the Pebble Spring 2017
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<strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong><br />
<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Color Kerfuffle<br />
The Don-asty<br />
Kendama King<br />
advice<br />
• culture • food • issues • spotlight
<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Issue 3<br />
Journalism Staff<br />
2<br />
editor-in-chief Jeongyoon Han<br />
assistant editor Suzannah Peckham<br />
editorial assistants Gavin Cardamone<br />
Daniel Mezzalingua<br />
staff designers Chris Hunter<br />
Sam Goldman<br />
Nathan Sonnenfeld<br />
Daniel Braverman<br />
staff photographers Sam Goldman<br />
Chris Hunter<br />
Daniel Mezzalingua<br />
Nathan Sonnenfeld<br />
staff writers<br />
Daniel Braverman<br />
Gavin Cardamone<br />
Sam Goldman<br />
Jeongyoon Han<br />
Chris Hunter<br />
Maddy Mafrici<br />
Daniel Mezzalingua<br />
Zach Montas<br />
Nathan Sonnenfeld<br />
Suzannah Peckham<br />
Jacob Roy<br />
contributors Maja Cannavo/ copy editor<br />
Lily Grenis/ copy editor<br />
and writer<br />
creative director Chris Hunter<br />
assistant creative director Sam Goldman<br />
web design Nathan Sonnenfeld<br />
advisor Jeanne Albanese<br />
On <strong>the</strong>pebblemag.com<br />
(scan QR code to <strong>the</strong> right or visit)<br />
Original stories<br />
“Go, Johnny, Go” by Gavin Cardamone<br />
“Hear Our Voices” by Maddy Mafrici<br />
Additional content on food, culture and<br />
Competing Colors<br />
Front and back cover<br />
photo and graphic credit: Chris<br />
Hunter & Sam Goldman<br />
Model: Zach Montas
Manlius <strong>Pebble</strong> Hill School<br />
5300 Jamesville Road<br />
Syracuse, NY 13214-2499<br />
Phone (315) 446-2452<br />
<strong>the</strong>pebblemag@gmail.com<br />
<strong>the</strong>pebblemag.com<br />
Departments<br />
letter from <strong>the</strong> editor<br />
by <strong>the</strong> numbers<br />
spotlight<br />
ask an alum<br />
advice<br />
selfie<br />
culture<br />
interactive<br />
fashion<br />
food<br />
seen at school<br />
issues<br />
big picture<br />
Don Ridall: The Big 4-2<br />
By Sam Goldman<br />
Reflections on a storied<br />
career page 18<br />
Competing Colors<br />
By Jeongyoon Han<br />
MPH unveils a new logo<br />
and colors page 24<br />
Kendama King<br />
By Daniel Braverman<br />
Teen turns hobby into<br />
business page 32<br />
Our mission statement...<br />
The mission of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> is to create compelling<br />
and accurate content for <strong>the</strong> MPH community. It is<br />
published twice a year by <strong>the</strong> students of Journalism<br />
Workshop.<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 3
The most frequently mentioned<br />
president in <strong>2017</strong>—besides <strong>the</strong> current<br />
commander in chief—is probably<br />
Obama, or, more to my point, Nixon, because<br />
<strong>the</strong> president’s war with <strong>the</strong> press seems<br />
to be going down <strong>the</strong> same slippery slope we<br />
took 40 years ago. The political showdown on<br />
Capitol Hill and attacks on journalists during<br />
Watergate appear strikingly similar to current<br />
events.<br />
While <strong>the</strong> likely indefinite drama with<br />
JH<br />
<strong>the</strong> media will continue to give <strong>the</strong> staff on<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> much to discuss, budding journalists<br />
such as myself are now posed with an<br />
unforeseen challenge. Never before has <strong>the</strong><br />
First Amendment been so under fire.<br />
Censorship is a legitimate fear for many<br />
reporters in <strong>the</strong> U.S. and an issue high-school<br />
journalists also grapple with. As a private<br />
school, MPH doesn’t have to allow for a<br />
free-student press. But it does anyway.<br />
My story about <strong>the</strong> confusion and concern<br />
of some members of <strong>the</strong> MPH community<br />
regarding <strong>the</strong> new colors and logo is a<br />
perfect example of <strong>the</strong> school embracing our<br />
right to free speech.<br />
Given mass interest in <strong>the</strong> new colors, it<br />
seemed logical to pursue, yet I was hesitant<br />
that some people had negative views on this<br />
topic. Interviews were awkward at times, as<br />
some MPH community members felt uncomfortable<br />
openly criticizing <strong>the</strong> school that<br />
<strong>the</strong>y love. I felt <strong>the</strong> same way, not only due to<br />
my strong sense of loyalty to MPH, but also<br />
because I feared what people would think<br />
of me as <strong>the</strong> author of a piece that questions<br />
something meant to help our school.<br />
The reporting process is always taxing,<br />
but with such an important topic, I needed to<br />
triple <strong>the</strong> work a typical story requires. After<br />
more than 30 interviews were conducted,<br />
I submitted at least five drafts of <strong>the</strong> story<br />
with more than 30 pages of writing in total,<br />
created and conducted a student survey and<br />
reviewed all facts and quotes for accuracy.<br />
As tedious as it can be at times, all in all,<br />
<strong>the</strong> journalistic process is crucial for us to<br />
deliver <strong>the</strong> best stories to you. We, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong><br />
staff, strive to fulfill our recently established<br />
mission statement: to create compelling and<br />
accurate content for <strong>the</strong> MPH community.<br />
With <strong>the</strong> power of free speech comes<br />
letter from <strong>the</strong> editor<br />
a greater duty for us to stick to our highest<br />
standards of reporting.<br />
If successfully implemented, journalism<br />
has <strong>the</strong> power to spread new ideas; if not, <strong>the</strong><br />
impact can be extremely harmful. Similarly,<br />
MPH has always been a place for its students<br />
to do whatever inspires and compels <strong>the</strong>m<br />
(with some good, justified limitations) and to<br />
express <strong>the</strong>mselves without judgment or fear<br />
of ridicule. A breeding ground for creativity<br />
and openness, our entire school has thrived<br />
because of this spirit, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> included.<br />
That we have so many unique and<br />
thought-provoking story ideas is a reflection<br />
of who we are as MPH students: members of<br />
a student body that never settles for conformity.<br />
We seize all opportunities to showcase<br />
that, and as a student journalist who has<br />
spent four years on The Rolling Stone and <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Pebble</strong> staff, I’m thankful to have been able to<br />
contribute to this spirit of self-expression.<br />
As I prepare to leave for college, I have<br />
yet to accept <strong>the</strong> fact that I will have to part<br />
ways with <strong>the</strong> funny, smart and inspiring staff<br />
of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong>. But I’m also eager to see how<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> will continue to reinvent itself.<br />
With our website launch and a surge<br />
of new journalistic talent in our staff, I see<br />
countless paths that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> can take. I<br />
can’t wait to see which one it chooses.<br />
4
By Gavin Cardamone<br />
Lockers within<br />
<strong>the</strong> school<br />
Daily income of campus<br />
shop: $100.69<br />
Sheets of paper<br />
MPH buys per<br />
year: 1,750,000<br />
Solar panels on <strong>the</strong><br />
rooftops of MPH: 117<br />
Daily<br />
average number<br />
of reminders to<br />
take attendance:<br />
11.6<br />
Graphic by Sam Goldman<br />
58<br />
Visual Art awards<br />
won by MPH<br />
Hours Mrs. Meehan spends<br />
grading per week: 20 + 10 on<br />
lesson planning = 30 hours<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 5
spotlight<br />
Josh Clardy<br />
Age: 12 years old<br />
Grade: 6<br />
Hobbies:<br />
Kendama, instruments,<br />
If he were an animal he<br />
would be: Charizard (A<br />
Pokemon)<br />
Role Model: Grandfa<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Why: They share common<br />
ground, and <strong>the</strong>y<br />
are very alike.<br />
Career Ambition: Chemist<br />
Why: “I want to follow in<br />
my grandpa’s footsteps.”<br />
If he were an (actual)<br />
animal he would be: A<br />
wolf<br />
Favorite Books: “Robinson<br />
Crusoe”<br />
by Daniel Defoe; “My<br />
Side of <strong>the</strong> Mountain” by<br />
Jean Craighead George<br />
Description of Himself in<br />
One Word: Energetic<br />
6
Just Josh<br />
Josh Clardy brightens each day with his unique talents<br />
By Daniel Mezzalingua<br />
Josh Clardy walks into <strong>the</strong> Upper School<br />
Student Lounge with his favorite deck of<br />
cards, which he carries everywhere. He holds<br />
<strong>the</strong> golden cards out on <strong>the</strong> palm of his hand.<br />
Seniors huddle around <strong>the</strong> 4-foot-5 inch<br />
middle-schooler, and he is soon surrounded<br />
by <strong>the</strong> towering students.<br />
A senior is instructed to pick a card, any<br />
card, from <strong>the</strong> deck. Josh places <strong>the</strong> card<br />
back in <strong>the</strong> deck and shuffles. He removes a<br />
random card and puts it in <strong>the</strong> senior’s hand.<br />
The students gaze at Josh’s hand hovering<br />
over <strong>the</strong> card as he waves his hand in a circle<br />
and snaps. Then Josh tells <strong>the</strong> upperclassman<br />
to flip <strong>the</strong> card over, and it’s <strong>the</strong> card that was<br />
first selected. The students’ eyes widen as<br />
<strong>the</strong>y look at each o<strong>the</strong>r; <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>y laugh.<br />
Josh often lights up <strong>the</strong> days of students<br />
and faculty, especially Upper Schoolers feeling<br />
<strong>the</strong> hectic rush of <strong>the</strong> day.<br />
“When I was young, I always felt disconnected<br />
[from] <strong>the</strong> older kids, but Josh just<br />
thinks of himself as one of <strong>the</strong>m,” said senior<br />
Annie Weiss.<br />
Josh, 12, is in sixth grade. This is his<br />
first year attending MPH; however, Josh<br />
has participated in <strong>the</strong> MPH summer camp<br />
programs since he was 9 years old. He’s an<br />
energetic, kind-hearted boy who always<br />
looks forward to learning more about people.<br />
Josh also enjoys science, performing magic,<br />
playing with his kendama and Pokémon<br />
cards, and playing instruments during his<br />
free time.<br />
Josh loves magic and practices it for<br />
about 10 to 15 minutes a day. He’ll show his<br />
tricks to just about anybody, and <strong>the</strong>re are<br />
few people he won’t approach. Josh’s favorite<br />
part about magic is <strong>the</strong> reaction he gets from<br />
people.<br />
“Making <strong>the</strong>m feel happy makes me feel<br />
happy,” he said.<br />
Magic isn’t <strong>the</strong> only thing Josh likes to<br />
share. He also enjoys showing people flips<br />
Graphic by Sam Goldman<br />
on his kendama and playing melodies on <strong>the</strong><br />
banjo, guitar and drums.<br />
“My favorite part about Josh is how<br />
outgoing he is,” said Josh’s 15-year-old sister<br />
Emma. “He will talk to anyone.”<br />
Matt Vural, a chemistry teacher at MPH<br />
who has known Josh since he was a baby,<br />
agrees.<br />
“He wants to meet people,” Vural said.<br />
“He wants to see what makes <strong>the</strong>m tick.”<br />
Vural also admires Josh’s ability to find<br />
and learn about new hobbies.<br />
“He’s motivated to pick things up,” Vural<br />
said.<br />
Josh loves sharing his interests and always<br />
looks to try new things.<br />
“I think what I admire most about Josh<br />
is that he is not letting himself be defined by<br />
one thing,” said his fa<strong>the</strong>r Ben.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r passion Josh has is science, particularly<br />
chemistry. Josh practices his passion<br />
with his grandfa<strong>the</strong>r, Jon Clardy, a biochemist<br />
at Harvard Medical School. Clardy supplies<br />
his grandson with science equipment<br />
and works with him on experiments.<br />
“[His grandfa<strong>the</strong>r] does not see it as cute<br />
but as a real interest, one that matters and<br />
has to be taken seriously,” Ben Clardy said.<br />
Josh visits Vural in his room every day.<br />
He examines <strong>the</strong> lab equipment and asks him<br />
questions. Vural appreciates Josh’s determination<br />
to ask questions, which most kids his<br />
age wouldn’t do.<br />
“It’s unusual,” Vural said. “A lot of kids<br />
wouldn’t have that kind of self-confidence.”<br />
The 12-year-old’s love for many hobbies<br />
prevents him from being defined by one<br />
thing. He sees everyone as kind and is willing<br />
to talk with anyone. Josh’s fa<strong>the</strong>r describes<br />
his son in one word.<br />
“We always define Josh as Josh,” Ben<br />
Clardy said. “That is who he is. Josh is Josh.”<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 7
ask an alum<br />
From MPH to Center Stage<br />
MPH alumna Katie Swimm shines in and out of <strong>the</strong> spotlight<br />
By Gavin Cardamone<br />
Alum Résumé<br />
Katie Swimm, Class of 2002<br />
Education: B.F.A. in Theatre Studies, B.A. in English from Niagara University (2006); M.A.<br />
in Literature from Northwestern University (2012); current Ph.D. Candidate in Theatre and<br />
Performance Studies at Tufts University. She is currently writing her dissertation, “Theatre of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Mind: Towards A Dialogue between Mental Health and Theatrical Practice in 19th-Century<br />
Britain.” Her work examines performances of madness in <strong>the</strong> broader context of nineteenth-century<br />
medical discourse. She was a fellow at <strong>the</strong> Tufts Graduate Institute for Teaching<br />
and a Graduate Assistant at Tufts University.<br />
Career: Swimm works as a Graduate Writing and Public Speaking consultant for <strong>the</strong> Academic<br />
Resource Center at Tufts. She has taught courses in acting at Tufts and public speaking at<br />
Dean College. She teaches The History of Mental Illness on Stage and Screen at <strong>the</strong> Tufts Experimental<br />
College and a course in Performance Studies at Dean College. Swimm also works<br />
as an actor and director in <strong>the</strong> Boston area.<br />
Resides In: Jamaica Plain, Mass.<br />
Photo courtesy of Katie Swimm<br />
8
Q: What are your job responsibilities?<br />
A: Teaching about <strong>the</strong>ater and performance in <strong>2017</strong> means a lot of different things. My career<br />
has a lot of different components to it, which I like. I teach <strong>the</strong>ater and performance history,<br />
and I get to educate young college students about how our world is represented on stages and<br />
in films. I do a lot of talking and thinking about how culture represents society, which is sometimes<br />
positive and sometimes needs to be questioned. When I’m not teaching, I also coach<br />
students on <strong>the</strong>ir writing and public speaking, helping <strong>the</strong>m gain confidence around those<br />
skills.<br />
Q: What is <strong>the</strong> hardest part about your job?<br />
A: The hardest (but best) part of my job is making sure all of my students get <strong>the</strong> individual<br />
attention <strong>the</strong>y need to be <strong>the</strong> best <strong>the</strong>y can be.<br />
Q: To what do you attribute your success?<br />
A: I attribute my success to all <strong>the</strong> great teachers I’ve had in all <strong>the</strong> years I’ve been in school.<br />
That includes teachers at MPH!<br />
Q: What are you most proud of?<br />
A: I’m most proud of moments when I see students who have been struggling with something<br />
