Portsmouth Abbey School 285 Cory’s LanePortsmouth, RI 02871(401) 683-2000www.portsmouthabbey.orgTHE BEACON

MAY 2012 ISSUE 4SPRING!

The last Dom Luke Childs lecture of the year introduced a fascinat-

ing and terrifying look into the mind of a domestic terrorist. On April 23, 2012, former FBI agents John Behnke ’76 and Terry Turchie discussed their involve-ment in the infamous “Unabomber” case. They provided first-hand accounts of the notorious criminal, Ted Kaczyn-ski, as well as photographs of his living quarters and copies of his detailed notes. It was an electrifying talk that revealed the persona, the mentality, of a real-life villain. Rather than watch an episode of “CSI” or “Law & Order,” students were able to witness an actual study of a felon—one who terrorized the United States for eighteen years.

Mr. Turchie, a former deputy as-sistant director of the Counterterror-ism Division of the FBI, centered his presentation mainly on the elaborately detailed and vengeful workings of the Unabomber, as well as his own personal involvement in the FBI investigation. In 1978, a supposed solitary bombing incident at the University of Chicago expanded to subsequent bombings over the years; these bombings grew more advanced and extended to locations such as Salt Lake City and San Francis-co. The situation had become what Mr. Turchie called “a bureau-nature case.” Over the years, three people were killed

and twenty-three were injured.In 1994, Mr. Turchie and Mr. Behn-

ke worked together on the case. The Un-abomber wrote letters to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Penthouse Magazine stating that he would cease bombing only if at least one of them published his “Terrorist Manifesto.” Mr. Turchie and Mr. Behnke encouraged the newspapers to do so in order to gain more clues, and they were right. Though the FBI had a list of 2,416 Unabomber suspects and thousands of documents within the case, it was only after this manifesto publication that Kaczynski’s brother approached them, recognizing in it the same format of letters he and his brother had exchanged in the past. Analysts pored over the letters, compar-ing them with the terrorist’s work, and recognized the match. The lead took them to Lincoln, Montana—to a cabin in the woods, where Kaczynski resided.

Mr. Turchie and other agents ap-proached Kaczynski and handed him a search warrant; there was no struggle. Upon entering the cabin, they discov-ered it had no running water, no com-puter, and no utilities; but it did have a homemade assembly line of parts neces-sary to build a bomb, as well as a pack-aged bomb underneath Kaczynski’s bed. The FBI also found written confessions of his crimes, as well as musings behind

his actions—which stemmed from ven-geance. Those papers revealed Kaczyn-ski as a detached, analytical mastermind who despised technology. The presenter underlined that the terrorist disliked the noise of airplanes, of motorcycles, and believed that technology was destroying the world; anyone or anything that en-couraged further advancement in these endeavors meant to brainwash people, and should thus be punished as well. On a slideshow, Mr. Turchie showed ex-cerpts from Kaczynski’s notes, in which he celebrated a victim’s death and men-tioned how “flattered” he was at the pricey reward offered for any informa-tion about himself, the Unabomber. In another, Kaczynski stressed that he was not insane and feared the possibility of being “misrepresented” as such. Later in court, already diagnosed as a para-noid schizophrenic by a psychologist, Kaczynski refused to be regarded as mentally ill. As advised by his lawyer, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a lifetime in jail without parole.

Mr. Behnke and Mr. Turchie ef-fectively stressed the importance of relationships in their lives—something Kaczynski greatly lacked. As speculat-ed by psychiatrists, Kaczynski’s use of “we” to refer to himself in writing and his participation in his one-man terrorist group “FC” signified that even he could not cope with the inability to connect with other people. These strategies im-plied an outlet through which Kaczyn-ski imagined himself as part of a group, a relationship. When asked how he han-dled his own persistent and demanding commitment to this case, Mr. Turchie replied that people had to forge trusting relationships with others and then “sur-round yourself with them because then there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.” Mr. Behnke paused before giving his advice and thoughtfully acknowledged that everyone faces professional and personal challenges in life, pointing out the unique quality Portsmouth Abbey School gives to its students. This quality lies in providing students with the “in-nate ability to face these problems,” or “the ability to have faith that equips you for the challenges in life and equips you to grapple with these difficulties.”

Backdrop to a CrisisBy Eden FranzStaff Writer

Fierce violence between the Syrian government and several opposition groups has drawn global attention in the past year. Resentment against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for fail-ing to enact the reforms he promised upon assuming office in 2000 has resulted in nine thousand fatalities on both sides of this civil strife. The United Nations has made several attempts to encourage a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, but with little success, leaving the question of whether or not the west should simply allow events to play out in this bloody fashion to clear the way for much-needed reform in Syria. The matter is further complicated by the broader implications of the con-flict in Syria for other nations in the Middle East, including their neighbor and ally Iran.

Syria, originally comprised of Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine and most of modern Israel, was reduced in size greatly during the first World War when France and the United Kingdom took nearly half of the entire country for themselves. Lebanon was not separated from Syria by the French until the 1920s, and relations between the two coun-tries remains strained because Syria has not truly recognized Lebanon’s independence.

The current Assad regime came into power in 1970 with the senior Assad’s successful coup, thanks to an almost en-tirely Alawi military. The Alawis, an offshoot of Shia Islam, mix Muslim teachings with Christianity, and are a minority in Syria to which the Assads belong. Seventy-five percent of all Syrians are Sunni Muslims, who regard the Alawis as little more than heretics. Despite Syria’s exclusive political system, in which the Ba’ath Arab Socialist Party (the elite Alawis) is designated as the sole leader of Syrian society and government, the Assad regime has become Syria’s only stable government since World War II.

The recent violence appears to be the result of a decade of frustration at Bashar al-Assad’s failure to carry out promised reforms. Actual events are difficult to confirm because Syria restricts international press access. A number of journalists who have gained entry have been wounded or killed in the violence they were attempting to document. however, social media in supplement to reports from the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) has proved invaluable in updating the

Gendered Violence in BangladeshBy Kimberly MehrtensStaff Writer

On April 4, 2012, elora halim Chowdhury came to UMass Dartmouth to deliver a presentation about acid attacks against women and girls in Bangladesh. A Women’s Studies class sparsely filled the small classroom and the relaxed atmosphere seemed to intensify the feeling of informality; some students had even brought snacks. however, the focus soon became serious as Professor Chowdhury, an Associate Professor of Women’s Studies at UMass Boston, began her lecture.

She commenced her slideshow with a picture of her recent book Transnationalism Reversed (SUNY Press, 2011), which delves into the subjects of gendered violence, transnational feminisms, and human rights advocacy (with emphasis on South Asia). Using this as a reference point, she elaborated on the touching points of her slideshow. She described how acid attacks have recently been gaining global media coverage from the Oprah Winfrey Show to the BBC, and how on her recent trip to Bangladesh she was able to interview many fe-male victims. These women’s stories told of several different reasons for such attacks: rejection of sexual advances, refusal of marriage proposals, family or land disputes, and dowries that were not paid. These “reasons” for acid attacks have left many women permanently disfigured, some even going blind.

however, many times the victims were never the source of the dispute. In Bangladesh—where 31.5% of the popula-tion lives under the poverty line (hIeS 2010)—many families sleep together in the same bed, and one of the most active times for acid attacks are at night. One woman, whose face was permanently disfigured, had been sleeping with her sister and cousin in bed when a rejected suitor of her cousin threw a cup of acid through the empty window frame at their faces. The woman got the full brunt of it while her sister and cousin were splashed. When they tried to press charges, the man, who had friends in the government, was protected and hid-

The Unabomber:Story of a One-Man Wolf Pack Gone WrongBy Kimberly & Michelle MehrtensStaff Writers

Matthew BenevidesStaff Writer

SINCe Dr. James DeVec-chi announced his retire-

ment, we have all wondered who will take over the role of headmaster.

Students hope for some-one who can embrace twenty-first century ideas, while fac-ulty and staff seek a superior administrator who can en-hance the educational quality

and increase the reputation of the Abbey far outside of New england. As we follow our daily schedule, a group of selected people and a hired Search Consultant work to-gether as Dr. Timothy Flani-gan, a member of the Board of Regents, says, “to find the best overall candidate.”

The Portsmouth Abbey headmaster Search Com-mittee and Mr. Lawrence W. Becker, the Senior Search

Consultant for Carney, San-doe & Associates, head the search for the new head-master. The Search Commit-tee includes nine members of the Board of Regents and two elected faculty and ad-ministration members. The Search Committee meets regularly for a search update and to hear what interest they have received. The role of the faculty representative, Dr. Michael Bonin, is to speak on behalf of the faculty and what they desire or fear in a new headmaster, and the ad-

ministration representative, Mr. Patrick Burke, performs a similar task for the admin-istration and Abbey staff.

