RTC Keeps it “Clean”

Tu n a
Ta l k
Vol. XIII, Issue IV
The Roeper School
March 2012
New Administrative Assistant Joins Birmingham Campus
By Rodger MacArthur
have with the teachers.”
When students heard
that new Administrative
Assistant/ School Secretary
Robin Turner was coming
from a large public high
school system, some thought
she would be too strict and
not fit in with the informal
atmosphere at Roeper. Their
fears were unfounded.
As a former graphic
design teacher, Turner is no
stranger to the classroom. “I
always knew that I wanted to
be a teacher,” she says. When
she was growing up, she would
often “play teacher with the
little kids in the neighborhood.
Her dream was realized when
she taught graphic design
From her first day
to kids in Detroit as part of
at work when her lunch was
the career tech education
pilfered from the kitchen
curriculum. In this program,
fridge, she has taken her job in
Turner says, “Kids forgo their
stride. “After 27 years in public
electives at their respective
education, if that’s the worst
schools and instead, go learn a
thing that’s going to happen
certain profession for 2.5 hours
I’m more than fine with it,” she
a day in marketing, masonry,
says. Administrative Assistant Robin Turner helps freshman Aaron Baker graphic communications,
set up an appointment with Upper School Director Lisa Baker.
electrical stuff, fashion design.”
When Turner left the
Photo by Rodger MacArthur
Detroit Public School system
Turner was born and
last June, she did not want to
raised in Michigan. Apart from
retire, and began looking for a
a short stint in Texas during
new job. “Roeper appealed to
to day duties as “maintaining
staff and parents.” She also
the 1980’s for her husband’s
me because of the philosophy.
[Middle School Director]
says she “maintains records as
career, she has resided here her
In fact, my children attended
Carolyn [Borman] and [Upper
well as gives out peppermints.” entire life. She attended Central
Montessori schools that
School Director] Lisa [Baker]’s While only working at Roeper
High School, one of the first
embody similar ideals like at
calendar, coordinating staff
for two months, Turner
public high schools in Detroit,
Roeper.”
meetings, monitoring student
likes “the openness and
after which she attended
activities, assisting students
camaraderie, the inclusive spirit Wayne State University.
Turner describes her
and the relationship students
Working in schools has
defined Turner for many years;
while not getting much sleep or
time alone, Turner has recently
come into the concept of free
time. She plans on “making
a web site for my church and
doing some freelance graphic
design stuff on the side.”
Turner enjoys “any
kind of movie, as long as it’s a
good movie with a good story
line. The only genre I don’t
like is slasher movies.” She also
watches “American Idol and
The X-Factor but my favorite
show is House Hunters, or
any show in which people buy
houses.”
Turner is looking
forward to her career at Roeper
and being the Administrative
Assistant/ School Secretary.
“I’ve given out a lot of BandAids,” she says.
RTC Keeps it “Clean”
By Patrick Yee
Printed on one of
the first pages of the Roeper
Theatre Company’s script for
The Clean House is:
“Everyone in this play
should be able to tell a really
good joke.”
This should give you
a good idea about the RTC’s
latest production which opens
March 15th.
“This is a story that
definitely centers around the
telling of jokes,” RTC Director
Chi Wright says. But jokes
don’t necessarily mean comedy.
“The play blends
together comedy with things
that are less than funny like
adultery, illness, death, and
loneliness because it’s really
about the characters coming
to terms with their woes,
embracing them, and going on
from there and comedy eases
them through that process,”
junior Abena Stone says.
The Clean House is
the story of Brazilian maid
Matilde (Stone), who would
Texting Teens
p. 2
much rather come up with the
perfect joke than actually clean
much to the dismay of the
homeowner, Lane (sophomore
Rachel Stamler-Jonas). After
hearing of this, Lane’s sister,
the bored housewife Virginia
(sophomore Rachel Nichols)
hears of this and conspires
with Matilde to secretly clean
Lane’s house. Life seems to be
going smoothly in this house
until it is revealed that Lane’s
husband Charles (senior Patrick
Yee) is in love with one of
his patients (senior Josephine
Jason). Also featured in the
play are sophomores Morgan
Young and Jalen Raines who
play the mother and father of
Matilde respectively.