succeed because of work we’ve done in my classroom or in my rehearsals.<br />
Q: What did you want to be when you were in high school?<br />
A: When I was in high school, I really wanted to be a professional actor, and teachers like<br />
Laura Jordan, Annmarie Gregory, Michele Koziara, Mike Copps, Ted Curtis, Delia Temes and<br />
Diane Cook all helped me pursue those dreams. But <strong>the</strong>y also made me really curious about<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r things, too—literature, history, great books and good writing. They encouraged me to<br />
learn a lot about many different things and reminded me that <strong>the</strong>re wasn’t a “right” path to<br />
take. Because of that, while I still perform, I do a lot of o<strong>the</strong>r fun things too.<br />
Q: Have you seen yourself change a lot since <strong>the</strong>n?<br />
A: That’s hard to say, because it’s been a long time! I imagine I’ve changed a lot — living in<br />
three different major cities, having a lot of different jobs, and completing three college degrees<br />
does that to you—but I still am pretty curious and love learning and doing new things.<br />
Q: How did MPH contribute to your success?<br />
A: For this, I’ll refer you to my previous answer: I attribute my success to [MPH teachers who]<br />
helped me pursue [my] dreams.<br />
Q: What advice do you have for MPH students?<br />
A: Don’t limit yourself to being JUST ONE thing or having JUST ONE career. Explore as<br />
many different avenues as you can. My life has taken some unexpected paths, and I’m better<br />
for it, so don’t be afraid of learning something new.<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 9
It ain’t easy being greasy<br />
Q: School has me stressed out, and<br />
I find myself eating more fast food;<br />
how do I deal with my fast food<br />
addiction?<br />
advice<br />
A. Great question, me; addiction, in general,<br />
is not something to joke about. Teens<br />
are easily susceptible to succumb to <strong>the</strong> joys<br />
of eating fast food, especially after participating<br />
in many after-school activities, such as<br />
sports, musical practice and jobs.<br />
Temptations from different restaurants<br />
— like hot chocolate from Dunkin’ Donuts,<br />
fries from McDonald’s, burritos from Chipotle,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> wax pumpkins at JoAnn Fabrics<br />
— make students crave bad food. Here are<br />
some ways to quit your fast-food addiction.<br />
Here’s <strong>the</strong> situation: you’re hanging out<br />
with your friends and <strong>the</strong>y say something<br />
along <strong>the</strong> lines of “Let’s go to Panera!” and<br />
you say, “Leave me alone; I’m in <strong>the</strong> bathroom,”<br />
and <strong>the</strong>y say, “OK, but we’re going to<br />
Moe’s after you’re done.” So now you’re stuck<br />
going to a restaurant with unhealthy choices<br />
and tempting desserts.<br />
Here are a few tricks to help manage that.<br />
Blindfolds. If you can’t see <strong>the</strong> food, how<br />
can you pick out something to buy? Companies<br />
sell so many of <strong>the</strong>ir desserts due to <strong>the</strong><br />
heavenly look of <strong>the</strong>ir chocolatey foods.<br />
Now some of you may be saying, “But<br />
Chris, I’ll look like a fool with a blindfold<br />
on in <strong>the</strong> restaurant.” On <strong>the</strong> contrary, you’ll<br />
have <strong>the</strong> last laugh in 10 years, when your<br />
friends are morbidly obese and you’re lost in<br />
Moe’s because you forgot to take <strong>the</strong> blindfold<br />
off. Sometimes people forget to put <strong>the</strong><br />
blindfold on before <strong>the</strong>y go into <strong>the</strong> store;<br />
in order to combat this, apply <strong>the</strong> blindfold<br />
before you drive <strong>the</strong>re. Your friends will be<br />
impressed with your confidence in your ability<br />
to drive with only four senses.<br />
If a blindfold is too “chic” for you, <strong>the</strong>n I<br />
highly recommend <strong>the</strong> foolproof “tying your<br />
hands behind your back” method. Without<br />
<strong>the</strong> ability to pull cash out of your wallet, <strong>the</strong><br />
Graphic and story by Chris Hunter<br />
restaurant is forced ei<strong>the</strong>r to give you <strong>the</strong><br />
food for free or call <strong>the</strong> cops on you. Ei<strong>the</strong>r<br />
way, you’re making progress toward breaking<br />
your fast-food habit.<br />
For <strong>the</strong> ultimate fast-food-habit-breaking<br />
combo, combine both of my tactics — blindfold<br />
and bound hands — for what I like to<br />
call “Kidnap for a Big Mac.” Sit in <strong>the</strong> back of<br />
your car in <strong>the</strong> parking lot while your friends<br />
get <strong>the</strong>ir food. That way, when your friends<br />
are arrested moments later, you will be too<br />
stressed out to buy any food!<br />
But here’s some real advice. Exercise is<br />
key for a healthy lifestyle. You may be less<br />
likely to indulge in bad food if you’re keeping<br />
your body healthy with exercise.<br />
Also, keep in mind that most healthy<br />
eating is done in <strong>the</strong> kitchen — your own.<br />
It’s very tempting and easy to go to Chipotle<br />
after school, thinking that you should reward<br />
yourself with fast food after a hard day’s<br />
work. But stay strong and eat dinner at home.<br />
Once you’re able to resist getting fast<br />
food once or twice, it gets easier. Soon, you’ll<br />
be able to turn down fast food easily, and <strong>the</strong><br />
path to healthier eating begins.<br />
10
selfie<br />
Food-court frenzy in China leads to cross-cultural connections and enduring memories<br />
By Zach Montas<br />
Before I departed for China on<br />
<strong>the</strong> Model United Nations trip in<br />
March, many people told me many<br />
times that I would get sick from <strong>the</strong> food. I<br />
never got sick. In fact, <strong>the</strong> food became one<br />
of my favorite parts of <strong>the</strong> trip. These mundane<br />
stories often go untold compared to<br />
those about sightseeing or shopping, but <strong>the</strong>y<br />
often make for <strong>the</strong> best memories. Here are<br />
stories of three meals from <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side of<br />
<strong>the</strong> planet.<br />
The first meal we had (not counting <strong>the</strong><br />
gross plane food) was in a food court on <strong>the</strong><br />
top floor of <strong>the</strong> mall across from our hotel.<br />
Just getting <strong>the</strong>re was an adventure, from<br />
being exhausted after waking up at 3 a.m.<br />
<strong>the</strong> day before and sleeping only on a plane<br />
to weaving our way through <strong>the</strong> nonstop<br />
torrent of cars on <strong>the</strong> street to searching<br />
floor by floor until we found somewhere to<br />
eat. By <strong>the</strong> fifth floor, our 6,000-mile jaunt to<br />
au<strong>the</strong>ntic Chinese restaurants was complete.<br />
I wandered around until I found a noodle<br />
shop that smelled good. Armed with my<br />
limited knowledge of Chinese, (that “thank<br />
you” is “xièxiè”, and “Běijīng” means “Nor<strong>the</strong>rn<br />
Capital”) I attempted to order.<br />
Those next five minutes were a mess.<br />
I pointed to a prepared dish sitting on <strong>the</strong><br />
counter. The cashier pointed to <strong>the</strong> menu, indicating<br />
<strong>the</strong> meal was 19 yuan (Chinese currency;<br />
1 USD = 6.65 yuan.) So far, so good.<br />
I pulled out 100 yuan, and <strong>the</strong> guy gave me<br />
a look and shook his head. I was confused.<br />
Maybe he thought <strong>the</strong> money was counterfeit,<br />
so I pulled out a different bill. Now he<br />
was laughing, shaking his head and pointing<br />
towards <strong>the</strong> exit. His coworker came over<br />
and made a rectangle shape with his hands.<br />
I was about to leave but Jeongyoon,<br />
keen observer that she is, walked by and<br />
said <strong>the</strong>y wanted me to pay through my<br />
phone. I thought, “Of course! Apple Pay.<br />
The future is here, in China.” I handed him<br />
my phone; <strong>the</strong>y laughed to each o<strong>the</strong>r and<br />
gave it back. Eventually, after much fruitless<br />
gesturing back and forth, he took my money<br />
Photo taken by Zach Montas<br />
and walked away. I was worried I had been<br />
robbed, but he returned with change, and I<br />
got my food.<br />
Ultimately, <strong>the</strong> food was just OK, but<br />
ordering it was unforgettable. I later learned<br />
that upon entering <strong>the</strong> food court I was supposed<br />
to purchase a card to use to pay at each<br />
shop. Since <strong>the</strong> signs were in Chinese, I had<br />
overlooked this. It was <strong>the</strong> first experience to<br />
really make me feel like we were out of our<br />
natural environment. At least that cashier<br />
was kind enough to help out an ignorant<br />
American.<br />
This second meal is one I had again and<br />
again once I found it. It was our fifth day, and<br />
we were getting lunch at a different mall food<br />
court across <strong>the</strong> street from a fancy hotel.<br />
I was running low on money, so I wanted<br />
<strong>the</strong> cheapest thing I could find. This mall,<br />
however, was expensive. Gucci, Chanel, SLP,<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>r high-end fashion stores filled <strong>the</strong><br />
first floor.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> food court I saw a shop where<br />
staff were quickly churning out wraps. The<br />
cook stood behind glass, cracking eggs onto<br />
a spinner that fried <strong>the</strong>m into a crêpe-like<br />
flatbread, <strong>the</strong>n filling <strong>the</strong>m with chicken,<br />
vegetables and sauces and rolling <strong>the</strong>m into<br />
wraps. At <strong>the</strong> same time, a bunch of o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
employees ran around behind him doing<br />
stuff I could never figure out. The menu<br />
(cont. on page 35)<br />
(selfie cont. from p. 11) showed something<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 11
culture<br />
By Suzannah Peckham<br />
Summer’s around <strong>the</strong> corner, and that means lots of free time to read. Whe<strong>the</strong>r you’re addicted<br />
to reading and it’s part of your everyday schedule or you have to plow through some books for<br />
next year’s classes, books are key. MPH teachers and staff members shared <strong>the</strong>ir top recommendations<br />
for summer reading.<br />
Mr. Preston,<br />
ELL Instructor<br />
Recommendation:<br />
“The Endurance”<br />
by Caroline Alexander<br />
Sra. Medina-Dooher,<br />
Spanish Teacher<br />
Recommendation: “Cien Años<br />
de Soledad” (“One Hundred<br />
Years of Solitude”) by Gabriel<br />
García Marquéz<br />
“It’s <strong>the</strong> gripping true story—with astonishing<br />
photographs by <strong>the</strong> National Geographic<br />
photographer who went along on <strong>the</strong> voyage—of<br />
Shackleton’s Antarctic mission that became<br />
icebound. It’s one of <strong>the</strong> great stories of human<br />
survival. The author, (who alternates her prose<br />
with diary entries of <strong>the</strong> explorers), transports<br />
you a century back in time and a world away,<br />
making it all astonishingly vivid.”<br />
Mr. Gregory,<br />
Physics Teacher<br />
“I love <strong>the</strong> magical realism genre. It’s fascinating<br />
how <strong>the</strong> author makes you an active reader of<br />
his work. It is a story with twists and turns in<br />
<strong>the</strong> plot. I like <strong>the</strong> novel because it isn’t easy to<br />
predict or foreshadow. It’s where a dream and<br />
reality are one and you don’t know anymore if it<br />
is a dream or reality. Some aspects of <strong>the</strong> book<br />
are almost mythological.”<br />
Ms. Strickland,<br />
School Psychologist<br />
Recommendation: “Good<br />
Omens” by Terry Pratchett &<br />
Neil Gaiman<br />
Recommendation:<br />
“Serena” by Ron Rash<br />
12<br />
“It’s a comedic take on ‘The Omen.’ Supernatural<br />
beings tasked with bringing about <strong>the</strong> Apocalypse<br />
discover that <strong>the</strong>y ra<strong>the</strong>r like <strong>the</strong> Earth <strong>the</strong><br />
way it is. It’s dark and hilarious.”<br />
“I love <strong>the</strong> strong female figure she presents, but<br />
I also abhor <strong>the</strong> way she goes off <strong>the</strong> deep end;<br />
think gender role reversal with similar tactics to<br />
MacBeth.”<br />
Find more teacher recommendations<br />
on <strong>the</strong>pebblemag.com
interactive<br />
Spot <strong>the</strong> Difference<br />
Spot <strong>the</strong> 10 differences between <strong>the</strong> two pictures!<br />
Photos by Sam Goldman<br />
Differences referenced from top picture: “J Non-Fiction” / Bushes on model / Title on book “Romans” / “Children’s Corner” /<br />
clock on left / fire alarm on red wall / extra balloons / extra flower books / dinosaur / Small light beam<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 13
fashion<br />
MPH freshman finds his place in a<br />
booming fashion resale market<br />
By Jacob Roy<br />
Aaron Lesch, a freshman and fashion<br />
enthusiast, takes out his phone<br />
five minutes before chemistry<br />
class is officially over. Mr. Vural has already<br />
dismissed <strong>the</strong> class. As <strong>the</strong> room fills with<br />
chatter about plans for <strong>the</strong> weekend, Lesch<br />
looks at several offers he has received to buy<br />
<strong>the</strong> Supreme hats that he has just purchased<br />
online. By <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> day, he sells <strong>the</strong> hats<br />
after receiving five offers.<br />
Lesch is a proud reseller of clo<strong>the</strong>s and<br />
sneakers and has practiced his craft time and<br />
time again. He is a part of <strong>the</strong> ever-growing<br />
fashion reselling business that was estimated<br />
to be worth more than $1 billion in 2014<br />
according to Stock X, a reselling website.<br />
People who spend every paycheck (or all of<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir allowance) on shoes, (often affectionately<br />
known as sneakerheads), will do almost<br />
anything to get that “one” pair of shoes. This<br />
is where <strong>the</strong> reseller comes in; <strong>the</strong>y see how<br />
much a pair of sneakers are really worth to<br />
someone and usually make a nice profit off<br />
14<br />
Photo by Sam Goldman<br />
Freshman Aaron Lesch owns over 60 pairs of sneakers including <strong>the</strong> Bred V2s and <strong>the</strong> Crepe boots.<br />
this.<br />
Even though Lesch is a reseller and his<br />
main goal is to make money, he also wants to<br />
build his customer base.<br />
“I want to make money, but I don’t want<br />
to be completely ripping someone off,” he<br />
said.<br />
However, not all resellers live by <strong>the</strong>se<br />
same principles, which has caused controversy<br />
within <strong>the</strong> sneaker and fashion community.<br />
There are companies such as Flight Club<br />
that resell many coveted shoes, and while <strong>the</strong><br />
sneakers <strong>the</strong>y sell are legitimate, this company<br />
usually resells <strong>the</strong> shoes for insanely high<br />
prices when compared to <strong>the</strong>ir retail values.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> same time, <strong>the</strong>re are also individual<br />
resellers who have resold fakes, claiming<br />
<strong>the</strong>m to be real. For example, James Pepion,<br />
who made more than $2.6 million from reselling<br />
sneakers, was investigated by <strong>the</strong> IRS<br />
and Department of Homeland Security after<br />
being accused of selling fakes that he claimed<br />
were real.
