Download the latest issue of The Globe (pdf) Articles include: Traveling by Aneli Poland, Class of ’13; An American in Cali: First Impressions by Samuel O’Brient, Class of ’13; A Day In The Life by Harry Schiller, Class of ’14; Munich and Great Barrington – Two Waldorf Schools by Harry Schiller, Class of ’14; Vienna by Arthur Seltzer- Class of ’14; Excerpts from a Columbia Journal by Samuel O’Brient, Class of ’13; Excerpts from a Munich Journal by Harry Schiller, Class of ’14; Germany Photos; and Columbia Photos.

by Arthur Seltzer, Class of ’14
The train began to slowly make its way out of Wassaic Station and the adventure began. On October 27, the GBWHS students went on a field trip to New York City. All the students in the school, including the German visiting students, took the train from Wassaic into Grand Central for a day of festivities.

When the students arrived in New York, metro cards were passed out and the group of thirty students got into an underground subway train. After the short ride and walk to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the students split up into different groups, according to grade and subject, and were sent off into the museum to observe various exhibits.

After an hour and a half, it was time for lunch. Some students went to the museum’ s cafeteria and others went outside for fresh air and food from street vendors. After lunch, the students went back to a treasure hunt of exhibits, until it was time to go – at which point all the students and faculty re-grouped on the steps outside.

Saying goodbye to the museum, the group of Waldorfians took a walk around New Y ork. Their walk led through Central Park and culminated in the entire group stopping just outside Rockefeller Center. At this point, they were told to meet back at Grand Central Station later, and then were set loose to roam the city on their own. Some students went to get coffee or a bite to eat. Others went shopping. Some of the visiting German students simply walked along the city streets, marveling at its sheer size.

At the end of the day, all the students and faculty made it back to Grand Central Station in good time. The GBWHS students bade adieu to the city as they boarded the train back to Wassaic, and, exhausted but happy, traveled back to the Berkshires.

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

by Robin Graney, Class of ’13
Cardi Jackson, mother of recently graduated Tilo Jackson, has offered students and faculty the option of hot lunches three times a week. She believes this is a healthy alternative to our usual Dunkin’ Donuts or Manhattan Pizza.

So on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays she arrives, huge crock pots in tow, to distribute the warm, soupy deliciousness. Each lunch, which includes bread freshly baked by Tilo, and fresh butter, costs $6.00.

The soup ingredients are all organic and locally grown, which is both tasty and beneficial to all the students and staff who enjoy it.

When asked what he thought of the hot lunches, sophomore Samuel O’ Brient responded, “I’m very happy that Cardi is offering such a great lunch alternative. Her cooking is wonderful.”

That seems to be the general opinion of the student body. Thank you, Cardi!

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

by Mac Litishin, Class of ’14
In English class we’ve been exploring imagery, simile, and metaphor. Here’s a class writing exercise by one of the ninth grade students:

“The air was colder than arctic ice. The white pines were as tall as mountains and were spaced far apart. The buck was ahead of me, but the trail was still fresh. I saw a heap of dung lying on the ground, like beans under a dry vine. I was glad, for I knew that I would find him bedded down for night soon. I would wait till morning though, to make the final chase. The last night of the hunt is the most exciting – filled with joy and sadness, as I say farewell to the life I have known for the past year.”

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

by Sam O’Brient, Class of ’13
As a high school student in a small private school, I sometimes forget about how awful bullying is. I was reminded of it all too clearly when I heard the story of college student Tyler Clementi, a freshmen at Rutgers University, who was filmed having a sexual encounter which was then broadcasted over the Internet. When Clementi discovered the awful truth, he ended his life. Clementi’s story is tragic, and his message is clear: bullying of every kind needs to end.

We wanted to know how bullying affects students in high schools in our area, and initiated some conversations about this. A student at Pittsfield High School told us: “It’s not unusual to see someone pushed into a locker when you walk through the halls of PHS. Some students are prone to verbal abuse too.”

In nearby Dalton, things seem to be a little better. Wahconah Regional High School junior Victoria Ware, 16, stated: “It isn’t a major problem in our school, but like everywhere else, it happens occasionally. Usually, it happens to people not fitting into a certain clique and being made fun of because of it. But for the most part, students at Wahconah are pretty accepting.”

In South County, it’s more complicated. Mt. Everett junior Gabriella Makuc, 16, told us: “There are a few kids who just get picked on by everyone and that’s really bad. But it also depends on what grade you’re in. I don’t see seniors beating up on freshmen or anything like that. It just does not happen. But in a smaller grade, like the one below mine, people are more straightforward. I wouldn’t say it’s as much bullying, as it is people being honest about their feelings toward each other. But that can come off as negative, which translates into bullying. I don’t feel like bullying is the biggest problem at my school, but there are a few targets who are just not popular and get picked on. However, there are many other people who think bullying is wrong and they will always stand up for those being picked on.”

Sophomore Stephan Zdiarsky had this to add: “Bullying is biggest in elementary and middle school. It was starts with verbal assaults, but now that we are older, I think the whole grudge thing is big. And it still occurs regularly on the Internet. It happens so much, it’s kind of second nature – unless it happens to you.”

Real bullying in a school like GBWHS is rare, and we like it that way. Still, we all need to be constantly diligent. All over the country, parents, teachers, and administrators are working in many ways to stop bullying, but ultimately it’s up to the students themselves to decide that they’ll have nothing to do with any form of social exclusion in their lives.

