Be Prepared to Be Impressed

The Forge Is Open for Business

By Jacob Barton ’13

“Inventive and imaginative,”

says People magazine.

“[It] contains moments of

shattering emotion and stun-

ning virtuosity that attest to

[Mr. Lockwood’s] myriad

gifts as a writer,” raves the

New York Times.

“Energetic, inventive, and

ambitious,” claims the Boston

Sunday Globe.*

Anyone who’s walked

through Carpenter over the

past few weeks probably

heard the band and chorus

playing in the basement.

Those who lingered to listen

can attest to the validity of the

above remarks. Both groups

will debut in the Northeast on

Friday.

The band has just completed

their first nation-wide tour,

and this performance will be

their first (and last) on the

Hagerman stage in 2011.

Combining various genres of

music, ranging from hip-hop

to folk, these musicians bring

a revolutionary sound to the

music scene.

To open the show, Maggie

Peake (vocals, guitar) sings “I

Want You Back”, originally

performed by the Jackson 5.

Mr. Lockwood has composed

a few original pieces to fol-

low, including “Juper,” “Start

Up,” and “Toofani.”

Members of the band include

Charlie Williams (guitar),

Maggie Peake (guitar), Peter

Saunders (bass), Henry Liu

(cello), and Kangdi Wang

(piano, nose flute). Hannah

Slattery sets the beat on the

drums.

Charlie is featured in a couple

of solos, and Kangdi plays

(Continued on page 2)

By Chris Daniell ’12

Not all schools can boast that

they have a forge on campus.

Here at Holderness School,

we can.

Before last year, the forge sat

in the woods, cold and under-

utilized, except for two weeks

of the year during Special

Programs.

Last year, inspired by my

time there during AB, I asked

if we could continue to use

the forge during the spring

quarter as well.

This year the program contin-

ues. With a blessing from the

administration, the forge is

open to anyone interested,

every Sunday afternoon for

two hours.

In these two hours, prospec-

tive blacksmiths have the ab-

solute artistic freedom to

make whatever they want,

bound only by their imagina-

tion and how well they can

swing a hammer.

So far, Sunday Forge has in-

cluded everyone from An-

(Continued on page 2)

Quote of the Week:

“The fellow that can only

see a week ahead is always

the popular fellow, for he is

looking with the crowd.

But the one that can see

years ahead, he has a tele-

scope but he can't make

anybody believe that he has

it.”

- Will Rogers

The Picador

Volume 7, Issue 4 November 4, 2011

A PUBLICATION BY THE STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Thomas Chau and Michael Yu rehearse with Mr. Lockwood

Creating the Perfect

Soft Serve Cone

Page 4

Jeff Nadeau:

A Photo Essay

Page 3 So What is a Neutrino?

Page 9

Page 2

The Picador

both the melody and bass

parts of most songs on the

keyboard. Brass players in-

clude Ian Baker (trombone),

Becca Kelly, and Logan

Slattery (both saxaphones).

Kai Lin, Will Tessier, and

Jake Barton will join in on

their trumpets. Other players

include SeoJung Kim

(clarinet), Quianyi Zhang

(piano), Mr. Kendall (cello),

and Mr. Lin (violin).

The chorus sounds strong as

well, singing such pieces as

“The Water is Wide,” a tradi-

tional folk song that has, in

the past, brought audiences to

tears (of joy). Chorus mem-

bers include Choa Lim, Thao

Nguyen, Emily Soderberg,

Youngjae Cha, Shihao Yu,

and Thien Chau.

These musicians have been

practicing for months in an-

ticipation for this event. You

can hear them live at 8:30,

Friday night, in Hagerman.

* Reviews lifted from Ex-

tremely Loud and Incredibly

Close by Jonathan Safran

Foer.

the fall concert (Continued from page 1)

drew Walsh to Veronica Wu.

Projects have included fire

pokers, candlestick holders,

letter openers, and much

more. The popularity of this

activity continues to increase,

entertaining seven people last

Sunday.

The forge is open to anyone

who likes the satisfying clank

of a hammer on metal and

doesn't mind looking like a

coal miner. Space is available

every Sunday from 1 to 3 in

the forge, next to Barton and

across the road from Teaford.