Throughout <strong>the</strong> fairly short history of<br />
reselling, <strong>the</strong> role of <strong>the</strong> reseller has changed<br />
and resellers have been questioned about<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir role within <strong>the</strong> sneaker community.<br />
If <strong>the</strong> idea that a person can buy a pair of<br />
shoes for <strong>the</strong> retail price and <strong>the</strong>n sometimes<br />
resell <strong>the</strong>m for double or triple <strong>the</strong> initial<br />
price is not controversial enough, many<br />
resellers (including Lesch) have started to use<br />
programs, or “bots” that put items in a cart<br />
nearly instantaneously when <strong>the</strong> item releases.<br />
The average consumer who goes online<br />
and purchases <strong>the</strong> same item has almost no<br />
chance against <strong>the</strong> person using <strong>the</strong> bot.<br />
“You have to do what you have to do,”<br />
Lesch said. “We’re not picking out what price<br />
we want to<br />
sell <strong>the</strong>m<br />
for; it’s<br />
only what<br />
<strong>the</strong> consumer<br />
will<br />
buy <strong>the</strong>m<br />
for.”<br />
The<br />
consumer<br />
is often<br />
forced to<br />
purchase<br />
rare or<br />
hyped<br />
shoes or<br />
clothing<br />
from a reseller due to <strong>the</strong> use of bots. There<br />
are really two options if a consumer doesn’t<br />
want to go to a reseller. The first option is to<br />
wait for hours in front of a store that has <strong>the</strong><br />
shoes or clothing, and <strong>the</strong> second option is to<br />
sit around with <strong>the</strong>ir eyes glued to <strong>the</strong> computer<br />
screen in hopes of manually ordering<br />
<strong>the</strong> items online, which is almost impossible,<br />
as resellers can often get multiple pairs of<br />
sneakers or clothing items.<br />
“I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s more<br />
of a reflection on <strong>the</strong> actual market itself because<br />
<strong>the</strong>y’re able to take total advantage of—<br />
[for] <strong>the</strong> most part—pretty ignorant buyers,”<br />
said John Bierut, a loyal customer of Aaron<br />
Lesch, sneakerhead and MPH graduate.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, Lesch said resellers<br />
help <strong>the</strong> market.<br />
“Without resellers <strong>the</strong>re would be no<br />
hype,” he said. “I think resellers help divide<br />
and change <strong>the</strong> community.”<br />
In many cases, <strong>the</strong>se resellers are also<br />
passionate sneakerheads and use <strong>the</strong>ir own<br />
money from <strong>the</strong>ir resell deals to get <strong>the</strong> shoes<br />
that <strong>the</strong>y want. The most successful resellers<br />
are <strong>the</strong> most organized and most informed<br />
as well. Some resellers have argued that part<br />
of <strong>the</strong> money that <strong>the</strong>y make from reselling<br />
pays for <strong>the</strong> amount of time <strong>the</strong>y’ve spent on<br />
researching, planning and marketing.<br />
Lesch will spend hours scrolling through<br />
social media such as Instagram and Twitter<br />
and will talk to his reseller friends in order<br />
to make <strong>the</strong> most educated decision prior<br />
to buying a pair of shoes or clothing item to<br />
resell. The business<br />
is also very<br />
risky, and it’s<br />
extremely hard<br />
to predict if a<br />
pair of sneakers<br />
will be easy to<br />
resell.<br />
“There are<br />
shoes that just<br />
randomly sell<br />
out,” Lesch said.<br />
“Like <strong>the</strong> Master<br />
12s from last<br />
year… I wasn’t<br />
Photo from http://www.supremenewyork.com/shop even thinking<br />
about purchasing<br />
[<strong>the</strong>m], and <strong>the</strong>n I heard [<strong>the</strong>y] sold out,<br />
and I was like ‘What?’”<br />
Overall, <strong>the</strong> tricky business of reselling<br />
is not going away. As long as Supreme keeps<br />
dropping anything with its logo on it (literally<br />
anything) and Adidas keeps dropping its<br />
iconic Yeezy sneakers, resellers have nothing<br />
to worry about.<br />
“It’s something that we’re all going to<br />
have to deal with,” Bierut said. “It’s just that<br />
you have to find yourself someone that actually<br />
isn’t going to rip you off.”<br />
Lesch will continue to sit on his computer<br />
every week to program his bot. His<br />
customers will continue to go to him for<br />
<strong>the</strong> shoes, hats and T-shirts that <strong>the</strong>y didn’t<br />
spend as much time or effort on getting, but<br />
will pay more money to buy.<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 15
¡Comida Deliciosa!<br />
Tres recetas mexicanas sabrosas para cocinar<br />
food<br />
Story and photos by Nathan Sonnenfeld<br />
When I was 12, I visited my bro<strong>the</strong>r in California. We went to dinner<br />
at a taqueria called Tacolicious. I was struck by <strong>the</strong> au<strong>the</strong>nticity of this<br />
restaurant compared to <strong>the</strong> Tex-Mex restaurants I was used to in<br />
Central New York. I ordered a glass of horchata, a Mexican rice<br />
drink with strong cinnamon and vanilla flavors, and a<br />
plate of Baja-style fish tacos.<br />
For my birthday a few months later,<br />
my bro<strong>the</strong>r sent me a cookbook from<br />
Tacolicious filled with delectable<br />
recipes from <strong>the</strong> popular taqueria.<br />
It was not long before fish<br />
tacos, horchata and gazpacho<br />
(although not from this<br />
restaurant, a family favorite)<br />
was a common meal in my<br />
house.<br />
Although we maintain<br />
<strong>the</strong> majority of <strong>the</strong> original<br />
fish taco recipe, we make<br />
three frequent alterations.<br />
We sometimes grill <strong>the</strong> fish<br />
instead of frying it to make <strong>the</strong><br />
meal lighter. Secondly, my fa<strong>the</strong>r<br />
loves to crush chipotle peppers<br />
in adobo sauce and combine it with<br />
sour cream to create a creamy, spicy<br />
topping. Lastly, we add guacamole,<br />
because everything’s better with<br />
guacamole.<br />
And one thing I learned from this<br />
taqueria is that real tacos do not have cheese in <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
Ever.<br />
Above: Baja-Style fish tacos prepared<br />
by Nathan Sonnenfeld. To make <strong>the</strong><br />
horchata (left) or gazpacho (right), visit<br />
<strong>the</strong>pebblemag.com.<br />
16
Baja-Style Fish Tacos<br />
Time: 30 - 45 minutes<br />
Servings: about 12 tacos; serves 4 to 6<br />
1 ¼ lbs cod or similar fish, cut into<br />
taco-sized strips<br />
1 tablespoon kosher salt<br />
Vegetable oil for deep frying<br />
1 ¼ cups plus 3 tablespoons flour<br />
3 ¼ teaspoons baking powder<br />
4 teaspoons kosher salt<br />
1 (12 ounce) can light-bodied beer<br />
Corn tortillas<br />
3 cups shredded green or purple cabbage<br />
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro<br />
12 lime wedges<br />
Salsa<br />
Instructions:<br />
Sprinkle salt on both sides of <strong>the</strong> fish.<br />
Pour 1½ inches of oil into a deep, heavy pot<br />
and heat oil to 350ºF.<br />
Line a baking sheet with paper towels.<br />
Make <strong>the</strong> batter while <strong>the</strong> oil heats. Stir<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r flour, baking powder and salt.<br />
Gradually add <strong>the</strong> beer and stir until<br />
smooth.<br />
To cook <strong>the</strong> fish, work in batches so<br />
as not to crowd <strong>the</strong> pieces in <strong>the</strong> oil.<br />
Using tongs, dip each piece into <strong>the</strong><br />
batter, let <strong>the</strong> excess drain off, and<br />
carefully submerge it in <strong>the</strong> oil. Fry<br />
for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown<br />
and cooked through. Transfer <strong>the</strong> fish to<br />
<strong>the</strong> baking sheet and season with salt.<br />
Preheat a cast-iron pan to medium and<br />
lightly oil it. When warm, add a corn tortilla.<br />
Flip once it is soft and you can smell <strong>the</strong> corn;<br />
maybe 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining tortillas.<br />
Serve fish with <strong>the</strong> tortillas,<br />
cabbage, cilantro, lime and salsa.<br />
Recipe adapted from “Tacolicious,” by Sara Deseran<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 17
The<br />
features<br />
Don-asty<br />
A reflection on Mr. Ridall’s 42 years at MPH<br />
By Sam Goldman<br />
The clock hits 11:05 a.m. Students<br />
flush out of <strong>the</strong>ir classrooms, trudging<br />
through <strong>the</strong> hallway on <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
way to tutorial. In an attempt to soak up every<br />
last minute of free time, some instead pile into<br />
Don Ridall’s office to enjoy a few minutes of<br />
laughter, counselor-level advice or <strong>the</strong> occasional<br />
excerpt from his extensive collection of<br />
anecdotes. The chatter echoes throughout <strong>the</strong><br />
main lobby.<br />
Many minutes pass before students<br />
realize <strong>the</strong>y have an important test or essay<br />
<strong>the</strong>y could be preparing for. When <strong>the</strong>y leave,<br />
Ridall often delivers one last piece of advice, a<br />
joke, or something for students to<br />
ponder. No matter how stressed<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are, <strong>the</strong>y’re more likely than<br />
not to leave his office with smiles<br />
on <strong>the</strong>ir faces. It’s been this way<br />
for 42 years. In that time,<br />
Ridall, 63, has grown to be<br />
more to <strong>the</strong> MPH community<br />
than gym teacher,<br />
coach and athletic director.<br />
He’s become MPH’s<br />
dad.<br />
“Mr. Ridall is a good<br />
person to talk to, and<br />
whenever I have problems<br />
I just go into his<br />
office and hang out with<br />
him during tutorial,”<br />
said Brittany<br />
Grund, who<br />
transferred<br />
Photos courtesy of MPH<br />
to MPH this year. “I’m very close to him even<br />
though I’ve never had him as a teacher, which<br />
I think tells a lot about him as a person.”<br />
Some even say he is MPH.<br />
“Mr. Ridall means everything that MPH<br />
embodies,” said senior Lizzie Mafrici.<br />
Sophomore Ronaldo Chen, a soccer player<br />
and international student from China, can<br />
be found in Ridall’s office every day—in fact,<br />
many times a day.<br />
“He plays a role of a fa<strong>the</strong>r in America,<br />
since my parents aren’t here,” said Chen, who<br />
is in his first year at MPH.<br />
As <strong>the</strong> longest-serving faculty member at<br />
MPH, Ridall knows a little more than <strong>the</strong> average<br />
student about <strong>the</strong> history of <strong>the</strong> school<br />
and its students. Since 1976, he has taught and<br />
coached thousands of students while winning<br />
555 games as <strong>the</strong> boys varsity soccer coach.<br />
His victories rank him second in all-time wins<br />
among Section III coaches.<br />
He has coached MPH to 39 sectional tournaments,<br />
six sectional titles, four regional<br />
titles, one state runner-up finish and<br />
two state championships. He’s<br />
been awarded Coach of <strong>the</strong><br />
Year honors eight times in<br />
Section III, three times in<br />
New York state and once<br />
nationally.<br />
He is well-respected<br />
by <strong>the</strong> local soccer community.<br />
“He is an excellent<br />
tactical coach and has<br />
18
always gotten <strong>the</strong> most out of his players,”<br />
said long-time Christian Bro<strong>the</strong>rs Academy<br />
Athletic Director John “Buddy” Wleklinski,<br />
who has known Ridall for 30 years. “As<br />
athletic director he has earned <strong>the</strong> respect of<br />
his colleagues. He has demonstrated tremendous<br />
passion for his chosen profession, so it is<br />
easy to see why he has had such a successful<br />
career. I would like to think that MPH really<br />
appreciates all that he has done over <strong>the</strong> years.<br />
I would assume that he has left some very big<br />
shoes to fill.”<br />
At <strong>the</strong> beginning of <strong>the</strong> school year, Ridall<br />
began to transition out of his role of athletic<br />
director. While he will continue to teach,<br />
coach and chair <strong>the</strong> Physical Education Department,<br />
he will also work with <strong>the</strong> Advancement<br />
Office in alumni relations.<br />
Jim Ryan, <strong>the</strong> new athletic director, said<br />
an employee like Ridall is rare.<br />
“You can kind of draw a comparison ...<br />
in a lot of ways to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse<br />
University,” Ryan said. “You’re not going to<br />
get somebody to stay at a corporation or an<br />
organization for 30 or more years anymore.<br />
Most people will go and work someplace for<br />
five or 10 years; that’s kind of <strong>the</strong> nature of <strong>the</strong><br />
professional workplace now ... It’s very rare to<br />
interact with somebody who’s been here for so<br />
long. He’s created a lot of great memories for a<br />
lot of students and student-athletes.<br />
“You never want to be <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong> guy who<br />
replaces <strong>the</strong> legend.”<br />
And alumni describe him as just that: legendary.<br />
They also used words like passionate,<br />
competitive, loyal, dedicated and motivating.<br />
Former soccer player and 1980 MPH<br />
graduate Mark Egan said that Ridall<br />
instilled in him confidence,<br />
direction<br />
and purpose<br />
that<br />
allowed<br />
him to<br />
grow into<br />
<strong>the</strong> person<br />
he is today.<br />
“Plain<br />
and simple,<br />
Don believed<br />
in me,” Egan said<br />
in an email. “He<br />
was/is a true life<br />
coach in every sense of <strong>the</strong> word. At <strong>the</strong> time,<br />
he may not have known it, and I surely didn’t,<br />
but his winning attitude, work ethic, positive<br />
outlook and ... [stay-<strong>the</strong>-course] mentality ...<br />
helped me become a believer. He made me<br />
want to be a better person, player, teammate,<br />
[student-athlete] and classmate.”<br />
While Ridall’s office door is open to all,<br />
<strong>the</strong>re’s a special spot in his heart for his soccer<br />
players, and he’s known for delivering inspiring<br />
speeches to <strong>the</strong>m, pushing <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong><br />
