1. education
2. school

THE
www. thelawrence.org
LAWRENCE
April 18, 2014
THE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE LAWRENCEVILLE SCHOOL
Vol. CXXXIV No. 4
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Addresses Students
Gates speaking to the Lawrenceville community
BY AKASH BAGARIA ’16
STAFF WRITER
This past Monday, renowned literary
critic and scholar Henry Louis “Skip”
Gates, Jr. visited Lawrenceville to discuss
his celebrated PBS documentary series
Finding Your Roots. Acclaimed for his
comprehensive exploration of genealogy
and African-American history, Gates
delivered his speech as part of the Heely
Lecture Series. The series, which commemorates the School’s seventh Head
Yvonne Yan ’16/The Lawrence
Master Allan V. Heely, aims to educate
the Lawrenceville community by bringing distinguished individuals to campus.
Prior to delivering his lecture, Gates
received a cordial introduction from
Lawrenceville Trustee Glenn H. Hutchins
’73. Co-founder of the private equity
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York,
Hutchins was the major benefactor of
The Hutchins Center for African and
African-American Research at Harvard
University, of which Gates serves as
director. Hutchins elaborated on the
numerous achievements of the lecturer.
He emphasized how fortunate Lawrentians are to attend such an institution;
“Lawrenceville’s education is equaled
by very few schools and exceeded by
none,” he stated.
Born in Keyser, West Virginia, Gates
attained an exemplary education and
can- American to receive the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation Fellowship, Gates
earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in English
Literature from Clare College at the
University of Cambridge as well as his
B.A. in English Language and Literature,
summa cum laude, from Yale University.
Not only has Gates received 51 honorary degrees, but he has also won various
awards including the 1993 George Polk
Award for Social Commentary, the National Humanities Medal, and the 2008
Ralph Lowell Award.
Throughout the lecture, Gates captivated the audience with his lighthearted
humor and memorable anecdotes. Gates
shared the experience of attending his
grandfather’s burial towards the beginning of the lecture to explain his interest in
genealogy. He proceeded to dispel certain
misconceptions of African- American
culture, informing the audience that
almost all African-Americans have in
fact descended from slaves and that
southern states contained a larger free
colored population than did northern
states. Gates also explained how he
uncovers information regarding family
lineage with the aid of other historians
and scientists. According to Ian Frost
’16, “the idea that genealogists are able
to explore centuries of family lineage and
discover information... fascinates me.”
A focal point of the lecture was the
television series Finding Your Roots,
which is hosted by Gates. The series,
which attracted almost 30 million viewers last year, traces the family histories
of notable celebrities. It is a continuation
of previous projects started by Gates on
the topic of family lineage. Explaining
the success of the series, Gates told the
audience that genealogy intrigues people
primarily because “your favorite subject
in the whole world is yourself, which
is what genealogy is all about.” Gates
plans to apply his passion for genealogy
to inner-city communities; he wants to
introduce a new curriculum to inner-city
schools by which it is mandatory that
every student complete a family tree.
Gates originally planned to deliver his
lecture in February, since his visit would
coincide with Black History Month.
However, due to inclement weather, the
School had to postpone the lecture. The
the Lawrenceville community came
from Former Student Body President
Maya Peterson ’14, whose father is an
old acquaintance of his. That, along
with the close relationship between
Hutchins and Gates, encouraged the
School to consider inviting him. As Dean
of Residential Life Brian Daniell H’06
notes, “African-American history is also
American history, and it was simply an
honor and an important intellectual opportunity to have had a leading historian
come to share insights with us here about
one aspect of our history.” Daniell also
pointed out that the timing of the lecture
was favorable, as next year the School
Alumni Email Sparks Debate Environmentalist Stephanie Haig Lectures
BY KEERA ANNAMANENI ’16
STAFF WRITER
On Saturday night, an anonymous
email was forwarded to Lawrenceville’s
alumni from the address ‘noreply@
saveLawrenceville.com,’ entitled “To
Our Fellow Lawrentians.” The sender
expressed strong concerns over Lawrenceville’s so-called “changes that have
transformed and diminished the School
from its standing as one of the preeminent
American boarding schools.”
Trustee Emeritus Glenn Hutchins
email after giving his opening remarks
for Professor Henry Louis Gates, a
prominent intellectual and literary critic
who delivered a scheduled all-school presentation on Monday evening. Hutchins
started the conversation emphasizing
“Lawrenceville is in better shape today
than it has ever been in every important
respect,” he began, praising the School.
Hutchins then began to dispel the email’s
arguments against Lawrenceville’s
nored by the anonymous author’s of this
weekend’s diatribe.”
On the topic of tradition, Hutchins
asked “[Lawrentians to] help us adapt
the school to a changing world so it can
stay relevant to you and your future.”
Finally, Hutchins condemned the
author’s choice to remain anonymous.
“You have the right to expect that we
and then stand up and be counted for our
views. That is what Lawrenceville is all
about,” he closed, resulting in a standing ovation from the School’s students
and faculty.
The following morning, Lawrenceville’s Senior Staff responded with an allschool email. Like Hutchins, the Senior
Staff expressed disappointment in the
email’s anonymity, stating “honest, public
dialogue is at the heart of a Lawrenceville
education.” Regarding the attacks on
Lawrenceville’s multicultural outlook,
the Staff rejected the email’s central claim
by adding “[Lawrenceville’s] diversity
enriches the experience...of all students.”
Hours later, the Lawrenceville community—including parents, students,
alumni, and faculty—received an email
from Board of Trustee’s President Tom L.
Carter ‘70 P’01’05 as a rebuttal against
the letter.
Carter began by criticizing the author’s anonymity. “Anonymous attacks
on the school does little to advance
dialogue,” he said. Carter proceeded to
“correct the record,” referencing Lawrenceville’s comparatively low expense
growth, the legacy acceptance rate of
61%, and our $367 million endowment
that has doubled in the last decade.
Finally, Carter signed off by applauding
the “proud tradition that our students are
living up to every day.”
Alumni also voiced strong opinions on
various social media sites. For example,
one alumnus commented on Facebook,
“a lot of the stats are manipulated, not
exactly true, and don’t exactly look at
the whole picture.”
Yesterday, Head Master Elizabeth
Wesley Brooks ’71 P’03 ’05 hosted a
town hall meeting to discuss the contents
of the letter. Over the course of their
presentation, they corrected the numerous
mistakes present in the letter and provided
precise facts and information.
BY PANOS VANDRIS ’17
STAFF WRITER
This past Wednesday night at 6:30
P.M., the Calliopean Society and Sustainability Council jointly hosted Stephanie
Haig, director, writer, and producer of
“Fighting for the Futaleufú.” After a brief
introduction by Haig, the 17-minute-long
environmental documentary, which explores the plight of the Futaleufú River
in Chilean Patagonia, was shown in the
Ambrecht Room of the Noyes History
Center and was followed by a questionand-answer session with Lawrenceville
students and faculty. Haig’s “Fighting
for the Futaleufú” has received critical
acclaim and several prizes since its
release in 2013, winning the “Saving
Wild Spaces Award” at the Mt. Hood
Independent Film Festival and “Best
Short Documentary” at the Rockport
Film Festival.
Jason Zhang ’15, one of the student
jeopardizing the existence of the Futaleufú River and the continuance of the
lifestyle of the communities surrounding
it. European energy and mining companies have been relentlessly seeking to
exploit the Patagonian region for its vast
array of natural resources; construction
of hydroelectric dams on the rivers is
the main focus of Haig’s documentary.
