THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
@thepharcyde_tbs
4875 Grandiflora Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
10 November 2021
@thepharcyde_tbs Volume 43
Issue 04
Return of Annual Halloween Parade Raises Spirits Tvisha Goel Co-Editor-in-Chief Traditions at the Benjamin School hold much value and significance for carrying on the core values. The annual Halloween Parade cherishes the connection between the Upper and Lower Schools as a collective group of the Benjamin community. Every year, seniors who are part of the 14-Year Club travel down to the Lower School dressed up for Halloween to spend time with the elementary school students. Last year, due to COVID-19, the Halloween Parade could not take place; however, this treasured tradition was fulfilled this year, with students from both campuses dressed up in their best halloween costumes and ear-to-ear grins. Seniors Ella Pierman and Jacob Steinger look back to 14 years ago when they were at the Lower School during this time of the year, explaining their experiences. Pierman said, “When I was at the Lower School, the high schoolers always seemed so big and old to me. It’s crazy to think that I’m now one of those students. A memory that I have was when I was probably in 2nd grade, when one of my babysitters came down for the parade. She played Belle when the school put on Beauty and the Beast and I was convinced that she was a princess. She dressed up as Belle for the parade and got paired with my class. That was
Senior Grace Kearns accompanies her mother Anne Kearns, and her fourth-grade class in the Halloween Parade. (Photo by Tvisha Goel)
The 14-Year Club, conisisting of seniors Grace Kearns, Jacob Steinger, Caden Quinn, Vincy Marotta, Liam Gaeta, Sophia Smith, Jacob Kroll, Emeline Smith, Ella Pierman, Sophia Liporace, Cat Schenk, Kate Small, Sydney Steinger, and Caroline Yancey (left to right) attended the annual Halloween Parade at the Lower School. The seniors were able to revisit their home away from home and walking in the shoes of who they all once looked up to. (Photo by Tvisha Goel)
probably my favorite parade.” Steinger also explains the value this tradition holds in his heart and memory. “Coming up from Pre-K all the way to senior year, I’ve always looked up to the high schoolers, from them coming down to perform plays and musicals such as Hairspray, the 14-Year club giving presentations and the costumes they wear. I want to be that same person that fourth-grade Jake or first-grade Jake looked up to. I remember I had a Spiderman walk with me and my first-grade class, and I did not want to go in the line and walk through the parade because I was scared. Spiderman held my hand throughout the entire thing, which I thought was really sweet,” he recalled. Not only do the seniors of the 14Year Club cherish this circle-of-life
moment, but teachers from the Lower School believe that the tradition holds great value for the Benjamin community. Dean of Curriculum for the Lower School Mrs. LeeAnne Sampson thinks this tradition is special because it allows seniors one more chance to make memories at the Lower School. “It’s so fun to see the seniors’ hilarious costumes. It is enjoyable to see the seniors connect with the younger students and their “old” teachers. The seniors are like rock stars to the little ones. I also enjoy seeing how quickly I can figure out who the seniors are behind their masks. They change so much once they leave us in the Lower School,” she said. Kindergarten Department Chair Mrs. Lisa Glogower also reflects on the importance of the Halloween Pa-
rade for the younger students as well as their parents, in the community. “The Halloween Parade is a day the children look forward to starting in WOW. Every year until 5th grade, the students can’t wait to march around the football field in their favorite costumes. As the parents are watching, they are thinking about how fast the year has gone. Suddenly, the little ones have gone from WOW to fifth grade. They look forward to the day their child will come back as a senior and march on the field in their favorite costume for the final time.” Seniors hold more importance than they may think; the younger students indeed look at them as role models, providing them an idea of who they would want to be when they become seniors. “When the younger students see the seniors,
they are in awe. We tell the Kindergarten children that the seniors sat in the same seats as they are now, and their eyes light up. The younger children often ask them if this was the room they learned to read in and how many chicks hatched when they were here. They have a million questions for them, and they get so excited knowing they will get to march as a senior too,” Mrs. Glogower recalled. Mrs. Glogower, a parent of two children who have graduated from The Benjamin School, was able to see them transition from being fifth graders at the Lower School only to come back as seniors. “My favorite part as a parent was when they came back and marched in the Halloween parade with my class and me. I felt like I had waited a lifetime for that day, and in the “blink of an eye,” it was here. They had grown up in an instant. The Parade became a stepping stone for all the seniors into the next chapter of their lives.” Traditions keep everyone together, past, present, and future, and contribute to a sense of belonging and community. Mrs. Sampson believes that upholding this tradition, as well as many others, allows for “the entire Benjamin community to get to celebrate the magic that began with Marshall and Nancy Benjamin over 60 years ago. Everyone wants to be a part of something, and being a member of The Benjamin School is second to none.”
Seniors Sophia Liporace, Sophia Smith, and Caroline Yancey attend the Halloween Parade as Cinderella, a fairy, and Dorothy. (Photo by of Tvisha Goel)
Lucky Number 13: National Honor Society Welcomes Members Leah Klein Staff Writer The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization that recognizes the achievements of hardworking and dedicated high school students. Students are selected based upon four values: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. On Thursday, Oct. 7, eight members of the Class of 2022 were inducted into the Benjamin School’s chapter of the organization. Admission into the NHS is not an easy feat. Only students in grades 10 through 12 students with GPAs above 3.8 are invited to apply. A faculty council evaluates applications, and each selected student is inducted into the chapter based on one of the values that they exemplify. The NHS website says, “Through exclusive resources, programs, and services, members have a unique opportunity to prepare for college and career pursuits. Membership truly lays the groundwork for lifelong success.” Students must represent honesty, reliability, good character, courtesy, concern and respect for others to be inducted under the value of character in addition to keeping a clean disciplinary record. To be inducted un-
der service, voluntary contributions made to the school or community must be made. Students need a GPA of 3.8 or higher to even be considered for the educational aspects of the society. For the leadership pillar, students must show that they are resourceful, good problem solvers, and idea contributors. These qualities can be observed from school or community activities while working with or for others. Senior Sophia Smith completed all of the requirements needed to apply to the NHS. “You have to write out the classes like honors and APs you take and write an essay about the pillars or something important about you. You have to go through an interview process and supply them with volunteer hours as well as a resume. On my resume, I said that I was a certified lifeguard and Red Cross certified. For those, I had to supply those certificates. It’s an official process to the point where they were counting out all the hours,” said Smith. For Sophia Smith, being inducted into the National Honor Society under service meant more than just an achievement put on an academic record. It meant bringing out the best in her, and in others.
“I was inducted under the pillar of service because that’s something that is really important to me. It’s pretty special to me because of what the pillars stand for. I think that it represents morality, goodness, and it’s about being the better person that you are. Being inducted into a society that pushes you to do that is really special and encourages you to work on yourself and be a better person. It helps me by giving me a sense of confidence knowing that the work I put into my life, volunteering, school, sports, and things like that can get recognition,” said Smith. At the beginning of the induction ceremony, chapter advisor Ms. Sara Misselhorn shared some of the group’s latest accomplishments: “We have sent over 800 cards to troops abroad. We’ve dedicated over a thousand hours to Congressional medal programs…[six members] will be studying for over 100 hours for their AP Euro exam in May and… we have dedicated over 100 hours to clean up our adopted beach of Coral Cove Park.” Speaking on behalf of the chapter at the induction, NHS President Jake Zur praised the group’s adaptability and perseverance during our ongoing pandemic. In doing so, he also wel-
comed five transfer members. The students were among many scholars who joined our community over the last year. Abby Swank, Andie Smith, Addi Bounds, Alexandra Barkauskas, and Brooke Queen bring their dedication to service and scholarship to the chapter. NHS Out-of-School Service Coordinator Danielle Lancaster inducted seniors Lily Valentini and Christian Tipa for their exemplification of the NHS pillar of character. Chapter Secretary Emeline Smith spoke of the leadership qualities found in Dylan
Bernstein and Ella Hayes. Treasurer Joey Slyh, meanwhile, spoke of scholarship while inducting Mac Pulitzer and Teresa Tuong. In-School Service Coordinator Sophia Liporace highlighted the ways Eliza Merkel and Sophia Smith dedicate themselves to the pillar of service. The National Honor Society is a major accomplishment. All Benjamin students who were inducted into the society are congratulated by friends and faculty on an achievement that they worked so hard to reach.
The National Honor Society’s officers, members, and 2021 fall inductees stand together to take a picture to welcome the new members: seniors Eliza Merkel, Abby Swank, Andie Smith, Addie Bounds, Teresa Tuong, and Christian Tipa. Only seniors were present due to COVID-19 protocols. (Photo courtesy of Ms. Misselhorn)
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10 November 2021
The Pharcyde
Housing Prices Rise Across the In the News: November Elections, Bills, and the Meta-verse Area, Affecting Benjamin Faculty Joey Tomassetti Staff Writer With Benjamin being situated in an area with a plethora of nice houses, there is a large range of locations and quality of houses. With help from the COVID-19 pandemic, houses all over have increased exponentially in price. In an article written by the Palm Beach Post back in March, it is stated that, “The median price in February for a single family residence in Palm Beach County was $450,000, representing a 24% increase over February 2020. For condos and townhomes, the median price was $236,000, representing a 24.9% increase over last year.” Median sales prices are calculated by taking the middle figures of all homes sold in a specific time period, where half sold for more and half sold for less. For example, a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in Jupiter Village costs significantly less than a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment on Ocean Drive (about $300,000 less to be exact). A three bedroom, four bathroom house in Alton costs significantly less then a 4 bedroom, three bathroom house in Xanadu (about $1.5 million to be exact). Finally, a “larger” five bedroom, 7 bathroom house in Frenchman’s costs $2.24 million, while a “larger” five bedroom, five bathroom house on Jupiter Island costs $8.3 million. That’s about a 6 million dollar difference. Ms. Debra Perretta, the Upper
School Engineering Teacher, just recently went through the moving process. “Moving is usually easy for me, but buying a home was a bit different this time around. I hit the market when people were just beginning to purchase investment homes so there were still many homes, but the prices were definitely inflated from when I had previously bought a home,” said Ms. Perretta. “I feel that many people are buying homes as an investment and as a security. When COVID hit, some of my family in New York really wanted to retreat to their Florida properties. People living in the cities that were shut down felt very isolated and se-
cluded and Florida definitely was beckoning,” adds Ms. Peretta. “I also think individuals that experienced monetary hardship during COVID realized that the cost of living in Florida was considerably less and saw moving as an opportunity to salvage monetary losses. Sanity and security were two things I kept hearing from friends and family moving South,” explains Ms. Perretta. The influence of COVID-19 is still a major factor in the lives of the citizens of Palm Beach, and across the country. By the looks of it, house prices are not going to fall anytime soon, keeping the moving process more complicated than it has ever been.
The graph shows the trend of median sale price for homes in Florida between May of 2020 and May 2021. The trend line shows a whopping difference of $70,000. Due to this increase in sale price, many people in Florida have found it difficult to find affordable places to live. This is beginning to translate into the Benjamin community. (Photo courtesy of National Mortgage News)
Evan Liberman Managing Editor Despite only just beginning, the month of November has already been jammed packed with noteworthy headlines. Here are November’s biggest headlines so far, as summarized by The Pharcyde.
vorable terms for the states they represent. The greatest amount of money in the package allocates $110 billion for actual infrastructure, $40 billion for bridge repair, and $16 billion for other major projects, among many other things. The next step is for the President to sign the bill.
Republicans Impress in VA, NJ In the sphere of national politics, one of the biggest news pieces of November so far has been the results of the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections. These two off year elections pitted Terry McAuliffe (Dem.) against Glenn Youngkin (Rep.) and Phil Murphy (Dem.) against Jack Ciattarelli (Rep.), respectively. When all was said and done, Glenn Youngkin prevailed in VA by nearly 2%. In the process, the state flipped by over 12% since the 2020 election in favor of the Republican party. In New Jersey, Jack Ciattarelli came within 2.5% of unseating incumbent governor Phil Murphy, a surprising result considering the Real Clear Politics poll average prior to election day had Murphy above his contender by 7.8 percentage points. All in all, both of these states saw a red wave, which many political figures belive to be a referendum on the Biden administration.