Wright chose The Clean
House because the students
really liked the show and he
liked “the way that it starts us
out in what seems like a threedimensional ordinary world
and we end up in a multidimensional de constructed
universe.”
of the show. Cleanliness
is really a representation
of the order of life. There
is a level of “established
symmetry,” according to
Assistant Director Gavin
Buckley “and then it falls
apart, making things dirty
that were once clean.”
The show is set in
Lane’s living room. The
room has a “post-modern”
look to it with lots of
“blacks” and “whites” as
Buckley calls it.
The Clean House was
a runner-up for the Pulitzer
Prize for Drama in 2005 and
was named as one of the
top ten theatrical attractions
of the year by Entertainment
Weekly in 2006.
Clean House cast members sophomore Rachel Stamler-Jonas and junior
Abena Stone rehearse a scene.
Photo by Gavin Buckley
As the name, The
Clean House implies, cleaning
and cleanliness are major parts
Students on the
Board
p. 3
by Duncan Burns
Origins of
Roeper Sports
p. 4
Teachers on Facebook
p. 5
Sleigh Bells Reign
of Terror
p.6
2
Tuna Talk
Community/News
Texting Tempts Teens to Stop Talking on the Phone
By Francesca Bennett
For some students,
talking on the phone is as
horrible as holding your hand
on a burning stove.
Sophomore Cece
Watry has wary feelings about
talking on the phone, especially
with people she doesn’t know.
“It’s uncomfortable and
awkward because you’ve never
met the person,” she says.
The convenience
and popularity of texting has
unquestionably contributed to
a decrease in the use of calling.
“I send about 100 texts a day,
and make about two calls,”
sophomore Tori Farrow says,
“It’s just more convenient.”
So why has calling
taken a backseat to texting in
most teenagers’ minds?
parents or, more importantly
stay busy during a boring class.
messages daily, while between
30 to 38% make calls daily.
emergency, can you? Years
from now, how will people
communicate in
the workplace?
According to
another 2010 Pew
Internet study,
87% of teen cell
phone users text,
whereas only about
72% of adult cell
phone users text.
While the number
for adults is rising,
evidence suggests
that texting will
still be more
popular among
teens for at least
another decade.
Avoiding talking
on the phone will
eventually lead to
further distancing
of human beingswe’re all individuals
in our own
technological webs.
many teenagers have. So how
do we try and get rid of this
sentiment? Try starting with
calling someone you know.
Have a short conversation.
Then, when the time comes
for the need to call a stranger
for some reason, you won’t be
as nervous.
Perhaps it is because
of the accessibility and casualty
of it. How much easier is
it to whip out your phone,
The
Sophomores Jaela McDonald and Molly Phlips text with freshman Joanne Ogsend a quick text, and then
abundance
of
undipe.
put your phone away; rather
texting and lack of
Photo by Jonah Sklar
than dialing a number, waiting human interaction
while it rings, and then having
According to a 2010 study by
Although texting is
that comes with it has led to
a back-and-forth, lengthy
Pew Internet and the American more popular, phone calling
a general uneasy feeling about
conversation. Texting is also an Life Project, of teenagers
is still a necessary skill. After
talking on the phone-especially
easy way to keep in touch with ages 12 to 17 54% send text
all, you can’t text 911 in an
with those you don’t know-that
We’d love to hear from you!
Send “Letters to the Editor” to:
francesca.bennett@roeper.org
or
ari.teitel@roeper.org
T u n a Ta l k
Staff
Writers: Patrick Yee, Jonah Sklar, Rodger MacArthur, Francesca Bennett, Alec Segel, Ari Teitel, Nathan Flynn,
Armani Lee, Ethan Rosenberg
Editors: Francesca Bennett, Ari Teitel
Copy Editors: Ben Kochanowski, Nathan Flynn
Layout: Ben Kochanowski
Advisor: Linda Vernon
Tuna Talk
3
Features
Alumnus Tries Hand at Tribeca Film Festival
By Ari Teitel
It all started when
Bailey Scieszka ‘07 bought a
cheap video camera while in
high school. Five years later,
her film, Balioni was featured in
the Tribeca Film Festival.
summer art camp and at
Roeper, where she developed
She draws inspiration
from other experimental films,
materials at thrift stores.
