Volume 10,Issue 9

2.27.2015

A PUBLICATION BY HOLDERNESS STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS COMMUNITY

By Parker Densmore ‘15

When I first visited Holderness in eighth grade, the first thing I saw was a hallway filled with jumping skis. At the time, I knew nothing about boarding school. I knew nothing of Holderness or the athletic facilities and had no clue what the classes were like; I had yet to even speak with a Holderness person, but for some reason I already knew there was a ski jumping program. While ski jumping was not the decid-ing factor, the presence of the jumping skis that day played a major role in my decision to attend Holderness.

I started ski jumping in first grade. My dad had been a junior national champion in the sport, and his influ-ence, combined with the presence of a jumping program in my hometown of Hanover, gave me the opportu-nity to try the sport. Like everyone, I started small. My first time in jump-ing equipment was at Oak Hill, a nordic complex north of town. By the end of my first day, I was going off the K10 jump*, and by the end of the first week I was going off the K20.

I spent the first four years on jumps of this size. There were a couple other kids who came and went over the years, but there was never any real competi-tion at the local hill. There were quite a few kids present at the ski jumping

meets, yet I had no consistent team-mates to push me to the next level. I was also an avid alpine racer and sacrificed many hours to downhill training and traveling to distant races.

In fifth grade I went off the K30. This was huge for me; rather than being built into the side of a hill, this jump towered above the slope on a rickety, wooden trestle. While standing a mere fraction of the height of most professional jumps, it much more resembled an Olym-pic ski jump than a K10 or K20.

Throughout high school, I have competed on jumps averaging in size between K30 and K50. My competi-tions have ranged from massive events of sixty high school athletes compet-ing for the state title to a group of four people, each of which were competing in a different age category. While the larger meets are exciting, they attract much smaller fields than your aver-age alpine race, and barely a molecule of the population compared to the high school soccer or football scenes.

Holderness Ski Jumping: It’s Not What You Think

“If you were to fall while ski jumping, the most likely injury would be a rash from sliding down the land-ing hill.”

Continued on page 6

Jesse Ross ‘13 Begins His

Journey on the Appalachian

Trail

Page 2

ANWR: Conservation

vs. Development

Page 3

The Center and

the Edge: Two Student

Reviews

Pages 8 and 9

This I

Believe

Pages 4 and 5

2The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

Outside the Holderness Bubble

Charles Harker: What inspired you to hike the Appalachian Trail?

Jesse Ross: I felt that I needed an adventure. Initially, the idea of hik-ing the Appalachian Trail was just an awesome way to procrastinate while studying physics and chem. Then one day I looked up the mileage (2,168.1 miles) and divided it by the 3.5 months I have for summer break. That would have been aggressive and stressful. But with building interest, I found that it would only take three signatures to take a leave from school for a semester without withdrawing. The inspiration to actually commit to the hike fol-lowed once it was a possibility. Then Thoreau and McCandless began to hit me harder; after some real thought, I grounded the adventure and ac-cepted the opportunity. Opportunity is something that we all have and often fail to truly acknowledge. The romantic inspiration of adventure was replaced with the core belief that this experience would allow me to grow and gain a new perspective on the life I live now—and will return to once I finish the trail.

CH: About how long will the hike take?

JR: It could take anywhere from 110 to 160 days. Taking the time off and starting early has really given me a broad time frame. I just need to be back for school next fall, but it would be nice to get back in July to settle in before classes start.

CH: Are you doing this solo or with friends? (If solo, what are your feelings about being alone in the woods for a long period of time? If with friends, how do you think

your group dynamics will work?)

JR: I am going solo, but honestly I’ve probably spent more time by myself the last two months than I will the next five. The AT is becoming very popular and accessible. I’m looking forward to meeting a ton of other excited adventurers. I hope to make friends, but unlike OB, the group will be dictated by pace, not randomly.

CH: How do you think your experi-ence on OB will help you on this trip?

JR: OB certainly has been on my mind lately. It is really reassuring to know that I can make it 10 days in the woods; I know that for a fact. It is a nice place to mentally start from. The well-quoted takeaways I hope to ap-ply are: “Enjoy when you can; endure when you must;” and “You will laugh at some point.” From my OB experience,

I learned that any awesome experi-ence has some low points that don’t necessarily have to detract from it.