See you there!

the forge (Continued from page 1)

A Photo Essay By Charlie Williams

A photo essay is a new idea for The Picador. The goal is to create a story through pictures in which the composition of the photo-

graphs matters as much as the subject. This week Charlie documented a day in the life of Mr. Nadeau, the Head Athletic Trainer.

Students filter in and out of the training room

for about an hour, and Jeff gets them ready

for their games.

Jeff starts off game-days by preparing the training room for tap-

ing and other things.

Page 3

Volume 7, Issue 3

Jeff drives around to various fields, leaving water, ice, and

other necessities for the players.

Jeff starts up his new John Deere to begin the

process of setting up the fields.

He watches each game, making sure that if someone is

hurt, he can be on the field immediately.

Page 4

The Picador

By Molly Madden ’13

Every day during lunch there

is a massive line of Holder-

ness regulars at the infamous

soft serve machine.

It seems, that even though

there is already a large vari-

ety of beautifully made hunks

of calories, people often pre-

fer to make their own ice

cream cones.

The Holderness regulars,

however, have produced

some of the most inadequate

looking ice cream cones the

world has ever seen. Why are

some so bad while others are

so glorious?

Mr. Flinders claims to be,

within the Holderness com-

munity, one of the top ten ice

cream cone makers. Because

he is such a good Samaritan,

he guides those who do not

possess his impeccable talent

and offers a few tips.

“It’s all in the twisting of the

wrist, and there should be

slight horizontal and vertical

movement,” he explains. “To

prevent leakage from the bot-

tom of a sugar cone, place a

marshmallow or a chocolate

chip in the bottom. That way

there is no leaking and there

is a sweet treat waiting at the

bottom of the cone.”

He also claims that getting

greedy and making the cone

too tall never ends well; “It

gets sloppy,” Flinders scolds.

His biggest beef with the

machine is when people do

not push the handle down all

the way when they are done.

“It destroys the crystal infra-

structure of the ice cream. Ice

cream should not be melty; it

needs to be strong enough to

resist a good licking.”

Another math teacher at Hol-

derness does not possess the

same level of talent as Mr.

Flinders. Mr. Skelley has

faced harsh criticism for the

structure of his ice cream

cones, but he says he would

defend them to the death.

“I am heads and shoulders

above everyone and will not

back down against anyone,”

Skelley claims. “I have the

most experience eating and

making ice cream cones and

come from a long line of ice

cream artists.”

In his eyes, the way to make

a perfect ice cream cone is to

fill the cone so it has a solid

foundation (just like in life,

the key to success is to have a

solid foundation). When cre-

ating the swirls on top, there

should not be any gaps or

holes down the middle. He

encourages the public to not

go too wide with the circles

and to go bigger to smaller

towards the top.

And although Mr. Flinders

claims, “Skelley should

spend more time on his tech-

nique and less time eating it,”

the Payback Man, himself,

simply states that Mr. Flin-

ders’ cones are “so J.V.”

Mr. Peck has also faced simi-

lar criticism for his cone-

making skills; apparently

even the kitchen staff scoffs

at his cones. Although he

claims his are small because

he “needs to watch his fig-

ure,” he says he would be

open for help from anyone at

this point. Do not be afraid to

offer the headmaster a little

advice; he knows he needs it!

However, while you are

teaching him a thing or two,

be sure to thank him for the

soft serve machine’s very

existence. Back when the

Weld renovation was still a

work in progress, he fought

to his wits’ end to get a soft

serve apparatus in the dining

hall. Without this hero here

to fight for the sweet things

in life, there would be no ice

cream cones to make fun of.

The real professional of cone

-making claims to be Mike

Hogervorst. Getting an ice

cream cone nearly every day,

his cones have been envied

by nearly everyone in Weld.

His advice is as follows: “A

good ice cream begins with a

good base. Fill up the whole

cone with ice cream, and then

start making circles on top of

it. But don't do it too fast; if

the ice cream is coming out

fast, just pull up the handle a

little. It'll come out slower,

and it'll be easier to make a

good ice cream cone.”

He added that he believes the

reason the soft serve machine

is so popular is because it’s

like making a personal mas-

terpiece every day. Mike said

he never used to eat ice

cream at home but realized

how much he loved it when

he came to Holderness.

“It’s sort of all you can eat,

and I like that very much.”

Curing Indecent Soft Serve Ice Cream Cones, One Cone at a Time

“I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a

more soul-stirring surprise than the first adven-

ture with ice-cream.”

