What`s the Deal with Deely?

Tuna
Talk
Vol. XIII, Issue I
The Roeper School
October 2011
What’s the Deal with Deely?
by Patrick Yee
No one ever said
scheduling a meeting with
the Head of School would be
easy. However, after getting in his schedule, I arrived at his office. He had
just finished up a phone call
and politely invited me to sit
down.
Tuna Talk: . . . There is only
one question on everyone’s
mind: ‘Why were there
bagpipes at the first week
ceremony?’
Phil Deely: . . . I always think
that you really can’t have an
opening [of] school without
bagpipes. But seriously,
the reason that I selected
bagpipes was that they make
so much noise that even
when you have 500+ Roeper
kids in a gym, even they
can’t drown out the sound of
bagpipes. I also thought it
would be fun, too.
TT: It has been said that you
have a great sense of humor.
Is there anything you’d like to
say about that?
PD: . . . I’m glad that people
think that I have a good
sense of humor . . . Sometimes I have to be very careful that I don’t, by mistake,
get misunderstood, because
people think I’m making a
joke about something. I’ll
sometimes use humor to
make a very serious point,
but even though I’m almost
65-years-old, I’m still working on some of my personal
communication habits, and
that certainly is one.
we’re doing strategic planning at Roeper. . . It’s actually been several years since
I’ve read contemporary
things on curriculum, so I’m
enjoying that. One of my
favorite books of all time has
the unwieldy title of Gödel,
Escher, Bach: An Eternal
Golden Braid. It’s the book
that I think explains for me
what it really means to be
interdisciplinary, because
it takes mathematics, philosophy, politics, and art and
mushes it all together. It’s
probably my favorite book
of all time.
TT: Are there any stories
about that that you are willing to share?
PD: . . . I was in my very
first teaching job. I was at a
school, a progressive school
that was very much like
Roeper, called Simon’s Rock
and one of the things that
Simon’s Rock always prided
itself on was that it was different than other schools: it
didn’t have traditional rules
and all the rest of it. And for
reasons that now escape me,
I decided to put together a
memo and make it look as
though it came from the administration . . . I distributed
it school-wide to members
of faculty and staff, an-
Interim Head of School Phil Deely ponders the shoe policy.
TT: Who is your favorite carPhoto by Lorenz Mager toon character?
nouncing that a new policy
would have to come to the
PD: Bart Simpson, it’d have
of supervised research time
knee and boys wear blue
had been put into practice .
blazers and wear ties. I have to be. I think that they- Matt
Groening and his contempo. . and the students would be a feeling it’d get the same
raries- have done a brilliant
required three hours a day
kind of reception.
job with that. I never really
to be in a space supervised
liked South Park. Well, I have
by members of the faculty
TT: What is your favorite
a growing appreciation for
and staff and not allowed
book and why?
South Park, but Bart Simpson
to talk or move around. .
is still number one.
. The place went nuts. . . It
PD: Well, I love to read. I
would be the same thing as
read a lot. Right at the
if I came to Roeper and anmoment, I’m reading lots
Continued on page 9
nounced that starting next
of things having to do with
Monday, there would be a
curriculum and communicadress code . . . Skirts for girls tion and the future, because
RENT the “Wright” Choice for Upcoming RTC Musical
by Francesca Bennett
For his first show
as Director of the Roeper
Theater Company, Chi
Wright wanted to put on
an especially memorable
musical. For him, RENT
definitely fits the bill.
“RENT is one of my
favorite musicals, and …when
I met with some students
back in the spring, they also
mentioned it as something
they were interested in
doing. It’s also very… socially
conscious,” Wright says.
RENT focuses on
societal issues including
race, poverty, homophobia,
addiction, and HIV/AIDS.
“It marked a total change in
American musicals,” Wright
says, “It’s a very important
musical to see.”
Guest speakers
facing similar issues as the
characters seen in RENT have
spoken to the cast during
rehearsals so that they can
Ted
Appleton’s
New Roles
pg.7
get a better perspective on
understanding the issues
featured in the show. “They’re
great,” cast member and
sophomore Maddie Wilson
says. “They really make you
understand your character
a lot better.” Fellow cast
member and senior Taylor
Mitchell agrees. “It’s very
good to hear other people’s
viewpoints and mindsets, and
also to get the backstory of
the show itself,” Mitchell says.
Because Roeper will
be performing the primary
edition - rather than the
edited school edition which
omits specific scenes and
songs - select content will
have to be cut out. “It’s the
original edition, so the cast
is deciding what content
to present and the overall
censorship. . . that process is
very Roeperian,” Wright says.
The main cast of
the show includes junior Nic
Weinberg (Mark), sophomore
Jill Graf
Publishes
4th Book
pg. 2
1996. It is based on Giacomo
Puccini’s opera, La bohème. It
also inspired a popular film
edition of the musical, with
six of the original Broadway
cast members reprising their
roles.
The cast of RENT sings “Will I?” during rehearsal.
Photo courtesy of Kirsten Hatchett
RENT will be
performed on
November 4th & 5th
at 8 p.m.,
November 6th at
3 p.m., on
November 10th at 7
p.m. and on
November 11th and
12th at 8 p.m., in
the R. Dean Acheson
Theatre at the
Birmingham campus.
Kirsten Hatchett (Mimi),
senior Taylor Mitchell
(Angel), sophomore Jeffrey
Fox (Roger), junior Miles Eddy
(Tom), senior Patrick Yee
(Benny), sophomore Rachel
Stamler-Jonas (Maureen) and
freshman Julia Eddy (Joanne).
RENT was composed
by Jonathan Larson, who
famously died at age 35
the day before the musical
premiered off-Broadway in
Call the RTC
Reservation Hotline
at 248-203-7933.
Detroit
Guitar
pg. 8
Fionna Ruddy
Brings Tuesday
Market to
Fruition
pg. 8
Faculty
Exhibits
Hidden Talents
pg. 7
2
Tuna Talk
NEWS
Graf Dishes Out
Advice in New Book
By Alec Segel
“It was an ‘ahah’
moment.” That’s how Upper
School science teacher Jill
Graf describes how she came
up with the idea for her most
recently published book, 101
Amazing Uses for Automatic
Dishwasher Detergent.`
“I was at my father’s
house…and he had nothing
to clean it with. I had a bottle
of dishwashing detergent in
the backseat of my car, [so]
I started using it and lo and
behold, it actually started
working,” Graf says.
According to an article on neighborhood website Birmingham Patch, Graf
later asked her Advanced
Environmental Science class
to do experiments for the
book. At first, current senior
Taylor Mitchell was skeptical. “I thought, ‘What is this
woman thinking? A book
about dishwasher detergent? There’s no way that this can
be useful’” Mitchell says. After multiple rounds of experimentations, Mitchell felt that
Graf’s idea was amazing. He
would later write the preface
to the book: “Although the
idea for this book is crazy, it
is actually useful and is a way
to help the environment.”
101 Amazing Uses
for Automatic Dishwasher
Detergent isn’t the first book
that Graf has written. In
1999, Graf published Dental
Charting: A Standard Approach while she was working as both a dentist and an
Environmental Science teacher. ”I found that no state has
a set book for dental charting method. So when people
were working on identifying
remains and finding out new
bones, people would encounter problems,” she explains.