Kyle Rittenhouse Stands Trial Additionally, the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is accused of shooting three men at protests last year in Kenosha, WI, recently began. Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homcide, among others. In the first days of the trial, two very different sides of the incident were presented; the Kenosha Country district attorney called Rittenhouse an “active shooter,” while his defense argues that the actions he took were justified as they were in self-defense.
$1.2 trillion Bill Passes Congress Another prominent political news story that has broken this month is the passage of $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill through both houses of Congress. This bill represents a key part of President Biden’s economic agenda and has been held up for weeks as senators such as Joe Manchin (D-WV) negotiate for fa-
Facebook Becomes Meta Finally, when it comes to technology, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that all of the companies Facebook owns– which includes the likes of WhatsApp and Instagram–will rebrand as Meta. In a press release, Zuckerberg shared: “The metaverse will feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world. It will let you share immersive experiences with other people even when you can’t be together — and do things together you couldn’t do in the physical world…”
A Month Without Masks Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day ? Faculty and Students Rediscover the Power of A Face-to-Face Community Sophia Liporace Co-Editor-in-Chief On Monday, Oct. 4, Benjamin took a huge step towards normalcy as Head of School Mr. David Faus and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mr. Darren Lowe announced that students and faculty on both campuses would no longer be required to wear facial coverings. The community has had a month to adjust, and most people seem to be happy to be face to face again. In an email to parents on Sept. 28, Faus and Lowe announced the change. “The past several weeks have shown a substantial decrease in the overall number of new cases as well as a declining positivity rate in Palm Beach County and at school. As local conditions have seen significant and steady improvement, we have made the following change, on the advice of our Medical Directors, to our campus policy. Effective Oct. 4, 2021: All students, faculty, staff, visitors, and guests are encouraged, but not required, to wear face coverings while indoors,” said the email. The following week, the majority of students and teachers took off their masks, and some, like math teacher Ms. Carol McGrath, noted how exciting it was to see everyone’s smiles. Other people, like English department chair Mrs. Sharon Wendler, kept their masks on for a period of time in order to protect their loved ones, like Mrs. Wendler’s son who was too young to be vaccinated at the time of the policy change. The mask-optional policy was announced only a few days before it was made effective, so it came as
a shock to people at the School like senior Abby Swank. “I was a little surprised since other schools were still wearing masks, but I think it’s definitely refreshing to give vaccinated people a chance to return to semi-normalcy. It’s nice in terms of communication and not feeling restricted throughout the day and doesn’t differ heavily from before since some students were struggling to follow the mandate,” said Swank. Teachers have found the mask optional policy easier in terms of making connections with students, but they have stated that it would be nice to rearrange classrooms to how they were pre-COVID-19. “I love having my classroom back to its U-shape [...] having desks in that shape allows for more collaboration and discussion,” said Mrs. Wendler. Senior Amelia Porges thinks that the School made the right decision for the overall wellbeing of students, faculty, and their families. “I definitely think that coming back to school with a mask mandate was a good idea because, even then, we had some cases. We seem to be doing really well without the masks, and I think it just makes the school day feel more normal and enjoyable so I’m happy with the decision,” she said. With no reports of positive cases of COVID-19 in the Upper School since September 9, we look forward to continuing down the path back to normal.
Proclamation offers opportunities to celebrate North American Continent’s Early Shapers Leah Klein Staff Writer Columbus Day, occurring yearly on Oct. 11, is a national holiday celebrating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. The day became a federal holiday in 1934 and was founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt; however, recently there have been disputes over whether the holiday should really be celebrated or not. Many states, including Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, South Dakota, New Mexico, Maine, and parts of California, are choosing to not celebrate the holiday, and instead are dubbing it Indigienous People’s Day. This is due to the fact that when Columbus came to the America’s, violence was used to conquer the natives. Columbus and other European colonizers greatly damaged their population, killing about 90% of the indigeonous people. This was about 50 million that died as a result of being exposed to new diseases, war, and colonization. Many also argue the case that Columbus did not actually “discover” the Americas because indigenous people inhabited the land long before Columbus set foot on it. President Joseph Biden recognized the discomfort that lies behind the holiday for some. “Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address
them,” wrote President Joe Biden on Columbus Day, 2021. Vice President Kamala Harris also talked about the pain inflicted upon Native Americans, and how recognizing this is important. “Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for tribal nations — perpetrating violence, stealing land, and spreading disease. We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on native communities today,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. Although Columbus Day has a violent past, many people do still want to celebrate the holiday. The holiday is important to Americans with Italian heritage. Those with Italian ancestry choose to view Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage instead
of racial injustice. The holiday also marks the beginning of European exploration in the Americas. “The permanent arrival of Europeans to the Americas was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation,” said former President Donald Trump in 2017. Though Columbus Day has been a national holiday for many years, recent awareness of the treatment of the Indigenous People by Columbus and other Europeans has made many reluctant to celebrate the start of European exploration in the Americas. In future years, more states may choose to not celebrate the holiday, and instead celebrate Native Americans and their culture.
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Nine Seniors Recognized With National Merit Honors Evan Liberman Managing Editor
On Sept. 15, the School announced three seniors–Gerald Bissell, Joey Slyh, and Grady Wolf–as National Merit Semifinalists in this year’s National Merit Scholarship Program. spoke to all three to better understand how they came to be semifinalists and what advice they have gleaned from the process. The National Merit Scholarship program is an academic competition based on students’ junior year PSAT scores that can culminate in various scholarships. If they score in the top one percent of the roughly 1.5 million students who take the PSAT (the number may have been lower due to COVID-19), students are invited to continue on in the competition as semifinalists. This select group of roughly 16,000 then completes an application to become National Merit Finalists. From there, about 2,500 officially become National Merit Scholars. However, for two out of three of Benjamin’s semifinalists, the competition was on their minds far before they sat down to take the PSAT in their advisories. “I started practicing in late sum-
mer, either in late July or early August. A lot of my preparation dealt with taking old practice PSATs and old SATs when I ran out of PSATs. I worked on a lot of those practice questions,” said Bissell. “It was pretty structured. Every week I would meet with a tutor, and I would work on a set number of practice questions every week,” he added. Slyh also began preparing far in advance, attending English teacher Dr. John Peruggia’s annual PSAT prep course. The course is offered to juniors whose performance on the sophomore PSAT and whose grades suggest to the College Counseling Department that they would be strong candidates for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Doing so allowed him to study for the PSAT intensively for about two months. Slyh says that much of his work in the PSAT-prep class consisted of doing practice questions and learning how to dissect them to find the right answer. Reflecting on his class, Dr. Peruggia said: “Joey and his peers focused on test-taking strategies and practicing with those questions that are traditionally thought of as most challenging on the PSAT. My hope is that
the class left them feeling confident and comfortable with the idea of their own success.” On the other hand, Wolf began in late September, just two weeks before the test, and his studying consisted of merely “reviewing some vocabulary and grammar rules.” Despite varying degrees of preparation, all three seniors have come out of the initial stages of the National Merit Scholarship program with valuable lessons for future test takers who are looking to move on in the competition. Bissell recommends students work on practice questions provided by the College Board (the parent company of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation). He also urged students to have a study schedule because he feels that it’s easy to slip and start making excuses. Though he encourages students to do their best on the PSAT and to study if they so choose, Wolf also emphasizes the importance of relaxing and taking a breather. “I would [tell people] not to stress. At the end of the day, it doesn’t mean as much as some say it does. Move efficiently through the test because of its length. Don’t get caught up on any particular
question and you will be just fine,” he stated. Finally, Slyh is a proponent of one of the simplest and probably most enjoyable actions students can take to prepare for the PSAT: sleep. “As cliche as it sounds, sleep really is paramount to being able to properly focus for the whole length of the test,” he explained. Bissell, Slyh, and Wolf join a well-heeled group of 16 other National Merit Semifinalists from Benjamin since 2017, according to College Counseling Registrar Mrs. Adria Carr. There were also six other seniors designated as Commended Scholars,
Students Share Summer Science Experiences Leah Klein Staff Writer During the summer of 2021, several Benjamin students participated in different science programs or internships. Each student worked hard to learn about an individual science topic that they are interested in or possibly want to pursue a career in. These students attended for up to two or more weeks. While some took place in person, others were virtual. Each program immersed students in the scientific world, learning about things such as medicine, healthcare, disease, neuroscience, computer science, and more. Students presented what they learned from attending the science programs through Google slide presentations, which they had worked on during their time there. These presentations were presented in Benjamin Hall to sophomores and juniors. Other grades watched virtually from their advisory. Senior Jack Horgen
President Joseph R. Biden signs a proclomation to recognize Indigenous People’s Day. This proclamation finally gives the Native Americans the recognition after many generations of being overlooked by the government. President Biden also signed a proclamation to protect two national monuments in Utah. (Photo courtesy by The New York Post)
10 November 2021
The Pharcyde
“I studied the biotechnology investing sector which led to AI uses in imaging, language processing, for data identification/organization, and mainly protein folding, which was also aided by quantum computing. I did it in Connecticut in July. I had to research trends in the biotechnology market, then different AI worked in sectors - imagine recognition and natural language processing - and protein folding works which also lead to quantum computing research.
I also had to look at specific companies and their investment data like investment size, shareholders, expected growth, company management etc. This opportunity allowed me to pursue my interest in science. I was able to have a general knowledge of protein folding from Ms. Szeliga and quantum processes from Dr. Koures and now I am taking a class in quantum physics from Mr. Allais. I would definitely recommend this internship to other students; it was a great experience. Seeing how what you can learn in school relates to the real world and technological advancement really makes you motivated to learn as much as you can.” Senior Jake Zur “My internship was over the summer at Max Planck Institute for Neuroscience where I was a computer scientist in their lab. The internship was 6 weeks over the summer but they hired me afterwards to continue the work I did for the lab during my internship. I wrote data analysis algorithms in Python, Java, and the ImageJ macro language. These algorithms would analyze images that the neurosciences got from their experiments, quantify the images into usable data, and predict trends to help them make conclusions from their experiments. I’m really glad I did this internship and all the self-taught content, the hours of researching all the different coding languages all paid off.” Junior Tati Georgas
Senior Jack Horgen addresses the crowd about his work on AI and biotechnology. (Photo Courtesy of BTV)
“In my presentation I discussed the daily activities of my American University program and my living situation. I had a single dorm room and made many friends from all over the nation coming from many different backgrounds. There, I participated in the Medicine and Health Care program. I underwent medical simulations and lectures such as Heart 101 class, suturing, giving an injection, taking blood, watching a coronary artery bypass, learning how to approach a patient and what to say to the patient, trips to D.C. monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, learning about medical ethics, and learning how to utilize laparoscopic surgery
Honors Chemistry my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I felt prepared for the science aspect of the class. The leadership roles I’ve been given at Benjamin also gave me the confidence to speak up during the lectures. I would recommend that others pursue this internship. It helped give me a basis of a career I would consider pursuing in college, and it showed me that it’s something I genuinely enjoy learning about.” Senior Jake Zur challenges students to do something educational during their summer breaks. (Photo Courtesy of BTV)
tools. This experience benefitted me overall because it really gave me a better perspective of what the medical field is like and encouraged me to continue down that path. I am very motivated, and although it is a long road, it is worth it to help other people. This program gave me great insight and inspiration and I grew as a leader and I am so happy I attended it. Through attending the Medicine and Health Care program, I learned that there is so much more to medicine than academics. Although it does take a determined student to enter the medical field, the student must be a compassionate, caring, and approachable individual that has a true desire to help others, rather than simply being motivated by materialistic things such as money. The program made me realize that I could have a real impact on the world and expanded my love for medicine in science.” Junior Keira Hodum “My topic was Neuroscience. I did a 5-day class this past summer online through Georgia State University’s Center for Behavioral Neuroscience.Over the course of 5 days, we focused on different neurological diseases and deficits and their effects on the brain and body. These included brain scans, depression, schizophrenia, movement disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and opioid abuse. In order to complete the class, we participated in live lectures from a variety of the CBN’s researchers, did reading and activities on our own during the day, and had homework assignments on what we learned during the day. After taking Honors Biology and
who were in the top 3% of all PSAT test takers last year. These students are: Jack Horgen, Danielle Lancaster, Evan Liberman, Kiley Malmberg, Ryan Riutta, and Camilo Saiz. Commenting on both the semifinalists and commended scholars, Head of Upper School Mr. Fletcher Carr said: “Certainly the School is proud of all of these students… I think that I am more proud, as I am of all of our students, however, of the fact that these students’ non-academic contributions to school life are just as impressive, confirming the School’s mission of developing all parts of a student’s preparation.”
