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Washington International School

3100 Macomb St. NW Washington, DC 20008

March 26, 2021

www.wisdateline.org October 2019

specialreport

March 2020: Inside the weeks when the pandemic hit WIS By SAUL PINK, 2021 and ANDERS WESTERMANN, 2021

H DAVID ALLEN/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

March 2021

REBEKA TATHAM/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

AFTER A YEAR, BACK ON THE FIELD: Students were able to use the field at lunch for the first time since WIS closed in March 2020. Despite mask-wearing and physical distancing, students kicking soccer balls and socializing on the turf has brought a greater sense of normalcy back to Tregaron. See WIS NEWS, page 2.

Science building plan gains key approval, will face Board of Zoning Adjustments in May By MAIA NEHME, 2023 The WIS administration’s work over the past decade designing a new science building finally paid off with the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB)’s approval of the building plan. However, the designing process has been

Endorsement from Historical Preservation Review Board is significant step, but process is far from over significantly slowed down by COVID-19. Director of Facilities and Operations Dale Temple stated that it’s too soon to say when construction will begin, but Head of School Suzanna Jemsby suggested spring of 2023 as a potential starting time. Building the new science facilities will take up to two years. The science building will replace the Dacha, which will be moved into the woods. The new addition will be a two story, L-shaped building overlooking the basketball court. There will be two more levels below ground all the way down to the soccer field. At the moment, the school has decided the amount of square footage of

the building, which is large enough to allow flexibility in choosing what to include in the building. One proposed addition is “a high-end dining facility. [Currently,] the kitchen is very limited. There’s no actual cooking [top], so this would allow us to have a full dining service like other schools do. But we don’t know exactly what’s going to go where; we just know that the size of building that we are able to build now will be able to fulfill all of our needs,” Jemsby said. In order to start more in-depth planning and construction of the building, three organizations have to approve the design. The first is the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC), a local-level group made up of WIS’ neighbors. The group examined the architectural design last year and made a recommendation to the HPRB on whether they should approve it or not. Jemsby explained

See SCIENCE BUILDING, page 2

inside look

Generation We Upper School club devotes itself to social activism features page 3

Seniors commit to college athletics

cases for and against opening gradebooks opinion page 6

Note: All news in this edition is as of March 26. Therefore, some content may not be up to date upon receipt of this newspaper

will play Division III sports sports page 7

The early stages

n late January, the pandemic was concentrated in Asia, and life in America was completely normal. Due to WIS’s international connections, administrators began their preparations for pandemic response before the virus arrived in the U.S. “We have former colleagues who are now in Japan, China, South Korea, who were telling us that they woke up one morning, and school was closed,” Middle School Principal Randy Althaus said. Jemsby cited her trip to a January teacher recruitment fair in London, where she hired Upper School Math Teacher Eugene Wang and Primary School English Teacher Kaitie Eifert. Both Wang and Eifert were teaching at international schools in China at the time, before arriving at WIS this school year. “By the time our conference in London finished, what we saw on the news appeared to be just getting worse by the day,” Wang said. “People started to panic.” Wang and his wife stayed in London, before moving to Morocco for a month,

See ONE YEAR, page 4

WIS News Global News Features Arts Opinion Sports Food Back Page Special Report

@wisdateline @wisdateline

online content

Three members of

Open gradebooks The the class of 2021

ead of School Suzanna Jemsby was at the National Association of Independent Schools conference in Philadelphia in late February 2020 when the head of a school in Seattle said she was worried about the coronavirus forcing her to close school. “I remember getting to the train station to come back down and I called [Associate Head of School Natasha] Bhalla and I said ‘Natasha, we have to pull together a team quickly,’” Jemsby said. “I think we’re going to be in crisis mode here in a couple of weeks. And that’s exactly what happened.” On March 13, 2020, the school shut down in-person learning, marking the beginning of the pandemic for most WIS families. Packed assemblies and busy hallways were replaced with Zoom calls and a year of social distancing. Now, a year later, students attend in-person school only every other week, and life remains very different from the way it was last February. Little is known about what went on in March as administrators scrambled to prepare for an inevitable school closing and students went through their days, having no idea that they would not return to campus for over six months. Dateline spoke with school officials, teachers, and students to tell that story.

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

wisnews

MARCH 2021

An update on the fight for a new science building SCIENCE BUILDING, from page 1 that the ANC “supported many aspects of [the design], but didn’t fully endorse it.” Because WIS is located on the Tregaron Conservancy, a historic plot of land, COURTESY OF SUZANNA JEMSBY any proposed additions to the campus have to be approved by the HPRB. Meeting An image of the current design for the new science building, which will replace the Dacha. Construction on the building, which will take up to two years, is not with the HPRB was WIS’s second step. In the past, the school has completely expected to begin for several years. redesigned the building plan several times organizations have needed to move to a Trish Beck agrees with Jemsby that new due to objections from the HPRB. virtual setting in order to be able to [meet science facilities are a necessity. Beck According to Jemsby, the original with us]. And while schools quickly move observed several issues in the Carriage building design would’ve stood behind the to understand how to use the technology, House, such as unreliable heating and Carriage House and faced Macomb Street. these are usually volunteer organizations cooling systems and a lack of room to store This meant that the building was going to that [are] less motivated to move things equipment. be extremely visible from the street. “The around,” Jemsby said. Sophomore Eleanor Hawkins feels neighbors on Macomb Street really fought Jemsby described how WIS began that the current building’s flaws make it it, and they convinced the [HPRB] that it planning a new science building in 2012, more difficult to conduct labs and demonwas not the right move for this estate,” long before she came to the school. The strations in science classes. “In the physics Jemsby said. past administration “looked at the state of room, the tables are not completely level, After the HPRB shot down the original the current science building, in particular which makes labs difficult and creates a lot design in 2018, the school had to start over the Carriage House labs—the sheer size of of error in labs that depend on even surfacand create a new plan in a brand-new loca- them, and how they’re put together—[and] es,” Hawkins said. tion. Once they finalized a design and re- established a need back then for a new One idea Beck proposed to the adminceived ANC feedback, the administration’s building.” istration is creating a more modern layout next step was meeting with the HPRB Upper School Biology & Environmen- for the new science labs. Some schools again. tal Systems and Societies (ESS) teacher have “half a lab, half a classroom. And The onset of COVID-19 severely the labs are these more mobile or portaslowed down this process. “We first went in Science building: The road to approval ble pods, so you can move them around; front of HPRB almost a year ago, and then they’re not necessarily stuck in one place. Advisory Neighborhood Commission it took another eight months to get back in It’s a more flexible space,” Beck said. ANC 3c, a group of locally elected front of them with what were minor chang Despite recent accomplishments, neighborhood representatives, made a es. [Every time] you think you’re there, recommendation to approve the building last Jemsby hasn’t dismissed the possibility there’s another challenge and COVID ceryear after multiple bouts with WIS over the of more neighborhood interference furtainly slowed down the sequencing of all building’s location and design. ther slowing down the building’s develthese meetings,” Jemsby said. opment. “You never quite know with this Historic Preservation Review Board Despite having trouble scheduling neighborhood,” she said. “An individual The HPRB, which oversees historic meetings during the pandemic, the HPRB person could decide that they don’t like preservation matters in D.C., approved the ultimately approved the minor changes to [the building plan], and they can slow the most recent design. The HPRB rejected the the building plan. Now, the school is enteroriginal plan in 2018. proceedings by filing a suit. So even if the ing the third phase, which is meeting with individual has no real validity to their case, Board of Zoning Adjustments the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). it’s still going to be heard. With WIS, we WIS will go in front of the BZA for final The BZA will examine business operdon’t really want to spend a whole lot of approval in May. The BZA oversees zoning ations that construction of the building money and time on the next phase of deand any operations that a new building may might disrupt. The meeting is currently sign if indeed this won’t be successful.” disrupt. scheduled to take place in May. “All three