“So I standardized the dental
charting books from dental
schools from other states
and compiled them into one
book”.
In 2009 and 2010, Graf
published two children’s
books, Savannah’s EcoAdventures: A Field Guide
to Aquatic Insects and Color
and Learn “Green” Book,
Savannah’s Eco-Adventures:
Composting. When asked
why she wrote these books,
Graf replied, “…I feel that
children read a lot at a
young age, and in my hometown, I was into environmental science and I would
test out the water quality of
the lake by our house.” All of
these books can be found on
amazon.com and ebay.com.
As for her Roeper teaching
career, Graf is in her third
year and is enjoying every
moment. “I really enjoy the
challenge of teaching gifted
students,” she says. “It keeps
Science teacher Jill Graf reviews one of her 101 uses for dishme on my toes.”
washer detergent.
Photo by Lorenz Mager
Aging Birmingham Campus Gets Facelift
by Mohaymin Kadir
Walking towards the
Birmingham Campus, most
people haven’t looked up
and noticed a big change to
the building: two giant “The
Roeper School” engravings.
This is just one of the many
changes being made to the
Birmingham Campus.
A majority of the
changes have been made
to the library, including the
rearrangement of the magazine racks and the computers being moved around and
upgraded to Windows 7.
One of the biggest
changes is the upgrading
of the book collection. Last
year, when students went
to the library, they usually wouldn’t go to check out
books, but now, the library
has been upgraded with a
newer array of books, especially fiction books. The
books have been arranged
according to the Dewey Decimal System, making it much
easier to find books. Not only
can students locate the books,
but they can also check them
out.
Librarian Anna
Monaghan is aiming to make
library cards to so that the
library can have an official
checkout system. “Eventually
I want to get a self-checkout system, so people can
check their own books out,”
Monaghan says.
“The library is also
working on a collection
of textbooks for different
classes, but the task will
take a while as textbooks are
expensive and there aren’t
many textbook donors,” says
Monaghan.
Another major update
is the “Tuckpointing Project.”
“Basically, when something’s
made out of bricks and
mortar after a while, sometimes the mortar will get all
dried up and start cracking,
and falling out and just not
being stable anymore. They
are grinding out all the new
mortar and putting in new
a few weeks after school letout, and will, hopefully, finally
be finished mid-October,”
Monaghan says.
Many of the rooms
have been painted, and rooms
ceiling mounts were installed.
The gym floor was refurbished this summer, and the
Theatre office and scene shop
were both thoroughly cleaned
and organized.
A “Pretty Committee,”
whose aim is to try to make
the school look “prettier”, has
been established. Their primary goal will be to “handle
any problems or identify any
changes needed to be made
throughout the school inside
and out,” Monaghan says. The
mortar,” Monaghan says. The
committee allows anyone to
courtyard chimney stack has
join. It’s made up of Roeper
also been rebuilt; there has
staff, and it also accepts stubeen steel reinforcement and
dents to be representatives.
a lightning protection system. “The tuckpointing
crew has been working since
Tuna Talk
Staff
Reporters
Francesca Bennett, Nathan Flynn, Mohaymin Kadir, Ben Kochanowski, Armani Lee,
Rodger MacArthur, Alec Segel, Jonah Sklar, Ari Teitel, Patrick Yee
Layout Editor/Photographer - Lorenz Mager
Advisor - Linda Vernon
this is new Roeper
Profiles of New Students and Teachers by Tuna Talk Staff
Elena Bakaluca, freshman
By Jonah Sklar
Tuna Talk: If you could be one kind of animal,
what would it be and why?
Elena Bakaluca: Well, maybe a sloth, because it’s
slow and fuzzy.
TT: If you could be one musical instrument,
what would it be and why?
EB: I would be a sitar, because that’s an awesome
instrument and an awesome name!
TT: What is your favorite painting and why?
EB: ‘The Creation’ by Michael Angelo, because it’s
beautiful and inspiring.
TT: What is your favorite movie and why?
EB: Aladdin, because I love the songs.
TT: What is your favorite song from Aladdin?
EB: I don’t know the name of it, but it’s the one
where it’s like, “Show Me the World” or something.
Daniel Cappell, freshman
Nick Cacevic, freshman
By Francesca Bennett
Tuna Talk: I heard you like music. Do you play
any instruments?
Daniel Cappell: Yes, I play the classic guitar. My
favorite kinds of music are rock and rap. I feel the
songs are unique and more effort goes into making them - actual creativity with the rhythm and
everything.
TT: You played basketball at your old school.
Are you going to play here?
DC: I hope so. I usually play forward. I also like to
play baseball and football with my friends.
TT: What’s your favorite food?
DC: Cheese - on anything: pizza, pasta . . . my
favorite kind is mozzarella. Cheese is delicious.
TT: What kind of movies and TV shows do you
like?
DC: I like thriller movies like Shutter Island. I like
The Simpsons and Family Guy. Thriller movies stay
in your head; the story and everything.
By Armani Lee
Tuna Talk: You run track. What events do you
run?
Nick Cacevic: I run the 100, 200, and shot-put.
My fastest 100 is about 13 seconds.
TT: Any wild childhood experiences? Or any
experiences from you old school you care to
share?
NC: I’ve been to six different schools, because I
didn’t like the school or because my friends left.
TT: Any weird birthmarks or piercing’s?
NC: I have a diamond birthmark on my leg.
TT: If you could be any superhero, who would
you be and why?
NC: I would be The Flash so I could run fast.
TT: What is your favorite thing about being a
“ginger”(British for “redhead”)?
NC: I like being a ginger. Being a ginger is unique.
Only one percent of the world is ginger.
TT: Any pets?
RJ: I have a rescue mutt named Petunia.
Riley Joliet, freshman
Matt Masone, freshman
Anika Hunter, freshman
By Rodger MacArthur
Tuna Talk: If you were on a deserted Island,
what are three things you would bring and
why?
Anika Hunter: Most likely food -mangos or eggs although mangos can’t really sustain you for long
periods of time. I would also bring music - my
iPod [and] clothing.
TT: Your name is not too common. What are
the origins of it and what does it mean?
AH: Anika is Swiss. However, Anika is also African
. . . it means “goodness and beauty.”
TT: What styles of dance do you like the best?
AH: Contemporary ballet, which is basically a
loose form of dance with a little bit of ballet technique added to it.
TT: What is your favorite genre of movie? Also,
what is your favorite movie?
AH: I like the Harry Potter movies. Comedy is my
favorite genre of movies. I also like Talladega
Nights, but not as much as Harry Potter.
TT: Ultimately, what do you hope to do for a
living?
AH: I would want to run a nonprofit organization.
I would enjoy teaching children to dance, who
would not otherwise get the chance to do so.
TT: If you could learn a completely new kind of
dance, what would that be and why?
AH: Hip-hop, because it’s cool . . . It is a completely different style than I am used to. Also, tap
is another style I am not used to [and it] can help
you with your footwork.
By Armani Lee
Tuna Talk: Do you play any instruments? If so,
how good are you?
Riley Joliet: I’m pretty good at piano. I’ve played
for four years . . . I skipped five levels, and I have
three trophies, so far.
