By Charlotte Freccia ‘15

As Parents’ Weekend approaches, so does one of the most anticipated events of the season--the fall play! This season, Ms. Devine and her band of thespians have put together Dearly Departed, a black comedy about an eccentric southern family that reunites upon the death of their “mean and

surly” patriarch. In order to whet your appetites for this star-studded produc-tion, we’ve assembled an A-team of play participants to answer a few ques-tions about their favorite characters, scenes, and more.

Charlotte Freccia: Describe Dearly Departed in one sentence.

Becca Kelly: Simply put, Dearly Departed is a wild ride from start to finish.Liam O’ Reilly: The most brilliant play ever created.Jack Brill: No salt, no sugar, no fat, no meat, no dairy, nothing too spicy, and

nothing too heavy.

CF: How has this play been different from the other Holderness produc-tions with which you’ve been in-volved?

Leah Scaralia: It’s different because it is the first time I have found that I develop a temporary southern accent every time we have rehearsal. I don’t even have any lines.Aaron Harmatz: I’m actually in it.Jack Brill: We get to be rednecks.

CF: What has been the most fun part of being in the play?

Becca Kelly: Embodying the character of Marguerite.Liam O’Reilly: Being a part of the stel-lar cast that is Hollywood bound.Charlie Day: Performing in a southern accent. Charles Harker and I have al-ways had a fascination with talking in accents, so when we learned that there was an accent involved in this year’s

Dearly Departed Thespians: Unplugged

Continued on page 10

Volume 10, Issue 3

Oct. 17th. 2014

A PUBLICATION BY HOLDERNESS STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS COMMUNITY

2The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

Photo Essay

Do You Remember When?

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4The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

By Paige Pfenninger ‘15

Greetings from Bosnia!

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Paige Pfenninger, and I am currently spending my senior year abroad in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a YES Abroad scholar.

I am living in Banja Luka, which is a city in the northern part of the coun-try and is the capital of the Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the second larg-

est city with a population of around 200,000 people. Needless to say, life in Banja Luka is very different from life at Holderness School.

Although I have only been in the country for two months now, I am already starting to adjust to my new surroundings, schedule, and way of life in a foreign country. I am living with a host family, and I attend the Gim-nazijia Banja Luka. This school offers two programs for grades 11 and 12: the International Baccalaureate program and the National School Program. I am currently enrolled in the IB program with 18 other students, and I am one of two Americans in the entire school. (The other American, Alessandra, is another YES Abroad scholar.)

My school schedule varies daily. Some days I have to be at school from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and some days I don’t have to be at school until 11:50 AM, but then I have to stay until 6:30 PM. The IB Program is very similar to the American school system, but I spend

many more hours attending classes. And to compensate for a longer school day, I usually don’t have a lot of home-work.

The National School Program runs in two shifts, and students switch shifts every week. The first shift begins at 7:30 AM and ends at 12:35 PM, and the second shift begins at 1:30 PM and ends at 6:35 PM. Students in the Na-tional Program take at least 14 subjects at the same time and have two to four 45-minute classes in each subject every week.

As the days go by, I am learning more and more about the Bosnian culture. The majority of people who live in the Republika Srpska identify as Serbian, support Serbian sports teams (which made things rather interesting for me during the FIBA World Cup Finals), and if you ask anyone what language they speak, they will reply Serbian, not Bosnian. Bosnian, Serbian, and Croa-tian are all basically the same language with minor pronunciation and spelling differences, but I am technically learn-ing Serbian.

Because I am learning Serbian, I have to study two alphabets: the Cyrillic alphabet (the Serbian Cyrillic alpha-bet is similar to the Russian one with some adaptations for a few letters) and the Latin alphabet. The written language in both alphabets is com-pletely phonemic, which means that I can read anything without knowing any of the words. It is really strange seeing the same word written in both alphabets because it looks like two different words, but it pronounced exactly the same. For example: šišmiš (pronounced shish-mish) means bat in Serbian, but in the Cyrillic alphabet, šišmiš is written like this: шишмиш

Outside the Holderness BubblePaige Pfenninger: Life in Banja Luka, Bosnia

Continued on page 7

5 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

By AJ Chabot ‘16

Be honest, how many times have you joked about Ebola, or heard one of your friends make the joke? We should probably stop making these jokes… because Ebola has entered the U.S.

