Embedded Files
Finding My Voice, On Stage and Off
How theater helped me find my voice and why you should join DCI’s next theatrical production.
By Naama Brown, Class of 2023
I have always been drawn to theater. My elementary school only put on musicals, and, sadly, I am not musically talented. After playing a few ensemble roles such as, notably, Tree #5 in The Wizard of Oz, I decided to stick to stage crew. I loved the behind-the-scenes process, putting in creative work that I would later see on stage, but what I really wanted was to be on that stage.
A bird in The Lion King, 2016
When I first came to DCI in ninth grade, I was very quiet and lacked self-confidence. Early on in the school year, I found out that DCI would be putting on a play. Even though I knew no one, I went and auditioned. As soon as I stepped into the audition room, I felt at home. The people that I met that day have become some of my closest friends. That year, I got a small role in the play She Kills Monsters. Although my role was not large, I was a valued member of the community. I bonded with my cast and crew mates as we worked together to create a piece of theater that was personal and meaningful to each of us. The show and the people involved helped me gain more confidence in myself and my abilities. If I had not taken the risk and gone to the audition, I never would have found the community that stood by me throughout high school.
A narrator and various monsters in She Kills Monsters, 2019
Later that year, the pandemic hit and we all began our lockdown lives. For many, including me, it was a lonely time, and I leaned on my family and art to brighten my days. I was grateful to have built relationships within theater the previous year: the theater community provided me with much-needed connections and creative outlets during the pandemic. In 2020, the DCI theater program put on a virtual play called Bad Auditions… On Camera. I played two very different roles and took advantage of the low-stakes environment to explore the nuances of the two characters. The play was silly and lighthearted—exactly what we needed during a very dark time. It gave both the people involved in creating the show and the audiences watching it a reason to laugh and appreciate each other.
Rory and Uma in Bad Auditions... On Camera, 2020
Last year, when I was in 11th grade, I was cast as the lead role in Clue. The role was demanding and took a lot of time and practice both in rehearsal and on my own. I played Wadsworth, the butler, and worked on the character so much that I found myself unwittingly having better posture and holding doors for people outside of rehearsal. I built skills around time management and discipline, ensuring that I was showing up to rehearsals while also maintaining my school work and home life. Coming out of distanced learning, theater provided the perfect environment for human connection and creativity as we worked towards a common goal. I built strong bonds with my cast and crew mates, which in turn led to strong on-stage performances. Having acted in both small ensemble roles and leading roles, I understood that it was not the size of my role but what I put into it that made the experience meaningful. Performing the show that we had all poured so much time and effort into was incredibly gratifying.
Wadsworth, the butler, in Clue, 2021
This year, we put on Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to Peter Pan. I played the role of Black Stache, the pirate antagonist. I had more fun in this role than in any other roles I have played. I felt that I was able to really personalize the character and make it my own. I made the character dramatic and flamboyant, which allowed for many added moments of humor and personality. A meaningful way that I have learned to think about acting is “gift giving”: the idea that every decision and character choice an actor makes on stage is a gift that they give to the other actors because they get to choose how to react. This year, I focused on my on-stage interactions with my cast mates just as much as my personal performance. As a senior, I also became an unofficial role model and mentor for the younger cast members, just as I had looked up to the seniors when I joined theater in ninth grade.
In Peter and the Starcatcher, I also ventured into something that had always made me uncomfortable: singing. It was very challenging for me (singing my seconds-long solo was scarier to me than performing the entire rest of the show), but everyone in theater was incredibly kind and supportive. I can say that my solo, while it might not have been Broadway-worthy, was not awful. Peter and the Starcatcher was the perfect culmination of my theater experience at DCI. The performances reflected the strength of the bonds I had built with those involved, the time and effort that we had put into it, and just how much fun we had doing so.