Balioni stars Scieszka’s
alter-ego, a former child hand
model named Old Put. “It’s
this weird saga of his thoughts
about growing old,” Scieszka
says. “He’s a character I use a
lot. I used to dress up as him.”
Old Put may sound
like a funny character, but the
inspiration behind him is sad.
“A long time ago, I thought
I was going to die, and I was
in this really dire moment,”
Scieszka says. “Most people
have their life flash before
their eyes, but for some reason
I thought, Is this the end of
Goopy Dog?’ Then, I was
like, ‘What does that even
mean? Why did I think that?’”
Scieszka wrote about Goopy
Dog in creative writing classes,
A shot of Old Put in Balioni, Bailey Scieszka’07’s short film.
who eventually evolved into
Old Put. “As the camera pans Photo courtesy of Bailey Scieszka
out of Old Put’s head, it’s
probably just this dude in his
several of her characters
YouTube videos and plays, as
Scieszka plans on
boxers, sitting in this awful
in former art teacher Pat
well as personal experiences.
expanding her productions to
apartment,” Scieszka says. “It’s Lawrence’s art classes during
Her film is truly a DIY work:
include feature length films.
like his form of escapism.”
her senior year of high school. she does all the writing,
She recently moved back to
“She has some stock characters directing, camera work, editing, Detroit to study 3D Video at
Sciezska produced
that she uses again and again,
acting, and voice overs.
College for Creative Studies to
her film while earning her
[such as] the Paula Deen
help attain the goal. “I really
B.F.A. in video in the spring
character, and this little frog,”
To craft her characters, want to sell out,” Scieszka says.
of 2011 at Cooper Union in
Lawrence says.
Scieszka uses “a lot of
“I’d love to have a job where I
New York City, a prestigious
paper mache, a lot of weird
can just do effects. That’s what
arts and engineering college.
Scieszka’s strong
collecting. I think shopping
I’m working towards.”
Before studying at Cooper
artistic background gives
is its own art form that will
Union, Scieszka pursued art
her the tools to push the
never be really appreciated.”
extensively at Cranbrook’s
boundaries of her creativity.
She purchases many of the
Student Board Responsibilities Not Shrimp-Sized
By Nathan Flynn
Imagine waiters
dressed to the nines, pandering
to give you shrimp cocktail and
other finger foods. Imagine
walking into a meeting and
seeing a copy of Depal
Patrick’s autobiography waiting
at your seat at the table; or
having a view of the second
largest green roof in Michigan
from the window of the
board room you frequent on
Tuesdays. It’s not a scene out
of a CEO’s life; it’s snippets
of being a Representative on
Roeper’s Board of Trustees;
and one that two Roeper
students are able to experience
each year, as Student
Representatives to the Board.
The position of
Student Representative was
created more than 20 years
ago in an effort to more
fully represent all of the
constituency groups of the
school.
“It is the right of
the students to have such
representation,” says former
Student Rep Joey LoCascio ’11.
“The need is both pragmatic
and philosophical, productive
and righteous. The position
exists because the Roepers
were wise enough to see this,”
he adds.
This year is an
especially exciting year to be
on the Board because two
landmark events happened
to coincide: the hiring of a
new Head of School, and the
construction of a new three
year strategic plan. Even the
Student Reps had a big hand in
voicing the opinions of their
peers that the Board took into
account when making their
decision.
“Stopping things in
their tracks is a principle duty
of any trustee… I relished
this duty- calling into question
everything that the student
body might find intolerable,”
LoCascio reveals.
