 By Trent Jones ’25Kyle Eckerson may not have attended Westminster, but he is just as entrenched in school spirit as anyone else. Early in life, Kyle was adopted by Todd and Mary Eckerson. Although Kyle never attended Westminster as a student, he was always familiar with the school since he grew up on campus.
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 By Wills Erda ’24Clubs at Westminster struggle to function properly. At a very basic and fundamental level, Westminster's school life and schedules are incompatible with how clubs operate. There are only two types of clubs that succeed: clubs that meet infrequently and require little to no outside efforts on the part of members (Clubs like Global Forum and Biblophiles), and organizations that are quite simply too big and important to fail, often propped up by heavy faculty support (Clubs like MUN, John Hay, this publication, and SAC). While these clubs are wonderful, it is a shame that Westminster cannot offer students more opportunities to pursue their interests and expand their hobbies. In this article, I want to lay out why it is so hard for clubs to exist on Williams Hill and also some of the steps that can be taken to make clubs more accessible.
By Aniela Apteker ’24This spring, classroom dress was reintroduced after a brief winter term hiatus. Consequently, we began to hear the phrases “second layer” and “I was dress coded” a bit more often, re-erupting controversy. The rule is one of those things that you either love or hate; most of us hate it, and I have yet to meet someone who loves it. While the rule was instituted to add a layer of professionalism to our school outfits, unfortunately, this coincides with an extra layer of discomfort.
By Cassie Goundrey ’24I love many things about Westy, but Saturday morning tests are not one of them. Now, we all hear a lot of talk about Saturday classes, and in my two-and-a-half years at Westy, it has continued to remain somewhat of a hot-take for some and others’ inevitable future. I will say that the class schedule has improved since my freshman year. On my first fall on Williams Hill, all way back in 2020, we actually had classes seven days a week. Anyone who was here will grimace, as we’ll never be able to forget those dark, dark times of Sunday night Zoom classes.
By Sunshine Li ’26On Friday, March 31, Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4, around 200 new students came to visit–or revisit–our campus for Admitted Students’ Day, or as most of us call it, Revisit Day.
By Chip Genung ’25Four years of this, four years of that. Back and forth, the parties take and lose power. With a Democratic incumbent in office, historically, this would be an easy win. However, without an official announcement, consistently low approval ratings, and contention within the party, a victory seems less likely than it would have been in past elections. Come election season, these factors will culminate in what is sure to be a fascinating race; jumping on this unique opportunity, five candidates have officially put their hats into the ring.
By Camilla Norton ’25As a boarder from New York City, the cold and isolating Simsbury winters are nothing like winters I used to experience back home. Historically, winter was the season I looked forward to most. I couldn't wait for late November to come around, when the city was decorated in lights and trees. I loved getting to pass by the embellished avenues, which were ordinary during any other season. I also yearned for snow days in the city since it meant that I could spend the entire day sledding in Central Park with my friends. Winter to me used to be magical, but upon coming to boarding school it's morphed into the season I dread most.
 By Mr. BlantonSeveral high-profile banks, including Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), have recently failed. You may be asking yourself why? Good question. Your friendly neighborhood econ teacher is here with some answers.
 By Finn Seeley ’24A large-scale research study evaluating data from 7,209 responses, from a group of people ages 16-85, demonstrated that attending live sporting events as a spectator improves people’s well-being. The study — published by ScienceDaily in March of 2023, and carried out by academics from Anglia Ruskin University’s School of Psychology and Sport Science—studied people living in England who participated in a survey that was commissioned by the British government.
By Johnathan Li ’24The Federal Reserve (The Fed), the central bank of the United States, defines “maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates in the U.S. economy” as its primary goals for conducting monetary policies, as mandated by the U.S. Congress. Employment provides households with income, and a stable price level offers agents in the economy greater control of the future, including how they may manage their spending or saving behaviors. Both these objectives have corresponding quantitative parameters, the former being the “natural rate of unemployment,” when unemployment in the economy is minimized and limited only to those frictionally or structurally unemployed, and the latter being the inflation rate. It is argued, most famously by economist John Maynard Keynes, that an economy is better off with a moderate degree of inflation, as to stimulate spending — for savers would receive less return in an inflationary economy — and thereby economic growth; the rate that is the target for the Fed is 2 percent. These two goals, maximizing employment and stabilizing price levels, can often contradict each other, especially under the context of recent policies by the Federal Reserve to combat inflation.
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