Kimball Union Academy The Claw THE CLAW Kimball Union’s Student Newspaper Bringing you the catch of the day 22. May 2011 NEWS FEATURES OTHER Review of Student Senate! 2 2011-12 New Proctors!! 3 Music Review: Miami Horror! ! ! 4 Blind Pilot!! ! ! 5 Essence: Max Abendroth! 5 Photos from: Awards&Baccalaureate! Graduation! ! ! 6 7 1 Kimball Union Academy The Claw Review of STUDENT SENATE 2011 by Nico!e Moore The Kimball Union Student Senate had a very productive year under the leadership of All School President Ian Gagnon. It took many initiatives, accomplished much, and had many productive discussions about controversial topics that were brought before the senate. The Senate even organized exciting events, such as the Winter Carnival. The members of the senate were both productive and dynamic, representing their areas of the student body with amazing vigor. The members of the KUA 2010-2011 Student Senate include:            Ian Gagnon: All School President Nicolle Moore: All School Secretary Clare Menzel: Girls’ Head Proctor Sam Herrmann: Boys’ Head Proctor Kellie Joyce: Senior Class President Hannah Schafer: Junior Class Co-President Peter Prendergast: Junior Class Co-President Gretchen Schissel: Sophomore Class Co-President Ian Gregory-Davis: Sophomore Class Co-President Victoria Pipas: Freshman Class Co-President Marc Maggiore: Freshman Class Co-President In the course of the year, the Student Senate passed a number of proposals that positively affect the student life of the school. One of the topics that was brought before the student senate was the miscommunication involving the school’s dress code policy on hats. Ian and Marc volunteered to write a proposal in order to clarify the restricted areas where hats are not allowed. Another successful proposal involved the town trips that run on Sundays. A new system has since been put into action that allows students to board a “shuttle” that drops students off at various locations in West Lebanon, Lebanon, and Hanover. Students also expressed qualms about the process of signing out on weekends while there is an Administrator on Call (AOC). The negative feelings towards the sign-out procedure led to the purchase of an AOC iPhone. With this new device, it is possible to reach the AOC with greater ease on the weekends. The Senate had many constructive discussions about important topics such as: the current dress code at KUA, the hours of the school store in the student center, and the future of the senate (such as the election process). These conversations were deemed necessary in order to contribute to next year’s Senate. The Senate owes much of its success to the All School President as well as the help of Ms. Wheeler and Mr. Williams. It is hoped that next year the senate will be even more successful and will continue to work hard and produce positive effects on the school. 2 Kimball Union Academy The Claw 2011-12 NEW STUDENT LEADERS Eva Saenz de Ugarte Bacaicoa Sarah Porter Inseo Hwang Every year at KUA, when the the spring term winds down to a close, we see wonderful people leave. Whether we’re saying goodbye to a student or to a faculty member, it’s a sad time. Don’t get too caught up in the sadness though. This is a really exciting time. We get to see our classmates and ourselves rise to fill the places of the people we once looked up to. As students take on these roles, a handful are chosen to work with the faculty to help bridge the gap between the students and the administration. We at the Claw would like to commend these students for their hard work and commitment to this school. These STUDENTS do have some power at this school, but don’t be discouraged if you ran and didn’t get elected. While they may have more CONNECTION with administrative heads like Mr. Williams or Mr. Hyjek, that doesn’t make them any more capable of doing things at KUA. Some of you may HAVE tried to present your ideas to the school and they’ve just been shot down. Some ideas just can’t happen. It’s not because the administration wants to be mean, and it’s not that they DON’T WANT TO implement change. When you have an idea that will work, they’ll tell you. If you have one that can’t work, then they’ll dismiss it. That’s how any society works. So if you have an idea, like something fun to do, a trip a concert, a policy suggestion, or anything else, don’t just sit on it. Even if you’re not a proctor, not all-school president, or not on the student senate, you can still bring it forward. So just do it. You might actually affect the whole community for the better. 