The Bridge, Spring Issue

Hunter OwensKatie DonahoeRobbie BrussellChloe AzriaJack TaylorClaire Benarroch

Skyler JohnsonGina SegallEmma RustYoungsang RyuStacie MuñozLaura Clark

Editor-in-ChiefManaging Editor

Online EditorDeputy Online Editor

Art DirectorArt Director

Visual Arts EditorFeatures Editor

Buzz EditorCopy Chief

Digital Media GuruAdviser

13

Cover photo by Gina SegallPrinted by Heinz Weber, Inc.

So you’ve heard enough of my blathering over the last four years in this magazine et pa-per et website, et al. So, it’s probably a good time to salute my team and all they’ve done and all they have left to show you. Gina, it’s your show now. I suppose it’s the change of an era from The Bridge 8th period years to the current all-star team. I may lament some of the missing “scrapiness” of that staff, but then you came into the picture. You’re going to be an awesome editor-in-chief and have no need to sweat it. You have amazing talent as a writer, but you conceptualize like a master. Good luck holding the crew together. Also, you’ll probably do a lot better with this column than I did. Katie, Horace Greeley said, “Go west, young man.” I’m going to paraphrase a bit and say, “Go write, young woman.” You and your bro are going to write a very interesting memoir or diary or something one day. It’s been a pleasure seeing you take the mantle of Life of Brian and make it your own. I get dibs on any future writing, by the way. Jack, my go-to guy, expert in InDesign. For when things needed to be done yesterday, you were there. When there were only three people in the basement, you were there. Thanks for always covering my butt and mak-ing sure we got things done. Also, thank you for always trusting your gut and making sure

my crazy ideas stayed far away from the mag-azine So, well done and good luck. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least. Claire, I know we occasionally didn’t see eye to eye on design issues, but you were right more than most of the time (and it pains me to admit to my wrongness). Roll with the punches, and nice job tracking down photo rights. (And P.S.: The confetti did work.) Robbie, Skyler: Your movie commentary will take you far. Keep working. Thanks for all your help, I know you guys are busy a lot. Emma, you’re set to inherent this column in a year or so, and advice may be in order. Never take “no” for an answer, and keep pestering whomever you might need to. You’ll do a fine job, as will your staff of 9th and 10th graders. I’ll leave it to Gina for a proper editor-to-editor send-off. Laura, our adviser: It’s been a fun ride, and I’ve certainly learned a lot. There is a poetic justice in my final piece being a week and a half late, so I hope you can bask in the irony.Thanks for the ride,

Hunter Owens Editor-in-Chief

Editor’s LetterHunter Owens bids farewell to The Bridge

Photo Courtesy of Brandi Ballard

The Bridge Spring 2011 5

Within the heart of every child lies a die-hard car-toon fan, but at some point that child grows up and so does her taste in television. However, I’ve noticed that after we continue watch-ing several years of sitcoms, reality TV and other more serious television, a decent amount of teens seemingly revive that old love of cartoons. So many of us remember our old favorite shows from Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney, and for a few of us they are still considered some of our favorite shows. It’s always entertaining watching teens or even adults geek about their old favorite shows, especially be-cause I can geek with them. It may just be that after the first few years of try-ing to outgrow childish things like playgrounds and cartoons, we start to realize that these things are oc-casionally fun; that it’s nice to take a break from the tests and activities that bog down our lives and revisit

By Emma Rust ‘13Buzz Editor

Cartoon Crazed

Photos courtesy of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

our childish attachments. “It’s something you grow up with,” said Jessica Diaz ‘13. “They make you laugh and make you feel happy,” added Haley Frankel ‘13. “It just lets you forget about everything.” The question is, why do some people like myself gen-erally end up rekindling their childish love of cartoons. For one, cartoons possess those lovable illogical plot lines that people never seem to question. Also, the char-acters always seem so bold and funny -- but are these the elements that attract us? My theory: People love the fact that these shows have no boundaries, that the characters are able to have such huge personalities, that the cartoon violence is far more brutal and comic than regular television, and that the plot lines are so outrageous. All the things we loved when we were little and still love now.

—JackTaylor‘12

Maya Bon ‘14, a new Windward student and sister to Dorian Bon ‘10, has shocked the school this year with her incredible talent as a singer. She plays bass

in music teacher Bruce Eskovitz’s Jazz Band and on occasion sings for Eskovitz’s Advanced Jazz Group. She also plays baritone ukulele and piano. Music and art have been a part of Bon’s life “since year zero,” she says.“It’s difficult not to be (an artist) because of my family,” she adds, referring to her mother, professional artist Lauren Bon, who was Windward’s first Salon Series guest, and her brother Dorian, who is known for his skillful guitar playing. Bon also writes her own music. “I never really write it down. It is more improvisational,” she says. Bon draws

inspiration from a wide variety of genres, ranging from jazz to pop, including groups

like Of Montreal and Hot Chip. In addition to writing her own music, she

also performs covers on her YouTube chan-nel, ‘tessandmaya,’ with her friend Tess Baur, who is a freshman at Palisades High

School. They have covered songs by artists ranging from Simon and Garfunkel to Bon Iver.

trèsbon!

Freshman chanteuse Maya Bon brings a new generation of talent to Windward

Photo by Gina Segall ‘126 The Bridge Spring 2011

The Bridge Spring 2011 7 Photo by Gina Segall ‘12

By Emma Rust ‘13Buzz Editor

What started out as a small patch of land and a couple of seeds has now blossomed into a thriving garden. It all started when the Green Club launched a Garden Party and invited people in the communi-ty to help build the garden. With the help of about 40 parents, students and teachers, the garden was built and planted, ready to grow. Since then, the garden has developed into a whole new state in its home near the baseball field, thanks to Green Club Adviser Samantha Lyon, Green Club members, the Middle School Minimester partici-pants, and a few others from the community who have catered to the needs of these plants. Currently the garden is thriving and has an array of fruits and vegetables. “We have planted a ton of greens,” said Lyon. “We have lettuce, kale, arugula, mustard (and) strawberries,” and a bunch more. The garden has a variety of plants, ranging from small fruit trees and vegetable plants to edible flowers and herbs.

