Wellesley High School
50 Rice Street
The
Bradford
Volume LXXVIII, Issue 2
The HHU Project: the transformation of Wellesley’s three
oldest elementary schools
Suzie Kim ’23
Executive Editor
Over the next year or so, the
Town will update and renovate
Hunnewell, Hardy, and Upham
elementary schools. The goal
of this larger scale renovation
is to provide facilities that meet
students’ educational needs in a
fiscally responsible manner.
“Based on a 2012 assessment
of the elementary school fa-
cilities, [the elementary schools]
were identified as having seri-
ous system deficiencies that
could not be solved through
minor renovations,” said Me-
lissa Martin, a member of the
Wellesley School Committee.
“The schools would need to be
substantially or entirely rebuilt.
After significant deliberation and
analysis of numerous options,
the School Building Committee
recommended an all-new option
for both schools.”
Project one, the rebuilding of
Hunnewell elementary school,
will be funded entirely by the
Town’s taxpayers. Project two,
the renovation of Hardy and
closing of Upham, will occur in
partnership with the Massachu-
setts School Building Authority
(MSBA), and the town will be
reimbursed with state funds
for up to 35 percent of eligible
costs. Upon completion of both
the Hunnewell and Hardy school
buildings, town-wide redistrict-
ing will occur and the Upham
will close.
The high school’s parking problem
Ben Galligan ’23
Senior Sports Editor
On April 26, the administra-
tion sent out an email warning
students to not park in the Hun-
newell tennis courts at risk of
being ticketed or towed. Students
who have been parking in the lot
have grown increasingly upset
at the situation, as the already
limited parking became further
restricted.
Every year as spring rolls
around, more sophomores re-
ceive their driver’s licenses,
more juniors drive to school, and
more Wellesley residents want
access to the tennis courts.
On-campus parking for high
schoolers is limited to 70 spots
solely reserved for seniors. The
rest of the students have to park
off-campus on streets like Paine
St., Washington St., or in parking
lots adjacent to the high school
like the track and tennis lots.
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50 Rice Street, Wellesley, MA 02481
Rendering for the exterior of the Hunnewell elementary school.
HUNNEWELL
The new Hunnewell building
will be approximately 76,500
gross square feet (GSF). It will
have 18 classrooms, two stories,
and a potential enrollment of 365
students. Its central feature will
be the three learning “neighbor-
hoods” on each floor that contain
a common learning area, a cloak-
room, a toilet core, and a nearby
special education space. These
learning “neighborhoods” will
be located on the quieter northern
and eastern sides of the school to
take advantage of outdoor learn-
ing opportunities. The new build-
ing will also have a controlled
With the removal of the tennis
lot, students find themselves
having to leave earlier to find
parking.
Responding to a survey con-
ducted on The Bradford Insta-
gram regarding removing the
tennis lots as a parking option,
Emery Conlin ’23 expressed her
dissatisfaction with the vague
rulings against student parking.
“I think that it is only fair that
the public lot is open to students.
If we were never allowed to
park there in the first place, the
signage was incredibly unclear.
I think the two-hour spots serve
as a good way to discourage
students from parking there all
day,” said Conlin.
As the spots on Washington
and its surrounding streets be-
come overloaded by the students,
parking has become an issue for
entrance facing Cameron street to
create a safe and secure drop-off
and pick-up area. Finally, a roof
designed to support photovoltaic
(solar) panels will be built. The
rooftop PV panels are estimated
to provide 30 to 45 percent of the
school’s energy needs.
Overall costs, funding, and
move-in dates
The estimated costs and fund-
ing for the Hunnewell renova-
tion project is $62,835,000. The
scheduled date for groundbreak-
ing is July 1, 2022. Hunnewell
students will be able to move
into the new building in February
Wellesley students are allotted only 70 parking spots on campus, and with the recent
closing of the tennis lot, students are struggling to find a place to park.
many of them in the morning,
with some feeling deterred from
driving to the school. Nonethe-
less, the administration wants to
stress that they are not intention-
ally trying to prevent student
Wellesley, MA 02481-6099
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Design and Images by SMMA
2024 and the project will be
completed and closed out three
months later in March 2024.
HARDY/UPHAM
After completing the de-
tailed design, the new Hardy
building is projected to be
approximately 79,000 GSF. It
will have 18 classrooms with
spaces that could be used for a
19th classroom if needed. The
new building will have a design
enrollment of 365 students.
The renovation of Hardy
and the closing of Upham will
occur in a partnership with the
MSBA. Currently, the project
drivers.
“The rumor around school
is that the school doesn’t want
kids parking around town, which
is absolutely false. Of course,
the administration wants kids
Wellesley, MA 02481
Permit No. 52450
June 2022
is in module six of the MSBA,
which is schematic design. This
module focuses on design devel-
opment, construction documen-
tation, and bidding.
“The project team has com-
pleted design development and is
now moving into the 60 percent
design phase,” said Martin. “The
team will coordinate with the
MSBA throughout the project to
ensure that the project is meeting
the requirements and expecta-
tions of the agreement with the
MSBA.”
Overall costs, funding, and
move-in dates
The total project budget for
the Hardy/Upham renovation
project is $72,500,000 and the
expected reimbursement from
the MSBA is up to $13,500,000.
Groundbreaking is anticipated
to occur between February and
March 2023. Students will be
able to move into the new build-
ing in August 2024 and the proj-
ect will be completed and closed
out in December 2024.
More about Upham
While the Upham school will
continue to be in use through the
2023-2024 school year, it has
been decided that the elementary
school will no longer be part of
the district. To determine the use
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Photo courtesy of Wellesley High School
parking around the school, but
the residents around town are
the ones who shot it down,”
said Student Supervisor Chuck
Bognanni.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
NEWS
THE BRADFORD
NEWS EDITORS | Caroline Thornton and Adam Juma
For more NEWS, visit www.whsbradford.org
The HHU project (cont.)
The new buildings will include spaces designed spe-
cifically for in-district specialized programs which
have unique space needs. At Hunnewell, it will be the
Therapeutic Learning Center and, at Hardy, it will be the
SKILLS program.
of the site in the short to medium
term, the Wellesley School Com-
mittee plans to form a committee
to evaluate potential options.
Upham elementary school
has been part of the Wellesley
community for more than 60
years. The discussion involving
the closing of Upham elementary
school has taken place over the
The high school’s parking problem (cont.)
The school emphasizes that
parking off-campus is not under
its regulation, rather it is man-
aged by the town. Yet some stu-
dents still feel discouraged from
parking anywhere close.
“I believe that it is clear in
the town’s parking policies that
there is a deliberate attempt to
prevent students from parking
close to the school. That being
said, I think students are prone
to complain about comparatively
small issues, and if it is really that
difficult [to find parking], they
should carpool with a friend, take
the bus, or walk,” said Abraham
Budson-Mcquilken ’22.
The lack of parking spots is
typically relieved when seniors
graduate, and their spots be-
come available on a first come
first serve basis. Yet the lack of
parking around the school is still
apparent due to the high school’s
agreement with the town in 2012,
when it was constructed, that
students would not be allowed
to park on Sevear, Clifford, and
Twitchell Streets.
Comparatively, Wellesley has
fewer spots than similar schools.
Newton South has more than
double the number of spots with
| Vo l u m e L X X V I I I
The site plan for Hardy elementary school.
tedious process. We have always
anticipated the building would
possibly close and that is discon-
certing as a principal. The faculty
would say they were always un-
der pressure of not knowing the
outcome,” said Dees. “When the
decision was made, it was still
sad news. It took some time to
process the feelings and frustra-
tion, but the faculty at Upham is
Design and Images by SMMA amazing, and they are looking
forward to making the final years
at Upham reflect the greatness
that happens each day.”
The remaining Upham staff
and faculty will be placed in
the new Hardy building or in
existing elementary schools in
course of the past eight years. Mr.
Wellesley. Additionally, the Up-
Jeffery Dees has been the prin-
ham SKILLS program (Autistic
cipal of Upham for the last ten
Program) will all be placed in the
years and has been a part of this
new Hardy building. The new
discussion from its beginning.
Hardy is specifically designed
He has been a member of many
for the SKILLS program.
committees and spoke publicly
Dees states that one of the
at town meetings as Upham’s
positives of the project is the
representative.
new building itself as the current
“This has been a long and
There is increasing concern about the lack of parking the high school offers.
145 parking spaces allotted to can do in respect to the wetlands
students, and Wayland with 350. that surround the school.
Although faculty and staff are “The school is at maximum
aware of this issue, there isn’t for parking, because of the plan-
much the administration can do in ning rules, the NRC rules, the
terms of building a new parking regulations dictating how many
lot. The Natural Resource Com- spots you can build, and the terms
mittee (NRC) has specific rules of the building agreement with
regarding what the high school the residents. We can’t expand
| ISSUE 2
building’s age and lack of space
restrict the learning that is needed
to be provided.
“The Upham building was
built in 1958. To be honest...it
looks like it! There is very little
space in the Upham building, and
the students and families deserve
a first-rate facility,” said Dees.
Nevertheless, Upham elemen-
tary school stands to be core
to many students’ childhood in
Wellesley. Dees states that losing
Upham will be a loss of a central
learning community.
“The halls of Upham have
seen so much over the years,”
said Dees. “We have many fami-
lies in which this is the 3rd
generation attending the school.
People get attached to their
‘home school,’ and it is a loss.”
For sophomore Rahim Tirmi-
zi, the closing of Upham was
disappointing news.
“It’s kind of disappointing. I
spent 6 years [at Upham] from
K-5,” said Tirmizi. “I don’t think
Photo by Ben Galligan
parking at all on campus. The
expansion of parking for students
would have to be off-campus, or
allowing on-street parking in a
certain area during school hours,”
said Student Supervisor Tom
Denman who assists in monitor-
ing the student parking lot.
“More public lots should be
| June 2022 | 2
Design and Images by SMMA
I was ever gonna go back and
visit, but it sucks that I don’t have
the option to do so.”
The School Committee has
expressed commitment to main-
taining custody of the building
and site. This will enable the
Committee to move toward
building a seventh elementary
school if needed.
STUDENTS and
REDISTRICTING
The Hunnewell school will be
constructed on the site where the
current school is located. During
the time of the construction, Hun-
newell students will be hosted at
Bates, Hardy, Sprague, and Up-
ham by grade. The Hardy school
will be constructed behind the
current building allowing Hardy
students to remain in their school
building during the construction.
In fall 2024, the new district
maps reflecting six elementary
schools will go into effect.
available to students,” said Henry
Laudano ’23.
Bognanni notes that he re-
ceives many complaints from
parents and students about not
being able to park in the empty
parking spaces.
“When you have parents ask
why their kid can’t park in the
lot when they see empty spaces,
it’s because you have kids com-
ing and going, whether they’re
getting food, or coming in late.
You also have staff doing the
same thing. The staff has their
own absences and on average
we have about 25 people out, so
if you see 25 empty spaces, that’s
designated parking for staff. You
can’t have someone out there
waving people in when there’s
an open spot, that’s just not fea-
sible.” said Bognanni.
Parking at the high school
has always been an issue, and
with the loss of the tennis courts,
the amount of spots available is
getting tighter. Despite student
and parent complaints, the high
school appears to be at an im-
passe with the town with resident
restrictions preventing the expan-
sion of new parking spots at the
high school.
FEATURES
THE BRADFORD | Vo l u m e L X X V I I I | ISSUE 2 | June 2022 | 3