Despite potentially providing clean energy for large parts of Chile and greatly
enormous dams would provoke wideof countless villages. Through depicting
everyday life near the river and illustrating
local attitudes towards the river and its
possible devastation, “Fighting for the
Futaleufú” sends a powerful message to
economic and monetary interests and the
principles of environmental protection
and cultural conservation.
This lesson was not lost on those in attendance: Lysk Wyckoff ’14 highlighted
the fact that because this issue of money
and business versus environment and
community is occurring in such a small
and secluded part of the world, general
awareness of its severity and prevalence,
both domestic and foreign, is very low.
Wyckoff also recognized the direness of
the present situation in Patagonia, stating that “should the companies follow
through on their plans, it could potentially
destroy the entire country’s culture.”
the Futaleufú” will assist in preventing this catastrophe and ensure that the
geographical, cultural, and historical
for generations to come.
in the Princeton Environmental Film Festival at the Princeton Public Library on
Saturday, February 1. “I wanted to introbecause I believed that the student body
be inspired,” explained Zhang. After
contacting the coordinator of the festival
and obtaining Haig’s contact information, Zhang planned the event for this
past Wednesday.
the extraordinary beauty of Futaleufú
with a greater number of people both in
the United States and in South American
countries. She also wishes to bring more
attention to the current threats that are
Film Producer Stephanie Haig spoke with students
Alex Domb’17/The Lawrence
Editorial
Opinions
Arts
Features
Sports
The One-Way Mirror.
Page 2.
Discussion on
Demographics.
Page 3.
120th Lit
Board Selected.
Page 4.
Surviving the
Heartbleed Virus.
Page 5.
Girls’ Varsity Lax Wins
Close Victory Over Hill.
Page 8.
Opinions
The Lawrence - Page 2
EDITORIAL
The Dream of Diversity
A CALL FOR CLARITY
There exists a wall, or rather, a one-way mirror, that divides the administration
and the student body, and through this mirror administrators have unilateral
control over students, who, in turn, are left in the dark. In reality, students
deserve to be fully involved with the decision-making process of the school;
such decisions should not be placed only in the hands of the few.
The School empowers its students through the Harkness method but neglects
to extend the same amount of trust outside of the classroom, a discrepancy that
undermines the very fabric of this trademarked system. Students are placed as
“equals” in discussion but are ignored in larger decisions. In order to legitimize
the voice of the student body—something that should be assured with a letter of
acceptance to this school—the administration, itself, must be aware that we as
students have the right to be not only voices but vehicles for change.
One such instance also occurred in the fall, when the century-old tradition of
opinion. No advance information was provided about the dramatic intramural
transformation, and Circle boys had little say in a decision that affected them and
them alone. Perhaps the biggest shock among the many of this entire scenario
was the unwillingness to discuss the matter with the students in making the
decision. The Town Hall meeting was held after the decision was publicized,
and the decision was made before the whole issue itself was even made public
to the Lawrenceville community. This ultimately unilateral decision is an utter
stresses unity more than almost anything else and prides itself in its ability to
a contradiction to begin with.
the Dean of Students’s decision to withhold election statistics. Last week’s front
page of The Lawrence was marred by a small blue box at the end of the article
announcing the victory of Matt Porcelli ’15, which read: “Dean of Students Nancy
Thomas H’01 P’04 ’07 declined to provide The Lawrence with comprehensive
voter demographics for the election.” This lack of transparency only serves to
cultivate a relationship between students and administrators marred by distrust,
suspicion, and antipathy. The same rule applies for summer reading and chapel
credit – when you force a policy on students with little discourse, a hostile
reaction is bound to happen.
The only way to truly involve students is to foster real dialogue, as the
administration masterfully demonstrated following the notorious newsletter sent
open to the school community. Faculty members composed emails to the whole
school providing clear, well-reasoned responses to the vitriol supplied by the
newsletter. Then, the administration held an open Town Hall meeting to bring
students directly into the conversation. To their credit, high-level faculty openly
Lawrenceville should set transparency high on its list of priorities. Rather than
upholding the qualities of openness and free speech, the administration has,
through its lack of transparency, aroused mistrust, speculation, and frustration.
long-term reconcile in order to ensure the well-being of this school.
Virtus semper viridis,
The 134th
THE LAWRENCE
Sammy Bhatia
Editor-in-Chief
Neil Menghani
Managing Editor
Jason Z. Zhang
News Editor
George Lankas
Business Manager
Anuj Krishnamurthy
Opinions Editor
Veena Bhagavathi
Arts Editor
Nicholas Wey
Sports Editor
Elizabeth Beckman
Features Editor
David Xin
Associate Editor
Eric Chen
Web Editor
Dennis Duan
Copy Editor
Aulden Foltz
Copy Editor
Esther Baek
Photography Editor
Lily Kwon
Graphics Editor
Clarice Lee
Head Photographer
Faculty Advisors
Honorary Faculty Advisor
Senior Columnists
Staff Writers
BY BRIAN LI ’17
s a former student of
Shanghai, China, I am
somewhat unfamiliar with the
experience of being at a traditional
US high school. The student body
of the school I previously attended
was largely composed of kids like
myself – Chinese kids strongly
other words, I did not know what
a diverse, international community
really looked like.
During the application process to
Lawrenceville in the eighth grade, I
happened upon this novel concept
of a racially and culturally diverse
school community. This was one of
the things about Lawrenceville that
appealed to me the most – the idea of
being able to live with and bond with
kids who have had vastly different
experiences from my own. The
states that “Lawrenceville
actively seeks a student body
that is racially, geographically,
and socioeconomically diverse
and welcomes applicants from
Lawrenceville strives to “provide
a multicultural environment where
students from diverse backgrounds
are encouraged to learn from, with,
and about one another.” Up until
that point, my friends and I, for the
most part, had experiences similar
to mine. I was curious about the
idea of living in an environment
where backgrounds differed from
dorm room to dorm room.
In fact, Lawrenceville’s diversity
was the selling point for me. I
decided to jump into a completely
BY NEEL AJJARUPU ’16
STAFF WRITER
T
he front screen projector
came to life and the images
of somber high school
students passed through the screen.
the faces passed by on the screen,
a message came
clear: “80% of the
students you just saw
heard more than one
homophobic remark
today.”
LastFriday,students
at Lawrenceville
observed the Gay,
Lesbian, & Straight
Education Network’s
National Day of
Silence. Students were
encouraged to take
“a vow of silence to
call attention to the
silencing effect of
anti-LGBT bullying
and harassment in
The Lawrence, The Lawrenceville School newspaper, is published weekly during the school year except for the periods
of Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Vacations, by the students of The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey,
Letters to the editor should be mailed to the address above or e-mailed to [email protected]. The
Lawrence may be accessed online at www.thelawrence.org.
new environment full of completely
new people from all around the
world – thousands of miles away
from home. I was excited to make
friends with people who were
racially or culturally diverse. In the
fall of 2013, I came to Lawrenceville
simply did not feel like I belonged
in a “prep” school. I immediately
began noticing the conspicuous
formation of cliques by people with
similar interests and backgrounds.