3 Kimball Union Academy The Claw While the name “Miami Horror” may conjure images of Scarface massacres or seasons of Dexter, the Australian electronic pop/ dance group offers a much less bloody and more joyful experience with their first album Illumination. Miami Horror is difficult to categorize, blending electronic with physical instrumentation, and retro ‘80s synth sounds with irresistible, Cut Copy style basslines. While their genera may be tough to put a finger on, every song on Illumination can be put into one of two categories. First is the psychedelic, ‘80s synth tribute portion of the album, consisting mostly of spacy instrumentals like Infinite Canyons, Illuminated or Grand Illusion. Forget this part of the album. If the first half is by Bryden Nugent reminiscent of weird, ‘80s psychedelic music, the second half is is the 21st century’s answer to disco. The animated basslines and carefree vocals of songs like I Look To You or Holidays give this album a buoyancy that reminds you of oversized, bright colored sunglasses or beachside summer days. With the possible exception of Sometimes don’t expect any great depth or profundity from this album. Instead, use this lightweight album to kick off your summer, or to bring you back to summer any other time of the year. MIAMI HORROR ILLUMINATION Song of the Month: America from Team America (Explicit) For no particular reason, this issue’s song of the month is the theme song from the terrorist-fighting puppet movie “Team America.” Download here 4 Kimball Union Academy The Claw BLIND PILOT 3 ROUNDS and a SOUND by Aaron Mitche! Blind Pilot’s songs are soft, acoustic, and probably best called indie folk. Their album 3 Rounds and a Sound is actually their only album, but it’s definitely something you should listen to. If you like Jack Johnson, The Weepies, The Shins, or Noah and the Whale, you’ll probably love Blind Pilot. The first track, Oviedo, has a very mellow feel, and basically sets the album up to be something good for driving on a rainy day. The Story I Heard is more energetic, with some vocal parts just at the top of the lead singer’s range, but it’s a nice change of pace to break up the album. Skipping ahead, Poor Boy slows things down a bit, but it’s not boring at all. Actually, there are some great vocal harmonies about halfway through the song, which develop all through the end. Go On, Say It is pretty cool because it’s got upbeat drums but some sad chord changes. Their most popular track, (According to iTunes) is One Red Thread. It has a similar mix of major and minor chords, and also has a cool sort of B section that slows way down. If you’re going to listen to one song on the album though, I wouldn’t pick that one. Stick with Go On, Say It or Oviedo for sample tracks. The whole album is really kind of sorrowful. The title track 3 Rounds and a Sound finishes up the album on a bittersweet note, tying the whole thing together with some inventive vocal crossing. You’ll know what I mean when you hear it. These guys do unfortunately pull a major Jack Johnson. A lot of their songs sound really similar, but because this is their only album so far, there’s still hope that they’ll mix it up in their next project. Essence: MAX ABENDROTH by Hannah Schafer Max Abendroth, a 3-year junior on the hilltop, plays varsity football and lacrosse. Max announced to the community that he would be traveling from his home in Sunapee, New Hampshire to the poorest country in the world, Haiti. Just weeks later Max was walking out of his small plane in Port Au Prince, the capital of Haiti. For ten days Max worked on a construction site, building a house for a family. He says he was very moved by the trip and that it was the most emotional and rewarding trip of his life. The people were in great need of help, for after the infamous earthquake, there was a hurricane, followed by a drought and on top of all the devastation there was the onset of cholera. Max said though 2010 was one of the most catastrophic years for the small Caribbean nation, the people of Haiti still found a way to just celebrate living. By then end of the trip Max had made many friends and was inspired by their ability to live life to the fullest no matter the circumstances. Max hopes to travel back to Haiti next winter with the same program. 5 Kimball Union Academy The Claw AWARDS & BACCALEURATE 6 Kimball Union Academy The Claw GRADUATION 7 Kimball Union Academy The Claw Editorial Staff Chief Editors: Clare Menzel; Harry Lee Layout & Photograph Editors: Jiang yu Rong; Inseo Hwang Staff Writers: Nicolle Moore; Hannah Schafer; Bryden Nugent; Aaron Mitchell Faculty Advisor: Ms. Lord Technical Support: Mr. Creeger Photo Credit: Ms. Lord 8