Volume 2, Issue 2

October 26, 2021

Traditions at Mid-Pen: Spirit Week

by B.M. '24

A key point of my quarter was Spirit Week. Spirit Week is an event that Mid-Pen does every semester. It is an opportunity to bond and have a little bit of rivalry between different grades. The Activities Director and History Teacher, Alan Cameron, organizes a daily event that includes different themes days to dress up in different attire such as sports gear, pajamas, and different colors.

“I was impressed with the students that took it seriously, I was impressed by the twin day and the number of people doing it, and impressed about the close amount of points between the class of 2023 and 2024.”

It ended in a big pep rally in the school field. We learned Mid-Pen cheers on the field and found out which grade got the most spirit points. The class of 2023 won the competition and earned a Pizza Party.

LatinX Dragons Update: Día de los Muertos Altar

by LatinX Dragons Club

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated all over Latin America on November 1st and 2nd. Traditionally, there is an altar, or ofrenda, set up to honor passed friends and family, that is usually decorated with pictures, candles, memorabilia etc. The ofrendas serve as a symbolic reminder for the departed souls to let them know they are not forgotten. Marigolds and sugar skulls line the altar representing happiness and death. If you haven’t seen it, we have our own altar this year, and we invite everyone to bring an image or rememberance of their loved ones. The altar will be up until November 2nd.

Texas Abortion Ban: What You Should Know

by Q.B. '23

What’s in the law itself?

• Bans all abortions after six weeks, no matter what the cause

• Offers a $10,000 reward for any successful lawsuit against anyone seeking an abortion

What’s being done about it?

• The Supreme Court has twice refused to hear challenges to the Law.

• On November 1, the Court will begin hearing arguments from various abortion providers.

What does it mean for the future?

• • More states are planning on or are in the process of making vastly more constrictive bans based on the Texas law.

  • Oklahoma and Arkansas are already in the process of creating new laws on Abortion.

Film Criticism - The French Dispatch

by A.S. '23

NEW RELEASE: THE FRENCH DISPATCH - 4/5

A painter cut off from the world after incarceration and the man who will go to any lengths to purchase his work. A group of radical students, determined to undo the damage done by an oppressive government. A police commissioner who is desperate to rescue his precocious son after an eclectic group of kidnappers snatches him one night. Three writers, each sent out to document one of these three stories. The subsequent articles constitute The French Dispatch, a magazine that shares the name of Wes Anderson’s new anthology film.

As in nearly every one of his movies, each frame is a beautiful display of Anderson’s unique visual style, containing planographic compositions, symmetry, and a pushback against naturalism. The film is mostly in black and white, so each shot in color is especially vibrant and captivating. The dialogue is entirely on-brand; witty, deadpan, and humorous. The film is quintessential Wes Anderson, and is a celebration of his meticulously crafted mise-en-scene. However, despite how stylistically captivating it is, this movie lacks the heart that much of his other work has, partially due to the anthology format. Anthologies present obstacles in building emotion, as they allow a considerably shorter time for stories to develop. In addition, when several plots are presented back to back, the viewer is not given time to reflect on what they just watched before they are plunged into another story that they must familiarize themselves with. The film unfortunately peters out as it unfolds and feels a bit tired by the end of the final story. However, Anderson does surprisingly well with the format, and makes good use of the framing device without the movie ever feeling disjointed.

Despite its flaws, this is a wonderful viewing experience and a beautiful celebration of both journalism and filmmaking, as well as writers across artistic mediums. If you are a fan of Anderson’s other work (e.g. Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom) then this is a movie for you.

Art Review: Paula Kravitz

by M.B. '23

Paula Kravitz is a bay-area-based artist. She has worked with many mediums, oil paint, acrylic paint, canvas sculptors, etc. I went to her installation in downtown San Mateo; she had some new pieces that I could not find on her website. One that struck me was a painting of an abstract, almost out-of-focus-looking, dead bird and strange writing that I could not read positioned over it. When asked, she told me that a few years ago, she read this book, and in it, there is this concept of “morning writing” and just writing as much as you can, all of everything. She found that eventually, her writings transcended to scribbled emotions; language was no longer needed to convey her feelings.