the westminster news
Published by the students of Westminster School
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By Camilla Norton ’25Saturday classes have been a long-standing academic norm at Westminster, but as the school changes and adapts to modern society, is school on Saturday still necessary? Although Saturday classes do balance out the half day on Wednesdays due to sports, it adds to the busyness of the week and gives students too much work. On top of the draining effects of Saturday classes, Westminster is one of the few boarding schools that still has regular Saturday classes. The majority of other schools have either abolished them or reduced them to every other week. Having no class on Saturday would not only reduce stress, but it would also provide students more free time to express their interests. Rather than having to attend traditional school, clubs could meet, students could catch up on work, or just enjoy the day off. Currently, Sunday is the only day that can be used for leisure, but at the same time it’s the only day to catch up on work. As a result, many students end up spending the day drained in homework. Without Saturday school, students can actually have a day off where they don’t have to do work. Overall, the abolition of Saturday classes would greatly benefit the students' mental health and give them some well-deserved rest time.
By Tarapi Pyo ’24 and Jacqueline Wu ’24 On the night of the 13th, a boy crept down the stairs of Cushing. He opened the door to the laundry room and stood all alone, surrounded by the noisy cycling of the washing machines. He scoured the room for a minuscule cross necklace, the one from the rumors. On the far right, methodically wrapped around the pipes, the cross dangled like a pendulum, swinging endlessly. But there was no wind. The cross necklace did not belong there, yet it seemed to be at home.
By Asia Daniela ’24Fun fact: The United States Postal Service is so efficient that nothing can stop them from delivering mail. Not even the death of recipients. Therefore, when someone dies, the deceased’s loved ones are responsible for stopping the sending of mail or forwarding it to another address.
By Carolyn Cheng ’24did you know that while orca fathers will raise the offspring of other orcas,
they will never raise their own? By Lily Raskind ’25I wish I was like her
She broke the surface of the water with an almost perfect dive. Her feet were slightly apart taking one to two seconds away from her streamline. Ugh, I wish I was like her. She took her first stroke halfway across the pool, already ahead of the others those seconds missed were made up. Ugh, I wish I was like her. The light on the screen read 17.74 almost the world record. Ugh, I wish I was like her. When she arose from the water and took off her cap I could’ve sworn her hair was perfectly dry. Ugh, I wish I was like her. Soon after the races were done she hugged her teammates so tight as if they were all her besties. Ugh, I wish I was like her. So much of the time she walks the halls, surrounded by people who wish to be her. Ugh, I wish I was like her. Her grades were perfect, and her smile was even better. Ugh, I wish I was like her. Only if I was slimmer, prettier, more grown up, sweeter could I really be like her, and even then I wish I was like her. By Paolo Wan ’26There was this crossroads in front of the international school I used to go to. Right in front of the school was a hospital that seemed like it was under construction forever but had never been finished. My mother would make a right turn here in her SUV every morning before dropping me off. The dull mornings were matched by the gray and white apartment buildings on that side of the road. The left turn led to a territory I never explored until my 6th-grade year. The smells of buttered baked sweet potatoes and sizzling dian fen chang, a kind of starch-filled sausage, often tempted me when I walked by. But the good kid inside of me and my mother’s vehicle seemingly staring at my every move always kept me walking straight past it.
By Cindion Huang ’25“Pandemic prevention at all costs.”
We crumble through white lies, believe in falsehood; oblivious but deeply immersed in deceptions that they have created -- about us. “Pandemic prevention at all costs.” Under their power, our voices mouthed nothing but useless cacophonies, scattered through the silent air as they gradually erase our thoughts -- with a single tear. “Pandemic prevention at all costs.” Still echoes, When we fall and crash into the abyss on the tour bus that was supposed to take us to quarantine camps; When she watches as her infant dies of miscarriage in front of the hospital gate because she’d have to test negative first; When she gets beaten up by drunk, mighty men just because she said no to their ruthless harassment; when he gets aggressively arrested for grocery shopping under lockdowns; when we’re threatened by armed forces to stay inside our houses; When every inch and fraction of freedom was suppressed; When all COVID-related posts were banned; When we are muted; When we are silenced; When we die -- by being alive. “Pandemic prevention at all costs.” Exactly, what they really mean is: We are the cost. |