CH: How often will you be doing food refills, and how will you do them?

JR: I’ll carry 4-6 days of food with me, depending on towns/terrain ahead. Down south there will be towns and stores that meet that tempo. I’m also planning a few mail drops at the beginning to see if that works for me.

CH: What are you most nervous/apprehensive about, and what are you most excited for?

JR: I find myself nervous about the things that I can’t control at all. In the last week, the Smoky Moun-tains have been as cold and snowy as New Hampshire. Weather and the possibility of injury have taken

Jesse Ross ‘13 to Hike Appalachian TrailRecent Holderness alumnus Jesse Ross is about to hike the Appalachian Trail. Not just in New Hampshire, not just in Maine, all of it. And, on top of that, Jesse is doing this hike in order to raise money and awareness for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD). For those of us that know Jesse, this spontaneous idea to hike the AT probably comes as no surprise. I was lucky enough to get in touch with a very enthusiastic Jesse Ross, and he answered my questions via email. Here are Jesse’s responses, in his own words. Enjoy!

Continued on page 3

3 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

Conservation Vs. Drilling for Oil in AlaskaBy Sawyer Gardner ‘15

Obama has proposed to conserve about 12.5 million more acres of land in Alaska. Not only is the land in the interior, but some of this land is also on the coast. This has sparked some controversy as some people feel it will take away from the Alaskan economy and that Obama is wag-ing a political war against Alaska. Other people, such as environmental-ists, are happy because this means the seacoast, as well as some interior areas, are going to be well protected.

Some people questioned why Obama is doing this, as Alaska has known oil reserves and people don’t travel to these areas anyway. So why does conserving this land matter? Aren’t there ways to drill oil cleanly? What is the benefit of conserving more land if Alaska is mostly open land anyway?

As a person who used to live in Alaska, I have had the privilege of flying to places few people go. So yes, people do go into these areas for many different reasons—including hunting, fishing,

trapping, and camping. These activi-ties could be compromised by people drilling for oil. And the animals living in these areas would be compromised as well. Protecting these lands will al-low people to enjoy them in the future as I have enjoyed them in the past.

Some people question why drilling for oil is not clean. One of the major outcomes of drilling for oil is waste and pollution. One of the main issues with drilling for oil, and one people might

not think about, is the infrastructure. Roads will need to be built to gain ac-cess to these places, which will destroy the surrounding areas. Buildings will also need to be constructed, which will take away from the beauty of the land and harm the environment.

The beautiful part about Alaska is that there is so much open land—miles of open tundra, and not a person in sight. For many people, including myself, this is home. Conserving the land protects it, so in the future many others will be able to know it as home.

While the economy is important, eventually the oil reserves in Alaska will run dry, and people will move on to other places, leaving behind traces of a place that was once an oil field. Is this worth it? I myself don’t have the answers, but I am glad Obama is giving it some thought and realizing conserving lands is an option for the future. If this proposal goes through, these areas won’t be places people once drilled for oil, but rather healthy habitats for many living organisms.

too many of my thoughts lately.

I’m most excited to completely drop the defining routine and materials that I’ve considered necessary in the past. Again, it is such a cool oppor-tunity to move into the woods. I’m excited to see what I learn from it.

CH: What’s the wildest Appala-chian Trail story you’ve heard?

JR: I’m sure there are a lot of crazy people out there with even crazier stories, but I just heard about a kid that tripped on acid, got lost, was stalked by coyotes, then ended up 20 miles south of where he was the evening before.

CH: What will you miss most

about “the real world” when you’re in the “backcountry”?

JR: The “backcountry” might just be the realer world, but I’m sure I’ll miss my friends. I already miss a lot of my friends from UNH and others from Holderness. I know I’ll continue to miss those specific close relationships.

CH: Which part of the trip excites you most?

JR: Everywhere south of New England will be new, but that might make New England even more exciting. All of it.

CH: And anything else you’d like to add?

JR: I’m raising money for the

Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD). This hospital does some incredible things every single day. Any awareness/funds gained for CHaD from this hike will make it exponentially more important than an individual four-month hike.