The two worlds of WIS: Some Senior class students still fully virtual six reunites for mock exams months into hybrid model By TOBIA CAVANNA, 2022

By REBEKA TATHAM, 2022 For the vast majority of the WIS community, school life has settled into a new rhythm, a rotating cycle between the classrooms of Zoom and Tregaron, since the school adopted a cohort system in the fall. However, for the 4% of students who have selected to remain full online, the experience is different. For sophomore Eleanor Hawkins, a fully virtual learning environment grants a level of flexibility not possible with in-person learning. “With full online I can get my work done right away, and I definitely find myself being more productive when I have the ability to set my own schedule,” Hawkins said. Junior Maya Lopez further emphasised the merits of independent learning. “Online has really allowed me to discover how I work best, and I have found that making my own schedule and self-teaching works really well for me,” Lopez, who elected to remain virtual until early March, explained. Despite these advantages, there is an

element of in-person learning that is difficult to replicate online, “It hurts, not being able to see people every day and have that kind of school environment,” Senior Marama Diaz-Asper said. For Hawkins, this loss of social interaction motivated her return to Tregaron, “I realized that this way of COVID learning isn’t going to last forever, and wanted to see what the new normal looked like at WIS”. However, for some students, returning to campus remains inaccessible until health and safety conditions regarding COVID shift. “If certain members of my family were vaccinated, and I knew that I wasn’t posing a risk to them, that’s when I would think about returning”, Diaz-Asper said. “I think the choice we all have in deciding whether to go in or not is a control that’s difficult to find right now,” Lopez said. “There are definitely pros and cons to both options, but I like that I have the chance to figure out what model works best for me, and stick with it.”

During the last week of February and the first week of March, the Class of 2021 sat for their mock exams (simulations of final IB exams) in person as a whole grade. The class was undivided by cohort, after a year of distance and hybrid learning. Seniors were able to reunite as a class. “It felt very surreal to see the whole grade back at school together in so long,” senior Tommaso Forni said. “It felt very good to be back in school without the hybrid model for a short period of time,” senior Sofia Giorgianni said. “There were some people that I was seeing for the first time in almost a year.” In order to maintain social distancing, students took the exams in the gym, theater, and library. “I was skeptical at first... but after almost a week of mocks, I think WIS did a proper job at spacing and distancing everyone out,” Giorgianni said. Proctors made sure to sanitize and disinfect desks after testing was over. Additionally, seniors were advised to leave campus afterwards, in order to limit lingering after school.

REBEKA TATHAM/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

TOP: Students play socially-distant soccer at lunch. BOTTOM: Juniors Maya Lopez (left) and Mariana Savastano (right) play badminton on the reopened field.

Field reopens for lunchtime use By ROSE BOEHM, 2022 Before COVID-19 shut down school, students crowded around the picnic tables while others laid in the sun or played soccer on the field. After nearly a year of the field being closed for everything but sports practices, the field reopened for lunch, allowing aspects of WIS traditions to return. To adhere to COVID guidelines, the upper school leadership team put specific measures in place. Students are prevented from guarding while playing soccer or coming within close proximity to each other. “We felt, after seeing how responsible students have been and how responsive they’ve been, that if we gave guidelines and clear direction about what we’re expecting that we could [open the field] and so far we’ve been really impressed,” 9/10 Assistant Principal Allison Ewing said. “I could hear them on the field going like, ‘Hey, don’t get too close’ or ‘no contact.’ They were actually monitoring themselves.” Despite having to follow regulations, students remarked that the reopening has helped school feel more normal and allowed them to blow off steam during the day. “I kind of got tired of just sitting in the chairs for 30 minutes, and it was nice to be able to go out,” junior Dominic Torres-Garcia said. However, not all feel a boost in morale. Spirit coordinator and junior Rauf Hurcan feels “indifferent” and thinks WIS traditions like dances, sports practices and games, and performances are more effective. There are some sports practices without actual gameplay, performances are all virtual, and there have been no dances. “Those after school types of practices are more effective in [increasing] spirit than opening the field up for lunch,” Hurcan said. Despite not all students feeling a change in normalcy, Ewing feels excited to see a so-called WIS tradition play out for her to see. “It’s been really incredible to see students being able to sort of move around freely,” Ewing said.

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

features

MARCH 2021

Generation We: ‘Born out of an era of activism’

By ABIGAIL BOWN, 2023

orest green Nike Air Force 1s are sitting on a table in the middle of the Dacha. The brown wood of the cabin walls complements the brown Nike swoosh on each shoe. On either side of the table, two clothing racks full of clothing are waiting to be bought. A poster taped to the Dacha door reads “Generation We Thrift Store”. Seniors Sophia Nehme and Sofia Giorgianni started the Generation We club, Gen We, in 2019. The club is devoted to “student activism within WIS and the greater D.C. community,” according to its mission statement. Gen We was initially sustainability focused and held a thrifting event on November 22, 2019, to promote second-hand clothing and encourage WIS students to avoid shopping from fast-fashion brands. The event doubled as an environmentally sustainable shopping opportunity for students and a teaching opportunity for Gen We. “Members of the club [donated] their secondhand clothes or clothes that they [didn’t] really wear anymore, and then we [resold] them to the WIS community all while presenting, and educating about the issue of fast fashion,” Nehme said. The thrift store raised just under $300 and 100 percent of the proceeds were donated to the NGO Fashion Revolution. Fashion Revolution’s goal is to have “a global fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values peo-

PUBLISHED BY VANESSA SCHOR

Two pages from Generation We’s presidential election zine in November 2020.

ple over growth and profit,” according to their vision statement. Continuing to advocate for sustainability, Gen We focused on recycling and food waste initiatives. “We created recycling and trash signs to serve as a visual reminder for what goes in each bin,” Nehme said. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Nehme and Giorgianni were forced to adapt by changing

their original focus on sustainability to a member-driven model. “We wanted to hold discussions on prevalent topics that were at the desire of the club members,” Giorgianni explained. During the transitional period between the beginning of the pandemic and the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Gen We dove into discussing the falsified expectations of social media and the silver linings of COVID.

