Issue 34 (2013-2014)

Issue 34 (October 11, 2013)

Sidebar

Meanwhile, in Ohio…

After disappearing in 1986, leaving behind his wife and two kids, and being proclaimed legally dead in 1994, an Ohio man has reappeared,  but, despite having vital signs, cannot be declared alive according to state law. Said the judge, “I don’t know where that leaves you, but you’re still deceased as far as the law is concerned.”

10 Word Stories

Twice I ran, twice I fell, one last time, dead.

-Walker Whitworth

I enjoyed the daily lyrics quiz, then Dan Forssman came.

-Sajan Palanki

Coffee House

Coffee House is next Friday. The sign-up sheet is on the theater callboard, so sign up!

Sportz…

Heartbreaking loss for Knights Water Polo against La Jolla High. Thanks to everyone who came out and cheered them on. Just remember that La Jolla High  may have won this game, but Bishop’s will win when acceptance letters start coming in.

Quote Quiz

“Call on God, but row away from the rocks.”

Lyrics Quiz #1

A thousand years in one piece of silver
She took it from his lily white hand
Showed no fear, she'd seen the thing
In the Young Men's Wing at Sloan-Kettering

Lyrics #2

I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees

I never married, but Ohio don’t remember me.

Articles

You’ll Want To Take This With You (But You Can’t)

By: Leo Li (Drama Critic)

In this weekend’s play, You Can’t Take it With You, we dive into the home of the Sycamores, a fun but unusual family, whose youngest member attempts to find love with the son of a family completely different than hers.

                To start out, the play features a cast of enormous talent and skill, which only raises expectations for the play. Interestingly enough, each actor or actress fit and portrayed their roles so perfectly, the character and performer's identities could be mixed up. On another artistic note, the set itself is enormous, beautiful, and truly remarkable. The complexity of it is amazing, especially when some conversations were behind doors (and still quite understandable), lights would realistically turn off and on with a flick of the switch, and, well, it was just a masterpiece in itself.

                This sets up the foundations for what would be a truly astounding play. The plot itself is comedic, combining a variety of jokes on subjects like Wall Street or sex. But the story was not purely jokes, as there were some truly serious and at times emotional scenes, silencing the crowd after loud periods of laughter.

The story, though driven by love, had a bigger message about self, family, and happiness. The message is in the title: some things, you just can’t take with you. Focus on the things you can. Perhaps that moral, through the wise words of Grandpa, played by Greg Feiner and the rest of the cast, was perhaps the most fantastic of all.

This production was a remarkable effort by actors, the tech, Flan, Mac, parents, teachers, and everyone who created something wonderful and absolutely, without a doubt, something you should see. They have once again surpassed the expectations the arts at Bishops have. There is a show on Friday at 7:00 and two on Saturday, one at 2:00 and one at 7:00. There are many things you can’t take with you, but this is something you can.

Whip Slip

By: Chris Halter (Software Critic)

            My experience with WhippleHill has been really lovely—minus the occasional whip slip. The online backup plan that it provides has saved me from missing homework a fair share of times. But I’m uncomfortable about WhippleHill for one reason: the parental access.

                I’m not uncomfortable because I have grades to hide from my parents or that I don’t do my homework: I’m uncomfortable because it doesn’t foster independence. The Bishop’s School prides itself on preparing students to attend college. But does allowing parents to constantly oversee and “check-in” on their kids really encourage independence? I certainly don’t see myself in two years getting phone calls from my mom saying, “I checked your WhippleHill and you’re missing an assignment for your English seminar, better get that done.” If it won’t happen then, why should it happen now? Before the days of WhippleHill, tiger and helicopter moms existed, but access to the whip just seems like a tool that allows them to hover and pressure even more. I am no victim of this, but, I know a few kids who are and in order for them to be successful they need less parental oversight, not more. Success comes from the student not the parent, and giving parents access to WhippleHill won’t make students more successful; if anything they’ll be more stressed. Most kids fret about quarter grades coming out, but having to worry about constant parental access to your grades will drive students insane.

Furthermore, giving parents access to WhippleHill completely contradicts Dr. Ginsberg’s speech. He specifically mentioned that avoiding making parent-child relationships solely about grades is completely counter-intuitive

  I came to The Bishop’s School to be better prepared to move into a stage of my life where independence and resourcefulness will be key to my success and having parents on Whipplehill doesn’t encourage that.

I’m not trying to attack the administration or discredit the school in any way—in fact a response from the administration would be appreciated—I’m simply trying to understand what the administration’s goal was when they decided to allow parents on WhippleHill. Bishop’s uniqueness stems from the fact that it encourages discussion in the classroom, and student independence; but having parents on WhippleHill seems geared towards fostering anxiety rather than autonomy.