“The Student Reps
have a very important job
because they provide a special
function to other members
who value their opinions
greatly, and also because
they represent a constituency
that isn’t often heard from,”
says Chair Emeritus Doug
Winkworth. “In fact, for a
while not even alumni were
guaranteed representation,
so they were an extremely
important constituency then.”
This also means that
there has been an increase in
workload for the youngest
members of the Board: Erik
Burbulla and Nathan Flynn.
While past Student Reps
such as Adarsh Shah ‘11 only
attended committee meetings
“around once a month,” the
reps this year have had to go as
frequently as once a week.
“The need
is both pragmatic
and philosophical,
productive
and righteous.
The position
exists because the
Roepers were wise
enough to see this.”
Committee meetings tend to
focus on one specific issue;
such as 21st century education
or budget planning. Beyond
the overarching topics of the
committees, each one must
delve deeper into the subjects
at hand. For example, the
Facilities Committee drafted
seven potential strategies for
creating more classroom space
in the future.
“Student Reps tend
to do important work on
committees that affect their
constituency- such as the
Development and education
committees,” Winkworth
says. Burbulla, continuing the
positive trend, serves on the
education committee.
Despite the
importance of drafting the
new plan, committee meetings
were suspended in October
to begin preparation for the
interviewing of semi-finalist
candidates for the Head of
School position. This turned
out to be an even bigger time
commitment than committees
was.
“We had meetings two
or three times a week, for up
to four hours at a time for two
months,” Burbulla reveals.
“We spent four hours
in the multi-purpose room
debating and voting… it
was very tenuous,” Burbulla
admits with a smile. “It was
a very trying time.” “Student
Reps have done a great job
with the head search on many
occasions… and the reps this
time I think did an outstanding
job.”
Now that Feldman has
been hired, the hottest topic
for the board has been the
construction of the new threeyear plan, which the working
groups have been constructing
since August.
Burbulla, who also
serves on the Educational
Technology working group, has
spent a lot of time conversing
with students about what
they think is necessary for the
school to adopt in order to
have a more comprehensive
education. The consensus
has been roughly consistently
“more bandwidth and Smart
Boards.”
The Roeper Board
may be unique in its approach
to having kids on the board,
but this doesn’t mean that
the kids aren’t around to
help. In fact, Student Reps
have often been some of the
most important on the boardincluding LoCascio, who
was called “the model board
member” by co-member Shah.
Although the students
may not wear the nicest
clothes or speak with as much
authority, their influence is
undeniable- proving that with
great responsibilities comes
great results.
4
Tuna Talk
Features
Social Media Relationships an Open Book for Staff and Students
By Alec Segel
Developing strong
student-teacher relationships
is a vital part of what makes
Roeper unique. For some
students and teachers, these
relationships have leaked into
Facebook, creating a new way
of communicating effectively
with one another. Like many
other things in life, Facebook
seems to be useful as long as it
is used appropriately.
Some students,
like senior Taylor Mitchell,
think that it is “appropriate
for students and teachers to
be friends on Facebook, as
long as the relationship’ stays
friendly.” Instrumental
Music teacher Jason McIntosh
agrees, “We [the adults and
teachers] need to be cautious
with what we post to make
sure that we don’t jeopardize
our relationship,” McIntosh
says. “I wouldn’t post anything
that was inappropriate. We
also need to be very cautious
with the younger students,” he
adds. For some teachers,
Facebook has become the
main portal of communication
with their classes. “I sometimes
use Facebook to have my
Advanced Biology students
turn in their homework and to
also notify them of anything
up and coming.” Biology
teacher Laura Panek says. “I
wouldn’t have started using
Facebook if not for that.” McIntosh also uses Facebook
to contact his students. “My
homeroom has a snack
by Kylee Weiss
[This blocks content from
certain people] For example,
I do not want kids to see
things that have to do with
my personal/family life.” Freshman Ian Solomon
has a more radical approach.
“If a teacher comments on
something I posted, I will
automatically unfriend them,
just because they read my
comments,” he says.
Facebook means a
great deal to students and
teachers alike. In some ways,
this helps maintain the studentteacher relationship. There is a
fine line between what should
be posted on Facebook, and it
seems like Roeper students and
teachers have the uses for it
under control.