for articles, podcats, media, and more

look on whsbradford.org
FEATURES EDITORS | Annabelle Nolan and Joanne Zhang
For more FEATURES, visit www.whsbradford.org

Students walk out in demand of abortion rights

William Liu ’24, Clementine Zei ’24, and Tanvi Venkata ’24
Opinions Editor, Multimedia Director, and Assistant News Editor

The sophomores who orga- would be if they were cutting

nized the high school walkout
to protest the leaked overturning
of Roe v. Wade were not sure if
anyone would show up. None-
theless, Lila Malek ’24, Hannah
Merritt ’24, and Skye Jacobs
’24 began spreading awareness,
talking to administrators, and
writing speeches, regardless of
how many people, if anyone,
would skip class to gather along-
side them.
In contrast to their uncertain-
ty, on May 24, many high school
students left their classrooms to
gather outside of the building to
advocate for reproductive rights
for people across the country.
In the landmark decision Roe
v. Wade in 1973, the Supreme
Court held that the Constitution
protects the freedom of choice
for a pregnant woman to have an
abortion. Individual states have
been allowed to restrict abortion
post-viability, when the fetus has
more than a 50 percent chance of
surviving preterm birth. Provid-
ers must consider both the lives
of the person and the fetus.
If Roe were to be overturned,
states would have the freedom to
regulate abortions however they
want. More than 20 states have
laws, known as “trigger laws,”
in place that would automatically
ban abortion as soon as Roe is
overturned, forcing people to
seek care in the states which keep
the practice legalized.
“The Massachusetts legisla-
ture unfortunately anticipated
that [Roe might be overturned].
We did pass some legislation a
little over a year ago to ensure
that in Massachusetts, women’s
rights are protected. However,
there’s concern now due to
speculated decision: that Con-
gress might outlaw it throughout
the country,” said Massachusetts
State Representative Alice Han-
Students show their support for abortion rights at the high school walkout.
lon Peisch, who made an appear-
ance at the walkout.
What worries the organizers
of the walkout and many abortion
activists across the nation is how
uninformed people are about the
original ruling. One of the walk-
out’s main goals was to educate
students at the high school on
both the current situation at the
Supreme Court and their rights
as American citizens.
“We think it’s important to
educate students about their
rights and what they can do with
themselves because it’s easy to
feel powerless when you don’t
have a direct say in [legislation].
It’s better to provide solutions
and ways that people can make
change without doing things
that they wouldn’t be allowed to
otherwise,” said Malek.
However, despite significant
support for the movement, the
organizers faced backlash almost
as soon as their announcement
was made, with many wondering
what the walkout would substan-
tively accomplish. Ela Gardiner
’24, shared her opposition to the
walkout on Instagram, express-
ing her frustrations towards the
speculated overturn of Roe and
her belief that a walkout would
not bring about any actual legis-
lative change.
“I work as a political youth
advisor to campaigns and politi-
cians across the state, and every
day I am asked to get young
people involved in change and
action where it’s actually effec-
tive. I feel strongly about making
sure people have the resources
to make effective and direct
change, and school walkouts
don’t do this. I felt the informa-
tion provided by the Wellesley
pro-choice walkout lacked what
was needed to both educate
people and make a change,” said
Gardiner.
The walkout’s organizers
stressed that one of the goals
of it was to, at least indirectly,
spur political action, even if the
change it creates wouldn’t be on a
massive level. They emphasized
that students can often feel dis-
couraged with the idea that they
are voiceless in these large-scale
national issues.
“Critiques that a walkout
couldn’t really achieve anything
are something we were definitely
concerned about in the process of
planning this walkout. It is why
Photo courtesy of Grace Medley
we focused so much on Mas-
sachusetts legislation. We have
here today, Alice Peisch, a state
representative, which I think
is evidence that we are being
heard by our representatives,”
said Jacobs.
Amidst the backlash, the
group emphasized the impor-
tance of students standing by
their opinions and using their
First Amendment rights to ex-
press themselves.
High School Principal, Dr.
Jamie Chisum attended the walk-
out to monitor the students and
assure their safety. He explained
the repercussions that students
would face as a result of their
involvement in the walkout.
“What I told them was we
would run school as normal,
and we would take attendance.
If somebody was missing their
classes, then they would be
followed up with by the house
offices the same way somebody
because they want to go to lunch
with their friends. We have to
treat it the same,” said Chisum.
Still, he finds importance
in the walkout as an outlet for
students to partake in something
which extends beyond their
school lives.
“In terms of kids organizing
and speaking out for things they
really believe in, this is obviously
a really, really important part
of being a good citizen. That’s
not just when you’re a student.
That’s for the rest of your life,”
said Chisum.
Although the leaders of the
event agree that their walkout
alone would not overturn the
Supreme Court’s ruling, they
believe in the idea of collective
anger, creating momentum from
everyone’s frustrations on the
matter. Whether the walkout was
as an outlet for students’ reac-
tions, a way to educate and learn,
or a small scale step towards
legislative change, they knew
that they had to do something to
get people talking.
“It’s just an unbelievably
outrageous situation, so the more
people make it known and don’t
sit quietly back and just be sad
about it, the more important it is.
At the end of the day, although
the Supreme Court is not elected,
it is appointed by people who are,
and it is confirmed by people who
are. Over time, I’m hopeful that
things will shift back to where I
believe the overwhelming major-
ity of the American people are,”
said Peisch.

