CatlinSpeak

By now, everyone has seen the big construction site behind the Dant House for the new arts building. The building is scheduled to open next fall as the newest addition to the Upper School since the library seven years ago. It has a striking presence in our community as a whole, but what exactly is the purpose of this new art building? In order to find out exactly why this new building is needed and what it will change about our school, we spoke to the people who have helped make this project happen.

Arts building construction site (Photo: Ian Fyfield)

Nance Leonhardt, head of the Catlin Gabel arts department, is a major part of Catlin Gabel’s initiative on this building. She expressed her excitement for the new innovations to the curriculum that will be possible due to the new arts building, including printmaking, a portfolios course, and improved music facilities. One of the most important aspects of the new building is that it will bring not only all of the arts classes together, but also continue to bond Middle and Upper School students. Along with the change in schedule that was brought about at the start of this year, inter-school collaboration will be extended even further.

Another feature of the building is the black box theatre. A black box theatre includes flexible spacing; seating can be moved around to configure different sets. The Cabell Center will still serve as a community space, but the new black box theater will allow students to participate in and watch smaller, more intimate plays. This new addition allows Catlin Gabel to have multiple events running at the same time. New clubs that pop up every year, and this extra space allows for more available meeting times.

Along with these areas, there will be a theater technology space, drama classrooms, instrumental rooms, choir rooms, a music laboratory, practice rooms, and storage rooms. For the opening of the new building, artwork created by the honors art seminar class will be on display, nailing home the idea that this is a building for art and for the students.

Dale Rawls, the Middle School arts teacher, expressed his thoughts on the many opportunities this building will provide for the Middle Schoolers as well as himself: “Having the print room between the Upper and Middle School art rooms is going to be great. For so many years the sixth grade had to do their prints by hand. Now with access to a press, I can add printmaking [to my classes].” Dale also mentioned how nice it will be to have the whole arts team in one place, “[This building will allow interactions] with other art teachers more. The exchange of ideas and techniques is going to be exciting.”

To learn more about the arts building, visit https://www.catlin.edu/artscenter

Iron Man 3, directed by Shane Black

Midway through The Avengers, Captain America and Tony Stark have an argument. Cap asks, “Take away that suit and what are you?” That conflict is never really resolved in The Avengers. Though the two men are able to work together in the big battle of New York, the question still lingers after the credits roll. Iron Man 3 is the spiritual continuation of that argument, taking Tony Stark out of his suit and seeing how he functions as both a man and a hero.

Directed by Shane Black, screenwriter for the classic action movie Lethal Weapon as well as the director for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 feels different than its predecessors. Iron Manwas the origin story, introducing us to Tony Stark and showing us what made him become Iron Man. It was a funny, relatively low-budget film, and put Marvel films on the map as a studio that could reinvigorate characters. The most important thing was that it had a clear character arc for Tony Stark. He went from being a playboy billionaire who couldn’t care about anyone into someone who could be an actual hero, risking his life to save the lives of many.

Iron Man 3 theatrical poster (Source: Wikipedia)

Then two years later came Iron Man 2. A better title for that movie would be Everyone Gets a Robo Suit and Shoots Each Other with Lasers! It was a loud action movie, but the action never had any emotional depth. It still had the same charming characters and brought in Don Cheadle to replace Terrence Howard as James Rhodes, Stark’s buddy sidekick, and Sam Rockwell as a rival industrialist. It went to an extreme, having almost every major character jumping into an Iron Man suit and shooting other Iron Man suits. It was big and flashy but there was nothing underneath those big beefy robotic suits.

Then came Iron Man 3, which jumped in the complete opposite direction from Iron Man 2. In this 135-minute movie, Stark was in the suit about fifteen minutes (that time does not include a fantastically choreographed fight scene when he has on only bits and pieces of the suit). It felt more grounded, more human. Those words get thrown around a lot, but here it actually means something. We see a man who has everything. Money, a loving girlfriend, a cool best friend, brains, a kickass robo suit, a good job — and he even saved the world. Take all that away, and what is he? Well, when an evil organization uses a virus to make people overheat and explode, that question is answered. We see Stark making friends with a young mechanic kid, who lost his father just like Stark, in a mountain town and building some very imaginative weapons. Even when he has nothing, brains beat brawn. Thankfully, the kid never becomes a substitute sidekick. This isn’t Last Action Hero, another movie Black worked on. The kid isn’t reunited with his estranged father and has to be saved all the time; he serves a purpose and the movie moves on. Every character serves a specific purpose. Don Cheadle and Robert Downey Jr. also emulate some good old Lethal Weapon techniques, with both of them running around an oil rig in polo shirts with guns. The influence of Black’s career is seen throughout these small references, and feels incredibly welcome while still staying somewhat in the background.