On September 28, a man by the name of Thomas Duncan in Austin, TX was diagnosed with Ebola after returning from Africa. He died on Wednesday, October 5, after receiving experimental drugs to treat the disease.

The 48 people who came in contact with Duncan before he was quaran-tined are being examined and tested to make sure they never contracted the disease. Unfortunately, the disease was actually transferred to two nurses caring for the patient due to what the Central for Disease Control is calling, “a breach in protocol.”

Ebola has already killed about 4,447 people out of nearly 8,914 probable cases. An African tradition of kissing dead corpses is a factor in the rapid spread of Ebola, and professionals are now thankfully informing people of the dangers of this tradition.

The Director of Doctors Without Bor-ders named Ebola, “the worst disease in modern history.” The disease is at its worst in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Airports have boosted their

screening technology for all passengers returning from western Africa in dire efforts to keep Ebola out of the U.S., and quarantine those who may have contracted it.

The virus first targets and shuts down the immune system, and then causes hemorrhaging. The victim eventu-ally dies from a severe fever, a drop in blood pressure, and multiple-organ failure.

Fruit bats are the natural hosts of Ebola in Africa, which then pass it on to other animals. Humans contract the disease by coming in contact with bodily fluids from infected animals or

people including blood, feces, vomit, semen, breast milk, urine, and possibly saliva. Ebola has no vaccine, and kills up to 70% of the people who contract the disease, causing chaos in small communities and countries.

Along with the U.S., Spain has just seen its first victim: a nurse who was caring for an infected person and had only noticed her symptoms after returning to Spain.

Many of you may be asking if Ebola could reach Holderness. The rhetorical answer is yes, it could, but the realis-tic answer is no, it will not. The CDC is taking extraordinary measures to quarantine those who are infected and those who have come in contact with anyone who has been infected.

So, you all don’t have anything to worry about—in terms of your own safety. But keep in mind the hundreds of lives Ebola has taken and continues to take every day—and hope that the outbreak is stopped.

World War E: Human Beings versus Ebola

1. Wash your hands! 2. Boost your immune system by eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, and avoiding sick people (the best you can)!3. DO NOT SHARE eating utensils or drinking vessels with ANYONE, EVER.4. Avoid putting your hands in your mouth.5. WASH YOUR HANDS!

Nurse Nancy’s tips For preventing Ebola and other viruses

6The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

Cardinal Devil Magic: An October TraditionBy Jack Yanchitis ‘15

It is no secret that in the last fourteen years, the St. Louis Cardinals have been synonymous with October base-ball. Since the 2000 season, the Cardi-nals have recorded thirteen winning seasons, made the playoffs ten times, made the NLCS eight times, won the pennant four times, and won the World Series twice.

While the Yankees are visibly deterio-rating as an organization—with the ending of the “Core Four” era of Jeter, Martinez, Rivera, and Posada—they are no longer such a hated organiza-tion. Many thought they were too good, but not anymore! In sports, many tend to harbor hatred towards the best teams, such as the Miami Heat; the Cardinals have assumed the same role in Major League Baseball.

And why is it that the Cardinals have been so good? Well, I won’t be the first to say it, but it’s because of what SB Nation writer Lana Berry likes to call, “Cardinal Devil Magic.” While the Car-dinals have the top scouting and player development system in the majors to go along with their full cast of great pitching and hitting coaches, there is a supernatural force that has seemingly blessed the team and subsequently cursed the rest of baseball.

Just ask the 2011 Texas Rangers what

they think of the Cardinals’ supernatu-ral luck. Down three games to two in the 2011 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals rallied from two runs down twice in Game 6; both times, the Rang-ers needed only one more strike to win their first World Series. With two outs, two strikes, and two men on in the bottom of the ninth inning, Neftali Feliz faced relative unknown in Cardi-

nals’ David Freese,. “It was destined to be,” the whole nation thought watch-ing that game – a Texas team would get its first World Series win. Freese crushed a 98MPH fastball off the right field fence, tying the game and send-ing it into extra innings. Freese would later hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th, after the Rangers went up two in the top of the 10th and blew their lead with only one needed strike – yet again – to win. The Cardi-nals took that World Series at home in Game 7. The Rangers haven’t made the playoffs since.