- Heywood Broun

Volume 7, Issue 3

Page 5

New Chinese Classes Promote International Community

By Alex Lehmann '13

Holderness prides itself in its

inclusion of many different

cultures and nationalities

within the school community.

This year there are over a

dozen countries represented

within the student body, and

events like Canadian Thanks-

giving dinner and the Chuseok

celebration further promote the

community's diversity.

Another major contribution to

the school's globalization ef-

forts this year is the addition

of Mandarin Chinese classes,

taught by Dr. Jonathan Hig-

gins. The introductory classes

are the first Eastern language

classes ever to be offered at

Holderness.

The introduction of Chinese

classes to the language cur-

riculum has been several years

in the making. The idea origi-

nated within the school's Intel-

lectual Life Committee, a

group of trustees and faculty

members tasked with organiz-

ing and maintaining the

school's intellectual objectives.

According to Academic Dean

Peter Durnan, several years

ago the committee decided to

add a non-Western language to

address the school's, “desire to

educate more globally-minded

students.” After much delib-

eration, the choices were nar-

rowed down to Arabic and

Mandarin. Mandarin was the

language that was eventually

chosen for inclusion in the

school's curriculum.

Dr. Jonathan Higgins was cho-

sen from a large pool of poten-

tial candidates to teach the

classes. A New Hampshire

native, Dr. Higgins said he

was inspired to learn Mandarin

while visiting China, after he

and a friend (who already

knew the language) came

across a farmer in the Chinese

countryside. Higgins explained

he was fascinated by the vast

cultural differences between

his American upbringings and

the Chinese farmer's way of

life; he decided to learn Man-

darin Chinese so that he could

fully understand the differ-

ences between the two cul-

tures.

Higgins spent many years liv-

ing in China, and even today

maintains his connection to the

East through his Chinese wife

and his friends who have re-

mained in China.

In addition to teaching at Hol-

derness, Higgins also teaches

at Plymouth State University;

his college teaching experi-

ence factored heavily into his

appointment as the Holderness

Mandarin teacher, according

to Durnan. Beyond his knowl-

edge of the language, his tech-

nological savvy also distin-

guished him from other candi-

dates for the position.

“We consider ourselves very

lucky to have hired him,” said

Mr. Durnan.

Dr. Higgins said he is very

excited to be teaching the

classes at Holderness. He be-

lieves that the ability to speak

and understand Mandarin Chi-

nese will be an important skill

for those going into the Ameri-

can workforce in the near fu-

ture.

“China will play an important

role on the world stage for the

foreseeable future,” he ex-

plained. “Americans who can

speak Chinese fluently will

have the opportunity to be a

part of exciting business and

educational partnerships and

exchanges in the years to

come. Holderness should be

producing a portion of those

Chinese-speaking Americans.”

Higgins is also glad to be at

Holderness because he simply

loves teaching. “I enjoy teach-

ing Chinese,” he said, “so I

jumped at the opportunity to

be able to teach it to high

school students.”

The student response to the

class has been equally posi-

tive. Students universally seem

to enjoy the class, citing the

unique and unconventional

nature of the offering to be

among its greatest strengths.

Others say it increases the at-

tractiveness of the school to

potential students and adds

more culture to the daily life

of students.

“I think it's a good thing to add

an unusual and interesting

class and provide an offering

that other schools may not

have,” said David Bugbee.

The Chinese classes are bound

to change the school's culture

and expand students' under-

standing of the world. Mr.

Durnan said he has seen the

effects of the new classes on

the school already; he said that

many of the students are en-

thralled with their new lan-

guage undertakings.

He also said, “Our Asian stu-

dents see that we are taking

part in their world and taking

their culture more seriously.”

As Chinese classes allow us to

better connect with Asian

classmates, Holderness takes

another step closer toward a

diverse and globally-

connected community.

Page 6

The Picador

School Sports Review

Boys JV1 Soccer

We are it. Led by captains Nate Lamson and Michael Finnegan, we have acquired a

straight ballin’ record of 9-2. In other words, nobody steps to us, except Exeter and KUA.

JV1 soccer is where it’s at and y’all should be jealous. It is predicted our final record will

be 13-2.

- Mike Finnegan ’13

Mountain Biking

Holderness students awoke to a blanket of fresh snow on Sunday morning. Despite feelings of joy, there was one question on

eveyone's mind: “What will the Holderness Varsity Mountain Biking Team do now?”