Instrumental Music teacher Jason McIntosh checks his Facebook.
Photo by Alec Segel
schedule and Facebook lets
me communicate with them so
that they can figure out when it
is their turn to bring in snack,”
he says.
Just last year, Missouri
Governor Jay Nixon imposed
a law that made it illegal for
students and teachers to be
friends on Facebook. Junior
David Veillette opposes a
similar law being enforced in
Michigan. “It imposes on free
speech,” Veillette says.
“The state doesn’t have
the constitutional power
to control the internet,” he
says. Others, like McIntosh,
were neutral. “If the law was
imposed, we have other ways
of communication, such
as emailing and phones,”
McIntosh says. [Note: later
that year, Missouri Teachers
sued the state over this law.
The judge repealed it over an
injunction.]
Some teachers have
Facebook policies for their
students. “I have all of my
students on a list and they
can’t post on my wall until
they become an alumnus
of Roeper,” Panek says. “In
this way, I don’t have to be
responsible for what other
people post on my wall.”
McIntosh also has a
rule, “I do not friend people
unless they are in a class with
me and I never send a student
a friend request,” he says. “I
also have a very limited profile.
Congratulations to Girls’ Varsity Basketball
District Champions
FRONT ROW (L-R): Katie Saslow, Julia Lisi SECOND ROW: Captain Julie Pudar, Captain Kiara Canales, Morgan Harrison,
Sophia Savas, Alyssa Flynn, Nadia Salman, Francesca Bennett, Lauren Anderson BACK ROW: Tori Farrow, Amy Romano
Photo by Nick Pudar
Tuna Talk
5
Sports
Coaching Legend Recounts Career
By Armani Lee
“The first year of Track,
his coaching career. “The first
way. When you start talking
Athletic Director
Girls’ team I coached in 1983about best, there are so many
Ernie Righetti is arguably one
84 didn’t win a game, and by
categories. I can’t really tell you
of the best coaches in MHSAA history, racking up 700 games
and counting .
“At a young age, I
found [that coaching] was
something I was good at,”
Righetti says. “It’s the only
thing I’ve ever wanted to be,”
he adds.
His first chance was
coaching cross country at
Olivet High School in 1973.
At the time, Righetti was a
senior at Olivet, majoring in
Biology and Physical Education. “I only coached one year,
because it was my senior year
and I graduated,” he explains.
Righetti coached at
Wayne Memorial High School
and Wayne State University.
“I’ve coached football at a high
school level and basketball and
cross country, and track at a
college level.”
Righetti then came
to Roeper. “I was hired as
Athletic Director in 1982. I
planned to stay here one year;
at the time I was looking for
a collegiate track job in that
area.” Thinking back, Righetti
remembers, “I think they were
changing the Athletic Director
every year. At the time Mike Coach Ernie Righetti poses with the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team after his 700th career win.
[Ruddy] was stepping in as
Photo courtesy of Nick Pudar
Athletic Director and physical ed. teacher. I was hired by
because we qualified three
their senior year they were
who the best has
Mike. . . [the] Head of School,
or four runners for States. I
ranked in the state.”
been. We played as a team,
and [the] Assistant Head.”
thought they exceeded expecta- When asked who he
and I appreciate all their ef
During his 30 years
tions. Basketball- wise, my son
thought were his most “memo- forts.”
at Roeper, Righetti has also
(Eric ’96) and daughter (Lesley rable” athletes, Righetti says,
While being at Roeper
coached Girls’ and Boys’ Bas’03) playing, obviously that was “I have had so many, I don’t
Righetti was strongly encourketball and Track.
special for me.”
know where to begin. Everyaged to apply for Head of
When recounting his
Righetti has overone that has played for me I
School. “There were a number
most memorable coaching
come some obstacles during
feel has contributed in a special of people who wanted me to
years at Roeper Righetti says,
apply for Head of school back
in the ‘80’s, and I considered
doing that,” he says. “I thought
I could have helped the school
in a lot of ways, and then
helped it in a lot of ways.”