As a Cardinals fan with a Mets fan as a father, watching Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS was quite the spectacle. The game was tied 1-1 in the top of the eighth when Scott Rolen of the Cards belted a fly ball into deep left, but it was caught in a wall-leaping effort by Endy Chavez in what many consider to be the greatest postseason catch. Ever. It was destiny for the Mets to win that

game! Right? It had to be! Wrong…Yadier Molina belted a go-ahead home run on the next Cardinal at bat in the top of the ninth, propelling the Car-dinals into the World Series—which they wound up winning in five games against the Detroit Tigers. The Mets haven’t made the playoffs since.

Plagued with injuries and poor per-forming All-Stars, the Cardinals sat 6.5 games out of first in their division on July 1 of this year. Many thought that they finally wouldn’t have to hear about the Cards and their “Best Fans in Baseball” thing, or the smugness of how the Cardinals “play the right way” for just one October. Nope. The Cards won their division by a two-game mar-gin, while owning a +16 run differen-tial, which is comparable to most .500 teams in baseball, or 141 less than that of the league leader, the Oakland A’s.

To pad this theory with more ex-amples from 2014, the Cardinals have scored 17 of their 23 runs (73.9%) this postseason off of home runs (Through Sunday, October 12). Compare that to their regular season stat of 161 of their 619 runs (26%) coming off of home runs. The Cardinals were the league’s worst home-run-hitting team in regu-lar season, but in postseason they have blasted some of the league’s best pitch-ers for multiple home runs.

In addition, third baseman Matt Car-penter nearly single-handedly pro-pelled the Cardinals past the LA Dodg-ers in the NLDS, hitting three home runs in five games. Carpenter had eight home runs in 158 games played this season, and four in seven postsea-son games thus far in these playoffs.

The Cardinals sit in prime position yet again. Cardinals Devil Magic is real, and I hope it never goes away.

SPORTS

7 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

Angel Di Maria: Manchester United’s Revival?By Tommy Chau ‘15

At the beginning of 2014-15 Premier League season, Manchester United was facing a difficult start due to its lack of a world-class playmakers on the midfield line. However, things have changed since the arrival of the new Argentine attacking midfielder, Angel Di Maria. Not only did the Red Devils climb up to the top four on the table, but they were also displaying a newer, more exquisite facet of play. Indeed, the Premier League’s most expensive player in history is on his way to prove that Manchester United’s 60 million pounds were worth every penny.

Before August 26, not many earnest Manchester United fans were hoping to grab Real Madrid’s key player, espe-cially after the Galacticos just won the UEFA Champions League and received a large amount of money to pay for the squad.

But as of 4:00PM (British Summer Time) that day, nearly every soccer fan in the world was ecstatic to find out that Angel Di Maria made a surprise move to Manchester United, who had a disastrous season with a 7th place finish and therefore could not get a ticket in the following Champions League season.

Since the arrival of Angel Di Maria, Louis Van Gaal has employed the diamond formation, in which the playmaker has the decisive role in controlling the tempo of the game and can execute deadly passes to the two strikers up front. The results are stag-gering. In all of Di Maria’s five games, Manchester United scored 11 goals and completely dominated the field. Not only did the strikers become more prolific, but the midfielders also started passing better under Di Maria’s leader-ship with 90% passing accuracy. While these numbers are ephemeral, they are important in highlighting the signifi-cant importance of having Di Maria on the team.

The season has been rolling for only two months, so it is a little bit too early to tell whether or not Manchester United will make it to the top of the table. After the international break, the team has to battle against the top con-tenders including Chelsea and Man-chester City—both of which will be true tests for the Man United’s quality.

Fans should be optimistic. With the stellar performance that Di Maria has delivered so far, the revival of Man-chester United as one of the greatest European soccer powerhouses of all time is possible.