Photo courtesy of Cade Medina

Photo courtesy of Skye Jacobs

Massachusetts state representative Alice Hanlon Peisch joins
students [left to right], Lila Malek, Hannah Merritt, and Skye
Sophomores, Hannah Merritt, Skye Jacobs, and Lila Malek, each present their speeches. Jacobs, to show her support for the walkout.
THE BRADFORD
The Buffalo and Texas shootings: deprogramming online teenage
radicalization
Fiona Zhou ’24 and Joanne Zhang ’25
Editor-in-Chief and Co-Features Editor
Ten people were killed and three others were injured in the shooting while shopping at Tops supermarket.
On May 14, a gunman opened
fire at a supermarket in a pre-
dominantly Black community in
Buffalo, New York. An 18 year-
old gunman detailed his planned
timeline of the shooting in a hate-
filled ‘manifesto’ he published
online shortly before driving
300 miles from his hometown
of Conklin, New York, to a Tops
supermarket in Buffalo, where he
killed ten and wounded three oth-
ers, eleven of whom were Black
and two White. This incident is
now regarded as one of the most
devastating racially motivated
attacks in America.
The shooter’s document in-
cluded multiple white suprema-
cist ideologies— citing the idea
of the “Great Replacement,” a
propagandist theory stating that
a cabal of African Americans
and Jewish Americans would
eventually “replace” the White
population in America through
the promotion of multicultural-
ism, immigration, and interracial
marriage.
Ten days later, a gunman in
Uvalde, Texas, opened fire in
the Robb Elementary School,
killing 19 children, two teach-
ers, and wounding 17 others; a
dark parallel to the fatalities ten
years ago at Sandy Hook and 15
at Virginia Tech. Like the gun-
man in the Buffalo shooting, the
perpetrator was 18.
The shooters in both Buf-
falo as well as three years ago in
the Christchurch, New Zealand
shooting which killed 51 people,
claimed online presences on
platforms which influenced their
attack. The Internet has become
one of the most potent instru-
ments of radicalization. Led by
an education center based at the
University of Maryland, The
Profiles of Individual Radicaliza-
tion in the United States (PIRUS)
dataset studied 2,200 extremists,
both violent and non-violent,
who were arrested or killed in
action as a result of their radi-
cal ideologies. The dataset also
studied people associated with
extremist groups; 73 percent of
profiled extremists credited their
radicalization to the Internet be-
| Vo l u m e LXXVIII
tween 2011 to 2016.
COVID-19 led to widespread
exposure to media from online
platforms. Furthermore, differ-
ences in technology use by age
may have created “blind spots”,
particularly within older genera-
tions, which may diminish their
awareness of online radicaliza-
tion.
Dr. Steven Hassan, PhD, a
Newton-based mental health
professional as well as cult and
undue influence expert, encour-
ages students to reduce their
consumption of misinformation
by lowering their daily screen
time and internet use.
“What I’ve learned in the last
10 years is that [online radicaliza-
tion] has really advanced. The
simple answer [to protection
against online radicalization] is
education. On a bigger level, for
society, it’s a public health cri-
sis, and as a public health crisis,
we must think of it in terms of
preventive education or inocula-
tion,” said Hassan
With a simple click of a but-
ton, individuals can accidentally
repost, share, and send misin-
formation to an entire network
of peers. In a 2020 study con-
ducted by Statista, 38.2 percent
of respondents stated that they
had shared misinformation on-
line unknowingly. Those who
consume information online
will inevitably cross paths with
misinformation.
“When people hear stories
about radicalization, most who
aren’t educated will think those
people are stupid, or those people
are crazy. ‘That would never hap-
pen to me, I’m smart, and I am
strong, and I would never fall for
that,’” said Hassan.
The increased screen use
by younger generations has in-
creased the frequency of falling
into rabbit holes of fake news and
misinformation. This has become
more or less normalized, but not
equally addressed as a problem.
Social media companies have
not addressed radicalization
found on their platforms, nor
has there been much regulation
over potentially harmful material
| F E AT U R E S
being constantly posted. While
social media giants like Parler,
Twitter, or Instagram state that
they encourage and promote
safe environments for everyone
online, the system algorithms
make it inevitable for such things
to ever be completely hidden.
Further, the algorithms within the
system may make it fairly easy
for extreme topics and posts to
pop up whether one is searching
for them or not.
“Unfortunately, we are a long
way from getting tech companies
to be responsible actors, because
they are basically driven by either
ideology, greed, or both. I’m for
empowering citizens to look after
ourselves, but also each other,”
said Hassan.
As high school students, it
can be easy to feel disconnected
from others as a result of school
workload, self image, and anxi-
ety about the future. Accessibil-
ity to social media has become
a potentially dangerous escape
from the real world.
“Especially if a student is
feeling isolated and disconnected
from their community, it’s even
harder, because once they latch
on to something that they kind
of identify with, they lose all
perspective. It’s hard for them to
take a step back, and understand
the broader perspective,” said
Mr. Samuel Ringel, a psycholo-
The Uvalde community mourns the loss of 19 students and three adults in the recent
Texas school shooting.
| ISSUE 2 | June
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
gist at the high school.
Humans are able to connect
with another broadly through
body language, tone, and inflec-
tion. With online contact, social
interaction is heavily limited.
“I think what’s hard, though,
in adolescence, is deciphering
between what’s a joke, and what
is potentially very serious and
scary,” said Ringel. “Interper-
sonal cues are really important
to understand where someone is
coming from.”
Hassan and Ringel recom-
mend specific steps for avoid-
ance and protection from online
radicalization:
Make “trust pods” and be
“heroic resistors”
Hassan explains the term
trust pods and heroic resistors
as methods to prevent online
radicalization. Trust pods suggest
that humans, regardless of age,
are encouraged to create social
circles that include people of con-
trary perspectives. Humans tend
to create circles that are alike to
them out of comfort, but by cre-
ating a wider group of thinkers,
there is more room for a reality
check and balance of opinions.
Heroic resistors is the idea that
people will act as heroes by first
taking initiative themselves to
point out and report misinforma-
tion or online radicalization, but
2022 | 4
also to help those around them
who may not be as aware of the
information they are receiving. In
this sense they are resisting the
spread of fake news and extreme
posts from reaching more view-
ers. This can be especially helpful
to younger kids, but also to older
generations like parents or grand-
parents who may not understand
the web and online community as
deeply as those who have grown
up within it.
Build relationships with those
around you
Hassan states the importance
of establishing warmer relation-
ships with those around you.
Finding an adult you can trust like
a parent, relative, coach, teacher,
etc. is helpful when finding ways
to communicate strong feelings
or opinions that you may have.
“Everyone needs at least one
trustworthy authority figure that
they can bring anything to, that
might be a therapist,” said Has-
san. But “I advise always having
a respectful approach, being
curious, and asking for more
information.”
Start regular online detoxes
Hassan recommends a com-
plete online detox from time to
time. Due to the increased depen-
dency of society on screens and
social media, the need for fre-
quent and regular online detoxes
has increased. Hassan states that
it has become more necessary
towards fostering a balanced
and healthy connection through
maintaining real-life interaction.
Practice educational measures
As a part of the high school
community, students should
strive to be aware of what others
say or do day-to-day. Students,
administrators alike should listen
to those who bring forth concerns
and work to implement change
or consequence. Teachers must
look out for concerning behavior
and their students’ interpersonal
wellbeing. These measures are
an essential core value to inter-
nalize to better the individual‘s
community.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
THE BRADFORD | Vo l u m e LXXVIII | F E AT U R E S | ISSUE 2 | June 2022 | 5
Special thanks to Jennifer White-Johnson
(@jtknoxroxs) for letting The Bradford use her artwork.

