Volume XIV Issue 5 Visit us online: theindianite.weebly.com June 2018

Sock ‘n’ Buskin Wraps Up the Season with Edwin Drood

Image courtesy of Claire Fishman

In this issue of The Indianite:

Sock ‘n’ Buskin Senior Advice Volunteer Opportunities Naviance Failure Love, Thought, Virtue Senior Matriculation 2018

By Claire Fishman Staff Reporter

On May 3-5, Sock ‘n’ Buskin presented The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the final production of its 50th anniversary season. Drood, a Tony-award winning musical and murder mystery, charmed and delighted audi-ences at each performance. The musi-cal is based on the Charles Dickens nov-el of the same name that was unfin-

ished at the time of his death. There-fore, because the true ending of the novel is unknown, the ending of the musical is determined by an audience vote. The talented cast prepared multi-ple alternate endings for this twist, and the audience wound up choosing a different ending each night. The pro-duction was a great success and a won-derful way to end the season.

Additionally, as the end of the school year quickly approaches, Sock ‘n’ Buskin is celebrating 50 years of theater and performance. The club held its 50th anniversary reunion gala on June 9 at 6pm at CRN. All past and present Buskies were welcome at this event to enjoy dinner, performances, and nostalgia. Moreover, all three Sock ‘n’ Buskin directors attended, including current di-

rector Sandy Chantry who will be retir-ing this year after many years of service to the Council Rock theater community. No doubt, though, Sock ‘n’ Buskin will continue its fine tradition of entertain-ment for the CR community.

Image courtesy of Claire Fishman

Seniors Offer Advice for High School Success

By Josee Li Layout Editor

Listen up CRN! Some seniors are ready to leave us some advice be-fore they enter the next chapter of their lives. Here’s what they said: Sasha Hofman: “In high school, do what truly interests you, not what you think colleges will like to see. It will pay off in the end.” Connie Fang: “Give yourself room to take risks and to try new things and

embrace the challenges, risks, and rejections that might come with it. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone, so approach new situations with an open mind so that you can grow and learn from them.” Nikky Nemzer: “Never underestimate how nasty the whole college process is. Start planning what you want to do and where you want to go by the end of your sophomore year so that when you get to junior year and all the deadlines start flying by you, you at least have a vague idea of what to do.

Also, at the end of your junior year starting thinking about your col-lege essays and start writing the second you see the prompts. Be-ing prepared is an absolute necessi-ty and (as some-one who severely procrastinates) there is no such thing as too ear-ly.” Jules Bernstein:

“Make sure you get involved in clubs and activities!” Lydia Roe: “Time management and prioritizing are actually really helpful skills.” Brynn Smith: “It doesn’t matter how smart or not you are if you don’t have the time management skills to match it. The further along you get in high school (and beyond) the more im-portant time management becomes. Learning to start assignments ahead of time rather than the night before they’re due has probably been my big-gest key to success.“

Volume XIV Issue 5 Visit us online: theindianite.weebly.com June 2018

By Will Sohn Staff Reporter

School is ending soon and summer will soon be upon us. These upcoming months will be packed with lots of activi-ties, events, and summer work for many people. As summer approaches, many students also are looking for more local volunteer opportu-nities. Students know that volunteering is a great way to help in the community and to earn LINCS credits for the up-coming school year, but what are LINCS?

LINCS stands for Learning in Neighborhood Community Service. Council Rock School District has a long tradition of community involvement and believes that students will be positively impacted by the service that they can offer to the community. Although the school district does not re-quire LINCS hours for gradua-tion, they highly encourage students to participate in vol-unteer services. Students should be aware of the differ-ent criteria of the LINCS pro-gram.

Unlike graduation require-ments, LINCS hours are a pre-

requisite for NHS (45-50 hours depending on when you apply). CRSD does acknowledge on transcripts and diplomas those students who have accumulated over 60 service hours. Students who have done this will also be eligible for different scholarships and service learning awards sponsored by local community organi-zations. Even though LINCS hours are not required, stu-dents should still volunteer in order to enrich them-selves and be rewarded for their work.

Before you volunteer, LINCS organizations must be pre-approved and verified through the school. There is a link on the North website that provides a list of pre-approved LINCS organiza-tions and district opportuni-ties. Students can earn LINCS credit through events such as fall festival, different clubs that help non-profit organizations, fundraisers, and other school events. Students can also volunteer at the district elementary and middle schools or through school-sporting community services.