(also pronounced shish-mish). As you can imagine, learning Serbian is one of my biggest challenges this year!

As I write this article, everyone is talk-ing about the results of the recent elec-tions in Bosnia. The current president of Republika Srpska was reelected, and many people are not happy about this outcome. The country has three presi-dents—one Croatian, one Bosnian, and one Serbian (these are all ethnic groups, not nationalities)—and they all

serve together for a four-year period. Unfortunately, each president has veto power, so nothing really gets done in the country, because it is very difficult to appease all three ethnic groups, and all three presidents, at the same time.

I look forward to sending you more news from Bosnia. I hope you all enjoy your Parents’ Weekend!

Continued from page 4

8The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

Humans of HoldernessJini Rae Sparkman: On Basketball and Local Food

What has it been like working at Plymouth State and then coming to work here at Holderness?

Teenagers in both high school and col-lege are at a point in their lives when they are challenging everything, and I think that it is okay. I encourage it. It is exciting to see students questioning their world, because it means that they are trying to figure it out. It means that they are active participants in their lives rather than passive parts of a society. A little rebellion is a sign of an active mind.

I left the university level because I wanted to be able to work more with students. Most college students come to class and then leave. You don’t re-ally see them. I also missed coaching and working with students outside the classroom. At Holderness there is defi-nitely more direct contact with young people. Did I mention coaching? I love coaching. My father coached, and my brother is a coach. Being a dorm par-ent is entirely new to me, but I couldn’t

ask for any better dorm kids than the girls in Pichette. Oh, the things I have learned in such a short time!

What did you do while working/studying at PSU?

I am very proud to have come from the English Department and Women’s Studies Department at Plymouth State. I had the opportunity to work with and be influenced by some of the greatest thinkers I have ever known; the Athletic Director at PSU was an important mentor in my professional development. All of them taught me to challenge the world while caring about it. My wife is the Associate Athletic Director at PSU, and we are both very proud Panther alumni. I could spend hours talking about Plymouth State.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in the Plymouth area, if so, why?

I like food. All food. I can’t narrow it down to one restaurant, but I can tell you about my favorite foods at a few of the best dining places in town.

- The White Mountain burger at Foster’s Boiler Room- The basil fried rice at Thai Smile - The balboa at Biederman’s - The goat cheese and garlic or the cheeseburger chowder at 6 Burner Bistro- The everything bagel at Beyond the Bean- The buffalo chicken nachos at the Panther Pub- The affogato at the Italian Farm-house

Food is life.

What is your favorite Weld meal? Dessert?

I finally experienced the sizzling salad, and it was definitely worth the wait. I would hoard congo bars in my dorm room if I was a student here.

What is your favorite sport to coach and why?

I love coaching. Coaching is teaching in action. It is taking all the lessons that we need to learn about life and applying them in sport. I have had an amazing fall working with girls’ JV soccer team, which is one of my first loves. I get up early on the weekends to watch European soccer before the NFL starts. But at the end of the day, my heart, my passion, and my commit-ment have always been with basketball. There is something about being in the gym, sweat pouring off your face, pushing your body and mind to new limits that is incomparable to anything else. Basketball is heart. Anybody can play basketball, but not everyone can be a basketball player. A true baller wants to be in the gym, feel the ball in his/her hands, and compete. He/She will get up early to run, stay late to re-peat the same shot, over and over, and never accept anything but their best. Basketball is all in, all the time. I could

Continued on page 9

9 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

Lenny Thompson: More Than Just a MailmanMeet Lenny Thomson: casually known as the campus mailman. Each day, dur-ing lunch, he greets the faces of eager students, hoping for a care package, some new shoes, or maybe even a col-lege acceptance letter. Always smiling and eager to help, Lenny does more for our campus than just organize and deliver mail.

Charles Harker: How long have you been working at Holderness?

LennyThompson: I’ve worked here since 1995.

CH: How many of your sons/daugh-ters have graduated from here?

LT: Four sons, one daughter (so far).

CH: What is your favorite part about being the campus mailman? Least favorite part?