Roberta A. Drury, 32
Margus D. Morrison, 52
Andre Mackneil, 53
Aaron Salter, 55
Geraldine Talley, 62
Celestine Chaney, 65
Heyward Patterson, 67
Katherine Massey, 72
Pearl Young, 77
Ruth Whitfield, 86

Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Xavier Lopez, 10
Annabell Rodriguez, 10
Tess Marie Mata, 10
Uziyah Garcia, 8
Navaeh Bravo, 10
Rojelio Torres, 10
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
Makenna Elrod, 10
Miranda Mathis, 11
Jose Flores Jr., 10
Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10
Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10
Eliana “Ellie” Garcia, 9
Alithia Ramirez, 10
Jackie Cazares, 10
Alexandria “Lexi” Aniyah Rubio, 10
Layla Salazar, 10
Eva Mireles, 44
Irma Garcia, 49

Students react to gun violence in America

“ There have been so many mass shootings in the United States just
“ I feel very angry and very upset about the [Buffalo] shooting but this year and with so much turmoil I think it’s easy to get desensi-
specifically with how the media is handling it. I think that not tized. It has become so normalized that people are starting to loose
enough news outlets are labeling this incident for what it is—a sight of the tragedy of the situation. ”
terrorist attack by a racist man. Far too many times has the media
branded these white supremacists/shooter perpetrators as “men- “ I feel that the amount of shootings (which is not normal) has been
tally ill or unwell”, when in reality, they are full grown people so public my whole life that it’s not as shocking and heartbreaking
who used violence as a way to express their hatred and bigotry in to hear as it should be. ”
this country. ”
“ It feels like all the progress our nation has made in the past is be-
ing removed all at once. ”
THE BRADFORD | Vo l u m e LXXVIII | CENTERFOLD | ISSUE 2 | June 2022 | 6

Wellesley high school rankings from U.S. News

In April, the U.S. News & World Report released its national 2022 High School Rankings. The high
School is currently ranked 785th out of 17,843 high schools in the nation, and 32nd out of 378 high schools in
High school
the state. Last year, it was ranked 26th in MA, and in 2019 ranked 19th. In 2014, it ranked 4th. The steady de-
cline in these rankings has led to mixed reactions. Some express concerns about the high school’s academics,
Where a
while others remain skeptical if any changes made will hurt students’ mental health. Many people in town
are wondering, what actually factors into these rankings? A closer look at
The U.S. News & World Report cites “college readiness” as the biggest factor, comprising 40 percent of the
rankings, rigor,
total ranking. According to them, rankings are directly related to “college readiness”, meaning the “propor- sations surro
tions of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP or IB exam,” as well as state
prroficiency tests, underserved student performance, and graduation rates among all others. Elizabeth Hoerter ’25, Lily Jin ’24,
Staff Writer, Staff Writer, Assistan

The AP impact A Closer Lo

High School
According to the high school’s Principal Dr. Jaimie Chisum, the reason the high school has fallen in the Rigor, and
rankings isn’t due to intelligence or skill, but rather the declining number of students electing to take the AP verations su
test. In fact, according to Chisum, the high school’s AP test and SAT scores have been very successful. the
The word cloud above shows how
“AP has a rigidity to it that sometimes isn’t best for the kids that are in the class,” said Chisum. “There are great asked the question, “what comes to
opportunities happening in [honors, ACP, and CP classes] too.” cation?”

In total, the high school offers 19 AP courses, more than twice than the national high school average of eight.
However, there have been concerns regarding the fewer number of AP classes in the humanities department.
The high school currently has no AP English class offerings, not because of a lack of space, but rather a lack of More APs desirable
necessity for it in our curriculum, as stated by Chisum.
pense of
“We’ve always been very proud of our [English] department. The kids have always done really well. We’ve al-
ways gotten great feedback from kids going off to college saying how well prepared they were,” said Chisum.
Should the high school add more S
Overall, the high school’s administrators haven’t changed the curriculum to impact the rankings. However, APs?
there are people who feel like changes should be made in the class offerings and academic emphasis to in-
crease the high school’s ranking.

“I want to hear [the parents’] concerns. I want people to know that we take them seriously. I want to take in
feedback on these things and then make judgment calls for what we think are the best for the kids,” said
Chisum.

Though AP classes and exams pro

remain desirable for most students.
interviewed said that the high schoo
ever, many of the same students wou
replacing them with AP courses. Thi
having a balanced schedule while de
need for the future is important.
 THE BRADFORD | Vo l u m e LXXVIII | CENTERFOLD | ISSUE 2 | June 2022 | 7

What is Article 44?

l rankings. The parental concerns with academic quality and classroom rigor culminated in the recent proposal of
Article 44, authored by Bruce Franco a father and Wellesley resident. Article 44 began as a proposed town

are we? bylaw that would require the school to dedicate all resources to securing a top five spot in the US News and
World Report ranking for Massachusetts public schools.

t our high school After much deliberation and amendment, Article 44 changed into a proposition for the creation of an Aca-
demic Excellence Study Committee (AESC) to “assess the current state of the Wellesley Public Schools
and the conver- educational strategy and effectiveness.” This motion brought controversy to town meetings, but according to
Ivy Wang ’23 a member of the Town Committee, many people said, “this is a very important conversation to
ounding them have.”
, Paige Ablon ’24, Fiona Zhou ’24 Skye Jacobs ’24, one of the two committee members from the high school, expressed a similar opinion.
nt Arts Editor, Editor-in-Chief
“The desire for this committee stems from concern that our schools are worsening because of our lack of
AP classes, low MCAS scores, and most of all, the state rankings. People objected to this claim because they
believe this is a narrow definition of success and these metrics fail to represent the quality of education in
WPS,” said Jacobs.

In the end, the vote for committee failed, with 70 votes in favor and 150 votes against, with three people ab-
staining from voting. Even though it failed, the administration will to continue to work with all stakehold-
ers to make sure all people’s needs and wants are being met.

ook At Our
l Rankings,
d the con-
urrounding
em
students at WHS respond when
o mind when you think of your edu-

e-- but not at the ex-

f electives
Q & A with a college counselor
Sarah Pinson, a college counselor from AcceptU who has counseling and admissions experience at
Emory University, College of Charleston, and Vanderbilt, provided insight into the admissions process.
Should the high school add more APs if that
means fewer electives? The following interview has been edited and condensed.

Q: Do colleges actually care about a school’s ranking?

ovide a rigorous workload, they
76.9 percent of around 20 students
ol should add more AP classes. How-
uld keep more electives rather than
is data reflects student opinion that
eveloping the transcript they may
A: Overall, colleges don’t care about a school’s ranking in and of itself. When colleges are looking at differ-
ent high schools and students, they’re not going to look at those numbers and evaluate them based on it. But
they are looking at what they perceive as the quality of education at each school. That typically means the
level of rigor of the coursework, whether they offer AP/IB courses, and how many they offer. Colleges look at
a student and see what is available to that student in terms of courses, overall curriculum, and opportunities.
Then they look to see what opportunities a student has taken advantage of at their school.
Q: How much does the number of APs matter to admissions?
A: It depends on what your school offers. It can benefit students to a certain extent if they’re able to take more
APs because it does show an increased rigor, but at the same time, if your school only offers eight APS as op-
posed to 20 APs, if you take all eight, then obviously you did everything you could, and that’s great.
Q: Would you say that US News rankings are an accurate representation of a school’s curriculum?
A: US News is a tricky one because they’re very well known for their college rankings, but they also rank high
schools and graduate schools. No college is looking at US News rankings to get a sense of the high school.
The US News systems do things where they have their own ranking system that can be somewhat subjective
and not necessarily the best way to measure schools.
Q: Do colleges have a set expectation for academic transcripts coming from certain high schools?
A: In a lot of cases, there’s a lack of transparency in college admissions. People have a basic understanding of
how it works… There’s not a blanket answer that you can give for all schools because every school is going to
do it differently. But in my experience, colleges are looking at individual applicants in their individual con-
texts, and evaluating them that way, as opposed to looking at just the raw numbers and deciding based on
that.
 OPINIONS
THE BRADFORD | Vo l u m e L X X V I ( I ) | ISSUE 1 | March 2022 | 8