As the new school year commenced, Nehme and Giorgianni focused their club on creating informal magazines called zines. The zines have covered topics such as reproductive justice, the Black Lives Matter movement in professional sports, and the 2020 presidential election. Gen We’s next zine on cancel culture is coming out mid-March. Despite the club’s work in activism, both club leaders are concerned about its future, especially after the end of the Trump administration in January 2020. “Our club was born out of an era of activism, where everybody was talking about certain issues and certain changes that were occurring, like reproductive justice,” Nehme said. Thus, maintaining activism at WIS is Nehme’s main goal. “It will be so rewarding if [Giorgianni] and I come back after a couple of years, and the club is still going strong, keeping whatever administration and whatever current issues accountable,” Nehme said. Giorgianni’s goal is to expand the club throughout grade levels and gender. “I think that sometimes we focus on issues that are stereotypically more appealing to females,” she said. “I think that we can continue to try and diversify the club members [to] get as many people to participate as we can.” Giorgianni makes a final point. “At the end of the day, we’re all there for a common reason, which is change.”

Gender noncomforming students on their experiences at WIS By JENNA LOESCHER-CLARK, 2024

he media has recently begun to represent the broadening and changing definitions of gender, especially among Generation Z. The lines between gender identity and gender expression are blurring, and a variety of labels are coming to light. These labels can be difficult to understand, especially with a lack of exposure. Everyone has a different relationship with their gender identity. For some, gender plays an important role in society and in their identity. For others, gender may not be a core identifier. The following are two personal profiles of WIS students speaking about their experiences as gender non-conforming teens.

Martina Tognato Guáqueta ‘24

Tognato Guáqueta identifies as genderqueer, queer, and uses all pronouns (she/he/they). Tognato Guáqueta has been out about her queer sexuality for a while but has recently discovered her gender identity. They use the label “gender-queer,” which caters to many different people and their rela-

COURTESY OF MARTINA TOGNATO GUAQUETA

Martina Tognata Guáqueta displays her identity during pride month.

tionships to gender. It allows for more lee- also in regards to the LGBT+ community way instead of a specific, niche label. in general. Occasionally, jokes have used “At WIS, being out is new for me. Luck- LGBT+ people as a punchline, where “the ily it hasn’t been that difficult, however, I butt of the joke is that they use they/them have heard some off comments here and pronouns as if it’s something negative,” there,” Tognato Guáqueta said. Tognato Guáqueta said. Gender-queer people use a variety of Overall, Tognato Guáqueta hopes that pronouns. Some use all of them, two of cis-het (cisgender heterosexual; identify them, or choose one that they are most with gender assigned at birth, attracted comfortable with. solely to the opposite gender) people and Tognato Guáqueta considers himself the student body in general keep in mind to be a more “stereotypically presenting that “not all gender-queer humans look the LGBT+ person,” which has left him vulner- same, do the same stuff, and experience able to homophobia inside and outside of the same things.” WIS. Instances of homophobia are limited to offhanded comments and repeated AJ Hunwicks ‘24 jokes, but they are still present. AJ Hunwicks identifies as agender and “It can be very stigmatized at school. uses they/them. At first glance, WIS is very accepting… Hunwicks is one of the few out a-genbut if you look deeper, there are certain der people in the Class of 2024. A-gender [behaviors] that are remeans fitting out of peated and not correctthe “standard” ideas ed. [However,] that’s “Now that I have people around of gender or being only noticed if you’re in me who are sure of my gender “gender-less” or “abthe community and acsent of gender.” For identity and affirm it, I feel much tually look for it,” Togsome, it can mean more comfortable knowing that that their gender nato Guáqueta said. I know who I am.” Tognato Guáqueta isn’t important or AJ HUNWICKS vital to their identifeels that their experience as a gender-queer ty, but the term can person at WIS has been “scary but refresh- mean different things to different people. ing at the same time” and overall decently Hunwicks has recently come out and is neutral. still transitioning into everyone knowing Tognato Guáqueta doesn’t clarify and and using they/them pronouns. specify her identity often. “I think my mind is freaking out about “I have been pretty silent about [my just how fast everything has moved, from identity and pronouns]. I feel like it’s just knowing who I am to then everybody because of the lack of education about knowing who I am. But it’s not necessarily all identities...If I told a random class- a bad thing, just an unknown thing,” Hunmate, they would be like ‘what?’” Tognato wicks said. Guáqueta said. When describing their experience as WIS has on many occasions led dis- a-gender at WIS, Hunwicks has found it cussions regarding gender and sexuality, to generally be neutral. They describe how but Tognato Guáqueta thinks it is hard for though they are getting used to everyone those conversations to be effective, espe- knowing, even the “little things” like the cially due to student reactions and reten- correct pronouns and name use help them tion. feel validated and happy. “The whole school does not react the Similar to Tognato Guáqueta, Hunsame way...I know people that will simply wicks has not experienced any direct honot listen, or joke about it, or not take it mophobia or transphobia but has seen seriously,” she said. some problematic behaviors and reactions This joking response not only occurs to education.“[I’ve] never heard anything in reaction to learning experiences, but directly targeted towards me, just general

behavior and things said behind people’s backs,” Hunwicks said. Along with that, Hunwicks has noticed that some cis-het people simply do not care to retain the information taught about gender and sexual identity. Hunwicks believes it is important to have conversations about gender identity with everyone, not only about people who classify off the gender binary. Anyone can have a unique relationship with their gender and gender expression.

COURTESY OF AJ HUNWICKS

Ninth grader AJ Hunwicks, pictured above, identifies as agender and uses they/them pronouns.

“Even if you are cis, your identity and relationship with gender is still different than other cis people,” Hunwicks said. Though there are not many gender-neutral bathrooms stationed around campus, and many WIS emails and activities use gendered language, Hunwicks now feels more comfortable and confident with their identity. “Now that I have people around me who are sure of my gender identity and affirm it, I feel much more comfortable knowing that I know who I am. Just because I am using this bathroom [female]” does not mean I [identify as a female].”

Read a third profile at wisdateline.org/category/features

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

MARCH 2021

specialreport

COVID, cancellations, and closing: The story of WIS’s first encounters with the pandemic ONE YEAR, from page 1 where he taught remotely. They eventually made it back to their home in Chengdu in the spring. Jemsby noted that speaking with Wang in February was the first time she heard about the pandemic upending in-person instruction. “I think we all thought, well, it’s not going to hit the States in the same way. So we didn’t think it was relevant for us,” she said. “And then it just came like a snowball.”

‘A vortex of everything going down the pan’

y February, cases started arriving in the U.S. On February 24, the academic teams from the primary, middle, and upper schools met to begin developing contingency plans for online learning. By March 7, each division had drafted a full proposal for what online learning might look like, and the plan was finalized the same week WIS shut down. Among all of this, a flurry of cancellations was starting. First, on January 28, the June trip to China was canceled. On March 2, the eighth grade trip to Paris, scheduled for late March, was also postponed, as cases in Europe were climbing. The eighth grade language trip to Peru and the 10th grade service trip to New Orleans, also scheduled for late March, were still expected to take place. “Of course, with the constantly-evolving situation, we cannot rule out the possibility of these trips being affected,” Jemsby wrote in an email that day. On March 9, the trips to New Orleans and Peru were postponed. The primary reason for the decision was the travel restrictions that could have prevented the groups from returning to Washington.

COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA WILDING

Althaus sings “Happy Birthday” at a Middle School assembly on March 11, 2020, to teach students to sing the song twice while handwashing.

“We were naive. We rescheduled [the Peru trip] for June, rebooked all of our tickets, then we rescheduled again for October. And we had no idea that it would be this long,” Althaus said. Freshman Jake Drimmer was disappointed about the cancellation, but notes that the Class of 2024 isn’t attached to eventually going to Peru. “I think people have moved on for the most part,” he said. Junior Dominic Torres-Garcia re-

members being on ly wash their hands the outdoor basket- A year later, Dateline looks popped up around ball court when his campus. On March back at the final days of 10, the Middle School friends started rushing to check their held an assembly to normalcy at Tregaron emails. They had discuss online learnjust gotten word that ing and give instructhe New Orleans trip was canceled. “I was tions on handwashing and physical dispissed off about it. But I got over it eventu- tancing. With a “Keep Calm and Wash Your ally, honestly,” Torres-Garcia said. Hands’’ sign projected on the gym screen, Susan Chung-Fontaine, an English Althaus led students in a middle schoolteacher and Class of 2022 advisor, remem- wide singing of “Happy Birthday” to enbers the disappointment students and courage students to sing the song twice teachers felt about the trip’s cancelation. while washing their hands. Students had already gotten excited about “I think back now and kind of cringe at the trip and chosen their service projects having all the kids in the gym together on for the week. Advisories had made restau- the bleachers,” Althaus said. rant reservations.“In retrospect, it’s understandable. But leading up to it we were like, can we get around this? Do we really have to cancel the trip?” Chung-Fontaine said. The senior Civil Rights trip and a Mock Trial trip to Richmond were also called off on March 9, the Monday before WIS shut down. Jemsby describes the cascade of cancellations as “a vortex of everything going down the pan.”

Preparing for the inevitable

or students, the last week of school was business as usual. Spring sports practices were starting. Upperclassmen crowded Davies Hall at lunch. Some students were preparing for opening night of the Upper School production of “Metamorphoses” on March 12. Nonetheless, issues concerning safety lingered over Tregaron among some parents and teachers. On March 7, there was a case of COVID-19 at Christ Episcopal Church in Georgetown. One WIS family who attended that church isolated at home. Teachers spent the Tuesday and Thursday afternoons of that week training for distance learning. On March 11, Jemsby announced that a teacher’s spouse started showing some COVID symptoms, and that teacher was staying home. The day before, the faculty had met in the Dacha and the teacher who had been possibly exposed was present. This stoked anxiety in some teachers. It was never confirmed whether the teacher’s spouse actually had COVID due to the shortage of tests at the time. “What we knew about COVID at the time was if you clean a classroom, you should be fine. But my god did some of the faculty freak out, so we had to make a very big deal of getting the most aggressive cleaners and basically fumigating the classroom and not letting anybody in for 24 hours,” Jemsby said. There was a deep cleaning of certain spaces on campus during the evening of March 11. During those few weeks where the coronavirus was a threat, but the U.S. had not shut down, parents reached out to administrators citing their concerns. Some of their parents’ requests underscored the frenzy of the weeks leading up to the shutdown. “People would say you need to do what they’re doing in France. The example was given of how they’re collecting sewage in a town and figuring out the levels of COVID infection,” Jemsby said. “I’m not about to go and collect the sewage here at WIS and figure this out.” Signs reminding students to proper-

COURTESY OF CLARA MELLO

The Upper School play, “Metamorpheses,” opened on March 12, one day before WIS closed. The final two nights of the play were canceled.

Shutting down

he week before WIS closed, Jemsby met with officials from the State Department to discuss a plan to bring IB students who were stranded from their homes in China to WIS. The students would have begun attending classes at WIS and taken their IB exams at Tregaron. This was when many people believed the coronavirus would not hit the U.S. hard. “We were planning to give the kids a community because they were so massively isolated,” Jemby said. “And then, of course, days later, we don’t have a community ourselves to really bring them into.” Other local schools were already shutting down, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced limits on gatherings. On March 12 all students and parents received an email from the administration: “In light of all the information we have received and reviewed, we have determined the best course of action is to close school for students after Friday, March 13.” “I think it’s sad that when the announcement came out, the senior lounge was kind of cheering,” WIS Class of 2020 graduate Zoe Abel said. A similar jubilant reaction prevailed among students around campus. Sophomores were jumping on top of each other in joy in the Hall of Peace, and many students were excited to have two weeks off from school. Even after WIS students had been sent home on March 13, Jemsby opted to bring teachers to campus the following Monday and Tuesday to further prepare for distance learning. Teachers and administrators collected belongings and learned more about the virtual model. The decision was met with concern as the virus was spreading in the D.C. area and there was limited social distancing over the two days. “I’m still glad we did it, because I think our teachers went in better prepared than

some other schools to handle the challenges of teaching in a virtual model,” Jemsby said. On March 18 and March 19, WIS held the first day of virtual learning. “I remember that first morning to be quite honest, just laying my stuff out on my kitchen counter and teaching in this way, for the first time ever,” Chung-Fontaine said. “It was a little bit of a shock.” Jemsby wanted to start a “pilot” plan to return to school in-person during April. But on March 30, Bowser announced a stay-at-home order. Bowser didn’t lift the order until May 28, just 13 days before the last day of the 2019-20 school year.

Looking back

bel, now a college freshman, has regrets about March 13. “There’s teachers I would want to say thank you to for being there for four years and for teaching me and for helping me grow as a person,” Abel said. “Those are difficult conversations to have over FaceTime.” On October 5, WIS returned students to campus for the first time, and the hybrid model has remained in place ever since. In late November, the school introduced a pooled COVID testing program, testing students on campus every Monday and Friday. For Wang, coming to WIS has felt like repeating what he went through a year ago. “It feels like a roller coaster in a way because I went through the whole cycle while I was there. We started distance learning. We did that for a couple months, then went back to school. Everything resumed,” he said. When Wang came to Washington in the fall, that cycle repeated: he started the year teaching on Zoom and eventually returned to campus with precautions in place. Both Jemsby and Althaus expressed gratitude for teachers. When WIS announced the transition to hybrid October, the school did not give all teachers the option to teach from home. Jemsby referred to another independent school in the area, which allowed teachers to work from home. Many of the school’s teachers refused to return to the classroom unless they were vaccinated. However, until March 10, teachers could only qualify for the vaccine if they had worked in person, delaying the return of many teachers. Appointments opened for teachers teaching in person on February 1. “You [students] can go on winter break or spring break and see your family and then participate in at-home learning, but teachers have to come to campus and they have to cut visits short,” Althaus said. “Many of them opted out of travel, myself included. I haven’t seen my family in almost two years now.” While everybody was at home in the spring, Jemsby and Director of Facilities and Operations Dale Temple came to an eerily quiet Tregaron every day. “There were two of us here rattling around the building by ourselves. And it was just such a tragedy. I thought ‘this is crazy,’” Jemsby said. “We have a school right here. Why can’t we be here?” Additional reporting by Rebeka Tatham, 2022

covid timeline 2020

January 28 Language trip to China is canceled

March 2

March 9

Eighth grade trip to Paris is canceled

Eighth grade trip to Peru, 10th grade trip to New Orleans are postponed, later to be canceled

March 13 WIS shuts down in-person learning, shifts to virtual model

March 30 D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announces stay-at-home order

May 28 Bowser lifts the stay-at-home order

June 10 Last day of 2019-20 school year

MARCH 2021

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

A PANDEMIC YEAR

By the numbers: WIS’s pooled testing program and vaccine progress

8,745

11%

6,227 2,518 Tests administered to students at Primary School and Tregaron

1 7

Positive pool in Kindergarten Spanish class on March 22 Student COVID-19 cases discovered outside of pooled testing since November as of March 24. Not all students were contagious on campus.