This was another relatively new
concept – in my old school, cliques
a diverse community of individuals
representing a wide spectrum of
backgrounds, all brought together
Lawrenceville, cliques were so much
“Apart from insubstantial
Powerpoint
presentations
about certain nations during
school meeting, how often do
clear divisions between people who
were from different backgrounds.
demographics at Lawrenceville are
not as cosmopolitan as I’d thought
they would be. Years ago, the
average Lawrentian was privileged,
Protestant, and deeply involved in
athletics; that conception still holds
today. Lawrenceville, in many
ways, hasn’t changed much since
the twentieth century – it really is
a seemingly homogenous, fancy
Lawrentians actually engage
in the diversity that we’re
blessed with?”
met kids from the Dominican
Republic to all the way on the other
side of the world in Korea. There
Massachusetts, and so many other
H o w e v e r, a s I e n t e r e d
Lawrenceville, there were also
many things I did not expect. There
was a culture in the school that was
completely new to me, summarized
aptly with the term “preppy.”Of
course, I understood that the school
I was going to was a preparatory
school. However, I wasn’t exactly
aware of what all that truly meant.
Moreover, Lawrenceville touts
this faux “diversity” incessantly.
But when I look around, I don’t see
much of it. Music performances and
dances involving foreign culture are
rarely held on campus. Students
moan and groan about having to
go to chapel-related functions and
learn about world religions. Genderneutral bathrooms, seemingly
innocuous facilities designed
to accomodate a diverse range
of gender identities, have been
lampooned and ridiculed.
I am still a freshman and have
three more years left with this
school; with the experiences still
left ahead, I may begin to perceive
the diversity at Lawrenceville
differently. But at this point, it
seems, Lawrenceville has yet to
discover what it means to be a truly
diverse community.
The Senselessness of Silence
Week, the Day of
Silence really only
succeeds in silencing
those who need to
speak out the most.
School or The Lawrence The Lawrence
April 18, 2014
with staying quiet for a cause is that
it is too easily overlooked by those
who don’t care. In this case, silence
does not speak louder than words
because when victims remain quiet,
bullies are free to say whatever
situation is all too common, where
those of the LGBT community are
shamed into silence and forced
to internalize their emotions and
opinions at the risk of more abuse.
Silence is a sign of defeat,
when there is nothing left to say.
It is the irrational response to the
huge amount of silencing that the
LGBT community has to endure.
are already forced into silence by
politicians, peers, and self-doubt,
promoting the silence of this group
is completely inconsistent with
the ideals that freedom activists
are trying to promote. Society will
not embrace LGBT youth because
they stayed silent in the hope of
calling attention. Nor will it respond
positively to excessive promotion of
minority rights because after some
time, it becomes tiring to listen and
easier to ignore.
The problem with developing
a universal understanding about
gender-minorities is that both sides
are producing too
much “noise.” Each
cause is promoting
their own point of
view without allowing
for a response.
Think of it as a huge
lecture compared
to a Harkness table
discussion; the latter
is without exception
the more engaging of
the two because both
sides must consider
the multifarious
arguments put forth.
In order to reach a
point where all people
are treated fairly and
equally, those who
are oppressed cannot
succeed by remaining
silent. They succeed
by convincing their
oppressors through
reason. This kind of serious
discussion will cut through the noise
that has been falling on deaf ears
for so long, end the silence of the
oppressed, and lay the foundation
for a world without sexual stigmas.
April 18, 2014
Opinions
REMEMBERING RWANDA
The Broken Promise of Peace
BY AMELIA SMITH ’16
O
n April 7, thousands
of Rwandans gathered
to launch a weeklong
ceremony of grieving. Mourners
laid down hundreds of wreaths
to honor the dead and lit a
Rwanda, that will burn for 100
days to represent the span of the
“How much is enough?
How long are we going to allow events like this taint our
history?”
Rwandan Genocide. The start of
the ceremonies marked the 20th
anniversary of the nationwide
massacre.
In 1894, tensions between the
two social classes engineered
by Belgian colonists had been
mounting. When the Belgians
claimed the territory of RuandaUrundi, now known simply as
Rwanda, they created a social
divide to consolidate and exert
their control over the country. At
the time, the Tutsis and Hutus were
the two primary ethnic groups in
Rwanda at the time. The Belgians
deliberately granted power to the
Tutsis, alleging that they were
taller and more light-skinned
than the Hutus. Under Belgian
rule, the Tutsis economically
and politically oppressed the
Hutus, which caused lasting
resentment even after Rwanda
gained independence in 1960.
In April 1994, a plane carrying
Cyprien Ntaryamira, President of
Habyarimana and Burundi, was
all passengers on the flight.
The Hutus blamed the attack
on the Tutsis, which ignited a
mass murder spree led by Hutu
extremists and the Interahamwe,
a Hutu paramilitary force. The
extremists’ goal was to eradicate
all Tutsis and Tutsi sympathizers;
in 100 days, over 800,000 Tutsi
men, women, and children were
killed with machetes.
During this genocide, the world
watched on and did nothing as
almost one million people died.
In fact, when the violence started,
the U.N. Security Council voted
to withdraw all U.N troops and
only evacuated international
citizens visiting Rwanda at the
the violence, Hotel Rwanda, an
American character famously
stated that people watching the
news would “say, ‘Oh my God,
Letter to the Editor
that’s horrible,’ and then go on
eating their dinners.” After the
violence ended in July, politicians
and prominent international
the events – but by then, it was
far too late.
People around the globe vowed
that such an event would never
take place again. However, a
genocide is occurring right now,
with virtually no interference.
In March 2011, the Syrian
protesters demanding economic
prosperity, political freedom,
and civil liberties, triggering the
commencement of the Syrian
Syrian rebels and government
forces, over 100,000 people died.
Two million people left Syria,
and 2.4 million Syrians have
become refugees. Thousands
more currently are waiting for
refugee status. One half of the
refugees are women and children,
while one-fourth are boys under
the age of 18. While the United
States and its Western allies
have weak-heartedly pressed
economic sanctions against Syria,
many countries such as China
and Russia have vetoed every
broke out, Syria is no closer to
resolving its problems on its own.
This international inaction ignores
the immense danger posed by
Dear Editors,
was no value in collecting data to study if boys voted for boys and girls
voted for girls or Houses voted as blocks. Thus, we did not design the
election to collect that data. When we discuss transparency with our
students, we need to let them know beforehand what data we will be
collecting and releasing to the public. The election was designed to see
is available to The Lawrence and to the public. To protect the integrity
of the election process, students’ anonymity needs to be preserved.
Hopefully, this helps students vote with their conscience and not a crowd.
If in the future The Lawrence would like to study some trends in
student voting, I suggest they make a proposal to the Student Council
before the election to see if the council is willing to support collecting
that data and to help design a voting process to collect that data.
– Dean of Students Nancy Thomas H’01 P’04 ‘07
After the violence ended in
July, politicians and promiexpressed their horror at the
By the Numbers
3 months
The amount of time it took for
the mass killings in Rwanda to
spread from the capital city to
the rest of the country.
2 years
The number of time the violent
Syrian Civil War has lasted
under the brutal Assad regime,
with nearly 100,000 people dead
and 6.5 million displaced.
50%
The portion of chemical weapons
fomerly employed by the Assad
regime that were destroyed by
an international coalition.
3
events – but by then, it was
far too late.
ardently claimed that a genocide
would never happen again, and
the world has been claiming that
after every genocide that has
happened since.
So, in light of the 20th
anniversary of the Rwandan
Genocide, we must ask ourselves
this: How much is enough? How
long are we going to allow events
like this taint our history?
The number of times that
Russia and China have vetoed a
U.N. Security Council measure
concerning Syria since 2011.
60%
The percentage of Americans
who disapproved of an
American military intervention
into Syria.