TT: Any hobbies?
RJ: I am a four-year jazz dancer, and photography.
TT: Any cool birthmarks or piercings?
RJ: I have a diamond birthmark on my foot.
TT: Any cool facts about you or your family?
RJ: Rock star Ted Nugent is my grandpa.
TT: Since Ted Nugent is an avid hunter, have
you ever hunted with him? If so, what’s the biggest thing you caught?
RJ: Yes, we’ve gone and we caught deer before.
TT: . . . What is you weapon of choice and how
good are you at shooting it?
RJ: I am an archer and I am pretty good at shooting . . . I haven’t shot in a while because there isn’t
anywhere to shoot close to my house.
TT: What kind of bow do you use?
RJ: I use the family long bow, but I want a bow of
my own.
By Jonah Sklar
Tuna Talk: If you could be an animal, what
would you be and why?
Matt Masone: A snake, because nobody touches
snakes.
TT: Do you have any special talents?
MM: I like drawing, sketching preferably.
TT: When you get your license, driving out of
the lot where would you go?
MM: Five Guys.
TT: If you could be one thing on their menu,
what would it be? Why?
MM: A bacon burger, because everybody loves
bacon.
TT: What profession are you interested in and
why?
MM: A psychiatrist or a skydiving instructor.
They both seem pretty cool. It just seems fun.
TT: Who is your favorite Disney character and
why?
MM: Nemo. No, not Nemo - Nemo’s dad. Marlin
was his name. He’s just a cool fish.
TT: Anything crazy you did?
MM: I ran through a window once [while] playing
tag at a birthday party with a friend. I was an
idiot looking the wrong way, and I ran through
a window and fell two stories. I wasn’t hurt or
anything, though. No broken bones or anything.
Serena Newberry, freshman
By Nathan Flynn
Tuna Talk: What do you want to be when you
grow up?
Serena Newberry: I want to be a lawyer specializing in criminal justice.
TT: Do you play any instruments?
SN: I’ve been playing the flute for three years.
TT: Why did you pick the flute? Are there any
flautists that you admire?
SN: I picked the flute because I was inspired by
my Mom; I don’t admire any specific flute players.
TT: What other hobbies do you have?
SN: I draw - I have my sketchbook with me all the
time - and I play football and basketball.
TT: I heard you do spelling bees. How many
have you done?
SN: I’ve done three, all at my old school.
TT: What’s your favorite word to spell?
SN: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
TT: What’s your favorite Greek myth?
SN: The one when the titan guy swallowed his
children and then he was fed rocks.
TT: If you could be a Greek god or goddess,
who would you be?
SN: Athena, she’s the goddess of wisdom.
Kamaria Wilson, freshman
By Ben Kochanowski
Tuna Talk: If you could live anywhere in the
world, where would it be and why?
Kamaria Wilson: New York, because it’s always
busy and I would never get bored.
TT: If you could be any animal, what would it
be and why?
KW: I’d be a cheetah because they’re cute, but
also fierce.
TT: I heard you went to Bates [Academy in Detroit]. What made you decide to switch schools?
Did you look at any other schools? What made
you choose Roeper?
KW: I wanted a change in scenery and more of
a challenge. I looked at Cranbrook and Country
Day, but Roeper seemed like more of a fit for me
because I knew I would be able to be myself. And
it was smaller.
TT: What’s your favorite hobby and why?
KW: Dancing. Ballet, hip hop, tap, etc. Because I
have been doing it for so long, I’ve grown to love
it, and I am good at it.
TT: Favorite class so far at Roeper?
KW: Biology
TT: Is there anything you’d like Roeper kids to
know about you?
KW: Nope
Joanne Ogundipe, freshman
By Nathan Flynn
TT: Where did you go to school before Roeper?
Joanna Ogundipe: Romulus Middle School.
TT: Could you see any airplanes out of the classroom window?
JO: No, we weren’t near the airport. Just because
we’re in Romulus doesn’t mean you’re near the
airport.
TT: I heard you like science. Is there a specific
area of study you prefer?
JO: I like biology and anatomy, and I also like
medicine.
TT: What kind of doctor do you want to be?
JO: Cardiology or pediatrics. I want to work with
kids, so the cardiology would be with kids, too.
TT: I heard you’ve organized fundraisers. Can
you tell me a little bit about them?
JO: I did “Kids Against Hunger” for the earthquake
in Haiti. I liked it because we went to the Renaissance Center in Detroit. We raised 10,000 lbs. of
food with two
TT: What’s your spirit animal?
JO: A tiger, because tigers are cool and always
aggressive.
Ethan Rosenberg, freshman
By Patrick Yee
Tuna Talk: If you could live anywhere in the
world, where would it be?
Ethan Rosenberg: New York, absolutely. I’ve always
been sort of a city person. If you can condense the
world, I think it would end in New York. I think
there’s so much there to be seen, to be heard, to be
made. . .
TT: Some of the faculty members mentioned that
you enjoy making films. Can you tell me about
some of your more recent projects?
ER: . . . I’m actually working on a project that is happening now called The Year for the Killing. It’s a
movie that is going to be made about the Armenian
Massacre. That is a story that should be told, and
will be told. I’m not the screenwriter, I’m assisting
the screenwriter and hopefully, I’ll have little more
involvement in producing the film itself.
TT: Who is you favorite musical act (band or
singer) and why?
ER: It changes all the time. If you had asked me
yesterday, I would have said Weird Al Yankovich.
But today, it’s Pink Floyd. . .
TT: Where did you go to school last year, and how
is it different from here?
ER: I went to a school called Our Shepherd Lutheran. It was a very conservative school. To go
from a school like that to a school like this is quite
a quantum leap for me. . . I’ve always kind of done
my own thing, so to be in an environment that supports what I do and what I believe is tremendous . . .
TT: Do you have any pets, and could you tell me a
little about them?
ER: I have joint custody of a cat, and this cat - it’s
sort of my neighbor’s cat- and the cat lives at the
neighbor’s house, but it comes to visit us all the
time. My mother named it “Mr. Piddles” and it’s a
nice cat. It’s getting old now, but it’s a cute thing
and I love the thing to death, though.
Kylee Davis, sophomore
By Alec Segel
TT: I see you like Valley Forge. Are you aspiring
to become a historian?
Kylee Davis: Maybe, I would love to go back and
see the battle as it actually happened.
TT: I also see that you like marine biology.
What interests you in that subject?
KD: When I was younger, I loved marine animals.
Now that I am older, I am considering studying
why sharks rarely get cancer.
TT: On a rainy day, what is your favorite activity
to do?
KD: My favorite activity is to read and write.
TT: Who is your favorite author and what is
your favorite book?
KD: My favorite authors are Steve Alton and David
Wellington and my favorite books are 13 bullets
and Vampire Zero by David Wellington.
TT: Why?
KD: Because these books are not original, but
there is nothing like it.
TT: Are there any sports that you like to play or
watch?
KD: I don’t really watch sports, but I guess my
favorite ones to watch would be baseball and
maybe football, because I get the basic rules of it
and my brother plays it (football)
Nadia Salman, sophomore
By Ben Kochanowski
Tuna Talk: I heard you’ve been looking at coming to Roeper for a few years now. What’s the
story there?