Black Stache, the pirate captain, in Peter and the Starcatcher, 2022
Now, I lead DCI’s drama club, which is a chill and supportive environment where we do improv, practice monologues, and goof off. Looking to my future, I know that the lessons I learned and the relationships I built in theater will continue to benefit me in the long run. Among many other things, theater has taught me how to be part of a team, how to be a leader, and how to be confident in myself and my abilities. I have learned—literally and figuratively—how to make my voice heard.
My advice to you is to find a welcoming and supportive community where you can both grow and have fun. In case you hadn’t already gathered, I would highly recommend DCI theater as a place to find that community. It has truly been the highlight of my time at DCI and I am forever grateful to everyone involved.
Safety Guy
A personal narrative by CJ Dunlop, Class of 2026
Every morning, Monday through Friday, I wake up and go through the same routine. Eat breakfast, brush teeth, pack backpack. It’s a pretty conventional schedule. And then I hop on my beautiful road bike (it’s a Cannondale Synapse with a Shimano 105 groupset) and zoom off to school.
Biking is amazing. It’s crazy how with just a few pushes of the pedal, you can go 10, 20, or even 30 mph. In a city, biking is so important to so many people’s lives, including mine, turning a slow, boring commute into a fun, fast-paced ride. Often, I find myself zooming through lines of honking cars, their drivers looking longingly at me as I get to school on time regardless of the traffic or weather, hopping up onto sidewalks and whirring down empty bike lanes.
When I started biking, I always had a nagging fear of getting into a crash sometime during my long, 7.6 mile bike ride, but it took me a while before I began to really consider this thought. Biking is really just a lot of fun, and any other alternative ways of getting to school just didn’t appeal to me. I started biking because I couldn’t wait. That is, I could never get myself to stand still waiting for the Metro to arrive, or waiting for the bus to finally leave the station and worm its way through traffic going west towards my school. Biking gives me the option to not only get to school without waiting much at all but to get to school a bit faster than I could using Public Transportation. I can also get a bit of exercise while biking, something I can’t do while riding a car or train. In my opinion, sitting down in a Metro car doing nothing is not very fun, and is also really boring. However, sitting down on a skinny bike seat while I zoom down a trail at 25 mph is very, very fun and exciting.
Because I bike during Rush Hour, I see many bikers throughout my ride, especially on the MBT bike trail which I spend most of my time on. As I started biking in August of 2022, I started to notice that I passed many of the same bikers every day. I mean, I guess that’s obvious, as many people consistently bike to work, but I started to really notice these people, getting to know their clothes, their bikes, their speed, fitness, and even facial expressions. One guy who I began to notice even on my first day of biking looked to me so tough and fast, he could have been a professional biker. Silently to myself, I named him “Professional Biker Guy”. There was another guy I saw towards the beginning of my ride who looked so much like a family friend named Mr. Willis that I named him “Fit Mr. Willis”. However, because the Mr. Willis I knew was a Navy SEAL and is now a Police Officer, I eventually changed the other guy’s name to “Willis Plus”. I’m not really sure if you could get much fitter than Mr. Willis.
Another man I saw right from the beginning was a guy, probably in his 30s or 40s, who always blasts 80s music. No matter what, if you’re stuck with him at a stoplight, you will find yourself subtly tapping to the beat of his music, energy pumping through your veins as Rock, Pop, and Heavy Metal blast out of his speakers. This guy is so 80s, he even wears aviator glasses while he bikes. That is definitely commitment.
As I kept biking every day, every week, every month, I started to get to sort of know many other people on my ride. There was “Walking Man”, the old man who walked south down the MBT trail in the morning and flashed me a thumbs-up whenever he saw me. I could practically imagine his voice, a southern, gruff, old drawl. “Good mornin’, son!” I would always hear in my mind. There was “Latin Dad”, who always biked his daughter to school at Washington Latin, about 2 miles south of my school. He probably also had a gruff voice, especially because of his scraggly shaved beard. If I talked to him, he would probably call me “buddy” or “dude”. There was “Latin teacher”, who biked my route down the MBT to get to Washington Latin every day. I never actually got a good look at him. Maybe he was from New England or the Midwest? I still have no idea. And finally, there was “Safety Guy”, the guy who I always disdained for what I thought was his overly-safe gear. I mean, he wore, and still wears, a bright green vest, a bunch of lights, and uses multiple reflectors. As far as I can remember, he had lights on his bike, his bag, and his helmet! Isn’t that a bit much?