next level on <strong>the</strong> field and off.<br />
“He preaches and instills qualities like<br />
leadership, dedication, discipline and accountability<br />
into his team each year,” said former<br />
player and 2016 graduate Joey Cerio. “As a<br />
result I find myself projecting <strong>the</strong>se attributes<br />
[into] both my athletic and academic life<br />
every single day, and I am confident that <strong>the</strong>y<br />
will remain with me forever.”<br />
Ridall knows how to inspire a soccer<br />
team: he’s been doing it since he served as a<br />
captain to his high-school and college soccer<br />
teams up to coaching present-day. Although<br />
his methods are sometimes outside <strong>the</strong> norm,<br />
it seems like he’s been around long enough to<br />
know how to work <strong>the</strong> kinks out of his players.<br />
This past fall, he inspired his team by<br />
digging a hole symbolic of <strong>the</strong> losing streak<br />
<strong>the</strong> team had. Ridall urged <strong>the</strong> team to fill <strong>the</strong><br />
hole and turn <strong>the</strong> season around. And <strong>the</strong>y<br />
did: with each win, <strong>the</strong>y scooped a shovel full<br />
of dirt into <strong>the</strong> hole, ultimately leading <strong>the</strong>m<br />
to qualify for sectionals.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r instance of Ridall’s interesting<br />
coaching methods was when a<br />
past team was very talented,<br />
yet had issues with certain<br />
individuals’ egos. He had<br />
players write<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir names<br />
on pieces of<br />
paper and<br />
<strong>the</strong>n toss<br />
<strong>the</strong>m into a fire<br />
where <strong>the</strong>y “burned<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir egos.” The team<br />
went on to have a<br />
successful season<br />
after that.<br />
Luke McKenney,<br />
who played for Ridall<br />
in <strong>the</strong> 1980s, recalls<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 19
Photo courtesy of MPH<br />
Mr. Ridall yells instructions at <strong>the</strong> traditional Red and White Day egg toss.<br />
playing varsity as a freshman. He said he<br />
liked hanging out near <strong>the</strong> goal to talk to <strong>the</strong><br />
seniors, even after Ridall would call him to<br />
midfield. One day, Ridall kicked a ball that<br />
took one bounce and hit McKenney in <strong>the</strong> gut.<br />
“Trust me, I never hung around <strong>the</strong> seniors<br />
after that one,” McKenney said.<br />
When Ridall speaks, <strong>the</strong>re’s no fact-checking<br />
to be done, no questioning his methods.<br />
His experience, past and successful record<br />
are enough evidence for anyone. Ridall often<br />
speaks of <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rhood of his soccer<br />
players, telling <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong>y have bro<strong>the</strong>rs <strong>the</strong>y<br />
haven’t met yet.<br />
Last fall, when <strong>the</strong> soccer team went to<br />
Tully’s to celebrate <strong>the</strong>ir sectional-qualifier<br />
win, <strong>the</strong>y ran into Eric Spevak, a member of<br />
Ridall’s first MPH team. Spevak offered wisdom<br />
to <strong>the</strong> players and congratulated <strong>the</strong>m on<br />
bringing <strong>the</strong> program back to its standard of<br />
making sectionals.<br />
But long-time assistant coach Tony Venezia<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>rs said that for Ridall, it’s about<br />
more than just winning.<br />
“He puts <strong>the</strong> well-being of his students<br />
and athletes above all else,” Venezia said, “including<br />
winning.”<br />
Coaching was a career Ridall had a lifetime<br />
to prepare for.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> young age of 13, he knew exactly<br />
what he wanted to do in life. Raised in Lysander,<br />
a small town just outside of Baldwinsville,<br />
Ridall grew up during <strong>the</strong> ’60s and ’70s,<br />
which was a time of freedom, creativity and<br />
limited distractions. Ridall often played variations<br />
of kickball with <strong>the</strong> neighborhood kids,<br />
ran between houses playing hide-and-seek<br />
tag, and organized tournaments at <strong>the</strong> young<br />
age of 7.<br />
Growing up, his uncle influenced him.<br />
He was <strong>the</strong> first of his family to attend college<br />
and <strong>the</strong>n became a physical education teacher<br />
in Watertown. When Ridall was in seventh<br />
grade, he shadowed his uncle at work. Ridall<br />
knew from that visit that he wanted to be a<br />
physical education teacher and that he wanted<br />
to go to college at Cortland, just like his uncle.<br />
At Baldwinsville High School, he played<br />
20
soccer and baseball and ran indoor and<br />
outdoor track, discovering his love for organized<br />
sports. Ridall carried on this passion<br />
at <strong>the</strong> collegiate level for two years at Auburn<br />
Community College and <strong>the</strong>n for three years<br />
at <strong>the</strong> State University of New York at Cortland,<br />
where he competed in varsity soccer<br />
and track. He also earned his master’s degree<br />
from Cortland, and after graduating, Ridall<br />
followed his intended path and taught physical<br />
education at Oswego High School for one<br />
year before taking <strong>the</strong> job at MPH. Ridall was<br />
hired as a soccer and track coach as well as a<br />
physical education teacher. Two years later, in<br />
Photo courtesy of MPH<br />
my children,” he said. “It was <strong>the</strong> right place<br />
for <strong>the</strong>m to be.”<br />
Cady Ridall, a 2016 graduate, said her<br />
fa<strong>the</strong>r has put his all into MPH.<br />
“He works so hard day in and day out to<br />
create this warm and welcoming persona that<br />
so many people have come to love,” she said<br />
in an email. “The only con I can think of as<br />
having my dad be regarded as this ‘celebrity’<br />
is sometimes I felt he was more popular than<br />
me. (Which he totally loves.)”<br />
The door to Ridall’s office is rarely closed,<br />
but when it is, it shows notes from students<br />
that say, “Mr. Ridall, you made my day,” and<br />
Students, including his daughter Cady, dress like Mr. Ridall on “Dress Like a Teacher Day.”<br />
1978, he became athletic director.<br />
The students have kept him going all <strong>the</strong>se<br />
years.<br />
“Probably <strong>the</strong> main thing is being able<br />
to work with young adults,” he said. “See<br />
<strong>the</strong> growth <strong>the</strong>y make and hopefully instill<br />
in <strong>the</strong>m some positive work attitudes, work<br />
ethic, dedication and things like that. And not<br />
only to improve, but [to] enjoy <strong>the</strong>mselves.”<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r job offers came in over <strong>the</strong> years<br />
at both <strong>the</strong> high-school and college level, but<br />
Ridall chose to stay put while his two children<br />
attended MPH.<br />
“Well, for me, it was <strong>the</strong> ideal situation for<br />
“Mr. Ridall, you’re awesome.” Below <strong>the</strong>se is a<br />
sign reading, “Safe Space: All students deserve<br />
a safe and welcoming school environment.”<br />
Ridall’s office truly is a safe space where<br />
anyone is welcome to take a break from <strong>the</strong><br />
drama of high school and have a conversation<br />
with someone who will listen, someone who<br />
takes interest, and someone who cares about<br />
<strong>the</strong> kids here at MPH.<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 21
Alumni Memories<br />
from <strong>the</strong> Don-asty<br />
Compiled by Gavin Cardamone and Daniel Mezzalingua<br />
“His first practice ever, we brought <strong>the</strong> football practice equipment out, and <strong>the</strong> look on<br />
his face was, as <strong>the</strong>y say, ‘priceless.’” —Barry Spevak, Class of 1978<br />
“The best memories I have of Mr. Ridall are <strong>the</strong> early mornings of preseason soccer. The<br />
attitude that he and Coach [Venezia] brought to every practice was <strong>the</strong> perfect combination<br />
of hard work and good times. Those beautiful days will truly remain in my heart for<br />
<strong>the</strong> rest of my life.” —Joey Cerio, Class of 2016<br />
“In seventh grade when I played modified soccer with Mr. Ridall’s son Patrick, Cady was<br />
being born but Mr. Ridall still had Pat show up for <strong>the</strong> second half to score a penalty<br />
kick—dedicated to <strong>the</strong> sport!” —Steve Herron, Class of 2003<br />
“During my sophomore year, we gutted out a win in overtime for <strong>the</strong> sectional championship.<br />
That was a very special moment to share with him and always something that I<br />
dreamed about since I became a ball boy for <strong>the</strong> varsity team as a little kid and watched<br />
<strong>the</strong>m win championships.” —Willie Kniesner, Class of 2013<br />
“He was like a second dad to me, so <strong>the</strong>re are so many great memories. I think <strong>the</strong> best<br />
was winning <strong>the</strong> sectional championship senior year. The seniors on that team had been<br />
teammates and good friends for a very long time, and winning that championship for Mr.<br />
Ridall was a great vindication of his leadership. We had a multiple-goal lead with a few<br />
minutes left, but I will always remember him coaching us and screaming on <strong>the</strong> sideline<br />
until <strong>the</strong> final whistle. Giving him a hug on <strong>the</strong> sideline with a few seconds remaining [is]<br />
a great memory.”—Brian Scruton, Class of 2003<br />
“My best memory of Mr. Ridall [is] <strong>the</strong> famous 2000 State Championship ‘knee slide.’”<br />
—Brian Perry, Class of 2002<br />
22
“Passion + dedication + hard work = winning, in a soccer game or anything you attempt<br />
to do in life.” — Barry Spevak, Class of 1978<br />
“Never give up no matter what. At first this advice only related to winning on <strong>the</strong> soccer<br />
field, but over time I realized that <strong>the</strong> same mindset is crucial for being successful in life.<br />
Mr. Ridall understands better than anyone that sports mean miles more than what happens<br />
[on] <strong>the</strong> field or court.” — Joey Cerio, Class of 2016<br />
“Coach Ridall influenced me — and I use this approach to this day when assembling<br />
teams for work assignments, or when I coach recreation league sports—to evaluate your<br />
team and make <strong>the</strong> best of it and let <strong>the</strong> team know that everyone contributes. There are<br />
no superstars.” —Luke McKenney, Class of 1980<br />
“I came to MPH in ninth grade, so my first experience at <strong>the</strong> school was his soccer program.<br />
Coach Ridall welcomed me, pushed me and gave me a sense of belonging. As <strong>the</strong><br />
years went on, our relationship matured and he consulted me as a captain and veteran.<br />
He was even my Senior Thesis Project mentor when I helped coach [an elementary]<br />
soccer team at MPH. Coach Ridall showed that he trusted my judgment, character and<br />
abilities, and that is something I will always be thankful for.” —Tyler Greco, Class of 2012<br />
“He had a big impact on my life, including teaching [me] how to win and lose graciously.<br />
He truly cared for his players and wanted us to do well in school and life as well as on <strong>the</strong><br />
field. He supported us in becoming well-rounded young men and pushed us to give our<br />
all.” —Dimitrios Telonis, Class of 2007<br />
“On <strong>the</strong> field, he gave us guidance, but freedom to be ourselves. That’s what I loved about<br />
him <strong>the</strong> most. He allowed us to play to our strengths on <strong>the</strong> field and to be ourselves off<br />
<strong>the</strong> field. He was hard enough on us to [keep us] motivated, but nice enough that we<br />
always had fun. When our teams came toge<strong>the</strong>r, it was a beautiful thing. I have carried<br />
over that lesson to my regular life. It is always extremely important to be yourself, because<br />
o<strong>the</strong>rwise, you will be unhappy.” —Willie Kniesner, Class of 2013<br />
“He taught me at an early age to work hard, but to balance that hard work with a bit of<br />
fun – or else what’s <strong>the</strong> point?” —Brian Perry, Class of 2002<br />
“As an athlete on some of <strong>the</strong> less ‘visible’ teams at MPH, Mr. Ridall never failed to check<br />
in with me about <strong>the</strong> team and my progress, sending me off with encouraging words for<br />
<strong>the</strong> event, which made me feel truly supported and excited to compete. I was continually<br />
impressed by his thoughtfulness and involvement in all of <strong>the</strong> sports teams at MPH, as<br />
well as in various o<strong>the</strong>r groups and events at school.” —Lucy Zwigard, Class of 2014<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 23
Color<br />
Kerfuffle<br />
MPH’s new marketing colors receive mixed reactions among school community<br />
members tied to <strong>the</strong> red and white.<br />
By Jeongyoon Han<br />
Photos by Dan Mezzalingua<br />
When <strong>the</strong> Parents’ Association was creating<br />
prototypes for new Campus Shop merchandise,<br />
a volunteer asked Head of Upper<br />
School John Stegeman if he wanted anything.<br />
He requested a customized Manlius <strong>Pebble</strong><br />
Hill vest.<br />
Stegeman wore his vest <strong>the</strong> first day back<br />
from December break, surprising students<br />
who passed him in <strong>the</strong> halls. It featured a<br />
Pantone bright green, dark green and turquoise<br />
inscription of “MPH” in <strong>the</strong> upper left<br />
corner, a complete departure from <strong>the</strong> iconic<br />
Farmhouse logo and <strong>the</strong> school’s red-andwhite<br />
colors.<br />
This became <strong>the</strong> debut of MPH’s new<br />
green-<strong>the</strong>med logo. Many, including senior<br />
and lifer Lilly Maresco, were confused and<br />
shocked because in <strong>the</strong> past, <strong>the</strong>y had seen<br />
only red and white represent <strong>the</strong> school.<br />
“It was confusing to see a new logo, I<br />
guess, for <strong>the</strong> first time,” Maresco said.<br />
Stegeman explained later that day during<br />
Upper School assembly that <strong>the</strong> logo and<br />
colors were part of a new marketing campaign<br />
launched by MPH and partner Crane<br />
MetaMarketing in an effort to emphasize<br />