Nadia Salman: My parents didn’t think that an
education like this was vital to spend that much
money on right now.
TT: If you could have one superpower, what
would it be?
NS: Transport because I wouldn’t be late to
places.
TT: Favorite food?
NS: Peanut butter banana sandwiches.
TT: What’s your favorite class so far? Why?
NS: Expository Writing. I like Susannah.
TT: Tell me something weird about yourself.
NS: I have 80’s hair.
TT: What’s your favorite book, and why?
NS: The Book Thief, because it’s narrated by
Death.
TT: Anything else we should know about you?
NS: I love my 80’s hair.
Dmitry Senyk, sophomore
By Alec Segel
Tuna Talk: How has your experience moving
from the Ukraine to the U.S. been?
Dymitry Senyk: It was weird and also difficult. I
came here on my birthday and it was really unexpected. It was almost a year ago though . . .
TT: I see that you have your earphones in a lot.
What kind of music do you listen to, and who is
your favorite artist?
DS: I like listening to hip-hop and sometimes
alternative. . . My favorite artist is Eminem.
TT: What is your favorite song by Eminem?
DS: “ Lose Yourself”
TT: Why?
DS: It was the first American artist that I listened
to, and I liked the song because it had style and
flow to it. The song made sense; it actually has a
storyline behind it . . .
TT: What is your favorite American word ?
DS: (Laughs) I guess it would be hamburger.
TT: What is your favorite American thing?
DS: I think that would be football.
TT:What is your favorite thing to say in Ukrainian or Russian, and can you translate it into
English?
DS: мечтай как если бы вы вечно жить, но жить вы
бы умерли завтра Dream like you would live forever, but live like you would die tomorrow.
Matthew Wagner, junior
By Mohaymin Kadir
Tuna Talk: What made you or your family move
to Luxembourg and why did you return?
Matt Wagner: I moved to Luxembourg five years
ago, because my father works for a company that
makes auto parts, and he got transferred over
there because his job was moving. Same reason
coming back.
TT: I hear you like water sports. What kind of
sports do you play?
MW: . . . I water ski, and do a bunch of stuff on
the water – I sail. But I also like playing basketball, baseball, and I play some football. [It] doesn’t
matter, I like any sport.
TT: What’s your favorite sport?
MW: I really like baseball.
TT: You’re an Eagle Scout. When did you join,
and do you still participate in Boy Scouts?
MW: I became an Eagle Scout when I was 14, and
I’m still active in the Boy Scouts. . . I still work at
Boy Scout camps throughout the summer.
TT: What’s your favorite memory from Boy
Scouts?
MW: . . . One of the main ceremonies of the Boy
Scouts, a very big one, occurred for me on Normandy Beach in France.
TT: What did you miss most about America
while you were gone?
MW: Probably being able to speak English to
everyone.
Josephine Jason, senior
By Ari Teitel
Tuna Talk: What do you miss the most about
New York?
Josephine Jason: The freedom to leave when
I want to. I could go on a walk at three in the
morning, or whenever I felt like it.
TT: What’s it like coming to a new school as a
senior?
JJ: I could imagine it being harder as a younger
student. People seem more open minded when
they’re older. I know Roeper is a great school to
come into as a new student, regardless.
TT: How did you find out about Roeper?
JJ: My dad wanted to come here when he was
younger, but he couldn’t afford it. My grandfather is paying for my tuition, so I’m able to come
here.
TT: What’s your favorite animal?
JJ: It’s between a giraffe, a wolf and an owl. I
think an owl is my favorite, just because it’s a
predator.
TT: Do you have any pets?
JJ: I have two Italian Greyhounds and a miniature
Australian Shepherd. I had a hairless cat, but we
gave him away. I have a black kitty, and a really
annoying bird.
Congratulations to
Boys’ Varsity Soccer
Isabella Abati, senior
By Mohaymin Kadir
Tuna Talk: You’re interested in the medical field.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Isabella Abati: . . . I’m not sure what I want to be
when I grow up, but I’d like to study in medicine
or math.
TT: You come from Italy. How much different
types of pasta can you name?
IA: Spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli . . . I don’t know,
there’s so much different names. . . I could go
on - macaroni . . .
TT: How’s [exchange family member and junior]
Mara [Jaffe]’s cooking, and what’s your favorite
“Mara dish”?
IA: It’s wonderful! I like the French toast, and the
sandwiches she makes.
TT: Name one thing you can do here than you
can’t do in Italy.
IA: I can choose from a wider variety of classes.
TT: What do you miss about Italy?
IA: All the different types of pasta!
TT: Are you interested in photography? What
do you photograph?
IA: Yes, I am. I am doing an Independent Study of
Digital Photography with Michelle [Stamler], and I
usually just photograph my friends or places that
I visit.
TT: What’s your favorite American food?
IA: It’s definitely hamburgers.
TT: What do you look forward to doing in
America?
IA: I’m looking forward to going skiing in Colorado.
18-3 Overall
12-2 League
2011 MIAC Champions
Ed Sack-MIAC Coach of the Year
Nathan Flynn, Jordan Veillette, David Veillette, Spenser Solys-1st Team All-MIAC
Dan Thibodeau, Graeme Schulman-2nd Team All-MIAC
NEW faculty
Egyirba High
Michal McConville,
By Ari Teitel
TT: What is it like to be the niece of Joe Louis?
EH: It’s to feel proud of his accomplishments
and to be related to him. He was the brother of
my mother, he was the baby boy and my mom
was the baby girl. I grew up being proud of him
because he made it possible for my mom to go
to college. His accomplishments made it possible
for her to do so.
TT: Do you have any memories of him?
EH: One time he was visiting when my brother
was small. He was pretending to spar with my
little brother and called him “Champ”. From
then on, the name stuck - we started to call him
Champ. His son, Joe Jr. was called “Punchy”, so I
kind of liked that there were two names related
to boxing.
TT: What’s it like to be the first Roeper teacher
with a nose ring?
EH: It feels great. What I like about being here at
Roeper is the fact that the individuality and the
uniqueness of each student are encouraged. And
that obviously goes to the rest of us at well, so I
feel right at home.
TT: What do you like to do in your spare time?
EH: I’m very much of a computer geek-type
person, so I like to spend a lot of time on the
computer. But I like other things. I like watching
movies, I like to read, and I like spending time
in nature. But mostly I like to decompress, sit at
home, and take it easy.
TT: If you could be any celebrity who would it
be?
EH: I think I’d choose to be someone like Oprah
Winfrey, because she has sort of through her
television promoted a lot of positive personal
growth for her viewers, and that reach has been
very broad. She’s helped us to become better
versions of ourselves and I’d like to do something
like that . . . I hope that I can do stuff like that
with regards to students. I want to encourage the
growth and the development of students, and to
use Oprah’s best phrase, “to live their best lives.”
By Rodger MacArthur
Tuna Talk: What form of French do you speak,
Parisian French or Québécois French?
Michal McConville: I speak French, French, like
from France. My accent, though, is really southern. It’s from the south of France because I lived
there . . . It’s kind of like the accent difference
from New York to Georgia. The accent is slower
than most , and you pronounce a lot of extra letters. In fact, many people think I am Canadian by
the way I speak French. It is [a] much more nasal
way of speaking.
