighthis soundtrack will leave you athe edge of your seat.

Step Up 3DStep Up 3D – This bass-pounding soundtrack mixes hip-hop with some electronic components to it and features various artists from both genres such as Busta Rhymes and Chromeo. This collection of music goes from one high-energy track to the next, and it doesn’t let up at all. If you love dancing, this is a must have.

The Twilight Saga: EclipseThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse – For the third install-ment of the ever popular Twilight fi lms, the mu-sic goes more into an alternative direction, which features artists lie The Bravery, Vampire Weekend and Muse. The overall sound is calming and relaxedfl owing from track to track, especially on songs likeMetric’s “Eclipse (All Yours).” Even though I’m not big fan of the fi lms, the music’s pretty catchy.


Caroline Schreiber. Parish Senior and professional fashion blogger. Out of thousands of girls, Parish’s own Caro-line got the amazing opportunity to combine her two favorites, fashion and acting. “Even though it’s not necessarily acting”, she says “adding spokesperson to my resume helps me book future au-ditions.” Her main goal is to promote Claire’s accessories by being a role model for younger girls, and showing fashion in a fun way. She puts pictures of herself wearing cute and reasonably priced ac-cessories from Claire’s with personal commentary. Young girls from all over America value Caroline’s advice on fashion tips and look to her blog for new ideas. Not only does Caroline get paid for her blog, she gets all of the Claire’s fall accessories free. Her favorite items are the spoon ring, the owl ring, and a cute jewel headband that they sent to her in a big box of goodies.

Aliens are running amuck. They are present on walls, desks, stalls and unclaimed paper fl oating around the various Upper School Com-mons. Originally a silly antic, the creature has spread like fi re, dot-ting campus walls and tables. Part of their charm is their imperma-

nence. The vehicles of their inva-sion are temporary—Post-it Notes, erasable drawings on whiteboards and scattered scraps of paper. However prevalent these mark-ings may be, their origins were un-known, until now. The phenomenon can be traced to

a single teacher and a creative student. For-mer sixth-grade teach-er, Mr. Cormac, who now is believed to be working in Costa Rica, is named as the creator of this whimsical draw-ing, rewarding students who received a grade of 100 with the doodle at the top of the page. Af-ter receiving a second

grade of 100 and emboldened bythat reward, the mysterious taggedrew the symbol on their friendspapers. These friends began drawing the symbol on their own paperand then on their friends’ papersTheir friends showed their friendswho showed their friends, and onand on until one cannot walk anywhere without encountering thecreature. These three students, AnonymouA, B and C, have been creditedwith ingeniously starting a trendthat will last a Parish generation, inot a lifetime. Next time you are walking downthe stairwell, take a look, veryclosely, at the white washed walland you may see the tiny, penciledalien peeking back at you.

bet y

ou d

idn’

t kno

w...

bet y

ou d

idn’

t kno

w...

that an alien has invaded the upper school

teal coopercontributor

that one of us is a fashion insider

to nd ily on

-


Through Claires, she gets a great amouof exposure. Her blog entries are includin a weekly newsletter, as well as a magzine that gets sent out to 300,000 plus girin the United States. They may not all bcommenting, but they have all seen hblog. When it comes to inspiration, Carolinkeeps a fashion scrapbook with new loothat sparks ideas, she also likes and loves go on elle.com to follow the latest trends Through this process Caroline discovera new niche. “I have always loved fashioand the fashion industry. I have found thI may have a fl are for marketing.” Thblog has been a great way for Caroline get her face out there before she goes to Lin the spring for pilot season, (which is thsearch for new actors to be in upcominTV series) where she will later be attening college. “I lov how I have somethinlike this under my belt. I have spent manhours on it and I feel so proud of all mhard work, it’s exciting that I can show thto people.”

preston harrisoncontributor


zander mapescontributor

a. pre-study

b. start early

c. make it fun

d. take breaks

f.

wait,there are exams next week?

Have you ever tried to make a paper mache volcano without paper mache? It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do. Before you start studying, gather all of the stuff –handouts, homework, notes, quiz-zes, tests—that you have compiled from classes fi rst trimester, and organize it. Put it all together in a way that is easiest for you to study. Also, if you haven’t gotten a study guide from your teacher, make your own. Make it as comprehensive as possible; fi ll it with as much information as you’re willing to study.

Contrary to popular belief, cramming the night be-fore is not the best way to study for an exam. If you don’t start studying at least three or four days before the exam, all of the information of this fi rst trimester is never going to stick. Memorization doesn’t happen overnight. Take one at a time. If it’s Sunday night, and your APUSH exam is tomorrow, it would be ill-advised to study for all six of your exams that night. The beauty of studying early is that you can desig-nate entire days to single subjects. It’s better to study as much as you can for one subject at a time than to study very little for every exam at once.

Let’s face it. Studying is not fun. If you’ve ever been studying alone and, all-of-a-sudden, realized you’re having fun, you’re doing it wrong. Well, maybe not. Studying is best done with other people. Pick someone you like, or better: someone you like and you know is productive, and study with them. Turn studying into a game. Do both: study with friends like it’s a game.