Come and Cheer!
Junior Skyler Malmberg “In my presentation, I talked about my overall experience of taking the class even though I could not go in-person. I gave a summary of each of the five modules that all focused on different aspects of disease. I finished my presentation by talking about my final project, which was a video project tracing the disease tetanus. This overall experience was beneficial as it expanded my knowledge on a topic I was previously interested in and increased my want to study this type of science.” Sophomore Matias Saiz “I did a course pertaining to Computer Science in UPenn. I did it during the summer for three weeks. During those three weeks, my work mainly consisted of Python and Data Science. We also had to build different software with different specifications. Benjamin helped me by giving me a good science foundation and advancing my Computer Science skills. I think that if you like Computer Science and think that you want to further your knowledge of the topic I think this might be an interesting opportunity.”
Signing Ceremony for the
Class of 2022 Addie Bounds Beach Volleyball
Jake Haggard Baseball
James Key Golf
Reagan Rodriguez Soccer
Andie Smith Golf
Lily Valentini Lacrosse
Junior Skyler Malmberg shares the benefits of taking summer science classes with the crowd in Benjamin Hall. (Photo Courtesy of BTV)
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Student Voices
10 November 2021
The Pharcyde
EDITORIAL
We Cannot Care if You Refuse to Share. Speak Up. In the past, people have willingly offered their two cents. In times of crises, the dynamic shifted, and those who care began to beg, “a penny for your thoughts.” Again, the public often responded. Overwhelmingly. Now? We are in an Editorial Depression. Why? We may well be in one of the most confrontational moments in our nation’s history, and very few people want to share their views given the tense political climate we are in. But climate change exists, so let’s embrace it. Let’s change things, own our thoughts, voice our convictions, accept the responsibilities that come with having a functional mind. The Pharcyde knows that you all--students, teachers, coaches, parents, administrators-- care deeply about the happenings of the School, the state of our community, and the well-being of each of its members. For anyone who is not aware of what an editorial is, here’s the rundown: an editorial is written by the editorial board to express the opinions and majority viewpoint of the staff. Our editorial board is supposed to be the medium through which each and every one of you can have your voice be heard.But if no one comes to us with any concerns or opinions, how can we convey your concerns to
the decision-makers in the School? If it is fear of speaking out that is causing such disinterest, we remind you of that other Great Depression our country once went through and champion the words of Roosevelt: “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself!” The fears that your speaking out will cause repercussions in class is terribly unfortunate; The Pharcyde has heard of such instances. In interviewing students for editorials, we are often asked to provide anonymity because sources fear their opinions will be met not with civil disagreement but with retaliation. We believe that such fears are unnecessary; no person, no Benjamin Buccaneer would negatively react to your attempt at making our community better. We will only remain second to none as long as we foster stable relationships: faculty-student, administration-faculty, student-administration, peer-peer, individual-whole. But what is a stable relationship if not one wherein both parties feel encouraged, valued, and comfortable to publicly voice their opinions? The Benjamin School prides itself on being a community of strong, positive, and stable relationships. All of us can and need to work together to continue to foster these connections. We can always do
better. But what can people do if the feedback is heading towards--and not from-- them? Should they seek to silence the source? To ignore the message? To uncover the secrets of the universe from a single grain of rice? To respond to a critique or a perspective with immediate negativity? They should try some thoughtful introspection. One can dislike a novel, yet celebrate its author; a student might not like The Metamorphosis, but they can still love the teacher who put it into the curriculum. One can yell hard at their TV during Monday night football yet cheer just as hard after the commercial break; a coach can passionately critique a player for a misrun route, yet still allow the player to redeem himself on the next drive, not from the bench. One can voice their displeasure of someone rocking one of Kylie’s swimsuits on Instagram, yet like the same bikini when another person dons it in a Tik-Tok; a sophomore can point out when her best friend’s skirt is too short and still laugh together at the same picnic table during lunch. We can be critical and still be friends. Based on a recent article in Inc., there are a multitude of important
The 14-Year Club: We’re More than a Number Sophia Liporace Co-Editor-in-Chief The 14 members of the class of 2022’s 14-Year Club, myself included, recently travelled to the Lower School, where they walked with younger students in the Halloween Parade, reconnected with old teachers, and realized the impact that Benjamin has had on their lives. When we arrived at the other campus, where we spent 10 years of our educational career, almost everyone was filled with emotion. I don't think we realized the significance of the campus when we moved to the upper school, but coming back, seeing our teachers, and participating in a tradition that shaped our childhood was wildly impactful. The members of the 14-Year Club are like a community within a community. We have been through everything that the grade has been through together. From Pre-K to 12th grade, we have experienced so much together. In the Lower School, we go through The Olympics together. In Middle School, we go through Field Day together. We are able to cherish shared memories in ways that nobody else can. Only members of the 14-Year Club will remember the excitement
the
PHARCYDE
of choosing your instrument for band class and being evaluated by Mr. Huber. We all have the shared memories of learning from Mrs. Montini. Only 14-Year Club members will know the fear of getting a 500 in Coach Harbecks’s LA Arts class. The students who experienced this now have grammar rules engraved into their brains just like the memories that took place in the Firehouse. 14-Year Club members will also cherish the memories of watching Male Cheer in the gym or enjoying a barbeque lunch at the end of Chillin’ and Grillin’ as the school year winds down. All of these memories are a key part of the 14-Year Club experience and why it is so special. After many years of 14-Year Club traditions, some of them have become more inclusive. Any senior can now participate in the Lower School Olympics, and there is no special prize for being at Benjamin longer than anyone else. The only thing that 14-Year Club members have left is walking in the Halloween Parade, which is why it's so important to cherish. While its always nice to include more people in events, some things should be reserved for the students who have dedicated their whole edu-
cational career to being a Buccaneer. For one, its tradition to include the 14-Year Club seniors in activities they participated in when they were young. Also, limiting the number of people allowed to partake allows the students to focus on the experience rather than the people involved. Lastly, a great way to maintain retention is to offer special events to students who have been at the School since Pre-K. Traditions hold a very important place in the Benjamin community, and I think that certain events should be limited to the 14-year club because we have that much of a special connection to this community.
EDITORIAL BOARD
GENERAL
Founded in 1980 as The Spectator
Tvisha Goel, Co-Editor-in-Chief Sophia Liporace, Co-Editor-in-Chief
09 November 2021
Evan Liberman, Executive Editor
Volume 43, Issue 4
The Benjamin School 4875 Grandiflora Road Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418 Contact Information Phone: 561-472-5998, ext. 2119 Fax: 561-691-8823 Advisor Dr. John Peruggia john.peruggia@thebenjaminschool.org Advisor Emeritus Mr. Kendall Didsbury Media Consultants Mr. and Mrs. Tim Burke
Charlie Spungin, Copy Editor Clara Schor, Social Media/Breaking News Director
STAFF WRITERS Gerald Bissell Leah Klein Matt Marasco Morgan McKenna Shea O’Donoghue Oliver Olsson-White Joey Tomassetti
MISSION STATEMENT
The Pharcyde, the Upper School newspaper of The Benjamin School, is published seven times a year. 1,200 copies of The Pharcyde are distributed to 398 students and 57 faculty members and are available in the Upper School office. The Pharcyde encourages submission of Letters to the Editor. Send your feedback, criticism, or outside opinions in 150 words or fewer to tvisha.goel21@thebenjaminschool.org or sophia.liporace21@thebenjaminschool.org. The Pharcyde reserves the right to edit all letters for length, grammar, and clarity.
The Pharcyde is a student newspaper produced to foster an open dialogue about topics that relate to The Benjamin School. The issues that appear throughout our pages may be light-hearted or serious, but regardless we aim to reflect the diversity of opinion within our school that we value so deeply.
reasons that students should feel inspired to voice their concerns about certain school topics. One. A student who voices their opinions appears much more confident. The more you express your opinion in the classroom or to the School, the more confidence you will have in yourself. This will translate to your career and the way you carry yourself. Trust your mind. Two. Your voice could be the proponent for change. You never know when someone might be listening. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you are the reason the Benjamin community faces improvement? Three. You can light a flame. If you come to The Pharcyde with your concerns, you will spark discussion among the decision makers at the School. Despite contrary beliefs, they listen to you. Four. Do you fear being wrong or corrected? That’s only natural. But understanding different perspectives is a good thing! It’s okay to be wrong; being wrong helps you learn. The whole situation will become a real learning experience. Five. If you think that you will be alone in your opinion or beliefs, that is most likely not true. You could be the voice of the majority of the stu-
dent body, but you won’t find out until you express your thoughts! Others might be intimidated and will not speak their mind, but you could be the stepping stone for the betterment of the Benjamin community and your peers will thank you. Six. Worst-case scenarios often cause anxiety to which you may not want to share your thoughts on certain issues, but we The Pharcyde promise you the risk runs low. Our administration likes to hear feedback, and they will be responsive. We want to be the medium for your views! Seven. It is always better to think prospectively than retrospectively. You more likely than not will regret inaction more than you regret taking action. So speak up! We at The Pharcyde want to listen, we want to convey your voice, and we want to inspire our community’s betterment. We are not just like you, WE ARE YOU.
*The Editorial is the opinion of The Pharcyde and therefore does not have a singular name attributed to it.
When it Comes to Drives, Grab the Wheel and Go! Tvisha Goel Co-Editor-in-Chief One of the greatest gifts of success is the opportunity to share. The drives that the Benjamin Upper School holds give students the chance to fulfill this wonderful opportunity to help the broader community. Every year, emails flood our inboxes about food drives, toy drives, and costume drives. These emails inform students about what we can do as a fortunate community to help those in need. At the end of the day, taking our ability to enjoy the little things in life, like Halloween, Christmas gifts, and food. As a community that is able to help others’ less fortunate situations, we should do all that we can to provide. Senior and student council vice president said, “Participating in drives brings the Benjamin community together and provides a sense of pride in how we can give back.” Helping the community not only improves the environment we live in but also helps you improve as a person. Madeline Ames from EF Academy Blog explained that giving back to your community “will enrich your life, familiarize you with your community, and connect you to people and ideas that will positively impact
your perspective for the rest of your life. Helping your community is an opportunity for you to grow as a person, to better understand how you fit into the world around you.” Participating in events like these will teach students how to empathize with others, and understand how lucky they are, as some might lose sight of this. It is so important to count our blessings because we never know who might be struggling just around the corner. “Spending time enriching your community is a great way to broaden your perceptions of the world. By immersing yourself in a community and surrounding yourself with people who are dedicated to bettering the world, you can learn so much about how the world works. Dedicating time to help others will teach you patience, kindness, and resilience.,” Ames continued. Upcoming drives include the food drive for Thanksgiving, the toy drive for Christmas, and the supply drive for The Arc, a community group with which Benjamin has a partnership. So please, show that you are thankful, show that you care, and show that you know how to share.
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The price of a quarter-page advertisement is $30/issue. The price of a business card advertisement is $15/issue. If you or anyone you know would like to place an advertisement in The Pharcyde, please contact Sophia Liporace, sophia. liporace22@thebenjaminschool.org.
OPINION
The opinion articles in this paper are the opinion of the writer or the majority opinion of The Pharcyde Editorial Board. They are not the opinion of The Benjamin School or our advertisers.
Anyone interviewed by The Pharcyde will have the chance to correct and edit their quotations before the paper goes to press. If they would like to change their interview before the quote confirmations get sent out, they can contact the student who interviewed them and ask to redo the interview.