Continued from page 2

4The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

Humans of HoldernessThis I Believe: Headstands Shift PerspectiveBy Brooke Hayes ‘17

I believe in headstands. I believe in changing and challenging perspec-tives to find balance. Each day, my eyes tend to focus solely on the steps taken directly in front of me; yet one night, while lying curled up outside in bulky winter coats, my eyes drifted upwards. My gaze met a vastness, only compa-rable to a never-ending horizon. The sky was a black blanket covered with dazzling beads, stretching on endlessly. While sinking into the depths of my mind, my thoughts travelled to the idea of balance. With a literal shift in perspective, came the understanding of thoughts buried deep in my heart.

Many say that humans are meant to have their feet on the ground. I disagree. There’s something quite whimsical, yet starkly dissimi-lar, about having your head on the ground. When your head is balanced and your core is engaged, your feet are free to float—I become light.

I believe that this is a literal meta-phor for how I’d like to live my life. I want to come to that perfect balance

in my headstand, where my core is leading and where my feet can wan-der—but never aimlessly, as my head is not only on my top, but my center.

With balance comes freedom, a feeling unlike any other. It’s about finding the center of your balance, without reaching a tipping point. We are meant to push boundaries--how else will we discover anything about

ourselves? It takes a pounding heart, teary eyes, a stomach sore from laugh-ing, and a leap of faith to discover a rather outstanding human being hidden beneath makeup, clothes, and magazine covers. It’s peaceful and calming to be so in touch with the real girl hidden behind fake laughs. I’ve found this security through the balance of my core: my values.

As I gaze upwards, beams of light stir

up questions and require examination. This year, I feel that as a whole, I am in touch with my center. I firmly believe this has to do with the company I keep—surrounding myself with those who have the ability to bring out the best in me. With strong support and a solid base, a headstand is easily upheld. This foundation is something I’ve come to understand through trial and error; mistakes, missed opportunities, and failed attempts all come together in the one moment balance is achieved.

The future is oblivion, an unknown we all must face. Its presence is made known through beads of sweat, nerves, stress-filled dreams, and thoughts of days to come. I am a planner. I have my little girl’s name picked out, a house plan in mind, and aspirations for myself in ten years. But there’s still uncertainty. Through balance I have come to understand patience. With the time I’ll have on earth, it has become my goal to use it effectively and spon-taneously, in such a way that maintains my headstand—core engaged, feet forever wandering, and heart forever fulfilled. I believe in headstands.

“There’s something quite whimsical, yet starkly dissimilar, about having your head on the ground.”

5 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

This I Believe: I am a Maker and So are YouBy Brett Hepler ‘17

I have always been curious. From the day I was born, up to this very moment, I have always been fasci-nated by technology and things in the world that make our lives easier. Something inside of me has always wanted to take apart that radio to see how it works, or go figure out why something like an airplane wing can actually exist. I am a maker.

Thinking and creating has advanced technology and society to unbelievable heights. Humans have been creating and inventing for thousands of years, and look where we are today. Think-ing and creating is the most important thing that we can do for society.

One of the first toys that I ever had as a child was a small airplane. My dad got it for me in an airport on a business trip. I thought this toy airplane was so cool. I had seen real airplanes before too and was absolutely fascinated by them. How could they possibly fly? They weigh thousands of tons, yet are still able to slip the bounds of gravity. How is it possible? Every time I saw an airplane overhead, I would think to myself of all the possible ways in which physics could possibly al-low something like that to happen.

I spent a long time wondering, and then it hit me. I needed to build a model airplane. That way I would be able to study it for myself and see how it actually worked. My dad bought me a decent sized model airplane—made out of wood and propelled by a rub-ber band. I took it outside and kept launching it for an entire day. Near the end of the day, I accidentally flew it straight into a tree and shattered it.

But I had stumbled upon some-thing. I had seen how launching the plane from different angles of attack changed the way it flew. I could only

think of this happening because of abnormal pressure on the wings. I concluded that the toy airplane flew due to a pressure difference between the top and bottom parts of the wing.

