BELFIELD BANTER -BACK TO SCHOOL EDITION-
“SENIOR CHAPEL TRADITIONS” CADIGAN PERRIELLO ‘25
“OLYMPICS 2024” NORI CARTER ‘26
For many seniors, after 15 years walking the halls of St. Anne’s Belfield School, the senior chapel marks the beginning of an end of an era. As a new St. Anne’s tradition, senior chapel marks the convocation of a new school year, reflecting on the journey between adolescence and adulthood. After reading A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit over the summer, the seniors sat down in Grishman Hall to reflect on their growth over the summer and open up doors for new experiences in the year to come. This year, the keynote speakers, Mrs. Beardsley and Mr. Zunka spoke about the unique experience of leaving the safety bubble of St. Anne’s and the beauty of exploring the unknown. Mrs. Beardsley spoke of the struggle of being separated from those you love, however, the invisible string that forever intertwines you with those you care for. Mr. Zunka reflected on his canoe trip this summer with a group of strangers, both experts on wildlife and complete indoors man. On his trip, Mr. Zunka highlighted the importance of choosing those who are in your boat with, or who you take along in your journey.
From new world records to a bleakly overshadowed entrance of “breaking” to the 2024 Olympics, this year's games were something to remember. I’m sure we all remember the now viral performance from the Australian breaker “RUYGUN”, which was given an overall score of 0, but I would love to highlight some of the awe-inspiring events that you maybe didn’t notice at this year's competitions. To begin, we saw the youngest track athlete in Olympic history win an Olympic medal. Quincy Wilson, an athlete who specializes in short and mid-distance track events, won the winning title as a member of the United States 4x400 team. The Maryland Bullis School athlete has been a star athlete his entire life, with a clear upward trajectory. As the youngest track athlete, his future seems bright for a highly successful and decorated career. Additionally, we witnessed not only physical triumphs but social ones as well. The Boxer Imane Khelif was under intense scrutiny following her Olympic performance on the basis of her testosterone levels. Stirring up immense media attention and controversy, this event also unified a powerful community to support her. With an impressive performance and an uplifting response