Mr. Lawrence W. Becker receives daily calls from pos-sible candidates, and he trav-els far and wide to find a suit-able headmaster. Mr. Becker works for a recruitment firm that was incorporated in 1977 and has worked successfully with 1,500 schools to pro-vide more than 28,500 people with careers. Mr. Becker re-

The Evolution ofTed Kaczynski

from college (1968)to prison (1999)

The Headmaster Search

Cont’d P3 Cont’d P3

Cont’d P4

Greta ‘12 and Will Behnke ‘15 and their uncle John Behnke ‘76 with his FBI partner Terry Turchie after the Dom Luke Childs Lecture

Appalachia P4 IT Guys P7 Photo Contest Results P10

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Apart from fancy graduation brunch-es, golfers, and the constant reminder of the blatant Tower, most Abbey kids don’t know much about Carn-egie Abbey.

All of our Abbey grounds were established in 1900 by the Benedic-tine Monastery, but it was not until recently that Peter de Savary bought a 99-year lease from our monks. Giv-en 500 acres, Carnegie Abbey is a luxurious resort built on Abbey land. Currently, Mr. Brian O’Neill is the owner, and enthusiastic about Abbey life. Personally, I had the good fortune to sit in on one of Mr. O’Neill’s meetings about the construction of the Carnegie Tower, which sticks out like a sore thumb on a mass of flat land. Mr. O’Neill ex-

pressed his concern on the Abbey’s perception of the club.

Carnegie serves as a venue for tennis, golf, and the occasional re-laxation day by the pool. With just as pretty a view of the bay as we have, Carnegie is the perfect site for such a resort. But none of this comes cheaply. Just as we students have to pay an annual tuition fee, members pay a large amount to be a part of this resort. As an exclusive site, one can only become a member when 23 years old and must meet the financial qualifications. The club isn’t as “ex-clusive,” as it may seem, but mem-bership is no walk in the park. My family has been members of the club for about six years now, way before I even knew

about Portsmouth Abbey School. I believe it serves as a great way to be introduced to the Abbey though; I remember going to little kid summer camp on Abbey grounds. The meals in the dining hall were definitely the highlight of that program. Despite the introduction, as a member, my Abbey life and club life are pretty much isolated from each other.

Both the Abbey and Carnegie are national historic sites for the Revo-lutionary War. Crashing a golf cart into one of the trees in “Bloody Run Dam” when I was younger frequent-ly reminds me of where the Battle of Bloody Run took place. Dr. DeVecchi even found a cannon lying around the grounds when out for a walk. how-ever much we may seem isolated, our common land will connect us for however long Carnegie Abbey exists. As a member, ending a Spring Warm Weather Dress day sitting by the Car-negie pool doesn’t get much better.

Both the equestrian Program and Golf program here at the Abbey are significantly woven into Carnegie life. Carnegie employees help these teams reach their goals, specifically the riding coaches at the stables. Mr. hobbins serves as the equestrian team’s personal driver, crossing the line between the Abbey and Carnegie every day with the girls.

As a golfer here at the Abbey, what’s better than a 5-star course in which to practice a round? Staffed with a PGA director of golf and pro-fessional coaches, Carnegie Abbey is a great place to start up a golf game on the Scottish links and extremely traditional course. I’m proud to say that I have “parred” one hole, #3, on the Carnegie course, despite its be-ing the easiest. With an 18-hole golf course at the tip of our fingers, many faculty members, such as Mr. Moffie and Mr. Sirois, take advantage of this opportunity.

Carnegie should be a bonus, not a burden. The golf course, fancy lunch-es, and horseback riding program re-deem a bit of the annoyance of the Tower. As Carnegie serves us, we serve them. Many student families have joined the club due to their en-rollment in the Abbey. “Portsmouth Abbey is a second home to me, and Carnegie is just an added bonus,” Fifth Former Callie hall remarks about her membership to the club. It is a great place to which boarders can slip away with their parents upon visiting, especially for international students.

having a golf course on Ports-mouth Abbey land is a good way of helping to preserve the beauty of the property in years to come, especial-ly since the community can benefit from its use as well.

Katherine Rodrock

How did you come to the Abbey?I came to the Abbey through a program called US Naval Founda-tion, which gave me a list of schools to choose for a prep year. The Abbey has been preparing me for the Naval Academy life. It is similar to the Academy in its academic and daily schedule, such as the privilege system by grade, check-ins and study hall. I also learned to be away from home.

What are your plans after the Abbey and the Academy?In the Academy I am planning to study applied math, political science with international studies, and I want to learn Chinese and Japanese. After the academy, I will be a Surface Warfare Officer, deployed on a ship. I want to travel around the Mediterranean and Asia, especially Japan.

How does the Abbey compare to your previous school?It is definitely very different from my old school. First thing, I don’t have a car! I have been driving since my sophomore year, and now I can’t drive. Also the boarding life, being away from home, and not having my own bed. And I love cooking, but I can’t cook in my dorm. Academics are pretty much the same; they have pretty much the same classes, and they are more or less equally challenging. At the Abbey there are more language class options, and I really like the art classes. It is great that we have a whole building just for art.

What motivated you to join the Armed Forces?Many people from my family served in the military, and the peo-ple I lived with and respected are in the military and I want to be like them. I want to serve my country; I don’t want to waste my life, I want to make a difference. And I want to see places.

Being a PG at the Abbey?For the first month it was weird. I didn’t know anybody but eve-rybody knew me, and I was doing my senior year again. But it is nice that I don’t have to worry about college, and I have gotten to know a lot more about myself and gained a deeper perspective. I am more confident, because I know things are going to work out, so it was a good learning experience.

Something you would like to say to others?If it is not okay, it’s not the end. When I didn’t get into most of my colleges, I was very disappointed and thought I wouldn’t be going to college. even if you don’t see it, things will work out.

Brian O’Connor

How did you come to the Abbey?I was recruited to West Point last May to play lacrosse, but there was no spot this year, so the West Point coach connected me to Coach Brown for a prep year. I win just about every faceoff so faceoff is all I do; I go in, get the faceoff and come right back out.

What are your plans after the Abbey and West Point?I am planning to major in chemical engineering, and look at nu-clear engineering. At West Point, you don’t have to decide a major until the end of your sophomore year so I have a lot of time. I want to work with chemical weapons during my active service, and then I’ll probably get an engineering job.

Rooming with Whitney?Rooming with Whitney… (laughter) is very interesting. Whit-ney’s a great guy, I’ve had a lot of fun rooming with him, and as the entire campus knows, he’s an interesting guy. We’ve gotten along really well, and I would definitely room with him again in West Point.

What motivated you to join the Army?I originally wanted to be in Air Force because I wanted to be a fighter pilot. But going into my senior year I got recruited to West Point, and now that I’ve looked into both of them, I think West Point is a much better fit for me and that I’ll be much happier there.

Being a PG at the Abbey?I’ve been having a lot of fun. It’s really good to come here as a PG, especially going into service, because it is so different from a public school. In public school there weren’t rules besides at home, but everything is structured here. This is a good transition for me. How does the Abbey compare to your previous school?My old school had three thousand two hundred kids, so that’s a huge difference. I know we’re planning on getting a new one, but I think the science building is good here. In my old school we just did our labs in our classrooms, we didn’t have specific lab rooms.

Anything you would like to say?Take life as it comes to you. I found out that I had to do another whole year of high school less than a month before graduation, when I thought I would be going to college. I could’ve gotten upset but I took the best case scenario; and I think it helped me get ready for West Point.

Ryan Whitney

How did you come to the Abbey?I came to the Abbey because the West Point coach wanted me to have a year of academic prep as well as to work on lacrosse to prepare for D1 lacrosse at West Point.

What are your plans after the Abbey and college?I would like to study International Relations in college and after my time at the Army I would like to get a political position, or go into business or law.

How does the Abbey compare to your previous school?My old school was very big, and I didn’t know some people even until graduation. But the Abbey is really small and even after 7 months of being here I feel like I know everyone and I’m some-what friends with everyone. I met a lot of good people and made many friends that I would keep in touch with after graduation. The athletic teams are smaller here, coaches are closer to kids and it helps a lot with team chemistry.