LT: Interacting with students is my favorite part of being the Holderness mailman—keeps me feeling youngish. Getting behind in my work is my least favorite part of the job.

CH: Is there a certain time of year

when the mailroom gets swamped?

LT: The mailroom gets the most swamped at the start of the school year, the end of the school year, and on some of the holidays.

CH: Besides working in the mail-room, what other jobs, if any, do you have on campus?

LT: Other jobs include working for Gordon Research in the summer and

housekeeping when needed.

CH: If you could change something about the mail process at school, what would it be?

LT: I would like to have more room to receive packages, more space in the mail room, and possibly a more mod-ern way to notify students that they have packages (via email).

run lines all day. Basketball has always been a place that I go to just be me, and I am very much looking forward to coaching others to new heights and unimagined greatness.

If you could have any job in the world (besides working at Holderness, of course) what would it be?

I honestly believe that teaching is by far the most impactful work done in this world. You must be passionate and truly care in order to be a teacher. But, because you are forcing me to choose, if I had to take any other job in the world, I would probably be a lawyer for a non-profit foundation. Social justice work is the most important work being

done in the United States and world-wide.

Who is your favorite professional athlete and why?

Old School: David Robinson, aka “The Admiral.” If you have never heard of him, look him up. He was an NBA player and one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. I admire the way that he carried himself. He never talked trash. He let his game speak for him, and it spoke pretty loud: 10 All-Star appearances, 2 NBA Champion-ships, 1 MVP, 2 Olympic gold medals, and a Hall of Fame induction. I actu-ally still have his rookie card.

New School: Abby Wambach. Abby Wambach was always a good athlete,

but in college, she had to make a deci-sion. She had to decide if she wanted to be a good athlete or a great one. She realized that showing up to practice and scrimmaging would never make her great. In that moment she decided that she was going to work harder than she ever had. In case you haven’t seen her stats: Abby Wambach has scored 170 international goals. That is more than any other woman or man in history. Everything in life is a choice. Choose to go hard.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Texas and New Mexico. Go COWBOYS!

Continued from page 8

10The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

By Parker Densmore ’15

Whether your grades are Stanford-worthy or not, parent-teacher confer-ences can be tough for anyone. With all conferences there are three major parts: the preparation, the execution, and the aftershock. All three are equal-ly important and must be kept in mind throughout this upcoming twenty-four hour period.

Preparation is all about eating well-balanced meals, staying hydrated, and getting a good night sleep. You must be as alert as possible in order to deal with unexpected surprises. An extra coffee at breakfast may also assist you later on when an escape route is needed.

Besides the physical training, it is also important to prepare yourself mentally. You need to remember specific details about the subject, especially if the

teacher asks you to “please elaborate on what you’ve been doing, for your parents.” You should also talk to your parents before entering the meeting so not everything they learn comes as a surprise.

While you may not have Father Wey-mouth’s poker face, it is important for you to remain calm and composed throughout the ordeal. Keep an open mind, and remember that the whole point of the conference is to improve you as a student. Also remember that while you may have six conferences max over the two days, the majority of your teachers have thirty or forty to complete—which is about how many you will have throughout your entire time here. They are stressed too, and both of you will leave the conference on a better note if you listen to one another.

While the longer 10-minute confer-ence time may seem daunting, you should take advantage of it. You will now have more time to have a mean-ingful conversation. You and your teacher will have a clear understanding about what needs to be improved, and your parents will know how they can support you.

The time following the conference can be the toughest of the three. While holding it together throughout the en-counter with the teacher, your parents may become much more vivid with their thoughts once alone with you. It may be challenging, but you must remember that your parents care about you and want you to succeed. Rather than getting emotional, you must remain calm and reassure your parents by telling them how you will improve.

In the CommunityTips for Surviving Parent-Teacher Conferences

play, we were ecstatic.

CF: What is the best part about play-ing your character?

Becca Kelly: I get to channel my inner mean girl without any hard feelings.Liam O’Reilly: I get to beat up Charlie Day and Kai Lin.Charlie Day: My character, Royce, is a drunken bum. This has been a differ-ent experience, yet a fun one because I can experiment with the role. CF: Which character, besides your own, is your favorite?

