Darren Li '29 Picture this: In school, Bob could prioritize his unique strengths more, though that is yet to be discovered. Or, he could follow whatever clubs that his friends are joining and constantly enroll in those competitions valued as “Ivy League pass”. In these crossroads, whether Bob should “be himself” has become a point of contention. This essay will examine the effectiveness of that advice and argue that “being yourself” remains more valuable than abandoning the

Agnes deSouza 28’ The TEN is an annual bonding trip for Grade 10, which happens every first week of September. This year’s trip, held from September 8th to September 12th at Ningbo, China, brought the entire Grade 10 together for five days of outdoor expeditions, bonding activities, and community building. The Grade 10 counsellor and one of the organizers of the trip, Mr. Delain, said, “The trip is really about community…It gives students a chance to see each other beyond a

Kaelyn Yu '29 In 2023, approximately 18 million households in the United States experienced food insecurity. Of these, 6.5 million were families with children. For a 16-year-old, this is one of the hardest moments of their lives, one where they feel unsafe, unstable, and are desperate for a sense control. Standing in a grocery store’s aisle, the choice wasn’t between right and wrong, but between starving or curing hopelessness. When metal doors clang shut, the moment would s

Ikhee Lee '26 *Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Ask yourself this: why should you love your country?  You may not have an immediate response. You may not love your country. You may disagree outright and hate your country altogether. After all, no individual was able to choose their nationality at birth. This begs the question: if nationality is arbitrarily assigned, why should we be patriotic?  Patriotism denotes a feeling of

Dominique Penaloza '29 Some students turn their passions into performances. Others turn them into responsibility. For senior Rachel Chen, APAC Dance co-captain, it has become both. Most people only see the final performance; the lights, the music, the polished choreography. But for Rachel, the work starts long before the curtain rises.  Captaining the APAC Dance team isn’t just about performing well. It’s creating the world that performance lives in. Rachel explains that be