In addition to starting this garden, Lyon has inspired the Green Club members to care for and nurture the garden. “We all do what we need to do to make the garden grow,” said Green Club member Robbie St. Thomas ‘13. Next on the agenda is composting. In the past, according to Lyon, the Green Club had always wanted to start composting and plant a garden but wasn’t able to because there was no space set aside. But now with the allotted patch, that has changed. In April, the garden was even featured in the Mar Vista Garden Showcase, an annual tour of local gardens residing in both schools and homes. This was a great stepping stone for the garden, as a new crop of visitors came to help plant vegetables and donate trees. But now the Green Club would like to go even further. “We hope to grow more food, expand the garden, compost some of the food in the Pavilion and even use some of the food in the garden,” said Lyon. “It’s just a matter of what we can do right now.”

From Seed to Garden

Photos by William Line ‘16 and Emma Rust ‘13

8 The Bridge Spring 2011

THE SENIOR INITIATIVE PROGRAM, founded in 2006 by science teacher Rob Cannone and middle-school dean Ann-Marie Hobbs, gives Windward seniors the chance to step outside the classroom during tradi-tional school hours during their final trimester of high school. In this program seniors can pursue an interest or passion as they prepare for their post-secondary lives. This year, Windward modified the Senior Initia-tive Program, adding stringent new guidelines. For the first time ever, seniors were required to create and follow an approved project timeline and complete a public-speaking course before their final project presentation. Senior Initiative co-coordinators Cannone and Kevin Newman have also increased personal communi-cation with project supervisors this year to ensure that initiatives are properly executed. However, despite fac-ing these all these additional rules, this year’s seniors continued to keep projects fascinating and fun. Here is a selection from the many interesting senior initiatives.

KUNAL PATEL: For his senior initiative, Patel is building a dune buggy with Windward chemistry teacher Justin

McCabe. With Patel’s home garage as their work station, Patel and McCabe are using an old Volkswagen engine to construct a fully refurbished car.

YOUNGSANG RYU: As his senior initiative, Ryu is training to become an Emergency Medical Technician. Ryu is en-rolled in an intensive training course at the California Institute of Emergency Medical Training. After the class’s completion, Ryu will hopefully pass the EMT examina-tion and volunteer on a medical ambulance.

MICHELLE NAGLER: This Windward senior is Irish dancing for her senior initiative. Nagler is learning how to Irish dance at Dance Studio No. 1 from her instructor, Anne Burns. After many lessons, Windward dance teachers Lyn Hoge and Alesia Young will help Nagler put on an Irish Dancing Masters Class at Windward.

KITTY RISKO & EMMA WEBER: For their senior initiatives, Risko and Weber are immersing themselves in a culinary expe-rience. They are baking delectable treats twice a week with professional chef Beth Davidson. At the end of their initiative, they will make a cookbook of all their dessert recipes, utilizing Weber’s photography skills.

Seniors: Going, Going, Gone!By Lauren Yu ‘13ContributingWriter

Where will the Class of 2011 be next year?

Springtrimestermeansit’salmosttimetosaygoodbyetotheWindwardClassof2011

MOST POPULAR STATES:1. California (26 Seniors)2. Massachusetts (9 Seniors)2. New York (9 Seniors)4. Illinois (6 Seniors)5. Missouri (4 Seniors)5. Ohio (4 Seniors)5. Pennsylvania (4 Seniors)

Map by Claire Benarroch ‘12Scotland

Source: Windward’s College Counseling Office


By Hunter Owens ‘11and Gina Segall ‘12

Academic Problem? Noted education scholar Ken Robinson thinks education, as it is currently taught, is making you stupid. He also believes it alienates millions of students. In Robinson’s world, a proper, often test-based, educational system is killing “diver-gent thinking,” which is the ability to think creatively. In his argument, creativity - not testing - is the key to education. According to Robinson, “right now, every single country is re-forming its public education sys-

tem.” This is due not only to eco-nomic reasons, but also to a new sense of cultural identity while preparing students for the future. One major part of the Ameri-can educational system is Ad-vanced Placement testing, created in 1952 by the College Board, a non-profit company, to allow high school students to take college-level courses. The tests cover a wide range of subjects and are of-fered at most schools around the country. In 1955, the Board took over the early stages of the AP pro-gram with a total of 11 courses. Fiifty-five years later, according to

the College Board’s website, the company administered 3.2 million AP exams in one academic year. Yet, there is a crisis brewing. The AP course load has come into question as the standard bearer of American education. Educators around the country are debating whether to in-crease test taking (see: No Child Left Behind) or to embrace Robinson’s thinking. This is all going on while reports of high school students getting less sleep are being pub-lished at an increasingly rapid clip. So, the question begs to be asked. “To AP or not to AP?” The question ap-plies to both individuals and schools.

Advanced Placementor

Photo by Skyler Johnson ‘12

Are you smarter thanan AP Calculus student?

Find dy/dx where x and y are related by the parametric equations: x = ln(t) + t and y = t - ln(t)(a) (t - 1) / (t + 1)(b) (t + 1) / (t - 1)(c) -(t - 1) / (t + 1)(d) -(t + 1) / (t - 1)(e) 1

Something rather close to home to consider is whether or not Wind-ward School should continue to of-fer AP courses. A typical justification for taking AP courses is that they ap-pear impressive to colleges. Howev-er, high schools far and wide, rang-ing from Windward’s neighbor and rival Crossroads to several schools in the Boston area, have decided to drop AP courses. On the website of Independent Curriculum Group, an organization that promotes “stu-dents at the center of the education process” and “teacher-generated curriculum for advanced cours-es,” an article about Crossroads says that the school has become more “student-centered” without AP classes. It names a few of Cross-roads’ new class additions that have replaced AP classes, such as “Physical Illness and Madness in Literature” and “The German Avant-Garde.” However, the case is made that dropping the tests altogether would harm Windward students on college applications, and according to college counselor Molly Branch, it does. “Having AP courses does make a Windward stu-dent more appealing to colleges,” Branch said. “AP courses are devised to prepare students for college-lev-el coursework, and because the syl-labus is dictated and approved by the College Board, colleges know

exactly what students are being taught and learning in AP courses. That makes AP courses, from a col-lege's perspective, easy to under-stand and evaluate on a transcript.” A true, accredited AP course follows a curriculum approved by the College Board. To have an AP-approved course, Windward teachers must have a syllabus outlined week-by-week submit-ted to the College Board along with several other documents. However, is the benefit of the col-

lege credit worth limiting the cur-ricula choices of Windward teach-ers? According to AP U.S. History teacher Ryan Staude, it is. He makes the argument that the AP cur-riculum is a good one and that even the test is a fair evaluation of a student’s work. Branch, a former teacher of AP Literature, agrees, say-ing, “I think the argument against them is that they prevent a teacher from being creative since there is a set amount of material teach-ers must cover during the year.” “I taught AP English for eight years,” she added, “and that exam is such that teachers are given quite a bit of creativity in select-ing their syllabi and teaching methodology.” However, she is not “sure whether that is always the case with other AP courses.”