Tests administered to faculty and staff, contractors, and vendors

1 1

WIS teachers become eligible for COVID vaccine By MAIA NEHME, 2023

On February 1, WIS students were given a half day after D.C. independent school teachers were made eligible to sign up at noon to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. However, many teachers were unable to book their appointments immediately. “You’d look for an open appointment and click on it and hope that nobody else had beat you to it. [And] there was no guarantee if one appeared that you would actually get it,” Upper School Physics Teacher Bill Canham said. Although some teachers experienced symptoms from either vaccine dose, many were unaffected. Canham, who received the Pfizer vaccine, described the day he received his second dose. “My daughter hit me on the arm and I barely felt it,” he said. Despite difficulties signing up for a slot and some individuals experiencing flu-like symptoms, most teachers feel positively about their overall experience. “While it was a little hectic at times, that is very minimal in my book, as far as the greater good to of faculty and staff have society and protection to me and to received at least one dose of my family members,” Upper School a vaccine as of March 22 English Teacher Karin Tooze said.

of faculty and staff have not received a vaccine as of March 22

Tests administered between November 30 and March 19

False postive test result for an MS/US faculty pool in December 2020

89%

Positive primary school faculty pool in early February. The positive individual quarantined at home

DATA COURTESY OF KIMBERLY BENNETT AND WIS.EDU; GRAPHIC BY SAUL PINK

food Best TikTok recipes of the pandemic year When COVID-19 forced everybody to stay at home last March, many turned to social media as a form of entertainment. One platform became particularly popular: TikTok. Over a year later, Dateline’s food editor takes a look back at the year’s best TikTok recipes. By JULIA DELL’ARICCIA, 2022

Homemade Focaccia 6 hours (including baking and dough resting)

My personal favorite from quarantine is bread. Bread making became a craze earlier this year on TikTok so it is only appropriate to share it here. Here is the recipe for the BEST focaccia in the world. 1. Whisk the lukewarm water, honey and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes. This step is crucial as it is what will allow your focaccia to rise later on. If the mixture does not bubble by the end of the ten • 2 and 1/4 minutes it means your yeast is dead and you must try teaspoons of again. active dry yeast 2. Add the flour and salt to your bowl. Mix with a rubber • 2 teaspoon spatula until there are no patches of flour remaining. honey 3. In a large bowl, pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil and • 5 cups alltransfer your dough. Flip the dough around in the purpose flour bowl until it is coated in oil. • 6 tablespoons 4. Dampen a kitchen towel and cover your bowl with it, olive oil (+extra be sure there is little to no air reaching the dough. for hands) 5. Let the dough rise for 3-4 hours, it should double in • 5 teaspoons size. (about 1.5 6. Butter the pan of your choice and pour 2 tablespoons tablespoons) of olive oil in the center. kosher salt 7. Transfer your dough from the bowl to the pan and let (+ extra for the dough rise in a warm place (like near a radiator) sprinkling) for 2-4 hours. • 2 tablespoons 8. Preheat the oven to 450°F butter 9. Using your fingers, spread the dough on the pan by • Rosemary poking it aggressively (as if you were a grandmother • Container learning to text or aggressively playing the piano). 10. Once the dough is spread generously sprinkle it with flaky salt and rosemary and drizzle additional olive oil. 11. Bake for 15-30 minutes or until golden brown. 12. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!

JULIA DELL’ARICCIA/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

For two more recipes, head to wisdateline.org/category/food •

Feta Pasta 45 minutes

• • •

It would be a disgrace to TikTok food lovers • everywhere if we did • not include the viral baked feta pasta in this • list.

August 24

October 5

November 30

First day of 2020-21 school year, classes remain virtual

WIS shifts to hybrid learning

WIS begins pooled testing program

2021

Banana Bread 1 hour (including baking) Next we have Banana Bread. Nothing can really beat warm banana bread with ooey-gooey chocolate chips and TikTok took that to heart with variation upon variation of the bread going viral. 1. Blend: (yes, physically put it in a blender): 1 cup flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking • 3 very ripe soda, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, mashed 1/2 teaspoon salt. bananas 2. Mix in a separate bowl: 3 very • 3/4 cup maple ripe mashed bananas, 3/4 cup syrup maple syrup, 1/2 cup melted • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla coconut oil 3. Preheat oven to 350°F • 1 teaspoon 4. Mix dry and wet ingredients and vanilla add dark chocolate chips • 1 cup flour 5. Butter a 8x5 inch loaf pan • 1 cup rolled 6. Spoon the batter into the oats prepared pan • 1 teaspoon 7. Bake for 35-45 minutes: check baking powder in on the bread by using a • 1 teaspoon toothpick to check if it is fully baking soda cooked (insert the toothpick • 1 tablespoon into the middle of the bread: if cinnamon the toothpick comes out clean • 1/2 teaspoon and dry then it is ready, if the salt toothpick comes out with batter on it it is not ready)

16 oz. cherry tomatoes 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic 1 block of feta 4-5 tablespoons olive oil Salt Pepper 4-5 cups of cooked short pasta of your choice

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F 2. Place the block of feta in the center of a 9x9 inch oven safe pan 3. Surround the feta with chopped garlic and tomatoes, drizzly with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt 4. Bake for 30 minutes (or until the feta is soft) 5. Boil water for and cook your pasta while the tomatoes and feta are in the oven 6. Take feta and tomatoes out of the oven. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the pan. Mix. 7. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper to enjoy.