OPINIONS EDITOR | William Liu

For more OPINIONS, visit www.whsbradford.org

School shootings cannot be treated through a single lens

The Editorial Board
A group of elementary school-
Bradford aged boys crowds into a cafe.
Each carries a backpack and a
Editorial Board handful of cash their parents gave
them. Getting in line to order,
Executive Editor their conversation goes from
Suzie Kim basketball to their gym teacher
and then to summer vacation,
Editor in Chiefs when someone suddenly asks:
Hank Guo “What would you text your
Fiona Zhou mom if a shooter came into
school?”
Multimedia Director This is the life of children in
Clementine Zei America right now. This year
alone, there have been 27 school
Senior News Editor shootings in which 83 people
Caroline Thornton died or were injured: 24 students
who will never graduate from
News Editor high school, three teachers who
Adam Juma will never start another school
year, 56 people injured, some
Assistant News Editor for life, and countless families
Tanvi Venkata whose lives will forever be
changed by the loss of their
Features Editors loved ones.
Annabelle Nolan As Democrats and Republi-
cans drift further into their politi-
cal enclaves after each massacre,
many Americans have simply
adapted to the horrific reality.
These lives should not be
viewed as mere statistics, but
rather by the individuals who
lived them. Gun control is not
a political issue. It is a human
crisis.
From 2019 to 2020, the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and
Prevention found that there was
nearly a 35 percent increase in
firearm deaths. However, despite
the progress some states have
made in passing common sense
gun laws – background checks,
red flag laws, and minimum
age requirements – gun control
continues to be attacked. In May,
a federal court struck down a
California law restricting the
purchase of semiautomatic weap-
ons until age 21. This month,
the Supreme Court is expected
to overturn some of New York’s
toughest gun restriction laws.
Over 88 percent of the Ameri-
can population support common
sense gun laws like universal
background checks. Yet major
lobbying groups like the Na-
tional Rifle Association (NRA)
continue to protest the expan-
sion and improvement of basic
gun restrictions. Justifying their
opposition with the idea that
gun restrictions only harm law
abiding citizens, the NRA fails
to recognize the actual narrative.
In Buffalo, the shooter was
able to obtain his AR-15-style
assault rifle legally, mirroring the
77 percent of shootings carried
out with weapons obtained law-
fully. And in Uvalde, the shooter
obtained his weapon even after
being reported for violent online
threats.
Politicians and lawmakers op-
erate at a disconnect with the vic-
tims of gun violence. Just a few
hours from Uvalde, Republican
strong arms Senator Ted Cruz of
Texas, Governor Kristi Noem of
South Dakota, and former presi-
dent Donald Trump spoke at the
NRA’s annual convention. Rather
than seeing mass shootings as a
humanitarian crisis, America’s
normalization of it highlights the
cycle of ignorance rooted in the
disconnect between people and
politicians.
“What would you text your
mom if a shooter came into
school?”
This question shouldn’t be on
the minds of students in a cafe.
Politicians and lawmakers need
to understand the burden that has
been placed on students in the
absence of gun control legislation
(active shooter drills and school
security systems) and the undue
human crisis America faces.