MPH as a place of intellectually driven<br />
students and a thriving community. Red and<br />
white, however, would remain <strong>the</strong> school’s<br />
athletic colors.<br />
Given <strong>the</strong> school’s financial crisis during<br />
<strong>the</strong> 2014-15 school year and <strong>the</strong> subsequent<br />
drop in enrollment, <strong>the</strong> administration felt<br />
<strong>the</strong> school needed rebranding.<br />
While assessing how MPH could best attract<br />
prospective families, Crane determined<br />
that <strong>the</strong> red in MPH’s beloved red and white<br />
is uninviting: think red as in a stop sign. In<br />
addition, Crane experts told <strong>the</strong> seven-member<br />
MPH administrative staff overseeing <strong>the</strong><br />
campaign that <strong>the</strong> Farmhouse logo painted<br />
MPH as an overly traditional institution<br />
when in reality it’s a place for organic and<br />
dynamic learning.<br />
“We’re so many things, and [Crane]<br />
wanted to make sure that when people drove<br />
down <strong>the</strong> road and saw our billboard, or <strong>the</strong>y<br />
went on syracuse.com and saw our ad, or<br />
<strong>the</strong>y got a promotional piece in <strong>the</strong> mail, that<br />
we stood out,” said Jennifer Neuner, MPH’s<br />
director of events and communications.<br />
“They wanted us to appear as something<br />
different, which we already know we [are].<br />
We needed to articulate that to <strong>the</strong> broader<br />
community, and <strong>the</strong>y didn’t feel we could do<br />
that with <strong>the</strong> old material we had.”<br />
Yet <strong>the</strong> reaction within <strong>the</strong> MPH community<br />
is mixed. Some like <strong>the</strong> aes<strong>the</strong>tic of<br />
<strong>the</strong> new logo and feel that it signifies a new<br />
chapter for MPH, especially with enrollment<br />
already beginning to increase. O<strong>the</strong>rs are<br />
confused by <strong>the</strong> school having both <strong>the</strong> red<br />
and white and <strong>the</strong> greens and blue. Those<br />
who disapprove of <strong>the</strong> new colors feel that<br />
<strong>the</strong>y have no correlation with <strong>the</strong> MPH identity,<br />
which is closely intertwined with <strong>the</strong> red<br />
and white. Adding to <strong>the</strong> confusion, students<br />
and faculty noted, was ineffective communication<br />
from <strong>the</strong> administration, which created<br />
a sense of disconnect between community<br />
members and <strong>the</strong> decision makers.<br />
The administration and Crane agreed<br />
that <strong>the</strong> new colors and logo would, as Crane<br />
program manager Christina Albetta said,<br />
24
“convey a sense of possibility and growth” at<br />
MPH.<br />
“The shades of green and blue represent<br />
possibility, opportunity (<strong>the</strong> sky’s <strong>the</strong> limit!),<br />
energy, life and development—as in <strong>the</strong><br />
spring, green signifying growth,” Albetta said<br />
in an email.<br />
Arriving at <strong>the</strong>se colors and building <strong>the</strong><br />
marketing campaign was a delicate process.<br />
When Crane first pitched <strong>the</strong> green-<strong>the</strong>med<br />
color scheme in June following months of<br />
on-site interviews with 17 different focus<br />
groups, <strong>the</strong> administration members were<br />
taken aback.<br />
“There wasn’t one single person in <strong>the</strong><br />
room at this presentation that didn’t fidget a<br />
little bit when <strong>the</strong>y saw those colors,” Neuner<br />
said. “It is uncomfortable. It’s a hard thing to<br />
grasp.”<br />
But ultimately, <strong>the</strong>se same people became<br />
sold on <strong>the</strong> idea that change was necessary to<br />
represent MPH as a school moving forward.<br />
“I wouldn’t have accepted <strong>the</strong> color<br />
change had [Crane] not been so persuasive,”<br />
Head of School Jim Dunaway said.<br />
Stegeman said he was aware that <strong>the</strong> new<br />
colors would represent a break in tradition,<br />
and as such, some people might not like it.<br />
But he views <strong>the</strong> campaign as a necessary<br />
departure from MPH’s recent troubles.<br />
“I think that sometimes breaks from<br />
tradition can be a really good thing,” he said.<br />
“Part of what this marketing campaign was<br />
intended to do was separate us from <strong>the</strong><br />
financial turmoil of two years ago, and so<br />
if that’s what [we’re] trying to do, <strong>the</strong>n that<br />
break is a good thing.”<br />
However, a considerable portion of <strong>the</strong><br />
MPH community interviewed by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong><br />
questions <strong>the</strong> school’s decision to introduce<br />
<strong>the</strong> new logo and colors, as well as <strong>the</strong> concept<br />
of having two sets of colors. The <strong>Pebble</strong><br />
interviewed 24 community members, and of<br />
<strong>the</strong> 24, only four said <strong>the</strong>y liked <strong>the</strong> addition<br />
of <strong>the</strong> new colors. In an online Google survey<br />
conducted by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong>, while 67 percent of<br />
111 respondents (mostly students) said <strong>the</strong>y<br />
understood <strong>the</strong> reasoning behind <strong>the</strong> new<br />
colors and logo, only 19 percent said <strong>the</strong>y<br />
supported <strong>the</strong> decision to introduce <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
Thirty percent said <strong>the</strong>y supported it somewhat,<br />
but 43 percent said <strong>the</strong>y did not.<br />
Some students, including senior Spencer<br />
Krywy, said <strong>the</strong> new colors highlight <strong>the</strong><br />
disconnect between <strong>the</strong> decision makers and<br />
<strong>the</strong> student body.<br />
“I think <strong>the</strong>y represent <strong>the</strong> new administration.<br />
I don’t think <strong>the</strong>y represent <strong>the</strong><br />
students,” Krywy said. “The administration is<br />
pushing a very different angle than how we<br />
feel.”<br />
Annie Weiss, senior and Student Council<br />
President, raises similar sentiments.<br />
“It’s almost like we have two different<br />
schools in some ways: one that we know<br />
MPH as, and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r that we’re trying to<br />
market MPH as,” said Weiss, who has been<br />
at MPH since third grade. “It kind of makes<br />
MPH less wholesome.”<br />
Long-term implications are also on<br />
students’ minds. Weiss said she’s concerned<br />
by how strong MPH’s identity and sense of<br />
community will be in <strong>the</strong> future.<br />
“In a couple of years, I worry [<strong>the</strong> red and<br />
white] could lose its meaning,” Weiss said.<br />
MPH and Crane agreed that it was time<br />
for rebranding. In 1970, when <strong>the</strong> Manlius<br />
School and <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> Hill School merged,<br />
MPH adopted <strong>the</strong> colors red (from Manlius’s<br />
red and black colors) and white (from <strong>the</strong><br />
latter’s green and white). Since <strong>the</strong>n, besides<br />
a 2012 marketing campaign with <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>me<br />
“Uncommon to <strong>the</strong> Core,” <strong>the</strong> school hadn’t<br />
updated its look or logo since <strong>the</strong> early 2000s,<br />
when it wrapped “Manlius <strong>Pebble</strong> Hill: Think,<br />
Imagine, Learn, Grow” around <strong>the</strong> original<br />
Farmhouse logo.<br />
As a result, Neuner said, <strong>the</strong> external<br />
community viewed MPH as having an “oldschool”<br />
and “failing” vibe; with <strong>the</strong> crisis that<br />
almost closed <strong>the</strong> school, it was imperative to<br />
prove to <strong>the</strong> external community that MPH<br />
was thriving.<br />
That one of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> Hill School’s<br />
colors was green, however, was not a source<br />
of inspiration for Crane as it sought <strong>the</strong> best<br />
colors to do this. The overlapping letters and<br />
three different colors in <strong>the</strong> logo, ra<strong>the</strong>r, is a<br />
nod toward <strong>the</strong> close relationship between<br />
MPH, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> Hill School and <strong>the</strong> Manlius<br />
School.<br />
For English teacher and department<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 25
MPH’s JV volleyball team.<br />
chair Fred Montas, Jr., had Crane chosen <strong>the</strong><br />
green tones with that connection in mind,<br />
<strong>the</strong> choice might have made some sense. But<br />
this not being <strong>the</strong> case is only fur<strong>the</strong>r proof<br />
to Montas that <strong>the</strong> colors have little or no<br />
connection to MPH.<br />
Montas said he understands that <strong>the</strong> colors<br />
are meant to present <strong>the</strong> school in a fresh<br />
way to <strong>the</strong> community, although he doesn’t<br />
understand what those particular colors convey<br />
about <strong>the</strong> school. But, he said, he leaves<br />
those decisions to <strong>the</strong> experts.<br />
“Especially since it’s something that’s<br />
targeted for people outside <strong>the</strong> school who<br />
might not know it well, it’s hard to say what<br />
it’s trying to convey,” said Montas, who has<br />
taught at MPH for 16 years. “As someone<br />
who’s been at <strong>the</strong> school for a while, it’s hard<br />
for me to see it with fresh eyes. And, you<br />
know, I’m not <strong>the</strong> audience for it. So it’s hard<br />
to see what that’s intended to convey, because<br />
I see <strong>the</strong> representation of <strong>the</strong> school in a<br />
particular way.”<br />
However, Montas said he has gradually<br />
opened up to <strong>the</strong> new colors.<br />
“Now, with <strong>the</strong> passage of time, <strong>the</strong>se<br />
colors are growing on me.”<br />
Dean of Students Alex Leclercq has similar<br />
sentiments—he doesn’t understand <strong>the</strong><br />
motivation behind <strong>the</strong> particular color choices,<br />
but also said he leaves it to <strong>the</strong> experts. He<br />
said he is glad <strong>the</strong> school retained <strong>the</strong> red and<br />
white for sports teams, but after being at <strong>the</strong><br />
school for 16 years, he will dearly miss seeing<br />
<strong>the</strong> Farmhouse logo.<br />
“I think it’s been <strong>the</strong> most enduring symbol<br />
of our school since its inception in 1970,”<br />
he said.<br />
This strong connection MPH has with<br />
<strong>the</strong> building is why <strong>the</strong> school, depending<br />
on <strong>the</strong> context, still uses <strong>the</strong> old letterhead,<br />
which includes <strong>the</strong> Farmhouse, when sending<br />
out mail to MPH alumni. In fact, depending<br />
on <strong>the</strong> event and audience, <strong>the</strong> school<br />
may use one of five different MPH logos: <strong>the</strong><br />
Farmhouse, <strong>the</strong> Manlius School logo, <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Pebble</strong> Hill School logo, <strong>the</strong> MPH Athletics<br />
logo, and now, <strong>the</strong> new logo. It’s a tough<br />
responsibility that <strong>the</strong> school took on even<br />
prior to <strong>the</strong> marketing campaign. Neuner,<br />
however, says that <strong>the</strong> extra work to balance<br />
all <strong>the</strong>se different logos is worth it.<br />
“It’s nostalgic to come back and visit your<br />
high school, and we don’t want to lose that,”<br />
she said.<br />
Yet <strong>the</strong> new logo meant for <strong>the</strong> external<br />
community is now found internally—on<br />
report cards, letters sent to students, email<br />
signatures and on items for sale at <strong>the</strong> Campus<br />
Shop. While some students and faculty<br />
object to this cross-over, Neuner said with <strong>the</strong><br />
marketing campaign emphasizing <strong>the</strong> new<br />
colors, this aids in consistency and efficiency.<br />
To promote <strong>the</strong> campaign, <strong>the</strong> Campus<br />
Shop has also released green-<strong>the</strong>med merchandise.<br />
But Hana Sultan Awa, an MPH<br />
26
parent and Campus Shop volunteer, said<br />
she thinks that having two color schemes is<br />
a poor choice for <strong>the</strong> school. She said it can<br />
be confusing for new families and that some<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r parents she has spoken to agree.<br />
“To have one solid color [palette] ...<br />
shows more solidarity in <strong>the</strong> school, [ra<strong>the</strong>r]<br />
than having two kids wearing two different<br />
colors representing <strong>the</strong> school,” she said.<br />
The Final Product:<br />
A Long Journey<br />
Following <strong>the</strong> crisis, Dunaway knew<br />
that something had to be done to improve<br />
MPH’s image in <strong>the</strong> local community.<br />
A donation from John Mezzalingua in<br />
2015 specifically for marketing gave MPH <strong>the</strong><br />
means to contact Crane, who has extensive<br />
experience with private schools and colleges.<br />
When Dunaway first called Crane President<br />
Patti Crane, he knew that MPH would<br />
be in good hands because of her expertise:<br />
she knew <strong>the</strong> Syracuse market for schools,<br />
immediately referencing Christian Bro<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
Academy as one of MPH’s main competitors.<br />
Such familiarity, Dunaway said, was<br />
crucial, as MPH would need to work with<br />
a marketing firm that could help <strong>the</strong> school<br />
convince prospective families to send <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
children here because <strong>the</strong>y see <strong>the</strong> school as<br />
one-of-a-kind.<br />
“We wanted people to be willing to drive<br />
right past F-M or J-D to come to us,” Dunaway<br />
said. “The goal is to make us better<br />
known in <strong>the</strong> community and have people<br />
have an image of us that we define. One of<br />
<strong>the</strong> things that we wanted to do <strong>the</strong>re was<br />
to have a distinctive and consistent kind of<br />
brand. I hate to use that word about schools,<br />
but brand, so if you see a Coca-Cola can from<br />