TT: Do you miss St. Louis? What exactly do you
miss?
MC: I’m from Indiana, but I lived in St. Louis for
three years. I have tons of friends there. There is
also a huge music scene and all the concerts are
all so cheap. I miss that aspect of the community.
In Ferndale, there are more neighborhoods and
everyone is always out and friendly.
TT: I have never met a female named Michal.
Does it have some sort of significance?
MC: Both of my parents liked it, so they just went
for it. It is a biblical, Hebrew name but I did not
know that until my professor in college told me. It
is a bizarre name, but I like it - people remember
it easily.
TT: So if you were not born in a French speaking nation, was it indicative of your community
or family?
MC: . . . Nobody in my family speaks French
besides me. I began in 8th grade, and I caught
on really quickly. I continued in high school and
college and studied abroad for several years. I
had no idea it could be a career, until one of
my professors in college told me I could make a
career out of it.
TT: What is your new puppy like?
MC: His name is Opie and he is a Basset Hound.
He is nine-months-old and is a rescue dog. He
has some mental issues that we are working out.
At the moment, we are attempting dog training.
You have to be really disciplined to help train
him, which is hard for me because I just want to
hold him. We got Opie when he was four months
old. He used to be destructive. He would eat the
books, shoes, and threads from the carpet. He has
really sad eyes, so when he looks up at you, you
forgive him instantly.
US Social Studies teacher
US French teacher
Chi Wright,
Roeper Theater Company Director
By Patrick Yee
Tuna Talk: What was the key point in your decision to come to Roeper?
Chi Wright: I really liked the philosophy of the
school. I really appreciated the open and supportive environment here; the way the students
interact with each other. I loved the theatre
space and the history of the productions. I
thought that was a real reflection of the Roeper
community. . .
TT: What is one thing that you took away from
your time teaching in Cambodia?
CW: . . . The orphanage that I taught at has 25
children that are all taken care of by one Khmer
couple. They feed, clothe, and educate 25 children and provide medical care for them and any
other help they need for their entire childhood,
and their annual budget for a total of 25 children is $20,000 a year. . . I don’t know what the
Roeper tuition is, but I imagine it’s around that
amount, and I just think, ‘Isn’t it just amazing
that two individuals can care and educate - with
the help of teachers like myself who come and
go - and feed, and bathe and shelter these kids .
. . on $20,000 a year. That’s really extraordinary.
TT What kind of experiences did you take from
co-leading communications seminars in the
correctional facilities?
CW: I think one of the things that was really
striking for me about working with those inmates
was how much life they experienced inside the
facility. . . I remember a man [at San Quentin]
who said, ‘You know, it might not look like much
here.” And it’s just this open yard. . . You know
frankly, it looked like a concentration camp. I
mean, that’s what it looked like to me . . . He said,
“ . . . you see that bird up on the roof there? . .
. I see life everywhere here, and I’ve been here
for 15 years.’. . . I think what I took from that
experience was how these criminals - or accused
criminals, in some cases - were whole people.
TT: On a slightly lighter note, what is your
favorite Broadway show and why?
CW: . . .I always get really passionate with what
I’m working on at the moment, so I would have
to say, at this moment, of course my favorite
show is RENT! . . . I chose this production because it’s music that I’ve been listening to ever
since the show first opened in ’96, and its music
that all these years later, I don’t really get bored
of. . .
Congratulations to
Varsity Cross Country Runners
Marie Carozza - 1st Team All-MIAC
Aaron Appel and Justin Finkel - 2nd Team All-MIAC
Tuna Talk
7
NEWS
Staff Exhibits Hidden Talents in First-Ever Art Showcase
by Rodger MacArthur
Upper School Director Lisa
Baker were talking about
how much the staff enjoyed
Tessa Stein’s ceramics classes
the summer before. Szeto
then sent an email to the
Birmingham staff in August,
inviting them to participate
in an art show. “We would
like to fill the gallery (outside
of the library) for the first
weeks of school with the
creative energy of the people
working in our building,” she
wrote.
The point of the
exhibit was “to show that art
was something that everyone
had the ability to do,” Szeto
says. Also, it “was a great way
to lighten up the art gallery
that often sits empty.”
Some of the staff art on display. Over 18 staff
Photo by Linda Vernon members submitted their
artwork, including College
The teacher that you
Counselor Patrick O’Connor
thought could only lecture
who brought in a poem, and
about the foreign policy of
history teacher Mike Ruddy,
Russia since 1880 is also an
who submitted some phoabstract artist. Who knew?
tos he had taken in Africa.
History teacher Max Collins
Administrative Assistants
was not the only staff memBridghette Parker and Pat
ber whose work was featured Hochthanner had their paintat the first-ever Faculty/Staff
ings displayed, while School
Art Show.
Therapist Reanne Young and
The idea for the exmath teachers Susan Knight
hibit began when art teacher
and Sharon Carter brought
Janet Szeto, Middle School
in quilts that they had made.
Director Carolyn Borman and
Baker brought in some
woodworking she had done,
and Student Life Coordinator Linda Vernon donated
a stained glass lampshade
to the exhibit. Other works
included a painting by Science teacher Wendy Mayer,
and an intricate book created
by Registrar Pat Lawrence,
among others.
The amount of participation surprised Szeto. “I
always knew Bridghette and
Wendy were involved with
art, but I was very impressed
by Max Collins' drawings."
Students reacted favorably to the exhibit. “I think
having art in the hallway is a
great way to make the school
look better, “junior Aaron
Keteyian says. Senior Briana
Ratchford was very impressed
with what she saw. “I really
like all the artwork, especially
[Campus Coordinator and
Librarian] Anna [Monoghan]’s
oil paintings.” Sophomore Jaela McDonald liked Michelle
[Stamler]’s pictures. “I knew
hers would be good because
she is an artist.to display."
Staff members had
different reasons for choosing to bring in their work for
the exhibit. "It was a good
chance to show students
that I can do more than just
college stuff," O’Connor says.
New Student Appleton
Takes Bite Out of Life
byJonah Sklar
Ted Appleton went back
to school this fall, not as a teacher
. . . but as a student.
Appleton is currently a
law student at the University of
Michigan, and is now the “gradee”,
not the grader. This role reversal has made Appleton rethink
the student-teacher relationship.
“As a kid, and even through my
college studies, I’d thought that
homework was simply busywork,”
Appleton says. “However, during
my teaching career, I always assigned work with a purpose. This
significantly changed my views
regarding homework, as well as
my [views about] professors themselves in Law School.”
“School’s hard, I don’t get
out much.” Appleton says about
his current workload, “I have a lot
more responsibilities than I did
last year.”