English Department Chair David Stillman has a different view. “I’m generally not a big fan of the AP system because … your syllabus has to be approved and audited, meaning you have to make certain changes to your curriculum, mean-ing you can’t design the course the way you think it would

be best for the students’ long-term knowledge

- of literature, for example.” Stillman

used essay writing as an ex-ample of this, saying that he spent the latter half of the year teaching students how to write essays for the AP test that were not the type of analytical es-

say about literature that students would write in college and beyond. Stillman said that “in an ideal world,” he would teach an English class that was not technically AP-certified but would give students the option to take and do well on the AP exam. He would also offer after-school test-prep sessions to prepare the students choosing to take it. “I think (APs) are a silly and dis-tant way to try to assess a stu-dent’s opinion and analytical abilities,” said Sophie Strauss ‘12. “Particularly AP Literature, which is trying to turn a subjective and personal interpretation of text into a multiple choice question.” The option to kill APs on a school-wide level is somewhat viable. The advantages include giving teach-ers the freedom to teach what they

Find dy/dx where x and y are related by the parametric equations: x = ln(t) + t and y = t - ln(t)

(a) East Pakistan in 1947(b) West Berlin in 1970(c) Singapore in 1985(d) Alaska in 1992(e) Kaliningrad in 1996

Which of the following pieces of national territory could NOT have been classified as an exclave?


Are you smarter thanan AP Chem student?

The half-life of 55Cr is about 2.0 hours. The delivery of a sample of this isotope from the reactor to a certain laboratory requires 12 hours. About what mass of such material should be shipped in order that 1.0 mg of 55Cr is delivered to the laboratory?(a) 130 mg(b) 64 mg(c) 32 mg(d) 11 mg(e) 1.0 mg

Are you smarter thanan AP Euro student?

Frederick the Great (1740–1786) contributed most to the rise of Prussia as a major European power by(a) maintaining traditional dynastic alliances(b) annexing the Hapsburg province of Silesia(c) promoting religious toleration(d) encouraging the arts(e) instituting judicial reforms

want to teach and hopefully lower-ing students’ stress level, or at least reducing it during the month of May. How-ever, according to the College Board’s website, the Board is about to revamp the entire curriculum for AP Biology and United States History to decrease the amount of memorization and increase the need for critical thinking skills. Both tests have previously been known for the high amount of memorization required, with some biology classes resorting to memorization tactics like “Bacterium of the Day” or other exercises. The U.S. History Exam is known for the lack of critical think-ing required in both the multiple choice section and the essays. Each of these exams is being substantially revised for the 2011-12 school year. Furthering the anti-AP argument, colleges have become stricter with regard to what AP courses they ac-cept for credit. For example, MIT does not accept the AP Biology exam and several schools do not accept the AP American Govern-ment exam for college credit, even if a student earns a 5 (the highest score possible) on the exam. The increased demand for 4-5 level scores to get credit is changing

how students think of APs. (Some colleges see it as a bonus on a tran-script, as Branch said, but only accept credit obtained while in college due to their curricula.) However, a 5 on a tough AP exam, such as chem-istry or biology, does often have a huge ben-efit on transcripts anyway because it can offset a sub-par grade in the class. “Although the AP tests

may seem ridiculous, I think they’re good preparation for what’s to come in college,” said Devin Jameson ‘12, who has taken AP Literature and AP Chemistry. Something else to consider is that Windward students are tak-ing more and more AP courses. For example, a strong majority of students in each grade has taken the AP Literature course in 11th grade over the past two years. The question becomes: Are AP courses becoming too easy, or are more students challenging themselves? “I like taking APs because of the fast-paced curricu-lum,” said Molly Wurwand ‘12. “I think it’s important to take

an AP course in something you en-joy,” said Raquel Ledezma-Haight ‘12. Jameson agreed. “AP classes can be challenging at times but (are) worth it if you’re truly interested in the class you’re taking,” he said.

A Windward student can take a maximum of a single AP class in his or her soph-omore year (European

History), three to four class-es in his or her junior year

(Literature, U.S. History, Chemistry and if applicable, Calculus AB), and many more in his or her senior year. Howev-er, administrators and counselors often wish that students take one “regular” class along with APs and Honors class-es and require a good reason to issue

Frederick the Great (1740-1786) contributed most to the rise of Prussia as a major European power by

The half-life of 55Cr is about 2.0 hours. The delivery of a sample of this isotope from the reactor to a certain laboratory requires 12 hours. About what mass of such material should be shipped in order that 1.0 mg of 55Cr is delivered to the labora-tory?

What a good sportan all-AP/Honors course schedule. The teenage population could be facing burnout. In fact, “Race to Nowhere,” a documentary that seems to speak to parents’ fears that their children are doing too much homework and taking too many tests, makes that case from several angles. The film was screened for Windward teachers in April and prompted a discussion among the viewers about how the film’s message relates to Windward. “The pressure (of APs) comes from yourself,” said Emma Laurent ‘13. “Once you set a goal (for your-self ), it is much more stressful to try to achieve it. Letting yourself down is the ultimate disappointment.” Is the goal of high school to look good to colleges? Are AP classes the best way to do so? Are students over-pressured to a breaking point? Are students giving up once they have jumped through the college-admissions process? The argu-ments over the AP program raises all these questions. Windward, as a college preparatory school, has a duty to prepare its students for the college world, and the AP may help in that goal; however, Wind-ward has a duty to prepare its stu-dents for life, and not just an exam.