After sleeping restlessly on Sunday night, Coach Tiaan van der Linde made a decision: the team would do some cross-

training by Nordic skiing on Monday afternoon. First, the group got set up with the most technologically advanced equip-

ment, supplied especially by Rossignol. Then, after skiing the lighted loop twice,

the group realized they needed to attempt something more challenging; they de-

cided it was time for the alpine ski hill.

Reaching speeds of 60mph Clark Macomber was clearly the fastest. This ended

abruptly, however, when he hit a tree with his face; you can still see the wound.

Up until now speed was thought to play a heavy roll in Nordic skiing; Peter Fer-

rante and Justin Simpkins, however, proved this wrong by throwing back flips

and 1080’s on their twin tip Nordic Skis. They will no longer be snowboarding,

but you can expect to see them at Loon paving the path for Freestyle Nordicking.

This week the team will focus on longer rides in preparation for a big race this

weekend. Some riders are taking the race more seriously than others; you can

expect to see Alex Lehmann wearing a full skin suit around on the day of the

race, while Gibson Cushman and Clark Macomber have plans to ride in their

aerodynamic SpongeBob suits. You can catch the team racing back to campus at

5:58 covered in mud, just in time for sit-down dinner, as they need all the practice

they can get for the championships on Saturday.

- Justin Simpkins ’12 and Isabelle Zaik ’12

Girls JV Soccer

The women of the Girls JV Soccer Team were recently named the Women of the Year. Many

skeptics say that women cannot compete with men athletically. This year the Holderness girls

JV soccer team changed that stereotype. With a 7-2-2 record we have become invincible. Our

crew of Amazonian, yet attractive, athletes have baffled the critics.

- Molly Monohan ’13

Page 7

Volume 7, Issue 3

New England Sports By Keith Bohlin ’12

The New England Patriots: Since my last article, the Patriots have given fans hope, and then taken it away. In week

six, the Patriots beat the Cowboys. It was a close game until the final seconds; the Pats were down 16-13 until a classic

fourth-quarter comeback drive, led by Tom Terrific, to put them up 20-16. The Cowboys had a few big plays in the

final 0:22 but came up short. There were no players over 100 yards rushing or receiving, as it was mainly about the de-

fenses in week six.

After their bye during week seven, the 5-1 Pats tried to maintain sole possession of first place in the AFC East by de-

feating the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers owned the game the first quarter, only allowing New England to run

three plays in a total of 1:24 game time. Multiple times the Steelers found themselves with a ten-point lead, the largest

deficit the Pats faced all season. Once the Pats finally began to click, it was too late in the fourth quarter to come up

with another amazing comeback, and they fell to the Steelers, 25-17.

It is worth describing the final play of the game, in which Brady dropped back but fumbled when hit by Brett Keisel. As

the ball rolled on the Patriots’ 15-yard line, it was punched by Polamalu so hard that it went through the back of the end

zone! I’m no expert, but last time I checked, that is illegal, not that the final two points made much of an impact on the

game. Again, no player had over 100 yards rushing or receiving.

However, there were a couple of firsts for the Pats in week eight: Tom Brady was held under 200 yards passing, and

Kevin Faulk played in his first game since 2009. It is also worth mentioning that the Pats still possess the worst pass

defense in the league… This upcoming week, the New York football Giants travel to Gillette for a 4:15 matchup. New

England needs to win this one to guarantee their spot on top of the AFC East.

The Boston Bruins: After the first three weeks of the season, the Bruins began struggling, sitting at 4-7 with only eight

points. They are tied for last with the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference. In the past few weeks, the Bs have

lost to Carolina (twice), Montreal (twice), and San Jose. Their only wins have been against Chicago, Toronto, and Ot-

tawa. Rask has yet to win a game (0-3), while Timmy Thomas has allowed 19 goals in the eight games he has played.

The offense has struggled some too, considering that the Bruins are 26th in the NHL in goals per game and 25th in

power play percentage. Tyler Seguin is a bright spot on offense though, having scored a team high 4 goals along with 6

assists. Boston will go up against Toronto this Saturday, and will then face the Islanders, Oilers and Sabers at home

next week. Hopefully their upcoming five-game home stretch will help them get on their feet and back into the play-

offs!