Righetti plans to
retire in two years. “. . . We’ve
targeted a couple years from
now,” he says. “I could leave in
five years, or I could leave tomorrow. My wife (Roxanne)’s
retired, and coaching is a hard
thing. Every night until 8 or
later . . . I want it to be my
choice, and not the school’s.
When I am ready to go, I will
let the school know.”
When Righetti does
leave, “My plan is to relax, not
to have to go to basketball
games all the time. I think the
thing I am looking forward to
is being able to go somewhere
without having to come back
at a certain time.”
When asked what
legacy he hopes to leave behind, he says, “I hope people
will appreciate the hard work
of the program we have
developed- the Booster Clubs
who have raised thousands of
dollars for our programs- the
hard work of the athletes. I
wish that could continue.”
Former A.D. Fox Recalls Kickoff of Roeper Sports
By Jonah Sklar
It has been over four
decades since teams first appeared in a uniform under the
leadership of Roeper’s pioneering Athletic Director Sid Fox.
“I was hired to be
Athletic Director in the
1965-66 school year,” Fox
remembers. “The program was
founded [due to the fact] that
students and parents clamored
for more extracurricular activities.”
According to Fox, sports were
limited at the time, “When
I got there, they only had
sledding and skating… in the
winter, but no Physical Education program. We only had
outdoor classes to teach skills
at the start of my tenure which
proved very prohibiting.”
Fox faced further
limitations as Roeper only ran
through the 10th grade, so
the program only competed
at the junior varsity level at its
highest. Not to mention that
the school was at the bottom,
size-wise, of Class D. In fact,
on the 1966 Boys JV Basketball
schedule, Roeper was pitted
against a Michigan School for
the Deaf. “We rented public
and private high school facilities for practices and games
such as the Bloomfield Hills
Public Schools and Cranbrook,” Fox says.
Further limitations
stretched to the mentality
of the athletes that played at
Roeper during the 60’s. “It was
a challenge to teach the values
associated with sports in a
non-competitive environment,”
says Fox, “Characteristics such
as being aggressive, disciplined
Former Roeper Athletic Director Sid Fox .
Photo courtesy of Emery Pence
and enjoying the challenge of
performing better than other
school teams did not always
resonate with Roeper students,” Fox says.
Despite these hurdles, the
sports program had mixed
success. Although most of the
teams did not have a winning
season in 1966, money was not
a problem. “The program was
generously funded through
parent and student-run fund
raisers.” These efforts were
just enough money to keep
the sports program afloat and
to field varsity teams the next
year.
When the sports program
began in the fall of 1966,
students voted on the school
colors and mascot.
“We established the
school colors as scarlet and
white, for no apparent reason,”
Fox remembers. “And had a
school contest to establish the
Roughrider logo that has been
retained.”
In 1974, Fox vacated
the position of Athletic Director for a position at another,
larger school. Football coach
and science teacher Walter
Cowans took over as the interim Athletic Director and cut
programs such as football after
the 1975 season due to a lack
of funding. Cowans served
as Athletic director until 1978
when a young Mike Ruddy
assumed the position. Ruddy
served as AD and Soccer
Coach. In 1982, Ernie Righetti
took over for Ruddy as AD
and has retained that position,
as well as coaching men’s and
women’s varsity basketball
teams since that date.
Although Roeper
sports started off as a small,
laid-back program, it has
developed into a powerhouse
among certain sports, achieving
dozens of District Championships in multiple sports as well
as developing Division 1 college athletes.
Under the guidance
of current Athletic Director
Ernie Righetti, Roeper has
only grown from what it was
in the 1960’s and 70’s, adding a
basketball and volleyball facility
with plans of further expansion with the ‘Home Field
Advantage’ project.
6
Tuna Talk
Reviews
Sleigh Bells’ Reign of Terror No Treat
By Nathan Flynn
Perhaps the secondmost important thing that selfappointed critics look for from
an artist between their first
and second albums is growth.