February 1 WIS faculty begin making vaccine appointments

March 13 One year anniversary of WIS shutting down GRAPHIC BY ANDERS WESTERMANN

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

opinion

MARCH 2021

Despite calls to cancel, WIS should hold IB exams By NICOLAS GREAMO, 2021 As the world continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, academics, in particular, have suffered greatly under these circumstances. Some of the starkest examples of the impact of the pandemic on education can be seen through the changes to standardized tests, including the IB exams. Last year, these tests were canceled outright in the pandemic’s early stages, including at WIS. While these are difficult circumstances in which to hold these kinds of assessments, IB exams are a vital and necessary component of the curriculum that should be held if possible. However, as current seniors are looking towards this coming exam season, some schools around the world have already chosen whether or not to hold these exams. Several weeks ago, the International Baccalaureate announced that exams would not be taking place at all in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, in a survey of international schools, the IB found that only 71% of schools, comprising about 61% of total students, believed that they would be able to administer exams in May. Among international students, there has been a significant degree of controversy over the decision to hold IB exams. An online petition to the IB requesting the cancellation of exams for the classes of 2020 and 2021 received more than 47,000 signatures while another garnered nearly 13,000 signatures. Attempts to cancel the IB exams have also gained some support from WIS seniors. While there are some solid reasons behind the opposition to holding exams, such as preventing the spread of COVID-19 and the impacts of the pandemic on student’s ability to learn the necessary content, these arguments tend to downplay the importance of the IB exams and the impact of their cancellation.

ILLUSTRATION BY CLARA MELLO

For many students, IB scores are vital for college admissions, and discrepancies between a student’s predicted grades and their final score prove disastrous. Last year, because no IB exams were held in May, students were given their final grades through an algorithm based on their predicted scores, Internal Assessments (IAs) and other coursework, and historical data from previous examination sessions. While the algorithm itself has been kept secret by the IB, its impacts on students have been dramatic. Horror stories of students getting final grades significantly lower than their predicted grades abound, with some students receiving scores 12 points lower than they were expected to earn. As a result, many students were unable to meet the requirements for university offers conditional on their IB grades. The decision as to whether to take

the IB exams has profound consequences on all students, particularly given the IB’s stance that exams will be held on a schoolby-school basis. Undoubtedly, the exams represent a fairer and more reasonable measure of a student’s academic performance than an opaque algorithmic process. But if the alternative to taking IB exams seems to have such adverse effects on students and their chances of admission to colleges, why are so many students opposed to taking them? One of the most critical arguments relates to public health and to the potential implications of holding exams on the spread of COVID-19. Having so many students in one place to take exams does present some degree of risk. Furthermore, it is impossible to predict exactly what the conditions will be like in May, especially with regards to vaccinations and new and more dangerous

COVID-19 variants. While the safety of students and their families must be a top priority, the risk of taking exams does not seem to be that significant. As a senior who recently went to school to do mock exams, I feel that the measures WIS has implemented seem to be working effectively enough, particularly since the school plans to have only seniors and juniors on campus during the first two weeks of exams. However, as the recent COVID-19 cases at WIS have shown, caution should still be exercised when it comes to infections, as the situation can change dramatically in a very short period of time. Another common concern is that the academic disruptions from COVID-19 will substantially affect students’ ability to perform on the exams. However, it seems like the IB has sought to adapt the exams in light of these disruptions, even removing some exam papers entirely or altering them significantly to reduce the amount of material required to learn. While each course’s exam has been altered differently by the IB, they seem to be proportionate relative to the effects of the pandemic on the IB curriculum. For example, the experiment-focused Paper III and the Group 4 project have been removed entirely from the curriculum of the natural sciences. The removal of these exam components is also accompanied by alterations to how the exams are graded by the IB, who have said they may mark more generously than in years past. Today, the path towards the IB exams remains somewhat unclear. It may be entirely possible, although somewhat unlikely, that the tests are not held for the second year in a row. But as the experiences of the class of 2020 show, the cancellation of these assessments may do more harm than good, particularly for students relying on solid IB scores to get into college.

The debate over open gradebooks Is it time to give students 24/7 access to their grades? By ELISE NAFTULIN, 2022 Could it be? Are open gradebooks (finally) on the brink of becoming reality? In recent weeks, there has been renewed discussion about whether Upper School students should have on-demand access to their cumulative class grades. The WIS community remains divided on the issue, and up until recently I was staunchly pro-open gradebook — I was one of the 44 juniors (out of the 44 responses) who voted in its favor on a recent Instagram survey done by the 11th-grade ISU representatives. But since then I’ve come to appreciate the merits of both sides of the discussion.

The case for open gradebooks

It’s hard not to see the appeal of open gradebooks, especially in a year when demanding schoolwork is set against constantly-shifting, unpredictable national politics. Even within the world of WIS, there is lingering uncertainty over what a post-COVID future might look like, or whether it will even arrive. All this uncertainty can be stressful, and without an effective system for keeping track of our progress, grades can present an additional level of instability. Once implemented, open gradebooks would give students control over their academics in a pandemic when control is hard to come by. Communication within the WIS community is vital for the same reason, and any student can attest to its importance. In the months since last March, there have been massive improvements in transparency from the administration. This success lies in the consistency of the communication. Updates are released consistent-

ly in newsletters and assemblies, which students can access directly and regularly instead of relying on hearsay. There was even an extra grade report added between progress reports and report cards. The administration clearly recognizes that grades should be as accessible as possible. Open gradebooks are the logical next step in that direction. In order for the move to be most effective, teachers would have to synchronize their grading so that the gradebook is always as updated as it can be. But whatever the new system may be, gradebooks themselves are nothing new to WIS. They’re just not open to us. But once they are, students can keep track of their grades independently and not have to constantly ask their advisors or teachers.

The case against open gradebooks

A common argument against open gradebooks is that WIS is already a competitive pressure cooker and that open gradebooks will just up the heat. I disagree. In my experience, lots of WIS students find plenty of non-gradebook-related ways to compete with each other, whether by comparing test scores, extracurriculars, or the supposed difficulty of their IB courses. It is unlikely that easily-accessible grades will noticeably alter the amount of competition among students. However, open gradebooks will add a degree of certainty to the competitiveness that didn’t exist before. As mentioned earlier, certainty is largely a good thing. But it does mean that competition among students will no longer be based on estimates of grades — it will be based on actual percentages, accurate to a few decimal plac-

es. Open gradebooks might make students more acutely aware of who is outperforming them in a class and by how much, in the same way that students often find out how their classmates did on a particular test. In this way, open gradebooks’ transparency could be a double-edged sword. Students might become more anxious about others’ perceptions of their progress, which could lead to more unhealthy behaviors such as obsessive grade-checking. Even if students don’t constantly check the gradebook, there is the strong possibility that their parents will frequently ask to see their grades once they’re available. Advisors can already see the breakdown of their students’ grades in each class — if students’ OnCampus pages start showing the same information, parents might try to assess how every single assignment has affected their child’s grades. This openness could put tremendous pressure on students to constantly live up to their parents’ expectations, or at least, what they think their parents expect.

