the picador: volume 9, issue 6
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The Picador
Volume 9, Issue 6 January 17, 2014
A PUBLICATION BY HOLDERNESS STUDENTS
FOR
THE HOLDERNESS SCHOOL COMMUNITY
By Celeste Holland ’14
For the past couple of days,
there has been a lot of infor-
mation leading up to the MLK
day workshops. This morning
we all had the opportunity to
attend a couple of these work-
shops, although we were not
able to go to all of them.
Some students had the oppor-
tunity to learn hands-on about
adaptive skiing at Waterville
Valley and Loon Mountain,
while other students were able
to play wheelchair sports and
sled hockey. Some of the other
workshops focused on learning
about inclusion, Braille, sign
language, the media, and ther-
apy animals.
So why did we focus on dis-
abilities for MLK Day? Con-
trary to many people’s first
impressions, the social justice
that Martin Luther King
helped to achieve has a direct
connection to the Americans
with Disabilities Act; the Civil
Rights movement got the ball
rolling and made it possible
for the Disabilities Act to be
passed.
The ADA is a wide-ranging
civil rights law that prohibits,
under certain circumstances,
discrimination based on a dis-
ability. Disability is defined by
the ADA as “...a physical or
mental impairment that sub-
stantially limits a major life
activity.” The determination of
whether any particular condi-
tion is considered a disability
is made on a case-by-case ba-
sis.
One of the goals of the work-
shops was to increase our
awareness of disabilities. For
both people of color and peo-
ple with disabilities, there is a
gray area that surrounds so-
cially correct language. For
example, is it better to say
someone is deaf or hearing-
impaired? By having some
understanding of this terminol-
ogy, we are able to be mindful
of the words we use in the fu-
ture.
Hopefully, one of the big take-
aways from the MLK Day
workshops is that there are
always opportunities to get
involved. Whether this is help-
ing to raise a seeing-eye dog,
volunteering at an adaptive ski
program, or taking a sign-
language course in order to
become a licensed interpreter,
there are always ways that we
can help.
MLK Day: It’s About Getting Involved Winter
Carnival 2014:
Are You Ready?
Page 2-3
Sports
At Home
And
Around the
World
Pages 5 and 6
Page 10
Page 2
The Picador
How have you been training for this year's games? Do you
have any advice for others looking to prepare for the Car-
nival?
Parker Densmore: I have been mentally preparing since Su-
per Sunday. It is helpful to get ahead in homework, so you can
focus on the festivities, but I prefer to let all of my work stack
up; it adds to the overall feel of Winter Carnival.
Emma Abrams: I’ve been practicing my consolatory hand-
shakes, eating well (mainly Clementines), and practicing the
art of Shakespearean insults in order to have comebacks for
any chirps we may receive.
Hedi Droste: I've been in the gym almost every day training
for the Barton Olympics; they're the key to winning Winter
Carnival.
Alex Lash: I often participate in Ironman triathlons—usually
three or four times a month—with Gabriel Posada. It helps to
keep my body in shape while not tiring me out too much for
the upcoming games. As for others preparations—I eat
healthy. I visit the salad bar in Weld often and have adopted a
gluten-free lifestyle to ready myself for the vigorous Carnival
events.
Mikaela Wall: I’ve been doing somersaults in the snow for
three hours every day since November to condition myself
against the cold.
In which part of Winter Carnival are you most prepared
to destroy the competition?
PD: Definitely the Iditarod; with Trudeau and Sully pulling
the entire dorm, we are predicted to reach speeds that rival
Father Weymouth in a minibus.
EA: Heavy weightlifting.
HD: So prepared to win the dodge ball tournament.
AL: As a whole, I believe the Hill dorm will dominate in the
lip sync category. With twerkography that puts Miley Cyrus
to shame, and song choices that are unrivaled, the lip sync
should be a definite victory.
MW: Lip sync. The art of dance has always been a part of
my life, and I look forward to showcasing my gift for move-
ment in front of the whole school next week.
Winter Carnival By Lea Rice ’14
Winter Carnival is the biggest athletic competition of the year for every Holderness
student, and those looking to win must spend 11 months of their year prepping for the
snowy festivities. Some of our most elite athletes took the time to share their wisdom on
how they succeed year after year.
Page 3
Volume 9, Issue 6
Which aspect of the competition are you most nervous
about? Are there any other competitors that you think will
be your toughest matchups?