Rooming with Brian (Throughout the interview, Ryan continuously accused Brian of being an avid knitter, a perfect summary of their life together.) I really enjoy my experience with Brian. Brian’s very easy to live with, and we help each other out. We’ve gotten very close, and I would definitely room with Brian again.

What motivated you to join the Army?I’ve always had deep respect for people who served their country and the opportunity to go West Point presented itself through la-crosse. With getting one of the best educations of the country for free, it wasn’t much of a decision.

Being a PG at the AbbeyI get respect from guys when it comes to sports; I feel more re-sponsible. We are held to higher standards when it comes to aca-demics and sports, which is expected. Boarding taught me about responsibility and discipline. .

Something you would like to say upon leaving?I really enjoyed my time here, I’m very happy I chose the Abbey to go for my prep year, and I’ve made many good friends I’ll keep in touch.

Head Boy and Head Girl 2012-2013

Head Boy-Elect Fletcher Bonin

By Fletcher Bonin

heLLO friends,For those of you that don’t know me,

my name is Fletcher. I apologize if I don’t know your name, because I make it a point to try to learn everyone’s name as I walk around cam-pus. I even try to know everyone’s nicknames, like our friend James Maguire. And I would love to be your head Boy next year.

I like to think of our student body as an ac-tual body, and a strong one at that. Joe Yates and Steve Cho make up the brain of our body. Tiernan O’rourke, Sophia Diadotti, and Rasaa-nh Matra are the do re migos that make up our vocal chords. Zack Tipton is no doubt the heart and soul of this body. The powerful legs of our student body are supplied by our favorite stallion, Sean McDonough. Our gorgeous hair comes from a tie between Gaby Perez and Will Locke’s formidable mane. Justin Mistikawy is our appendix, because he doesn’t do much, but he’s always there. And of course, Coach Brown is our mustache. Finally, I would be the ears, not only because I have large ears, but also be-cause I will listen to your ideas and act on them in Student Council to better our school.

Given the opportunity to be head Boy, I would like to create more dorm bonding and in-crease school spirit. To do this, I would like to increase the number of Ravens Cup events, per-haps adding a tuck shop games-triathlon in the Fall, including ping-pong, pool and foosball. In the winter, perhaps the trivia bowl and a dorm decorating competition for Christmas or hal-loween. In the Spring, we could have outdoor basketball or soccer tournaments. The old, one Raven’s Cup event per term is way too main-stream for a school as hipster as we are. And your ideas for inter-dorm competitions would

of course be welcome. Basically, we’re looking for maximum opportunities for Michael Stark to wear double shooting sleeves and eye-black.

I also think that student council could set up some kind of group on Facebook for Abbey students to voice their opinions and we could take polls on how we can make your Abbey experience better. The Student Council page could even “like” your comments and posts to give you high self-esteem. I want everyone here to be involved in the student government, be-cause that’s justice.

Now, nobody’s perfect. My torso is far too small for my disproportionately long arms and legs. I’ve been told that I say “haha” too much when I text. And by default, I am a member of St. Brigid’s girl’s dorm, not by choice. And is it sad that I’ve seen “hot Rod” over 12 times? No, but it is sad that I’ve seen it over 16 times. And I can only apologize for the short-sleeve button-down shirts.

however, I have two years of experience in Student Council, and I would like to strengthen its influence on the student body next year. I am willing to work hard to turn your opinions and desires into actions. This is a job I will take se-riously, and a responsibility I’m willing to take on. As far as assembly goes, I will read the an-nouncements with energy and skill each Mon-day and Friday, including the hard to pronounce schools such as Marionapolis and Choate.

A vote for me is a vote for your own ideas to be represented in student council, and I promise you I will listen. I honestly love this place so much, which is why I almost never leave, by choice, and I want all of you to love this place as much as I do. And plus, when my brother and sister aren’t home, I am my mom’s favor-ite child. These are all great candidates up here, good luck voting and thanks for listening.

By Dorothy Dickmann

IT surprises me regularly that with the small size of our school and the amount of time I

spend on campus, people still slip through the cracks. I know all of you can relate to this: there’re kids that you see walking the paths, or in the dining hall, and you can’t for the life of you think of what their name is. Or conversely, a name comes up in conversation and you’re thinking, “who?” While some of you sitting here right now know me extremely well, others of you, I’m sure, have no clue who I am – per-haps have never even seen me before now.

So, for the latter of you, allow me to intro-duce myself.

hi. My name is Dorothy Carol Dickmann. I know; I have the name of an 80 year old wom-an who probably has arthritis, lots of cats, and no idea what the internet is. Also, I recognize the hilarity of all of your clever Wizard of Oz jokes, as well as the other, more inappropriate ones concerning my last name. I’m really sorry if I don’t always laugh, it’s just that after the five-hundredth time of hearing “do you have a dog named Toto?” the jokes tend to lose a bit of their punch.

I’m a day student. I live less than ten min-utes down the road and drive a nineteen-year-old Saab with thumb tacks in the ceiling. I have a tendency to trip over my own feet. I have a sort of absurd and uncalled for love of the Pi-rates of the Caribbean movies. I sometimes misjudge the angles and walk into walls, door frames, tables, and people). My face has a hor-rible habit of turning red at the drop of a hat—even when I’m not embarrassed. eight times out of ten, my clothes don’t match. especially during the winter when layers are involved. I

have an annoying habit of humming, whistling, and making other odd, obnoxious, idle noise.

I sometimes, or rather, most of the time, have a hard time keeping my mouth shut. I’m the girl in your class who always speaks out of turn. For that I am sorry, I realize how irritat-ing it is—it’s a problem I’m working on. Semi-unsuccessfully.

Now, I know that this seems like a jumble of bizarre things about me that you don’t care about at all. I mean, how do they have anything to do with why you should elect me? If you’re still listening, allow me to relate it.

Everything has flaws. I clearly do, you do, Portsmouth Abbey does. No one can deny that. But that doesn’t stop any and all of those things from being great. This school is great. There’re things about them that we don’t necessarily love, that I can’t promise to change, because they never will. Like the dress code, or how easily my face flushes. But there are things that we can change. It’s not just changing things we don’t like, though. It’s also making sure things we love about the Abbey stay, and improving upon the strengths our school already has.

I could stand up here and spout off a list of things that I’ve done, and things that I’m in-volved in, and tell you why I think they would make me the best fit for the job. But what I think I bring to the table can’t be listed on a resume. If you elect me, I will bring with me tons of enthusiasm and determination that I will use to try my best to put everyone’s ideas into action. Because I believe that with the right combina-tion of energy and hard work, this next year can be legendary.

So, allow me to ask: please, give me the honor of making your 2012-2013 school year the best year Portsmouth Abbey has ever seen.

Speeches

ABBeY LIFe ABBeY LIFeThis Year’s Abbey PG’s By Jake Kim Staff Writer

That Other AbbeyBy Kat HainesStaff Writer

den away.These attacks do not solely target wom-

en, nor are the perpetrators always men. Yet, while most male victims are splashed on their skin, like shoulders or arms, female victims are often targeted in places that injure their chances of finding a husband, like their faces or genitals. These calculated attacks make it almost impossible for a woman to survive in the masculine society of Bangladesh where they may only hope to prosper through mar-riage. This patriarchal system leads many women into a cycle of woman-to-woman violence as they target their lover’s “other woman” as a way to solidify their futures and protect themselves from destitution. Both parties are victims of their society. Yet this solely provides some needed context and does not mean these female perpetrators are blameless.

Professor Chowdhury emphasized the struggle of finding women willing to speak out on their attacks because many feared for their friends, family, and themselves if they were seen discussing the issue. This prompt-ed one college student to ask whether Pro-fessor Chowdhury had ever felt unsafe her-

self, as a single woman in Bangladesh often traveling to the poorer sections of the city to meet victims. Professor Chowdhury paused, but soon readily admitted that she never felt herself in danger. She confessed that as an upper-middle class, Bangladeshi woman, who lived in a gated area with a car for trans-portation, her safety was never truly at risk, unlike the victims.

Professor Chowdhury concluded her sem-inar by describing local women’s organiza-tions and international agencies striving to educate women of empowerment, rescue, and rehabilitation. Pictures and stories of survi-vor-activists and Bangladeshi immigrants in the United States accentuated her message.

Acid attacks occur all over the world, in-cluding europe and the United States. how-ever, Professor Chowdhury’s focus to the particular situations and victims of South Asia allows her to probe deeper into the epi-sodes of acids attacks on women and girls, behind the statistics. her emphasis and dili-gence in telling their stories does not simply bring awareness, but gives faces to a trans-national message against gendered violence.

views resumes and will eventually travel to meet possible candidates. As Dr. Bonin ex-plains, “Resumes and recommendation letters can only tell you so much—you have to meet people face-to-face.” At the end of the search, Mr. Becker will review all the applicants and provide the Search Committee with a list of top candidates. The committee will interview these candidates and recommend a finalist to the full Board.