“Parental rights in Education” bill prohibiting progress

Joanne Zhang

Assistant Features
Editor Olivia Frank ’24
Alexis Lee Staff Writer
Foundation, a conservative or-
Senior Sports Editor ganization that hopes to change
Ben Galligan political policies, are even saying
that schools and the education
Sports Editor system are pushing an agenda
John Battaglino that sexualizes the children and
confuses them by talking about
Opinions Editor gender identity.
William Liu When most people, like those
at The Heritage Foundation and
Arts Editor those who run the “Heritage
Maddie Merowitz Action for America” Facebook,
think of sexual orientation and
Assistant Arts Editor gender identity regarding the LG-
Paige Ablon BTQ+ community, they immedi-
ately think of a high school sex-
Staff Writers ual education class. The concern
Griffin Jordan is the maturity level; however,
Tate Bannish in reality, the education children
Ryan Renzella will get will be completely age
Olivia Frank appropriate.
Lily Jin Photo by Ted Eytan
“In kindergarten, we had these
George Coulouras Opponents to the bill feel that it is a step backwards in terms of acceptance and nor- social studies cards that you
malizing discussions about the LGBTQ+ community, while supporters argue that it would hold up and talk about the
Advisors will give parents more agency over their children’s education. family relationships and dynam-
Amanda Brown
The Florida House Bill 1557, motes a society that not only ex- is now trending all over social ics and being able to be open to:
Erica Ayisi
better known as the “Don’t Say cludes, but actively discriminates media. The template says: “To be ‘those two people are sisters,’ or
Gay” bill, was approved on against the LGBTQ+ community. in accordance with this policy, I ‘oh, I think those are two moms.’
CONTACT Being able to acknowledge that
March 28. The goal of the Law Additionally, it sets a precedent will no longer be referring to your
THE BRADFORD:
is to prohibit any mention of the for more homophobic and anti- student with gendered pronouns. and explore it is so important to
LGBTQ+ community in kinder- LGBTQ+ laws in the future. All students will be referred the learning experience,” said
Website:
garten to third grade. Supporters “It feels like a huge step back- to as ‘they’ or ‘them.’ I will no Ms. Katherine Bender, a teacher
www.whsbradford.org
of the law say that it allows wards,” said Mr. John Mulryan, a longer use a gendered title such in the Child Lab.
parents to educate their children health teacher at the high school. as ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’ or make any It is vital that as a generation,
Email Address:
on the LGBTQ+ community in This law relies on biases to references to my husband/wife we break the cycle of persecu-
bradfordstaff@gmail.
their own time frame. fulfill the goal of hatred and in the classroom. From now on tion. This law gives space for
com
The law will go into effect on exclusion. In fact, the legisla- I will be using the non-gendered hatred and exclusion that activ-
July 1, prohibiting “classroom tion does not say anything about title “Mx.”” ists have worked for years to push
Mailing Address:
instruction by school personnel heterosexual and homosexual Supporters of the law such as to the shadows. It is ignoring any
c/o Amanda Brown
or third parties on sexual ori- education or relationships; the the Facebook account “Heritage progress that has been made with
50 Rice Street
entation or gender identity… in law does not even say the word Action for America” say that the LGBTQ+ rights and builds new
Wellesley, MA 02481
kindergarten through third grade “gay.” bill would protect children from barriers rather than continuing
or in a manner that is not age Activists all around the world “sexual grooming.” Parents in to take them down. No law that
Phone:
appropriate or developmentally agree with Mulryan and have Florida want the right to control directly prohibits teaching about
781-446-6305
appropriate for students in ac- taken a stand. Some teachers in what information about the LG- any group, especially one that
The Bradford welcomes letters cordance with state standards.” Florida are fighting back. There BTQ+ community their children has been persecuted throughout
to the editors. Please send your
This law allows bias and is an email template being shared learn and when. Some, like the history, should be passed, now
opinions by email and limit your
submission to 200 words. prejudice to flourish and pro- by teachers posted on Twitter that people who run The Heritage or in the future.
THE BRADFORD
Why sanctions on Russia should be lifted
William Liu ’24
Opinions Editor
In a televised address on
February 24, almost precisely
eight years to the day after Rus-
sia’s invasion and annexation of
the Crimean Peninsula, Russian
President Vladimir Putin an-
nounced a further Russian mili-
tary operation to “demilitarize
and denazify” Ukraine. With
the international community’s
consensus that these claims were
false, the United States, the Eu-
ropean Union, and many nations
around the world have enacted
severe sanctions on Russia and
its leaders, cutting off Rus-
sian banks from the Society for
Worldwide Interbank Financial
Telecommunication (SWIFT)
global financial communications
network and harshly restricting
imports of Russian goods.
In the months since the in-
vasion began, there has been
an outpouring of support for
Ukraine and its people across the
country, and the vast majority of
Americans support increasing
current sanctions. Throughout
Wellesley, residents have shown
their solidarity through dona-
tions and activism. Yet however
noble support for Ukraine may
be, sanctions on Russia have
proven ineffective and only serve
to damage America’s national
interest both domestically and
abroad. This is not at all to say
that Putin’s irredentist invasion
of Ukraine does not breach in-
ternational law and violate basic
human rights, but sanctions are
not effective in preventing such
misdeeds.
Are we doing enough to stop antisemitism?
Olivia Frank ’24
Staff Writer
“Antisemitism is, on the most
basic level, excluding someone
or hurting someone because of
their Jewish identity,” said Mr.
Blumer, the history department
head at the middle school.
A few weeks ago, an incident
of antisemitism came to the
attention of the middle school
administration. There were some
antisemitic memes being sent
around about gas chambers,
Hitler, and the Holocaust.
Antisemitism has been pres-
ent in the middle school, but it
ebbs and flows with time. At
the moment, antisemitism is at
a high point.
“In the past, we’ve seen
swastikas around the middle
school, or put in bathrooms,
or things like that. What we’re
seeing now is in between the
harassment and vandalism,” said
Blumer.
The antisemitism in the mid-
dle school is rooted in ignorance,
and despite the fact it is not
outwardly violent or may not
be purposefully hateful, it is
still infinitely hurtful, according
to Ms. Chessman, the middle
school librarian.
At the moment, Blumer and
| Vo l u m e LXXVIII
President Biden has often
cited punishing Putin and under-
mining the Russian war effort as
the primary motivations behind
his series of economic sanc-
tions on Russia. However, in the
months since the resumption of
Russian attacks in Ukraine, these
sanctions have done nothing to
dissuade an unrelenting Russian
military, even despite continued
defeat and failure to make any
significant headway. In fact, af-
ter years of substantial Western
training, funding, and support,
the Ukrainian military has proven
that they can withstand a full-
scale Russian invasion, with or
without extensive Western eco-
nomic pressure.
What these sanctions have
actually done is decimate the
Russian economy, causing the
national Gross Domestic Product
to contract by up to an estimated
12 percent. Moreover, even with
measures targeting the immense
wealth of Putin and the oligarchs,
sanctions have most acutely
impacted the average working
Russian.
The rapid exodus of nearly all
foreign enterprises and embargos
from across the world has drasti-
cally increased unemployment,
caused prices for basic necessi-
ties like food to skyrocket, and,
after the Russian government’s
eventual attempts at stabilizing
the Ruble, created major short-
ages of these essentials. As with
any economic downturn, it is
the lowest socio-economic strata
that bear the brunt rather than the
Chessman are working on edu-
cating the middle school students
on antisemitism through a video
they made using an interview
with three Jewish high school
students. Before the memes were
even sent, an eighth grader went
to Blumer to be more proactive
about staying ahead of antisemi-
tism.
“He came to me with a ques-
tion of why we weren’t talking
more about antisemitism or Jew-
ish identity as part of our other
work on identity in our version
of advisory,” said Blumer.
It is not uncommon for anti-
semitism to be overlooked as a
form of hatred. This is often due
to something called erasive anti-
semitism. Erasive antisemitism is
discounting the hatred and pain it
causes because as a group, Jews
are often more fortunate and
“well-off.” And while I do not
believe that it is ever purposeful,
it is still present.
In fact, from what I have seen,
it is the most present form of
antisemitism. It is more common
that I will hear someone not know
anything about antisemitism, or
say that it is useless to learn about
antisemitism, than I will hear an
| OPINIONS
As Russia continues its unilateral offensive assault on Ukraine, America and its allies
have responded with increasingly harsh economic sanctions.
decision-making elite.
Yet altruism for the Russian
populace itself is not necessarily
beneficial to America’s national
interest; the Russian populace’s
reaction to these sanctions is far
more concerning. Although it
is surely the hope of the United
States and its allies that the Rus-
sian people would blame Putin
for their economic anguish, many
Russians will logically blame the
foreign governments, the ones
that have actually imposed the
sanctions, instead of their own
national leader.
Ordinary Russians, the same
people thrust into turmoil by
sanctions and who practically
only have access to propagan-
dized state media, cannot be ex-
pected to favor the West. Rather
than deepening distrust among
the already suffering Russian
populace, Western sanctions can
only cement Putin’s position as
dictator, serving as a centripetal
force to unify Russia against a
perceived foreign oppressor.
The ineffectiveness of such
openly antisemitic statement.
Antisemitism has been con-
sistently present in both the high
school and the middle school, but
does anyone really know why?
The history of antisemitism
is actually not very well known
and yet people are still spreading
hatred and unconscious biases
without knowing it. A couple of
the most common stereotypes are
that Jews are dirty, greedy, or that
all Jews directly align with Israel
and its actions.
The stereotype that Jews are
greedy and dirty stems from the
Middle Ages. At that time, being
a banker was not a respectable
occupation, but because the
Jews were persecuted by the
Christians, it was one of the only
jobs they were allowed to have.
That made it increasingly easy
to use the Jews as a scapegoat
and blame them for any money-
related problems. The belief that
they are greedy came from then
and continues to this day. Jokes
about Jews and money are some
of the most common antisemitic
comments today.
The notion that the views
and actions of Israel and Jews
are synonymous comes from the
| ISSUE 2 | June
sanctions in engendering posi-
tive social change is not unprec-
edented. Just as in the cases of
Iran and North Korea, foreign
sanctions reinforce the politi-
cal status quo and increase the
grasp of a totalitarian govern-
ment on society, a far cry from
America’s supposed commitment
to freedom and democracy. Even
worse than simply not helping the
American national interest, the
sanctions damage it.
The United States itself has
also faced ripples of the global
economic transformation from
these sanctions. Primarily re-
flected through the oil and gas
markets, gasoline prices across
America have skyrocketed since
the sanctions began. As of June
8, the national average has been
raised to a record high of $4.96
per gallon. While these gas prices
affect all of American society,
again, similarly to Russia, it
is the working-class people,
Americans living paycheck to
paycheck without the money to
spare on exorbitant gas prices,
fact that Israel is the only Jewish
state. Israel has been involved in
many conflicts throughout the
years and at the moment, with the
Israel and Palestine conflict, there
has been more anti-Israel senti-
ment in the media. That in it of
itself is not a bad thing, although
when it becomes targeting Jews
because of it, that is when it turns
antisemitic.
In addition to the video Blum-
er and Chessman made, the
eighth graders are learning about
the Holocaust at the moment
through their “Facing History
and Ourselves” unit. That is one
thing that the middle school has
continued to teach in order to
educate and combat antisemitism
relating to the Holocaust. Due to
the pandemic, the current ninth
and tenth graders have had mini-
mal Holocaust education through
school as they both lost their
unit on the Holocaust in eighth
grade. At the moment, the only
education they will have on the
Holocaust through the school is
in eighth grade.
“It is my understanding that
teachers can touch upon the Ho-
locaust within any spectrum that
they kind of want to, for example,
2022 | 9
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
that must face the ramifications
of the decisions made by the elite.
Even still, there is obviously
a good deal of validity to the
Biden administration’s belief that
America must make some sort of
stand against Putin’s invasion. If
the United States is willing to let
Russia go unpunished, there is
little that will dissuade another
Russian, or even Chinese, inva-
sion of American allies down the
road. However, although this mo-
tivation is understandable, Rus-
sia has proven to be undeterred
by sanctions and the Ukrainian
military has readily repelled the
Russian offensive, making such
punishment neither effective nor
necessary.
Russia’s vile assault on
Ukraine is unequivocally awful
and is certainly deserving of the
widespread international con-
demnation that it has received,
but the consequences of these
unprecedented economic sanc-
tions hurt the United States far
more than they hurt Putin.
some teach it as different mo-
ments when mass violence took
place,” said Ms. Emily Gordon, a
history teacher at the high school.
While the eighth grade cur-
riculum does an amazing job at
teaching kids about the Holo-
caust and antisemitism, there are
still going to be two grades that
will not be getting enough Holo-
caust education. With the uneven
education about the Holocaust,
there may be some kids who only
hear about it for a moment and
others who study it for a month.
Putting “Facing History” back
into the middle school curricu-
lum is one step forward but there
is still a long way to go before
the middle school can be deemed
proactive about antisemitism
rather than reactive.
A note from the author:
Every person interviewed for
this article and every person I
saw who was combatting anti-
semitism at the middle school
was Jewish, and I (the author of
this article) am Jewish as well.
 SPORTS
THE BRADFORD
SPORTS EDITORS | Ben Galligan and John Battaglino
For more SPORTS, visit www.whsbradford.org