PD: I'd say I am the most nervous about the lip sync; it is by far
the most entertaining event, especially since our strategy tends
to be to plan our routine 30 minutes ahead of time. Scott
Merrill's lip sync skills may seem untouchable, but this year my
dorm is unleashing a secret weapon the will decimate the com-
petition.
EA: Pulling off a impeccable “flying V” maneuver in the
dodge ball game.
HD: I'm super worried for the Lip Sync because there are so
many other great dorms out there with a lot of talent—
specifically, Sargent because of its creativity.
AL: Personally, the most nerve-wracking event is the Iditarod.
The intense moments during this race show how well a dorm
can perform under pressure. The nervousness of not knowing
when your sled pullers will give out is enough to make one's
heart race faster than the sled speeding across the icy ground.
My toughest matchups will probably be the strong, determined
members of Rathbun dorm; the faces of Brett Hepler and Luc
Chanren would make any opposition shake with fear.
MW: I have nothing to fear but fear itself. My only competi-
tion is my previous record.
What mistakes, if any, did you make in last year's games,
and how will you improve in those areas this year?
PD: Last year during the Iditarod, our dorm's sled broke. In
order to improve upon this, we hope to get a better sled.
HD: During dodge ball things got a bit rowdy. I'd say it was
a major mental set back for us, so we're going to keep it clean
and PG13.
AL: I don't make mistakes.
MW: This year, I win.
Is there any closing message you'd like to give to any of
your competitors out there who might be reading this?
EA: Be warned, thou mewling onion-eyed, hedge-pigs
HD: Shenton, watch out.
AL: Back out now, while you have the chance.
MW: Team Wall. Join up before you’re beaten.
Page 4
The Picador
World News
By Linh Le ’15
Russia is currently enforcing a
new law, which bans
“propaganda of nontraditional
sexual relations around mi-
nors.” The main purpose of the
law, they say, is to “protect
children.”
In June more than a dozen
protesters were attacked by
anti-gay activists and police
hours before the State Duma
approved the legislation 436-0.
Those who were not arrested
were beaten by masked men
on a central street about a mile
away.
The law, which claims to sup-
port traditional Russian values,
charges offenders up to $156
per individual and up to
$31,000 per media organiza-
tions.
Anti-gay attacks are on the rise
in Russia. Pavel Petel, a flam-
boyant bisexual man from
Ukraine who built up a career
as a model, performance artist,
and DJ in Russia, and his part-
ner Sergey Ostrikov were at-
tacked. Petel has been worried
for his own safety since the
bill passed. He has also lost his
job because of the law.
“People in the regions are very
aggressive towards gays,” says
Petel. “Sergey and I were
lucky to be alive last year be-
cause some people wanted to
kill us. My fear has been
growing since then.”
While living in the Soviet era,
life was easier for Petel.
“There was no pressure to
make you chose who you
wanted to be,” he said.
“Russia would benefit from
appreciating gays,” said Petel.
“To me, gays are usually kind,
talented, genial, creative, and I
feel sorry that they’re leaving.
It’s not civilized. I think it will
be back to normal again in 10
years, but the new young gen-
eration should come to power
and change the laws. Maybe
we’ll see the first Russian gay
president in a couple years. Or
maybe it will be a woman.”
In the meantime, there have
been widespread calls for boy-
cotts and protests of the 2014
Sochi Olympics—including a
vodka-dumping demonstration
in Los Angeles. The gay rights
group, All Out, has delivered a
petition with hundreds of thou-
sands of signatures denounc-
ing Russia's stance on gay
rights. So far, however, Russia
has not changed its laws.
Sources: CNN, CBS News
A n t i - G a y A t t a c k s o n t h e R i s e i n R u s s i a
Volume 9, Issue 6
Page 5
By Henry Liu ’15
Teenagers who have suffered a
history of concussions are
three times more likely to ex-
perience depression than those
who have not suffered from a
concussion.
Sara Chrisman, M.D., a pedia-
trician at Seattle Children's
Hospital, is leading an impor-
tant study that sheds light on a
particular matter that affects
many parents and students.
“What this study suggests is
that teens who have had a con-
cussion should be screened for
depression,” she says.
Mild traumatic brain injuries
like concussions can also
cause serious psychological
problems that usually escape
detection during early stages.
But as of right now (the study
is still in progress), the 36,000
teenagers ranging from years
12-17 that the study based
itself off of have yet to enter
adulthood, so for now the
study has only defogged part
of the matter regarding this
phenomenon.