Did you know that the longer you study at one time, the less information you retain? If you plan to study for six hours, you can’t do it all at one time. Study for 45 minutes, take a mindless break for fi fteen. Repeat fi ve times. And when Isay mindless, I don’t mean go play Call of Duty, or gossip heavily. I mean go sit in a chair, or lay in your bed, or lean against a wall in a leather jacket and undershirt and just do nothing.

Yikes, it’s November again already? You know what that means, right? Exams. Talk about loads of fun. Have you started studying yet? No? Don’t worry. Me neither. Need study tips? Keep reading. Need exam cheat sheets?Meet me in the gym at 3:45 on Friday. Oh wait, disregard that; I’m keeping those for myself. So, there you are: sitting on your bed with your chem book and notes open in front of you. You’re staring at those chemical bonds and molecular masses, and it just makes your brain hurt. Again, don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Prepar-ing for an exam is not easy, especially when you have to study for a week of stress-inducing, mind melting tests like midterm exams. Take it easy, relax, and follow these steps:

They’re just exams. No matter what happens, whether you fail, or ace the tests, it’s still only the end of the fi rst trimester. You still have two more trimesters, atop however many years you still have in high school to get over the psychological trauma of exams.

e. don’t freak ou

all of the above

prepare for exams


{student life}

h |

{student life}

Wow! Homecoming was a great night and a huge success

thanks to all of th

e upper school. From the seniors o

rganizing the

workroom to having to stop working because of a tornado, fro

m DJ

P Love playing great music to people winning awesome prizes in

the casino, the dance could not have been a bigger hit.

The night would have not been possib

le without the help of th

e

student body and I thank all of you who helped, whether it

was

for an hour or 61 hours (Samantha Springer). A

special thanks to

:

the grade level heads (Morgan Eastm

an, Carolyn Cunningham,

Arden Johnston, and Samantha Springer), the senior committee

(Cara Beasley, Katie Lewis, Shelby Kling, Meredith Carey, Marielle

LeMasters, Abby Garcia, Astrid

Torres, Haley McCrary, Esther

Kim, and Tanner Wells),

and Mr. Ash’s T

ech Class who tru

ly made

homecoming an amazing experience due to their dedication to

making homecoming a reality.

Thanks to

Mr. Ash, our always helpful and over str

essed faculty

advisor, the Eiffel Tower completed the wonderful dance fl oor. T

o

the football team who made it a

priority to come in after Saturday

practice and work for an hour, you helped start and fi nish many

projects. Varsity

volleyball, thank you for se

tting up; you stayed

after school and didn’t quit until i

t was fi nished. And to those who

came on Sunday to put everything back to normal, my gratitu

de.

A special thanks to

Mr. Jennings, M

rs. Bernard, Mr. M

iner, Mr.

Forrest, Ms. K

eefer, and their staff; a

nd the upper school faculty

for their continued support.

Thank you all so

much for making “Around the World in 80

Days” the best h

omecoming ever.

Beaucoup de Mercies

Muchas Gracias

Molti Ringraziamenti

本当にあ

りがとう

Many Thanks

newsfromthepen.com | 17

One school. But two campuses. How do we keep them connected? Community Service Director Karen O’Rear has just the plan. “Being here at Parish for so long, I’m sensitive to the fact that I love to see what we can do to bring the kids together,” Mrs. O’Rear said. As a result, two years ago, with the help of Parish alumni Alex Pappas ’09, Mrs. O’Rear established a program now called Hillcrest Fellows. The program revolves around the idea of having se-niors going to the Hillcrest campus and teaching the students in the pre-k to second grade classes. Alex was the test pilot, helping teach two pre-k classes. “Because it went so well with Alex, we decided to make it an option as community service hours for senior service projects,” Mrs. O’Rear said. “But we wanted to add a leadership compo-nent where the fellows come up with a project to teach the kids, besides just

reading to them or taking them out to recess.” Five fellows joined the program last year. They consulted teachers at Hillcrest and planned an activity that fi t their programs. For example, Kyle Hughes (’10) taught what she loved best – drama and the arts – to her second grade class. Kyle divided the class into three groups and they put on a play. “The teacher even loved the idea because she wanted her kids to work on how to read with expression,” Mrs. O’Rear said. “And that’s our goal, to teach the kids beyond the basic math and sciences. We want to help them think outside the box and that’s where the seniors help.” But keep in mind, there are some requirements to be a Hillcrest Fellow. First, students must be seniors. “Seniors, at their age, have raised their maturity level to where they can work with these kids,” Mrs. O’Rear said. “Also, they can drive we don’t have to worry about transportation.” Additionally, seniors must commit

two trimesters and visit the Hillcrest campus once a week during this time. The Hillcrest Fellows program has had an even greater success this year with the help of twelve seniors. She is happy that the program is a positive impact for the kids, teachers and even parents. “It’s a great success because it’s a win-win situ-ation,” Mrs. O’Rear said. “The older kids love the little ones and the younger ones look up to the older ones. Teaching the little ones makes the seniors feel like they’re making a dif-ference.”

