91̽��

Biology and climate solutions educator Eben Bein spoke to students last week about current climate legislation in Massachusetts. Mr. Bein, the New England Coordinator for Our Climate, was on campus as a speaker for LORAX, a student environmental club.

Mr. Bein discussed current bills at the Massachusetts State House, including the 2050 Roadmap Bill and H.2810, “an act to promote green infrastructure and reduce carbon emissions.” He also discussed the Transportation Climate Initiative and how to effectively lobby legislators for climate legislation.

A series of events this week celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Organized by the Student Multicultural Programming Office, the theme is “Silence is Complicity!”

On Tuesday, students were invited to swing by the Schwarz Student Center to “take a stance” and take a photo with the commitment that speaks most powerfully to them. Director Ilan Rodriguez said the photos will be arranged into a collage similar to last year’s MLK student-made handprint collage.

Four visiting students from Shanghai, China, spent their first day at 91̽�� touring the campus, meeting with Lori Dow in the Admission Office, and having lunch with Head of School Todd Bland. The students attend the No. 2 High School of East China Normal University and are staying with student host families for their two-week visit.

The exchange program, in its second year, was organized by Shimin Zhou, a modern languages faculty member. Other plans include visits to Boston sites, such as the M.I.T. Museum and Robotics Workshop, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and Faneuil Hall. The students will also tour the campuses of Boston University and Harvard University and spend time attending classes with their student hosts.

For boarding students, the winter holidays at 91̽�� are a time to celebrate, have fun, and bond together in the houses and as a boarding community, culminating in a boarder dinner just before break.

Each house has its own way of making the season special. “It really brightens the shortest days of the year and gives students an opportunity to give to one another,” says Millet House head Linnea Engstrom of the holiday traditions.

Wolcott boys decorated right after Thanksgiving, house head Joshua Emmott says. Tradition holds that Class IV students put up wreaths, while seniors string lights in the shape of a “W.” Perhaps not surprising to parents of teenage boys, a significant amount of food is involved in Wolcott’s celebrations.

Raúl the Third, an illustrator, author and painter, found his first artistic inspiration in a library.

Born Raúl González in El Paso, Texas, the artist explained that his mother—frustrated with staying in a tiny apartment with three young boys—dragged the family to a public library. Mr. González recalled two sensations he would love forever: air conditioning and the smell of books.

He and his mother got to know the librarians, who would recommend books that helped them learn English. One time, a librarian asked Mr. González to describe a book.

“She said, ‘If you can’t tell me what your favorite part was, why don’t you draw it for me?’” he recalled in a talk with visual arts students during the Nesto Gallery assembly. “From that point on, every time I read a book, I created an illustration for it.”

It is okay to take risks, get outside one’s comfort zone, and make mistakes, Deidre Dunn ‘95 told students during the Investment Club and Invest in Girls Assembly. Deirdre is managing director and co-head of global rates at Citi.

Deirdre said that even though she considers herself an introvert and dislikes public speaking, returning to campus to talk about her career was an easy decision.

“But not insignificant in my decision is something that I used to do by accident, but now I do on purpose. I pursue things that make me uncomfortable. You could almost say, I have gotten really comfortable being uncomfortable. And it has been incredibly powerful for me.”

New York City’s vulnerability to rising sea levels and storms goes back to its earliest days, historian Ted Steinberg told history students during the 2019 Heyburn Lecture. Mr. Steinberg is the Adeline Barry Davee Distinguished Professor of History at Case Western Reserve University, and his work focuses on the intersection of environmental, social, and legal history.

Although, many residents were caught off guard by severe flooding during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Mr. Steinberg said the “seeds of New York City’s expansion at the expense of the sea had been planted in the early years.”

When an act of legislation ends legal discrimination, it does not automatically end oppression or abuses of power, scholar and activist Jamal Grant told students.

“It’s not enough to change bad laws and bad leaders,” said Mr. Grant, who spoke at an assembly hosted by the student clubs SIMA (Students Interested in Middle Eastern Affairs) and Amnesty International. “We have to change the systems that keep bad leadership in power.”