However, the study does high-
light that teenagers of 15 years
and older, who are living in
poverty or who have a parent
with mental health problems,
are more likely to be depressed
than other teens.
“But what was surprising was
when we took those factors
into consideration, it didn't
take away from the association
between depression and a his-
tory of concussions,” says
Chrisman.
Jeffrey Max, M.D.,a psychia-
trist who specializes in the
psychiatric outcomes of trau-
matic brain injury in children
and adolescents at the Univer-
sity of California at San
Diego, coauthored the research
with Chrisman. Max stated
that the actual brain injury
associated with concussions is
probably a major cause of de-
pression in the first few
months after the occasion of
the injury.
“In the clinic,” Max explains,
“we've certainly seen cases
where within hours [of sus-
taining a concussion], a kid
who's never had depression
before is suddenly depressed
and suicidal. One of our stud-
ies found that the brain images
in children with traumatic
brain injury and depression
were actually quite similar to
those seen in adults who de-
velop depression as a result of
traumatic brain injury.”
This study affects Holderness
greatly, for many of our ath-
letes have experienced at least
one concussion. For those who
have experienced multiple
concussions, please consider
contacting Mr. Laurence for
help and guidance at nlaur-
ence@holderness.org.
Teenage Concussions Greatly Increase Risk of Depression
Science News
World Sports By Thomas Chau ’15
Soccer: On January 10th, 2014, 28-year-old midfield/forward Cristiano Ronaldo received the 2013 FIFA Ballon D’or, end-
ing Lionel Messi’s three-year streak. The FIFA Ballon d'Or, or "Golden Ball," is an association football award given annu-
ally to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous year. It is awarded based on votes by
coaches and captains of international teams, as well as journalists from around the world. Although Ronaldo’s Real Ma-
drid’s performance was not great, his goals and assists were proven to be the most valuable to his team, especially when all
Real’s strikers and wingers could not score in important matches. With 69 goals scored in the year 2013, Ronaldo broke
his own record of 63 goals in 2012. This second FIFA Ballon D’or allowed him to equal his record to those of Franz Beck-
enbauer, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, and Alfredo Di Stefano.
Tennis: The 2014 Australian Open officially kicked-off on Monday, January 13. While most of the Western world was
enjoying snowy, cold weather, Australia was holding the hottest tennis contest in the hottest region of the country with
awesome matches between the top competitors in the world. Despite the 100-110 degree temperatures, many top seeds
such as Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams quickly made it through the first rounds of the first Grand Slam of the year.
With 13 days remaining, who will make it to the top of this prestigious tournament?! The answer will be in the next Pica-
dor edition.
Page 6
The Picador
Boston Celtics: The sliver of hope that Boston Celtics
fans were holding onto has officially disappeared, as the
Celtics have continually gotten worse while the rest of
the Eastern Conference has steadily improved. The return
of Rajon Rondo, however, at the end of this week should
give them a much needed boost after a winless trip to the
West Coast which extended their losing streak to nine
games. But most fans would agree that this losing streak
is actually beneficial for the team, as it will only increase
their chances of getting a top pick in next year’s draft
lottery. With this season looking like it’s already over for
the Cs, many Bostonians are turning their attention to the
college world where several strong prospects are emerg-
ing. Duke’s Jabari Parker or Kansas’s Joel Embiid look
like solid foundations for Boston moving forward into
the near and far future. If all goes as planned, the Celtics
are only a couple years away from being another peren-
nial winner in the NBA. But for now, we must all suffer
as they continue their downward spiral.
- Joey Casey '14
New England Sports
Patriots: Last weekend was filled with amazing foot-
ball games across the board including the Seattle’s win
over New Orleans, San Francisco’s win in Carolina, Den-
ver’s win over the San Diego Chargers, and most nota-
bly, the New England Patriots’ win over Indianapolis.
With their most recent win over Indianapolis, the New
England Patriots are heading to Denver for a winner-take
-all matchup. The last time these two met was over
Thanksgiving, when it came down to overtime, and the
Patriots won. This matchup is often viewed through the
images of the two rival quarterbacks, Tom Brady and
Peyton Manning. While these two future Hall of Famers
have been fierce in competition before, this will be the
best meeting the two have ever had because of the aston-
ishing season they have both recorded this year. Manning
has spent the season breaking and setting new records
and shows no sign of letting anything hinder his stride to
a second Super Bowl. Similarly, Brady has built a team
that has been able to live up to the abilities of every team
they have competed against. With new adapted connec-
tions, he hasn’t needed Hernandez, Welker, and Gron-
kowski. This match will be legendary and will surely
give us something for the history books.