JV Field Hockey

The JV field hockey girls, or the “underdogs,” as I like to call them, often do not get as much

credit as they deserve, even though they have one of the best records in the school. But despite

the lack of publicity, these girls still keeps smiles on their faces during both their games and rig-

orous practices. The team is led by fearless captains Iashai Stephens and Caroline Plante, two

out of the four returners on a team that is mostly made up of newcomers. Each girl brings some-

thing unique to the team, whether it be Sarah Garrett’s excellent stick handling skills or Carson

Holme’s awesome scoring technique. A shout out goes to our amazing coaches Ms. Stigum and

Ms. Stuart. Keep up the good work, JV Field Hockey!!!

- Kendra Morse ’13

Page 8

The Picador

Opinion

By Emily Magnus ’88

On Tuesday I received the following submission to The Pica-

dor from Alex Trujillo. It is printed exactly how I received it.

So, here was my challenge: write something for The Picador.

Write something controversial.

Hm. Here’s the issue. This “student paper” is a fallacy. It is

not a student paper. It is filtered, watered-down, and censored.

The things that I want to say cannot be said in our “student

paper” because they would be considered obscene, or inappro-

priate, or too blunt, or too critical of the system, etc.

I floated around many topics. I drove James Robbins (one of

our fine and talented editors, no sarcasm intended) crazy with

my reluctance to turn something in. Why? Because I would get

four hundred words in and realize that my article was diluted

and filtered in order to be school-appropriate.

You want to see an example of what student papers should be

like? Go check out Chelsea Stevens’ work in the Tufts Daily

(class of ’10). She says exactly what she thinks, without fear of

retribution from the administration or any other superior

power. She has the freedom to say whatever she pleases and

the talent to articulate it, and the result is a series of wonder-

fully crafted and humorous submissions to the student-run

newspaper.

The widespread censorship sinks its teeth everywhere in our

system. It invades the student-leader meetings, and deters us

from solving actual problems. I wanted to write about my dis-

taste for chapel that I am required to attend twice a week. This

school emphasizes, quite frequently, how against change it is.

How it is “counter-cultural.” Well if culture allows me to say

what I actually w…

Alex is not the first, nor will he probably be the last, student to

accuse The Picador of being “filtered, watered-down, and cen-

sored.” With permission from the senior editors of The Pica-

dor, I would like to respond to Alex’s comments.

First, The Picador is not just a student newspaper. On the mast-

head of the paper, it is clearly stated that The Picador is “A

publication by the students for the Holderness School Commu-

nity.” This does not mean that students cannot voice their opin-

ions; however, it does acknowledge that the readership of the

paper extends beyond the student body. Parents, alumni, fac-

ulty, staff, trustees, and prospective students also read The

Picador. When students write articles for the paper, they need

to remember their audience. This does not mean that they can

not write controversial articles; it just means that they need to

make sure that everyone in their audience understands what

they are saying – no hidden meanings, no inside jokes.

Second, I would never want a student’s writing to be “diluted

or filtered.” In fact, the more detailed a student’s piece is, the

better. Details are what will help tell a story and/or prove a

point. Articles for The Picador need to be well-researched, no

matter what the topic, no matter whether or not I agree with a

writer’s perspective or not. The key to getting an article pub-

lished in The Picador is not writing what is appropriate or what

supports the opinion of the administration. Rather, it is impor-

tant to state your opinion clearly and back it up with facts and

statistics.

Which brings me to the one point on which I agree with Alex:

Chelsea Stevens is a good writer. As Alex points out, she

writes well-crafted, humorous submissions for the Tufts Daily.

Her writing is detailed and provides readers with new informa-

tion or at least a fresh perspective. Yes, her writing drips with

sarcasm, but it also is well-organized and has conclusions.

The Picador is not for venting or whining; it is, however, a

place for thoughtful, well-researched debate. If any student

wants to write about her distaste for chapel, and she takes the

time to thoughtfully plot her argument and compose a solid,

well-researched article, we will publish it.

My daughter was reading “The Dork Diaries” to me the other

night, and although it isn’t exactly highly intellectual reading

material, the main character said one thing that stuck with me.