The Search Committee emphasized the im-portance of the entire Abbey community hav-ing a say in the search. On January 27 Abbey students, faculty, staff, parents, regents, alumni, and friends were invited to complete a survey about what they would like to see in the next headmaster. The survey results were made available to the Search Committee, and were used to help shape the job description for the headmaster position contained in a long docu-ment entitled “head of School Leadership Op-portunity.”

The head of School Leadership Opportu-nity consists of appealing information about our school. It describes the head of School position; the history of the Abbey; the Monas-tery and monks; the School’s Statement of Phi-

losophy; the academic program; and the chal-lenges the new headmaster will have to face. The statement emphasizes Portsmouth Abbey’s commitment to Benedictine Catholic educa-tion, therefore the new headmaster will need to embrace the School’s Mission and work within the School’s tradition.

Dr. Flanigan says, “Our School is in a po-sition of power, and the new headmaster will have to take it to the next level.” In order to do that, the new headmaster will not only have to sustain the school’s financial status and aca-demic reputation, but he or she will have to fun-draise for the School’s Capital Campaign; keep tuition levels in check; embrace 21st century teaching and learning; strengthen admission and college placement; and raise the school’s profile in Catholic and Independent school cir-cles.

As we go about our day-to-day business, the search for Portsmouth Abbey School’s future Headmaster continues in the hope of finding someone who sees our School’s potential and will improve our School in the years to come.

Benevides, Continued Mehrtens, Continued

Head Girl-Elect Dorothy Dickmann

Watch the speech on YouTube!

Fletcher’s Speech Dorothy’s Speech

Smartphone users:Search for “QR Codes” in your Appstore and use those apps to scan the code!

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SoftballBy Sarah AuerEditor-in-Chief

Recovering from the loss of two key players, the Abbey softball team has truly come together to start off another great spring. The girls began with a great 18-4 win against Berwick. Though Tabor proved a struggle, the softball team battled in the last two innings of their game against Marianapolis Prep. Their batting only seems to improve as the weeks go by and the fielding comes together more with each practice. It looks like the Abbey Softball team is lining up for an awesome season.

SailingBy Mossiah Kuassi-BrouStaff Writer

The sailing team has become an almost en-tirely new team this year, taking on many new recruits. Returning Coach Ms. Duncan and new assistant coach Mr. Ross-McCormick are leading the team towards victory. The var-sity team’s first regattas have been hopeful, capturing four wins and pulling through three losses in competitions with other nationally ranked teams. Captains Andrew Godfrey and Marguerite Crandall are proving to be valu-able leaders and hope to push the team to the championships once more this year.

BaseballBy Tiernan O’RourkeStaff Writer

It’s time to dust off the old glove and pull out the hat because baseball season is back. If you listen closely over the whistles of the other sports, the crack of the bat can be heard all around. The Abbey baseball team started the season a little rough, but has stayed strong relying on the strength of eight Sixth Formers. each has produced big hits and big outs in important situations, and the leadership to fight through has proven invaluable. A standout game came against Concord Academy. In the first inning the team scored four runs, but then let up five. The game went back and forth, but the Abbey fought it off until pulling off a 10-9 win. The season has just begun, but it looks to be promising, so stop by and spend an afternoon enjoying the game, after all it is America’s pastime.

TennisBy Emily MagnificoStaff Writer

even after graduating seven of their most skilled players, the girls’ varsity tennis team still managed to kick off the season with a series of wins uncom-promised by any losses. Under the guidance of this year’s captains, the team has grown into one of the most competitive teams the Abbey has assembled in a while, marked by their depth and drive at practice. even with the challenges presented by facing off against rivals Winsor, Concord, and Bancroft, the out-look on the season was essentially positive.

While the boys’ varsity tennis team came out with a rocky start, they man-aged to pull it together after a loss to Moses Brown to achieve a victory over Worcester Academy. even though the team’s ladder took a while to solidify, any of the top five players can give a competitive match to his teammates. Because of this the boys have had to work even harder to maintain their posi-tions at practice, causing the entire team to grow in depth over the course of the season. Despite the flux, the current lineup is capable of offering a fair and serious match in any eIL competition.

Boys LacrosseBy Timothy CunninghamStaff Writer

The Boy’s Varsity Lacrosse team is on pace for yet another very suc-cessful season. Captains Matt Brigham, Liam O’Connor, Drake Kre-inz, and Trevor Kenahan lead the Ravens this year. The group is close and plays well together, as many of the upperclassmen have played together for three or four years. Coach Brown’s goals going into the season were to win the season opener (which they have already ac-complished), be competitive in out of league games, win the league, and beat St. George’s. In addition, Coach Brown hopes the team will play enthusiastically, develop their lacrosse IQs, use teamwork, and re-ceive leadership from the VI Formers. The Abbey Lacrosse team pre-pared for the season with their annual spring trip and two scrimmages (both of which ended as victories for the Ravens). The Ravens opened their season with three out of league games. The team played well and earned a win against hyde to open the season. however, despite a great defensive effort, the Abbey fell to a very strong Wellesley team in their second game. The team also lost a close game to Dexter. The Ravens will play one more out of league game before they begin league play. The Ravens appear to have a promising season ahead of them.

Girls LacrosseBy Melanie CamachoStaff Writer

This year the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team kicked off their season to an excellent start. even though they lost their first scrimmage against the power-ful Moses Brown team, they picked things back up very quickly when they won 6 consecutive games afterwards in the regular season. With new head coach Ms. Reardon, who played the game herself back in high school, and with an enthusiastic Mr. O’Connor as an assistant, it isn’t hard to see why the Lady Ravens haven’t lost yet. even though the season initiated just three weeks ago, Caitlin Villareal scored her 200th goal of her Abbey career just after the season began. Other players who were also on a roll in-clude Annie Kirscht, Kelley Oliveira, and Callie Taylor on offense and Katie Glosson, Ann Gal-lagher, and Devon hogan on defense. New mem-bers on team this year include Kristine McNulty and Taylor Lough, both Third Formers who have both played in other leagues at their previous schools; both have raised the bar for incoming talent. The Lady Ravens most recent victory was against the infamous St. George’s team. The Lady Ravens came up with their much-deserved 18-8 win with both an excellent offensive and de-fensive effort. Known for their Tie-Dye Tuesdays and their drive for excellence, this team will be sure to continue with an excellent season.

Track and Field By Annie ZhaoStaff Writer

The Abbey Track team has assembled a smaller-than-usual but strong team for the Spring term, led by the captains Amelia Gray, emily Kauf-man and Will Parsons. The boy’s team has run in two home tri-meets thus far against Bancroft, Wheeler, Mariannapolis and Landmark school, both of which were strong performances that came away with victories for the Abbey. The girl’s team has run in a dual meet and a tri-meet alongside the boys, and despite the many newcomers and a fresh 4x4 relay team, resulted in a close loss by a 5pt margin in the dual meet and 2nd place by a 2pt margin in the tri-meet. In terms of achievements, hadley Mat-thews entered the list of top ten pole-vaulters for the Abbey in her first meet. With hopes for mild weather, Track and Field is looking at the 2012 spring season as one filled with potential.

AppalachiaBy Fletcher BoninContributor

This is three Mountain Dews and a cigarette for breakfast. This is NASCAR baseball hats. This is satellite dishes bigger than houses, and Dodge pickup trucks that are even bigger. This is dogs chained to cinderblocks. This is the sound of constant strip mining explosions. This is chickens, hens, and ducks walking in unhin-dered flocks. This is more ATV’s than cars in the driveway. This is school buses travelling up-hill to deliver school children. This is burn your trash or live in it. This is Chavies, Kentucky, and this is incredible.

Portsmouth Abbey’s unmarked white vans trundled down to Kentucky for this year’s Ap-palachia Service Project during March vaca-tion. Ms. Thomas directed the trip this year, and under her detailed plans and Mr. Williams’ ex-clusive driving control of her van, we made it to the ASP center that we would call home for the next five days. We were divided into work crews, and set off each morning at eight to carry out the task that the ASP center had designated to us under the careful instructions of group leaders Mr. Frank Sienkiewicz, Mr. Peter Rams-den, Mr. Paul Williams, and a man that went by “Willy.” With their help, our work groups com-pleted construction jobs on houses that badly needed aid. Our groups fixed underpinnings on these sadly dilapidated homes; re-roofing jobs on homes that had been crudely built by the current residents; siding jobs on houses whose outer walls had been left bare to the unpredict-able Kentucky weather; and ramp building for a blind woman and her husband. The leadership of this year’s ASP Sixth Formers Ford Bauer, Bitsy Conklin and Sean Buckley was imperative to the completing of these ambitious projects.