Despite knowing all of these people, I never really knew them. They were just normal people who happened to take the same bike trail as me to get to work. I still had a persistent fear that no one would be there to help me if I got into a crash, even the other bikers who I saw every day. Would my dad be able to come pick me up in time? Would any of the people I saw on my bike ride help me? Did they even know me? I even began to question biking in general. Was it safe? Was it worth it to spend so much money and energy on something that could potentially hurt me or even kill me? What did biking really mean to me if I didn’t have a biking community?
My fear seemed to increase as the months went on. One day, after I just missed the long light at Missouri avenue, I sat with “1980s Guy", waiting a minute or two for the light to change. Just like a classic, fearless 80s guy, he zoomed through the red light during a break in traffic. Foolishly, I followed him, though a little bit too far behind, so much so that as I neared the end of the intersection, I looked up to see a speeding pickup truck hurtling down toward me. I ramped up my speed, just barely avoiding a possibly fatal crash. A kind Hispanic mom yelled at me to be careful. As I zoomed across the other side of the street, the reality of the incident hit me in full force. Most likely, the Hispanic mom would have been there to help me if I had been hit, but what would the chances be that there would be another mom there if I got hit some other time? Low. That sent shivers up my spine.
Another day, as I was zooming down a shallow hill into North Capitol street, the traffic light turned yellow. In my hurry, I tried to make the light, but hesitated and tried to stop as it turned red when I entered the intersection. This was obviously a foolish decision as it had rained the night before, and I skidded on some leaves, losing control of my back wheel as it flew into the air. Miraculously, I turned my front wheel 180o onto the sidewalk, my back wheel thudding down onto the ground as I screeched to a halt, cars zooming down the street that just a few seconds ago I had almost fallen into. Throughout my whole 1 or 2 second calamity, 5 to 10 bystanders had just watched, doing nothing. If I had crashed into North Capitol street and gotten hit by a car, would anybody have been there to get me to school or to safety, let alone help me? I wasn’t so sure. Was biking safe or not? I began to think about my alternatives, such as taking the Metro or buying an electric Hoverboard or scooter. However, I decided to keep biking. Regardless of safety concerns, biking was fun and important to me. It was much more exciting than the boring Metro. Anyways, with all of its crime and derailment (especially on the Red line, which I take), was the Metro any safer at all?
One day, when I entered the kitchen from a long bike ride home, I found a snack prepared for me (like always) by my wonderful mom. As I sat in a chair at the kitchen counter to shovel down some food, absolutely famished from my ride, I began to talk to my mom between bites. I thought I might tell her about my concerns about biking, but I started by telling her about the people I saw on my bike ride every day. I decided to let loose my strange names that I had given people, telling my mom about “Walking Man”, “1980s Guy”, “Willis Plus”, “Latin Dad”, “Latin teacher”, “Professional Biker guy”, and even “Safety Guy” who I told her wore way too much safety gear. She found that funny though she was mainly interested in the crazy “1980s Guy”. I mean, that guy does have the most personality. As I was thinking about telling her my concerns about biking, my mom had to get up and leave for a meeting. Despite this, though, I was satisfied. It felt good to tell someone what was on my mind and to share the funny thoughts that popped into my head as I spent hours every week biking miles and miles.
The next day, my mom pulled me aside to tell me something. She had been talking to her doctor friend, Mrs. Salters, who used to go to our church but started going to a church in Brookland closer to her house. Mrs. Salters told my mom that her husband often commuted south down the MBT trail on his bike to work. She said that he sometimes saw one of the Dunlop kids biking north, the other direction.