MEMBERSHIP
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Student Voices
The Pharcyde
10 November 2021
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Editor Examines Lunch System Charlie Spungin Copy Editor
The administration made a rather controversial decision earlier this school year that forbade students from ordering food to be delivered to campus for lunch. However, as proven from last year, students should be able to have food delivered to the school. This change comes after a full school year last year where students had the ability to use companies like UberEats, DoorDash, GrubHub and other food delivery services to order their lunch. The temporary change last year was made due to the impact of COVID-19, according to Dean of Students Mr. Kevin Jacobsen. One reason that ordering outside food has been prohibited this year is because of the complications for faculty. Mr. Jacobsen points out that food deliveries can be difficult for those in the office to handle. “It is too much for our front-ofhouse faculty and staff to work, as well as doing their normal duties,” he says. “Being bombarded with deliveries is just not functional.” However, this predicament has an easy solution. Rather than the drivers bringing the food directly into the office, the school can set up a table — or any type of food drop-off station— outside of the office for the drivers to place a student’s food, just like there was last year. This seemed to be successful last year, as it makes it so that no disturbances arise in the front office. Ultimately, the most substantial reason, according to Mr. Jacobsen, is that food deliveries can raise security concerns. Parents are allowed to
drop off food for their child because they do not pose any safety threat, but bringing strangers onto school grounds is a very different scenario. “It creates a security risk with strangers being on campus, and with our policies of providing food to our students, it’s just not needed,” Mr. Jacobsen explains. “Last year, we had a new system for students to order food, and there were some growing pains with that. We just wanted to make sure that students had lunch every single day if there was an emergency where they forgot it, and we didn’t allow students to go off campus for lunch.” While the concerns of a security risk are extremely understandable, allowing deliveries last year makes even less sense. Last year should have been even more of a concern with tighter COVID-19 protocols, as any stranger on campus ran the risk of spreading COVID-19. Moreover, the pandemic did not minimize any
security risk that is not health-related. Security itself was not impacted by the pandemic, so policy should not have been altered because of it. The chance of forgetting a lunch could emerge as a problem occasionally, so this year, Mr. Jacobsen and faculty added a new implementation to the lunch system. A student can buy a lunch that another student does not pick up for $5. This may sound great in theory and should eliminate the need for food deliveries, but there may still not be enough lunches for the amount of people who need to buy lunch. Ordering lunch for delivery could easily fix this dilemma. While administration presents valid reasons that food deliveries should not be tolerated, there are ways that the school can ease the process for faculty. The current lunch system works, as has been proven throughout the months, but it still has issues that can be solved with food deliveries.
Which are the Best Lunches? Those Brought From Home Leah Klein Staff Writer The Benjamin School offers a variety of options for students to purchase for lunch. The options include Jersey Mikes, CR Chicks, Sal’s Pizza, Chick fil A, and Publix Subs. However, bringing a lunch from home is the best option. While what the school offers is popular among some students, others choose to pack their own lunches. There are several factors that make packing a lunch from home more desirable, including that the options the school offers are served in small portions. For those with sports practices after school that are constantly active, the serving size given may not be enough nutrition to keep students energized throughout the day. With bringing lunch from home, students are able to customize their portions to what they need. It is also the healthiest option. Students can pack home cooked meals that they prepared previously to school. There are an innumerable amount of healthy recipes that can be included in student’s lunches. Things
such as salads and sandwiches are easy to pack. As another alternative, pack items purchased from grocery stores or elsewhere. Snacks can be included as well for during breaks or after school. With packing lunch at home, it is also possible to customize the meal or snacks to the student’s liking. When ordering lunch there is a limited amount of options available, and students are able to specify whether they would like items they would like with their meal to a limited extent. Another positive aspect to bringing lunch from home is the cost may be lower than what the school supplies. This is not always the case, but is applicable to many situations. There are many possibilities to save money because students are able to choose what price for food is right for them by picking out their food. Bringing lunch from home is the best option for students. Students should bring lunch from home everyday because it provides healthier food options, better prices, and it gives the ability for students to put their own food liking into their lunch box.
Are You Someone Eating to Live or Living to Eat?
Sophomores Debate Whether We Should Consider Healthier Lunch Options Joey Tomassetti Staff Writer A majority of the students at Benjamin order lunch from Benjamin’s partnered vendors. Most of them can be viewed as “unhealthy” or “junk food.” While some people may enjoy these lunches, Benjamin should look into healthier options for lunch. While some believe that healthy food is not as tasteful or filling, it is beneficial because it gives people everything they need to live a healthy life. An article released by the World Health Organization (WHO) states that a healthy diet can protect people from chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars, and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats are essential for one’s health. According to the WHO, the keys to a strong and healthy life begin with the consumption of vegetables and fruits, which contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, plant protein, and antioxidants. Eating less fat is another way to create better eating habits, as eating too much fats and oils can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Healthier lunch options could bring new and more affordable prices to the Benjamin. Ordering from Jersey Mike’s, C.R. Chicks, Sal’s, Chick-fil-A, and Publix for hundreds of students every day require a hefty price. Healthier, smaller market lunch options could offer cheaper prices for Benjamin and could be better for the students. Sophomore Andrew Lappin is a fan of adding healthier lunch options, but also wants to keep some of the options that are available now. “The school should have healthi-
er lunch options because it helps students stay healthy and in shape. Personally, I would enjoy healthier lunch options but I enjoy the selections they have now, such as C.R. Chicks, but I am open for a change of options,” said Lappin. Another pro of healthy lunches is that parents will be more pleased with their children and the school as a whole. Most parents preach that their children eat some form of healthy food every day, but Benjamin can assure this with the addition of healthy lunches. Students may not enjoy it at first, but they will learn to appreciate Benjamin for at least caring about their health. The replacement of the current lunch options with healthier options is necessary to help the Benjamin community stay smart and healthy. More affordable prices and happier parents are other benefits that come along with healthy lunches.
Matt Marasco Staff Writer Lunches’ appeal is their deliciousness, and Benjamin’s selection of vendors and food options attract many students to purchase them. So why change something that students seem to love so much? One of the main reasons students are excited to come to the Upper School from other schools is the idea that they have more freedom in their choices. By removing a system that allows students to decide how and what students want to eat is taking away a bit of that freedom. With many popular lunch options, including Chick-fil-A, Jersey Mikes, Sal’s, Publix Subs, and C.R. Chicks, it increases student involvement in buying lunches. More students would order outside food or get their moms to bring the “junk food” in, the whole office would have to spend time organizing the lunches instead of actually doing
what they need to be. “If the school stopped offering options such as Chick-fil-A and Jersey Mikes, I would just go on uber eats and buy something I like better than the healthy options,” said sophomore Meriel Smith. Next, as more students would not buy the healthy options, the school would lose the extra money generated from lunch sales. This would affect the ability to do fun things such as water days and other school wide activities. Another reason that should be considered is that the unhealthy lunch options already offer a healthier option for students who do not want to order the main menu items. For example, Chick-fil-A offers a salad that is much healthier than their chicken nuggets or chicken sandwich and still tastes good. Although not all students cannot eat the supposed unhealthy options every day due to health reasons, they
still have the option to bring in their own food. This can minimize their chances of having health-related food problems. “On some days I can order lunch due to my allergies, but I just bring in my own lunch. If the school was to bring in lunches they thought would be more healthy, I do not think that it would make me order any more than I already do,” said sophomore JJ Kutner. Lastly, the lunch options at Benjamin are already very healthy considering the fact that many schools have cafeteria food that includes high amounts of sodium, fat, and is almost always made of processed goods. One example of this is the Jersey Mike’s Subs, for example the turkey and cheese sandwich includes provolone cheese and fresh turkey which both give the students a serving of protein while also tasting good. Although the bread is high in carbs, high school students should be eating up to 400g of carbs a day, especially if they are a student-athlete, according to healthyeating.sfgate.com The only con that comes from the delicious lunch options that students love is that the line to buy them is too long, and if that is the only problem, then something is happening that’s right. As of now, there are no plans to introduce healthier lunches, all in the students’ interests.
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I t’ s a S m a l l W o r l d !
Benjamin’s seven culture clubs: Middle Eastern Club
From president, Troy Ackerly:The Middle Eastern Club focuses on informing students about the history, current events, and culture of the Middle East. During meetings, we spend time discussing current issues affecting the Middle East and often discuss cultural differences between the region and the United States. So far, we have covered reasons why the Middle East faces so much instability in recent history and promoted a deeper understanding of the region where further discussions can build from. Nonetheless, topics are decided as a group and we plan both fun days of culture and more educational days of discussion.
French Club
From club president, Jane Boyland: This year, French CLub is trying to expand upon the usual cycle that the club follows. Usually, we prepare for the annual Congrès competition. Our meetings would revolve around that preparation only. This year, as well as having months to prepare for the competitions, we are trying to have more meetings about French culture and even try to partner with one of Ms. Donnelly’s friends who does service work for Haiti.
Chinese Club
Jewish Student Union
From Co-President, Eden Josza: Usually at JSU meetings we will do a hands-on activity that has a corresponding lesson. Most recently we have decorated apples to celebrate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. We also brainstormed ideas to make our school a better place by reading segments from Jewish literature. We decided as a club to try and commit one random act of kindness every week! This year’s club has a great energy and my co-president, Sydney Steinger, and I are very excited for the upcoming events we are planning! The most exciting time of the year for JSU is in December for Hanukkah because we usually have a festive feast with all the traditional holiday food! I’m happy to see a lot of new faces join our club this year from all different backgrounds, as JSU is open for anyone.
Greek Club
From club president, Michael Tadros: In Greek Club, we try to meet once or twice a month and continue to allow students in the club to learn more Greek culture. We do this through teaching them words in the Greek language, sharing, and listening to Greek music. Greek Club is a great time to get people at the school together and spread my personal culture to them. I hope Greek Club can get passed down to new presidents and can continue at the school for years to come.
Diversity Council
From president, Robyn Duncombe: In Diversity Council we organize events that recognize different cultures and how they have impacted America. We want everyone in our Benjamin community to feel included and acknowledged. This year we have about thirty-three people in our club, which is so much more than we had last year, and I am really excited to see what this year will bring. So far we have done an event for Hispanic Heritage month that consisted of a dance contest, music and churros! Being a person from the Caribbean, this club is very important to me.
From club president, Caroline Yancey: In Chinese Club, we discuss Chinese culture, which includes holidays and festivals, mythology, the zodiacs, and Chinese cuisine. We always have tasty snacks, and converse over Chinese candy, donuts, and cookies. We are planning on decorating Lao Shi’s room for Chinese new year by crafting our own decorations. I love the environment we have created through discussing Chinese culture within the School.
Spanish Club
Spanish Club really focuses on creating Hispanic cultural awareness and appreciation across campus. For example, we worked with Diversity Club for Hispanic Heritage Month and planned a day of activities for the students in order to celebrate the importance of Hispanic Heritage. We also worked to put up posters of significant Hispanic people around campus. Another large part of Spanish Club is preparing for Conferencia. We spend a large portion of the year dedicated to preparing for this competition. At Conferencia, Spanish students, who may or may not be in the club, perform poems and a play as well as do impromptu speaking.