In addition to district oppor-tunities, many pre-approved local organizations offer LINCS hours. Local churches and synagogues in the Bucks County area are already veri-fied through the school. Li-braries are also providers; I volunteered last summer at the Northampton Library in Richboro and received credit throughout the summer. This year, I am volunteering at St. Mary’s Hospital with several other students from Council Rock North in order to com-plete my service credits. As a fellow hospital volunteer, sophomore Tejas Banhatti spoke on what this summer would be like:

“I think that this is a great way to earn hours for the upcoming year ... but it is

more than just about earning hours, it’s also about giving back to the community. It will be a lot of work, but it’ll be worth it.”

While the number of hours required to join NHS or re-ceive recognition on your diploma and transcript may seem overwhelming, it defi-nitely does not have to be completed over one sum-mer. Students can accumu-late hours gradually through-out their four years. Moreo-ver, a wide range of both district and local volunteer opportunities exist for Coun-cil Rock North students; we should take advantage of this opportunity and enrich our-selves and help our commu-nities.

Volunteer Opportunities Abound for CRN Students

Image courtesy of Will Sohn

Naviance Career Test Fails to Offer Guidance for Many

By Maithri Nimmagadda Staff Reporter

The existential feelings of not knowing who you are or who you want to be in the world coincide with being a teenager, but part of growing up is understanding yourself. The Naviance Career Test that

CR North students take before graduation aims to help in this goal, so many students are ea-ger to take it. Unfortunately, the Naviance Career Test does not aid in helping students find out who they are. Aparna Dev, a CR North student, highlights one primary issue with the test, “I

don't know how specific a per-sonality test with two options can be.” For many, the test seems so vague that it cannot help students, but can only confirm some basic personality traits they are already aware of and in some cases provide in-accurate assessments of per-sonalities. The test attempts to categorize people with simple questions and answers, but the problem is that most people cannot be accurately described with such a structure. This flaw leads to inconclusive or contra-dictory results for some stu-dents, such as Kacy Liang. After taking the test twice, Liang’s results were “inconclusive.” “It [the test] technically said my personality doesn't fit into any of them [the categories].” Such outcomes testify to how the test must be im-

proved with more complex and diverse questions and answers. Students cannot be helped to understand them-selves or what to do in the future if the Naviance test provides no real guidance. As a result, several students disliked taking the test, even calling it a waste of time. “It’s stupid," Charlie Alt said. Students become irritat-ed and distraught, and the test becomes counterproductive by creating instead of relieving more angst and stress for stu-dents. Thus, the Naviance test structure and results often crush the potential for a help-ful experience. Hopefully, with improvements, the test can help students with accu-rate rather than inconclusive or vague findings since many students do want to know more about themselves and their most suitable career op-tions.

Image courtesy of

Cartoon courtesy of Maithri Nimmagadda

Volume XIV Issue 5 Visit us online: theindianite.weebly.com June 2018

Love, Thought, and Virtue Can Transform

By Margaret Zheng Staff Reporter

I think many of us aren’t thinking. We aren’t feel-ing. We “go through” school, as if it were a necessity and not an opportunity. (And I speak of myself, too.) School may seem an institution that “is,” apart from us students, and whatever it “is” we must accept or other-wise escape. Live with it, or go somewhere else.

I once thought I might escape. I dreamed of the Law-renceville School, where -- I believed -- a culture of thought and empathy is strong and vi-brant, where students are al-ways engaged in bettering their school. Later, a former class-mate who now attends that school informed me that the reality of private school educa-tion, though having its merits, is far from the utopia I envisioned.

But I am here, at CRN, and not there. What envelops my conscious-ness now is not some disappointment of a reality, but rather a dream, an ideal, a hope transcending myself. I cannot bear being numb to hatred and blind to apathy.

I’ve always believed our strength in Council Rock was our sense of com-munity, our welcoming embrace. I thought I could revel in the love, pride, and unity of CR, even if academically I might be better served somewhere else. I thought of CR as a place where cliques, intolerance, and harassment exist only in the shelves of fic-tion. Or I thought they did. I hope. I cry, because I am part of the problem.