“What does he wear?” asked my mom.
“Well,” said Mrs. Salters. “He always wears a bright green vest and multiple lights on his bike and helmet.”
“That’s ‘Safety Guy’!” my mom exclaimed.
When my mom told me that “Safety Guy” was actually the nice husband of one of her nice friends (everyone associated with my parents is nice), I found it very funny and crazy, but it was also reassuring to me. I was super relieved. Every day, when I biked to school, I would have the comfortable knowledge that if I got into a crash, Mr. Salters would be there to help me.
Soon after this conversation with my mom, as I was waiting at a stoplight, “Latin Dad” pulled up next to me.
“Hey, buddy,” he said, kindly. I realized that I had never actually heard his voice before. It wasn’t gruff at all, but instead, it bore a bit of resemblance to my own dad’s voice. Though I was a bit surprised, I responded.
“Hello!”
We talked a bit about biking, cars, and his daughter at Washington Latin. It was only a short 1-minute conversation, but it was nice to actually talk to someone I saw every day. It’s crazy how much you might think you know about someone when you’ve never actually met them before. Ever since our conversation, we always wave, smile, or nod when we see each other. It’s nice to know that “Latin Dad” is there to help me in case something happens.
Another time, as “Latin Teacher” was passing me, I noticed for the first time that he was riding the same bike as me, a red Trek (the bike I had before my Cannondale). I mustered together some courage and called out to him “nice bike!”. He thanked me and then realized that we had the same bike. We then talked for a bit about school before I zoomed away down my own separate route.
What made me really realize that I was becoming part of a community was recently when I got a flat tire. As I biked up 3rd St toward school, not knowing that you aren’t supposed to bike, even for a second or so, if you have a flat tire (you can damage your wheel rim), most of the bikers who I passed rang their bells at me, trying to get my attention. As I got closer to school, a random dad biking his kids to school even went so far as to yell to me “Front tire flat; be careful of your rim!”. At that time I didn’t realize the significance of that comment, but later when I learned that I had possibly damaged my rim, I realized how much all of these bikers cared for me, a random kid. It takes some courage to get the attention of a stranger, and 10 or so bikers had gone out of their way to do just that. By then, I realized that I didn’t just recognize other bikers, but they recognized me. I had become part of a biking community.
A Long Face From…Breathing!?
By Andrew Valencia, Class of 2025
How do you breathe? Do you breathe from your nose or your mouth? If you breathe from your nose, do you think it's better than breathing from your mouth? And if it's the other way and you breathe from your mouth, do you think it's better than breathing from your nose? Well, I think for most of us we choose to breathe the most convenient way, maybe you have a stuffy nose and it's easier to breathe from your mouth, or you have a sore throat and would prefer to breathe from your nose. I believe people should be encouraged to breathe through their noses more than from their mouths because of the many functions the nose has for breathing that the mouth lacks.
The first reason why I believe that breathing from the nose is better than from the mouth is that breathing from the nose has a better effect on your health from its structure. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the nose contains tiny hairs called cilia that effectively catch any debris like allergens, pollution, and even small insects from the air you breathe. The mouth does not have this sort of filtering function and offers less protection. Considering the lungs and throat function better with moist air, the “bony” structure in the nose called turbinates humidifies the air you breathe in according to an article from Healthline. The nose because of its structure can both filter out and humidify the air that you breathe, the mouth lacks these functions and so it's more beneficial to breathe from the nose than it is from the mouth.
Nasal breathing also has some other important benefits to the body, one of those being the production of a gas that's called Nitric Oxide (NO). According to the Algester Medical Center, NO is derived from the nose and exists in any normal human breath. It can reach high levels of Nitric Oxide if you hold your breath for long enough. It is believed that this molecule is created in mammalian cells by specific enzymes and is antifungal, antiparasitic, antiviral, and antibacterial. NO plays essential roles in the many biological events that occur in our body including blood flow, immunity, platelet function, etc. while also being vital for maintaining homeostasis while reducing high blood pressure. The Algester Medical Center provides us with more information regarding the benefits of Nitric Oxide as its ability to “Increase the body's ability to transport oxygen throughout the body as well as being able to enhance our lungs capacity to absorb oxygen. The production of Nitric Oxide is one of if not the most important benefits that can come from nose breathing because of its many essential roles in most biological events as well as its beneficial effects on the lungs, nose breathing is good for health.