The bottom line

I still lean towards open gradebooks. At their core, they make students responsible for their own grades, which is an overall benefit to the WIS community. Although they might exacerbate pre-existing competition between students and pressure from parents, neither of those are new to WIS, and many students will experience them with or without a revised gradebook policy. Besides, if unforeseen factors make open gradebooks a terrible decision, the administration can always revoke them. Now more than ever, the time has come to implement open gradebooks.

international dateline March 2021 Editorial Board Editor-in-chief Saul Pink Managing Editors Nicolas Greamo Anders Westermann Publications Editor Rebeka Tatham Print Design Abigail Bown Saul Pink Rebeka Tatham MS Dateline Student Adviser Rose Boehm Marketing Managers Rani Kumar Natalie Sanchez Faculty Adviser Alexandra Wilding

WIS News Maia Nehme Sophie Racine Global News Camila Levey Sports Jonathan Baunsgaard Philip He Opinion Elise Naftulin Features Abigail Bown Emily Muenzer Arts Naomi Breuer Food Julia Dell’Ariccia Back Page Jonas Tomkin

International Dateline is a publication of the student body and therefore has a responsibility to reflect student, school, and community affairs. It will strive to inform, entertain, and inspire its readers in a broad, objective, and accurate manner. Dateline also provides an open forum for the opinions of the student body, Dateline staff, the faculty, the school administration, and people in the community. Dateline staff editorials reflect the opinion of Dateline’s editorial board. Over 50% of the editorial board must support the opinion. Editorials do not reflect the opinions of individual writers. Submit a letter to the editor: Go to wisdateline.org or scan the QR code on page 1. “Submit a letter to the editor” will appear in the top right corner of the screen. Letters must be under 250 words and can address any issue concerning Dateline or WIS.

INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

sports MARCH 2021

Senior athletes poised to compete at college level By ANDERS WESTERMANN, 2021

Charlton made it clear to me that if I needed to skip a practice to study for a test or lab, accommodations could be made,” Chao said. Clinton had a more seamless recruiting process compared to most. The Colby coach had evaluated her before the pandemic and even though she didn’t have the opportunity to visit the campus prior to her commitment, she knew it was the right fit. “I talked to a few coaches, but the Colby coach really stood out to me because she was the only coach who was a woman, and I’ve never had a female coach,” Clinton said. The center midfielder played for four years on the WIS Girls Varsity Soccer team, winning three PVAC league banners and three PVAC tournament banners. She also competed at the club level for Arlington Soccer Association. Now, she will be taking her talents to the northeast, going head to head with other liberal arts colleges such as Williams, Tufts, and Amherst. Whether in the pool, on the field, or on the piste, these WIS seniors are primed to make an impact in their respective sports.

WIS staff predict Premier League winners By PHILIP HE, 2022 With the Premier League closing in on its final quarter, the race for the title and top 4 has become even more heated. Here are WIS teachers’ Premier League predictions. Aside from Liverpool’s rocky start to the season, the reigning champions would have looked to be favorites for the title. The signing of midfielder Thiago Alcantara and forward Diogo Jota only looked to strengthen the squad further. However, the team has thus far remained unimpressive, especially with the piling injuries. Without key defenders such as Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, Liverpool has been forced to play players out of position. “They haven’t got the squad depth,” Liverpool fan and Middle and Upper School Math teacher Colin Buck said. “If you take out Van Dijk, you’re playing Henderson at the back who is now lost in midfield.” Additionally, the coronavirus has had a seemingly large effect on Liverpool. The Merseyside team was notorious for its winning streak at their home stadium Anfield.

However, with Liverpool now reaching a historic losing streak at home, Anfield has lost its touch. “I think they’re not doing well because the crowds are not there; home advantage doesn’t mean much anymore,” Buck said. “They’re now out of the title race.” Liverpool is not the only larger club to suffer with their current form. Out of the Premier League “big six” clubs, both Tottenham and Arsenal have faced a drop. “It’s difficult to watch [Arsenal play],” Arsenal supporter and History teacher Don Boehm said. “You don’t know what you are going to get. There are two faces, one very hopeful and one just looking backwards into an abyss.” Arsenal has thus far been inconsistent throughout the league. However, Boehm doesn’t think the lack of fans has had a negative impact on the team. “I think the Emirates might be an easier place to play without the fans,” Boehm said. “[Arsenal manager Mikel] Arteta’s been able to coach the players on the pitch better because there’s no distraction from

the noise.” Beyond the unpredictable results of the top clubs this season, Manchester United has proven to be one of the more consistent clubs. “This year, we are going to be comfortably top four,” Manchester United supporter Andrew Sopher said. However, regardless of the optimism surrounding United as a serious title contender, there is one clear favorite: Manchester City. Despite being a United fan, Sopher believes that City will run away with the title. “[City] are a collective team that no one can rival right now,” Sopher said. “You could argue that they have the best roster of players on the planet.” His opinion is echoed by other teachers including History teacher Nora Brennan and Physics teacher Tony Godwin. “[City] has got so much depth. They just buy their way and get all the players,” Buck said. “If someone gets injured like Aguero, you still have Sterling, Jesus, and Mahrez.”

Class of 2021 college sports commits

LIAM BYRNE A goalie, Byrne is committed to play water polo at Pomona College in Claremont, California.

MIA CHAO Chao will fence at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, one of just 44 sanctioned fencing programs in the country.

TATIANA CLINTON After three years of varsity soccer at WIS, Clinton will spend her next four years on the pitch at Colby College.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIAM BYRNE, MIA CHAO, AND TATIANA CLINTON (TOP TO BOTTOM)

Three WIS seniors have committed to play Division III sports next year. Liam Byrne will be playing water polo for Pomona College, Mia Chao is set to fence for Wellesley College, and Tatiana Clinton will be joining the Colby College soccer team. Despite this year’s untraditional college recruitment process in which campus visits and gameplay were halted, Pomona is a strong fit for Byrne, the 6-foot-2 goalie. “I really love the atmosphere at Pomona, and the coaching staff is incredible. While it is a Division III school, Pomona competes with all the top teams in the country, which means I can enjoy the Division III commitment to academics and essentially Division I athletics,” Byrne said. The school plays in conjunction with Pitzer College and together, the Sagehens compete against the likes of UCLA, the University of Southern California, and UC Irvine, where his older brother Aidan currently plays. Byrne is thrilled by the high level of competition and the prospect of carrying on his family’s success in collegiate athletics.

“My goal is to be a third generation national champion, after my grandpa won a national championship for Auburn football in 1956, and after my Dad won a national championship with Brown sailing in 1991,” he said. Chao, too, had a more difficult recruiting process than anticipated due to COVID-19. The pandemic “completely wrecked” her season, preventing her from setting new personal records and maximizing interest from college coaches. “Since I lost a lot of my opportunities to meet coaches at regional and national competitions, I had to do a lot of my networking via email and Zoom calls,” Chao said. “I personally mentioned in my emails the progress I was making via private lessons and Zoom classes to demonstrate that, despite the pandemic, I was still working my hardest to improve.” With only 44 universities in the US hosting sanctioned fencing programs, Chao is excited by the opportunity to play at the collegiate level. Though, Wellesley’s strong emphasis on academics stands out. “It was clear that Wellesley valued education above everything. Coach [Rob]

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arts D.T. and film teachers discuss pandemic-era arts