Growth is a term that can’t
really be qualified; much like
pornography- I know it when
I see it. For example, Weezer
grew as a band by writing
Pinkerton instead of sticking
with their more humorous
stylings of the Blue Album;
and Bon Iver grew by incorporating a full orchestra instead
of his baseline acoustic guitar
and drum accompaniment.
Now take Sleigh Bells- a band
that reduced pop to its most
basic by incorporating just loud
guitar, lyrics that were moreoften-than-not indecipherable
moans, and the occasional loud
drum track. The band really
had no choice but to grow
from its baseline ingredients
and, by incorporating too many
changes, has crafted an album
that ultimately falls short of its
predecessor- Treats.
The most noticeable
change that Sleigh Bells has
incorporated is evident on the
cheekily titled “True Shred
Guitar,” which begins with
Krauss yelling to what sounds
to be a riled-up crowd before
the guitar line comes inexcept it kind of doesn’t. The
once blasted power chords
are still there but not with the
punch that they used to pack.
Compared to Treats’ opener
“Tell Em,” it sounds like a
Shih Tzu trying to yap over
a Rottweiler’s powerful bark.
Granted, the volume was occasionally overpowering on
Treats, but the guitars sound
neutered on Reign of Terror
as a whole, with the wonderful
exception of “Comeback Kid,”
the single that made every
Sleigh Bells fan believe that
this album would be more of
the same from the noise-pop
duo. “Comeback Kid” is the
turning point for the guitars of
the album- they begin to regain
their former
power but ultimately, it’s too
little too late. The first five
tracks of Reign of Terror tend
to deviate too much from
Sleigh Bells’ comfort zone to
be considered effective.
This discomfort is
found in two areas: the pro-
gramming and singer Alexis
Krauss’ vocals. Producer (and
guitarist) Derek Miller has
grown immensely as a producer, but the creative liberties
that he takes tend to muddle
the mixture for often than provide a line of clarity. The most
blatant example is the introduction of a synth line to the
formerly spartan backing track.
Using a synthesizer could have
provided another cool layer to
Sleigh
Bells’ sound but ultimately
are too invasive and wouldn’t
sound out of place on a Crystal
Castles album- especially on
more subtle songs like “End of
the Line.” Even on standout
“Comeback Kid,” the synths
overshadow the drum machine
throughout the song despite
the blatant aggression in the
drum programming. It’s a
strange juxtaposition that confuses more often than wows,
and that is consistent throughout the album.
The most positive
example of growth exemplified by Sleigh Bells comes from
Krauss’ vocals, but she still
doesn’t seem ready to carry an
album with her vocals alone.
Instead of using her trademarks moans and coos, Krauss
assaults us with actual vocals all
the way through Reign of Terror. She is a naturally talented
vocalist, but seems uncomfortable when her vocals are
at the front of the mix rather
than being overshadowed by
the noisy guitars, as they were
on Treats. One of her biggest
vocal triumphs- “Demons”- is
a direct result of her being
hidden underneath Miller’s
once-again cacophonous
guitars. Her vocals aren’t bad,
just frequently shaky, and don’t
pack enough punch to make up
for the loss of consistently true
loud guitar.
So yes, Sleigh Bells
did manage to grow a great
deal on Reign of Terror, but
growth is just the second-most
important thing to look for. At
the end of the day, the number
one question will always be
‘did they equal the success of
their first album?’ It seems that
Sleigh Bells did not meet this
criterion because of the leaps
and bounds that they took to
evolve their sound and grow as
a band. It’s an honorable thing
to do, but when the product
suffers one must wonder- was
it worth it? Regardless of what
the answer to that question
is we must consider Reign of
Terror for what it is- a puzzle
with too many pieces that don’t
quite fit. It’s still a fun puzzle,
but an exceedingly frustrating
one to do.
Discover The Secret (World of Arriety)
By Patrick Yee
I am an avid anime
fan. This is the main reason I
saw The Secret World of Arriety, a
movie clearly not marketed to
someone of my demographic.
This is a family movie. It
is marketed as one, but that
should not prevent you from
enjoying it.