But simple construction jobs were not the sole purpose of our trip, as we also hoped to establish relationships with the owners of our worksites. Depending on the residence you were working on, this could be harder for some groups than others. Residents--many of whom had built the home themselves--were justly hesitant about having these teenagers from a northern prep school use hammers and saws on their homes. This hesitation came from an in-tense pride, a pride that’s nearly as abundant in Kentucky as their chief export, coal. After initial reluctance, my group’s homeowners, Tony and Kat, were quite nice, offering us sodas, coffee and use of their Corn hole game, which Tony built along with his house. The house next to us though, with the work crew headed by Mr. Wil-liams and Ms. Stenberg, had little luck in estab-lishing a relationship with their home’s family. Much of this came from pride, but also embar-rassment that they needed help, as they, too, had built their home themselves, and because of this, curtained their windows and remained inside for the entirety of our visit. The husband did, however, display his gratitude, continuing our

work after we left and before we got there, but never when we were present. Other groups, such as Ms. Thomas and Mr. Ramsden’s group, left their family’s home with tearful goodbyes of ap-preciation, as in the case of Joe, who lived in the home and conversed freely with our work crew. Whether expressed or not, we left our worksites in hazard County, Kentucky each day knowing our work had not gone unnoticed.

It would be easy at this point to say that these people will live happily ever after and that we are all “changed” by the experience, but that’s not necessarily the case--at least not fully. At best, I can say that this was a purely board-ing school or prep school experience. Not in the conventional sense, like sit- down dinners, a school dress code or Sunday mass, but a board-ing school experience nonetheless. The point of these boarding schools, the reason why we pay these tuitions, dry clean these Polo’s, and take Latin is to graduate with character, not simply to fulfill Mommy and Daddy’s Ivy League dreams, and not to play croquet and wear tennis whites as many people may think. By going to Appa-lachia, we see the adversity that few of us will ever have to face, and knowing and understand-ing this fact amongst your friends and teachers brings us closer to the character that we hope to graduate with in the spring.

BeYOND The ABBeY SPORTS

world on this tenuous situation.Protests, inspired by similar events in Tu-

nisia, egypt and Libya, began last March in response to the arrest and torture of a group of teenagers who painted revolutionary slogans on the walls of their school. Syrian security forces allegedly opened fire on marchers protesting this abuse, killing four, and later shot at mourn-ers at the victims’ funerals. Opposition protests remained peaceful until last September, when several factions calling themselves the Syrian National Committee, the National Coordination Committee, and the Free Syrian Army (made up of defectors from the Syrian military) began to fight back against the oppression of the Assad regime. SANA has vaguely designated these ac-tivists as “armed terrorist groups”, and has at-tributed attacks on military transports as well as oil pipelines to these rebels.

The government has retaliated against their acts with the apparently random shelling of suburbs in large cities such as homs, with lit-tle regard for the harm done to civilians in the process of exterminating violent opposition. But as some activists boast, for each person killed by Assad security forces, an entire family will join the cause against the longtime regime. The opposition’s determination to force reform and democracy in Syria has driven anti-government activists – generally independent of the groups named above – to violate human rights through kidnappings, torture and executions of military personnel as well as civilians, according to hu-man Rights Watch. Though these abuses have occurred on a much smaller scale than those re-portedly perpetrated by the Assads themselves, the opposition appears to be growing as brutal as its oppressors with no signs of a return to their original form of peaceful protest.

In the world of diplomacy, progress is equally absent. A draft resolution proposed to the United Nations by Morocco in October condemning the violence in Syria was vetoed by Russia and

China, who share important trade connections with the Assad regime. The Soviet Union was once Syria’s greatest arms supplier, and Russia continues to provide weaponry to its ally in the Middle east.

Russia and China vetoed a second, tougher resolution in February that called for president Assad to step down from power – to the chagrin of Western nations including the United King-dom, France and the United States. China has a long record of non-intervention in other nations’ domestic affairs, and maintains that the Syrian government and opposition should resolve their conflict through discussion rather than violence. Critics of China believe that its government sim-ply does not want to condone any revolution for fear of inciting a similar challenge to their own regime.

Though most agree that direct military in-volvement like that in Libya should not be repeated in Syria, many countries advocate supplying arms to the opposition forces, and President Obama and other international lead-ers have considered giving them medical aid as well. In the meantime, U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan has attempted to hammer out peace deals between the opposing groups, but as recently as this April, the Syrian government has apparently ignored whatever terms it had previously agreed to. In an attempt to pressure President Assad to bring an end to the violence, the european Un-ion has placed sanctions against Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad, preventing her from visiting the place where she was born and raised.

The Syrian first lady, a critic of the Israeli op-pression of Palestine and a founder of a number of charities for disadvantaged women, has been criticized for shopping online while her people are massacred. The president himself has been described by expatriate acquaintances as a man who is not a leader, but follows the lead of the re-gime itself. The younger son of hafez al-Assad, Bashar did not expect to come into power and was studying ophthalmology in London when his older brother Basil died in a car wreck in the early 1990s. When he assumed the presidency after his father’s death, he inherited a regime that

hafez had built singlehandedly, which Bashar had no real control over.

A divide exists within the Assad regime: a younger generation, headed by Bashar, favors democratic reforms and modernization, while the Ba’ath Old Guard maintains more conserva-tive ideals. Bashar al-Assad has made some im-portant concessions to the rebels’ demands in the past year – repealing the emergency Decree that had essentially put Syria under martial law for the past fifty years, and introducing a new constitution that allows for multi-party elec-tions. But for the Syrian opposition forces, these improvements are too little, too late; most feel that al-Assad will never truly break free from the conservatism of the Old Guard and only through revolution will democracy be achieved.

Al-Assad’s chief advisor disagrees; Bouthai-na Shaaban believes that Assad could slowly modernize Syria and eventually establish a de-mocracy. But she says that western plots against Syria as well as threats from Israel (because of Syria’s support of Palestine) have kept the coun-try under a siege mentality that has prevented the progress Assad promised from taking place. As an ally of Israel, the United States has certainly taken issue with Syria’s support of Palestine, and hostility from Arab countries influenced by America like Saudi Arabia, egypt, and Iraq makes Syria’s task of reform all the more dif-ficult.

After the Iraq invasion of 2003, the Bush administration considered invading Syria as well, with the encouragement of Israel, in or-der to overthrow Assad. The animosity toward the Assads comes from their connection to the militant Shia in control of Iran, since the Alawi stem from the Shia movement. Syria was spared simply because the Assad regime would have been replaced by the Muslim Brotherhood, an even more worrying prospect to Washington than Syria’s position as Tehran’s Middle eastern ally. (This could still happen now if the Assads were to fall from power.) In slightly different circumstances, Syria could have found itself in a situation very similar to that of Iraq; Saddam hussein’s attempt to regain Kuwait, which was

originally part of his country, ended with drastic consequences. If Syria had attempted to reclaim Lebanon around the same time, the Assad re-gime could have come to the same harsh end.

Syria’s conflict with Israel over Palestine in-troduces potential ulterior motives for Western support of the opposition forces. As an ally of Israel, the United States has put trade and arms sanctions into place against Syria, causing their economic decline, which in turn contributed to the current unrest. Since Israel and the United States are both concerned by Iran’s nuclear capabilities, they might hope that his ally As-sad’s downfall would intimidate President Ah-madinejad enough to put Iran’s nuclear program on hold. This could explain the current outrage despite the fact that neither the U.S. or Britain protested in the least when Rifaat Assad, hafez’s brother and the commander of the Syrian mili-tary, massacred 10,000 Sunni Muslim protesters in 1982 – a greater number than all the casualties in the last year on both sides of the conflict. After his failed attempt to seize power in 1984, Rifaat fled to Europe and now lives in London, just blocks from British Foreign Secretary William Hague’s office, working as an activist for the current Syrian opposition. To add to the irony of the whole situation, Israel essentially conquered Golan heights, a part of Syria, and now has nu-clear missiles within range of Syria’s capital of Damascus.