That’s not all that’s different for Appleton this year; he is
also the father of five-month-old
daughter, Isabella. When asked
New dad Ted Appleton holds daughter
if there was anything life chang- Isabella.
ing about fatherhood, Appleton
Photo courtesy of the Appleton family
replies, “Absolutely, there is a person who is entirely dependent on
relationship as I did before we were
you. Your responsibility level goes up married. You gotta try to keep the
exponentially, which has pluses and
romance going,” he says.
minuses. You’re not as independent,
Life after Roeper can be hard
but you get to shape another person’s for any former student or teacher,
life, which is something that’s pretty
and the same can be said for Applehard to describe.”
ton. “I miss the sense of community
Fatherhood and law school
the most. I really felt at home with the
aren’t all that are new to Appleton.
students, faculty and staff. I haven’t
This past May, he became a husband
really developed that sense of comas well. When asked about his marmunity in Ann Arbor yet.”
riage to Amanda, Appleton responds,
“We will visit Roeper some“Marriage is pretty good.” When
time in the fall,” Appleton says. “I
he was asked if he found anything
imagine I will stop in Lisa’s office and
unexpected about marriage, Appleton
introduce her to the family, maybe
was caught off guard at first. “I don’t
some other students, as well.”
really know, I just try to treat the
Mayer has been painting for
almost 15 years, and has
an entire room in her house
dedicated to her large works
of art. “I have painted for
years and never exhibited,
and I wanted some feedback.”
Not all of the staff
have a love for art or an art
degree like Monoghan. Collins began to work on the
drawings he displayed in the
showcase when he was in the
Soviet Union. "I made them
out of boredom when I was
in Moscow and I just started
drawing to keep myself from
going nuts," he says.
With such a positive outcome, chances are good that
there will be another faculty
showcase next year. “I have
a feeling that some [staff]
who did not participate will
participate next year," Szeto
says. Many of the staff who
participated are looking
forward to another chance to
exhibit their work. "I might
put a quilt in,” Borman says.
“I would work on something
over the summer." Monaghan
says, “I would hope that I
would have made some art
that is current to display.”
Registrar Pat Lawrence’s portraits on display.
Photo by Linda Vernon
Students Unhappy With
Healthier Food Choices
by Armani Lee
High priced vending mahealthier food in this school,” Fox
chine food, vegetable everything
says.
in the lunch cart. How did we get
Freshman Noah Raminick
here?
says the school’s philosophy plays
Students aren’t happy
a part in the new food option.
with the new vending machine
“Since the Roeper philosophy
food choices or prices “Vending
says that ‘with freedom comes
machines . . . have the same food
responsibility,’ we should have
as before with little or no better
both healthy and unhealthy foods
healthier food choice,” sophomore in the lunch cart [and the vendJeffrey Fox says.
ing machines] so we can have the
“The food [in the vending
freedom to make a choice and
machines] doesn’t sell because the have the opportunity to be responminority 10% that wanted healthy sible about it.”
food, don’t make up the 90% that
don’t want it,” freshman Max
Whipple says.
“The vending machine
prices have deterred me from
buying,” classmate Emma
McGlinnen says. “During my
play practice I have wanted
a snack, but I didn’t want to
waste my money.” Whipple
agrees. “Gatorade is still too
overpriced. A bag of chips is
like two bucks.”
Most students prefer
the previous vending options
and prices over the newer
ones. The same can be said
about the lunch cart. “The old
lunch cart had actual food,”
freshman Eric Silver says.
“By actual, I mean everything
wasn’t filled with vegetables.
There was a variety,” Silver
adds.
Some still believe that Pete prepares for the lunch rush.
the lunch cart is no better than
Photo by Lorenz Mager
before. “We seriously need
8
Tuna Talk
Features
Detroit Guitar: The Right Pick for Music Enthusiasts
by Ben Kochanowski
Musicians have a reason to make their way to Birmingham.
Introducing Detroit Guitar, a small, comfortable and inviting guitar and amplifier boutique
located in downtown Birmingham.
Run by business partners Eric Wolfe and Charlie Lorenzi, the store, covered from floor to
ceiling in guitars and concert posters, is a haven for the music lover.
“I had the vision for this store and I approached my partner, Eric Wolfe, and we decided to go for it,”
Lorenzi says.
Lorenzi is no newcomer to the music industry. “I was the general manager for another store
in Ann Arbor for eight years,” he says. “Straight out of high school I was working in the recording
industry, then the guitar industry.” Lorenzi used his experience and combined it with a welcoming
environment to create a place for even a newcomer to the guitar world.
You don’t have to be a road-travelled musician or a seasoned session artist to get something
out of Detroit Guitar. “We offer lessons on the second floor, and have four different lesson rooms.”
says Lorenzi. “We do repairs too, and of course we have a nice selection of guitars and amplifiers.”
The store, which opened September 16, already features almost 200 guitars from top manufacturers, as well as rare boutique products. Detroit Guitar is, to date, the only Michigan retailer of
Carr Amplifiers; hand-wired, high quality products from North Carolina. A notable exclusion from
the selection, however, is the guitar giant, Gibson, and its budget brand, Epiphone. Instead, Wolfe
and Lorenzi choose to stock Heritage guitars, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the old Gibson factory, for their higher caliber of quality control.
Lorenzi states that his future plans for the store include carrying more boutique guitar
brands over huge companies such as Gibson and Epiphone. “There are some small but very high
quality makers, and that’s what we’re going to go for,” he says. “we approached [a small company]
from Germany, we approached Santa Cruz Guitars, that’s what we want to carry.”
Despite its small size, Detroit Guitar intends to not only serve as a guitar retail outlet, but as
a small-scale venue. “Some jazz things, some acoustic things, we already have some events scheduled,” says Lorenzi, when asked what sort of shows would be played, “The Michigan Fingerpicking Society is going to have a show here on October
30 . . . Then on November 17th, Taylor Guitars is bringing their Taylor Road Show here as well.”
Detroit Guitar is located at 243 W Maple Road in Birmingham, can be reached at 248-540-9900, and is open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. MondaySaturday, noon-5 p.m. on Sunday.
Ruddy ‘06 Brings Tuesday Market to Fruition
by Nathan Flynn
If it was up to Fiona
Ruddy ‘06, Eastern Market
would be open every day
of the week.
Ruddy, the Alternative Food Program Manager for the Market says,
“Eventually, I want to see
the Market open all the
time,” within the next five
years. For now, however,
she’s content with a program she brought to fruition: Tuesday Market.
“I originally applied
to be an event planner
because I have a lot of experience,” Ruddy says, “but
they told me that they had
a job they thought fits me
better.”
The Alternative
Food Program Manager
job has proven to be a
perfect fit for Ruddy,
whose experience with
Amnesty International and
involvement with community service projects while
at Roeper were a driving
force behind her decision
to work at Eastern Market
and Tuesday Market.
Tuesday Market
was started by Ruddy in
response to the managers
of Eastern Market deciding
that the Market could sustain being open for another day of the week. Tuesday Market now draws
nearly as many vendors as
it does on Saturdays, and
is considered a success by
all.
“I applied to a lot of
non-profits and NGO’s on
the East Coast [after graduating from U-M, majoring
in Political Science]… but
it would have been a lot of
desk work and research.
Well, anyone can do research, I wanted to actually
get out and get involved.”
Eastern Market
provides that outlet for
Ruddy, where you might
find her coordinating
deliveries, running around
to different stands making
sure everything is in order,
or just sampling some of
the fine eats at the market.