She said, “When life presents you with challenges, you can

either be a chicken or a champion.” As some of you know, I

own 13 chickens, so I am familiar with chicken behavior. Do

you know what chickens do when they are challenged? They

fluff up their feathers, make a lot of noise, and then run the

other way; they don’t stand their ground or strategize; they just

hysterically cluck and then find a place to hide. I challenge you

to not be a chicken. Figure out what is important to you, figure

out how to say it, and then write your ideas in organized, cohe-

sive paragraphs. Then you will be a champion.

Does The Picador Allow Students to Express Their Opinions?

Volume 7, Issue 3

Page 9

Neutr inos Cast Doubt on the Structure of the Universe

By Mike Carrigan

On September 13th, a group of

physicists working for the

European Center for Nuclear

Research (CERN) announced

a preliminary experimental

result that, if confirmed, may

radically alter our understand-

ing of space and time.

In 1905, 26-year-old Albert

Einstein published a paper in

the German Annals of Physics

that shattered Isaac Newton’s

mechanics framework and

introduced the revolutionary

concept of “spacetime.” Ac-

cording to Einstein, the three

dimensions of space (length,

width, height) and the fourth

dimension, time, are not sepa-

rate, but are instead intricately

interwoven in a kind of fabric.

This theory, known now as

Special Relativity, makes star-

tling predictions about space

and time that are consistent

with experimental results ob-

tained over the last century,

making it one of the corner-

stones of modern physics. But

the entire model is predicated

on the postulate that nothing

can go faster than light.

The recent experiment out of

CERN, called OPERA, was

intended to investigate the

oscillation properties of tiny

particles called neutrinos-- the

smallest pieces of matter that

we know of and also the most

abundant particles in the uni-

verse. In the experiment, a

beam of neutrinos was sent

447 miles from the CERN

facility outside Geneva, Swit-

zerland, to a detector buried

beneath the Grand Sasso

mountain in Italy.

While the researchers were not

originally interested in the

speed of the neutrinos, they

quickly realized that the neu-

trinos were arriving at the de-

tector sooner than expected.

Careful calculations revealed

that the neutrinos were, appar-

ently, going about 13,000

miles per hour faster than

light. If true, these data invali-

date Einstein’s Special Rela-

tivity and cast doubt on much

of what we think we know

about the structure of the uni-

verse.

This result is preliminary,

however, so a healthy dose of

skepticism is in order. Efforts

at CERN as well as at Fermi-

lab in Chicago will either con-

firm or refute the OPERA

findings within the coming

decade, so stay tuned.

Shout Outs

CP + JN = You can’t handle the truth

CM + JB = Hypnosis tells the truth

HM + GB = Finally settling down

AS - Loving the bling. All of Payback is invited to

the wedding!

AG + AB - Bowdoin bound. Roomies forever?

MA - Fiesta en Ibiza!

- Kristina Micalizzi ’12 and Shawn Watson ’12

In

Studying

Shoveling snow

The Patch

Sorels

Submitting

College meetings

Citgo

Juniors in Hagerman

Out

Kinney and Marv's X-

box

Carving Pumpkins

Dipping

Sandals

Standardized Testing

Conference Blocks

Irving

Juniors in the Library

In and Out

- @magsthemuggle, @haha_the_haha, @stephiesmeckie, @halezie

Holderness School

PO Box 1879

Chapel Lane

Plymouth, NH 03264

Phone: 603.536.1257

Fax: 603.536.1267

E-mail: info@holderness.org

Page 10

The Picador

Contributors

Nate Lamson, Senior Editor

Haley Mahar, Senior Editor

James Robbins, Senior Editor

Jake Barton, Junior Editor

Jeff Hauser, Junior Editor

Charlie Williams, Junior Editor

Chris Daniell

Molly Madden

Alex Lehmann

Justin Simpkins

Isabelle Zaik

Mike Finnegan

Kendra Morse

Molly Monahan

Keith Bohlin

Mike Carrigan

Kristina Micalizzi

Shawn Watson

Keith Babus

Sara Mogollon

Maggie Caputi

Hannah Halsted

Steph Symecko

Ms. Magnus, Advisor

Mr. Solberg, Advisor

Mr. Carey, Advisor

Movie Reviews By Keith Babus ’12

Children of Men

It is hard to come by a movie that differentiates itself from the usual

dribble of reused scripts; one that stands out as original and refreshing.

However, Children of Men manages to be one of the best movies of the

last five years. Set thirty years in the future, women have been unable to

give birth for two decades, and the ensuing chaos has left the United

Kingdom as the only stable country. Clive Owen plays a bureaucrat who

is given the responsibility of bringing the only known pregnant woman

(Claire-Hope Ashitey) to a group of scientists who are trying to cure

infertility.