An Open Letter
Dear Dean Thomas and
Student Council,
As I mentioned today, elections for Student Council positions have
been designed to determine which student got the greatest number of
votes. Traditionally, we have only released the winner and have not
mentioned any numbers. This was done deliberately. As an educational
institution with a commitment to fostering student leadership, we
encourage students to take risks and put themselves out there in an
election. Publishing how many votes or how few votes a candidate
received could discourage students from taking that risk. We also don’t
think that margin of victory is relevant. Once the President is elected,
then hopefully the whole school will embrace that individual. When
electing a captain of an athletic team, the coach does not say that Neil
got 11 votes, Jon got 7, and Sammy got 1. They announce the winner,
and they move on to team-building. This practice also allows the other
students in the running to feel supported and good about running and
think about ways to make other contributions.
Two years ago, we started a discussion about gender and the school
presidency, and we decided to look at the hypothesis that voting took
place along gender lines. We informed the student body that we wanted
to collect that data, and we did so. We did the same thing last year too
- again collecting data along gender lines.
the dissolution of a stable Syrian
government. According to CNN,
“The Syrian regime is Alawite,
and the majority of the country
is Sunni, so there is concern that
Syria could devolve, like Iraq once
did, into a bloody, sectarian battle
that could further destabilize the
region.” World powers, despite the
imminent threat, are still hesitant
to get involved.
After the Holocaust, the world
The Lawrence - Page 3
I am writing to you to state my
position on why detailed voter
demographics for the presidential
election should be released.
At Lawrenceville, we pride
ourselves on the high standards
of character to which we hold
ourselves, our peers, our teachers,
and our administrators. Every year,
we hold elections to choose the
student leaders who will represent
the student body and the School
as a whole, both internally and
externally. Those students are
strictly held to the aforementioned
process by which they are chosen
is subject to those same principles
of honesty and integrity.
We hold democratic elections
for Student Council positions
because we believe in the virtues
of democracy. We trust each
individual student regardless
of gender or Form to make an
informed decision. Democracy is
built on the foundation of trust and
election is the voting and the second
part is the open sharing of results.
Last year, the election results
of Maya Peterson ’14 vs. Andreas
Vandris ’14 were published in The
Lawrence. In the III-V Forms, 76%
of males voted for Vandris and
74% of females voted for Peterson.
The majority of II Form male
and female voters both voted for
Peterson. This pattern was startling
especially after the push for copresidency earlier in the year.
Releasing these results
allowed students and faculty
to gain a more nuanced and
complete understanding of female
leadership at Lawrenceville. Their
publication opened up discourse
problem. The refusal to release
results this year carries with it
the implicit assumption that the
administration and Student Council
do not want to promote discussions
about issues that may plague our
community.
Even if this year’s data shows
no immediate discernible trends,
students and faculty should be
allowed to consider the data on
their own. In an environment
where students are told and taught
to be independent critical thinkers,
refusing students the right to
consider the data runs counter to
one of Lawrenceville’s central
educational tenets.
Furthermore, I have personally
heard several accusations of foul
play on the administration’s part in
carrying out the election due to its
refusal to release the results. These
doubts undermine the electoral
process as a whole, and negatively
impact student perception of
Student Council members who are
elected. Whether these accusations
are true or not, their existence is
indicative of mistrust between
students and the administration.
Perpetuating that mistrust can only
weaken our community.
Withholding data on the premise
that it would demoralize candidates
or any other position comes with
the risk of losing. Lawrenceville is
not an institution that should shelter
its students from failure. For many
students, their greatest moments
of growth do not come from their
highs, but from their lows. The
administration and Student Council
should strive to support students in
overcoming hardship rather than
shielding them prematurely from
in the long run.
The assertion that the election was
not set up to record demographics
is inconsequential given the current
situation. From what I have
gathered, the voting data now exists
as a long list of student names along
with the candidate they voted for.
It would be simple for a third-party
(such an ITS staff member) to match
the names against a student roster
that includes gender and Form to
produce the demographics.
Last year, neither I nor several
students I consulted recalled being
informed by the administration or
Student Council that election results
were to be published. Given that,
this year’s claims about the need
to inform students about releasing
voter data before the election in the
name of “transparency” seems to be
an ex-post-facto excuse.
If you truly believe in
transparency in action not just in
name, you should release this year’s
election results. The principles at
stake are greater than me or you
or any one group. They are the
principles of integrity, honesty,
and trust on which Lawrenceville
depends.
Sincerely,
Andreas Vandris ’14
Arts
The Lawrence - Page 4
The 120th Lit Board
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Mu Gao ’15
April 18, 2014
Orchestra Goes
“Around the World”
BY GRACE AARONSON ’17
Executive Editor
Executive Editor
Elizabeth Beckman ’15 Ojuolape Junaid ’15
Members of multiple musical enwelcomed the arrival of spring in a
17, from 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. in the
Edith Memorial Chapel. Three groups performed:
Collegium,
Design Editor
Cami Tellez ’15
Photography Editor
Art Editor
Web Editor
Matthew Gutierrez ’15
Submission Editors
Paola Del Toro ’16
Samantha Picard ’15
Copy Editors
Caroline Dragonetti ’15
William Portilla ’15
Orchestra. The concert featured a variety
of musical pieces and
concluded with “a short
renceville’s] seniors.”
The Spring Term’s
theme, says Director
of Instrumental Studies Keith Roeckle, was
“‘around the world’
with the orchestra.” Collegium
played an Italian opera overture
and a Russian symphony; Community Orchestra performed the English
a Czech symphony. Thus, Roeckle
exclaims, the ensembles “cross[ed]
the globe with music,” allowing the
audience to experience a wide range
of cultures and emotions.
have dedicated time and energy to
practicing and perfecting these challenging songs, and this concert was
the culmination of their efforts. Collegium meets on Wednesday mornnity Orchestra convene separately
every Tuesday night. Some members
of the more elite Collegium participate in other ensembles, adding more
in both Collegium and Community
Orchestra, agrees: “I always like the
feeling of being part of something
bigger than myself…Orchestra is
like a big family.”
excellent acoustics for the
concert. “It has just the
right amount of resonance,
so notes sound good,
and…we sound a lot bigger and fuller,” explains
Roeckle. With plenty of
fast, loud sections and a
few slower, eerie segments
throughout the pieces, the
stunning performance impressed listeners in this
beautiful, high-ceilinged
building.
required rehearsals to their schedules.
In addition to these all-group practices, an individual may devote several
additional hours a week, sometimes
more, to his or her instrument. These
combined sessions could total six or
and praiseworthy commitment.
Despite some musicians’ anxiety
associated with frequent rehearsals,
marks orchestra is “a way to be a part
renceville and share my passion for
the concert was rewarded
with one chapel credit, hopefully
those who were present instead
viewed it as an opportunity to support their talented peers, who have
performance. The guests’ active encouragement made hours of practice
crunch time right before the concert
when you’re not sure if everything’s
going to come together, but it always
does and, in the end, it’s really nice to
see that happen.”
Idol Making an Exit Who Knows the Artist Better?
BY JOSEPHINE RUBIN ’15
To set the scene, imagine a stage
a sea of eager audience members
larger than the shower in which you
stronger as the song washes over the
room. This dreamlike state shatters
as a second voice, distinctly British,
counters: “you sound like a cat in
a vacuum cleaner. Dreadful.” This
belongs to none other than Simon
Cowell, former judge on American
Idol, once the titan of televised music
competitions. However, with its 13th
season well underway, the show has
such as NBC’s The Voice. While the
media can’t overestimate the public’s
fascination with the development of
an undiscovered, otherwise-average
talent, the downward spiral of Idol
elicits questions with regard to
what exactly went wrong for the
program, which had experienced
extraordinary popularity early in
its run. The problem lies within the
show’s now outdated format, as
viewers increasingly turn their focus
away from the stage and towards
the judges.