a hundred yards, you know that’s a Coca-Cola<br />
can.”<br />
Capturing MPH’s strengths and reflecting<br />
<strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> marketing campaign was crucial,<br />
said Crane’s Albetta. The focus groups and<br />
on-site visits made it clear to Crane officials<br />
that MPH is a place for creativity.<br />
Students line up in preparation for <strong>the</strong> Red and White Day egg toss.<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 27
“MPH is a thoughtful, organic place<br />
headed into a new future and full of nuanced<br />
teaching and insightful students,” she said.<br />
Red, <strong>the</strong>y concluded, wasn’t <strong>the</strong> best color<br />
to reflect this, as it can be perceived as uninviting,<br />
overly traditional and shrill.<br />
“MPH’s athletic colors are vibrant and<br />
strong—but that strength and saturation of<br />
<strong>the</strong> red makes it a bit hard to work with in<br />
brochures, advertising, and posters,” Albetta<br />
said. “And with that red, we were limited in<br />
finding companion accent colors we could<br />
introduce.”<br />
It was important to brand MPH as a<br />
modern and thriving school to improve <strong>the</strong><br />
school’s credibility in <strong>the</strong> eyes of <strong>the</strong> Syracuse<br />
community, Neuner said. MPH needed to<br />
reinvent its image without reinventing itself.<br />
“It wasn’t our programs, it wasn’t our<br />
teachers, it wasn’t our students,” she said. “It<br />
was our reputation that was on <strong>the</strong> line.”<br />
That being said, Dunaway and <strong>the</strong> administration<br />
wanted to ensure that <strong>the</strong> campaign<br />
would depict MPH au<strong>the</strong>ntically.<br />
“You can advertise something and make<br />
it sound really good, even if it’s not,” Dunaway<br />
said. “There are lots of things that have<br />
great advertisements but when you buy <strong>the</strong>m,<br />
<strong>the</strong>y’re not very good. And we didn’t want<br />
that.”<br />
While <strong>the</strong> logo and colors underwent<br />
only about 10 modifications, coming to <strong>the</strong><br />
final draft for <strong>the</strong><br />
written component<br />
of <strong>the</strong> marketing<br />
campaign—one that<br />
would perfectly encapsulate<br />
<strong>the</strong> essence<br />
of MPH—was a<br />
much more meticulous<br />
process. But<br />
<strong>the</strong> administrative<br />
team ultimately felt<br />
that each and every<br />
revision was necessary<br />
in order to better<br />
represent MPH.<br />
Some<br />
Unintended<br />
Results<br />
Kristin Bernazzani and Erica Stark, MPH employees, showing <strong>the</strong>ir school<br />
spirit on a Friday “Spirit Day.”<br />
Stegeman<br />
maintains<br />
that <strong>the</strong> new<br />
colors and logo are<br />
in <strong>the</strong> best interest<br />
of <strong>the</strong> school, as<br />
<strong>the</strong>y help marry <strong>the</strong><br />
external and internal<br />
community’s views of<br />
MPH: in o<strong>the</strong>r words,<br />
<strong>the</strong> external community<br />
will see all<br />
of <strong>the</strong> great aspects<br />
that current MPH<br />
community members<br />
28
already know.<br />
“When <strong>the</strong> newspaper<br />
prints stories<br />
about how <strong>the</strong> school<br />
might close … <strong>the</strong>n<br />
on <strong>the</strong> outside, people<br />
think, ‘What’s going<br />
on at that school?’<br />
And so I saw [<strong>the</strong><br />
marketing campaign]<br />
as a way for us to tell<br />
<strong>the</strong>m, ‘Hey, no, we’re<br />
doing all right, you<br />
know. This is still a<br />
phenomenal school,<br />
and we’re coming<br />
back, and … <strong>the</strong> future’s<br />
bright.”<br />
The administration<br />
tried to reach out<br />
to faculty, students,<br />
parents and alumni<br />
through various meetings<br />
and email communications to explain<br />
<strong>the</strong> new campaign.<br />
Dunaway met with employees on Dec.<br />
22 to notify <strong>the</strong>m of it, and on Jan. 4 an email<br />
went out to alumni. With <strong>the</strong> new website<br />
launched two days later, Neuner scheduled<br />
separate meetings for parents and for students<br />
in January. Around 25 to 30 parents<br />
attended <strong>the</strong>ir meeting, and only one student<br />
showed up for <strong>the</strong> student meeting, which<br />
Neuner held anyway.<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r students, like senior Nick Jerge,<br />
spoke with Neuner one-on-one about <strong>the</strong><br />
campaign. He said he understands <strong>the</strong> marketing<br />
standpoint of <strong>the</strong> new colors being<br />
more psychologically appealing and thinks<br />
<strong>the</strong> marketing campaign is of a very high<br />
quality. However, he wishes <strong>the</strong> school had<br />
chosen options in which MPH didn’t adopt<br />
different colors because he feels that <strong>the</strong><br />
change represents a shift in <strong>the</strong> school, one<br />
that is gravitating away from a “red-andwhite<br />
school.”<br />
“[Ms. Neuner] said how people saw <strong>the</strong><br />
Farmhouse logo and <strong>the</strong>y saw a school that<br />
<strong>the</strong>y didn’t know was open anymore, but I<br />
thought that was really weird,” said Jerge,<br />
who has attended MPH since Pre-K. “[The<br />
Farmhouse is a] symbol that you can’t just get<br />
Seniors Nate Barton (left) and Sophie Novak (right) discuss some school work in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Phoenix Student Center.<br />
rid of. … I’m a little concerned that we want<br />
to purposely shift away from it.”<br />
Many agree that <strong>the</strong> initial communication<br />
was poorly conducted: <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong>’s<br />
survey found that two-thirds of respondents<br />
said <strong>the</strong> changes were poorly communicated<br />
and introduced.<br />
As <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong> reached out to Neuner with<br />
questions about <strong>the</strong> campaign, she realized<br />
that ano<strong>the</strong>r explanation was necessary<br />
through a second assembly presentation.<br />
Some said <strong>the</strong> second presentation<br />
changed <strong>the</strong>ir perspective, but o<strong>the</strong>rs had<br />
always liked <strong>the</strong> new colors, including parent<br />
Jennifer Reid, whose child has attended MPH<br />
for two years.<br />
“I think it represents a rebirth or a renewal,”<br />
she said. “[MPH] had gone through<br />
kind of a rough patch for a while, and really,<br />
everybody in <strong>the</strong> last couple of years put in a<br />
lot of work to make <strong>the</strong> school whole again<br />
and to really set a good foundation. … It’s<br />
kind of a new start for MPH. … It reflects <strong>the</strong><br />
direction that <strong>the</strong> school’s going in right now.<br />
I think <strong>the</strong> school is expanding and really<br />
broadening its outreach.”<br />
Junior Jared Amankwah said that though<br />
he was confused at first, he likes <strong>the</strong> colors as<br />
well and agrees <strong>the</strong>y can usher in a new era<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 29
Maya Huyge, Emma Gross and Ella Pisciarino wear <strong>the</strong>ir different MPH colors on a Friday “Spirit Day.”<br />
for <strong>the</strong> school. “It’s probably more of a positive<br />
and welcoming color scheme; it’s visually<br />
which is strange to me,” Krywy said.<br />
appealing,” Amankwah said.<br />
Brian Sheehan, professor of advertising<br />
He said he is glad <strong>the</strong> school retained <strong>the</strong> at <strong>the</strong> S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications<br />
at Syracuse University, said that<br />
red and white as well and that he thinks <strong>the</strong><br />
two sets of colors can coexist, as long as <strong>the</strong> having two sets of colors is not only confusing,<br />
but an unwise strategy.<br />
greens and blue remain for marketing purposes<br />
and don’t get intertwined with school “In <strong>the</strong> business of marketing you can’t be<br />
traditions.<br />
half pregnant, … meaning having one foot in<br />
O<strong>the</strong>rs, including senior Amina Kilpatrick,<br />
have mixed reactions or serious con-<br />
and new image and <strong>the</strong>n still be using <strong>the</strong> red<br />
<strong>the</strong> modern progressive camp of a new logo<br />
cerns regarding <strong>the</strong> additional colors and and white for sports teams, for example,” said<br />
logo.<br />
Sheehan, one of <strong>the</strong> industry’s most soughtout<br />
experts.<br />
“I still am having trouble with <strong>the</strong> whole<br />
‘two-sets-of-colors-to-represent-one-school’ Sheehan is a former account executive<br />
idea,” Kilpatrick said.<br />
and CEO for Saatchi & Saatchi, a global advertising<br />
agency, where he worked on iconic<br />
Those with similar viewpoints suggest<br />
that <strong>the</strong> new logo and additional colors may campaigns for corporations like Toyota. He<br />
be an inaccurate representation of MPH, called it a terrible mistake for <strong>the</strong> school to<br />
since red and white dominate many aspects keep <strong>the</strong> red and white along with <strong>the</strong> new<br />
of school life.<br />
logo.<br />
“I find it somewhat dishonest because it “Ei<strong>the</strong>r … you … go all <strong>the</strong> way into a<br />
does not represent <strong>the</strong> actual school colors, new era and redefine your school, or [you]<br />
30
decide you’re a school with a tremendous<br />
amount of tradition that you want to keep,”<br />
said Sheehan, whose son happens to be an<br />
MPH alum. “And don’t get mixed messages<br />
into it. So you’re ultimately ei<strong>the</strong>r red and<br />
white or you’re whatever this is, blue, green<br />
and teal. Trying to be both is really a dreadful<br />
idea.”<br />
Crane representatives and Neuner both<br />
said <strong>the</strong>y disagree. Pam Mason-Norsworthy,<br />
Strategic Partnerships Manager at Crane, said<br />
that marketing campaigns for established independent<br />
schools need to respect <strong>the</strong> school’s’<br />
history while also moving forward and that<br />
marketing schools is different than marketing<br />
products.<br />
“We often need to contemporize a school’s<br />
visual presentation and messaging while<br />
still honoring <strong>the</strong> institution’s history,” Mason-Norsworthy<br />
said. “That doesn’t mean<br />
<strong>the</strong>re’s a foot in <strong>the</strong> past and one in <strong>the</strong> present,<br />
but ra<strong>the</strong>r that we respect <strong>the</strong> beloved<br />
visual representations that have come before.”<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r schools that have worked with<br />
Crane and implemented advertising-specific<br />
colors appreciate this balance. St. George’s Independent<br />
School in Tennessee, like MPH, has<br />
two sets of colors, and communications director<br />
Sarah Cowan said that despite <strong>the</strong>re being<br />
some initial confusion, <strong>the</strong> marketing strategy<br />
has been successful for <strong>the</strong> school thus far.<br />
“It’s not uncommon for institutions to<br />
work within <strong>the</strong>ir school colors, but I think it’s<br />
fairly limiting for an institution or corporation<br />
to feel constrained by a specific color palette,”<br />
Cowan said. “Recognizing tradition or history<br />
is important, especially in a school; being<br />
constrained by it in a difficult and competitive<br />
market is not smart.”<br />
An Administrative<br />
Analysis<br />
Looking back, Neuner and Stegeman<br />
agreed that <strong>the</strong> school could have<br />
better communicated <strong>the</strong> campaign<br />
with <strong>the</strong> MPH community; Dunaway said <strong>the</strong><br />
communication was “good: not great, not bad.”<br />
Neuner noted that <strong>the</strong> reception of <strong>the</strong> new<br />
colors might have been even more positive had<br />
<strong>the</strong> school presented in front of small student<br />
groups and had discussions begun earlier.<br />
But, Neuner said, <strong>the</strong> school also had to<br />
balance its approach.<br />
“It’s a little bit of a catch-22, because <strong>the</strong><br />
bigger deal you make it seem, <strong>the</strong> bigger deal<br />
it is,” she said. “We thought that <strong>the</strong> more we<br />
brought it up, and <strong>the</strong> more we made a big<br />
thing about it, <strong>the</strong> more it would appear to ...<br />
students that we were changing everything.”<br />
Dunaway added that it would’ve been<br />
impossible to take into account everyone’s individual<br />
thoughts and that Crane was capable<br />
of best showcasing MPH in its true form.<br />
And for him, Crane did this through <strong>the</strong><br />
campaign’s language more so than <strong>the</strong> new<br />
colors or logo, such as <strong>the</strong> main catchphrase,<br />
<strong>the</strong> “MPH Effect,” which has also been more<br />
specifically defined as <strong>the</strong> “tenacity effect,”<br />
“integrity effect,” “readiness effect” and “preparedness<br />
effect,” among several o<strong>the</strong>r descriptors.<br />
“I’m amazed that <strong>the</strong>re’s so much interest<br />
in <strong>the</strong> colors, you know, we’re not talking<br />
about <strong>the</strong> language, because that’s what describes<br />
<strong>the</strong> school,” Dunaway said. “The colors<br />
are absolutely secondary. When … prospective<br />
parents read [<strong>the</strong> viewbook], <strong>the</strong>y’re looking<br />
at more than <strong>the</strong> colors. They’re looking at <strong>the</strong><br />
way it describes what it means to be a student<br />
at this school, and that’s what’s compelling<br />
about this place: it’s <strong>the</strong> kids we have here.”<br />
That language was given special attention<br />
by administrators, as <strong>the</strong>y agreed that it is <strong>the</strong><br />
primary way to convey what’s special about<br />
MPH.<br />
“Lots of things have had an effect on you,<br />
but <strong>the</strong> school has had an effect on you, and it’s<br />
sometimes hard to define what that is, but if<br />
we say <strong>the</strong> ‘MPH Effect,’ you know what we’re<br />
talking about. … We want people, when <strong>the</strong>y<br />
hear MPH, to think, ‘MPH Effect,’ ” Dunaway<br />
said<br />