The unseen battle: how track and field degrades
students’ mental health
Caroline Thornton ’23
Senior News Editor
In a survey of track and field athletes at the high school, almost half reported that the sport has at least partially affected their
mental health in a negative way.
On your mark, get set, go!
Over 200 student-athletes at the
high school hear this phrase as
members of the track and field
team, which boasts the highest
membership of any sport. As a
no-cut sport, the team welcomes
students ranging from those who
simply want to have fun to those
looking to win first place at the
finish line. The track team at the
high school describes itself as a
family, and many students report
positive and supportive experi-
ences on the team. Despite the
relaxed nature of the team, how-
ever, athletes at the high school
and in the sport in general often
struggle with their mental health.
Although track is scored as
a team, a group effort can be a
solo one as well. An individual
sport at its core, track athletes
compete against each other and
against the clock. This means that
unlike other sports where athlete
performance is more subjective,
track has a quantitative measure-
ment of athletic ability.
“In track, you have a number
assigned to you that shows ex-
actly how much better or worse
you are than your teammate,
which makes it really easy to
compare yourself to others,” said
Grete Chisum ’23, a track athlete
at the high school. In each race,
athletes receive times for their
performance and can compare
this to their personal bests as well
as the times of other athletes in
the race.
This quantitative comparison
of athletes is reflected by statis-
tics reported by track and field
athletes at the high school. In a
Bradford survey conducted in
April 2022 of 23 track athletes
at the high school, about three
quarters of them reported feeling
overly nervous before a race, 70
percent have felt bad about them-
selves because of a bad race, and
about half have at least partially
equated their self-worth to their
performance in track and field.
“Racing under pressure is
undeniably stressful, and many
| Vo l u m e L X X V I I I
runners get overly nervous be-
fore races to the point where
they’re not able to reach their
full potential and think badly of
themselves after the race,” said
an anonymous track athlete at the
high school.
At the high school, athletes
report that the level of compari-
son between athletes is amplified
because of the highly competitive
nature of the team as a whole,
especially on the girls track
team. This “winning culture”
can make athletes feel like their
performances aren’t good enough
or cared about if they don’t place
high enough to score points, even
when they have great races.
“A lot of the time, athletes put
pressure on themselves to per-
form well to get on that relay or
perform well for the team, which
leads to nerves before races,” said
John Griffith, head coach of the
girls track and field team. “I try
to tell them they’re going to be
great, and be as positive as I can.”
Because our team is so strong,
it creates an expectation that
everyone has to be beyond amaz-
ing to succeed and when you
don’t meet that quota, you’re
discarded,” said Xan Vella ’24,
a girls track athlete at the high
school. “This leads to over-
worked, burnt-out athletes that
have no motivation to improve
for their own happiness.”
This is not just a Wellesley
problem, as track athletes from
all different places can attest.
Ivy Watts was a highly suc-
cessful track and field athlete at
Waltham High School and later
went on to compete at the NCAA
Division 2 level at the University
of New Haven. Although she
was extremely successful on the
track, she said she “was really
struggling internally.”
“The expectations weighed
so heavily on my shoulders, and
because I had been dealing with
the anxiety for so long in silence,
it only grew and grew and turned
into low confidence, low self
esteem, and negative self-talk,”
| ISSUE 2
said Watts in an interview with
The Bradford.
Watts and her coaches set goal
times for herself, and when they
were not reached, would devas-
tate her and make her perceive an
objectively good race as horrible.
“When you’ve put your whole
self-worth into that number or
you have a lot of pressure from
yourself or someone else to hit
that number, it can have a huge
impact on your mental health,”
said Watts.
Part of the reason mental
health in track and field is not as
talked about is the fear of being
seen as weak.
“I believed a lot of the stigma
in athletics that I needed to suck
it up, and that if I was struggling
with mental health, that I would
be labeled as weak, and as a top
student athlete, I couldn’t have
that label on me,” said Watts.
Coaches also may not know
how to proactively prevent ath-
letes from developing mental
health issues, as Watts notes they
are often focused on winning and
producing the best athletes pos-
sible, which may lead them to
fail to address the tough mental
aspect of the sport.
“My coaches focused only on
the physical aspect of my goals,
and not what I was saying to
myself in the blocks or how they
could support me with improving
my self-confidence,” said Watts.
Now, she speaks to track teams,
among other groups, about her
experience with mental health to
help other people going through
similar struggles.
At the high school, coaches
are very focused on creating a
family that supports each other,
which includes supporting ath-
letes’ mental health. Despite
some students noting that their
struggles have gone unnoticed,
the coaches try their best to
identify and help students when
they are dealing with negative
mental health.
“Mental health is not a point
of specific training [for coaches],
| June 2022 | 10
Spring Sports
Scoreboard
Baseball
8-12
Girls Track and
Field
5-0
Won Division II State
Championship
Boys Track and
Field
4-1
Placed third at the
Bay State Conference
Photo courtesy of Marc Davis
Championship
but as experienced coaches, we
are pretty good at reading athletes
and telling when something’s
wrong, and we can refer that to
professionals in the school,” said
Girls Golf
Marc Davis, the hurdles coach at 13-0
the high school.
Coaches at the high school
noted that they mostly try to help
athletes who are nervous before
races. By encouraging athletes Boys Lacrosse
on the starting line and support-
ing them in and out of practice,
11-6
coaches try to create a positive
and supportive atmosphere. How-
ever, this begs the question: what
can coaches do to proactively pre- Girls Lacrosse
vent simple nerves before a race
from turning into more severe 15-4
mental health issues?
According to track athletes
at the high school, the best way
coaches can look to improve
student athlete mental health is
Boys Tennis
by recognizing signs of distress, 15-5
taking time for mental wellness
at practice, and emphasizing how
every athlete has good days and
bad days, and even bad races are
a stepping stone to reaching an Girls Tennis
ultimate goal.
With a better understanding
11-6
of how track and field makes
athletes prone to struggle with
their mental health, both coaches
and athletes can work to break
the stigma of discussing mental
Softball
health in sports. Additionally, 6-10
mental wellness and accepting
that your best may be different
every day leads to better results
on the track as well.
Watts wants athletes strug- Boys Volleyball
gling with their mental health to
know that they shouldn’t wait for
6-13
their problems to become really
bad before seeking help, they
should talk to their coaches and
teammates even if they simply Sailing:
feel upset after a bad race.
“It’s okay to struggle, and it’s 9-4
okay to reach out for help. You
Won State Sailing Title
always have someone in your
circle that is going to want to
talk to you. You are not alone,” (Scores via Boston Globe as
said Watts. of June 7)
 ARTS
THE BRADFORD
ARTS EDITOR | Maddie Merowitz
For more ARTS, visit www.whsbradford.org
Pixar’s “Turning Red” reaches farther than just providing a new
cultural lense for adolescence among Asian girls in the diaspora
Fiona Zhou ’24
Editor-in-Chief
“Sorry I’m not perfect. Sorry
that I’m not good enough. Sorry
I’ll never be like you.” These
were the words Meilin (Mei)
Lee said to her own mother af-
ter finally having enough of her
overbearing control. For many
Asian teens, failure to live up to
parents’ expectations is univer-
sal, especially when negotiat-
ing between keeping their own
heritage and conforming to the
majority cultural norm.
In the first few seconds of
Pixar’s animated movie, “Turn-
ing Red”, Mei describes the
sacrifice her Asian parents made
to give her the life she lives. In
return, she feels obligated to do
everything they ask of her and
be the perfect child. She honors
her parents at the expense of her
own happiness and self respect.
This mindset and practice
of filial piety has always been
rooted deeply within East Asian
culture. Obeying your parents
as the superior is a value passed
down from generation to gen-
eration. Though this effect has
its reasons, it can also result
in a constant desire to please
elders, sometimes forfeiting
a person’s own sense of self
respect. This effect then gets
passed down through the family
which is shown in the later part
of the film when Mei realizes her
mother, Ming’s, struggles during
her own adolescence. It comes
as no surprise then, how her
mother’s emotional scars were
passed down to Mei through her
parenting.
In the film, Mei is seen to be
extremely tied to her culture:
she watches historical Chinese
dramas with her mother and
volunteers at the local Sun Yee
temple, dedicated to their ances-
tors. But as Mei starts to appre-
ciate and find interest in boys,
pop culture music, and Western
influence, Ming only starts to
grow more and more suspicious
of her daughter, feeling as if she
is losing grip over her own child.
For Mei, she can never shake the
feeling that she is disappointing
her mother, and that her mother
is stopping her from living au-
thentically.
“I was thinking about other
Disney films and Pixar films and
the initial rebellion is against
the parent. Every teenager sees
their parent as a villain a lot of
the time,” said Misa Sugiura,
an Asian American young adult
author in an interview for Today.
com.
Although Mei’s mother may
seem like the villain in the story,
she cannot be blamed for being
overprotective of her daughter.
| Vo l u m e L X X V I I I | ISSUE 2 | June 2022 | 11
During the movie, the audi-
ence may find Ming’s true care
and affection, showing the awk-
wardness and authentic love in
which Mei’s mother actually has
for her daughter. For example
when Mei’s mother thought she
had begun her period, the audi-
ence is drawn to the fact that
her mother had supposedly been
preparing for this day for quite
awhile. Later, her mom is seen
stalking the school yards in an
attempt to give her daughter the
pads she forgot at home.
While at times it may seem
to cross the line, the reality is,
Asian parents mean no malintent
and only want their children to do
well and succeed. Personally, I
sometimes find my parents to be a
bit overcautious and worrisome,
but they remind me that they only
want the best and point out my
shortcomings for me earlier, in-
stead of having to suffer through
them later on my own.
In an NBC News Article, Joy
Ng, an Asian American millen-
nial, expresses how she can relate
to Mei herself and how the movie
felt “cathartic” to her.
“There’s just that cultural
difference, where ‘they’ grow
up and just do what they want to
do, whereas ‘we’ have to kind of
take into consideration what our
elders want for us and how they
want us to be here,” said Ng.
The balance of culture for
many Asian Americans is tough.
Oftentimes, parents find that their
thinking is the only right one, and
therefore the child must listen Mei’s struggle with discovering her own identity comes with the fear of losing her rela-
and do exactly so. While on the tionship with her mother. Poster for the film “Turning Red” from movies.disney.com.
other side, the child usually has
so many thoughts and opinions, Ming’s control over Mei will has also provided another main pop culture and modern trends.
but ends up not expressing them never truly stop. But nor will her character with glasses, much Even though it can be a strug-
and obeying their parents. love and care. like Mirabelle from “Encanto,” gle to accept either side at times,
I find it hard to balance what What stuck out to me the most and has also been one of the first as I grow up, I’m starting to
I learn from outside of home was when she apologized to Mei, to address health issues, such as adjust to both. The fact that the
from my friends and school, and realizing that she may be the rea- diabetes, in one of the scenes story is also provided through an
how I’m taught to think at home. son as to why Mei is so hard on where a supporting character is Asian American scope makes the
With parents who often imple- herself. Ming reassures Mei that wearing a diabetes patch. story more unique to me, as I can
ment their thinking on me, I find the farther Mei goes, the prouder “I’d like to thank whoever find myself relating to similar
myself conflicted with which part she’ll be. did this. It’s such a little gesture, experiences as Mei does with
of my culture I should hold on to Even though the perspective mostly unnoticed by the most, her parents.
and which I should ignore. of the story is specifically told but it’s literally the first time ever I appreciated that the story
Both sides ultimately contra- from an Asian-Canadian girl’s I’ve seen someone with a diabe- included the struggle between
dict the other, with parents losing perspective, the film also touches tes patch, let alone in a cartoon. finding yourself and not losing
their children to another culture, on important topics that other This is so important, thank you,” the strong relationship between
and kids feeling the pressure cultures and communities can said a fan on Twitter. your parents. Personally, the
and burden of staying loyal to relate to. With adolescence being Despite “Turning Red” only movie is much more relatable
their family heritage– not to add one of the more obvious ones, the sharing the experience of a single compared to some of the older
the expectation to be perfect on movie also highlights what it is Asian girl’s teenage story, the Disney movie princesses. This
top of that. Therefore the need like to grow up in an immigrant movie itself can be both universal is a story that portrays the truth
to choose between two worlds family. and uniquely relevant. and roots about another’s culture
and the feeling of being stuck “…in immigrant households, I am also trying to find the and values. This is a story that
in between can lead Asian teens there’s the additional weight of perfect balance between both reaches beyond a unique group
to feel as if they do not belong upholding the legacy and values worlds, while trying to stay true of people, because this is a story
anywhere, or that they can not of those who came before,” said to myself and my own values. I that reflects the truth about grow-
act authentically. Richell Concepcion, a clinical try to make room for both sides of ing up between two very differ-
Although Ming accepts Mei’s psychologist for Asian American my culture like speaking Manda- ent cultures.
changes and growth in the end, Psychological Association. rin at home with my parents, but
the bittersweet truth is that On top of that, the movie itself also sharing with them English
THE BRADFORD | Volume LXXVIII | ARTS | ISSUE 2 | June 2022 | 12