Upon its celebrated inception
in 2002, American Idol used a
model that allowed contestants
to stand out, as producers opted
not to select a star-studded group
of celebrities but rather music
moguls Randy Jackson and Simon
Cowell, in addition to singer Paula
decision seemed appropriate, as the
competition aimed to build a star
from an unknown, not to generate
more media attention for some public
notoriety for its various antics and
in dynamic occurred – the audience
would now look upon the judges as a
centerpiece, not merely a supplement
to the contestants. Despite this
change American Idol retained its
original format with a strong focus
on the performers themselves; after
a series of initial auditions in front of
the panel, contestants moved through
a week-by-week elimination process
during which viewers sent in votes
to support their favorite, with the
judges’ occasional interference in a
decision. Still, the experts exert an
aloof quality, as they rarely interact
directly with the participants.
In contrast, The Voice revolves
around the participation of the
various four judges in contestants’
development. Producers did not
design the program with the intention
to produce superstars in every
season, but rather for an audience
to witness talented but green
performers embark on a journey
led by contemporary music icons.
Here, the judges effectively run
the show, as they must build up a
team of singers through auditions,
“battle,” and “knockout” rounds
before contenders proceed to the
live performance phase, where the
television audience has the vote.
Unlike American Idol, The Voice
is devised so that the experts act
as mentors to the artists instead of
The ratings clearly demonstrate
the success of this more recent
structure; as recent as March 20,
American Idol amassed only 8.4
million viewers, one of its lowest
show debuted its current season at
15 million (The Voice started off at
14.9 million), this represents a 23
percent drop from last year for the
veteran series, which has followed an
overall downward trend in viewers
since 2006. The judges may dictate
the destinies of countless artists, but
the public has now assumed a similar
role in which it has the potential to
decide the future of these shows.
BY SARAH SCHMID ’16
It is well known around campus that Marina is that girl who can dance, sing, and act. She’s the one
renceville Dance Team into shape, and isn’t she also on StuCo or something? The point being, she’s
got a lot on her plate and most of us can say we know who she is; can Grace Murphy ’14 and Director
of Dance Derrick Wilder say the same? Here are the results:
Competitors
&
Questions
The Lawrence
song
Hidden Talent
The Lawrence
The Lawrence
Derrick Wilder
(Director of Dance)
Marina Hyson ’14
Grace Murphy ’14
I gotta go with “Countdown.” It’s classic Bey.
“Countdown”
“Countdown”
Jersey Boys!
Legally Blonde
Wicked
I can rap all the words to She doesn’t hide
“Empire State of Mind.”
talents duh
Plays the spoons
Belt Out
Dream Job
Singing, Dancing,
One Word to Describe Her
Elle Woods in Legally
Blonde, The Musical
Being Beyoncé
Dance dance dance
Dancing!
Enthusiastic
President of the
Universe
Vibrant
Conclusion: Turns out that Grace Murphy and Mr. Wilder know less than they probably thought they did
they knew for sure about her was the extent of her love for Beyoncé. Then again, what more is there to
know about her?
April 18, 2014
Features
Bagels of Lawrenceville
BY KELLY KONG ’15
STAFF WRITER
Once again, here’s another installment
of seemingly non-knowledge that
will make you seriously ponder the
bagel bar. There are so many different
combinations and spreads to apply to
you just want to question what you’re
putting into your mouth. Not for calories,
obviously. I mean with a proper amount
every bite, one runs the risk of a black
speckled smile. Now that’s a rush.
Everything: Everything-bagels are
the Lawrentians who are just doing too
damn much. Therefore, they’re pretty
much falling apart. But sometimes the
Lawrentians who seem to do everything
you company on an early Monday
morning. They can rock a nice layer
of butter or cream cheese. But this
Sesame
things. They tickle the taste buds and can
halves. The crunchy seeds add a certain
the lacrosse captains who dance in the
importantly, what type of bagel are you
these gorgeous cylinders to a track-lete.
They are hard and studded with hurdle
bruises, but they get better and better
with each consecutive season...or bite.
Much like the versatility of so many of
our track stars, they can be decorated
with cream cheese, butter, jam, or peanut
Poppy Seed: Poppy seed bagels are
the naughty best buds of sesame bagels.
The two bagel halves can be combined
to create something truly appetizing.
But poppy seed bagels can be equated
to risk-taking Lawrentians. They are
sesame bagels, but with a darkened hue.
They’re those classmates whom you
admire from afar in all their brooding
intensity. I mean, they’re obtained from
opium plants; that pretty much screams
bad boy bagel. Not only do these bagels
have a controversial topping, but with
Even if you’re having a plain type of
that run Model UN. The list of ideal
Lawrentians goes on and on. They
student body, each type of bagel is
delicious. To really beat this metaphor
to a pulp, think of the Irwin toasters
Lawrenceville as these awkward
untoasted pieces of wheat but leave as
just a single ride on high heat will
uncomfortable, and a few bagels are
bound to get stuck along the way, but
when you take
The recent discovery of the
news story, has prompted us to
reconsider what it means to be human in a world of other humans.
from any social media or news
the bug: a coding error in the encryption software used by apInternet was just discovered. It
allows any user to access more
of a website’s recent server data
than security would usually althis could include information
you just placed (the world may
never know why you ordered 10
30-pound bags of tortilla chips
all at once) to the password
of your Club Penguin account
their academic day, we trek great
distances in order to arrive to class
absolutely no purpose other than
enclosing the top of the building,
many students have reached its
journey to class is never a simple
a variety of academic buildings,
the distance between them has
proved a greater obstacle than any
of academic nature. Nothing better educates Lawrentians on the
importance of time management
than the snooze button 15 minutes
running the hundred meter sprint
from Irwin to Pop with a bagel in
hand, perhaps knowledge of a se-
advantages to being up there, the
unknown destination of the stairs
has inspired insatiable curiosity.
self looking for a real scavenger
hunt, why not search for the infa-
many suspect to be members of the
Illuminati, many seriously question
vacy of the room is likely intended
for far more than studying, it can
serve as a prime napping location
hidden room can supposedly be
during consult you insist on occupying this time with anything other
than seeing your teachers, why not
know it’s
it.
an everything bagel.
Egg: You gotta love an egg bagel.
to Julia Conley ’14). Not the typical
bagels don’t stand out in the sea of
bagels that make up the bagel bar, but
they have a special place in all of our
hearts. They go with any of the other
bagels happily and any topping
adheres to them deliciously.
Plain
we’re plain bagels. They’re the
naked, barren, sad Lawrentians
in the mountains, we have strived
to bring you conclusive answers
to those burning questions you’ve
been holding on to since middle
school.
Does apparel matter in the
realm of Internet security? minum foil hat when using a web
browser. This way the password
gremlins will believe that you are
one of their own and will spare
its pinnacle, where better to get rid
of those tan lines than the roof of
the toaster can be scorching hot and
ing to beat the clock, the following
secrets you might not have known
about the Lawrenceville campus
will keep you on the lookout.
keeping your computer clean does
wonders for pest control. On the
moon, uninstall every application
on your computer, wash each one
thoroughly with soap and water
using a non-abrasive sponge, lay
out to dry overnight, and re-install. Carefully.