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

GBWHS played hard, and we had a great time. Thank you to our coaches, our players, and our opponents.

Wins/Ties/Losses for the season were 2/2/5:

Woodhall (home) Tied 1-1
Storm King (away) Lost 0-2
Buxton (home) Won 5-2
Woodhall (away) Lost 0-4
Hartsbrook (away) Lost 2-3
Simon’s Rock (home) Lost 1-4
Buxton (away) Won 4-3
Simon’s Rock (away) Tied 1-1
Darrow (away) Lost 0-5 (playing their Varsity)

See you next year!

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

by Sam O’Brient, Class of ’13
Even in a school as small as ours, the students here have different views of the December holiday season and what it means to them. The two main holidays of this time of year are Christmas and Hanukkah, and several students actually follow both. Being born into a Jewish or a Christian family does not necessarily mean you have to choose between the two holidays.

Sophomore Robin Graney muses, “We celebrate both Hannukah and Christmas, since that’s more fun,” when asked about her family’s holiday traditions. Freshman Solomon Joffe is also part of a mixed- religion family. “We celebrate Hanukkah by getting chocolate coins and stuff,” he stated. “But we also do Christmas things.”

Jewish freshmen Shai Lev adds: “We celebrate Hanukkah but not only that holiday. We also honor Christmas. Any holiday that we know about, actually, we’ll celebrate, but just not in a religious way.”

Freshmen Mac Litishin has a different twist on the season: “My religious views are Ancient Greek. I celebrate the winter solstice by honoring the divine in nature, while my family celebrates Christmas by gathering together.”

Whether you’re Christian, Jewish, both, or anything else, there really is one thing we can all agree on: There’s nothing like the holidays!

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

by Daniel Wingeleit, visiting German student
One of my first thoughts as I arrived in Great Barrington was: “I hope that my family will be nice.” This was my first time traveling to America and I was really nervous. After I got past the Immigration officers, I met our exchange teacher, Frau Wirth, who was waiting in the arrival hall. Then Ari drove us three hours to our destination: Great Barrington. Everybody was really tired so the atmosphere on the bus was quiet.

Great Barrington was smaller than I expected, but nice, although I couldn’t see much because of the darkness outside. That was when I met my host family: Lydia, Bob, and Will Danz, who were friendly from the first moment to the last. Even though I was happy to meet them, all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

The first morning in America wasn’t different than mornings in Germany. I got up, took a shower, and had breakfast. Only the scenery and the language had changed. We arrived at the school and our first lesson was with Frau Wirth. We had to translate a text because she wanted to see how good our English is. There were many red corrections on the sheet when she handed it back to me. The next lesson was with Mrs. Siegel: math. She was teaching information we Germans had never heard of before so it wasn’t easy for us to follow.

As the weeks passed, my grades in German and math got better and better and that made me happy. Every day during recess we went to Dunkin Donuts and bought Boston Creams. We didn’t have any seminar in the first week and instead we took tours to the Norman Rockwell Museum, Bash Bish Falls, and Bartholomew’s Cobble.

On the first Monday we played on the school’s soccer team against the Buxton School. On the next day during the ride to soccer practice, a heavy bag fell on my head and cut me. I had to go to the hospital to get a staple in my head. During the second week, we had seminar with Mr. Oelhaf. The time ran away and we were at the end of the third week and my German friends had to leave.

The next three weeks went too fast, too! And now the end is near. I made a lot of good friend here and with one I fell in love. In the spring, many of these new friends will come to Munich and I will be really happy to see them again.

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

by Solomon Joffe, Class of ’14

SJ: How and why did you come to America?
AB: Frau Hochleitner told us that nine students could come to America. The first nine students who said that they wanted to go were allowed to go. My parents told me I had to go, so I told her that I wanted to go.

SJ: How was the flight?
AB: I thought the flight would be really bad. But it didn’t end up being so bad. It was okay. The food wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be either. It wasn’t great, but it was okay. I watched a few movies and played cards with Nicholas for most of the flight.

SJ: Do you like the GBWHS? Is it a lot different from your high school in Munich?
AB: I like the school here a lot, but it is way smaller than the Munich one.

SJ: Is the food here different?
AB: Yes and no. In Munich we have many more options. We also have fast food, but we have a lot of bakers, and downstairs in our school there is a small restaurant where we can get a full course lunch for $3.50.

SJ: Is the landscape here different?
AB: Here there are a lot of small mountains. In Germany there are the Alps, which are much taller. In front of the Alps there are some smaller mountains though.

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.

by Sam O’Brient, Class of ’13
Every year on November 2, in nearly every Spanish-speaking country, people gather to celebrate El Dia de los Muertos, better known to English speakers as the “Day of the Dead.” The celebration begins on November 1 and can last up to several days. People take part in the festivities to honor their loved ones who have passed on. They bring flowers to their graves and sometimes even paint the headstones. Picnicking on the graves is also not uncommon. Cooking the deceased’ s favorite dishes is also a holiday tradition.

In our Spanish class, Senor Sonia Cintron took great care in celebrating the Day of the Dead. Her two Spanish classes put together a wonderful altar, featuring pictures of students’ deceased relatives, as well as flowers and candles, which we lit in honor of their lives. Spanish bread and cookies were also presented at the altar. A wonderful celebration, El Dia de los Muertos is truly a holiday to celebrate.

Download this issue of The Globe PDF, Winter 2011.