The Bradford artist feature: ACCENT ON THE E in Fils-Aime

Kate Bhatt ’22
Features Editor Emeritus

Bright Okunbor ’23.

Esther Fils-Aime ’22 walked
into her middle school photogra-
phy class with low expectations,
unaware of the impact it would
have on her high school journey.
“I honestly just took [Photo]
because my sister and brother
Fatima Sillah ’23. took it. But I ended up loving it,”
said Fils-Aime.
Now, in her senior year, Fils-
Aime has taken on the responsi-
bility of working as an intensive
student. Her accomplishments
lie both in her projects and in
the lessons Photo has taught her
about community, perspective,
and confidence.
“Every time I take a picture,
I’ll say ‘Oh, it’s really bad.
It’s not as good as everybody
else’s,’” said Fils-Aime. “But I
learned that there is no judgment
in class. Everybody’s learning.
I feel so accomplished when I
finish a project, because I feel
so much stress trying to get it
perfect. And then, I see it turn
Okunbor and Corniellia Ofori ’23. out really well. I’m just proud of
myself for that.”
Fils-Aime enjoys various
genres of photography, but es-
pecially street and nature pho-
tography.
“It’s really cool to see the
world from a different perspec-
tive through nature. I didn’t think
nature photography was some-
thing that I was really interested
in, but I did a project on it and I
found it to be very worthwhile,”
said Fils-Aime.
Photography teacher Mr.
Doug Johnson introduced his
class to unfamiliar and unique
projects such as the studio por-
trait project, which stood out
most to Fils-Aime. This assign-
ment required each student to
choose any model, and come up
with their own themes to lead
their photos. It also gave each
student the opportunity to present
an idea that is important to them
to the high school through pic-
tures. Fils-Aime photographed
Sillah and Okunbor as her mod-
els.
“I wanted to incorporate my
friends’ cultures into the project.
Since there’s a lack of culture
and diversity at the high school,
I feel like people are afraid to
show who they really are,” said
Fils-Aime.
“I was able to incorporate
Bright’s culture through the Ni-
gerian flag, and Fatima’s culture
as well. That could inspire other
people to be proud of themselves
and be proud of where they come
from.”
Fils-Aime applies valuable
lessons that she learns inside of
the classroom to her everyday
life.
“I have learned that I cannot
care about what anyone thinks.
For me, that’s always been some-
thing that I have always thought
about, and in photo class, I’m
able to express myself with
anything that I do, without judg-
ment,” said Fils-Aime.

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