- Drew Houx ’14
Bruins: The Bruins started off the new year with a visit
from Nashville on January second. The game was a fa-
vorable match-up for the B’s even with a powerful 2013-
14 Western Conference team visit. The highlight for
many fans at TD Garden that night was not only witness-
ing a 3-2 overtime win, but watching prospect goaltender,
Niklas Svedberg’s NHL debut. Two days later Boston
took on the Winnipeg Jets in a 1:00 matinee. The
matchup included some familiar faces, as former B’s
Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler returned to Beantown.
Rookie defenseman Torey Krug led the Bruins past the
Jets, who claimed a 4-1 win that afternoon. This game
sent the Bruins off on their annual California road trip.
The trip featured some tough games for Boston including
matches against San Jose, Los Angeles, and the league-
leading Anaheim Ducks. Announcer Jack Edwards called
these teams “The Iron of the West,” as these clubs argua-
bly hold three of the top five NHL spots right now. The
Bruins lost two straight to Anaheim and LA, before tak-
ing a 1-0 shutout win over San Jose to close the trip out.
The Bruins returned home Tuesday to take on the To-
ronto Maple Leafs. Ever since the epic comeback in
game seven last year, Toronto vs. Boston has been a “pay
per view event,” or in other words, a must see. The Bru-
ins dropped this game 4-3 after an attempted 4-2 come-
back in the third period. Boston’s record has moved to 29
-15-2, tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place
in the Atlantic Division.
-Connor Marien ’14 with input from Bruins Insider
Jack Sullivan ’16
Page 7
Volume 9, Issue 6
The Dorm Report
Rathbun: Evenings are the
best in Rathbun. While Jack
Finn and Ted Mello are enjoy-
ing their beds, Jack Kinney
and Harrison Alva are discuss-
ing a fine point in a football
game. Luke Randle is sleeping
on the couch next to the fire
pit, and Peter Hastings and
Luc Chanren make dumplings
in the middle of evening study
hall. Oblivious to the real
world around them, Will
Prickett and Zac Chernin are
trying to kill each other in the
virtual world. Brett and Tom
are talking to each other in
their dreams, and Lewis is
sleepwalking to the bathroom
without waking up Michael
Page. Chance and Ian are
asleep after a long day of
work, but they have to suffer
the screams of Young Soo,
who just solved another Multi-
variable Calculus problem.
Gregory has already finished
his first dream, but where is
James? He is still out on a
walk-back! A guitar rings at
midnight from Michael Yu’s
room and wakes Ziang up,
who thought there was a ghost
outside of his door. And Wil-
lem? He is sleeping soundly
after Skyping with his girl-
friend.
- Zihan Guo ’14
Webster: It seems that Web-
ster dorm this year is filled
with gentlemen and scholars—
high-class men with only the
best intentions. In Webster
dorm we treat each other with
respect and integrity. We are
lovers, not fighters, and we
demonstrate this with pride.
Ladies, we aren't afraid of
spoiling you and making you
the happiest you've ever been.
Some say that we like to sweet
talk; truth is, that's all we do.
Remember, smiling is our
number one quality: “Webster
dormitory is the life of the
parties we don't attend.”
Love, the Men of Webster
dorm.
- Alex Spina ’14
The Hill: We believe in three
things: academics, socializing,
and the betterment of society.
Some examples of this in-
clude: leaving Christmas cook-
ies for security, donating
money to charity, and bright-
ening the lives of many young
women around campus. Aaron
Harmatz holds it down in Ca-
sey dorm with his gaming
skillz (thanks xbox). The good
looking men of Flinders dorm
are closer than ever thanks to
Harrison, and Barton dorm is a
group of single studs
(excluding Chris Sargent).
Besides getting straight As
(Big Al) and playing varsity
sports, we have accomplished
all sorts of things this year.
Shoutout to Hedi Droste for all
the Monday night dates with
Flinders dorm. Shoutout to
Mr. Casey for the cookies.
Shoutout to A$@P Rocky for
the beats and the inspired life-
style. If any lonely ladies are
interested in a walk back, con-
sult Gillis.