Alawi and Christian minorities continue to support Bashar al-Assad for fear of sectarian war if he loses power, though Christians resent the fact that they still are not permitted to run for the presidency themselves. As late as this April, the Syrian government has ignored the deadline for a ceasefire and withdrawal of troops from “liberated” territory under the control of the op-position. With no clear resolution in sight, some consider it best to allow this raging sociopoliti-cal inferno to burn itself out, in the hopes that real human suffering will not be forgotten or drowned out by the vast, global implications of Syria’s struggle to rediscover its identity.

Franz, Continued

6 7

25 Things You Didn’t Know About the CowansBy Hannah NilesStaff Writer

1. Mrs. Cowan’s favorite class was her graduate class on Me-nippean Satire.

2. Mr. Cowan lived in Marseilles, France for one year when he was five years old. He went to school with gypsies and was supposedly fluent in French.

3. Mr. and Mrs. Cowan’s favorite meal is tripe and snails with morcilla (a Spanish blood sausage).

4. Mr. Cowan has a significantly lower blood temperature than the normal human being. It is a medical condition called Sang Froid and usually indicates a complete ab-sence of pity.

5. Mrs. Cowan has a rare condition called Unheimlich I which causes her to hide beneath things and jump out and scare unsuspecting people.

6. Mr. Cowan read the Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) out loud in Italian because he wanted to hear the work in its original language. he hardly understood a word.

7. Mrs. Cowan is skilled in the art of tracking. She can not only tell which animal has made a footprint but also how fresh it is!

8. Mr. Cowan is easily starstruck. If he meets anyone famous he sweats profusely and gets tongue tied…just ask Tim Gunn.

9. Mr. Cowan once had a job that had him drive to all the bakeries in Chicago picking up bread from 1AM to 6AM.

10. Mrs. Cowan apparently has the funniest dreams because she often wakes up laughing.

11. Mr. Cowan can walk on stilts.

12. Mrs. Cowan’s favorite number is 10. She always wore the number 10 jersey on every soccer team she’s played for. The number 10 is one of the many things that she and Li-onel Messi have in common.

13. Currently, Mr. Cowan is developing a new skill called ”dark lining” which involves training the eye to read bar codes.

14. Mr. Cowan finds no humor in anything. His laugh is a care-fully constructed burst of sounds simulating what he has ob-served in other people. He knows when people find things funny but does not technically find them funny himself.

15. Mrs. Cowan comes from a long line of equestrians. her grandfather coached an equestrian Olympic team and her uncle rode in the Olympics for Argentina. Mr. Cowan is convinced her grandfather is a horse whisperer.

16. Mr. Cowan once almost ran over an alligator on the high-way from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

17. Mr. Cowan once drove through a rainbow and the rain in front of him was sdhimmering gold. This was before cell phones had cameras.

18. Mr. and Mrs. Cowan rode on the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth. Twice. In a row. It was so fast that Mr. Cowan believes that he lost part of his soul.

19. Mr. Cowan’s favorite movies are “Moon Over Parador,” “Kagemusha,” and Dave.”

20. Mrs. Cowan’s great uncle was the Prime Minister in Spain. he was actually assassinated in the public plaza in Madrid which is now named after him.

21. Mr. Cowan claims to be related to Robert the Bruce who orchestrated the assassination of William Wallace.

22. When Mrs. Cowan was younger, her house was accidently burnt down by her two younger siblings. As a close neigh-bor, Tommy Hilfiger, heard the story and asked for a photo of Mrs. Cowan’s entire family wearing Hilfiger clothes which he supplied. he framed it and has it hung up in his Connecticut home.

23. Mr. Cowan loves trying exotic foods. he once ate a grass-hopper taco which caused him to break out in hives.

24. Mr. and Mrs. Cowan love to make pan-au-chocolat from scratch. Benet’s girls will get a taste soon!

25. The name of their baby girl.

The Hunger Games:A Dystopian TriumphBy Michelle MehrtensStaff Writer

“The hunger Games,” adapted from Suzanne Collin’s young adult book of the same name, is a global phenomenon. It is a record-breaking blockbuster, appearing as the third-best opening for a movie of all time and the best opening for a non-sequel. In its first weekend, “The hunger Games” earned $155 million at the box of-fice. The movie has also spurred debates and discussions from dif-ferent parts of the spectrum—some intelligent, and some not so in-telligent. There have been conversations revolving around whether the movie was a successful reworking of the book, and whether the actors and actresses accurately captured the essence of many be-loved characters. “The hunger Games” has also prompted discus-sion of Katniss’s significance, her role as a strong female protago-nist, and her appeal to a broad range of viewers. Then, of course, backlash has also occurred, though some criticism has gained no-toriety—mainly, complaints from audience members about African American actors portraying a few notable characters. “The hunger Games” has become the center of a variety of conversations, both enlightened and tinged with prejudice. Let’s begin.

As a fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, I viewed the movie with trepidation. Josh hutcherson as Peeta seemed a little strange, but, more importantly, I wondered whether the movie would suc-cessfully portray the atrocities and contradictions of the dystopian world of Panem—would the movie capture the nuanced messages of the book, the criticisms underlying a society so desensitized to violence that the wealthy watched kids kill each other for entertain-ment? …In a word? Kinda.

Jennifer Lawrence triumphs as Katniss because she shows her thoughts, her emotions, on her face flawlessly. In times of crisis, in times when Katniss has to confront brutality and violence, it is the expressions on her face that cement the insanity of the world she lives in. Panem is a warped world, and Katniss’ awareness of this emphasizes that realization. When haymitch, Katniss’ mentor, witnesses a small boy playfully pretend to “kill” his sister with a

toy sword while the hunger Games occur onscreen, it also shows how a disconnect has taken place in human emotion and empathy. however, The Hunger Games book also serves as a warning to us, now: we, who watch reality television and enjoy laughing at the foolishness, the pain, of others. What happens in Panem is a gro-tesque exaggeration of what we are now. The movie fails to draw the connection.

Katniss is a female protagonist unlike most. She has spent her life hunting to survive, as well as caring for her sister and mother.

At times, she is completely unlikable. But ultimately, we root for Katniss. We empathize with her struggles, the brutalities she faces, and admire her gumption. She’s a fierce girl who has had to grow up faster than most. Katniss does not typify the norm of femininity. As Autumn Whitefield-Madrano from The New Inquiry explains, it is Katniss, not Peeta, who has a hard time adjusting to the fashion, the lights, the charade of romance, that they must embrace to win. She is also what makes “The hunger Games” movie refreshing, new. She is the female hero, someone who, as exhibited by the movie’s awe-worthy success, appeals to many different people. As A.O Scott from The New York Times points out, girls are used to relating to male protagonists, whether he is harry Potter or Spider-Man; but boys never want to be princesses or, you know, Bella Swan. It is all too common for girls and women to put themselves into the shoes of heroes, but it is quite rare for boys to put themselves into the shoes of heroines. “The hunger Games” movie provides an experi-ence in which a strong female protagonist leads the adventure, and everyone wants to follow.

Criticism—both reasonable and questionable—shadow any big hit. Following the premiere of “The hunger Games,” a num-ber of audience members whined about the fact that Rue (Aman-dla Stenberg), Thresh (Dayo Okeniyi) and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) were played by African American actors. Never mind the fact that the majority of the movie was whitewashed (Dodai Stewart, editor of Jezebel, points out that the book clearly describes Katniss with “olive skin” and “straight black hair,” meaning she could have eas-ily been played by a Native American, Asian, or hispanic actress), these complaints are completely incorrect. Stewart takes note that on page 45 of The Hunger Games, Rue is described with “dark brown skin and eyes”; Thresh is seen with “the same dark skin as Rue.” Fortunately, Twitter has created a Tumblr revealing these rac-ist tweets as a tool to fight back. Despite all this, the movie has continued to thrive, as have its actors and actresses. Rue shared one of the most touching and pivotal scenes of the book and movie, and Amandla Stenberg portrayed her movingly and poignantly.

“The hunger Games” is an entertaining and fast-paced movie, and is executed with clear-cut precision. Although the movie did not always effectively portray the novel, it still manages to capture its essence, and creates a world rife with meaning and thought—as well as heated debates. hopefully, “Catching Fire” can recapture—or surpass—the success of “The Hunger Games.” As Effie Trinket trills, “May the odds be ever in your favor.”

The SmithereensBy Eden FranzStaff Writer

Recognized as the indigenous tribe of Portsmouth Abbey, faculty children make their presence known on campus – and sometimes, feared. Through some combination of local mythology and actual experience, none are considered more wild or dangerous than the Smithereens, just three representatives of the native culture. And yet this writer can vouch from personal experience that Conor, Sean and Thomas – the savages have names, after all – are surprisingly civi-lized.