I was so curious about something that it led me to study and learn about it in extreme detail. I have been thinking and discovering things for myself in this way all my life.

Throughout my life I have also always found music fascinating. Whether it was picking up the violin in third grade or learning lead sheets for jazz piano in the summer, I have loved everything about music. There is no other feeling like discovering a new genre of music, and then spending hours trying to find music similar to what initially sparked my interest. I have been listening to music literally my entire life, and have always been in-terested in how insanely complex riffs and melodies can be. Sometimes what makes a song great is the sounds or tracks recorded on a sub level; it may be hard to hear them, but they com-plete something like a beat or a loop, making it super catchy, or groovy.

At around the age of thirteen, I wanted to take a stab at music production. I al-ready had an interest in electronic mu-sic, and I really wanted to produce my own beats and loops. I wanted to make something musically that reflected myself, and that had my character in it.

But at first, I was very off put. When I opened Ableton Live for the first time, I couldn’t understand any of it. There were all of these knobs, dials, and buttons that did nothing when I hit them. It took me an entire day just to figure out how to build a simple kick drum beat. Since then, I have learned a lot more about producing music on a computer and have learned a few tricks for better workflow when producing. I love getting caught up in a random loop or sample that sounds just perfect and completely changes everything I have put in before.

Music production is just one of the many ways I like to create. There is so much free thinking involved with music, and I love just letting my mind follow a path to something great.

Thinking and creating is something that has been ingrained in humans for thousands of years. Everything that exists has been thought about and created by someone. From the basic shelters built by cavemen thousands of years ago, to the MacBook sitting in front of you, somebody thought that up and figured out a way to build it. The only way society can advance is by brainstorming, coming up with new, innovative ideas, and making them. Draw something. Sing something. Write something amazing…Everyone has the power to create. This I believe.

6The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

UEFA Champions League 2014-15 seasonBy Tommy Chau ‘15

While the world of tennis is dormant for the entire month of February and does not regain its momentum until March, the world of European top-tier club championship soccer, the UEFA Champions League, is finally back in action. With the Round of 16 knockout stage underway, many European clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris St. Germain, etc., hoped to gain an initial advantage before the second leg that will take place at the beginning of March.

The season so far has witnessed some major surprises. For example, Liver-pool FC, who ended second in the Premier League last season, failed to make it to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. In addition, the Premier League’s defending cham-pion, Manchester City, was completely demolished by Barcelona FC 1-2 at their home stadium Etihad. Yes, Barce-

lona is a strong opponent with Lionel Messi, but the team is a much weaker version of its former self. As a result, Manchester City, which spent over 1 billion dollars since 2009 to upgrade their first-team squad, failed put up an even match against the Catalan giant.

Arsenal also suffered the same fate when they were completely blown apart by the highly-disciplined squad of AS Monaco—3-1 at Emirates

Stadium. With adverse results for two out of three English clubs in the first leg of the Round of 16, many people have already thought of the early exits for Arsenal and Manchester City.

The condition of English football has been declining for the past few years, with fewer English clubs making it to the final rounds of this top-tier club level tournament. On the contrary, the Spanish and Germans are on the rise; Germany even has a chance to take over England on the UEFA Coef-ficients next year. Real Madrid has already gained a 2-0 lead over Schalke 04 from Germany in the first leg, while both Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich had only a slight disadvan-tage when Atletico lost 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich tied Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0. The final of 2015 UEFA Champions League is far away, but one should not be surprised if Real Madrid or another Spanish/ German club lifts the trophy at the end.

SPORTS

One of the major factors in the decline of ski jumping is safety. School Admin-istrators, property owners, and parents complain of the extreme danger of the sport. Yes, there are risks involved with the sport; however, you are a hypocrite if you consider jumping to be any more dangerous than alpine skiing or hockey.

Please believe me when I say I have nothing against any of these sports, but it bothers me when people talk to me about the dangers of ski jumping. Ski racing involves high-speed turns, while freestyle skiing involves jump-ing high into the air while performing inverted acrobatics; in both sports a minor miscalculation could do major damage. And hockey is a full-contact sport played on ice with blades on your feet; somehow parents and institu-tions are relatively fine with this.