On the topic of what's good for your health, you can't get many of the health benefits you get from breathing through your nose when you breathe from your mouth. In actuality, Mouth breathing can be harmful to our health. Most people don't realize when they are breathing through their mouths instead of their noses, most of the time it happens while they are asleep. Symptoms that can come from mouth breathing include snoring, dry mouth, bad breath, Chronic fatigue, and even sleep disorders like insomnia. Although it may seem ridiculous, symptoms like sleep disorders and fatigue have been documented in many studies. Children, according to dental professionals Martha Macaluso and Patrick Mckewon, can develop lifelong problems from Mouth breathing, problems such as a “Less attractive face” or lower longer face can be noted as well as malocclusions. Some people may choose to stick to mouth breathing because it allows for more oxygen intake, however, this is not true because we can extract about 20% more oxygen breathing through our nose than from the mouth while taking equivalent breaths according to BBC’s Science Focus.
In conclusion, people of all ages should be more encouraged to breathe from their nose rather than breathing from the mouth because of the functions that the nose has for breathing that the mouth lacks. The best thing that a mouth breather can do is to identify the problem, most people don't realize when they are mouth breathing and healthcare providers estimate that 10% and 25% of children have mouth breathing. If any parents notice that their child is breathing through their mouth they should talk to their health provider before the child receives any long-term symptoms. It is okay to occasionally breathe through the mouth, sometimes it's a little hard to breathe through the nose, however, we should not exclusively breathe through the mouth, even though it can be the most convenient at times it can still harm your health.
Research Sources: www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/mouth-breathing-physical-mental-emotional-consequences/, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22734-mouth-breathing., www.healthline.com/health/nose-breathing#bottom-line., www.brisbanebulkbillingdoctor.com.au/news/mouth-breathing-how-to-spot-it-and-fix-it-article/, www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/mouth-brexathing/
Why Schools Should Teach Financial Literacy
Elly Donalies, Class of 2025
Imagine you are fresh out of college, have a job lined up, and are ready to start your life. Then you are overwhelmed with debt, making it difficult to juggle new fiscal responsibilities that young adults are underprepared for. Only 17 states mandate that high school students complete a course in personal finance. Teaching financial literacy would significantly lower these numbers and help prepare young adults for the future: because they are the future.
The first reason that schools should teach financial literacy is to give students a basic understanding of college loans and their consequences. Champlain College says “Most college students borrow to finance their education, yet they often do so without fully understanding how much debt is appropriate for their education or the connection between their area of study and the income level that they can expect upon graduation.” If financial literacy was taught in schools, students would feel prepared when it comes to borrowing money because they would understand what they are signing up for. Sadly, students are left in the dark because they have not received the proper education, leading to crippling debt. Statistics have shown that “Federal student loans make up the vast majority of American education debt—about 92% of all outstanding student loans are federal debt. The federal student loan portfolio currently totals more than $1.6 trillion, owed by about 43 million borrowers.” When people borrow money, they aren’t prepared for the lifelong commitment they sign up for, and with interest rates skyrocketing (the interest on loans is massive) they are left in debt for long periods of time.
The second reason I believe that schools should teach financial literacy is because students are more likely to build savings. In an interview, Certified Financial Planner Cathy Curtis states that “Without basic financial education about the power of compounding interest, what types of savings accounts and retirement accounts are available, and how important it is to start saving early, the financial future of many Americans is grim.” If we don’t start encouraging schools to include a financial literacy class in the curriculum, we are failing to prepare young people for the future. Statistics have shown that “Almost 40% of American adults wouldn’t be able to cover a $400 emergency with cash, savings or a credit-card charge that they could quickly pay off, a Federal Reserve survey finds. About 27% of those surveyed would need to borrow the money or sell something to come up with the $400 and an additional 12% would not be able to cover it at all.'' Teaching financial literacy encourages students to start saving early, allowing them to be prepared if a situation like this were to arise.