After an evening of babysitting, which consisted of a very normal game of Monopoly complemented by an episode of Myth Busters, I began to wonder if the rumors of the Smithereens’ savagery were exaggerated. It’s true, my foray into the jungle otherwise known as Stately Smith hall did end with an episode of Swamp People – a bit scarring for a person of my vegetarian sensibilities. For those read-ers unfamiliar with this primetime feature on the history Channel, it chronicles the travails of heavily-accented, American-flag-bandana-clad alligator hunters in the marshes of the Deep South. Luckily, our viewing interest was in the unparalleled twanginess of the accents more than the thrill of watching “swamp-men” shoot reptiles in the head.

Many of us may not realize that most of the faculty kids who aren’t yet students at the Abbey have spent most or all of their lives

on this campus. They have watched generations of students enter the school as wide-eyed freshmen, the perfect unsuspecting targets for falling acorns that the natives just happened to drop from their perch in the trees. And they’ve seen the same students smoking those nasty cigars you get at graduation, wondering when someone would no-tice the effects of that little something extra they slipped into the refreshments. In all seriousness, though, many of these kids have never known any other way of life, at least that they can remember. They’re curious to know what it’s like to live in a normal neighbor-hood without strange, clumsy giants always bothering their parents about permission to take a taxi or asking for help before tomorrow’s test. Given the chance to experience the normal lifestyles many Abbey students take for granted, they might even pass for average schoolchildren.

It was with a straight face, I’m proud to say, that I asked Conor Smith if he and his brothers really were the wild little savages that all humanities students have nightmares about before a particularly nasty paper is due. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has imag-ined them leaning through the window, hollow reeds loaded with poisoned darts in position at their lips, ready to take out anyone who fails to participate in a plenary discussion. But he just laughs. “We’re kind of normal,” he admits. A seventh grader, Conor looks forward to his time at the Abbey. he says he might not even mind having his parents as teachers – weird as it undoubtedly would be.

The role of the faculty themselves in spreading the myths sur-rounding the native wildlife appears to be a significant one. The Smithereens wouldn’t enjoy half their notoriety were it not for Mr. Smith’s frequent examples of their savagery in his attempts to il-

lustrate faults in John Locke’s theory of government. There’s little he likes more than recounting their bloodthirsty exploits in graphic detail. But the accuracy of these anecdotes is doubtful at best; per-haps he’s just projecting his own youthful adventures on his innocent children. So next time you hear rustling in the rhododendrons by the holy Lawn, don’t worry – faculty kids are as harmless as the squir-rels they’re hunting!

Book Review:The Fault in Our StarsBy Michelle MehrtensStaff Writer

As hazel Lancaster, the protagonist of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, so succinctly puts it: “Cancer books suck.” For the most part, she is correct. Many books that attempt to delve into the com-plexities and hardships of cancer undoubtedly fall prey to maud-lin, preachy, or callow plotlines—some even employ all three for a mind-numbing trifecta. In The Fault in Our Stars, hazel herself has terminal cancer. But before you begin to shy away from this book lest tears spring to your eyes, hold on. What makes this story so fresh and original is that its characters and the lives they lead are unapologetically real. Sure, hazel has cancer. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl with a snarky attitude, someone who la-ments being forced to attend a kids-with-cancer support group and who, unlike some books would have you believe, has a life outside of her disease. Of course it plays a huge part in the story—and her life. But it’s not who she is. And The Fault in Our Stars is much more than that, as well.

The teenagers in this book do not fall into the lazy stereo-types that all too frequently dominate books, movies, and televi-sion shows. hazel may watch “America’s Next Top Model,” but she doesn’t continuously populate her sentences with “OMG!” and “Shoes!” In support group, hazel befriends Isaac, an insight-ful boy with a glass eye. Although humorous and witty, Isaac is not reduced to simply the comic relief, the character who inserts a dry remark and then fades into the background (there is, though, a hilarious scene when hazel visits Isaac after his surgery). And then, of course, there is Augustus Waters, who is in remission and has a prosthetic leg. Although he is the Romeo to hazel’s Juliet, he is far from perfect. There are no martyrs. In one scene, hazel

and Augustus spend an afternoon playing completely violent video games and then contemplate the philosophical meanings behind a decrepit swing set. In another, Isaac extols the virtues of his girl-friend—the next, he’s egging her car. Sometimes they’re too clever

for their own good, presumptuous, ambitious, and other times, they are silly and heartsick. hazel, Augustus, Isaac: they are complex, multifaceted people who happen to be teenagers. however, they are all forced to face the harsh realities of growing up alongside their illnesses, which they do with admirable maturity and wisdom.

From the beginning, hazel is wary of forging new relationships with other people. She knows her time is limited, and she does not want to hurt anyone. her parents—who also refuse to become cari-catures—are open with hazel; there’s no coddling. But they also help her realize the importance of staying present in her own life. Unlike Hazel, who first fights to make her footprint on the world that much smaller, Augustus wonders how he can leave a mark on the world, how he can make his time matter. No matter how trite it may sound, everyone inevitably thinks about the meaning of life, and the meanings in their own lives; it is a part of being human. ha-zel and Augustus attempt to piece together their own understand-ings of the universe, of the infinite space humans occupy. As people who deal with death on a day-to-day basis, their musings are tinged with a mortal awareness that most avoid.

The Fault in Our Stars provides an honest, frank portrait of those struggling with cancer, and struggling to lead normal lives. Do not expect a dewy, doe-eyed patient reclining casually on her hospital bed. The situations are genuine, messy, imperfect, and heartbreaking. On the other hand, there is no exploitation of suffer-ing and grief to force feelings or tears. hazel is a strong, intelligent character, and everything that occurs happens organically.

The Fault in Our Stars inspires a whirlwind of emotions. Read-ers may find themselves laughing hysterically, and then struggling to not bawl in a public place. This is a book worthy of your time. hazel Lancaster is a standout protagonist, as are her family and friends. It is a story that makes its genre fresh and sincere, and sheds the stereotypes and forced gloom to create a spectacular read. It is a story that provokes a thousand different colors of emotions, as all goods books should. Read The Fault in Our Stars. You will wish you actually knew hazel—and, of course, Augustus. Trust me.

Zoom-in on our Tech GuysBy Julia SlupskaStaff Writer

For those who do not know, the Information Services people, also known as the IT guys, can be found next to the Science Building

computer lab, in a small room packed with boxes overflowing with different computer parts. They are all very talented and helpful, and they see themselves as under-utilized. So, in case you ever have com-puter troubles, you should get to know the IT guys.

Farthest from the door is Mr. Victor Pacheco, who is originally from Fall River and is married with two boys: Aidan is 9 years old and Brandon is 13 years old. he spends most of his free time coaching Fall River United, his boys’ soccer team. he also enjoys collecting rare Japanese maple trees. his dream job would be to be a park ranger in Yellowstone National Park. Mr. Pacheco has worked for the Abbey for twelve years and specializes in the Abbey Technology Budget; he is also part of the Technology Committee (which includes Mr. Mc-Donough, Mr. McCarthy, and Mr. Zelden.) The Technology Commit-tee discusses and makes the decisions about new technology for the school – for example, whether certain classes should get iPads next year. When asked if that will actually happen, Mr. Pacheco replied that he is not the one who makes the decision, but that the teacher must “have a plan for utilizing them.”

Next is Mr. Robert Brett, who claims he is a gypsy and grew up everywhere (more specifically most of the coastal states because he comes from a Navy family). he has a wonderful wife (of 25 years) named Biz (short for elizabeth) and three sons. In his off time, he works on his house and yard. he also has two pet squirrels. They are both very friendly and like to eat carrots. On Friday nights, he works at a comic book store called the Annex in Newport. For the past four years, he has hosted a gaming night there where local kids come and play Magic the Gathering: “Fridays are very long days for me,” he added. The owner of the store, Wayne Quakenbush, also supports local artists by giving them space to display and sell their art. every month has a different theme: March was Bigfoot month. I highly recommend looking at their comic store (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Annex-Comics). Mr. Brett’s dream job would be to live in Yellowstone Na-tional Park with a small bear sidekick and pilfer picnic baskets. Until that day, however, Mr. Brett says he specializes in delivering ink and fixing Portsmouth Abbey printer jams. When asked why the printers break down so often, he said, “It’s a combination of old models and lots of traffic.” Mr. Brett (and, surely, most of the student body) hopes that the school will get at least some new printers next year.

