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Volume 71, Issue 1
May 5 , 2022
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
DRUCKER ELECTED PRESIDENT Daniel Drucker Voted President of Centennial Class of 2023 By Executive Staff Panel Staff Leading the school during Belmont Hill’s Centennial year will be recently elected president Daniel Drucker ’23. With so much experience in leading and serving others throughout his time at Belmont Hill, Daniel is well prepared to lead the entire study body in this historic year. Since the First Form, Drucker has been one of his class’s most distinguished leaders. Striving to make Belmont Hill an ever better school, Daniel has undertaken many initiatives to serve the community. When asked about his leadership and service experience at Belmont Hill, Daniel categorized them into four roles. Prior to his election as school president, Daniel served as his class’s vice president, working extensively in the Senate. Drucker is also a peer leader, a position he regards as “very special as it enables me to work with young students in the community and make an impact on their lives early in their Belmont Hill careers.” Drucker has been at the heart of two of Belmont Hill’s most significant community service projects: the Dove drive and Party with a Purpose. Daniel initiated the Dove drive in 2020-21 and led Party with a Purpose this year. Daniel attributes his passion for service to his family, noting that “my passion for community service stems from how I was raised and who my family is. I have grown up very fortunate, and it is my duty to give back to my community and make
Rashes
Wins
By Mac Bobo ’23 Panel Staff This year’s group of Woodbury semi finalists and finalists delivered powerful, moving, and entertaining speeches that continued the contest’s tradition of excellence. The semi-final round gave the judges an especially hard decision to make, with great speeches from all of the semi-finalists. Senior Kailen Richards had the entire chapel laughing with his speech littered with double entendres. Junior Sam Atalla also gave a thoughtful speech about his family and a certain tradition he still shares with his brother. Junior Dan Moran also gave a thought-provoking speech about perspective which had almost everyone in the audience questioning the veracity of his story-telling. While all three of these speeches were exceptional, it was Bobby Cooper ‘23, Daniel Rashes ‘22, and Ethan Sidman ‘24 who would go on to the final round.
Daniel Drucker ’23 it a better place than I found it.” He recalls that, growing up, his parents encouraged and inspired him to take part in community service. Daniel fondly remembers the great impact and the joy he brought by delivering meals with his dad at the Hebrew Senior Center during the Jewish holidays at a young age. He also credits his grandmother as a big inspiration for his passion for community service. Drucker’s grandmother was an educator for her whole life and taught
On Friday, April 29th the school gathered in the Hamilton Chapel to hear the speeches from the three finalists. First, Ethan Sidman ‘24 gave a great speech about the nature of a handshake and how it was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, Bobby Cooper ‘23 delivered an insightful message about his complex relationship with his father and the various struggles both he and his father have had to face throughout his life. By being vulnerable and giving a clear message, Bobby showed a side of him that very few of his classmates had ever seen – including me. Lastly, having been sidelined due to a positive COVID test and delivering his speech via zoom, Daniel Rashes ‘22 gave an inspiring, entertaining, and well-crafted message about his career at Belmont Hill. He spoke about his athletic career at Belmont Hill , specificallty the merits of playing on the 3B soccer team. His speech resonated with the whole community, leading to thunderous applause. ☐
By Lev Tolkoff ’24 Panel Staff With the return of sit down lunch, the coveted panini machines, salad bar, and hot bar have reappeared. While these commodities coming back have been a blessing, nothing compares to the feeling of having a great lunch at your family-style tables without waiting in line. The dining hall has introduced several new main lunches in addition to previous favorites. Mac and cheese remains a favorite, while additions such as jerk chicken have been very well received. However, the question remains, what is the best lunch at school? If that question was asked three years ago the most common answer would be General Tso chicken. However, this year, we have had a multitude of General Tso level meals. In the most recent Food Committee survey, this very same question was asked. Unprecedentedly, answers varied widely. Opinions 9 Debate of the Issue: Walkthrough or Sit-Down Lunch?
News 2 Party with a Purpose Returns
Lev Tolkoff ’24 and Luke Trevisan ’24 take on this tough question.
Andrew Bittner ’24 and Tommy Folan ’25 detail this Belmont Hill’s tradition welcome return after a two year absence.
Cooper Nelson ’23 details this year’s Poetry Month and Poetry Fest
oping his leadership skills—“From academics to football to just being a good person, each one of these figures has helped make me who I am today.” He concludes, “overall, Belmont Hill has provided me with all the necessary resources to make our community a better place and develop my skills as a leader which have ultimately helped me get to school president.” Continued on Page 4.
Woodburys Belmont Hill’s Favorite Food?
Look Inside The Panel
News 4 Poetry Month!
students with learning disabilities. She was a “dedicated and loving figure who wanted to leave the world a better place than she found it.” Drucker also found inspiration within Belmont Hill. The past student government presidents with whom Daniel worked in the Senate inspired him to“continue the strong tradition that school presidents carry.” He also thanks people like Mr. Bradley, Mrs. Hamilton, Mr. Butler, and Mr. Phinney for their lasting impacts on devel-
Alex Lo ’23
Arts 5 Artist of the Issue: Howard Huang ’22
Brian Lee ’24 writes about Howard’s impressive musical achievements at Belmont Hill as a violinist in the school’s orchestra.
Out of 147 responses around thirty said that either chicken fingers or orange chicken was their favorite, which is hard to argue with. Roughly fifteen said that mac and cheese or buffalo chicken mac and cheese was their favorite. Around ten said that tacos were by far their favorite. Around ten said that jerk chicken was their favorite. Some other lunches that often showed up were little tony’s pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and quesadillas. However, with 41% of the students eating the meat 1-2 times a week and 10% never eating the meat, it seems as though students are generally dissuaded from meals unless it is one of their favorite lunches. Students were also asked which meals they did not prefer which was overwhelming the pork dishes. However, overall, the students were happy with the lunches this year . The past few weeks have been extraordinarily better, and we are all excited for the next favorite lunch to come! ☐
Sports 10 March Madness Review Matthew Flaherty ’24 gives a thorough breakdown of this year’s memorable tournament.