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No Subtitles Needed: Squid Game’s Popularity Skyrock-
Things Just Got Real: The Maid Tackles Real-World Problems
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Freshmen Share Talent, Spread Kind- Fall Play Opens This Week ness Following PSAT Exams Here at Benjamin, students and teachers always find a way to give back to the community. After PSATs on Wednesday, October 13, freshmen got an opportunity to do just that. Freshman Grade Chair Mrs. Amanda Pierman partnered with a number of residential homes for senior citizens and with the Hispanic Human Resources Council (HHRC) for this occasion. “The freshmen were reaching out to both ends of the generation spectrum. They were writing to a specific person assigned to them from a senior citizen in our community. I reached out to a number of organizations and residential homes and the senior citizens were thrilled and excited to be included in this project. They are really looking forward to receiving letters and possibly becoming pen pals,” said Mrs. Pierman. Along with writing letters to senior citizens, freshmen also interacted with the youth in the community. “Then, for the other end of the generation spectrum, the freshmen did a halloween themed coloring page for a three to four year old child at HHRC. We are sending the child a blank copy for them to color in and return to our students. Their communication will be through pictures rather than formal letters,” Mrs. Pierman added. Besides these two aspects of the project, a group of about ten freshmen went down to Benjamin Hall to
record performances for senior citizens. “Typically, we would invite our senior citizens to the school. We would provide them with afternoon tea and conversation with the freshmen before they would be seated in the auditorium and watch our freshmen perform. However, due to COVID-19 and its restrictions, we had to change things up this year. We still had the freshmen do their performances, but this time we recorded the show and will give them a DVD of it,” said Mrs. Pierman. Two of the most important takeaways from this event is the students' connection with the senior citizens and their ability to write a wellformed letter, even if they are not as relevant as they were in the past. “The senior citizens are a fantastic untapped resource. They are full of life stories, wisdom, and advice. Second, the art of writing a letter is no longer prevalent in our society. We tend to send texts or emails over putting pen to paper. It was pretty evident that most freshmen had not written a letter or even addressed an en-
All My Sons
velope before,” states Mrs. Pierman. Freshman Samantha Hill, who participated in the Freshman’s Got Talent Show, enjoyed the experience and hopes that Benjamin does more shows in the future. “I enjoyed participating in the talent show due to the fact that I was able to play an instrument for a show as my choice instead of being pressured to play a formal piece for a class,” said Hill. I wish that Benjamin would do more of these shows to recognize the talents and abilities of different students to encourage other students to participate in the future.” This is not the first time that Benjamin has partnered with senior citizens and the HHRC. According to Mrs. Pierman, Benjamin has had a relationship with the HHRC for over 25 years. All in all, it was a positive experience for the freshmen class and will certainly be a day they will never forget. Although the students were not able to go home right after the PSAT as they did last year, they still made good use of their time and helped the community along the way.
Friday, 5:00 pm Saturday, 1:30 pm
Spreading Kindness: Sophomore Class Partakes in Community Service Project Charlie Spungin Copy Editor Following the annual PSAT on Oct. 13, the sophomore class went to the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County’s (EFPBC) Red Apple Supplies warehouse to participate in a community service project. The EFPBC partners with the Palm Beach County School District to provide supplies to schools, which are mostly Title I schools, that have a large percentage of students who are underprivileged. The sophomores helped the EFPBC in a variety of ways, according to Sophomore Grade Chair and head volleyball coach, Alex Clarke. “Some of the kids spent the day filling teacher orders, shopping and pulled binders, notebooks, pencils, crayons, and more off the shelves. Some kids packed boxes for schools, so they packed notepads, pencils, erasers, thermometers, all kinds of things to use,” she said. Coach Clarke was the catalyst for the sophomore class’ activity, as she connected with a former Benjamin teacher who works at the EFPBC. Unlike the freshmen and juniors, who remained on campus following the test for their own respective grade-level activities, sophomores ventured off campus to Riviera Beach. “We have a former teacher from The Benjamin School that now works for the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, and she and I have talked for a couple of years, trying to figure something out. Originally, I wanted to take my volleyball
Several sophomore girls pose with pencils as they package them during their community service event on Oct. 13. The sophomore class made its way to Red Apple Supplies to help the community after taking a long, hard PSAT. (Photo courtesy of Coach Alex Clarke)
team down there to participate. This year, when we were allowed to go off campus, I contacted her and reached out, and she made it happen for us,” Coach Clarke explained. Coach Clarke believes that the project was a success. As she explains, the sophomores who were packing boxes worked through the supplies quickly, so more supplies were brought out to be worked with. Sophomore Savannah Maynard, who was one of the students who went shopping, found the community service project to be enjoyable. “The community service project was a lot of fun. We were able to help people and pick a task that we would like to do,” she said. The ability to help the community while also being able to socialize with friends built for a “fun” experience for some, like sophomore Luke Duffy, who organized post-its and hand sanitizer for local schools.
Along with aiding the community, students were able to learn from this experience, as it opened the eyes of some students who noticed how fortunate they are. “I noticed the things we take for granted are sometimes things some people are really in need of,” Duffy said. Maynard also learned from the project. She realized that there are more teachers who are unable to get supplies for their students in Palm Beach County than she had previously believed. The sophomore class was granted the ability to help out the local community, especially those who could use the assistance. While they were able to help the school district, they also were provided with life-long lessons that could not have happened without Coach Clarke’s extensive efforts to enable Benjamin students to help at Red Apple Supplies.
Morgan McKenna Staff Writer After a brief hiatus due to COVID-19, the Benjamin drama program makes a comeback to the stage with the production of the award winning play, All My Sons, written by Arthur Miller. After careful consideration from the Benjamin staff and drama department, The Benjamin School has decided to move this year’s production to Benjamin Hall’s stage and host a live audience for the first time in two years. All My Sons is classified as a tragedy, telling the story of Joe Keller, his wife, Kate, and his son, Chris, after the sudden disappearance of their son in a battle during World War II The drama program has not been able to perform in the Benjamin Hall since their production of The Three Musketeers in 2019. Because of the virus, the drama club produced shows via video as seen with She Kills Monsters and makeshift outside productions with Avenue Q to ensure the safety of the cast and audience. Using masks and social distancing, the Drama Club was able to perform safely but missed being on stage as seen in previous years. Since the Drama Club was last seen on stage, it has decreased in numbers, but not in spirit. With many of its core members graduating this past spring, the semester has been one focused on growth and community. In past years, the Drama Club has been known to create a strong bond between cast members. Senior and President of the Drama Club, Catherine Schenk, notices how strong the connection becomes between fellow cast members and crew, not only in the makings of a production, but also on and off of campus. “Working with the same few people every night brings you closer together. People who I didn’t think I would be friends with, I now enjoy their company. We all have a shared goal in putting on this play and we all
want to work together. You can meet so many amazing people through theatre and grow such close bonds with them, not just the actors but the crew as well. We’re all on this ride together and have formed such incredible bonds that I haven’t seen anywhere.” Although forming strong bonds between the cast is extremely important, there are many more complex steps that go into putting on a production. The three key steps in putting on a production and blocking and staging, memorizing lines, and figuring out tech. Senior and longtime Drama Club member Caden Quinn believes that each step is instrumental in the process. “Staging is key to the other two, as nothing can be done without the proper memorization of staging. Lines happen next, as for tech one usually needs to be off book. Tech is the final step, as it takes the longest to do and is the hardest,” Quinn describes. Schenk has a very emotional perspective on the play. “We would meet after school and go through each scene staging it. We would stop a lot to try new things with our acting to see what would fit best. We have done a lot of character work to really flesh out these characters and make them seem more human. The play itself is very emotional so it’s been a very crazy journey. There are even some rehearsals where actors and crew leave crying. I’ve even cried after a rehearsal. It’s so easy to be swept away by emotion. As actors, I hope we can do that with the audience as well. We’ve been working so hard on bringing this play to life, spending hours at school and late nights for rehearsals. I really hope the audience loves it. We’ve all put so much and part of ourselves in these roles,” she said. All My Sons can be seen on Nov. 12 and 13 live in Benjamin Hall.
Life Coach Offers Juniors and Seniors Career and Leadership Workshop Skills Matt Marasco Staff Writer On Oct. 13th, after the PSATs, the juniors and seniors attended a workshop led by consultant Dr. Deeawn Roundtree who names the lesson, “Let’s Talk About Career Success.” Dr. Roundtree is more than qualified to lead the workshop with her not only being the CEO of Roundtree Training and consulting but also a certified Leadership Coach, Trainer, and Speaker with the John Maxwell Team. “Through the lessons, I have learned throughout my life, and the knowledge and experiences I have gained in my career, I am inspired to empower others to be successful in achieving their professional goals, more effectively and efficiently. It is my mission to empower individuals with emotional intelligence to take ownership of their job satisfaction in order to prosper and be profitable while growing, learning, and developing,” said Dr. Roundtree via her website. The workshop focused on the ability of students to be able to interact with all different types of people, their own leadership skills, what’s important in a resume, and the skills needed to meet the expectations of an employer’s interview. Regardless of Dr. Roundtree never teaching a group of students, Director of Student Services Dr. Amy Taylor, who set up the workshop, believed Dr. Roundtree was the perfect fit for The Benjamin School because of how successful her business has been and the experiences that she can bring to the table. “We chose Dr. Roundtree because
it is what she does for a living. She is a consultant for businesses, not necessarily schools, but I think it is important for our students to hear from someone who has done it at the business level,” said Dr. Taylor. During the lessons, students were placed into groups where they participated in various activities that modeled real-life experiences, during these experiences, students were focusing on career exploration and success strategies. Junior Owen Nutter thought the workshop was very valuable to him because he learned the importance of attitude and how to achieve your goals. “Dr. Roundtree was definitely [very knowledgeable] in this subject which makes it important that she was the one to teach us. These lessons were important to the juniors and seniors because the workshop helped us understand how to succeed as a student,” added Nutter. Overall, the workshop was a success, and everyone at Benjamin hopes that Dr. Roundtree will be back next year to teach the next group of students.
Leah Klein Staff Writer
Squid Game was released on Netflix on September 17, 2021. Less than a month later, the South Korean drama TV show has broken Netflix’s records becoming the most popular show on the streaming app. There are nine episodes in the series, each being about forty-five minutes long. The show has more than 111 million viewers, and the number just keeps climbing. In around four weeks, it officially became more popular then Netflix’s previous top show, Bridgerton. It received 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 8.5 out of 10 rating from IMDb. The show begins with showing the life that the protagonist, Seong Gi-Hun, leads. He lives in poverty with a severe gambling addiction and money owed to several people. His daughter, who lives with her mother and stepfather, will soon be moving to the United States. Gi-Hun fears that she will lose her Korean culture and forget about him. When offered to participate in a game to win a large amount of money, Seong Gi-Hun agrees to participate because he believes that there is nothing left to lose. A long black car with a man in a red tracksuit and black mask picks him up, and he is exposed to some sort of sleeping gas where he falls unconscious. Gi- Hun wakes up in a large room with hundreds of beds and hundreds (456 to be exact) of players. Unaware of the upcoming horrors, they begin to play a children’s game, red light green light. Any players who break the rules of the game are “eliminated,” and players cannot choose to quit once they begin playing. The first player moves while a monitor is watching, and a gunshot sounds. A player lays dead on the field. In panic, numerous players begin to run to the now closed doors where they entered, most falling dead
The first season of Squid Game can be viewed on Netflix as viewers are anxiously awaiting the following season after a cliffhanger ending. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
before they reach there. More children’s games occur, such as carving out a shape in Dalgona candy, tug of war, hopping across glass stepping stones, playing with marbles, a fight in the dark, and finally Squid Game itself. While Squid Game interests millions of people, it features lots of blood and gore. Numerous players are seen shot dead and beaten up. A large shard of glass becomes lodged in one player’s abdomen, and another is seen hanging dead as a result of suicide. Because of the bloodshed the show depicts, those who typically don’t like violence in TV shows may not find this show appealing. Though Squid Game is a show for entertainment, it conveys a much deeper meaning than it may appear to. The game itself shows what it’s like to live in a capitalistic society. All players are told that they are equal, yet some hold advantages that others don’t, such as a physical strength or a lighter snuck into the game. Gi-Hun had an unknown advantage the entire time, as he had befriended an old man
who was truly the creator of the entire game. A doctor who helped harvest organs in between the games was told the following game that would occur. The purpose that game serves is to provide entertainment for the ultra-rich. These people are numbed to almost any pleasure life can provide from living with such an excess amount of money. They resort to finding entertainment in the player’s misery and pain. While the “VIPs”, as they are called, lounge in a luxurious room with any amenities they could desire, players of Squid Game are killed off one by one. They place bets on players, and the humans in the game are later compared to race horses who are also bet on. The VIPs laugh as players fall to their death during the game of glass stepping stones. Squid Game’s constant suspense and action make it an enjoyable show to watch. The underlying themes that reside in it create a lasting impact that is taken away from the show. The Pharcyde says: 80% Phresh
Clara Schor Social Media Director The 2021 Netflix show Maid focuses on the domestic abuse of the main character, Alex, who is played by Margaret Qualley, by her highschool love. The short series is inspired by the New York Times bestselling memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land. After having a child, Alex decides to leave her abusive relationship along with her daughter. As she struggles to find a job as a maid and find a safe place to live with her daughter, she must also deal with her lunatic mother, Paula, played by Qualley’s actual mother Andie MacDowell. Alex goes through the ups and downs of living with her highschool sweetheart: she has so much love for him because he is the father of their child, but, on the other hand, she does not feel safe. To this end, she is constantly trying to do what is right for her and her daughter’s future. The binge-worthy show, which has a total of ten episodes, really attracted my attention. At first, I thought the show would be a scary and violent series but as I watched the first episode, I soon realized that the show is builds and strengthens Alex’s character. For example, Alex has to go through multiple obstacles in order to live a safe life. She becomes homeless, living in domestic violence shelters, in and out of her abusive father’s home, living in a beaten down RV with her mother and her boyfriend. Maid shows the reality of domestic abuse and covers the lowest parts of being alone and sheltered, for Alex, it is sleeping on the train station floor with her daughter Maddy and a Dysoon vacuum cleaner. Ironically, Alex is living in similar conditions as her mother did when she was younger with Alex’s father. Is Paula crazy or just trying to protect
her daughter? I guess we will have to continue watching to find out. The show focuses on the difficulties and challenges of domestic violence and unknown aspects of it. Domestic violence occurs everyday around the world. According to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men encounter a type of domestic violence with their partner in life. In her review of the show, Senior Contributor to Forbes magazine Dana Feldman wrote, “This riveting, powerful and emotional series is one of my absolute favorites of the year. It’s at times hard to watch because you know Alex represents so many who are currently in the same dire situation.” Senior Danielle Lancaster bingewatched the show in four days because of how much it interested her. “I thought the show was really good because of the fact that it was about something that is a real issue. I think a lot of times shows are about things that are not that significant, and sometimes it’s important to gain a real world perspective through a show,” she told The Pharcyde. The Pharcyde says: 95% Phresh
The Maid, a Netflix original and a must-watch series, follows a single mother who must overcome the severe obstacles in life. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
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Door Contest Scares Up Thrills Clara Schor Social Media Director
Evan Liberman Managing Editor
Step 1 Position the tie so that the thick end sits slightly lower than the thin one Step 2 Pass the thin end under the thick end of the tie–the thick end should be on top Step 3 Fold the thick end of the tie under itself as well as the thin end Step 4 Raise the thick end of the tie and thread it through the hole made around your neck
Love for Sale: Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett Return for the Ultimate Jazz Album Tvisha Goel Co-Editor-in-Chief Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett: what a duo. From their adventures in duetting on three different albums, they have formed an unbreakable bond, especially amidst the difficulties of Bennett’s health. Tony Bennett, 95, revealed in Feb. 2021 that he has been battling with Alzheimer’s disease for five years, first diagnosed in 2016. Because of this, he is no longer able to tour with Gaga for their new album release. Gaga and Bennett first collaborated on Bennett’s Duet II, then on Cheek to Cheek, and now on Love for Sale, Bennett’s last album according to People. During their last performance together live at Radio City Music Hall in August, Gaga was ecstatic in her 60 Minutes interview regarding the fact that Bennett was able to recognize her. Bennett introduced Lady Gaga onto the stage, which was the first time he called her by name in a while.