This idyllic atmosphere didn’t come easy
though. “I was hired on
May 1st basically, and was
told I had to get this (Tuesday Market) up and running July. It was a hectic
time.” This hectic time was
further complicated by the
vendors. “Surprisingly, it
vendors to agree
to the concept.
“I was basically
lying through
my teeth when I
told them I had
20 vendors lined
up. Once a couple
of the regulars
agreed, it was a
much easier sell,
but until then, it
was really tough.”
In addition
to running Tuesday Market, you
can also find Ruddy in one of many
Detroit neighborhoods under a
miniature version
of Eastern Market: Local Market.
“It’s basically a
pop-up tent with
all sorts of produce underneath,
Alternative Food Manager Fiona Ruddy
and the goal is to
‘06 shops at Saturday Eastern Market.
Photo by Rob Gotshall just spread some
fresh food around
the city.” The
was really hard to sell the
appearances of the tents
vendors on the concept.
were met with surprise,
A lot of them were really
with residents astonished
uncooperative,” she adby the sight of formerly
mits, acknowledging that
foreign produce, such as
she occasionally stretched
beets. So far, Local Market
the truth in order to get
has been received positively by the community, and
there are now 12 Detroit
locations where the tents
may appear, including
in front of the DMC and
Henry Ford Hospitals.
Although she has
many commitments with
Eastern Market, Ruddy still
finds a way to squeeze in
some free time where she
engages in her hobbies,
such as baking with Eastern Market produce, and
forming an Eastern Market
soccer team to play in the
Detroit Soccer League.
Although she may
depart the area to pursue
an advanced degree within
the next few years, Ruddy
still feels connected to her
roots: “I’d like to work with
Roeper in some capacity; I
just don’t know what that
would be.” Only time will
tell for Ruddy, whose current accomplishments are
only overshadowed by the
inevitable success in her
future.
Tuna Talk
Features
9
- lightful Day Downtown
by Ari Teitel
I’m sure
that
most of
you have visited Ford Field,
Mexican Village or the DIA
with your family, but here
are some alternative attractions I recommend that
you can visit with friends.
Even better, you can
visit all six of the following
places for under $30.00
including gas.
start at the Milano Bakery
north of Eastern Market at
3500 Russell Street. Avid
Eastern Market shopper
and Instrumental Music
teacher Jason McIntosh
highly recommends the
date bars. The bakery also
offers large one-topping
pizzas for under $10.00,
and sandwiches ranging
from $3.50 to $7.99.
Cohen’s smoked whitefish,
all at reasonable prices.
When you’re done browsing around the sheds,
walk over to Bert’s Marketplace at 2727 Russell
Street where you can sing
karaoke right outside the
restaurant. If you’re still
hungry (you shouldn’t be!),
grab some fresh chicken or
ribs right off the barbecue.
11:15 a.m. – Grab
your bike and ride down
to the Dequindre Cut
on St. Aubin Street. The
Dequindre Cut opened
two years ago, and is an
underground bike
trail decorated with
graffiti of psychedelic mystical creatures and Detroit’s
natural flora. Who
knew a bike path
could be that cool?
If you ride your
bike all the way
down to the end of
the Dequindre Cut
(1.5 miles), you’ll
end up at the River
Walk. Ride your
bike another mile
west on the River
Walk and you’ll end
up at the RenaisCity-goers stroll through the Dequindre Cut.
Photo courtesty of Google sance Center. Make
sure to wave at the
This is how my ideal day in
the D looks:
9:30 a.m. – For a
good, cheap breakfast,
10:00 a.m. – Walk
south to the Eastern Market shopping area where
you’ll see everything from
Mennonites selling homemade Oreo cookies to Ma
Canadians on the other
side of the River! Hop off
your bike and check out
the River Walk’s carousel.
12:15 p.m. – Ride
back up the Dequindre
Cut to the Market, load up
your bikes, and take I-75
north to the East Grand
Boulevard Exit. Merge onto
Chrysler Drive, and turn
right on Clay Street. You’ll
find yourself at the Russell
Industrial Center’s Bazaar.
1:00 p.m. – Chances are you haven’t heard of
the Russell Bazaar. A great
surprise awaits you, as
you’ll find over 150 independent stores that sell
clothing, gifts, housewares,
and homemade crafts, all
of which are located in a
60,000 sq. ft. converted
old-school Albert Kahn factory. Where else can you
shop in a factory? If you’re
a singer, dancer, comedian
or poet, you can perform
at the Bazaar by simply
booking a time slot with
Director Marty West (313972-7009). If you’re hungry after your bike ride,
the Russell Bazaar features
a food court that hosts
Dad’s Lemonade, Dollar
Deli, and Tasty Fixin’s, as
well as Detroit favorites
Niki’s Pizza and Loco’s Tex
Mex Grill.
2:30 p.m. – When
you’re done checking out
all of the stores at the
Russell Bazaar, hop in your
car, and take East Grand
Boulevard west to Woodward. Drive a mile south
and you’ll find yourself at
the MOCAD (Museum of
Contemporary Art Detroit).
The museum is free of
charge, and offers tours
every Saturday at 1:00 pm
and 4:00 pm. You will enjoy viewing the modern art
that the museum features,
as well as the gift shop
that has many cool books,
cameras, and T-Shirts. The
exhibitions barely there, a
collection of several artists’ work, and Stephanie
Nova’s Considering a Plot
(Dig for Victory), which
is based on the specifications and history of English allotments, are open
throughout the fall.
When you arrive
home, you and your wallet will feel satisfied, and
you’ll be tempted to bring
your friends back for more
chilling in the D.
What’s the Deal with Deely?Continued from page 1
by Patrick Yee
TT: Any reason why?
PD: I think that Bart
reminds me of myself
in some ways, and I also
like his irreverence. . .
There is softness at the
heart of Bart Simpson
that isn’t there with,
intentionally I think . .
. the South Park crew.
The South Park crew is
edgier. Bart is more of
a marshmallow.
TT: If you could have
dinner with one person,
historical or contemporary, who would it be
and why?
PD: As a history teacher
for a long time, there
are people I have spent
a lot of time on. It’s
probably got to be
Niccolò Machiavelli.
Machiavelli was a both
cynic and a humanist .
. . As the author of The
Prince, people see him
as sort of the force of
darkness, and yet -at
the same time in many
ways- he was the first,
or one of the first, modern political scientists.
Someone, who was
explaining as Machiavelli puts it, “The way
the world is, not as it
ought to be.” So, I have
a number of questions
for Machiavelli; I think
it would be interesting.
TT: You mentioned you
like reading. Is there
anything else you like to
do in your spare time?
PD: In my spare time,
I enjoy playing golf. I
played in the Roeper
Invitational or Golf
Benefit in the summer,
and that was a lot of
fun. I don’t play a very
good game, but the
thing I like about golf is
[that] it doesn’t matter
how lousy a golfer [you
are], your game doesn’t
impact the other person’s. That’s my problem with tennis. . . but
most of the people I
play tennis with are a
lot better than I am,
so I have a wonderful
time, but I’m not sure
I offer them much of
a game. . . back in the
day, as a young man, I
was a soccer player. I
played team soccer. In
fact, I played on a team
against Peter Roeper,
who was the goalie
for Windsor Mountain
School back in the
1960s. . . I used to ski
competitively, downhill and giant slalom .