bookendsshelby klingopinions editor

{student life}

tehjal surimanaging editor

Siblings become more annoying, self-entitled, and loud-mouthed as they grow older. Well, that’s the stereotype, anyway. Apparently, seniors with freshman siblings (we like to call them “bookends”) think differently. Most students wouldn’t even bother to ask, “Do you like having a sibling in upper school with you?” but it’s actual-ly a viable question because some seem to enjoy having their sibling around. Emily Cummings ‘11 said she likes hav-ing her brother, Bailey, in school with her because they’re “defi nitely closer” and “can talk to each other about pretty much anything now.” As a senior, Emily talks favorably of her relationship with her younger brother, but how do the freshmen feel? Drew Carey ’14 loves having his sister, Meredith, around every day. “I know all her friends, I get a ride to and from school events and teachers auto-matically think I’m trustworthy.” Their

relationship isn’t entirely based on usefulness, however. Drew feels he receives special treatment, but he does appreciate just the presence of his sister because “she always knows how to cheer [him] up and she is always there for [him].” They have a give-and-take relationship, a type of relationship that is mirrored by the other bookends. Sharing cafeteria money with sib-lings is certainly an advantage. Who wouldn’t like some back-up cash on cookie day? Reid Berry ’11 values that benefi t, but does not discount the sup-port he feels from his sister, Kate. Drew also likes the support and advice from sister, Meredith, but knows when to back off. “We hang out a lot at school yet know when the other is hanging with his or her friends to give them space.” The bookends have mastered the art of dealing with a sibling in such close

proximity day-in and day-out. How-ever, when times get stressful, Emily reminds herself “that [she’s] going to college next year and [Bailey] has four more years left.” Despite the tough days, the bookends cherish being able to share this one year of high school before moving on to their separate shelves.

hillcrest fellows: a legacy of service

art by esther k

bon appetitDaily Routine Meets Creative Cuisine

Can you imagine taking the same lunch to school every day? Robby Woodward and Alec Th oveson can. Since kindergarten, Robby has brought a peanut butter sandwich, Sun Chips and four double-stuff ed Oreos.

And Alec has packed a PB&J or a chicken sandwich, chips, fruit and blueberry yogurt for lunch since middle school. If you are like Robbie and Alec and want to try some variety, try these creative students’ ideas to spice up your lunch.

mexican casserole bowl

grapes

apples

dylan’s chocolate bar

vitamin water zero

turkey bagel sandwichnilla wafersmini snickers barsun chipsstrawberries

mexican casserole bowl

grapesples

Austin Odell’s Lunch

Austin Odell’s Lunch

turkey bagel sandwichilla wafersmini snick

Christina Bowman’s Lunch

Christina Bowman’s Lunch

As an authentic, high end Chinese restaurant, Yao Fuzi has excellent service; wait-ers even put your napkin on for you! Ornate Chinese style drawings on glass and old sayings written in Chinese characters fi ll the restaurant with a uniquely Chinese at-mosphere. The food is genuine so don’t expect dishes to be heavy on sugar. Crab Ran-goon is a wonderful appetizer arranged artistically to look like a fl ower. The crispy shell of the Crab Rangoon is fi nely matched with the rich crab meat inside. Double Cooked Pork with steamed buns is a great main course; it is fl avorful but a little spicy. It goes great with the soft steamed buns or with a bowl of rice. The restaurant is one of the few that serves xiaolongbao or soup dumplings, originating in Shanghai. Though a little on the expensive side, Yao Fuzi is exquisite and is certainly worth the trip.

aditya rajancontributor

yao fuzi’s crab ragoon appe ze

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yao fuziyao fuzi

sarah rosenberg contributor

{student life}

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“For the freshman retreat we spent most of the time getting to know each other and becoming unifi ed as a class. We talked about how we were going to conduct our high school years and how we will effect the lives of others around us. We learned more about each other, gained new friends, and did a lot of activities as a group.” ellen vance ’14

“The sophomore retreat was awesome. We were the only class to do community service while on our retreat. After that we had a lot of free time and got to hang out with each other. Overall it was a great experience considering I was new and I met so many new people.” julie wheeler ’13

“The junior retreat was a great overall experience. We learned a lot about each other and gained a greater understanding of ourselves. We loved the free time that was given to us and loved being inspired by Rudy.”mason reiter ’12

“Our retreat was a great time for the senior class to come together to collaborate ideas of how to leave our legacy at parish. we made many goals for ourselfs that hopefully we see through for the rest of the year. Everyone enjoyed the blob and the pool and overall had a fun time.” ryan pearlman ’11

putting the treat in retrea

madison van de heycontributor

photos courtesy of | mary pat haines, lia santucci, linda bernar

dj got us falling dj got us falling in love... with in love... with homecoming

photo courtesy of | megan riney

photo by | debbie pochmann

photo by | wiley williams


photo courtesy of | kinsey budagher

photo courtesy of | sco stockdale


e pochmann

photo courtesy of | ta

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November 2010 Issue