- Drew and Gabi
Day Boys: This week featured
a plethora of exciting activities
in the day boy rooms. On
Monday there was a very com-
petitive game of egg toss with
Nathan Sampo and Brian Tier-
ney coming in second; their
prize was one half of a used
leather couch. On Tuesday we
did arts and crafts deep into
the night hours. Joey “Kitty
Kat” Casey was very proud of
the paper mache house that he
will probably live in during the
winter months. Wednesday
consisted of singing carols
such as “I’m on a Boat,”
“Baby got Back,” and
“Blurred Lines,” down at the
Senior Center; Scott Merrill
sings a positively beautiful
soprano. Thursday, as you all
know, is chess night! Things
got particularly heated when
Connor Marien achieved
checkmate on Noah Thompson
in only 132 moves. On Friday
we will be building homes for
the homeless: us. We look
forward to resting and recuper-
ating over the weekend. Small
reminder: Bible club is now at
2:30AM on Sunday, and yes, it
is BYOB.
- Kaelen Caggiula ’14
Day: Since the snow fell, there
have been many exciting mo-
ments in Day dorm. Some of
the highlights include, but are
not limited to, Precious seeing
snow for the first time; Henry
and Charlie Day scoring their
first varsity hockey goals on
the same night; and what we
believe was Fred completing
his first full sentence in Eng-
lish. Rory “Pipes” Macleod
can often be found in the gym
doing his daily curls for the
girls, while his more reserved
roommate, AJ Chabot, prefers
to spend his time attending
extra help sessions and hoping
for a shot at the school record
for eight excellent efforts. In
fact, the only time he has ever
been confused was when an
undisclosed teacher told him
to leave a study session be-
cause he wasn’t a member of
the class. Day dorm looks to
retake the Winter Carnival as
they did in 2012; early scout-
ing reports list them as one of
the teams to beat.
- Ben Coleman ’14
Niles: Due to recent falling
outs, Niles morale has been
pretty low at the moment. We
recently held a talent show in
which James Sullivan never
ceased amazing us with his
flexibility and his Runescape
skills. A number of Runescape
accounts have been hacked, so
young Sully is currently going
through withdrawal. The dorm
is now working out more due
to the recent supply of whey
protein and Creatine from AJ
Jarabek who has more protein
than every guy on campus.
Late nights with the upper-
classmen include intense
games of PGA and FIFA ac-
companied by the blaring
sounds of “Wagon Wheel” and
the midnight barking of Chew-
bacca in the Heyward apart-
ment. Overall Niles is getting
back into the swing of things
and is ready for the third quar-
ter.
- John Swidrak ’14
Sargent: The ladies of Sargent
are in full Winter Carnival
prep mode. Emma has been
lifting and eating nothing but
straight protein powder to bulk (Continued on page 8)
Page 8
The Picador
Learning the Ropes: New Faculty Train for Out Back
By Ms. Wolf
On the first Saturday in Janu-
ary, nine faculty set off into
the White Mountain National
Forest in Rumney for an Out
Back training trip. I am an
experienced camper and hiker,
but I had never done any win-
ter camping. By the time we
got to our campsite, it was
getting dark, so we quickly set
up camp and built a fire.
On Saturday night I sat by the
fire and listened to countless
stories about past Out Back
experiences, both good and
bad. As I watched the tem-
perature drop on my 99-cent
keychain thermometer that my
dad gave me for Christmas, I
wondered how I was going to
handle 11 days of it. But
quickly I learned that there is
no reason to be cold. As the
temperature dipped below
zero, I got up, took a walk, cut
some wood, and got my body
moving. My sleeping bag was
very comfortable, and I was
not cold at all while I slept. A
Nalgene full of hot water
helped to keep me toasty
warm.
The next morning, we woke
up, made another fire, and
started breakfast. We were not
too far from a brook so we had
access to plenty of water. Af-
ter we ate, I learned a few dif-
ferent ways to set up a solo
shelter and the many knots that
I will need for Out Back. Dur-
ing our short hike that morn-
ing, Mr. Pettit’s daughter
faked an injury, and we had to
use our Wilderness First Aid
training to figure out what had
happened. We talked about a
few different scenarios we
might face as leaders, then
packed up camp, and headed
back to campus.
Another group of faculty will
complete very similar training
on January 25 and 26. I am
very glad that I did this train-
ing. I am no longer worried
about being cold in the woods
and feel ready to head out on
Out Back at the beginning of
March.
up for her role in the lip sync.