Answers to sample questions are online at WindwardBridge.com.


What a good sportBy Youngsang Ryu ‘11 and Chloe Azria ‘11 Each year, college coaches scout athletically talented seniors as possible recruits for their respective schools’ teams. The process begins in the student’s spring sports. The coaches assess who is an academic and athletic match for their schools. They then contact the student’s family, coaches, and academic advisers to complete their

SAMI SHAPIRO Sami Shapiro, as many Windwardians may know, is an Olympic-class gym-nast. Early in her senior year, she committed to attending Stanford University. When asked why she chose Stanford, she replied, “It’s a really great school, and it has both the academics and the athletics that I wanted … and when I went to visit, it [had] such a great, nurturing community and I just fell in love with it.” Her process began with Stanford’s interest in her. Shapiro explained that “the Stanford gymnastics team has access to information on gymnasts around the world, so it was easy for them to access me and my information. Once they contact-ed me, I got really interested in them and we started contact from there.” As far as her life as a student-athlete goes, she said, “I don’t have much free time. I go to school in the morning and then I go to the gym for seven to eight hours.” Luckily for her, in the end, her devotion paid off. “My parents,” she added, “helped me balance school and gym, and they were so supportive, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

WESLEY SAUNDERS Wesley Saunders, a basketball player on Windward’s state championship team, was recruited by Harvard University. He says that “a lot of coaches came out and watched me play ... and if they were re-ally interested, they would offer you a scholarship.” According to Saunders, “Coach Miguel Villegas really helped me out a lot” and “was the main one the coaches would call, and he would give them all of my information.” Saunders claims that Coach Miguel was really important in helping him pick a school. When asked why he chose Harvard, Saunders said, “Because of academics and [because] it is the best school in the world.” Saunders is thinking of majoring in business or English.

background check of the student. After confirming the match, the competition for the student begins. Letters, interviews, and visits are all things the recruiting schools may do to convince students to attend their respective schools. Here are some Windward student-athletes who went through the process and their takes on it.

Everybody wants ‘em: Windward’s top sports stars

Photos courtesy of Windward Communications Department

MILICA TOSKOVIC Milica Toskovic is a talented volleyball and basketball player. To be-come so adept in her sports she says, “I sacrificed my body and sacrificed my time. I had to wake up extra early and then get home at 7 or 8 o’clock.” Being the only girl among her sporty siblings, Toskovic acquired the same passion for sports that later led her to many opportunities. Due to her hard work and dedication Toskovic received close to 11 of-fers from schools including Northwestern, Dartmouth, Oregon State and San Francisco State. She decided later to commit to Dartmouth for basketball and credits her coaches, and especially her parents, for pushing her and taking the lengths to make sure she could pursue her goals. Toskovic’s coaches’ involvement also helped her secure her eventual recruitment to Dartmouth. “(Windward Girls Basketball Head) Coach Steve Smith made sure Dartmouth wasn’t going anywhere. He pushed them to of-fer me a spot on the team,” she recalls. Toskovic describes her recruiting process as, “ [The coaches] saw me and got my information, and when they came back to check on me they liked me even more.” She, like many others, found the recruiting process to be for-eign and unique. Toskovic, who is now awaiting her freshman year at Dartmouth, says she hasn’t decided on a major yet and she is happy to already know that Youngsang Ryu ‘11 will also be attending Dartmouth with her.

MILES GUENO Miles Gueno is another amazing student-athlete who went through the recruitment process. When asked how he got into bas-ketball, he replied, “When I was younger, my dad played basketball and I would always see him play. … I pretty much grew up watching basketball all the time.” Gueno says that as he followed his dad and got involved in basketball, he fell in love with it. While playing basketball for Windward, Gueno was recruited by and will attend Oberlin. When asked why he chose to commit to Oberlin, he replied, “I chose Oberlin because it was the first school that recruited me, and I am a very loyal person, so I wanted to give them a chance before any other school to make an offer for a scholarship.” “I didn’t know how bad they really wanted me to play for them there,” Gueno added, “until the coach said out of the blue that he was coming over to visit me and my family ... and that was the confidence that I needed to make the decision.” Gueno plans to study biological sciences at Oberlin.



arius: draft bound

By Aaron Klevan ‘14ContributingWriter

Darius Morris ‘09 will be-come the first Windward alumnus to enter the National Basketball Association draft, which is on June 23, when the professional athletic organization holds its annual player selection. Morris is entering the draft after spending two years as the starting point guard at the Univer-sity of Michigan. “There have been long dis-cussions with my family, friends and my Michigan coaches,” Morris said in a statement through the University of Michigan athletic department. “In the end, I decided to go with my heart.” At Michigan, Morris broke the university’s single-season record for assists with 235, the fifth-highest number in Division I college basketball in the 2010-2011 season. But assists have come easily to Morris, who made a point at Windward to help out teammates on and off the court. “Most great players are concerned about how many points they score, but after every game, Darius would ask our stat keeper about how many assists he had,” said Morris’ former Wildcat teammate Luke Silver-man-Lloyd ’12. Morris’ journey to the NBA started when he came to Windward in the fall of 2005 as a funny, outgoing and ambitious freshman. “On the first day of school in Darius’ freshman year, I got to Windward at 7:30. Five minutes later, Darius, with his SpongeBob backpack on his back, got to school, immediately went to the old cement basketball courts and started playing with the little middle school kids,” said boys’ varsity basketball head coach Miguel Villegas. That year, Morris was the starting point guard on a varsity team filled with talent. Morris’ back-court mate, Percy “Lil’ Romeo” Miller Jr., who left after his sophomore year, later went on to play college basketball at the Uni-versity of Southern California for two years, and power forward Cedric Latimer ‘06 would become the first player to graduate from Windward and play Division I college basketball at Santa Clara University and then St. Francis