In contrast, in ski jumping, before you leave the takeoff ramp, your skis are parallel in inch-deep, ice-hardened tracks, making it impossible for your tips to cross or go off the sides of the trestle. While in the air, you are never more than five to ten feet above the ground, and even on the World Cup circuit, this distance never exceeds 20 feet. If you were to fall while ski jump-ing, the most likely injury would be a rash from sliding down the landing hill. In addition, the steepness of the landing hill allows for a crashed jumper to slowly lose velocity, unlike a skier or hockey player who hits an immobile surface. The worst injuries I’ve seen from ski jumping have been broken collar bones, scrapes, and concus-sions— three injuries I have seen plenty of in many other sport I have played.

I love ski jumping because of the

feeling of soaring through the air. It is extremely fun, and nailing a long jump is comparable to scoring a goal, hitting a home run, catching a touchdown pass, skiing through a powdery couloir, or landing a back flip for the first time. Even if you are telling yourself you have too much homework, want to take a nap, or can’t miss practice that day, you should do your best to try jumping at least once before you leave Holderness. This season may be essentially over, but I urge you to do your best to make it out next year, at least once. Holder-ness is extremely lucky to have Mr. Kendall and the ski jumping program.

*The “K” is the point on the land-ing hill where the slope begins to become flat. It is considered a good jump when the athlete reaches or exceeds the k line in their jump.

Continued from page 1

7 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

By Jack Yanchitis ‘15

Birdman Best Picture: Alejandro G. Inarritu, John Lesher, and James W. Skotchdo-pole Best Director: Alejandro González IñárrituBest Original Screenplay: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alex-ander Dinelaris, Jr., and Armando BoAchievement in Cinematography: Emannuel LubezkiThe biggest winner of the night, Birdman, took home the most prized award in all of film for 2015. As IMDB puts it, the film is about “A washed-up actor, who once played an iconic superhero, battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself in the days leading up to the opening of his Broadway play.” I have it on my “need to see” list on my desk and am waiting to go on March break to see this year’s big winner.

The Theory of Everything Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne This is easily one of the coolest “com-ing of age/coming to terms with” films that I have ever seen. Stephen Hawking is played by the eccentric and emotion-al genius Eddie Redmayne. I had never heard of the man until I finished the flick and watched the credits roll.

Still Alice Best Actress: Julianne Moore Yet to see, sorry. However, I have been reading that this part fits Julianne Moore perfectly, as she plays a mother in a very chaotic time within her fam-ily and struggles internally with her ironic diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Dis-ease.

Whiplash Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons Achievement in Sound Mixing: Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, and Thomas

CurleyAchievement in Film Editing: Tom Cross107 minute, coming of age, rock-and-roll concert. About a prodigy youth drummer. Good movie, but not thaaat good.

Boyhood Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette

The Grand Budapest Hotel Achievement in Costume Design: Milena CanoneroAchievement in Makeup and Hair-styling: Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier Achievement in Production Design: Adam Stockhausen and Anna PinnockBest Original Score: Alexandre Des-platThe Grand Budapest Hotel is one of my favorite films of all time and rightly deserved a 2015 high mark of four Oscars this year on nine nominations. Historic, artsy, funny, and dramatic, this is a must see for everyone. It’s based in a fictitious country between the World Wars.

Ida Best Foreign Language Film: Pawel Pawlikowski

The Phone Call Best Live Action Short Film: Matt Kirkby and James Lucas

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Best Documentary Short Subject: El-len Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry

American Sniper Achievement in Sound Editing: Alan Robert Murray and Bub AsmanThis film requires a tip of the cap, a.) because it has the word “America” in it; and b.) because it is about one of the greatest terrorist-ass-kicking badass

to ever live on this Earth. He was an American, and I am proud to say we can honor him.Interstellar Achievement in Visual Effects: Ian Hunter, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley, and Paul Franklin

Let’s just say it’s tough to enjoy Mat-thew McConaughey’s dribble about space and the fifth dimension and listen to him come up with detailed scientific plans alongside Anne Hatha-way on a dry erase white board that looks like it was used in 10th grade Spanish, and to have terrible plot twists that lead you to believe that the appearance of Matt Damon is going to save the movie when really it ruins it. Crazy visuals of space, though.