Ha very ha. How do I really
protect my information? - Okay,
mend you create a
summoning circle
and scatter emocant items around
it. They will be
vaporized in a
puff of smoke that
leaves behind the
faint smell of lavender. The pain of
loss will become
a beacon that will
blaze across space
and time, calling
to the Internet
djinn living a few
dimensions over.
that account to check up on the
emotional well-being of your
chy like these, Internet safety
comes before any other basic
Keep an eye on
needs.
your grades. Get a
You may have some vague
good night’s sleep
Courtesy of www.deccanchronicle.com
understanding of the words The Heartbleed Logo
and eat a healthy
“Internet safety” based on that
breakfast. It’s just good sense.
lecture your middle school comknow—you might start a trend.
Maybe this whole technology
puter teacher gave you on the hazthing is overrated. - That’s not
ards of talking to strangers online,
that metal alloys are going to be in
but you’re in high school now. To
this season. It’s a literal grapevine,
help you step up your game, we
if you want to know. It occasionalshould just convert back to pahave assembled some tips based on
ly dispenses fashion advice when
you serenade it with ’80s synth
shenanigans, move to a small
sources of such information are as
Does cleanliness help keep me
safe? - In your house, sweeping in
your old life. This is the only life
the corners and under the cabinets
the farthest reaches of Tumblr to a
ever know.
small old man living in a straw hut
Yet despite all the secrecy, those
who have been inside describe it as
nothing more than a normal studying room. The refusal to settle for
a standard study room in order to
utilize one that is nearly identical
is slightly confusing, but at least its
heavy, try making the trip via the
If evading the overwhelming
crowds of Lawrentians still proves
certainly surprise you. The area,
which used to be available for
student use, forms a long corridor
your own. You might even discover the secret interconnected
underground tunnels between all
having supposedly been occupied
by a secret society several de-
your way to class or simply taking
a break, do not be afraid to feel the
cracks of a wall or pull out every
book in a bookshelf to activate the
though you will likely look strange
while doing so, you just might be
teacher might be understanding if
your passion for alternative genre
slowed you down.
Internet Safety Tips
for the Overly Cautious
BY MAIA JOHNGREN ’17
BY JAMES STEVENSON ’16
in between.
worth
with satisfying results. They’re what
every Lawrentian aspires to become by
graduation, but what most fall short of.
But be warned: chocolate chip bagels
Coolest Campus Buildings
day, know that anything can be squished
Much like every member of our
the sweet, underachieving layer of jam
that our other bagels enjoy, or the deep
melodrama that comes with a dollop of
peanut butter.
Chocolate Chip: Chocolate chip
bagels are gems. They’re the people
on campus who you constantly want to
be with: sweet, but not overpowering;
conservative, but still a special treat;
meaning in the bagel. It’s a true character
bagels listed was once a plain bagel.
The Lawrence - Page 5
LINDSAY QUACKENBUSH ’16
changed si
decade or so. But even with the
universal shift in what it means to
be “going out” with somebody, it
seems Lawrenceville has developed
its own unique sense of the term.
left behind many of the dating habits
that generations before us held so
dearly.
1. Going steady
the term and the idea of “going
steady” has been completely lost
here at Lawrenceville and dare I
say, most of the world. There’s
a certain charm in asking to go
“steady” and it’s a shame to have
lost this tradition.
2. Dinner dates (before the
initial hook up) The boy or girl
used to ask their person of interest
out on a date before “hooking up”
was even in the question. One might
(shocking, huh). But it seems that
the culture here at Lawrenceville
has cultivated a much more casual
approach to showing interest, where
people meet up without ever having
spoken to each other to run off into
the woods for a while and perhaps
never speak again.
3. Contact through the parents
Partly due to the fact that most of
our students are boarders and partly
due to the advance in technology
(i.e. cell phones) the old ritual of
calling up a landline (remember
and if you could have permission
to talk to her has completely been
lost. Nowadays most parents will
probably never know the names
of the boys who have interest in
4. Getting picked up at the
door
tradition is totally gone, the promise
of showing up at a certain time
arrival has been replaced by the
even that is a bit of a stretch. Often
times you’ll simply meet up behind
seems that we no longer value the
dramatic walk down the stairs to
meet the boy who has been waiting
for half an hour as you painstakingly
primped yourself.
5. Big romantic gestures
standing on a tractor outside your
a cinematic hyperbole of real life,
but in all seriousness where have
the pebbles at the window or roses
the imagination, but nevertheless
it would be nice to see some overthe-top romantic gestures once a
while (and, no, this does not include
promposals).
News
The Lawrence - Page 6
April 18, 2014
Publication Focus: The Point Students Attend Service Conference
HENRY CHEN ’16
This past Friday during school
The Point
page, which is a necessity in this
modern age where people spend a
several months.
student-run publications, The Point
hopes to stand out by showcasing
the people here at Lawrenceville.
Aiming to highlight individuals
Point
currently engage in, experience they
publish one article every Tuesday
The Point has seemingly
limitless potential here in the
diverse Lawrenceville community.
but they are still working to broaden
begin publishing biweekly within
Bagaria, Yang, Grossman, Bhagavathi, and Milisci attended a community service conference.
JINWAN CHO ’16
STAFF WRITER
and adults to gain the tools, resources,
ideas, and inspiration to return home
to improve their practice, their schools,
/The
Grossman also recollected several
At Lawrenceville, community
The Point
did not run very smoothly. The
publication was actually started
visiting their Facebook page and
checking their website, which will
soon be changing the domain name
by dropping the “.wordpress”.
prospective writers attended a
writers’ meeting in the basement
social entrepreneurship, the seminar
taught that “even as a high school
about community service while also
covering other social issues. The
combines classroom instruction with
community service,” said Grossman.
The Point started. When the school
publication. Though the turnout was
to publish articles online. At the
Finally, The Point’s board would
love to have anyone who is interested
daunted by the enormous task that
lay ahead that was his responsibility.
The publication had not really gotten
going; they had never published
an article, and Paasche had no
experience running a publication.
have a google doc with article ideas
that any student at Lawrenceville can
view, which was sent out in a recent
all-school email. Anyone interested
David set up The Point’s website
send David an email to let him know
in service learning so long as [she is]
Annual National Service-Learning
to community service to come with
me so that we could learn more about
service learning, as Lawrenceville is
working on expanding our service
learning opportunities.” Five students,
granted the opportunity to attend the
An annual event hosted by the
inspired,” said Grossman. She also
recalled the “Counting out Privileges”
workshop, in which she learned “how
to work towards social justice through
individually and collectively, rather
commented, “through attending several
sessions as well as collaborating with
excited to apply what they have
participate in community service,
whether it is how to orchestrate a
project or how to involve other students,
especially impressed by a workshop
that discussed how to engage other
an especially intriguing session called
“Dance Floor Theory,” which he
service to others.” Grossman, also eager
to “take what [she] learned and apply
it to Lawrenceville,” summed up her
experience in one exemplary quote:
“Dare to reach your hand into the
a community service project is similar
is dedicated to helping “both youth
Data Scientist Caitlin Crump Visits Campus Incoming Dean of Students
SOPHIA CAI ’17
STAFF WRITER
This past Wednesday evening,
Lawrenceville Alumni Caitlin Crump
’05 visited Lawrenceville and spoke
to students about degrees and careers
engineering, and math (STEM).
Crump currently works as a data
largest business-oriented social media
being “an analyst, a statistician, and
a computer programmer all in one” -
Administration stands committed to
providing students at every level with
the skills they need to excel in the
Blake Eldridge Visits Kinnan
STEM graduates, especially women,
and it is up to us to step up.
science, technology, engineering, and
initiative to move American students
in science and math achievement over
the next decade.