Gryzwacz and Stowe have
been watching Rambo videos
nonstop to up their intensity
for the Barton Olympics. And
the freshmen have been stalk-
ing every faculty member at
school in order to determine
who they will impersonate.
Look for us on ESPN 8 next
week; we'll be in the winners’
circle.
Sincerely, Your Worst
Nightmares
Pichette: All is well on the
other side of campus, though
many (mainly myself) have
suffered injuries on the
dreaded mini-ice rink right
outside our door. Although all
of us are still feeling weary
after being thrust back into the
Holderness lifestyle, we still
find time to gather for a late
night snack in the common
room. We love food. Things
are looking up as Winter Car-
nival approaches; new comers
and old timers alike are slowly
becoming jittery with excite-
ment. Keep your eyes peeled -
- Pichette is on the prowl for a
win. Thanks!
- Sarah Garrett ’14
The Day Girls: The day girls
have a well rounded group of
females this year, who have
actually begun migrating to
other crevices in Weld due to
the fact that there are only
eight seating options, exclud-
ing our three broken chairs.
Freshmen such as Logan Kil-
foyle and Liz Casey have been
killing it since day one; mean-
while, all of our seniors have
made it into college and are
beginning to have withdrawal
when they think about leaving
the day girl life behind. During
walks from the parking lot, it
has gotten down to a record
breaking temperature of -9
degrees, so the petition for day
student parking on campus is
still being pushed. Get ready
for our lip sync, people; it's
gonna be stellar.
-Caroline Mure ’14
Pfenninger: Pfenninger dorm
is never boring. One can al-
ways find Maggie Roberts
capturing beautiful snapchats
and CJ waking up the front
hallway with Midnight Memo-
ries (1D's latest album). A
bucket of animal crackers
won't last more than three
hours in room three. Grace
Lawrence has been reeking
havoc, and her roommate,
Moti, has yet to share her feel-
ings on the increased energy
level. SJ got a new pair of slip-
pers over the break, and she
recently discovered that they
even have a tail. If you want to
be serenaded, Claire Caputi is
your girl. You can also reach
out to a recent alumnus, Phil,
who is often spotted on Face-
Time with President Droste.
Allie Renzi is becoming a
yoga princess in the back hall-
way and has a newfound liking
for frozen Clementines.
-Allie Solms ’14
(Continued from page 7)
Volume 9, Issue 6
Page 9
Doppelgangers Doppelgangers. We all have them, but it is a bit more surreal when we meet them face to face or see them on TV. Lea Rice has
put together another collection of photographs of students on campus and matched them with their look alikes. Who knew we had
so many famous people on campus?
Counter-clockwise from top left:
Mr. Bean and Scott Merrill
Jack Finn and Anna Soderberg
Jack Brill and Napoleon Dynamite
Maggie Cunha and Carson Holmes
Ron Weasley and Kelly Attenborough
Page 10
The Picador
Breaking the Invisible Boundary and Embracing Discomfort
Student Opinion
By SJ Kim ’15
The bell rings. It is lunchtime.
After getting food, you sit at
the table with your friends, but
you notice that several Asian
students are sitting in the cor-
ner of the dining hall.
It seems there is an invisible
boundary between American
students and Asian students.
When faculty members ask
students why they do not sit
with certain groups (usually
people from a different cul-
ture), American students usu-
ally answer, “Asians don’t
seem to want to be friends
with us. We would welcome
them if they came to sit with
us.” But, on the other hand,
Asian students reply,
“American students do not
welcome us when we go to
their tables. We would love to
sit with them, but they give us
uncomfortable looks and ex-
clude us from conversations.”
It’s not the fault of one par-
ticular group; it comes from
cultural differences that make
it hard to understand each
other’s behavior. For instance,
in Asia, being quiet and hard-
working in school is consid-
ered polite and diligent, but in
America, those behaviors are
often associated with being
shy and nerdy.
One study found that Asians
have “a hard time fitting into
American culture, and this
‘adjustment fatigue’ can lead
to isolation” (“Minority Stu-
dent Response to the Anthro-
pology of Asian Black Popula-
tions,” Phillipine Quarterly of
Culture and Society, Decem-
ber 1982). This is not just a
social problem; it can affect a
student's performance in aca-
demics and sports. Charles P.