Bennett has not let his Alzheimer’s disease stop him from fulfilling his passion of music, clear from his latest album. Love for Sale has a total of 12 songs, all characterized by his notorious jazz style. This album focuses on the music of Cole Porter, and as Grace Koennecke, an Ohio University student on The Post Athens describes, the album provides a contrast to Cheek to Cheek which is dark and serious in nature while the latest is “vibrant and whimsical.” This album truly captures Gaga and Bennett’s bond together as it is clear the two have fun, laugh, and take time to talk to each other. “Love for Sale,” one of the lead singles, describes the essence of young love, the exhilaration accompanied by falling in love quickly and the consequences of it. In some of the songs in the album, Gaga was given the opportunity to sing solo, for which she expresses her appreciation, saying, “Tony gave me the inspiration and permission to hold court in the studio again. He reminded me that I’m the artist.”
Gaga takes the lead in two songs, “Do I Love You” and “Let’s Do It”. The Post describes the former as though “she’s only singing to you, as the singer croons of not being able to live without the love of her life and how much she appreciates them.” The latter starts off slow mannered, and then picks up beat, truly encapsulating the feeling of love and what it’s like to fall fast and fall hard. “You’re the Top” ends the album gracefully and on a high note, allowing for the trumpets and percussion to portray the spunkiness for which Gaga and Bennett are popular. “For fans who have followed the duo since their first collaboration together, this is the song for you,” The Post Athens stated. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett successfully revived jazz music for their last collaboration, helping listeners to recall the vibrancy and glowy sound that jazz can produce. While this album may not be as commendable as its predecessor, the album radiates the duo. The Pharcyde says 90% Phresh
Step 5 Pull and tighten the preliminary knot that has been formed Step 6 Pull the thick end of the tie across your body (over the knot) and under the loop Step 7 Tighten the tie to your preference
Photo courtesy of Reef Knots on Youtube
As COVID-19 numbers are decreasing at the Upper School and school spirit is being revived, friendly advisory competitions are coming back at full force. During the month of October, it has been a tradition at the Upper School to hold a Halloween door contest amongst advisories. In an email sent out by Upper School Dean of Students Mr. Kevin Jacobsen, he mentioned that one advisory from each grade level would be crowned the champion as well as receive the Class Cup. Senior advisor and English teacher Ms. Mary Ditaranto accessorized her Halloween advisory door with a large makeshift pumpkin and garland on the borders. Her advisory had a miniature pumpkin patch outside of her door with plastic trick-or-treating pumpkins and an LED strip light for effect. Additionally, she printed out photos of her advisee students as well as additional students of hers and placed them each individually on popsicle sticks with an orange background and placed them around her door. Sophomore advisees of English teacher Dr. John Peruggia decorated his “Doc Door” as a humorous homage. The door was covered in blue chrome wrapping paper along with a makeshift lab coat and stethoscope. Red poster paper was also cut out to mimic blood dripping down from the door. A spooky photograph of Dr.
Peruggia was hung up in the door’s window. On Thursday, Oct. 28, Upper School administrators went the Upper School advisories to judge the decorated doors. It was announced on Friday during assembly that Ms. Ditaranto’s advisory earned first place for the seniors, Engineering teacher Mrs. Debra Peretta’s advisory for the juniors, French and Spanish teacher Ms. Beverly Gustafson’s advisory for the sophomores, and lastly, math teacher Mrs. Rachelle Mays’ group for the freshmen. Senior Oliver DeFerrari, who is part of Ms. Ditaranto’s advisory, said, “I feel really proud [of our triumph]. I mean, obviously, we are the best advisory in the senior grade. We’re just winners not losers. We never lose.” Senior Advisor winner Ms. Ditaranto after her advisors’ win said, “I have a very creative supportive advisory group and they were my pumpkins that surrounded the door frame. I feel like every year we win some kind of competition because they’re such a great group of kids. Whether or not we enter the competition, I think we always win”. Advisee of Ms. Ditaranto’s and senior Ali Brown spoke on behalf of her advisory saying, “ We felt victorious and proud.” Mrs. Peretta enhanced her Halloween door with ghosts, orange ribbon, and spiders. She also added a fog machine and fake cobwebs to promote visits to her door.
Sophomore advisees of Madame Gustafson came in first place for their grade level. Gustafson embellished her door with Spanish caution tape and Halloween-themed signs. In addition, she added spooky cutout characters from Halloween cartoon movies and shows. Mathematics teacher and advisor Ms. Mays and her advisees took the lead against the freshman class, followed by art teachers Ms. Duran and Ms. Clark. Ms. Mays attached fake cobwebs and felt cutouts of bats with glittery strip lights and ghosts hanging from ledges of the ceiling to make it feel like you’re entering a haunted house. Beside her door, she included a small sized dog cage with a green skull plaque, and cobweb drooping over. The Halloween door contest was a very popular event this year as majority of the advisories went all out, some even tying for second and third place with one another.
Ms. Donnelly’s a-door-able entry cast a spell on judges!
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Pharcyde Review: Ted Lasso, Season Two
The Key to A College Commitment
Joey Tomassetti Staff Writer Ted Lasso, the new and popular Apple TV exclusive show, has become one of the most popular shows in the country. Ted Lasso received a 95% rotten tomatoes rating, an 8.8/10 rating from IMDb, and an 8.6/10 rating from Rating Graph. The show premiered on Aug. 14 and just recently ended its second season on Oct. 8. A third season is slated to premiere in the summer of 2022. Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, was a college football coach in Kansas. Then, he gets the offer of a lifetime: coaching a professional soccer team called AFC Richmond, located in England. From there, many new characters are added throughout the show, such as Rebecca Welton, Keely Jones, Jamie Tartt, Roy Kent, and Sam Obisanya. As season one progresses, the team grows closer and closer under the leadership of Ted Lasso. This bond between the team starts to play a role in the success of AFC Richmond, but a slow start to the season would prove to be too hard to overcome. As season two comes around, the only new character is Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, the team’s psychiatrist for the season. AFC Richmond starts the season with eight straight ties, but ties are better than losses according to Coach Lasso. As the season progresses, Dr. Fieldstone helps many of the players work through their personal issues, but Coach Lasso chooses not to buy into her therapy. Just recently coming off of a divorce in season one, Coach Lasso is not a big fan or therapy as a whole. Christmas comes and goes with the return of Jamie Tartt and Roy Kent to the show. Roy, who was a former player for AFC Richmond, retires and becomes an assistant coach. Jamie, who was also a former player for AFC Richmond, signs back with the team after getting recalled to Manchester United in season one. Then, when the team finally starts to win, Ted is encountered by some adversity. Still mourning over the death of father when he was a teenag-
er, Ted has a panic attack in the middle of a game and has to leave. He decides to keep it a secret to the rest of the world, except for the people that he trusts. He then realizes that he needs professional help, and finally opens up to Dr. Fieldstone. Their relationship is an interesting one that involves both of them opening up to each other in order to help Ted. Dr. Fieldstone uses sarcasm and her wit to deny her true fear in life, while Ted uses jokes and stories from his past to do the same. Meanwhile, Rebecca Welton, the owner of the team, uses a new dating app to try and cure her loneliness. Rebecca also had to deal with a divorce and is ready to find love again. The person she matches with is Sam Obisanya, a player for Richmond. Both had liked each other prior to being matched up, but now they finally express their feelings for each other. Though their short relationship brings much joy to both Rebecca and Sam, they agree that it would not work out in the long run. Then, Sam gets an offer to play near his home, Nigeria, for a team that is built up of the best African soccer players in the world. Sam realizes how big of an influence he has on the children around him in London,
and ultimately decides to stay with AFC Richmond. The season ends off with a curveball, as Nate, an assistant coach reveals Coach Lasso’s secret panic attacks. He is one of the people that Lasso confided in and tells his secret to. Nate was a former waterboy for the team and was given a chance to be a coach by Ted, but he quickly becomes power hungry and gets jealous of Ted for getting all of the attention. This is why he ends up betraying Ted and the team as a whole. In the final episode, AFC Richmond wins their final game and get repromoted to the Premier League, which they were in for most of last season. In the middle of this game, Nate walks out on the team and disgusts and becomes the coach for another team, possibly sparking a rivalry for next season. All in all, this show encapsulates every aspect of a binge-worthy series. It’s a wholesome show, filled with Ted Lasso stories and inspirational speeches, it’s comical, contains many jokes and remarks throughout, and almost every character grows or develops in some way. It is a mustwatch show and I highly recommend it for other Benjamin Upper School students.
Jason Sudekis returns to his Emmy-winning role as the protagonist of Apple TV+’s hit comedy for a second season. The show chronicles the life of Lasso, the head coach of an English soccer club, as he looks to make an imprint across the Pond. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
Leah Klein Staff Writer
Senior James Key, a dedicated and talented golfer, has been playing golf since a very young age. Growing up in a golfing community with all of the resources necessary to play was helpful in encouraging Key to begin playing in the first place. Additionally, his father was influential in helping Key begin his golfing career. “I started playing golf when I was 12. It was very convenient for me because I live at a country club with two different golf courses. I also grew up in a household where my father is an avid golfer,” said Key. Though Key is now skilled at golf and enjoys playing, he didn’t always. However, when he started putting in the time and effort to improve, he grew to like the sport. Playing with family members and friends also helped in developing his love for golf. “I never really enjoyed it until I was a teenager and then I started to devote my time into the sport. [Currently] I enjoy playing the game with my father who I have always looked up to and with my friends,” said Key. To Key, golf is more than just athletics and entertainment. It serves as setting a goal and achieving it, an essential life skill, as well as forming or strengthening connections with others. “I think it is a great sport because you can play it throughout your whole life and build connections with other people. I do also enjoy playing competitive golf because I love to compete and work for something to achieve,” said Key. Since he first began playing, he has greatly improved and achieved many impressive achievements. One such accomplishment includes qualifying for the US Junior Championship. This competition is one of fourteen national golf tournaments which are organized by the United States Golf Association. It was established in 1948, and is now available to golfers under the age of nineteen.