Despite this, men continue to
outnumber women in most STEM
scientist, Crump is also an experienced
singer, songwriter, and guitarist,
showing that there can be connection
between STEM and the arts. She is
described by others as an “eclectic-
EMILY GALVIN ’17
STAFF WRITER
member, Jason Robinson, who is
School at Princeton Day School.
ate its weekly Sunday dinner with a
special guest, current English and
dinner, which Eldridge commended
Caillat with pipes that can blow the
Students.” He says, “we had a
inspirational to everyone, but especially
to girls who are thinking about pursuing
a degree or career in STEM.
in the house volunteer to host the
weekly event. They “menu plan,
everyone,” says Guido. To prepare
about the student experience here
are treated seriously and taken
seriously.” While these meetings are
everyday dinners, Foundation
House is set up with chinaware
and candlesticks, and the boys wear
Sunday dinner. Each week, the hosts
or “anyone that can talk to the boys
about interviews, what to do at a
business lunch, or an internship”
explains Guido. What she describes
with a Lawrenceville education” is
and be guided by exemplary men
experience. Guido remarks that they
recalled their greatest moments at
Lawrenceville, while “knowing that
the next seven weeks will bring even
more great moments that they do not
even know yet.”
but they have also extended this
hospitality toward their visitors.
Eldridge describes the dinner as
academics rather than social and
communication skills. “Everything
use, and all those little nuances
that come with experience… are
important to have in your back
and everything you would hope
these dinners was in January with
this year.”
Sports
April 18, 2014
The Lawrence - Page 7
SPORTSOPINION
The Washington “Redskins” - Tenured Tradition or Racial Slur?
Con: Change it
Pro: Keep it
BY CAL FULLERTON ’15
have faced controversy over their
name and mascot. Those hoping for a
change claim that the word “redskins”
is derogatory and perpetuates a racial
stereotype that contributes to a negative
other hand, Redskins supporters and
owners have maintained that the
Redskins both represent and uphold the
traditions of honor and bravery credited
a combination of the denunciation
various members of Congress sending
letters to Redskins owner Dan Snyder,
announcing his opposition to the name,
has in fact rekindled an argument that
has smoldered for quite some time.
With the historically gross
the U.S. government and people, it is
easy to understand the position of those
requesting a name change. Clearly,
anything that degrades another culture
or encourages a negative stereotype
should be changed, especially due to
organization presents a very different
fans, the name Redskins is undoubtedly
a celebration of the positive values
someone want a negative word or image
representing their team? In the face of
the controversy, Snyder announced that
the Redskins were starting the Original
some disregard this move as a publicity
BY AKASH BAGARIA ’16
STAFF WRITER
surveyed by the Redskins rejected aid
on the basis of their name.
Regardless, under the conflict
surrounding the Redskins name lies a
The term “redskin” is considered a
Washington, D.C. to include this
blatantly derogatory term?
always be successful. Things can be
interpreted differently when removed
from their original context.
In reality, political correctness has
come to dominate our social mindset
in a way that at times can be unhealthy.
Our diversifying culture will not be
alleviated through fear of insult, but
rather through the active acceptance
of differences regardless of what
form that acceptance comes in.
Certainly, we must be careful
to preserve the cultures and
teachings of the past, but
our society’s obsession over
political correctness only
leads towards the creation
of even more unnecessary
taboos.
There is no
denying that
the term
“redskin”
was used at
one time in a derogatory form, b u t
today it has lost that meaning.
have repeatedly insisted that the
Washington Redskins, the football
team representing the nation’s
capital, change its name. In a letter
regarding the team name sent
Cantwell, chairwoman of the
and Tom Cole, representative
longer “perpetuate the use of
this name as anything but what
it is: a racial
slur.” The
campaign
against
the name
has also
received the
support of a multitude of
civil rights groups, public health
Barack Obama.
Those wishing to hold on to the
Indian has been romanticized as a life
characterized by great courage and
freedom. The Redskins name embodies
this romantic vision and presents these
after all, the team has been referred
to as the Redskins for about 80 years.
Yet as we have observed throughout
history, if a tradition insensitively
discriminates against a large number
of people, then the tradition must be
culture to the world. It is time to stop
looking for the negative and celebrate
the positive the name is meant to
portray.
LAWRENCEVILLESPORTS
Spring Sports Score Report
Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse
Win vs Princeton High School
Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse
Win vs The Hill School
Boys’ Varsity Baseball
Win vs Princeton Day School
Girls’ Varsity Softball
Win vs WW-PN
Boys’ Varsity Track
Win vs The Hill School
Girls’ Varsity Track
Win vs The Hill School
Boys’ Varsity Tennis
Win vs Upper Canada College
Girls’ Varsity Golf
Win vs Blair
pride in the name “Redskins,” they
should recognize that the name is
racially offensive towards the more
who live in the United States
today and should alter the tradition
accordingly.
Some even believe the name to be
a sign of respect and endearment:
according to Goodell, “for the team’s
millions of fans and customers,
most ethnically and geographically
diverse fan base, the name is a
unifying force that stands for
strength, courage, pride and respect.”
How is naming a team after a racial
slur respectful? There are certainly
numerous ways to honor a culture,
but celebrating a racial slur is not
one of them. The term “redskin,”
which the director of Smithsonian’s
Indian deemed “the equivalent of the
ago by European settlers to mock the
skin color of the indigenous people.
tribes have expressed frustration with
the Redskins logo and believe that
represents a cultural stereotype.
the possibility of enacting a rule that
would penalize players for the use
should recognize the insulting nature
of the name “Redskins” towards
an entire minority and should take
decisive action to change it. There
celebration of a racial slur and a
cultural stereotype.
LAWRENCEVILLEBASEBALL
Lawrenceville Baseball Tops PDS
in a Successful Weekend
BY VINCENT LI ’16
STAFF WRITER
John Vasiliu ’15 on the mound.
determination to beat Big Red this year,
undesirable conditions postponed the
majority of Boys’ Varsity Baseball’s early
determined to stay number one. They
winning by an impressive seven runs,
disappointed with their result at Episcopal,
the Boys’ Varsity Baseball team has much
to look forward to this season. With 13
games left in their schedule, including
Day School and the second away at
opportunity for the Boys’Varsity Baseball
“we hit really well and everyone really
contributed in a big way.”
Coming off the big win, they looked
forward to their Saturday trip to Episcopal,
where they hoped to repeat their success
game that the team had looked forward
the two baseball teams “got really heated
in extra innings last year, and no doubt
looking to steal back a victory.
grab the win.
“Our defense played pretty well, but
we needed to capitalize when we had guys
on base,” said Silber. “Our pitching was
pretty good, too.” So while the baseball
team played a good game, a combination
of misfortune and an inability to convert
their chances led to a close defeat.
The Hill School, the baseball team will be
training hard to get repeat results similar
Even though they will not be getting
another opportunity to play against
Episcopal, a long season ahead, as well
the season, gives Boys’ Varsity Baseball
a lot to look forward to this season, and
no doubt they will be working hard in
form that led them to their victory last
Come and support Boys’ Varsity
Sports
The Lawrence - Page 8
Girls’ Varsity Lax Wins
Close Victory Over Hill
April 18, 2014
A Message from the Dog Pound
“This year Big Red athletics has excelled across the board. We have broken
numerous individual and team records, gone undefeated in many sports, all
done with dogged school and team spirit. With the help of all Lawrenceville
students who form the Big Red Dog Pound at sporting events to support Lawrenceville athletics this year, we have been able to consistently achieve at the
highest level. Although the Dog Pound has been limited to attending big games
thus far, we plan to take our spirit and commitment one step further in the
spring. We plan to sponsor a number of athletic-related activities, ranging
from tailgates before games to fan contests during them. The leaders of the
Pound believe that these events will draw even larger crowds to games and
generate even more school spirit. I will continue to send weekly emails and update the Facebook page so everyone can stay informed and get excited about
big games. We hope you continue to support the Red and Black. Accept the
Challenge… Go Big Red!”