University. As a sophomore and junior, Morris steadily improved, as did the Windward basket-ball program. During his junior year (2007-08), Morris’ averages jumped to 27 points, eight re-bounds and six assists per game. Windward’s record was 24-5, and the Wildcats made it to the third round of the CIF playoffs. In the summer of 2008, Morris was in the national spotlight, attending the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Le-Bron James’ Top 80 Players Camp and the Steve Nash Top 20 Point Guards Camp along with high school phenom John Wall, who was the No.1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft. In 2009, Morris’ senior year, the Windward basketball

team entered the season amid tremendous expectations and met them by winning 29 games en route to the pro-gram’s first ever state championship. After graduating, Morris was an instant impact in Ann Arbor, starting in 19 games and winning Michigan’s Wayman Britt Defensive Player award as a freshman. This past season, Morris’ sophomore year, was tremendous for him both athletically and academically. Morris was the starting point guard for the Wolverines and averaged 15 points, 6.7 assists (fifth in Division I), and four rebounds per game. Morris led Michigan to an NCAA tournament victory over Tennessee and fell just short to No. 1 seeded Duke in the second round. At Michigan’s season-ending banquet, Morris was awarded the MVP of this year’s team. Morris was also honored by the Big Ten coaches by being voted onto the All-Big Ten third team. Scholastically, Morris made the Big Ten’s Academ-ic All-Conference team. Members must have a GPA of at least 3.0. But the NBA would serve as his latest test. “Playing professional basketball has always been a dream for me,” Morris continued in the statement. “I feel this is the right time for me to pursue that goal. It will be hard to leave the University of Michigan. However, I truly believe the basketball program is moving in a very posi-tive direction.”

D

Photo courtesy of Windward Athletic Department

Jack Herzog and Calvin Miceli-Nelson take us through the process of creating artBy Katie Donahoe ‘12 and Jack Taylor ‘12

AP Studio Art is a class taught by Lorraine Bubar that is offered to seniors who have excelled in their previous years in studio art. The class asks each student to create 12 works over the course of the year, all cen-tered on one theme. We documented a piece from Calvin Miceli-Nelson ’11 and one from Jack Herzog ’11 from start to finish in order to capture the process one goes through to achieve something beautiful.

Miceli-Nelson describes his concentration as “The Human Ge-nome Project,” while Herzog’s was about movement, “capturing,” as he said, “something that had been in movement and how that affects the world around it.”

Q & A

What were each of your concentra-tions?

Calvin Miceli-Nelson: Mine was called The Human Genome Project. It was about the whole of human so-ciety and the science that they make and how that affects identity.

Jack Herzog: Mine was movement. I worked with a lot of motion capture effects, like, how you view a composi-tion or piece. Capturing something that had been in movement and how that affects the world around it. It’s a more broad project, but I knew I

could do a lot with it.

How did you come up with your ideas? Did you go through different stages of it?

JH: Lorraine forcing you to think about it a lot. She made us write a lot. She wanted us to really work for it. It’s ultimately better to pick something broader because you can do so much more with it. I’m starting to realize that the concen-tration idea isn’t very important. The more and more we close in on the deadline, I feel like it’s really just

the pieces that you produce and see-ing that you have some sort of theme is necessary, but it’s not the whole project.

CM: I think it’s important that your body of work stands together, but I don’t really think it’s important what you pick as your concentra-tion. I just think it’s important that you pick something that you want to do, something that you could end up spending a year on. Some people have really strong concentrations that really look like a body of work and very complete, and some other


Jack Herzog and Calvin Miceli-Nelson take us through the process of creating art

people have some stuff where it’s a few pieces here and a few pieces there. That’s what happens a lot with my work, where I’m into something and then decide to go a different way. I think it helps the concentra-tion stand strong when you stick to one thing. I remember when we were brainstorming and I wanted to do pin-up dolls and early ’50s art. Maybe some collage work and paintings off that. I went a totally different way, but I think it could have been equally as successful just because I, like Jack was saying, I don’t think it matters what you pick as your concentration

as long as you execute it well and stay consistent.

JH: Doing one thing for a whole year, you’re going to end up being more interested in a few specific pieces than you are in the whole body of work. Kids our age, we don’t really think 12 pieces ahead.

How involved was Lorraine in your projects?CM: She was there to help guide you, especially in the beginning when people were timid and unsure about what a concentration could

be or should be. For me, she always opened the studio for me and let me work outside of class, which is really helpful.

JH: She’s going to push you regard-less. You realize it’s a good thing at the end when you reach your goal. Looking back on this year and all the things I’ve done, not even just looking at my concentration and breadth, and going through all the art I’ve made in the last four years, I’ve learned a lot about making art. It’s weird to look back because 9th grade seems not that long ago, but I look at

Untitled by Jack Herzog at diferent stages of progress.

the artwork that I did then, and it’s so different now. CM: Looking at your breadth makes you realize how amateur you were in your early years. You look at some stuff that you’re so proud of or that you did really well and now, it’s just stuffed in a folder somewhere. This year, with 12 pieces that you have to tie together, it helps you take a

more professional approach to either framing your work or making your composition just right so that it all comes together and it’s not just a re-ally impressing drawing. That’s what really changed for me this year, just trying to look at a body of work as its own thing and trying to see what it needed to fit the whole and not just by itself.

What inspired the pieces we picked to follow?

CM: What inspired me for that one was probably a little bit of stress. Stress in a couple ways, actually. I was


“it’s important that your body of work stands together.”

Untitled by Calvin Miceli-Nelson at diferent stages of progress.

stressed because

I didn’t have a

picture and so I

just went on Photo Booth (the Mac Application) and just took a picture because I didn’t have another way to

do it at the moment. And then there was also a lot of college stuff going on, so I was stressed. I was ready to do a piece that was a little bit more focused on me. A lot of people were looking at it thinking, “Oh, it’s a self-portrait.” When really, that was the only person in my room to draw. If I had a closet full of people, I would draw them, but I don’t yet.

JH: I was at a party and, I think about this a lot actually, where you’re at a social event, moving around and talk-ing to people. Sometimes you feel forced into certain conversations and brushed off by some people. Really, just the awkward social environ-ments that we put ourselves into.

Photos by Katie Donahoe ‘12 and Chloe Azria ‘11


“it’s important that your body of work stands together.”

got spirit?By Gina Segall ‘12FeaturesEditor

Did the Wildcats just get a little louder?

