Layout by: Jiayi (Jessica) Lin ’27
SALMAGUNDY The Official Student Newspaper of Miss Porter’s School Winter 2025
NEWS SALMAGUNDY
Daisy Market Reopens with New Security Measures Following Theft By Angie Liu ’28 Staff Writer
The Daisy Market reopened last month with new anti-theft measures in place after school officials closed the snack store in December to investigate ongoing theft. The theft was first discovered when sales of Nautical Bowls, frozen fruit bowls, exceeded the number of bowls in stock, resulting in losses exceeding $500. Following the closure, Liz Schmitt, chief enrollment and student affairs officer, offered an amnesty policy to encourage students to admit to stealing and participate in a restorative project. More than 50 students came forward. “The response was overwhelming,” Schmitt said in an interview with journalism students in January. She said the students “engaged thoughtfully in conversation and the restorative project, and contributed excellent ideas” to improve the store’s security. The proposed measures include random surveillance checks, stricter inventory control and more efficient checkout procedures.
The Daisy Market boarded off after morning meeting anouncement about theft. Photo by Eileen DeLaO.
Johanna d’Almeida ‘26 said she was glad to see school officials give students an opportunity to address the theft problem productively. “I admire how instead of simply punishing students, Porter’s took steps towards practicing restorative justice,” she said.
Former CNN Reporter Promotes Empathy, Action By Serena Lok ’28 Staff Writer Afghan women are facing unprecedented oppression under Taliban rule, and their stories must be amplified, a former CNN reporter told Miss Porter’s School students and faculty members. “The voice of women is considered illegal in Afghanistan,” Atia Abawi said. “You can’t speak too loudly, because it could incite a man as if it’s her fault, not his.” Abawi, an award-winning journalist and author who covered the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, spoke as a Prescott speaker in February. Her talk, which was part of a series focused on democratic citizenship, focused on cultivating empathy for people suffering around the world. As a foreign correspondent for CNN, NBC News and other outlets, Abawi served as a bureau chief in Kabul and also covered conflict and crises in Iraq, Myanmar, Greece and Israel. For various assignments, she embedded with NATO, U.S. and Afghan forces, dodging bombs and bullets and reporting from the battlefield on a satellite phone. Born to Afghan parents who fled after the Soviet invasion in the early 1980s, Abawi grew up in the U.S. and began her journalism career at CTV 76 before joining CNN in 2008. Atia Abawi with Tim Quinn, Chief Academic Officer. Photo courtesy of Atia Abawi.
During her speech, Abawi highlighted deteriorating conditions for women in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in 2021.
“Every day almost feels like the Taliban has a new law that muzzles and oppresses women,” she said, citing restrictions including banning kitchen windows to enforce segregation of women from public view. Drawing on her reporting in Afghanistan, Abawi shared the story of an 8-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and forced to seek refuge in a Kabul women’s shelter. These shelters, once a sanctuary for women in a country where 90% face domestic abuse, have now been shuttered by the Taliban. Reflecting on her career, Abawi opened up about challenges she faced as an Afghan woman. She said she experienced discrimination during her school years, which continued into her career, and sometimes hindered her recognition. See CNN Reporter Page 2