Feast Best Animated Short: Patrick Os-borne and Kristina Reed

Big Hero Six Best Animated Movie: Don Hall, Chris Williams, and Roy Conli

Citizen Four Best Documentary Feature: Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, and Dirk Wilutzky

Glory Best Original Song: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn

The Imitation Game Best Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore

CRACK THE ENIGMA; STOP HIT-LER! That’s what I hear about this one. I haven’t heard absolutely astonishing rave reviews, but certainly worth the time to watch.

I plan on binge watching about four movies on this list at the start of March break, no doubt.

The Oscars: Yanchitis’s Humble OpinionEntertainment

8The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

Entertainment (CONTINUED)

A Beautiful Depiction of the New and the OldBy Cayla Penny ‘15

The Center and the Edge is a contem-porary photography exhibition that is currently on display in the Edwards Art Gallery. With photographs rang-ing from eloquent documentary photography to edgy experimental photography, this exhibit tells the diverse story of the expansion of photography. With photographs dat-ing back to the early 1900’s mixed in with photographs from the 2000’s, the diversity within this small exhibit is prominent. Color smoothly blends with black and white, while simplic-ity and intricacies play for the viewer’s attention like a harmonizing duet.

Take a scan around the room and a few pictures seem to jump off the walls while others patiently wait to be admired. Sandy Skoglund’s “Shimmer-ing Madness,” a Cibachrome print, is a quick attention getter with its bright colors and loud patterns. The real mixed with the created makes for an edgy approach to photography, and the butterfly background and jelly bean people make for a confus-ing swirl of color and shape that leaves the viewer slightly confused about what is truly being seen.

Just to the left of this abstract print,

is a photo that is very different but slightly the same. One of Sally Mann’s photos from her book The Deep South paints an abstract image of the bayou, in a tea-toned sliver gelatin print. While we know this to be a photo of the bayou, the scratches etched into the bottom and top along with the blurry blend of grays makes for a deeper and more puzzling image.

One of my favorites appears to be simple, yet was probably one of the hardest pictures to take: Ray Metzker’s “City Whispers,” a silver gelatin print taken in Philadelphia in 1983. Metz-ker was known to wait for extensive periods of time to create perfectly timed documentary photographs, and his waiting was well worth it. In this photograph, the image appears to be two different people in two differ-ent places stitched together; however, it is actually one whole photograph. Metzker snapped this photo just at the right moment when the sun evenly divided the frame in half, highlight-ing the man’s face while only showing the woman’s profile figure. The sun’s light illuminates the right half of the picture while the building blocks the left half, allowing true black to lean against pure white in perfect balance.

Several pieces of the picture draw the

eye – the illumination of the woman’s hair and the light bouncing off the man’s face are two of the most promi-nent features of this piece. While you cannot see the woman’s face, she glows and gives off a warm feeling because of the light surrounding her body. The man, however, is surrounded by black with just enough light to see the left side of his face, giving him angulation and sharpness that was not shown on the woman. These contrasting images put into one piece allow the diversity and elegance of the simple to be seen.

A much larger photograph by Adou called “City Whispers” is another image that demands to be seen. It is a simple yet confusing print that Adou has constructed, a scene within a scene. The eye is initially drawn to the smaller frame inside of the larger photograph, a sheet with butterflies and flowers being stretched and tied between two trees. This pretty image contrasts with the environment in which it is set up. Surrounding the fab-ric and the man tying it up are scrag-gly leafless trees and an uneven rocky hillside that depict a different kind of beauty--a forgotton beauty that most people don’t truly see and appreciate. This photo depicts how many people live their lives, trying to be better, smarter, more beautiful—something they’re not. They try to change things, shape them to fit the image of how they think the world should be, trying to cover up the flaws and the abnor-mal beauties. The wrinkle in the fabric shows that as much as we try to change things, it is impossible to just simply cover up what we don’t see as desir-able, or different, or on the edge.

The different, the powerful, and the abnormally beautiful all belong in The Center and the Edge, for they show the world in a round and full view.

