 By Chip Genung ’25 and Maya Tavares ’24
Last week, we had the opportunity to interview Westminster’s foremost student leader, Cooper Kistler ’22. Under the dim lighting of the Alumni common room, we have been able to take a look inside the mind of one of our great student leaders. We asked him questions about his experiences as Head Prefect so far and the road he took to excel as a leader.  By Alice Liu ’23
Fall term elapsed quickly. In retrospect, it contained many memorable moments. For new students, it was a time of adapting to the vibe of a new community; for athletes, it was a return to interscholastic competitions after a year of remission; for distance learners from last year, it was a time of readjusting to wearing jeans or blazers. But of all the moments that comprise this term, the one that stands out the most is perhaps the fall long weekend. For all of us, following a two-month grind, it was a much-needed time of relaxation and rejuvenation.  By Michaela Crabtree-Crowley ’22
Since the beginning of the Fall Term, there has been much talk among Sixth Formers and faculty about whether the Sixth Form English curriculum needs to change and what about the elective program might be altered. By Elle Dorrian ’22 and Jamai Miller ’22
So, the time has come to address the elephant CONSTANTLY in the room in an official, published space under a “Westminster Name.” The dress code. But seeing as how the Westminster faculty are tasked with imposing the traditional “workplace aesthetic” and “odd” second layer rules onto their student body, it may be ironic for the dress code to be addressed by two seniors who are honestly just tired of seeing the same stuff every day. With that said, let’s be clear from the get-go, Elle Dorrian ’22 and Jamai Miller ’22, just like a large percentage of the Westminster population, have serious beef with the dress code. But that’s a conversation for another time. For now, we have to work with what we’ve got. But that doesn’t mean we have to settle for boring; there are ways to spruce ourselves up within the context of these rules. Over our career at Westy, we’ve found ways to be fashionable, letting our personal fashion flares peek out of the traditional boarding school identity this dress code tries to lock everyone into. And so, we offer you a few tips. By Lara Connor ’22
I can’t fathom that it was just three years ago I crowded around a laptop with my fellow Gund girls, dissecting an open Westminster directory filtered to the faces of the Third Form class. Pointing, laughing, we calling dibs on dates and switching tabs from the portal directory to Revolve’s “Little Black Dress” edit. I think I ordered and returned four different dresses before finding the “perfect” one. You’ll never realize the versatility of a black fabric scrap until you look for a winter formal dress. But first, you might need to find a date. So, ladies, get your ID cards out and trot those Vejas down to the school store, snatch up some sharpies and poster boards while they’re still in supply. It’s formal season, everyone! By Keegan Bankoff ’22
In the first issue of this year’s newspaper, I wrote about the surprising chaos in college football and how it has affected every aspect of the game. CFB fans—myself included—love this, as increased chaos means more exciting games. Since then, this pandemonium has only continued. For thirteen out of fourteen weeks this season, at least one top-ten ranked team has lost. That may not seem that crazy, but it is insane. There is a glimmer of hope for different, often-overlooked teams vying for a National Championship or a New Years’ Six Bowl appearance in a sport usually controlled by the blue-blood programs. Despite all of this, a new kind of chaos has emerged over the past few days. By Alex Shao ’22
What is your first impression of Memorial? Is it people running up and down the staircase, or people chatting with each other in the common room? For me, it is not any of the above; instead, I imagine exit signs hanging from the ceiling, clinging with only two wires. By Lara Connor ’22
Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” was never intended for public consumption. For that reason, it has long enthralled, encouraged and escaped me. The emperor’s private thoughts delineated the little impact he would have on the next inevitable instances in the dwindling days left to call yourself alive. Had he spoken with such humility publicly, it’s expected that his empire would have been struck and besieged by those who gleaned him weak, sorely confident, and ill-fitted for defense. Dying under the impression he’d be taking his words with him, they have posthumously directed readers to meditate on their own insignificant — but not unimportant — role in the world. By Cindion Huang ’25
I slowly realize the reason why I’m not happy is that I always anticipated a result -- an approval, a grade, like a “gain” in a trade. I read books and novels hoping I would take something from it I go on a diet wishing I could be skinnier; Send a message to someone anticipating their response; Posting photos on social media waiting to receive likes and comments; Attending an event not only to socialize but also craving for a tremendous experience. And I was always expecting others to treat me the same way as I treat them -- Admit it, We all do. And when these “expectations” do successfully accomplish, “phew” was often the word that came up with relief. And when they don't? We would blame ourselves for it so hard that The momentary happiness we felt Will quietly slip out the window, Like morning fog disappearing into daylight. Yet when we were younger, We would spend a whole fall afternoon watching tiny ants painstakingly moving pebbles, We would watch and wait for a flower to bloom in the sunshine, When we were younger, Nothing else matters -- No grades or test scores, No struggles over relationships, No deadlines of assignments and papers, When we were younger, We only knew how to laugh and cry. By Sung Min Cho ’22
“Take Me Home” is my favorite studio album from One Direction. I live in New England. I am a Sixth Former. I take those weird classes that make me pay the ridiculous $95 fee and am handed back an assortment of numbers that go from 1 to 5. So, I need music that can elevate the ugly to the happy. I think of it like alchemy, and “Take Me Home” by One Direction, imbued with an explosion of synths, tossed in a dressing of boring-yet-timeless romantic lyricism, is a lot like a philosopher’s stone. The album transmutes an hour of a cold, base, metallic day — the wretched — to an ethereal, golden, sentimental experience — the sublime. Go listen to “Take Me Home.” |