The Up and Coming Nelk Program, A Golf Outlet Matt Marasco Staff Writer Recently, the PGA Tour and its players have been growing in popularity. This is a direct result of social media getting involved in promoting the sport and many new personalities entering the scene. On Sep. 26th, the USA Ryder Cup team won the tournament, this produced a growing social media presence on many players on the team. One of these players is Bryson DeChambeau, who has been growing his social media following with a youtube channel with over 170,000 subscribers. He also has been working towards the PGA tour social media fund which is a $40 million fund that goes to players who achieve the most social media “clicks”. This year, Tiger Woods is currently in the lead for the eight million dollar first place purse even though he has not hit a single ball this year due to his recent injury. “Social Media presence has been a growing concern on the PGA tour, and with the new social media fund, it has been encouraging golfers like DeChambeau to go out of their way to promote the tour,” said senior Trey Parker. After seeing the growing popularity of both the PGA tour and Dechambeau, the YouTube group Nelk invited Bryson to come out to LA and guest star on their Full Send Podcast and even film some YouTube videos together. Nelk currently has seven million subscribers on YouTube. Af-
ter the interview with DeChambeau, Nelk announced that they were starting a golf youtube channel. This channel would feature the famous Nelk boys taking golf seriously rather than doing pranks on golfers as they have done in the past. For one video, they announced they were going to caddy for Bryson Dechambeau on a real PGA tour even rather than his actual caddy. For another set of videos, they announced they were going to travel the country
and play with different tour players and play different famous courses. This channel brings the funny background of Nelk into the world of golf. Not only is this good for Nelk as they enter a whole new side of the YouTube audience, but it is also great for the game of golf as Nelk influences many young people. “I watch Nelk all the time and love their pranks, so when I saw that they were creating a golf channel, I was more than excited. Golf is my
favorite sport and to see such a big group join the content creation side of it can only be good for the future of golf,” said sophomore JPaul Jacobs. After announcing the channel, Nelk gained 170,000 subscribers overnight which shows how popular the channel will be. As they plan to release more and more videos on the channel, golfers everywhere can be excited.
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“I feel my biggest accomplishment thus far in my golfing career is qualifying for the biggest junior golf tournament in the country, The US Junior Championship. Thousands of juniors try to qualify every year, but only 280 kids make it to the actual tournament. I was lucky enough to make the qualifier and play in the prestigious tournament in Pinehurst, NC,” said Key. However, not all of Key’s achievements are directly related to golf. He recently was accepted into Bucknell University, a private Liberal Arts college in Pennsylvania. Bucknell is a highly selective school, and is ranked #38 in Liberal Arts colleges nationwide. Key thinks that this college will provide him with plentiful opportunities in both his academics and golf. “I recently committed to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. I chose Bucknell because of the combination of athletics and academics along with a great group of teammates and coaches. I also think the golf courses up north suit my game much better than typical Florida golf courses.” Key has a promising future in sports and education. His talent in golf will surely take him to the next level in his college career.
Senior James Key watches his ball fly down the range. Key recently committed to Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. Key)
PLAYOFF FOOTBALL Friday, November 19th 7:30pm Theofilos Field
Benjamin Buccaneers vs. The Nelk Boys recently sat down with pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau to talk about the golf industry and launch their golf YouTube channel. (Photo courtesy of Nelk)
Lake Placid or
The First Academy
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NHL Skates Off to a Great Start Following COVID-19 Evan Liberman Managing Editor
After a modified 2020-21 season, the 2021-22 NHL season kicked off with a bang: teams were finally able to travel beyond their regions and no longer had to manage both a roster and a taxi squad. Every team opened with fans in the stands, and most stadiums were at full capacity. But with each new season comes new surprises. Here are the three biggest stories and surprises of the NHL season so far: 1. Panthers claw their way back to the top After a successful last season, the Panthers were poised to improve. During the offseason, the Cats lost a reliable netminder in Chris Driedger and centerman Alexander Wennberg, who put up nearly 30 points last season. However, they gained former second overall pick Sam Reinhart and veteran Joe Thornton. After years of mediocrity and inconsistency, even when things were looking up for them, it was anyone’s guess as to how they would perform. But the Panthers where they picked up last season, dominating teams left and right. As of Oct. 30, the Panthers remain undefeated–boasting a 8-0 record–and sit at #1 in the league. If the Panthers continue at this rate, they will certainly be in contention for the Presidents’ Trophy. 2. The Canadians tank after Stanley Cup Final run Last season, the Habs had a mediocre regular season (they went 2421-11) and claimed the fourth seed in their division, but they turned up the heat in the playoffs, making their
way all the way to the finals. In the process, they beat out the first seed Toronto Maple Leafs and third seed Winnipeg Jets. However, they were handily defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games by the Stanley Cup Finals. During the offseason, the Canadians lost centerman Phillip Danault, who had put up over 100 points in his final three seasons with the team. This might be one of the reasons the Canadians have just two regular-season wins through eight games. Now the question is, will the Canadians return to their glory from last year or remain in the proverbial cellar? 3. Kraken holding their own against established NHL teams Perhaps the most exciting storyline of the season so far has been the addition of the NHL’s 32nd team: the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken have a suprising 3-4-1 record, which is above expectations for a team in its first year. In fact, the Kraken have been able to hold their own against well-established teams. For instance, in their Oct. 23 home opener, they were tied with the Vancouver Canucks for most of the game and only fell behind in the last five minutes of the game. The same story holds true for many of their other games as well. Moreover, the Kraken secured 32,000 deposits on season tickets in just a single day and fans packed Climate Pledge Arena as full as it would go at their first home game. Only time will tell if Kraken will become the next Vegas Golden Knights and make a deep run into the playoffs in just their first season.
The Pharcyde
Braves Dominate Astros: A World Series Recap Joey Tomassetti Staff Writer
This year’s postseason brought many moments that will not soon be forgotten. Wild Card AL (American League): 6-2 Boston Red Sox victory over the New York Yankees. NL (National League): 3-1 LA Dodgers victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Divisional Series AL: Boston Red Sox 3-1 series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. AL: Houston Astros 3-1 series victory over the Chicago White Sox. NL: LA Dodgers 3-2 series victory over the San Francisco Giants. NL: Atlanta Braves 3-1 series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Championship Series AL: Houston Astros 4-2 series victory over the Boston Red Sox NL: Atlanta Braves 4-2 series victory over the LA Dodgers World Series Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves Game 1- Braves win 6-2 Game 2- Astros win 7-2 Game 3- Braves win 2-0 Game 4- Braves win 3-2 Game 5- Astros win 9-5 Game 6- Braves win 7-0 The Houston Astros, the favorite to win the World Series, had a record of 95-67 this season, which was second best in the American League. They have been a dominant force in the last half decade, reaching the World Series three times in the last five years. They were a great hitting team all season and even had an improved pitching staff, thanks to a productive trade deadline in late July. After their 2017 World Series victory over the Dodgers, the Astros were accused of “sign stealing,” and were ultimately proven guilty. Sign stealing is the observing and relaying, by illegal methods, of the signs that are being given by the opposing catcher to the opposing pitcher or a coach to a baserunner. The Astros were not stripped of their championship, but they did have to let go of their president of baseball operations
and their manager, lose draft picks, and pay a fine. Some of their most notable hitters for the Astros this season were second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa, and ALCS MVP and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. Their starting pitching staff was led by Framber Valdez and Luis Garica, while their bullpen was led by Kendall Gravemen and Ryan Pressly. The Atlanta Braves had a record of 88-73 this season, which was the worst record amongst all playoff teams. But this record does not represent how good of a team they were. The Braves have been a dominant force in the last half decade, making their fourth straight postseason appearance this season. Sophomore Andrew Lappin, a Yankees fan, rooted for the Braves in the World Series. “The Yankees were a total disappointment, but because they didn’t make the world series, I wanted the Braves to win. Everyone hates the Astros after their cheating scandal but I did think that they were going to
win. They had a much more talented roster with better hitting and pitching, so I was delighted when they lost” says Lappin. When Ronald Acuna Jr., arguably one of the most electric young players in the sport, tore his ACL in early July, many believed that Atlanta’s season was all but over. Then, Atlanta also had a productive trade deadline, revamping a very depleted outfield that they needed more production from. Some of their most notable hitters from this season include first baseman Freddie Freeman, second baseman Ozzie Albies, third baseman Austin Riley, and NLCS MVP and outfielder Eddie Rosario. Their starting pitching staff was led by Charlie Morton and Max Fried, while their bullpen was led by Tyler Matzek and Will Smith. This season’s World Series was one for the ages with the Braves winning in game six. With many intriguing storylines and a lot of fan favorite players, this was definitely a World Series to remember.
The induction of the third class to The Benjamin School’s Athletic Hall of Fame took place at halftime of the Oct. 22 varsity football game against Calvary Christian. The prior two classes were the Class of 2013 and the Class of 2015. Athletic Director Mr. Ryan Smith noted that these two classes were the real foundations of athletics at Benjamin, as they helped build the program. This year’s class was inducted as the Class of 2020. The induction ceremony was set to take place last year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was delayed until this year. Mr. Smith recognizes the importance of the Athletic Hall of Fame, as it honors those who have made a difference in the school’s athletic history. “The Hall of Fame is to recognize coaches, contributors, and student-athletes who have made a significant impact, athletically, at The Benjamin School either during their playing career, their coaching career, or, in some cases like Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin and Mr. and Mrs. Nicklaus, as contributors to the school and the success of the athletic program,” he explained. The ceremony took place at half-
time of the game, following the precedent set by the first two classes. Mr. Smith explains that this is the most convenient time to have the ceremony. “Football games are the largest events we’ll have on campus,” he said. “[The ceremony] actually fits in with the halftime. We’re able to have an active crowd there with people there to support.” The Class of 2020 had six inductees, who were all accompanied by family. The inductees were as follows: Chris Cocotos ‘90, Dave Parks, Dick Cavanah, Bob Hohnadel, Erlana Larkins ‘04, and Barrett Saunders ‘03. However, before any of them
were officially inducted into the Hall of Fame, the school honored Alex Vogelsong ‘19 for his jersey retirement. Vogelsong had his jersey retired last year for his golf career at Benjamin. He was not formally recognized for this accomplishment at any point last year due to COVID-19. He was unable to attend the ceremony, but his parents accepted the honor for him. At Benjamin, Vogelson set various boys’ golf records and won Player of the Year for the Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel. He is currently a junior at Auburn University. Cocotos was unable to attend the ceremony but was still honored. Cocotos was a tennis player at The
This year’s Hall of Fame Inductees, with their families and friends, joined School administrators on Theofilos Field following the ceremony. (Photo by Charlie Spungin)
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Soccer Season Kicks Into Full Gear Cross Country Team Clara Schor Social Media Director With November just beginning, the fall leaves are definitely not changing in South Florida or the Benjamin School. The change in weather shifts everyone’s moods especially with the winter sports season just beginning. The varsity soccer teams are prepped and eager for their season as the first girls varsity soccer game was Monday, Nov. 1. Last year, the varsity team had an 86.4% victory rate which was coupled with one loss and one tie. Girls varsity coach Ms. Hillary Carney has been coaching soccer for the past thirteen years, six of which have been for the School’s team. “We had a great team and season last year. I am hoping to continue that success and grow the program for The Benjamin School,” she said. The girls do drills that consist of technical and possession skills to try to help the players learn other styles of play and to incorporate some team bonding. Freshman Vanessa Zito is a returning member to the team as she played last year while she was in eight grade. She currently plays as a forward for the team. “I am mostly looking forward to reconnecting with the team and hopefully making it far and finishing what we started last year,” Zito said. Academic Dean and Co-Head JV girls’ soccer coach Mrs. Caroline Guzman has been coaching since 2018. She played recreational soccer in college to enjoy the game with less pressure after playing competitively as a child. Mrs. Guzman said, “I love the team’s comradery and the fun we all have together. I think it will be a great year with new faces as well which I am excited about”. Senior Lauren Straub, who has been playing on the JV team since
her sophomore year, is most excited to get the opportunity to beat The King’s Academy for the first time in her soccer career. Straub said, “I feel like it will be more serious than past years with coaches but I know we seniors will keep it fun and like it has always been. I can’t wait for planksgiving with Ms. Misslehorn.” History teacher and JV co-coach Ms. Alexandra Murray is excited to kick off the soccer season. She said, “I am looking forward to the lively energy at the practices and games which is great for team bonding. I always leave the field with a smile.” With a second year of coaching under her belt, she feels she knows how to most effectively incorporate fun and some discipline. Ms. Murray played varsity soccer while she attended Benjamin and graduated in 2015. Varsity boys’ head coach Coach Kris Steeves has been coaching youth soccer for over 20 years in both the United States and Scotland. This year will be his second year coaching at Benjamin. Coach Steeves began his coaching career when he was younger because his younger brother
showed that he would be a good player, and Coach Steeves wanted to help. “Our biggest rival is every team we face. We approach every single game with a desire to win and improve as a program”, Coach Steeves said. Senior varsity player Gavin Coleman has been playing competitive soccer since 2010 and plans to play at the collegiate level at a D1 or D3 school. He hopes to win districts with his team this year for his senior year. During practice, the coaches try to have a game centered approach where players are put into game-like situations to help with decisions on the field. These drills are supposed to increase the understanding of the players as a whole. Last year, the Varsity boys were introduced to a new Coach and they still had a solid year. This year, Coach Steve Burgess is also joining the team, has had experience over the past 25 years on collegiate and highschool levels. He was Recognized as NSCAA National Coach of the Year in 2019. This year, all teams and coaches are hoping to enhance the soccer programs and to make it to districts.