. . Then in the spring
I would do track and
was a high jumper and
a high hurdler. . . My
highest on the high
jump was 6’ 2” which
used to be my height. . .
I think now I’m shrinking as I get older.
TT: Is there anything
you hope to do while
you’re here in Michigan,
or already done that you
really enjoyed?
PD: Yes to both questions. . . . My wife was
out here several weeks
during the summer,
and we did have the
chance to . . . go in and
enjoy the city of Detroit and the Market
and take in a baseball
game, and that kind of
thing. We also drove
North to Petoskey and
that region, which we’d
only heard about, but
never visited. . . . I really enjoy the area and
I like this Birmingham/
Bloomfield Hills area.
It’s got a lot of suburban amenities- very
much of a car culture
around here. That’s the
only thing that I find
as a big change for me,
because we come from
Western Massachusetts,
which is actually quite
rural. So, for me this is
living in the big city.
TT: Is there anything
you can tell me about
your wife and kids?
PD: Sure, my wife, Hilary (Somers) Deely is an
actress . . . so she’s very
much involved with the
arts and has been for
a long time. We have
two grown kids: Maisie
is the Associate Director of Admissions at
Darrow School in New
Lebanon, New York,
which is a small boarding school . . . Our son,
Pip. . . is now working
in finance. . .
Next Month:
Phil Deeley talks
about his job as
Interim Head and
his plans for the
school year.
10
Tuna Talk
Entertainment
People and Things Review
by Nathan Flynn
People and Things is the antithesis
of everything that Andrew McMahon
established with his first release with
Jack’s Mannequin. The dense metaphors
that he packed into such a short time have
been replaced with increasingly transparent lyrics. The message that used to take
hours to unwrap now takes mere seconds
to decipher. Conversely, the piano lines
and musicianship has become increasingly complex and layered compared
to the somewhat barren soundscapes
of Everything in Transit. The message is
clear: McMahon is a different person
than he was five years ago. His accelerated maturity comes as a direct result of a
few external stimuli: overcoming cancer,
rejoining his old band, Something Corporate, and watching his friends and family
grow up without him. In this way, People
and Things is the most primal way to
describe the album; as one about the, well,
People and Things that have changed while
he fancies himself a rock; unaltered by the
winds of change gusting through his life.
Knowing this, it’s easy to see why
McMahon is increasingly reliant on direct
storytelling. All of the things that were
formerly familiar to him are now changing; each passing day represents an everwidening fissure between his life before
cancer and his life afterwards. Reducing
it to the simplest terms is the easiest way
for McMahon to still feel a connection, and therefore the best way to relate his trials and tribulations
to his fans. Despite the relative simplicity, McMahon remains a master of the English language. His
lyrics make bold statements, but maintain an air
of subtlety through words that obscure meaning
and his soaring-then-falling delivery that communicate more emotion than perhaps the words do.
Loud piano notes drown out all other
instruments, which hit with inconsistent
frequency, like the friends that you forgot
you have. Each time you become aware of
the other instruments, they sound different from the last time you heard them.
The one exception is “Restless Dream,”
where the piano is gone and the acoustic
guitar dominates the song, as if a reunion
where an old friend tells you all about
the times they had without you. At first,
you wish they’d shut up so you can talk
again, but then you find their stories are
more intriguing than yours are. Instead
of holding them hostage, you just stop to
listen. That’s what “Restless Dream” is like.
It’s a song that commands your attention strictly through its differences that
you have come to miss. It’s the happiest
song of the album, aside from “My Racing
Thoughts,” which draws on McMahon’s
hopes to find love someday, and basically
brings the album full circle. A very fitting
(almost) end to an album devoted almost
entirely to Andrew McMahon’s pain and
suffering.
His pleading with a former accomplice on “Amy, I”
and his serenade to “Amelia Jean” conjure images
of departure and hopelessness. “People Running”
figures the entire race as insignificant and life as
futile. Cynical? Yes; but understandably so.
By the same token, the score to McMahon’s musings has become significantly darker.
As if to coincide with McMahon’s
newly altered outlook on life, the cheeriness and whimsy of Everything in Transit is
noticeably absent on People and Things. If
Jack’s Mannequin’s debut album was the
perfect album to listen to on the beach,
then this is the perfect soundtrack to a
snow day. Surrounded by nobody but your roommate and nothing but the relics of time past, you
begin to remember the significance these things
used to have to you. It’s a stunning realization of
how different you, and everyone else, have become.
A somber experience indeed, but one that signifies
a bright future: one of sunny days and the excitement at seeing what you may grow to be.
Killer Elite: Good, But Not Elite
by Patrick Yee
Killer Elite is an example of a film that is entertaining, but isn’t all that great.
Assassin Danny Bryce (Jason Statham) has had enough of the killing business and he wants out. Unfortunately, his mentor and fellow assassin, Hunter (Robert De Niro) is captured and Bryce needs to rescue him
before former SAS member, Spike Logan (Clive Owen), prevents him from accomplishing this goal.
Looking at the casting it should be no surprise that the acting is great in this film. Not only does Statham have the charisma to carry this movie. He makes the audience believe that he is a top class assassin. One
complaint I have with his performance was that it really looked the same as most of the other Statham performances I’ve seen. De Niro is kind of wasted in this movie. He serves as little more than a motivation for Statham
in the first part of the film. Having an antagonist that is legitimately threatening when put up against Statham
is no easy task, but Logan certainly is a threat. Owen’ character is smart, strong, and a little crazy and he isn’t
a transparently evil guy. His goal of protecting the former SAS members is a noble one. As a matter of fact, if
the story was centered on him, I would just as easily get behind him as I did Statham. The problem is that there
is nothing all that unique about any of the characters, except Logan. This is particularly noticeable with Anne
Fraizer, (Yvonne Strahovski): she plays the textbook conflicted and concerned girlfriend.
In general, the action scenes are well shot, providing varying perspectives on the car chases, such as a
bird’s-eye-view in one of the later scenes and the chase scenes. I cannot be as complimentary to the fight scenes.
All of the man-on-man fight scenes are filmed with a shaky camera, reflecting the chaotic nature of a fist-fight.
The problem is that this makes following the fights incredibly difficult since the viewer can’t tell who is who. It
is evident that a lot of care was put even in some of the inconsequential action scenes. There is a gun fight at
the start where every shot- both the camera’s and the guns’- conveys the intensity of the situation.
The dialogue has a very classic action film feel: some of the lines are cheesy, but delightfully so. The
premise is an action-intrigue story fitting of the 80’s time period it takes place in. However, there are a few
weak points, such as the girlfriend sequences during the first act and the film’s attempts to have some sort of
moral message.
Killer Elite is exactly what it sets out to be, a fairly entertaining action/intrigue movie. By no means is it
a bad film, but it is nothing more than a decent way to spend an afternoon
Coming Next Issue
History of the SLC
by
Francesca Bennett
Where do
tuition dollars go?
by Armani Lee
What’s the deal
with Magic Cards?
by Nathan Flynn
What do people
think of the
new homeroom time?
by Mohaymin Kadir
And
much more. . .