Photo by Gina Segall


In a room abuzz with activity and strewn with various vending machine snacks, a group of students is thinking of ideas to rally support for an upcoming Windward volleyball game and gather more student attendees. The sole adult in the room, adviser Stacey Webster, leans back in her chair and calls the room (somewhat) to order. Her voice raises above all the others. “Should we get anything else to throw into the crowd? Like those sweatbands?” “Those were good. Maybe the wristbands too,” suggests Jasmine Johnson ‘13. “Wristbands, got it,” responds Webster. Someone suggests providing free pizza. Webster loves the idea, if enough students agree to attend the sports game on Facebook ahead of time. “Should we post the games as ‘events’ on Facebook?” she wonders aloud. The room is the after-school headquarters of the “Spirit Group” 8th period class, just one student organiza-tion on Windward School’s campus this year that is trying to address the issue of the school’s community spirit, or perhaps the lack thereof. Webster, mother of a Windward student, is the group’s leader. The enhancement of Windward’s community spirit is an issue that interests faculty, staff, parents and students alike. During the 2010-2011 school year, more attention has been paid to this issue than ever before. “We were a much smaller school initially,” pointed out Director of Upper School Peggy Procter. “Having 50 kids per grade, you don’t really have the masses for school spirit (like we do now).” “There always was school spirit, but there wasn’t a name on it,” said Associate Director of Upper School Kevin Newman. Both Newman and Procter also underlined the importance of establish-ing tradition. “You have to perpetuate (spirit) so it becomes part of the fabric of the school. Starting a tradition of spirit is more important than a single spirit event,” said Procter. A variety of parents and faculty work tirelessly to put on events and fun days around campus, and various student groups try their hardest to get their peers fired up for sports games, music concerts or just for the school in general. There are numerous groups on campus that consider boosting school spirit a high priority; but are these events and groups successful? The Student Leadership Council is Windward’s principal student group that organizes events. Every year, it hosts events such as a luau, a Founder’s Day scavenger hunt, Bring Your Own Banana Day, Pancake Breakfast, Lucky Charms Breakfast and Class Olympics.

“SLC’s goal is to set an example for Windward’s spirit, and be a sort of group of role models for our peers,” said Riley Zinar ‘12, a leading member of SLC. Windward also holds an annual “Spirit Week,” leading up to Founder’s Day. Each day during Spirit Week, a different theme for students’ attire is proposed by SLC; examples include Crazy Hat Day, Twin Day, or a “grade color” day, where students wear a specific color assigned to their grade. The week finishes with an all-school pep rally. Pep rallies also occur throughout the year, lead-ing up to major sports games. They usually consist of an athletic competition, a season highlights reel, or simple cheers. “I like Bring Your Own Banana Day. That’s clever,” said Rachel Rudolph ‘16. “SLC events are super fun,” agreed Sophie Taylor ‘16. Some students are not so sure about SLC’s suc-cess. “I didn’t know (Spirit Week) was happening until it was halfway over,” said Alex Pike ‘13. “Did we have that this year?” asked Amy Nadal ‘13 when questioned about her thoughts on Spirit Week. “(Pep rallies) need to have more student interac-tion,” said Isaiah Evans ‘12. There is another student group called the Spirit Tears, formed this year, which is dedicated to encourag-ing Windward’s morale. “There was a sentiment at the

school that we needed more spirit,” said Ilana Herzig ‘12, a founding mem-ber of the group.

The group assembled when Newman and Procter saw a need for Windward students to engage

in more school pride. They approached the high school student body at its weekly Monday Morning Meeting, asking anyone who was in-terested in enhancing the school’s spirit to join the group. The group meets approximately

once every two or three weeks during lunch peri-ods to discuss issues and organize events. The aforementioned 8th period elec-tive class also formed this year, devoted to

stimulating Windward’s collective spirit. “What we are trying to accomplish in this 8th period class is an organized movement to increase school spirit,” said Webster in an e-mail. The 8th period students devised the name “The Pack” to refer to Wind-ward students who are part of the “Spirit Group.” Webster described the group as “all inclusive.” She added, “It is important to know that every single student at Windward is a member of The Pack.” The group also encourages students to attend games to receive “The Pack” T-shirts, which can then be worn to all major sports events. One member of Webster’s 8th period class, Alison Berkowitz ‘13, said that she joined the class because she

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thinks that Windward “kind of has no spirit, and (I) wanted to change that.” “Spirit at our games ...” Riley Jameson ‘14, another student in the group, mused, “...is sometimes lacking,” fin-ished Harry Rust ‘14. “It’s always up to the teams to spread awareness (about their own games),” said Jameson. Webster believes that the 8th period class and the Spirit Tears group should merge and collaborate more, but Herzig thinks otherwise. “I think it’s good (to have two groups) because it comes at (the issue) from two different angles,” she said. “One’s more of a think tank, and one’s more action-oriented. Each group plays a different role,” said Newman. For example, he explained, the Spirit Tears came up with the idea of having a mascot in costume to intensify enthusiasm at sports games. The Period 8 group put the idea into action, finding training from profes-sional mascots and organizing sign-ups on campus.” Many students feel a general sense of school pride, but it does not always pertain to sports. “I think there’s definitely a sense of support that’s not sports-related,” said Deborah Krieger ‘12. Sydney Sellers ‘14, a member of the SLC, said, “I’m much more into planning other school events that aren’t sports-related. I find it more interesting.” Rust from the Spirit Group 8th period said, “I think right now we’re sports-based, but ….” “...we’re looking into the plays and arts too,” fin-ished Jameson.

“School spirit is not about sports, it’s about being proud to be a student at Windward,” said Newman. Newman and Procter emphasized the goal of grouping events together and creating “synchronicity between all the different activities”; they listed the con-temporaneous dance concert and softball game and the recent spring musical and basketball game combination as examples. Webster also mentioned that the jazz band came to two winter sports events and played at halftime, as well as accompanied the Windward section in chants and cheers. She hopes to continue to integrate sports and arts in similar ways in the future. Procter stressed staying realistic. “Just because something is great at another school, (doesn’t mean it would be so here),” she points out. She also said, “It’s about enhancing what we already have, not about add-ing.” So where do students think the problem lies? “Spirit comes from the top down,” said Herzig. “It needs to come from the seniors, and trickle down (to the lower grades).” “(The school’s spirit) is not completely visible all the time,” said Sellers. The new push for more spirit is, according to Newman, about “highlight(ing) our students” in new ways. “By supporting the community,” he said, “you’re supporting school spirit.”