With the season opener still a few weeks away, the members of the varsity boys’ soccer team have been spending their afternoons conditioning and getting in some practice. (Photo by Clara Schor)
Heads to State Meet Ollie Olson White Staff Writer
At the beginning of this year, runners from the School took the track, spending time to train every single day. Head coaches Mr. Bob Hohnadel and Mr. Nicholas Cramer started the season simple with “easy mileage” to get the runners prepared for their first race. Surprisingly, the cross country team’s definition of “easy mileage” is at least 3 miles. Coach Cramer says that “long-distance and stamina training is important to keep our runners healthy and fit. This helps get runners prepared for the truly hard practices.” Runners had their first race and did better than expected seeing as though it was only their first meet, according to the coaches. As the season progressed, the times and places of the runners got better and better. At the Pinecrest Invitational Race, Benjamin placed right in the middle of the competition, taking 10th place out of 23 schools. “If the runners want to have good times, it is essential that we have ‘hard days’ to get to States. Hard days are necessary for us to get quicker and faster so when it comes to the races that are important plus you need motivation from the team to push yourself,” said Mr. Cramer. The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams came in first place at districts securing their position at regionals which took place on Nov. 5. When all was said and done, both teams had qualified for the state competition and the girls’ team secured second place. Junior Grace Tighe has high hopes for the state competition. “Our team is really good this year, ... which I think will help us maybe place at states. To prepare as
a team, I think we need to focus on keeping our mileage up and increasing our speed,” she said. The state competition will take place on Nov. 12. Top runners from schools around the state will converge on Tallahassee to compete for the coveted title of state champion. Unfortunately, last year the boys’ cross country team was unable to compete in the state competition due to a lack of participants and various COVID-19 complications, so the coaches are eager to lead the team to success this year. This year, the seniors are pushing harder than ever to get the gold before their time in high school runs out. When asked, they noted that this feels like their most important season, and that other runners working as hard as them would help them succeed. Senior Ryan Hendi is one of the team’s top runners and is eager to get to states. “I really want to have the chance to be able to compete in Tallahassee again… To prepare, I think we will just increase our mileage to build endurance to prepare us,” he said. All the best to both cross country teams at the state competition.
The boy’s cross country team celebrates their qualifying runs at regionals. The team looks forward to a strong showing at the State meet. (Photo courtesy of TBS)
Football Team Heads Varsity Volleyball Team Spikes the into Playoffs as #2 Seed Ball to Earn Place in State Semi-Finals Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (left) and Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez (right) look to lead their respective teams to a World Series victory. (Photo courtesy of NBC Los Angeles)
The Upper School’s Athletic Hall of Fame Inducts Third Class Charlie Spungin Copy Editor
10 November 2021
The Pharcyde
Benjamin School who was the top recruit in the nation during his senior year. He continued his career at Stanford University, where he won an NCAA Doubles Title. After college, he would play professionally on the ATP Tour. Parks began his coaching career at Benjamin in 1988 as the Special Teams Coordinator of the varsity football team. Along with holding that position for 28 years, he made an impact on the baseball program, where he was an assistant varsity coach, the varsity head coach, and the junior varsity head coach. He still makes an impact on Benjamin today, as he helps coordinate transportation for sports teams, handle athletic equipment, and more. Cavanah has been coaching swimming at Benjamin for nearly 40 years. He has seen many All-American swimmers earn All-American honors and has guided Benjamin to state championships. He coached Ryan Berube ‘92 and accompanied him to the Olympics, where he would ultimately set a world record en route to a gold medal. Hohnadel has made a profound impact on Benjamin’s cross country and track teams. Hohnadel began coaching at Benjamin in 1990. Since his arrival at Benjamin, he has guid-
ed Benjamin cross country and track teams to a combined 39 district titles – 15 in cross country and 24 in track. Larkins began playing on the girls’ varsity basketball team in middle school. In 7th grade, she won her first state championship. She would continue on to win three more state championships, be named Ms. Basketball twice, and become a McDonald’s All-American. She continued her basketball career at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she made two Final Four appearances. After four years there, she was drafted to the WNBA in 2008, where she would win a championship with the Indiana Fever in 2012. Saunders played football and ran track during his time at Benjamin. He set numerous school records, was a state champion in the triple jump and long jump, and was an All-American. He ran track at the University of Kansas, where he was an All-American once more and became a Big 12 Champion. He is currently the boys’ track coach. Everybody honored on Oct. 22 made their presence felt at The Benjamin School through athletics. Expect a new class inducted into the Hall of Fame in two or three years, as Mr. Smith expects a new class every few years from this point forward.
Matt Marasco and Joey Tomassetti Staff Writers Led by running back Chauncey Bowens and quarterback Tyler Aronson, the Benjamin varsity football team earned the second seed in their conference. With a 7-3 record, they have earned a bye week while four of the six teams have to play games this Friday. After the bye week, the team will either play three seeded The First Academy or six seeded Lake Placid. If Benjamin were seeded on the other side of the bracket, they would have had to face the likes of Cardinal Newman, St. Andrews, and Chaminade. This is a much harder group of opponents then the opponents that Benjamin is slated to face now. Being the center of a heavy run offensive scheme, Chancey Bowens rushed for over 1000 yards and ten touchdowns this season. Although Bowens has been amazing this season, he could not have done it without his offensive line who made holes for him this whole season. Even with Bowens getting most of the touches, Tyler Aronson still threw for over 1700 yards and 24 touchdowns in just ten games. “We’ve been working hard since the summer and have been getting better everyday. I’m super excited and I think we can definitely make a long run in the playoffs,” said Quarterback Tyler Aronson. Led by senior talent all over, Benjamin’s defense has been near
perfect these last few weeks, including a stifling defensive performance against King’s Academy where they only allowed six points. Senior Mason Thomason led the team in tackles with 61, while senior Danny Gonzalez led the team with 12.0 tackles for loss. Senior Calvin Bowens and Gonzalez led the team in sacks, with 9.0 and 7.0. As for the secondary, cornerbacks Guy Edmond Jr. and Jacob Cosby-Moseley helped to lock down the back end of the defense. Cosby-Moseley had three picks, and Edmond Jr. had two. The team as a whole averaged about an interception a game, which is an impressive stat for a defense that improved as the season progressed. With Aronson and Bowens both being Sophomores, and an improving team around them that continues to get better and better as the outlook for the Benjamin Bucs football team is brighter than ever.
Lucy Rubin Staff Writer After defeating St. John Paul Academy in the Regional Finals on Nov. 6, the Benjamin girls varsity volleyball team is set to play against Westminster Christian on Nov. 13 to compete in the State Semi-Finals. Heading into the matchup, the Bucs are 16-7 overall and carry momentum into the matchup, currently boasting a seven game winning streak, with five of those games being in the postseason. Captain and junior Keira Hodum is very optimistic for the team as they progress into the postseason. “I’m super excited for this week’s game!” she said. “I think our team has significantly improved since the beginning of the season, and each game we’re getting better and having more fun.” Junior Payton Bryan, a new student to Benjamin this year, has noticed improvement throughout the postseason. “I’m feeling really good about the post season so far. We started off not so great, but we’ve been getting better and better,” she explained. Both Hodum and Bryan mentioned the incredible support of the students and fans during the playoffs. Students have actively participated in the themes chosen for each game and have brought energy with chants and cheers for the team. The players believe that this spirit has been beneficial for the team to advance to states. “The fans have a huge impact on our play. The energy they bring makes the games so much fun and it makes the team feel constant sup-
port,” Hodum said. Bryan also noted the impact of the fans, as it distracts the opposing team at times. “The fans are a huge part of the game. They get in the other team’s head and then the other team makes more mistakes,” she said. Head Coach Alex Clarke believes that the team has been playing great throughout the postseason, largely due to their hard work. “While we have accomplished a lot over the last 2 weeks, a district championship and a regional championship, our run is not over. We are busy preparing for our state semifinal match.” she said. She went on to mention the great win
against Saint Andrew’s and how she is looking forward to the girls’ improvements with two games potentially left in the season. Coach Clarke has set high goals for the team as they progress farther into the postseason. “Our work is not done, and our girls refuse to give up. They’re on a mission for the title, and they will do whatever it takes to get there.” said Coach Clarke. If the Bucs win against Westminster Christian on Nov. 13, they will advance to the State Finals to face the winner of Calvary Christian and Trinity Christian.
The girls’ varsity volleyball squad celebrates their regional win against Jupiter Christian. A packed Healey gymnasium helped cheer the team on, with many fans in seasonally festive attire. (Photo courtesy of The Benjamin School)
the
PHLIPCYDE
“You can’t do it,” they had said. To believe them would be to give in. To succumb to the attacks would be to lose everything that I have worked for. But it was so hard. “The moon shines bright in the nighttime.” “The ability, nor the stamina, nor the competence is within you to do it,” they had said. To believe them would be to give in. To succumb to the attacks would be to lose everything that I have worked for. But it was so hard. "Yet the moon shines bright in the nighttime."
P O E T R Y
"You must give up. Give up this dream swimming in your brain. Dreams so high become unattainable. Only disappointment shall accompany you. Be realistic," they had said. This would be the end. This would be the finish line that they had drawn in front of me. Because it is so hard. "But the moon shines bright in the nighttime. The world's inhabitants marvel when they look up in the nighttime. "But the moon has flaws; blemishes. From comets to meteors Plotting its destruction, yet it shines so bright among the half-lit stars. It won't permit its own destruction despite its attackers' persistence. "The lunar light did not come to be because of words of praise, but despite words of hate.
Copycat Pink Drink Recipe Ice Sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen) Tazo iced passion herbal tea concentrate Very berry hibiscus-Instant refresher packet Coconut milk Water Clean and cut strawberries into slices to set aside. Fill a 16oz cup, the equivalent of a Starbucks grande size, with ice. Separately add 1 instant refresher packet into water then mix. Add 1 cup of Tazo iced passion tea and mix well with the refresher. Pour the mixture into the 16oz cup when finished. Leave room to top for coconut milk. Afer adding coconut milk, mix.
"So you must rise as such. You must realize this: what lifts you up breaks you and what knocks you down makes you."