Warren goes on to say
“participating in learning com-
munities is uniformly and
positively linked with stu-
dents’ academic performance
[and] engagement in educa-
tionally fruitful activi-
ties” (ibid.). Students who
limit themselves to single
groups in school have fewer
opportunities to be engaged in
positive school activities.
Then, which group is responsi-
ble for solving the isolation?
My answer is both. The isola-
tion does not occur because of
either group's lack of ability to
understand cultural differ-
ences. It occurs because both
American and Asian students
do not try to get out of their
comfort zones.
It is human nature that people
want to spend time with others
who come from similar back-
grounds. Humans in general
do not like awkward situa-
tions; they are afraid, uncom-
fortable, and shy about talking
to people who are really differ-
ent from them whether it has
do with race, language, class,
gender, or age.
The authors of an article in
Research in Higher Education
say, “The developmental the-
ory literature encourages edu-
cators to design learning envi-
ronments [that] both challenge
and support students to move
to higher levels of intellectual
and psychological develop-
ment” (“Adding Value: Learn-
ing Communities and Student
Engagement,” March 2004).
When people are exposed to
different environments, every-
thing they do is a new experi-
ment; they need to contem-
plate, be challenged, and com-
pete. At Holderness School,
getting out from your comfort
zone and sitting with different
groups of students with whom
you never have talked will be
not only an ideal way to solve
the isolation, but also a great
opportunity to seek challenge.
It will be difficult; you will get
uncomfortable looks and not
be able to understand what
people are talking about. But
after that, you will find the
beauty of cultural differences
that you used to think weird.
Please get out from your com-
fort zone and sit with a totally
different group; sit with Asian
students or American students,
male/female students, faculty
members, faculty children,
visitors, hockey players, field
hockey champions, staff mem-
bers, actors, introverts, and
extroverts. Then one day, you
will be comfortable sitting
with anyone and you will learn
a lot about the world and your-
self.
Congratulations,
Mr. Heyward!
Welcome to Holderness,
Ms. Heyward!
Volume 9, Issue 6
Page 11
Horoscopes
By Caroline Mure ’14 and Sookie Liddle ’14
Aries (March 21-April 19):
Something has been bugging
you lately, but you can’t quite
figure out what it is. Think
about what you’ve done in the
past week to see if anything
seems out of your “norm,” and
soon you’ll figure out that pest
on your shoulder.
Taurus (April 20-May 20):
You’ve been doing extremely
well in one of your classes
lately. Be sure to keep on do-
ing your homework and not let
the hype of springtime get in
the way of your “A”.
Gemini (May 21-June 21):
You’ve been feeling kinda
blue lately, whether it’s about
school, a crush, or the end of
your favorite TV show. Sur-
round yourself with the things
you love and the people you
love to be with. Don’t fret the
little things.
Cancer (June 22-July 22):
You have the ability to do eve-
rything you seek to do in life,
but the only problem is you’ve
been feeling the winter blues.
Don’t let the poor weather get
in the way of your motivation,
because you are capable of
doing anything.
Leo (July 23-August 22): It’s
not too late to ask that certain
someone to the formal. Build
up the guts and do it, because
otherwise you’ll regret it.
Times a tickin’!
Virgo (August 23-September
22): You need to fall back on
someone close for a little as-
sistance. It may be easier for
you to ask ahead of time, but
sometimes you have to just
accept that things aren't going
to go your way.
Libra (September 23-
October 22): The progress
you want to make is happening
more slowly than you antici-
pated. But good things come
in good time; keep pushing
through because glorious
things are bound to come.
Scorpio (October 23-
November 21): Too much
good energy can be over-
whelming at times, so your
energy needs an outlet. Take
time this weekend to explore
something new so your energy
is balanced and relaxed.
Sagittarius (November 22-
December 21): You may feel
that you have mixed feeling
towards a close friend or rela-
tive, and though you know this
person well, you need to take
the time to figure out those
feelings.
Capricorn (December 22-
January 19): Someone is tak-
ing a situation far too seri-
ously, and though you’d rather
lean back and let the whole
situation play out, you need to
step in and make sure you
know what you are getting
yourself into.
Aquarius (January 20-
February 18): There is a
problem you are having that
appears to be physical, but you
will soon learn that it is noth-
ing but emotional. Once you
discover these emotions, they
can easily be controlled and
made sense of.
Pisces (February 19-March
20): Sometimes when weird
situations occur, we hold on
and try to make sense of them.