9 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

A Critique of “Man Clutching Goose” By AdouBy Qianyi Zhang ‘15

The Center and Edge, a photography exhibition, opened at the Holder-ness School gallery this month. There is a great variety of photographs by multiple artists, including Sally Mann, Tina Barney, Jan Groover, Adou, etc. The artists use many different tech-niques, both digital and traditional, to create strong images. Some pho-tographs are abstract and emotional, while others have clearly identifiable subjects. The photographs in this show together tell a collective story.

One piece, in particular, grabbed my attention. The first time I looked at the photograph, “Man Clutching Goose,” I could not help but wonder where the goose was looking and what he/she was thinking. Suddenly I realized that my focus was not on the man, who is supposed to be the main subject of the portrait. The man hides his face in the shadow and blends into his dark outfit. In contrast, the goose is bright, which creates a big con-trast with the dark outfit of the man and draws the viewers’ attention.

The contrast not only exists between the man and goose, but also the sub-jects and the background. Although out of focus, the background seems like a market setting with high walls and crowds of people. The ambiguous feeling has a huge contrast with the concrete details of the subjects. Fur-thermore, the blurriness of the back-ground creates a sense of motion. Peo-ple seem to be moving; you can almost hear them talking. In contrast, the man stands still, looks straight, and clutches a goose. Even the goose rests still with its eye gazing at something in a distance. The weather seems cold, and the man seems poor. Perhaps he hopes to sell the goose for a good price.

Texture is an important aspect of this

photo as well and creates the vivid-ness of the subjects. Rough fabrics, long and thin tassels, fur on the hat, and feathers on the goose altogether bring life to the man and the goose.

The silver gelatin print technique makes this photo look ancient with stains on the surface. It also gives the photo a brown tone. However, it was printed in 2006, less than ten years ago. In fact, the subject itself has a feeling of age and the brown tone emphasizes it more.

Adou, the photographer, is from Sichuan, China. He has been to many different places in China to photo-graph people and other objects. The man in the photo seems to be a farmer, who lives in the rural area of China.

As one of the larger scale photographs in this exhibition, “Man Clutching Goose” is a powerful image that tells a story from a different culture using contrast, texture, and a unique printing technique. It also uses light and time effectively to create the illusion of age.

10The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

Is too much “Buy-in” bad? Questioning the NormBy Maggie Barton ‘16

Reading 1984 by George Orwell has forced me to consider the extent to which Holderness requires members of the community to believe, to not just go through the motions. Getting good grades or doing well athletically may not require much more than doing what you are supposed to do, but there are many aspects of Holder-ness that force a deeper devotion.

Current students are vital to the process of attracting new students to Holderness. Nearly every kid at Holderness will give at least one tour during his or her time here. Certainly, it is possible to give a bad tour, al-though I believe those are rare. To give a quality tour, students are not only traveling across campus, but they are also sharing their appreciation and adoration for the school in order to really sell it to the prospective stu-dent. Tour guides discuss nearly every piece of the school and don’t get to pick their favorite aspects; in addi-tion, they are often forced to defend

those less-loved parts of the school.

The first time I gave a tour, I arrived at Weld and began to explain the Job Program. As I described how the sys-tem works, I could see the faces of the prospective family members turn into frowns, as they said, “Wow...Really?…” Suddenly, I was forced to defend the school that I love—its flaws and all. I found myself citing the camarade-rie of a job crew and telling stories of singing and dancing in pantry.

Giving that tour required me to make note of the better side of pantry. And I wasn’t lying. When I was finished with the tour, I not only changed how the prospective student felt about the Job Program, but also how I did.

Situations like these demand students believe in Holderness in a whole new way. The relationship between this idea and leadership at Holderness is perhaps the most provocative. To rise up in the leadership bracket at Holderness—not only as president, but also as captains, job leaders, and dorm leaders—all need to buy into the program. They don’t just do everything they are supposed to; they wear a genuine smile through it all.

Those who have the highest level of “buy in” have to trust that even the least glamorous aspects of Holder-ness exist for a reason, as it is very difficult to effectively lead younger kids in a system that you don’t be-lieve in yourself. Countless times, it happens that students find them-selves in leadership positions that they don’t buy into. Consequently, they commonly receive little respect and are viewed as “failed” leaders.