BY SOPHIE OCHS ’16
-Matt Apuzzi ’14, Athletic Rep
LAWRENCEVILLESPORTS
Grisbee Supports School Camp
Courtesy of the Lawrenceville School
Reilly Fletcher ’17 competes for Big Red.
A matchup between longtime
rivals on a Saturday is a treat for
any sports fan. Having the matchup
between our own Girls’ Varsity
Lacrosse team and The Hill School’s
team made things even sweeter.
prevailed this past Saturday as they
took down The Hill. The team was
undefeated going into the match last
weekend and now will continue the
season with an undefeated record
of 4-0.
With some of the smartest offense
played this game, co-captains Jess
Castelo ’14 and Claire Crowley ’14
worked hard to unite such a powerful
team. Crowley believes that it was
the game to a Lawrenceville victory.
them, the team put everything into
the last 25 minutes of the game,
playing hard and pulling out a big
win. “I think this game was a test
of not only our skill but also our
half, which is always hard to come
back from, but our team showed
that we could really turn the game
around. In the beginning we lacked
Yvonne Yan ’16/ The Lawrence
collaboration, but we started to help
each other out in the second half.”
Castelo agreed, saying, “At halftime,
we were losing 4-6 […] we weren’t
playing to our full potential and [the]
Hill [team] was capitalizing on that.
The second half we picked ourselves
up and motivated each other to get
back into the game, and that allowed
of the season.”
In the second half, The Hill
School’s defense proved unable
to keep up with Big Red’s tempo.
In a back-and-forth battle that was
closer than the score revealed,
Lawrenceville always seemed to have
an answer for Hill. Chloe Jones ’17
knew that it was the team as a unit that
stole this victory. “I think at halftime,
looking at the scoreboard, we realized
that we weren’t playing our game and
[that] we were playing as individuals,
under my butt, and I know it did for
everyone else because we came out
in the second half working together
and hustling our butts off. That’s a
team. Twelve players working as
one and that’s what we did; that’s
why we won.”
Jane Kirby ’15 was another
member of Big Red who made huge
contributions to the close victory;
with six goals and three assists this
game, she asserted her spot as one
of the most valued members of the
team. Kirby noted, regarding the
game, “Coach Schulte was a huge
part of the success we had today,
too. The most challenging part of
the game was the beginning of the
second half; we knew we were down
by two, even though we started the
game with a 4-1 lead. We needed to
work for that extra inch, to not only
tie with Hill, but to go ahead and
win the game.”
but once Lawrenceville got rolling,
there was no looking back as Big Red
took down The Hill School to win the
2014 Hill vs. Lawrenceville Lacrosse
Stick and Trophy. Lawrenceville has
dominated the rivalry in recent years
and added yet another win to the
records, looking to make it a tough
Lawrenceville’s next test
will come against West Windsor
Plainsboro North on Tuesday,
April 22.
Correction: Boys’ Varsity Track remains undefeated, not 2-1 as previsouly stated in last week’s issue. This past Wednesday, the
team topped The Hill School in a decisive dual-meet victory. Members of the team’s 4x100, 4x400, 4x800 will be traveling to
UPenn to participate in the Penn Relays next weekend.
Club Picks
The Presidents:
BY YVONNE YAN ’16
As the weather becomes mild and
pleasant outside, Spring Term is
earmarked for one social activity after
another. This past weekend, the Griswold
House hosted called Grisbee, an ultimate
disc tournament aiming to provide an
exciting game night and a chance to give
back to school.
Grisbee, the combination of the name
Griswold House and Frisbee, began
around 2007 and has continued as an
annual event ever since. Each Grisbee
team consisted of six to eight people,
including at least two members of the
opposite sex. Every team has to pay $15
to play, and according to the Griswold
House’s introduction of Grisbee at school
meeting last week, “all proceeds go to
the School Camp.”
When asked why School Camp was
Housemaster and Science Master Dr.
David Laws, remarked “[the School
Camp] is tangible. It isn’t a place where
we just send money […] and Gris has a
long history of boys serving as counselors
over the summer, so we can see the impact
of our efforts.”
The Griswold boys have spent the
past two weeks planning and preparing
for this event, and “everyone has done
his part to chip in,” said Matthew Porcelli
’15, the House President of Griswold.
Porcelli also recounts that “if all else
fails, I expect a great Saturday night that
builds our house together and to start
off [...] Spring [Term] on a great note.”
Although the interschool dance at Hun
happened on the same night, Grisbee was
still a success with nine teams of players
battling each other. Luckily, although
more organized at the last minute.
“I always get excited when the
Lawrenceville community partakes in
Grisbee. Ultimate is a graceful sport that I
feel is well played by all the teams,” said
Lysk Wyckoff ’14, a big fan of ultimate
disc. As the upbeat music pumped
everyone, the Gris boys announced the
beginning of the game.
Two faculty members, Religion
Master Phillip Jordan ’85 and College
Counselor Antoine Hart, along with the
Gris boys, refereed the Grisbee game.
The game ended around 9:30 PM with
Talons” and “Empire State of Swoll.”
Elsa Mahle ’16, a Grisbee player on team
“Babes,” acknowledged that “Grisbee
was a great way to bring together
students of all grades with a little friendly
competition.”
After a night of fun with friends,
a break from schoolwork, as well as
building up team spirit and school unity,
many players seemed to have a blast
regardless of how tired they looked
afterwards. In total, the Griswold House
collected $135 and continued its tradition
of helping School Camp with the effort
from everyone in the house. Aleks
Stajkovic ’15, one of the main organizers
of Grisbee, sums it up well: “There were
more teams this year, and I think it was
more organized.” The Griswold House
looks forward to organizing and hosting
the event next year in 2015.
Clarice Lee ’16/ The Lawrence
Sophia Pullen
Latinos Unidos
Cristian Torres
Impulse
Mary Larkin
Olla Pod
Lewis Chapman
Gay Straight Alliance
Nephy Smith
ABC
Shubhankar Chhokra
The First Amendment
Yvonne Yeh
Chinese Corner
Club anthem?
“Suavemente” Elvis Crespo
“Wanna Be” The Spice Girls
Pedro’s Voice
“It’s Raining Men” The Weather Girls
“I’m Different” 2 Chainz
“Rack City” Tyga
“Never Gonna Give You
Up” - Rick Astley
Describe your club
in two words.
Latinos Unidos!
Occasionally funny
Pierre Sardain
(aka fearless leader)
Hella gay
Beyoncé Knowles
Kennedy incest
Nihao Zaijian
Piña Colada
The untouched sorbet
in Irwin
Half Baked
Rainbow sherbet
Chocolate
Cream King peanut
butter ripple
Favorite day of the year?
5 de Mayo
September 1: Uzbekistan’s
Independence Day
May 22 yearbooks come out!
Anything during
Pride Week
February 29th
Election Day
Hump Day
Why join your club?
We like to dance and eat
Don’t
Food n Fun n Friends
Nephy Smith
We have great music
We’re PC gone wild
We have Clarice Lee
Describe your club with a