The film's storyline is filled with a great deal of hope but remains sus-

penseful. The trials that Owen is put through keep you on the edge of

your seat as you pray that he will keep Ashitey safe. The cinematogra-

phy is stunning and the score fits the movie perfectly. One of the great-

est scenes in recent filming takes place as two sides of a battle part and

Owen guides Ashitey through with her new-born baby.

According to Wikipedia, the film was nominated for Best Adapted

Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing at the 79th

Academy Awards. It won two British Academy Film Awards and re-

ceived the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.

This movie is a must see and one that will stay in your memory bank for

a while.

Volume 7, Issue 3

Horoscopes

By Sara Mogollon ’12

Page 11

Capricorn (December 22-

January 19): Sometimes life

turns out to be stranger than

fiction; oddly-positive, freak

occurrences bring a little light

to your busy life. This will be

a period of time during which

you cannot back up arguments

or beliefs with solid facts; just

let everything roll. This will

work to your advantage and

help you figure out new ways

to solve old problems.

Aquarius (January 20-

February 18): Muddled think-

ing is rare for you; however, at

the start of the week you will

have to slow down to under-

stand what is at stake. Don’t

be any less sure of yourself;

it's temporary. The solution is

to find your center and stay

grounded. This may take min-

utes or days; just remember to

wait until your feet touch the

ground before rushing off to

the next thing.

Pisces (February 19-March 20): You intuition is razor-

sharp this week, so trust your

instincts. This will give you

the leverage to turn a dream

into reality. Congrats! But

before you get too excited,

make sure you haven’t missed

an important piece of the puz-

zle; this will ensure your suc-

cess. It will take a moment’s

pause to get you on the right

track, but it will be worth it.

Aries (March 21-April 19):

Because you are so wrapped

up in that specific project or

person, you are missing an

essential detail in your life.

Take a step back and figure

out what you missed. In other

words, dot your every “i” and

cross your every “t”.

Taurus (April 20-May 20):

You are suffering from infor-

mation overload or somebody

just isn’t explaining himself or

herself well. To see the prob-

lem more clearly, take a step

back; much can be achieved

this week by taking the time to

talk it out. Unfortunately, you

might have to wait before get-

ting all the answers. Be patient

and all will be revealed.

Gemini (May 21-June 20):

Normally, you have a sharp

mind. The start of this week,

however, will be confusing;

what is fact and what is fic-

tion? Most likely people are

feeding you conflicting stories.

You may feel frustrated as you

try to make progress, but don't

give up; November will be an

overall improvement from

October.

Cancer (June 21-July 22):

Just when you start to get

comfortable this month, curve

balls will be thrown in your

direction. This week is going

to be a tough one, even though

you thought you had things

figured out. You will have to

work to get things to back on

track, but by the weekend,

there will be a pleasant sur-

prise.

Leo (July 23-August 22):

Where am I going? When?

And with who? If you find

yourself asking these ques-

tions, be reassured it’s the

right approach. Neptune is in

the works, trying to spin in

doubt and confusion. This be-

ing said, if an incongruity

should present itself, don’t

ignore it. Face it. The lighter

side of life touches you this

week. There could be some

exciting news heading your

way by the weekend.

Virgo (August 23-September

22): It may be hard to see the

purpose behind certain devel-

opments. Could there be an-

other meaning from the expla-

nation a friend gave you? If so,

dig for more information.

Don’t let your sudden lack of

faith affect your week in a

negative way. Sure, the start of

the week is confusing. Get a

better grip and all will end up

well. Improvements are here to

come!

Libra (September 23-

October 22): Make sure you

keep a firm grip on what you

know to be true this week.

People may try to tell you that

you don’t know how it is, but

you need to show them you

have the upper hand in all

situations. Keep your priorities

in line, and all will go well.

Scorpio (October 23-

November 21): Pay attention

to the details this week. At

first, it will feel like you are

trying to navigate through a

fog, and it might be difficult to

discover the truth. However,

perseverance will pay off.

Sagittarius (November 22-

December 21): This week you

will have a considerable

amount of control over things.

If you chose to share some of

your latest plans with others, it

will probably inspire them to

set goals as well. Light-hearted

approaches to challenges this

week are advantageous. In the

end things will most likely

work out in your favor.