Students cheer on a basketball game from the new student section of the Lewis Jackson Memorial Sports Center. Photo by Jack Taylor ‘12


Skate of the Union

Features

“The feeling of riding a skateboard, whether you’re 6 years old or 50 years old, is simply amazing and very free. That is why I still, and always will, skateboard ‘till the day I’m unable to.” Former skateboarding pro Steve Olson describes the allure of the sport with ease. The California native has been skating since the ‘60s and embodies the classic skater image, wearing mismatched socks and skinny jeans and oozing noncha-lance. He started when skateboard culture had just begun to define itself, independent from other sports and groups, and has lived through changes within the community that have brought skating to its place today as a popular sport- popular

among California kids in general, and a few Windward students in particu-lar. Some kids - Dylan Kelly ‘13, for instance - have skated for teams and have been sponsored. When the waves were flat, surfers needed an alternative way to pass the time. The only logical answer was to surf on land, creating early forms of skateboarding. The 1950s can be coined skateboarding’s childhood. It was exclusive to surf culture and limited to Los Angeles, though it became more commercial in the ’60s after Bill Richards was the first to sell manu-factured skateboards in his Southern California surf shop, Val Surf. Skating was originally advertised as “sidewalk

surfing” by surfers and remained true to its roots within surf culture and completely dependent on the surfer kids who rode them. The connec-tion is still intact, influencing most of skate style, attitude and technique today. As skateboarding progressed into the late ‘80s and ‘90s, the cul-ture became more closely related to the punk scene. The skateboarder stereotype was depicted as a rebel-lious teenage misfit replacing the Californian surfer clichés. The new style of skating influenced dress and attitude and started a new group within the exclusive culture of which people were vying to be a part. Iconic photographer Hugh Holland per-

Photos courtesy of Nike SB

fectly describes his experiences in an interview about the ArtintheStreets exhibit at MOCA: “I began shooting pictures [of skateboarders] as much as I could. Not only of the skaters, but also of the entire atmosphere they inhabited and created. It was a world of wild boys, concrete, asphalt, chain-linked fence and rebellion.” Around the same time, companies like Activision and Never Soft started producing skating videogames and further commercial-ized the fledgling sport. The TonyHawkProskater series is the most well-known skating game franchise, though recently, other series like Skate have become popular among gamers. Kids who grew up playing theTonyHawkseries and other skat-ing games have a lot of affection for the sport and enjoy it whether or not they actually participate in the action of live skateboarding. The same popularization of skateboarding continued through-out the ‘90s with the arrival of the X-games, a competition centered on events, including BMX, rally, motocross and skating. Unlike other professional sports competitions, the X-games seems more like a friendly exhibition of skill instead of an in-tense rivalry. The participants have all gained individual popularity or celeb-rity status through X-game success. Athletes across the board, includ-ing skaters Shaun White and Ryan Sheckler or even rally racers and BMX competitors like Travis Pastrana and Mat Hoffman have become house-hold names. And so skateboarding became popular and mainstream, while still maintaining a strong sense of community.

By the 2000s skateboarding reached its ultimate popularity with an esti-mated 18.5 million skateboarders in the world, according to a 2002 report by American Sports Data. Companies like Nike, Girl Skateboards, and Plan B began to sponsor up-and-comers and recruit them to their skate teams. Unlike other sports though, the pop-ularity hasn’t lessened skateboard-ing’s integrity - in fact the new brands and skate teams have even added to the community. Since skating has become mainstream, companies and brands have started to appear all over the world to facilitate the evolving culture. People like James Jebbia, founder of the skateboard and cloth-ing company Supreme, began to cater to a specific skater style while staying true to skate’s roots. Fresh-man Jackson Benarroch describes the culture as it “intertwines with people who have similar interests and are just together. It evolves with the people that it’s with.” The specific audience is one interested in art, culture and style, prompting collaborations between artists and professional skaters. The partnership allows the people inter-ested in the culture to take part in a medium they normally couldn’t. Art-ists like Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons have designed decks that replicate their gallery artwork for Supreme. The success of the collaboration can be measured in the amount of time the products stay in stock - never more than a day. The blend of art and skate bleeds into different mediums of photography and film as well. Direc-tor Spike Jonze is the co-founder of

skate company Girl, and not only uses the brand to connect himself with the skate world, but also ap-plies the essence of skate into his own work. His early skate films track iconic faces that embody the essence of the sport and lent inspiration to other artists as well. MOCA’s new exhibition, Art in the Streets, includes many street artists and their work, as influenced by skateboard culture. It’s likely that his influence created a photographer out of Girl skater Alex Olson, who takes candid photos that often feature a skateboard. Not co-incidentally, Alex is the son of Steve Olson - proving the complicated but intact circle that surrounds all skaters into a community. Skateboarding has now be-come a lifestyle and culture as Tony Hawk aptly puts it in an interview with Askmen.com, “Skateboarding [is] an art form, a lifestyle and a sport.” It has evolved from a DIY pastime cre-ated by bored surfers to an interna-tional culture that has affected many different types of media.Benarroch says, “The skating com-munity is a group of dedicated and interesting people. It isn’t just about the actual sport. It is much bigger than that.”

Photo courtesy of The World’s Best Ever

Photos courtesy of Nike SB

Literally, I think I’d be willing to see just about anything as long as Ewan Mcgregor were in it. I think most girls, having seen “Moulin Rouge,” would agree. But he’s not the only enticing aspect of the movie. Chris-topher Plummer, a highly respected actor of films including “A Beautiful Mind,” and Mela-nie Laurent, of “Inglourious Basterds,” joins McGregor in this reserved romantic comedy about a man who faces his father’s coming out and his own fears about love.

Although most sequels never live up to the originals, “The Hang-

over Part II” looks as if it is coming very close. With almost all of the cast returning, and rumors flying

everywhere of Nick Cassavetes making a special appearance, we are surely in for a treat. The trailer

is hysterical, and although we were a little wor-ried about how they were going to make it seem

plausible this would happen again, this time in Thailand, it seems they have made it ironic and another joke in the film. I guess we will

have to find out why Ed Helms has a Mike Tyson tattoo on his face and why there is, once again, a hungover monkey in their hotel room.

