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Volume 74, Issue 7
February 26th, 2026
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
ANTHONY RAY HINTON SPEAKS AT BH
Bearing Powerful Message of Fighting the Death Penalty in the US By Eli Norden ’26 Panel Staff
Anthony Ray Hinton’s story is one of dramatic change, from doom to direction. His reflections are some of the most serious words ever spoken in Hamilton Chapel, and served as both a warning about the perversion of justice and a compelling call to action to current students to fight corruption in all forms. Wrongfully convicted of a double homicide in 1985, Mr. Hinton’s case revolved solely around his race. Birmingham, a city with a slight black majority at the time of his incarceration, was a center for both the KKK during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 60s. Unfortunately, the legacy of racism endured beyond his case, as it continued to impact legal frameworks, individual decisions, and attitudes in the community into the late 1900s. He was accused because he was black. Detectives profiled him, saying things along the lines of “One of you [Black people] did it, if not you…one of your ‘brothers’”. His jury of “peers” was entirely white. He was tried before a white judge. The police officers and detectives who accused and arrested him were all white. Mr. Hinton’s speech made clear that
Anthony Ray Hinton Speaks at Chapel this doesn’t make white people inherently evil in any way. However, what his speech did make clear was that there is deep-seated racism in the South that works in ways most Northerners can’t understand. Even twenty years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act, race was the sole factor in Hinton’s arrest. In Mr. Hinton’s speech, he was never once accusatory. He wasn’t mad about his own past, but rather a system he views as broken. And understandably so. The Alabama state government stole three decades of his life from him. Still, he reflected on his faith in prison and how he always felt connected to his Christian
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religious tradition while incarcerated. The first decade of Mr. Hinton’s imprisonment was without help; aid would be on the way in time. “This story was eye-opening,” reflected Andrew Cotter ’26. Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative came to his assistance, working on his side for 16 years and using the reports of forensic experts who made clear that Hinton’s conviction was based on false information. His case was brought before the Supreme Court in 2014, where he was unanimously exonerated in a “constitutionally deficient” trial. The following year, he was released. Currently, he is an advocate for end-
ing the death penalty. Marcus Griffin ’26 was particularly amazed by Mr. Hinton’s words. He said, “It was moving, from the heart…his plea for a new generation to stand up for those who can’t was powerful.” Since his release, Mr. Hinton has devoted his life to traveling and sharing his story. He released his book, The Sun Does Shine, in 2018. Mrs. O’Connor, one of about 20 faculty members who read the book over winter break, commented that “It is the ultimate story of resilience, friendship, hope, forgiveness, humanity, and empathy that everyone in the community can learn from, no matter their background.” Many other faculty members, including Dr. Tift, Mr. George, and Mr. LaLiberte ’14, recommend that Belmont Hill students read Mr. Hinton’s book. After his presentation to the whole school, Mr. Hinton spoke to a significant group of boys who remained in the Chapel—one of the largest post-speaker groups that Belmont Hill has ever had. Student questions mainly revolved around his religious faith and prison life. The main takeaway of Mr. Hinton’s speech was to remember our position as good citizens of the world and to do everything in our power to learn about inequities in our systems and take action to change them. ☐
A Case for the Return of the BH Panini Press By Babikir Saeed ’26 Panel Staff Last week, while at home, on one of the rather dreary nights, my mother (as deserved) needed a break from her motherly duties, and I felt out of options. Two slices of wheat bread remained, and out of desperation, I checked the fridge for spare turkey and Swiss fromage slices; to my disappointment, I took to making a sandwich. Cold, bland, and simply unpalatable, I thought I was out of luck. But that was when I saw a light—rather a glisten—peeking from my base cabinet door: A grilling surface? “It can’t be,” I thought to myself. I laid a light coating of butter on its surface and firmly placed my sandwich upon it. It cracked and sizzled; when the bread's smoky char filled my nostrils, I knew I had more than a sandwich. I had a panini. The Belmont Hill Panini was banned sometime between the 2022-2023 school year, primarily due to various irresponsible uses and the decision of former school chef Ms. Wu. I decided to ask the current Director of Culinary Excellence,
Data from Babikir's Research Tony Maws, what compelled Ms. Wu—as well as himself, to remove the culinary treasure. Chef Maws replied, “It does not quite fit well with what we are trying to do here at Belmont Hill anymore,” but perhaps more importantly, “Someone almost set the building on fire last time.” Chef Maws was direct and seemingly un-budgable during our short exchange. Chances of bringing back the panini machine looked negligible. Hope was distant. Yet, Belmont Hill students are excited by the prospect of the Panini Machines’ return. Out of 81 previous Panini users I surveyed earlier this week, we can assume these are all the remaining Panini fans,
A Look Inside The Panel Page 2: Dispute Over Greenland Adrian Chen ’28 and Patrick Snail ’28 provide an analysis of Greenland’s recent rise in relevance in the context of geopolitics with its abundance of valuable minerals and resources.