By NAOMI BREUER, 2024

he arts are crucial for the education of students, and now during a pandemic, it is more important than ever to keep students engaging in the arts. Teachers at WIS are persevering and doing all they can to keep students doing this. “A substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes,” says the Brookings Institution, a think tank based in D.C. Design Technology (D.T.) Teacher Lance Baldwin believes that the arts allow students to do something hands-on, rather than at a computer. “[Art] enables students to do work that is different than the normal course of the school day,” Baldwin said. Narrative Film Teacher and Film Club sponsor Michael McCorkle believes that keeping the arts alive is important because it keeps students thinking creatively and allows students to see the world through different perspectives. “You’re playing a character, whether it’s theater or a movie, you’re being

somebody else, you’re looking at the world through their eyes. And when we’re able to live and see other people’s experiences, it allows you to sort of build empathy for other people,” McCorkle said. However, teachers have noticed that students tend to push arts to the side when dealing with college preparation and academics, especially during the IB Program in 11th and 12th grade. “I do think we kind of struggle to keep up with some of the core subjects as far as how they are viewed as important or in the culture of the school,” Baldwin said. There have always been challenges with keeping the arts flourishing. The pandemic, though, has made this even more difficult. “For 16 years, my teaching has been intensely tied to a room. A room outfitted with computers and power tools and hand tools,” Baldwin said. “All kinds of equipment, electronics, and then all of a sudden, over the course of a weekend, all that disappeared.” However, Baldwin believes that the pandemic, overall, has impacted his course in a positive way. This is due to the fact

that he has adjusted the course to become tries to build community with students in more “process-based” rather than “proj- his class or club, as well as other clubs. ect-based”. “I want them to understand that this “[Their skills] are much more complete is about building community, this is about and deep now,” he said. staying connected. And we’re all in this to Additionally, Baldwin is very im- gether,” he said. pressed with the ways students have inde- So what can WIS do to keep the arts pendently come up with designs that relate thriving? McCorkle believes that the school to COVID, current events or just solving a needs more platforms to showcase student problem with the reartwork, especially sources they have at digital arts and film. home -many times When we’re able to live and see This allows students using only recycling other people’s experiences, it to have something or trash. allows you to sort of build empathy to be proud of and “I never thought lets the community my sixth graders for other people. admire their work. MICHAEL McCORKLE could build a craft It also may inspire NARRATIVE FILM TEACHER more students to try that would travel the length of a tub with out arts electives. only stored human power. I just thought McCorkle also suggests to his stu‘let’s try it,’ and they all did. Out of trash. dents that they take his course again next That’s kind of incredible,” he said. year because he wants them to know that To keep the arts alive at WIS, McCork- filmmaking looks different under normal, le is letting students have independence post-pandemic circumstances. when creating their own films, which al- “[I’m] just reminding students that, lows them to pursue topics that interest even though this is a reality for now, it’s them. He also does “craft services”, which not going to last forever.” means he gives out snacks as a bonus and

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MARCH 2021

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Gotta go! Your only guide to WIS’s bathrooms

By JONAS TOMKIN, 2021

regaron is known for its beautiful scenery, historic buildings, and rigorous academic classes. But many forget one of the most important parts of the campus: the restrooms. Tregaron is not super big, so when students, teachers, administrators, and IT workers need to conduct their very personal business, there are only a few places to choose from. Throughout WIS history, the second-floor mansion bathroom has been a hotspot for anyone needing to let off some steam, whether number one or number two. It is a personal bathroom

ILLUSTRATION BY CLARA MELLO

with just one toilet. Plus, it has a lock, giving students and faculty the same sense of comfort they would have back at home. Senior Dean Atassi loved to use the mansion’s second-floor bathroom in 9th and 10th grade, even if it meant making the trip from the AAA Building. “I would have free periods twice a cycle and if I needed to use the bathroom I would always just walk over to the mansion,” Atassi said, describing how taking Arabic classes gave him the opportunity to use the beloved bathroom more often than most underclassmen. Although one does get the full privacy of taking their time while taking a load off

in the private bathroom — there’s always the chance you will exit the restroom to another student or teacher waiting to breathe in the aftermath of your activity. The restroom has also been home to traumatizing incidents which might deter students and faculty from using it. On October 11, 2019, the toilet in the Mansion second floor bathroom was filled to the brim with fecal matter and toilet paper, causing a funk to spread through the mansion. It angered students. Dateline reported last year that some even suspected Assistant Principal for the IB Diploma Program James Bourke of causing the incident. Former ISU President Jakobi Haskell takes his toilet time very seriously during the school day. It’s a time to get away from the stress of the classroom and relax. Haskell said the upstairs mansion bathroom seemed like an ideal candidate when asked what his favorite bathroom was, however, he agrees that there would always be someone waiting while he was trying to make some room for lunch. “There’s too much demand and too little supply. People are always banging on the door asking me to leave, and I just can’t poop the same way when I’m anxious,” he said. Haskell stopped using the private bathroom as often and found a better place for his business. “The best one is the one on the second floor of the AAA building near the field. I like how it’s tucked away in the corner. People do go in and out, but when they see my feet, they just walk out,” Haskell said, explaining he never felt pressured to hurry up while letting off some steam. Students have no reason to wait for someone using the corner bathroom, as they can just hop over to the DT rooms and use the restroom there. Haskell is a veteran of the corner bathroom, and he said he prefers to go early in the morning “because the [cus-

todial staff] get the toilet seat nice and clean, just for me.” Senior Clara Mello did not think of either area when asked about her favorite spot on campus. “I usually go to the one across from the nurse’s office near the IB cafe,” Mello said, describing the bathroom she visits the most. These bathrooms can be high traffic areas, especially during lunch. This may be an awkward conversation for most, but it seems Mello does not mind the toilet talk. The restroom can be a great place for socializing. Most of these toilets are a sanctuary for students and faculty looking to relax, however, the Hall of Peace bathrooms do not have such a connotation. The Hall of Peace is normally a crowded hangout spot for freshmen and sophomores, so a lot of kids means a lot of pooping. “It really stinks up the joint,” Haskell said, illustrating his frustration about the frequently inhabited small bathroom. During hybrid learning, this restroom is for faculty only, so currently only teachers suffer from the smell. There are other restrooms on campus: you can use the Carriage House, but the toilets are extremely low to the ground and make sitting uncomfortable. This may seem alarming, but studies show it is healthier to poop in such a position. You can go to the locker rooms, but the rooms themselves probably smell worse than what’s coming out of you, so probably not a good idea. Near the Black Box Theater, there is a small bathroom where you can usually find some privacy, but it’s a journey to get there. If it’s in use and you’re in an emergency, you’re forced to use the locker room. Each bathroom at WIS has its own personal characteristics, good and bad, but in a real digestive emergency, you won’t have time to choose where you want to drop your steamy surprise.

Mansion second floor AAA second floor, across from A04

Dateline Cartoon “Senior Spring” By CLARA MELLO, 2021

REBEKA TATHAM/INTERNATIONAL DATELINE

If you’re looking for privacy, this lovely one-stall bathroom is your best option.

“People do go in and out, but when they see my feet, they just walk out,” senior Jakobi Haskell said about the perks of this restroom.

Mansion first floor by the nurse’s office

If social life is a key quality you look for in a loo, the scene down the hall from the IB Cafe is always vibrant.