Closest to the door is Mr. Paul Williams from Warwick, Rhode

Island. In the words of Mr. Brett, “he is a lone wolf and has no chil-dren.” he is also a full-time student working towards a Bachelor in Information Systems Security. he enjoys rehabbing old homes, div-ing, and mountain biking through Yellowstone Park when park ranger Victor is off duty. his dream job would be to professionally compete in offshore sailboat racing. At the Abbey, he specializes in Network Security.

In any case, one of the technology changes we will be seeing next year is a new and improved security system, under which changing your IP address will not get you Internet in the banned hours. What are some other changes? All the dorms will be getting New Dell Op-tiplex Xe computers with new monitors. Additionally, some of the math classes will be using different calculators than the TI89. Mr. Brett mentioned that both the Technology Committee and the IT guys are very open to suggestions from students: “For example, if enough students wanted it, we could get Photoshop for some of the computers in the computer lab or the library.”

Another proposed change would be a reorganization of the school computer login. Apparently, the login we all use (“student” with pass-word “student”) is supposed to be just a generic account. every stu-dent actually has an individual account (yourname_yoursurname with

the same password as your school email) which he or she can use to login to every computer on campus. Furthermore, if you email Mr. Pa-checo, he can set up a drive called a UDrive for your specific account. If you have a UDrive, you will be able to save a document on any school computer and open it from any other computer – which would obviously be a huge help when printing documents and more. “Next year, we’d like to get rid of the generic account and have everyone use their individual logins,” added Mr. Pacheco. Mr. Brett also wanted to make sure everyone knows that, “If you try to access a website and it is blocked and you do not feel it should be, let us know and we can unblock it. Our software automatically blocks sites based on category. It is a very generic process and can block websites that should not necessarily be blocked.”

They want to get to know you and help you: Mr. Pacheco says, “We’re more than just the Internet people – come ask us questions! We’re always here to help if you have a computer virus or your ma-chine is slow.” Mr. Brett quickly adds, “But we’re only here Monday through Friday.”

ReVIeWS FACULTY

Can You Guess Which

Faculty Member

Wrote This in

Third Grade?

Submit guesses to The Beacon.

First correct an-swer submitted to The Beacon gets bookstore bucks.

From the left: Mr. Bob Brett, Mr. Paul Williams, Mr. Victor Pacheco

Thomas, Sean and Connor

8 9

By Sidharth SharmaEditor-in-Chief

ALThOUGh the spring brings exciting thoughts of graduation to the Sixth Form

class, it is also good news for those who are re-maining at the Abbey. The sight of St. Martin’s dorm—which seems to have sprung up over-night--incites anticipation for this year’s Fifth and Fourth Formers. Construction on the dorm began a little over a year ago, but the dorm will be ready to house its first set of residents in the fall of this year.

I was invited to take a tour of the dorm with Mr. David Brown, current student Alex Knoeppfler, and his father Alejandro Knoepf-fler ‘78, who is also a member of the Board of Regents. While taking the tour, I am both impressed and, to be perfectly honest, a bit jealous of next year’s inhabitants. The layout, while very similar to that of St. Brigid’s, has a few differences. Walking through the front entrance of St. Martin’s, you see the computer lab on the right. This room is already set to be equipped with a television like the other boys’ dorms’ computer labs, Mr. Brown explains. The common room, instead of being across on

the left like in St. Brigid’s, is further down the hallway on the right. The left wall is blocked off, concealing faculty housing that has a Big Brother-esque window from which to observe the common room.

The residential part of the dorm follows very much like St. Brigid’s in terms of layout. having had the opportunity to take a tour of St. Brigid’s last year for another Beacon article, I noted that these rooms are slightly smaller but in essence the same. The faculty residences are also laid out in the same vein as St. Brigid’s, although there will only be three faculty resi-dences in St. Martin’s.

One large difference is that St. Martin’s has only two floors, and the basement will contain not only security offices, but also the laundry service currently hosted by St. Benet’s. Along the wall are wooden cubbies, one for each stu-dent who has a subscription to the laundry ser-vice for their bag of clothes.

Of course, there are scores of other issues besides the actual building that arise from in-tegrating a new dorm into campus life. Mrs. Baker, Dean of Residential Life, has some an-swers to these questions, although she admits that many things have yet to be decided.

Do we know yet who the houseparents will be? If not, are there any who are interested? Will some faculty have to move out of non-dorm housing to accommodate the need for new houseparents, or will new faculty cover the posts? Mr. Gittus will be the head house-parent – we are still working out the rest. (Mr. Zelden has since confirmed that his family will also be living in St. Martin’s, and they are very much looking forward to it.)

Since the structure of the dorms is changing, will each boys’ dorm have day student prefects like the girls do? Day students will apply for prefectship across all houses now, similar to the way the girls’ houses have operated.

What will be the fate of St. Bede’s next year? Good question! It will no longer be home to our Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Form day boys as we can now integrate them back into the houses.

How will the administration address the is-sue of the close proximity of St. Martin’s to St.

Brigid’s? I don’t really see any issues here. St. Bede’s boys have been living dangerously close to St. Brigid’s and St. Benet’s girls for years now! (however, Mrs. Bonin adds that a big is-sue will be remembering to close shades on win-dows, especially at night.)

Will the number of admitted students increase next year, or will there be more opportunities for prefects and Sixth Formers to have double singles? There is no plan to increase the size of our student body. Some of the rooms in St. hugh’s, Aelred’s and Leonard’s will be con-verted to day rooms. Double singles will con-tinue to be a rare commodity.

Will Martins take the place of Bede’s in terms of church/assembly seating? This is yet to be determined. Church and assembly seating are a numbers game which gets reviewed every summer.

While the dorm is not yet finished, it is very close to its completion. The fresh new build-ing on campus reminds students and faculty of the plans for the renovation of the Abbey campus that have been proposed by the admin-istration. When I interviewed Dr. DeVecchi the fall before construction began, he assured me,

“We will build the dorm. Do not worry; it will come.” The administration has finally made good on this promise, and the Abbey popu-lation can only eagerly await what else is to come.

CANDIDS LIFe IN ST. MARTIN’S

St. Martin’s Computer Lab

Cubbies for the Laundry Service

The Funky and Modern Water Fountain

The “Big Brother” Window Looking over the Common Room A Single Room in St. Martin’s

Day Student Lockers

A Double Room in St. Martin’s

St. Martin’s Common Room

10EDITORS-In-ChIEF STAFF WRITERS & PhOTOGRAPhERS SPECIAL ThAnKS

Sarah Auer Matthew Benevides Meredith Horan Michelle Mehrtens Ms. Kathy Stark Mr. David BrownJesse Bessinger Melanie Camacho Xuanqing (Amy) Huang Annette Monheim Mr. and Mrs. Cowan Mr. Paul JestingsSidharth Sharma Young Hoon (Brian) Chung Isabel Keogh Margaret Owens Mr. David Brown Ms. Baker

Yidan Cong Mary-Frances Kielb Youngrok Park Mr. Pacheco Ms. Kathy HeydtLAYOuT EDITORS Bitsy Conklin Jake Kim Peter Russell Mr. Brett Ms. Joney Swift

Christian Barcenas Emmett Conway Jisoo Kim Julia Slupska Mr. Williams Ms. Katy BoothMinJae (Steve) Cho Tim Cunningham Alejandro Knoepffler Emma Smith Dr. DeVecchi Dr. Timothy Flanigan ‘75

Nicholas DeLieto Mossiah Kouassi-Brou Lauren Thompson Mr. Cameron Ross McCormackPhOTO EDITOR Dorothy Dickmann Douglas Lebo Claudia Trahan

Hyung Seok (Toby) Yun Eden Franz Kevin Legein Peter Vergara COnTRIBuTORSAbby Hackl Xiang (Bill) Li Stephanie Waterman Fletcher Bonin

FACuLTY ADVISOR Katharine Haines Emily Magnifico Xiaodian (Diandian) Xu Gaby GutierrezMrs. Bonin Kelsi Harper David Maldonado Sang Seo (Andrew) Yi DIGITAL MEDIA STRATEGIST

Brianna Heaps Kimberly Mehrtens Annie Zhao Ms. Katy Booth

T H E B E A C O NP H O T O C O N T E S T 2 0 1 2

R u n n E R S - u P

2nd Place, by Carly Augustis-Kokoni

3rd Place, by Nick DeLieto1st Place, by Nick DeLieto

PhOTO CONTeST

Steve Cho Julia Slupska

Toby Yun