A Letter From the Editor

The Picador

Dear Holderness Community,

In my four years at Holderness School, no one topic has been more widely discussed than students’ frustration and confusion

regarding late lights (quality of weekend activities, a close second). The purpose of this week’s letter is to request a better defini-

tion or explanation of the term late lights for future reference; display and organize the current criticisms of the system in place;

and to spearhead some revisions that originated directly from students.

First, the handbook does not have any mention of the term “late lights” in its entirety. As a community, we need a definition of

what constitutes a late light. The person on duty has many a times stated that any light brighter than an alarm clock is a late

light. This includes computer lights. While this seems harsh to begin with, this person did not mention, until later on, that the

following are also considered late lights: doing homework in the dorm’s telephone booth; using the bathroom; sleeping in an-

other person’s room; and getting some well-deserved, nostalgic, pillow talk in with your roommate, even with the lights off.

Second, who on campus is eligible for late lights? One major complaint is that students believe that the person on duty needs to

go around the entire campus, rather than flock to the “target dorms” like Niles and Webster. Male students on campus believe

that the females are not checked for late lights. While early bedtimes are certainly more common in girls’ dorms, there are most

definitely females that stay up later than midnight, at least once a week. How these girls are never caught is beyond me.

Third, students affected by late lights feel as though they are being penalized for trying to finish their homework at night. People

who take more than one Advanced Placement or Honors class cannot realistically finish their homework before midnight every

night. This is why they believe late lights are harsh, unsympathetic, and trivial. Late lights make certain people look bad on the

absence list, when they are actually diligent workers. Think about this: what’s the difference between a student that goes to bed

at 11PM and gets up to do their homework at 6AM and a student that goes to bed 1AM with all their homework done and gets up

at 8AM? Each student finishes their homework and sleeps the exact same number of hours. The only difference is that the

teachers label the latter as irresponsible because his/her name appears on the absence list. A student’s sleeping schedule should

be conducive to his/her sleeping preferences, patterns and discretion. During a normal week, losing some sleep due to homework

load is inevitable. Whether it be staying up late and hiding from the person on duty, or getting up in the early hours of the morn-

ing, the choice should be left to the student, without fear of punishment or public ridicule.

Now, let’s just take a second to think about the implications of revised late light regulations. For a brief moment, imagine that

late lights were taken away completely. What do you picture? Well, in my opinion and foresight, I see just about the same situa-

tion as now, with a little twist. The studying habits and sleeping schedules of students would not change. Students wouldn’t

come to the realization that without late lights, they could party all night long and take a stroll down to Plymouth. Students

would still work thoroughly and conscientiously to finish their homework at night, yearning for the moment that their head can

finally hit the pillow, but maybe with a little less stress and a little more freedom, comfort and light.

If you have made it to this point in the letter and you are still seeing eye-to-eye with me, then please stop reading because you,

most likely, understand what needs to be done. If not, then here is a more “realistic” proposal: new underclassmen should be put

to bed, with lights out by 11PM every night. I am not going to be overdramatic and state that late lights serve absolutely no pur-

pose, because I truly believe that the new, young students in our community need sleep to stay on track in the new environment

that is Holderness School. Also, I also believe that they don’t have enough homework for the late night overlap to become a

problem. Therefore, a structured, black and white bedtime is suitable. Where does this leave returners? Well, I believe that all

dormitories should initially hand them the key to freedom and responsibility. The returning students should be able to stay up as

late as they want, as long as rowdiness, noise level, and dorm etiquette do not arise as problems. The students should retain the

privilege, unless they disrespect this contract, in which case, the dorm parent could implement the old late light system.

In my opinion, the late light system seems to be flawed in its current state. However, there is something positive to be said about

the idea of quiet, bountiful, non-interrupted sleep in the dormitories that the late light policy was put in place to foster. With this

said, the current late lights do not regulate students’ bedtime hours at all. They are just a hassle, something that most people

would like to follow, but realistically cannot. We need a change soon, or more and more people will feel glum, negative and

sardonic, like Andrew Munroe who commented, “It’s as if sleep is a just another commitment.”

-Nate Lamson ’12

A P U B L I C A T I O N B Y T H E S T U D E N T S F O R T H E H O L D E R N E S S S C H O O L C O M M U N I T Y