The third reason I believe that schools should teach financial literacy is because teaching young people how to properly invest, so they aren’t taken advantage of by life insurance companies or other companies offering overpriced/fake investment opportunities, and instead choose to invest in good companies which in turn would improve the economy. I interviewed Certified Financial Planner Charles Donalies on his thoughts on the importance of knowing how to invest. He said “Without learning the basics of personal finance students can’t be expected to understand basic fiscal responsibilities. Understanding how to invest will prepare young adults to ensure they are prepared for retirement and able to reach their financial goals. People who struggle with debt, overspending, and undersaving end up being a drag on society. Teaching financial literacy would prevent this, and improve the economy.” Learning to invest is a necessary life goal as said in my interview. One must know how to invest to be successful in life. Paul Bischoff of Comparitech writes “our estimates suggest that just under 90,000 Americans were subject to investment fraud in 2021 with losses totaling almost $1.6 billion…According to our findings, the number of reported investment-related scams increased by more than 82 percent from 2020 to 2021.'' We are in an age where social media is a very popular tool, making it easy for scammers to create fake websites/accounts to fool unsuspecting young adults. This highlights the need for the education of financial literacy to educate young adults on the risks of investing.
Some may believe that teaching financial literacy is a poor idea because banks and loan sharks take advantage of those who don’t understand their finances. The consumer suffers because of their lack of knowledge on the subject, not knowing what they have gotten themselves into. Because of this some people believe that teaching financial literacy would result in the downfall of the economy and those companies would be forced to lay off thousands of people to make up for the lost revenue. However, this is not correct because while those multi-million dollar businesses would lose revenue with students being more financially independent, students would be more financially secure and there would be less debt and more jobs which would benefit our economy and society as a whole.
In conclusion, schools should teach financial literacy because it would be beneficial to young adults in their preparation for the future. If we don’t start implementing this into our education system now, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
“Three Reasons Teachers Should be Teaching Financial Literacy” Resilient Educator https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/three-reasons-teachers-should-teach-financial-literacy/ Accessed October 13th, 2022
“The Case for High School Financial Literacy” Champlain College https://www.champlain.edu/centers-of-experience/center-for-financial-literacy/report-national-high-school-financial-literacy/the-case-for-high-school-financial-literacy#:~:text=Personal%20finance%20education%20in%20high,lifetime%20of%20financial%20well%2Dbeing Accessed October 13th, 2022
Hahn, Alicia “2022 Student Loan Debt Statistics: Average Student Loan Debt” Forbes Advisor https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/average-student-loan-statistics/ Accessed October 13th, 2022
Fox, Michelle “From saving money to paying down debt, here’s why financial literacy is so important” CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/01/why-financial-literacy-is-so-important.html Accessed October 13th, 2022
Fowler, Janet “Why an Emergency Fund is More Important Than Ever” Investopia https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0812/why-an-emergency-fund-is-important.aspx#:~:text=An%20emergency%20fund%20is%20essentially,it%20as%20an%20insurance%20policy Accessed October 13th, 2022
Youn, Soo “40% of Americans don’t have $400 in the bank for emergency expenses: Federal Reserve” ABC NEWS https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-americans-struggle-cover-400-emergency-expense-federal/story?id=63253846 Accessed October 13th, 2022
Bischoff, Paul “90,000 Americans Lost $1.58 Billion to Investment Scams in 2021” Comparitech https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/investment-scams/ Accessed October 13th, 2022
Farley, Alan “Why Should I Consider Investing” Investopia https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/why-should-i-invest/ Accessed October 13th, 2022
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