As I mentioned
in my 10 Movies to Watch
in 2012, The Secret World of
Arriety is (somewhat loosely)
based on Mary Norton’s
The Borrowers. For those
of you who are not familiar
with this particular piece of
literature, the Borrowers are
tiny people who typically live
under the floorboards and take
things that will not be missed
by the human “beans.” The
Secret World of Arriety is about
14-year-old female Borrower
named Arriety who finally gets
to go on her first “borrowing.”
Unfortunately, she is seen by
Shawn, a human. But what
makes the movie work is what
the audience is seeing.
One of the things I
knew would make or break
the movie is how the animator
shows the world as seen by the
Borrowers and the humans
differ. The best example is
the cat. While we see things
from the human’s standpoint,
the cat is just this pudgy
comical fur ball. But when we
see him from the borrower’s
point of view, the cat becomes
threatening and the depiction
is certainly believable. The
cat is not the only thing that
is imposing to the borrowers.
The entire human world is a
big dangerous place. Counters
are like cliffs and jars are like
prisons to them. Even the
ticking of a clock is loud and
ominous. However, even in
this world of danger, there is
plenty of beauty such as giant
flower patches and rain drops
on leaves. Sure, it is not as
pretty as some of Miyazaki’s
films, but it looks quite good in
its own right.
The depiction of
how the borrowers use human
goods is also impressive. The
audience was treated to Home
Alone-levels of ingenuity. The
most impressive examples
are the decorations in the
Borrower’s home.
This also brings me to
the attention to detail. Most
of the movie is from the
Borrower’s standpoint, so the
little things (no pun intended)
are incredibly important.
The animators realized this,
and we see every little drop
of water and every blade of
glass.
The voice acting is not as
impressive. In previous anime
films that Disney distributes
here the US, the voice cast is
a collection of recognizable
voice actors. This film does
not have that same star power
behind the voices and almost
exclusively uses television
actors Carol Burnett, Amy
Poehler, and cast members
from Disney Channel original
TV shows.
Both Poehler and Burnett
do fantastic jobs as Arriety’s
mother and the slightly crazed
housekeeper respectively.
Arriety’s father, Pod is voiced
by Will Arnett. His voice is
monotone and un-emotive and
was sometimes a chore to listen
to and that really shouldn’t
happen. Shawn was voiced
by David Henrie, who is best
known for playing Justin Russo
on Wizards of Waverly Place. The character of
Shawn is supposed to be 12.
Henrie is 22, the days of him
sounding like a 12-year-old are
long, long gone.
Within the context of
the film, the story does a good
job displaying the world of
Arriety in its entire splendor.
The ending is rather bitter
sweet, which is refreshing in
this vanilla-ized entertainment
world. That being said, there is
an undeniable sweetness to this
film. It is a feel-good movie
in the same vein as Toy Story or
The Incredibles. There is tension,
conflict, and everything one
would hope for in a family
movie storyline.
While most of the
characters are entertaining and
fun, but the best character
was Arriety. She has far more
depth moves the story along
most of the time.
Something I
need to account for is that I
am writing for a largely high
school audience. I am not
going to sit here and pretend
that our school is like a
Norman Rockwell painting and
all the movie viewing audience
here wants to see is a film that’s
“fun for the whole family.”
Some of you want something
edgy and there is none of
that here. This is a very tame
film, perhaps the most family
friendly movie I’ve reviewed
and I know there is a portion
of you who do not want
that. I have to give
The Secret World of Arriety two
different recommendations.
As an anime fan talking to
other anime fans: go watch
this. Studio Ghibli is still
going strong, and it will likely
be quite some time until the
next movie, From Up on Poppy
Hill reaches our shores. As a
film critic talking to a general
audience, this is a family movie,
a really good family movie. It
should be enjoyed as such.
Coming Next Issue
Prom
Update
SLC
Improvements
New
Dance
Class
My March
Madness
Bracket
Assemblies
by Patrick Yee
by Francesca Bennett
by Alec Segel
by Armani Lee
by Ethan Rosenberg
All About