If this is true—that the successful lead-ers of Holderness truly believe in near-ly all that this place is about—then are they ever inspired to question it? I am

in no way accusing Mr. Peck and Ms. Weymouth and Mr. Ford of manipulat-ing the students of Holderness, but I think it is a question worth exploring.

This setup is not unique to the student body, but something teachers and employees of nearly every business run in to. Just as I feel myself sup-porting and believing in Holderness more and more with each day that I’m here, many of my teachers likely share a similar feeling. They don’t just live by the values of Holderness but are required to teach and spread them. Their careers potentially rest on their ability to “buy in.” Certainly, this ultimatum results in many teachers enforcing the values of the school until they are ingrained within themselves. This enforcement can come in the form of disciplinary situations or even a school philosophy of how to teach.

In these situations—enrollment or employment—one often becomes so entrenched in a belief that one doesn’t even acquire the urge to question it. True leaders, however, force themselves to speculate.

To be a real leader requires a strange combination of passionate faith and an eye for improvement. In 1984, while rebel Winston was being tortured by the inner party, he decided he would have to keep all of his hate for the Par-ty (oppressive government) bundled in a tight ball inside of him. He planned to fully commit to being a party mem-ber with the rest of his being but kept his true hatred until he was killed.

That is what all leaders should strive to do—maintain, through their love and devotion to the sys-tem, a bundle of doubt that allows them to ask good questions.

In the Community

11 The Picador: Volume 10, Issue 9

Expert Advice on Staying Happy in WinterBy Parker Densmore ‘15As we all know, the beginning of winter at Holderness can be a mis-erable time. We are coming off of a fun two-week break, and suddenly we end up back here, with a heavier work load than the fall, the bitter cold, and the mounds of dirt left behind by construction. On top of that, the entire community is hit with a wave of various influenzas, sore throats, and stomach bugs—almost requir-ing a change in school policy to allow hazmat suits as acceptable dress code.

Walking to class a couple weeks ago, I saw every passerby on the path trudging as if they were walk-ing to their executions. Personally, I was home for four days with the flu and felt equally crumby. How can someone possibly feel happy dur-ing this time of year? To figure this out, I decided to meet with one of the happiest people I know: Ms. Dopp.

“It’s the little tiny things” she says. The key to enjoying the winter at Holderness, she explains, is to pay attention to all of the tiny bits of humor and happiness that are very prevalent around campus.

First of all, the fresh snow is a major source of happiness. It is going to be cold no matter what, so why shouldn’t the campus be beautiful at the same time? The snow makes life much bet-ter for the skiers, and there is nothing more entertaining than watching fac-ulty dogs dashing through the powder

like they are racing in the Iditarod.

Then there is music. Whether or not you participate, you can’t help but be happy when everyone stands up to sing in Assembly. As a community we can either sound spectacular, or not. When we do, it is an uplifting experi-ence that brightens the rest of our days. When we don’t, we laugh about it, and laughing always makes us feel better.

Then there are all of the little things that make this place so enjoyable: the random almost spontaneous events that are completely awesome. A perfect example was the music in chapel a couple Mondays ago. Fine, you can say it was a required com-mitment, but you have to admit that soothing music is a much better way to start out your week than class.

Another important piece to con-sider is that we need to keep ev-erything in perspective. It may be frigid out, but at least we have warm classrooms and heated dorms. It is important to be happy with even the little things, because there are people out there who do not have a warm place to sleep at every night.

Finally, the single biggest source of joy around campus is inarguably the faculty kids. They are the life of the

party. Whether they are sledding at the nordic hut, building snowmen on the Quad, or constructing forts near Rathbun, winter is a time of imagination for the youngest mem-bers of our community. Whether they are coming back from hockey practice or from an afternoon at the mountain, the faculty kids are always anxious to share their experiences.

The warmth of their happiness is more than enough to counter the brutally cold temperatures outside.

PortraitsHolderness School Photography

(and one from the Archives)

By Yoomi Ren ‘17 Lip sync 1927

By Liz Casey ‘17 By Noa Lin ‘17