I am not the kindest, most open-hearted person my-self. I am quick to judge and eager to analyze, and my voice grows easily sharp and loud because of my pas-sions. Prejudice, slurs, and hate swim in the deep, dark oceans of myself, and sometimes their presence cause me to fear or despise myself. It is human to love, and it is human to hate.

The healthy choice is not to suppress our darkest senti-

ments and give them impetus to grow in our subconscious, but to be aware of them and choose not to act on them. Starve the wolf of evil, and feed the wolf of good -- but of both wolves shall we keep aware.

Be not afraid of thoughts and feelings, for they are not your actions; they are not you. Feel-ing never necessitates action; injury never mandates re-venge. Practice mindfulness, and entrain peacefulness. We all live in the same small world. We all love, and hate, and laugh, and cry…I forget that sometimes. We cannot forget.

Like Lancelot of The Once and Future King, a lover of prin-ciple who feels plagued with moral imperfections, I some-times act only upon a strong sense of “ought,” in lieu of compassion or empathy. But other times, I do feel, and when

I feel, I am awash with emotion. The surplus of sentiment re-minds me that in harder times, I could so frightfully easily be a bystander to hate or a perpetu-ator of hurt, but I truly cannot be either. I cannot escape the problems of school, nor can I let them be. I must fight for virtue.

The motto of the Law-renceville School, “Virtue sem-per viridis,” or “Virtue is always green,” still resonates deep with me. The sentiment ex-pressed is not merely environ-mental, but also intellectual and personal and so much more. It means that virtue -– goodness, humanity, love -– is never outdated, and that we must at times take a fresh look at ourselves and evaluate how

we can improve.

It means that due to the tide of the times, no people remain virtuous by staying the same –- they must exert sustained effort to grow as persons, like plants seeking always the good light of the sun.

It means that the ideas of vir-tue, like a detoxifying tea, reju-venate one’s soul and brighten one’s existence. A community reflects deeply and honestly and then takes meaningful ac-tion.

I have long been fasci-nated with the multifold mean-ings of the motto, and now I wonder, can the idea of ever-vibrant virtue transform the community of North? Is a com-munity of thought, empathy, and welcome dialogue only possible in a private school, in which students attend out of choice?

Perhaps the issue is not our iron ties to bureaucracy -- ties which may be only as powerful as our submission allows -- but a culture of not caring, of in-difference towards learning, towards fellow persons, to-wards love and hate.

Too often I hear a tone of sar-casm in our school. I hear racial jokes, political quips, rude re-marks, and not honest discus-sion about suicide. I have al-ways felt something was wrong with them, with the pervasive-ness of them, but they some-times seem too entangled into our culture to protest. So often when I have expressed con-cern, I have been told not to take matters so serious-ly. Okay, so maybe I need to

laugh sometimes, for endor-phins’ sake. But the undenia-bly serious often begins with the seemingly innocuous.

We need more school-wide gatherings, not for recre-ation or even for charity -– who can care genuinely for a cause just by tossing money at it, as a hobby? -– but for re-flection and remembrance of unity. Perhaps we can have a Challenge Day, a day of com-passion and connection, a springboard for a more wel-coming future.

Perhaps we can learn beyond the categorizations of grade levels, beyond the walls of the classroom, beyond the re-straints of academics and cur-riculum. Perhaps we can all collaborate and teach our-selves what is to be human: to love, to hate, to hope, to fear, to wonder, to aspire, to imag-ine, to act, to be.

Can we be genuine and find the essence of issues, thinking past the sarcasm and cynicism, past the political divisiveness, past our shared tendencies to dismiss the dauntingly important, to pass it off as someone else’s job, to cling to the status quo as if our pulse of life depended upon it, as if change were not our fate from the start when we grew from em-bryo to infant to child of dreams?

Can we seek to experience empathetically and learn about lives different than ours, and celebrate and

love our diversity, our diversity of diversities? Can we, amidst the differences, find the spark and spirit that unite us all, the light of life?

These are the watershed years for Council Rock. We have been agitated, shocked, confused, relieved, divided between ecstasy and terror, and it is from chaos and uncer-tainty that we can grow in strength. I want us to think, deeply, and I want us to feel, truthfully. I want us to care about our school, our psyches, and our communities, and make something hap-pen. Where is our spirit, our passion and compassion? It’s kindling, I hope. It shall burn us alight.

Image courtesy of Margaret Zheng