We hope you enjoy our last issue of 2020, with community stories and perspectives from the remote learning period. Happy holidays, and have a great break.

- The Record Editorial Board

Caroline Kenny-Burchfield

St. Luke’s Gives to Local Community

Amelie Zhang ’23, Staff Writer

Wood-burning and crystal-growing kits, bath bombs, and play sand dinosaurs were just a few of the items on registries for St. Luke’s annual toy drive.

BaHSA Panel Confronts Affirmative Action Myths

Vivian Shi ’23, Contributing Writer

With almost one million views, Vox’s video titled “What We Get Wrong about Affirmative Action” opened up the Black and Hispanic Student Association (BaHSA) meeting on Tuesday, December 8. BaHSA hosted a panel on the topic of affirmative action in the college admissions process.

Arhan Chhabra ’22

Community Conversation Covers LGBTQ+ Identity

Lauren McLane ’23, Staff Writer

“How can I tell if someone I know is part of the LGBTQ+ community?” was one of the questions submitted by an anonymous community member for the second Community Conversation of the school year.

Arhan Chhabra ’22

COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive

Parth Jain ’24, Contributing Writer

In recent weeks, the rollout of several COVID-19 vaccines has been a beacon of hope for many as the number of global cases continues to rise.

Shannon Meng ’22

Community Voices: Hotchkiss in Shanghai

Shannon Meng ’22, Contributing Writer

“Community Voices” is a subsection of Features giving contributors the freedom to submit personal vlogs, blogs, journal entries, poems, and other art addressing off-campus living during remote learning. Shannon Meng ’22 vlogs about her experience living with fellow Hotchkiss students in Shanghai.

International Business Times

Women of Color Reshape American Politics

Siri Nellutla ’23, Staff Writer

In 1916, four years before women won the right to vote, the first woman was elected to the House of Representatives. Jeannette Rankin said, after winning the election, “I may be the first woman in Congress, but I won’t be the last.” There are now 127 women in Congress.
This month, Kamala Harris became the first female, the first South Asian, the first person of color, and the first child of immigrants to ever be elected vice president of the United States. Echoing Rankin’s words, Harris said in her victory speech, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” Harris winning is a testament to the persistence, struggles, and rise of women in American politics.

Flicker/cdrummbks

In Defense of Controversial Literature

Felix Bao ’21 & Sachin Umashankar ’21, Contributing Writers

Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe advocates for the omission of Joseph Conrad’s imperialist tale Heart of Darkness from the typical selection of classic literature, writing in An Image of Africa, “The question is whether a novel which celebrates…dehumanization, which depersonalizes a portion of the human race, can be called a great work of art. Our answer is: No, it cannot.” Achebe is wrong.

Angela Choi

Artist of the Issue: Angela Choi ’21

Darina Huang ’23, Staff Writer

Angela Choi ’21 is a four-year senior, violinist, concertmaster of the Hotchkiss Orchestra, and student at Juilliard Pre-College. Outside the classroom, she is a co-head of Songs for Smiles, board member of Students for Environmental Action, and proctor in Flinn dormitory.

David Li ’21

Holiday Celebrations Spread Cheer

Nithya Chundi ’23, Contributing Writer

You can usually find students both eating Sno-Caps and using them for decoration at the annual Gingerbread House Build in the dining hall. This year, the school livestreamed the annual traditions of the Gingerbread House Build and Lessons and Carols.

Robert McCall

Beneath the Base of the Monolith – An Analysis of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Clark Dong ’22, Contributing Writer

It has been more than half a century since the release of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, yet the majestic sci-fi film still leaves its audience perplexed today. This time-bending film revolves around the Monoliths, towering slabs of metallic entity. The film was ahead of its time. It differentiates itself from other sci-fi films of its time not only by the self-awareness and progressiveness in the ideologies of our existence, but also by the cinematography, production design, and the storyline’s sheer depth. It predicted modern technologies such as iPads and artificial intelligence, anticipated the struggle between man and machine, and inspired numerous modern sci-fi classics.

Mahmood Almadeh ’20

Athlete of the Issue: CJ Mitchell ’21

Carrie Cao ’23, Staff Writer

CJ Mitchell is a four-year Senior and co-captain of the Boys Varsity Basketball team. Last winter, he earned the Founders All-League Award and an All-Star NEPSAC Class A Honorable Mention. Co-captain Aidan Rodgers ’21 said, “CJ is a great teammate. He is the first man over to pick someone up when they fall. He shows great passion and true leadership on and off the court. He is a fantastic mid-range jump shooter and can take the ball to the basket on bigger defenders.”

Ein Jun ’22

A Look Back on An Unprecedented NFL Season

Rebekah Oppenheimer ’24, Contributing Writer

The 2020 NFL season has been one like no other. Whether it’s been the unexpected rise of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the not-so-unexpected collapse of the New York Jets, or the number of players who have contracted COVID-19, it’s fair to say that the 2020 NFL season has been one to remember. As teams head into Week 15 and approach the start of playoffs, there’s still a lot more football to be played.

Lydia Bullock

Working Out From Home!

Megan Ho ’23, Contributing Writer

With the semester finishing off virtually, how will members of the community stay active? Three athletes tell us how they balance online learning with workouts.

Claire Wang ’21

Alex Cheng’s NBA Power Rankings

Alex Cheng ’23, Staff Writer

The 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) season will return on December 22 with the results from the previous season, the draft, and free agency still simmering. During an expedited off-season, exciting, promising talent was drafted, rumors buzzed around, and big free agents wobbled the NBA landscape. The Eastern Conference will be the most competitive top to bottom that it has been in over a decade, and the powerhouses which comprise the Western Conference make the upcoming season one of fierce competition and uncertainty. Below are my power rankings.