Ȧnd prospective families seem to be buying<br />
<strong>the</strong> Effect. MPH has enrolled seven new<br />
students since <strong>the</strong> campaign began, <strong>the</strong> highest<br />
number of mid-year enrollees in at least five<br />
years, Neuner said. Dunaway added that <strong>the</strong>re<br />
has been a 60 percent increase in inquiries into<br />
<strong>the</strong> school from this time last year.<br />
Now it’s a matter of time to see whe<strong>the</strong>r or<br />
not <strong>the</strong> greens and blue and Farmhouse-less<br />
logo will continue to draw in new families and<br />
if <strong>the</strong> red and white can remain strong. While<br />
<strong>the</strong> school has said that nothing has changed<br />
(cont on p. 35)<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 31
Kendama King<br />
How a teen hand turned his hobby into a business<br />
By Daniel Braverman<br />
Photos by Nathan Sonnenfeld<br />
George Bruno cuts a piece of local cherry wood before turning it on <strong>the</strong> la<strong>the</strong>.<br />
A<br />
la<strong>the</strong> spins over and over again<br />
and wood shavings fly into <strong>the</strong> air<br />
while George Bruno, a 17-yearold<br />
junior at Manlius <strong>Pebble</strong> Hill, shapes a<br />
rectangular cherry wood block into an old<br />
Japanese skill toy known as a kendama.<br />
Five hours later, Bruno puts <strong>the</strong> three<br />
pieces toge<strong>the</strong>r, checks <strong>the</strong> measurements<br />
one last time, and smiles. Before he can be<br />
fully satisfied, Bruno completes his final test<br />
for quality: he plays with it. As he lands his<br />
first trick, Bruno nods and sets <strong>the</strong> finished<br />
kendama to <strong>the</strong> side, ready for it to be put up<br />
for sale. The toy may appear simple at first,<br />
but <strong>the</strong>re are more than 1,000 different tricks<br />
ranging in difficulty that players can try to<br />
master.<br />
In January, Bruno combined his passion<br />
for hand-turning kendamas with his passion<br />
for entrepreneurship when he launched his<br />
company, Handturned Kendamas.<br />
Despite being in high school, Bruno has<br />
been able to balance <strong>the</strong> amount of work his<br />
company requires on top of his schoolwork.<br />
Utilizing free blocks effectively to focus on<br />
homework, Bruno is able to spend roughly<br />
two hours a night during <strong>the</strong> school week<br />
ei<strong>the</strong>r woodworking, marketing, or doing<br />
anything else involved with <strong>the</strong> business.<br />
While some high schoolers might find<br />
running <strong>the</strong>ir own company overwhelming,<br />
Bruno has handled <strong>the</strong> added responsibility<br />
well.<br />
“It’s something that is very fun for me,<br />
32
and I enjoy every minute of it,” Bruno said.<br />
Bruno’s blend of hard work, passion and<br />
superb craftsmanship has helped him gain<br />
customers from all across <strong>the</strong> United States.<br />
“I think with his handturned kendamas,<br />
he can really make a difference in [<strong>the</strong> kendama<br />
market],” said customer Andrew Benincasa,<br />
a freshman at MPH.<br />
Bruno<br />
first became<br />
fascinated with<br />
kendama in<br />
October 2015.<br />
Four months<br />
later, he started<br />
to make <strong>the</strong><br />
skill toy. Before<br />
thinking<br />
about starting<br />
a company,<br />
Bruno focused<br />
on making his<br />
kendamas as<br />
high-quality<br />
as possible. It<br />
wasn’t until<br />
his Advanced<br />
Portfolio class<br />
with Teresa<br />
Henderson,<br />
chair of <strong>the</strong><br />
visual art and<br />
design department,<br />
that<br />
Bruno began<br />
to seriously<br />
think about<br />
selling <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
Through <strong>the</strong><br />
class, Henderson<br />
developed<br />
into a mentor<br />
for him, guiding<br />
him on<br />
many aspects<br />
of his business,<br />
such as branding, photos, packaging and<br />
marketing. Henderson and o<strong>the</strong>rs who have<br />
given him advice or assistance are why Bruno<br />
sees being an entrepreneur while still in high<br />
school as an advantage.<br />
“Being able to run your own company at a<br />
young age is really cool,” Bruno said. [It’s] an<br />
experience [where] you keep learning things<br />
as you run into problems and have to solve<br />
<strong>the</strong>m.”<br />
While <strong>the</strong> idea of launching a company<br />
was Bruno’s, his older bro<strong>the</strong>r and fa<strong>the</strong>r both<br />
influenced and inspired him. Bruno’s fa<strong>the</strong>r<br />
had a passion for woodworking from a young<br />
age, and he shared this passion with Bruno,<br />
who also found<br />
it interesting and<br />
decided to start<br />
woodworking.<br />
However, when it<br />
came to entrepreneurial<br />
endeavors,<br />
Bruno’s<br />
biggest inspiration<br />
was his<br />
bro<strong>the</strong>r Simon,<br />
who also had his<br />
own businesses<br />
in high school.<br />
Growing up,<br />
watching his<br />
older bro<strong>the</strong>r run<br />
his own businesses<br />
inspired<br />
Bruno to do<br />
something of his<br />
own.<br />
“I just<br />
thought it was<br />
cool how my<br />
bro<strong>the</strong>r, since he<br />
was my age, was<br />
doing his own<br />
little businesses<br />
and just pretty<br />
much figuring<br />
stuff out on his<br />
own and learning<br />
through starting<br />
a business,”<br />
Bruno said. “I<br />
While Bruno enjoys making kendamas, he finds playing with <strong>the</strong>m even more always liked that<br />
fun.<br />
and thought it<br />
really fit my learning style to do something<br />
like that.”<br />
When Bruno launched his company and<br />
his kendamas hit <strong>the</strong> market, all five sold out.<br />
Customers from places such as Los Angeles,<br />
San Diego, New York City and Pennsylvania<br />
all hurried to get <strong>the</strong>ir hands on one. To date,<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 33
Bruno has sold more than 40 products; however,<br />
<strong>the</strong> majority of <strong>the</strong>se have not been kendamas<br />
but ano<strong>the</strong>r product called a kururin.<br />
Just before launching his company, Bruno<br />
became fascinated with <strong>the</strong> kururin, a rolling<br />
desk toy also from Japan. After making<br />
three, each a different size, Bruno found <strong>the</strong><br />
shape he liked. He started to hand-turn <strong>the</strong>m<br />
and put <strong>the</strong>m<br />
for sale on his<br />
website.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> time,<br />
<strong>the</strong> kururin<br />
was a brandnew<br />
toy, and<br />
Bruno said<br />
Handturned<br />
Kendamas was<br />
one of <strong>the</strong> few<br />
companies<br />
in <strong>the</strong> United<br />
States to sell it.<br />
Kururins tend<br />
to be popular<br />
among people<br />
who play kendama.<br />
Kururins,<br />
called roru on<br />
his site, have<br />
been Bruno’s<br />
most popular<br />
product. Five<br />
times in <strong>the</strong><br />
first month of<br />
business, Bruno<br />
released a<br />
batch of four or<br />
five kururins,<br />
and each batch<br />
sold out. Additionally,<br />
one<br />
of his kururins<br />
made its way<br />
to a customer<br />
halfway around<br />
<strong>the</strong> world in Japan.<br />
In places such as California and Japan,<br />
kendama has become a trend in which kids<br />
spend <strong>the</strong>ir free time practicing, as opposed<br />
to playing video games or watching a screen.<br />
At MPH, Bruno has helped make kendama a<br />
trend with a community of students ranging<br />
Currently, Bruno has more than 10 kendamas in his growing collection.<br />
from sixth to 11th grade playing. These students<br />
are often seen toge<strong>the</strong>r playing kendama<br />
during snack, Upper School Kendama Club,<br />
or Middle School Kendama Club. Bruno sees<br />
all this kendama playing as a great thing to do.<br />
In just a month and a half, Bruno’s company<br />
not only benefitted <strong>the</strong> MPH community,<br />
but his products have also been sold<br />
to customers<br />
all across<br />
<strong>the</strong> country.<br />
However,<br />
<strong>the</strong>re is much<br />
more to come<br />
from Bruno’s<br />
company. He<br />
is currently<br />
working with a<br />
distributor to<br />
have his products<br />
sold on its<br />
website as well.<br />
Additionally,<br />
Bruno may release<br />
apparel in<br />
<strong>the</strong> near future<br />
and recently released<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
skill toy called a<br />
belgeri. However,<br />
considering<br />
how quickly <strong>the</strong><br />
company has<br />
grown, Bruno<br />
doesn’t know<br />
exactly where<br />
it’s headed.<br />
“The way<br />
that George<br />
thinks is fantastic,”<br />
Henderson<br />
said. “The<br />
limitations for<br />
George are<br />
whatever he<br />
wants to put on<br />
himself, which is really cool.”<br />
Bruno’s website -<br />
www.handturnedkendamas.com<br />
34
(color cont. from p.31)<br />
in terms of MPH’s identity, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pebble</strong>’s<br />
survey results seem to suggest that students<br />
disagree.<br />
Forty-eight percent of respondents said<br />
that <strong>the</strong> new colors are changing <strong>the</strong> MPH<br />
community and identity, while 37.8 disagreed<br />
and 14.4 were unsure.<br />
Senior Caroline King simply does not<br />
believe <strong>the</strong> two sets of colors can coexist.<br />
“I don’t think <strong>the</strong>re’s a way to have two<br />
sets of different colors,” she said, “which is a<br />
shame.”<br />
Many questions remain, but perhaps<br />
most importantly, will <strong>the</strong> campaign’s new<br />
colors, logo and words succeed in increasing<br />
positive external perceptions of <strong>the</strong> school<br />
and increasing enrollment? The MPH administration<br />
and Crane feel that <strong>the</strong> answer is yes,<br />
but only time will tell.<br />
To read <strong>the</strong> rest of our interview<br />
with Crane MetaMarketing Program<br />
Manager Christina Albetta, visit<br />
www.<strong>the</strong>pebblemag.com<br />
(selfie cont. from p. 11) showed something<br />
called <strong>the</strong> “Basic Design” that cost only 12<br />
yuan, but I wanted to look for something<br />
cheaper.<br />
As I walked away <strong>the</strong> cook shouted<br />
something, and <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> workers shouted<br />
something back. I thought <strong>the</strong>y were mad<br />
at me for stopping but not buying anything,<br />
so I hurried away.<br />
I looked all over, even at American<br />
fast-food places like Subway, but as it turned<br />
out, <strong>the</strong> Basic Design was <strong>the</strong> cheapest thing<br />
<strong>the</strong>re. I went back and got it, and it was delicious!<br />
The shouting thing was just something<br />
<strong>the</strong>y did after completing an order; it was<br />
always <strong>the</strong> same phrase.I went back to get <strong>the</strong><br />
Basic Design twice a day every day for <strong>the</strong><br />
rest of <strong>the</strong> trip. I wish <strong>the</strong>re was a dish like<br />
that in America. I’ve tried googling various<br />
wordings of “chicken egg crepe thing” to find<br />
out what it’s called but have had no results.<br />
The anticipation that came from watching<br />
<strong>the</strong> cooks create <strong>the</strong> wrap lingers in my memory.<br />
The final story comes from our day of<br />
departure. We went to a bakery in <strong>the</strong> mall<br />
for breakfast. As soon as <strong>the</strong> aroma of <strong>the</strong><br />
bread hit, I was transported to a world of<br />
freshly baked goods straight out of a Studio<br />
Ghibli film. Loaves of bread, each different<br />
than <strong>the</strong> last, sat inside glass containers—<br />
purple, yellow, and orange breads with fruit<br />
fillings and ambrosial sprinklings. I chose a<br />
coffee-flavored loaf with pineapple inside and<br />
a green loaf with passionfruit jelly.<br />
The staff warmed <strong>the</strong> bread, sliced it, and<br />
bagged it; <strong>the</strong>n we were on our way. Our next<br />
stop was a grocery store in <strong>the</strong> mall. It was<br />
a lot like an American grocery store, except<br />
slightly off. Fruits were individually packaged<br />
in bubble wrap. The cereals had <strong>the</strong> same<br />
names as ours, but looked like off-brand<br />
versions, with different mascots on <strong>the</strong> boxes.<br />
For example, <strong>the</strong> Frosted Flakes box featured<br />
a seal in a top hat instead of Tony <strong>the</strong> Tiger.<br />
I was going to buy tea to bring back for<br />
my family, but I figured it’d be getting warm<br />
in Syracuse soon, so I opted for cookies. (The<br />
cookies were finished within days, and <strong>the</strong>re<br />
was snow on <strong>the</strong> ground for weeks after we<br />
got back.)<br />
We left <strong>the</strong> store, and I ate some bread.<br />
The Food and Drug Administration has<br />
pretty strict regulations regarding fruit<br />
crossing <strong>the</strong> border, but my pineapple and<br />
passionfruit breads made it over without a<br />
problem. I ate <strong>the</strong>m over <strong>the</strong> next few days<br />
and thought back to all of our adventures in<br />
China.<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 35
Lately, it’s been impossible to escape<br />
politics. Even in entertainment —<br />
normally a respite from <strong>the</strong> flow<br />
of news — we cannot avoid opinions on <strong>the</strong><br />
great injustices of society.<br />
Most celebrity news is frivolous, but <strong>the</strong><br />
media coverage it gets suggests it’s important.<br />
When celebrities get political, it’s covered<br />
more than news that actually affects people.<br />
As comedian Dave Chappelle joked, no<br />
one cares what someone like Ja Rule has to<br />
say in a time like this; however, celebrities are<br />
bringing up politics more and more frequently.<br />
In early 2016 <strong>the</strong> only topics I heard about<br />
were Donald Trump and Kanye West. Now<br />
<strong>the</strong> two have collided, with messages on Twitter<br />
and meetings at Trump Tower.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> country’s polarized state, this<br />
omnipresent political dialogue causes controversy.<br />
From Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes<br />
speech to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during<br />
<strong>the</strong> national an<strong>the</strong>m to Kanye West’s emergence<br />
as an unapologetic Trump supporter,<br />
when celebrities use <strong>the</strong>ir wide reach to say<br />
something controversial, it riles people up.<br />
Although celebrities’ large audiences may<br />
imply that <strong>the</strong>y have significant influence on<br />
public beliefs, Robert Thompson, Director<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Bleier Center for Television & Popular<br />
Culture at Syracuse University, disagrees.<br />
“Celebrities speak out about a political<br />
issue, and it changes <strong>the</strong> minds of people<br />
not about that political issue, but about that<br />
celebrity,” Thompson said.<br />
I had my own reckoning with this, when<br />
Kanye, one of my favorite musicians and<br />
personalities, went off about how he didn’t<br />
vote but that if he had, it would have been for<br />
Trump. Ignoring <strong>the</strong> fact that Kanye didn’t<br />
vote, I was hurt that someone I respected was<br />
endorsing policies I vehemently disagreed<br />
with. I tried to defend him but eventually<br />
resigned myself to <strong>the</strong> fact that he is just as<br />
issues<br />
On Screen and <strong>the</strong> Political Scene<br />
Everyone has an opinion, to <strong>the</strong> discontent of <strong>the</strong> public<br />
By Zach Montas<br />
crazy as people say.<br />
Of course, I still regularly bump Pablo.<br />
How could I not? I can enjoy his art without<br />
sharing his views. Celebrities can have <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
say, and I can ignore <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
MPH senior Liam Meisner can relate.<br />
He’s a fan of Sir Christopher Lee, known for<br />
playing Saruman in <strong>the</strong> “Lord of <strong>the</strong> Rings”<br />
movies. Before his death in 2015, Lee supported<br />
<strong>the</strong> British Conservative Party, whose<br />
policies Meisner opposes.<br />
“I love his acting, so I’m not going to let<br />
[his beliefs] get in <strong>the</strong> way of my appreciation<br />
for him,” Meisner said.<br />
Conservative senior Lisa Morocco agrees.<br />
“If I have a political opinion, I do not<br />
look to a celebrity to agree with me,” she said.<br />
“If a celebrity agrees with what I think, it’s just<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r person who feels <strong>the</strong> same way I do.”<br />
It seems <strong>the</strong>se students’ opinions are<br />
more level-headed than those of <strong>the</strong> general<br />
public. Compare <strong>the</strong> responses to <strong>the</strong> halftime<br />
performances at <strong>the</strong> past two Super Bowls.<br />
Beyoncé’s 2016 performance was contentious,<br />
generating both praise and rebuke for her<br />
unambiguously pro-black message.<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, Lady Gaga’s performance was<br />
lauded contradictingly on both sides. Some<br />
loved it for its seemingly LGBTQ-positive<br />
message, while o<strong>the</strong>rs loved it all <strong>the</strong> same for<br />
remaining apolitical. Some thought what little<br />
statement she made was still too much, but I<br />
found <strong>the</strong> performance very mild.<br />
Tomi Lahren, former conservative commentator<br />
for The Blaze, rejoiced at Gaga’s<br />
lack of politics. “Yes, [Lady Gaga] has political<br />
opinions, but on Super Bowl Sunday,<br />
America’s game day, Lady Gaga chose to keep<br />
her political opinions and/or distaste for <strong>the</strong><br />
president to herself,” she said. “How about a<br />
round of applause, a hallelujah, and a ‘Thank<br />
you Jesus.’” Lahren <strong>the</strong>n contrasted her<br />
praise for Gaga with her criticism of “Mrs.<br />
36
Drug-Dealers-Anonymous, Beyoncé ‘Black<br />
Pan<strong>the</strong>r’ Knowles, whose halftime show<br />
Lahren despised.<br />
According to Thompson, <strong>the</strong>re are three<br />
layers to <strong>the</strong> reasons behind criticism of<br />
celebrities talking politics. The first and most<br />
significant is a disagreement with what <strong>the</strong><br />
celebrity says. Second is a disconnect between<br />
what <strong>the</strong> celebrity is known for and <strong>the</strong> topic<br />
<strong>the</strong>y’re discussing; it’s jarring when someone<br />
who typically doesn’t engage in politics<br />
speaks out. The third reason is context: a<br />
celebrity endorsing a candidate at a campaign<br />
rally is expected; <strong>the</strong> Super Bowl and <strong>the</strong> Oscars<br />
are not inherently political functions.<br />
This criticism manifests most often,<br />
as Lahren demonstrated, with people denouncing<br />
celebrities for talking about a hot<br />
topic. Following Thompson’s <strong>the</strong>ory, because<br />
celebrities tend to lean left, <strong>the</strong> criticism most<br />
often comes from conservatives. There is a<br />
caricature of <strong>the</strong> “Hollywood elite” mocking<br />
liberal celebrities for speaking out on social<br />
issues despite being much wealthier than<br />
much of <strong>the</strong> population. The idea is that<br />
celebrities are out of touch and <strong>the</strong>refore<br />
shouldn’t speak out at all.<br />
Of course, as with anyone else, when a<br />
celebrity says something inane <strong>the</strong>y should<br />
be ignored or countered with a better argument.<br />
MPH history teacher Edward Curtis<br />
said in his U.S. Citizenship class, “The great<br />
thing about this country has always been <strong>the</strong><br />
freedom of expression, freedom of speech,<br />
freedom of <strong>the</strong> press, and that means freedom<br />
to express your opinion, even if it’s not a very<br />
well-thought-out opinion.”<br />
Celebrities can give <strong>the</strong>ir opinion, and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>rs can comment on it.<br />
One of <strong>the</strong> most infamous examples of<br />
<strong>the</strong> implications of free speech is <strong>the</strong> Hollywood<br />
Ten during <strong>the</strong> 1940s and 1950s. Cold<br />
War fear-mongering brought more than 40<br />
prominent filmmakers before <strong>the</strong> House<br />
Un-American Activities Committee for<br />
leftist sympathies. Most complied and sought<br />
leniency, but 10 stood up to <strong>the</strong> charges<br />
on <strong>the</strong> grounds that <strong>the</strong> First Amendment<br />
allowed <strong>the</strong>m to support any political party<br />
<strong>the</strong>y wished. They were cited for contempt of<br />
Congress, sentenced to a year in prison, and<br />
blackballed from <strong>the</strong> industry.<br />
Like <strong>the</strong> Hollywood Ten, celebrities have<br />
historically leaned left. Athletes like Muhammad<br />
Ali, writers like James Baldwin, singers<br />
like Madonna and artists like Keith Haring<br />
have engaged in sociopolitical movements,<br />
such as <strong>the</strong> Civil Rights Movement, <strong>the</strong><br />
anti-Vietnam War effort and HIV activism.<br />
Modern celebrities are similarly engaged.<br />
There have been many different responses<br />
to <strong>the</strong> statements and actions of celebrities.<br />
Right-wing political minds such as Lahren,<br />
<strong>the</strong> staff of Breitbart and President Donald<br />
Trump act as if any outspoken liberal is a<br />
communist sympathizer who is personally assaulting<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir existence by saying “Black lives<br />
matter” or “We are all immigrants.” Just like<br />
anyone else, celebrities have <strong>the</strong> right to free<br />
speech, and we lack <strong>the</strong> reciprocal right to<br />
choose our sources of political commentary.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> same time, <strong>the</strong> neoliberal response<br />
of acting like a celebrity is revolutionary for<br />
saying “Love trumps hate” is also annoying.<br />
The nonstop updates on new political<br />
developments, celebrity endorsements and<br />
opinions from both sides of <strong>the</strong> aisle can be<br />
exhausting, but <strong>the</strong> subjects fascinate me. Politics<br />
is inherently divisive. There would be no<br />
discussion or development if everyone agreed<br />
with one ano<strong>the</strong>r. While I tire of constantly<br />
hearing about it, I understand its significance.<br />
These events shape today’s world, and celebrity<br />
engagement can make people feel represented<br />
or isolated.<br />
While some celebrities may be out of<br />
touch, <strong>the</strong>y have <strong>the</strong> same right to free speech<br />
as o<strong>the</strong>rs. We have <strong>the</strong> same freedom to say<br />
how we feel about <strong>the</strong>ir statements. In an<br />
open democracy, both celebrity commentary<br />
and criticism <strong>the</strong>reof should be encouraged<br />
in order to present <strong>the</strong> greatest diversity of<br />
thought possible. Differences in opinion<br />
shouldn’t be <strong>the</strong> cause of arguments but<br />
learning opportunities for both sides.<br />
Graphic by Sam Goldman<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 37
Work Hard,<br />
big pic<br />
By Lily Grenis<br />
As <strong>the</strong> mecca for all seniors, <strong>the</strong> Student<br />
Lounge is a popular place to relax after class.<br />
38<br />
Class of <strong>2017</strong> adds personal touches to traditional Student Lounge appearance<br />
Leftover Chipotle salads, posters of rap preceding MPH, on <strong>the</strong> right. Though<br />
artists, stray lacrosse sticks, half-empty <strong>the</strong> seniors have continued or revived<br />
jugs of iced tea, club fliers, Princeton some longstanding Lounge traditions,<br />
Review books, signs for sports teams, such as devoting an entire wall to college<br />
class photos, Syracuse sweatshirts. rejection letters, o<strong>the</strong>r sights around <strong>the</strong><br />
These items may not seem<br />
room are completely unique to <strong>the</strong>ir class.<br />
interconnected, but in <strong>the</strong> final weeks Many seniors acknowledged <strong>the</strong><br />
of <strong>the</strong> 2016-17 school year, <strong>the</strong>y have all sentimental value of <strong>the</strong> additions <strong>the</strong>y<br />
found <strong>the</strong>ir way into <strong>the</strong> MPH Student have made, such as photos of <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />
Lounge. Most have been taped, stashed as kids, a map with tacks showing<br />
and scattered throughout <strong>the</strong> Lounge by where <strong>the</strong>y will attend college next fall<br />
members of <strong>the</strong> senior class.<br />
and a photo of Anna Barnard, a former<br />
Senior Caroline King explained that, member of <strong>the</strong> senior class who passed<br />
while <strong>the</strong> seniors have undertaken a away earlier this school year.<br />
deliberate initiative to personalize <strong>the</strong> “I see [<strong>the</strong> wall of decorations]<br />
Lounge in a way that exhibits <strong>the</strong>ir close as intimate and a form of bonding,<br />
class bond and <strong>the</strong> memories <strong>the</strong>y have and it has pictures from all our years<br />
shared toge<strong>the</strong>r, miscellaneous artifacts of here at MPH, so it’s also memorabilia,<br />
life as an MPH high school student have and as seniors reflecting on our MPH<br />
had just as significant a presence.<br />
experience, I think it makes us more<br />
“I feel like what comes into <strong>the</strong> grateful for what we have now,” said<br />
Lounge oftentimes just stays in <strong>the</strong> Student Council President Annie Weiss.<br />
Lounge,” King said.<br />
Despite <strong>the</strong>se benefits, <strong>the</strong> Lounge<br />
The Lounge has been a unique has historically had a bad rap with <strong>the</strong><br />
feature of student life at MPH since <strong>the</strong> MPH administration and underclassmen.<br />
establishment of <strong>the</strong> McNeil wing in Members of previous senior classes, and<br />
1994; it was incorporated into <strong>the</strong> initial occasionally this one, have been criticized<br />
building layout but was later reduced in for denying freshmen, sophomores and<br />
size. The room currently features a large sometimes even juniors access to <strong>the</strong><br />
table and a bench on <strong>the</strong> left and clusters Lounge.<br />
of church pews from <strong>the</strong> chapel of <strong>the</strong> Though many current seniors<br />
Manlius School, <strong>the</strong> military school maintain that all are welcome and invited
Lounge Hard<br />
Photo by Sam Goldman<br />
into <strong>the</strong>ir space, most MPH students<br />
are of <strong>the</strong> mind that spending time in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Lounge is a rite of passage earned by<br />
ascending to <strong>the</strong> rank of upperclassman.<br />
Aiden Meyer, now a junior, recalled<br />
seeing <strong>the</strong> precedent students follow<br />
regarding <strong>the</strong> Lounge as a logical<br />
tradition when he was an underclassman.<br />
“I think <strong>the</strong>re’s slight exceptions to<br />
[it] — I don’t think anyone’s ever literally<br />
saying, ‘Get out of <strong>the</strong> Lounge;’ I don’t<br />
think it’s ever bullying. But I think it is<br />
kind of understood that you’re going<br />
to want <strong>the</strong> Lounge to yourselves as<br />
upperclassmen, so underclassmen stay<br />
out. It’s an unspoken rule,” he said.<br />
In spite of <strong>the</strong> traditions governing<br />
<strong>the</strong> Student Lounge, some seniors choose<br />
not to focus on <strong>the</strong> details in favor of<br />
purely enjoying <strong>the</strong>ir time <strong>the</strong>re. Senior<br />
Kyle Davis said he doesn’t attach any<br />
specific meaning to <strong>the</strong> Lounge, calling<br />
it simply “a place to go and relax and<br />
sometimes be productive.”<br />
Like Davis, King said she views<br />
<strong>the</strong> Lounge as, above all, a place for<br />
her and her fellow seniors to hang out,<br />
be <strong>the</strong>mselves and enjoy each o<strong>the</strong>r’s<br />
company, regardless of who wants to join<br />
in.<br />
“This is my home base,” King said.<br />
“This is just where I always am, this is<br />
where all my friends are. I don’t really<br />
know what I did before I went in <strong>the</strong><br />
Lounge.”<br />
spring <strong>2017</strong> | 39