Leah Scaralia: My favorite character is Marguerite. I have reason to believe that Becca may have been Marguerite in a past life. You’ll see what I mean when you watch the show.Aaron Harmatz: Brill is the king of southern accents and lifestyle. He just embodies Junior.

Jack Brill: They’re all great. Delightful gets to eat a lot of food on stage. That makes me kind of jealous.CF: If you could cast any celebrity in your role, who would it be?

Liam O’Reilly: Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, because it would be hilarious to see him try to do a southern accent. Aaron Harmatz: For me, it would have to be Matthew Mcconaughey, because he’d be like, “All right, all right, all right, Norval.”Becca Kelly: Jane Lynch.

CF: Which is your favorite scene?

Charlie Day: I have two favorite scenes. One is when Charles, Chris Sargent, and Jack G. describe how they “want to go.” My second favorite is when Aaron Harmatz explains the daily struggle of tending to Dave, to Virginia. Becca Kelly: I’m a huge fan of the Nor-val and Veda scene. It’s an art, really.

Leah Scaralia: My favorite scene is quite obviously Act 2, Scene 2. I have seen this show a hundred times, but I have never gotten tired of this scene, which features Dave and Aaron as an ancient couple. If you can’t hear what Aaron is saying because I’m laughing too loud, I apologize. Don’t glare at me, though-- just watch Dave and you will be laughing, too, soon enough.

Continued from page 1

11 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

Dear Mom and Dad,Thank you for providing me the ability to get the best education I can. Love,Will

Dear Mom and Dad,Thanks for all the support! I would not be here without it!Love, Luke

Dear Mom,Thank you for supporting me this entire year. Between the late nights and early mornings, I would never have been able to accomplish so much without you.Giuliana

To Momeroni and Daderoni,Sorry for AP US. Thanks for birth-ing me.Love,Ron2g

Mom and Dad, While you are busy teaching, counseling, and advising the rest of the school, you somehow find time to be the best parents in the world. Thank you for that. Love, Maggie

Dear Mom and Dad,Thank you for all the support at the beginning of the year when I was having a tough time. Also, I promise my grades are good.Thanks, Aldie

Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you for helping me prepare for high school and for studying with me.

Mom & Dad, So thankful for all you do. Love you!Claire

Hey Mom & Dad! Thanks for making the long drive to see me! Love you guys like crazy! Anna

Welcome, Families and Friends! Thanks for coming

12The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 3

Senior EditorsYoungjae ChaTommy Chau Parker DensmoreCharlotte FrecciaCharles HarkerJack Yanchitis

Junior EditorsMaggie BartonAJ Chabot

Layout and DesignMoti Jiang

Keying Yang

Faculty AdvisorsMs. MagnusMr. Herring

Contact InformationHolderness SchoolChapel LaneP.O. Box 1879Plymouth, NH 03245

Phone Number: 603.536.1257

Email: info@holderness.org

I just bought a goat simulator for $6.

They should put eggnog in Weld.

That was the best Head’s Day ever.

My watch is too loud.

I am taking the PSATs three days after the regular SATs.

I hope nothing grows in my room over Par-ents’ Weekend.

How many pumpkin spice lattes will my student ID get me?

OverheardsCompiled By Parker Densmore ‘15

This week’s playlist is for the car ride home with Mom and Dad. Sing along if the spirit moves you.Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

September - Earth, Wind & Fire

Jammin’ - Bob Marley

Talk a Walk - Passion Pit

Love Me Again - John Newman

American Pie - Don McLean

Animal - Miike Snow

Kids - MGMT

Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen

Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show

Send Me on My Way - Rusted Root

Stayin’ Alive - the Bee Gees

More Than a Feeling - Boston

Weekly PlaylistCompiled By Parker Densmore ‘15 and

Charles Harker ‘15

JT & SR = So fun, so new!

ET & AL = Tearing her way into his heart

ES & HS = Rather dashing

SG & PS = 5th time’s a charm!

Shout out to CF and SP for having their birthdays on the same day and joint hosting a date night!!!

Shoutouts