This time, you just need to let
go and not over think the
situation, because over think-
ing drags the situation out
longer than necessary. Just
relax and enjoy the ride.
Overheards Collected by Parker Densmore ’15
Please email pdensmore@holderness.org if you hear any-
thing that you think should be shared.
They should do studies on you.
In my theater class, I have to spend two entire minutes
imitating the way Jake Renzi eats cereal.
I am so excited for pantry.
I’ve drunk better tasting urine.
YES! Apple Zings are my fav.
I am going to take my chem class to go watch someone
imitate the way Jake Renzi eats cereal.
In and Out
Katie Remien ’15 and Racheal Erhard ’14
IN: White Out
Winter Carnival
Broom Hockey
Sadie Hawkins
Chewbacca
Half an Arm
OUT:
Music
Study Hall
Iditarod
Hegemony
Auggie
Half a Face
The Picador
Would you rather be fluent in every single human language
or be able to speak to animals?
Zihan Guo: I want to speak to animals!
Lea Rice: Speak to animals.
Eleanor Celeste Holland: Speak animals.
Sarah Michel: I would love to be able to be fluent in every
language.
Chares Hagen Harker: Speak to animals.
Would you rather eat every single donut that is sold after
Friday assembly, or eat the wafers and drink all of the wine
in chapel?
ZG: Drink the wine in chapel (I’ve always want to do that).
LR: Wafers and wine.
ECH: Eat the wafers and drink all of the wine in chapel.
SM: Donuts!
CHH: Wafers and wine in chapel.
Would you rather change gender every time you sneeze, or
have a family of birds constantly roosting in your hair?
ZG: Change gender every time I sneeze.
LR: I hate both of these. Birds I guess.
ECH: Have a family of birds constantly roosting in my hair .
SM: I would rather have birds in my hair.
CHH: Family of birds in my hair.
You're on a desert island with a beautiful mermaid or mer-
man. Would you rather have them be top half fish or bot-
tom half fish?
ZG: Bottom half fish.
LR: Bottom half fish, because otherwise I feel like it would
look like a confusing fish monster, not a merman.
ECH: Bottom half fish.
SM: I would rather just not. Fish are my biggest fear. I guess
bottom half fish.
CHH: Bottom half fish.
Instead of your dorm room, would you rather live alone in
the chapel basement, or live in Weld with the entire school?
ZG: Chapel basement.
LR: Weld with the entire school. Entertainment, food, and bet-
ter places to sleep.
ECH: Live in Weld with the entire school.
SM: In Weld with the entire school. I need people.
CHH: Weld with the entire school.
Would you rather swim in the Frog Pond today or go to
your sports practice in only a bikini?
ZG: Go to sports practice in only a bikini.
LR: Definitely not swim in the Frog Pond. I don’t want to be
exposed to radioactivity.
ECH: Anything but the Frog Pond…
SM: I don't do sports. So I'd take a dip in the Frog Pond.
CHH: Swim in the Frog Pond.
Senior Editors
Zihan Guo
Celeste Holland
Sarah Michel
Lea Rice
Junior Editors
Parker Densmore
Charles Harker
Faculty Advisors
Ms. Magnus
Mr. Solberg
Section Writers
Joey Casey
Tommy Chau
Racheal Erhard
Andrew Houx
Becca Kelly
Seo Jung Kim
Linh Le
Sookie Liddle
Henry Liu
Connor Marien
Caroline Mure
Katie Remien
Allie Solms
Contributors
Alex Spina
Gabi Posada
Kaelen Caggiula
Ben Coleman
John Swidrak
Sarah Garrett
Ms. Wolf
Contact Information
Holderness School
Chapel Lane
P.O. Box 1879
Plymouth, NH 03245
Phone Number: 603.536.1257
Fax: 603.536.1267
Email: info@holderness.org
Would You Rather... Got a long bus ride to the mountain ahead of you? Or perhaps a long, cold afternoon in the dorm with nothing to do? Playing a
game of “Would You Rather…” might just get you through. Below are the Picador Editor’s answers to a few rounds. How do
your answers compare? Thanks to Parker Densmore for organizing!
Shout Outs By Allie Solms ’14
PW + MB = This hockey couple is unstoppable on and
off the ice.
AS + CC = This duo of winter sports captains still loves
to laugh.
RM + LH = Junior year has nothing on these two.
CH + HB = These ski bums continue to enjoy each
other's company.
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