Page 8: Ethics of AI Image Usage Joe Burns ’28 and Sean Park ’28 write an opinion piece on the morals of AI generated images and videos as they become more and more prevalent in the era of modern technology.
Page 4: Artist of the Issue Shea McDonnell ’28, Tiernan Emmert ’28, and Billy Palumbo ’28 write this issue’s AOTI on faculty member Mr. Chittock, detailing his experiences being a professional graphic novel artist.
Page 11: Jake Bobo ’18 in Super Bowl Tyler Grossman ’27 writes on Belmont Hill alum Jake Bobo after his recent victory in Super Bowl LX, detailing Bobo’s journey throughout high school, college, and the NFL.
Babikir Saeed
since they cared enough to click on my survey—69% say they would use it 3 or more times a week. However, due to the impressive improvements to the school’s menu, 31% of these students say they would use the panini machine less now than in 2023. What about the other 69% of students who said they wouldn't eat Paninis less? It shows just how much Belmont Hill students love paninis— that nothing could ever replace their perfect sandwich. When I asked Jack Ramanathan ’26 how he would like the return of the panini, he responded, “Bro, please Babi—I AM BEGGING YOU.” The love of Paninis expressed by Belmont Hill students makes the argument for the re-
turn of the Panini machine more essential. However, as Chef Maws explained, safety hazards have posed various issues in the past. But students in 2026 seem to feel an increased sense of responsibility. Out of 132 panini lovers’ responses, 98.5% pinky promised to use the Panini Machine responsibly were the powers that be to approve. With this promise not to endanger the livelihood of Belmont Hill Students and Staff, we issue this heartfelt plea. Give us another chance! Overall, bringing back the Belmont Hill panini will not be easy. It will require rigorous negotiations and pleas. Mrs. Glinski gave some food for thought via email, proposing that the kitchen staff provide pre-made grilled cheese sandwiches on certain days—a possible “panini base” where students could add their own sandwich bar toppings. The likelihood of Belmont Hill students settling for such measures is slim. Belmont Hill students fight—that is their nature. They don’t settle—they persevere. Though this year may not be their year, as Michael Jordan says, “ I have never lost a game, I just ran out of time.” ☐
Letter from the Editor:
Welcome to the final issue of Volume 74! This month, our news section focuses on broader world events like Iceland’s position in the global order, Iran’s economic collapse, and the historic launching of the Artemis. Our Arts section features the AOTI being faculty member Mr. Chittock, as well as our traditional Playlist of the Issue and an analysis on Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Our Ops sections spotlights a piece that ponders the morality of AI-generated images and videos in the modern era, as well an intriguing article debating between salt and pepper. Our sports section features a Griffin Calhoun ’26 as our Athlete of the Issue, as well as providing various recaps of professional sports like the MLB and Winter Olympic performances, alongside a
collage of photos from this past Winter athletic season. Finally, the centerspread of this issue provides a glimpse into two recent cultural dinners, the Ramadan Dinner and the Lunar New Year Dinner, with insights from students who participated in these events and photos from participants. We would like to give a big thank you to everyone involved in the process of publishing this issue. This issue marks the final of the volume, and we will be beginning a new application process for new leadership positions starting in the spring, so please reach out if you are interested in becoming a part of one of the school’s biggest student-led publications; the email address is thepanel@ belmonthill.org. Thank you, and enjoy this final volume Issue! ☐