Though this is only Terrance Malick’s fourth film in 40 years, we’ve been shaking with excite-ment ever since this movie was slated to come out last year. The film’s a 1950s period piece about Jack (played by Sean Penn as an adult), who grows up from his innocent childhood into a lost adult, essentially trying to find himself in the “modern world.” He and his three brothers live with their father (Brad Pitt) and mother (Jessica Chastain). Hope-fully Fox Searchlight (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Black Swan”) will strike gold again with this film, and if so, we will be offended if this thing doesn’t bring home some Oscars.

Another J.J. Abrams movie, another vague and mysteri-ous marketing campaign. We love the “Super 8” title in reference to the old super 8 cameras. And although there is not much information out about this movie, we are excited to see more from Elle Fanning after her great performance in “Somewhere.”


Phot

os b

y Sk

yler

John

son

‘12

Nutella French toast and red velvet pancakes. Those two menu items

are the reason why it is worth the wait in the always-long line at

Larchmont Bungalow. With an extensive menu that includes gourmet omlettes and paninis, most of the food is good, although nothing compares to dishes that give you an excuse to order dessert for breakfast.

Nickel Diner juxtaposes its downtown location with its genuine and comfort-

able feel. The food is traditional diner fare and though it’s all good, the restaurant

made our list for its BLTAE, a take on a classic BLT with added egg and avo-

cado, and its famous doughnuts. The eclectic selection of bacon, strawberry crumble, nutella and red velvet, among others makes the doughnuts as interesting as they are delicious.

1 2

Ever since the closing of City Bakery in the Brentwood Country Mart, we never thought that any restaurant or

bakery could top their amazing double chocolate chip cookies. We were wrong. After more than two years, FARM-

shop has opened in the old City Bakery space. And it doesn’t disappoint. Thomas Keller Restaurants Group’s former culinary director, Chef Jeffery Cerciello, utilizes the huge space to perfec-tion. Half of the space will be used as a bakery, and the other half as a restaurant. The food is amaz-ing as well - from the butternut squash soup to the pastrami and eggs breakfast, to the steak sandwich, all the way to the simple but amazing chocolate chip cookies.

3 We found out about the blueberry ricotta pancakes at BLD from the Food

Network Show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” And they did not disappoint. Not only were the pancakes rich, and the blueberries fresh, but everything down to the maple syrup also was impeccable. The recipe is simple yet ingenious. BLD mixes ricotta cheese with blueberries, and it’s amazing. A must eat.

4By Robbie Brussell ‘12 and Claire Benarroch ‘12

Photos courtesy of Larchmont Bungalow, Nickel Diner, FarmShop, and BLDAll food letters taken by Robbie Brussell ‘12 and Claire Benarroch ‘12


By Katie Donahoe ‘12ManagingEditor

For those of you who are loyal readers of this column, you know that Life of Katie tends to consist of rather mundane occurrences in my life that, in one way or another, turn into something that could only ever happen once. This though, this could never, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered mundane: I went to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Did I disappoint? I didn’t think so.

Picture it: A Monday afternoon. Leaving school early (a little rebellious, I know). Meeting my dad in the office (less rebellious). Driving

to Burbank (not everything can be rebellious,

guys). We were held in the Warner Brothers parking garage for two

hours before fi-nally being led

into the studio. Ah, t h e studio. As someone

who watches this particular talk show faithfully, I recog-nized everything. The big red chairs. The DJ’s stand. Even the floor felt familiar. Unfortunately for me, the

man hired to pump up the audience was as devoted to

audience participation as most people are their religions. For

someone who shudders at the very idea of interactive entertain-

ment, it was a definite low point. But, I knew somewhere in the wings stood the one, the only, El-

len DeGeneres. It was the only thing that got me through 45 minutes of

a semi-successful stand-up comedian pulling tourists from the audience to dance for everyone to the sounds of 2002’s hippest pop songs.

And then, around the time I was sure we’d run through the entirety of Justin Timberlake’s first solo al-bum, the theme song came on and out walked the blonde, ten-

nis-shoe-wearing funny lady we all know and love. She whipped through her monologue, danced through the audience and sat down to announce her first guest, Jimmy Kim-mel, before I could truly comprehend where I was and what I was doing. Allow me to put this into perspective: After years of begging, my parents gave me the promise of going to see a tap-ing of Ellen’s (yeah, we’re on a first-name basis now) show for my 16th birthday. I’ll be 18 in September. This show had been a long time coming. Everything about that hour of taping is a blur of excitement — everything, that is, except the moment Ellen looked me, me!, in the eye and smiled. That was pret-ty damn exciting, let me tell you. Then, moments before the credits rolled, Ms. DeGeneres announced she had a special surprise for the whole audience and signaled a few crew guys to roll out a big table covered in ... iPods! Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Oprah’s Favorite Things, it’s basically a day on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” when she gives away thousands of dollars in presents to every member of the studio audience. I’ve al-ways laughed at the women who seem happier about their new microwave ovens than most people look at the birth of their first child, but I totally understand now. I would have screamed just as loudly had Ellen given away erasers as had she given us private islands. My old man and I capped off our day with a trip to Ellen’s gift store, where I proceeded to buy everything from sweats to a bum-per sticker to shot g l a s s e s , followed by dinner at Bob’s Big Boy. To some it might seem like a boring day, and to those people I say: You’re ridicu-lous, it’s awesome.

Life of KatieNever has the Warner Brothers lot seemed so magical

Phot

o by

Tim

Don

ahoe

photos by Kit Landry ‘11text by Claire Benarroch ‘12

Chloe Azria, Claire Benarroch, Robbie Brussell, Katie Donahoe, Skyler Johnson, Aaron Klevan, Hunter Owens, Emma Rust,Youngsang Ryu, Gina Segall, Jack Taylor, Lauren Yu

©

The Windward Bridge MagazineVolume 1Issue 2

The Bridge, Spring Issue

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Transcript of The Bridge, Spring Issue