In any good action movie, memorable villains are a key part of the equation.  Villains like Alan Rickman in Die Hard, Gary Oldman in The Fifth Element, and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight all add something that makes them different from a generic villain. They bring both humor and charm to a dark, evil person. Iron Man 3, without giving anything away, had me completely surprised and excited about the Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley. In the comics, the Mandarin was just a Chinese professor who found ten magic rings, shot people with those magic rings, and was always stopped by Iron Man. He was a boring villain who never seemed to go anywhere. Iron Man 3 changed that, making him much more relevant in today’s world as the leader of a terrorist organization called “The Ten Rings.” He’s a scary guy, seen only through dirty video cameras and terrorist videos. Ben Kingsley gives a terrific performance, slurring his voice and just being a menacing guy in general. He’s ruthless, manipulative, and a killer, and the fact that he is still scary and we don’t even really meet him until halfway through the movie is a testament to Kingsley’s performance.

All in all, Iron Man 3 is the most fun Iron Man movie. The action is well choreographed with shades of ’80s action movies, the acting is as strong as ever with Robert Downey Jr. still stealing the show, and the plot is just comic book-y enough to keep a big comic book nerd entertained while also being accessible to people who don’t care so much about comics. Iron Man 3 comes out of the Avengers strong, keeping the Marvel movies on the upward trajectory they have been on ever since the first Iron Man.

From shoes created from a single thread and shirts made from bacteria-killing fabric to handmade sandals created using all recycled materials, athletic companies are developing scientific advancements to enhance performance and making designs that are more creative and aesthetically pleasing. Never before have sportswear innovations or production methods been changing as rapidly or so in line with the world economy.

I visited Tuan Le, an independent shoe designer and Catlin Gabel parent, to learn about how he translates the newest technologies and demands of companies into creations. His office was light and quiet despite his recent move there. In the back room I found piles of cardboard boxes filled with all of Le’s past sketches and examples of the shoes he has designed. First he showed me a one-of-a-kind bright green running shoe that weighed 6.2 ounces, which he created for a professional triathlete. Although you could see influences from other shoes, the pair looked unique. They were made for Zoot, a Spanish brand currently focusing on creating a reputation by dressing professional athletes. Tuan had just received these shoes and soon he would be working on a mass-produced version for sale to the public.

Behind the couch I sat on was a wall of shoes that he created in the past. Ugg boots, the original Rebook with Velcro straps, and eccentric running shoes were among them. We began discussing his philosophy about designing shoes.

Le says that it was the world economy and globalization that change the way companies manufacture their shoes. “It’s not about making a product better, like run faster or jump longer. It’s about what’s easier to manufacture.” International labor prices are increasing because the workers, he says, “are asking for the same things all of us are asking for: they want a house, clean water, air, and a place for their kids to grow up.” He picked up a pair of bulky baseball cleats and described to me the process by which they were made. He says,“130 peopled touched these shoes,” but now, “everybody and Nike especially are trying to make shoes with as little labor as possible.” In designing shoes his main priority used to be wasting as little fabric as possible, but now he also has to keep in mind the number of people required to build the shoe in a factory. He now tries to design shoes that require “as little stitching as possible, and as much automation as possible.”

While Nike and other large corporations decided to develop new technologies to cut down on the price of labor, smaller local companies that Le works with are trying to bring the construction back to Portland. “Many years ago the whole business left the U.S. to Asia because it was cheaper, and now I thought it was just about time to come back again.”

Le worked with the Portland-based shoe company Keen to build a factory on Swan Island. Keen invested in two German machines that cleanly build shoes. Unlike large overseas factories, there are few workers and the employees are highly skilled in order to operate the machinery. I had the opportunity to visit the factory with Le and received a tour from the owner. The industrial walls were painted yellow and covered with words that represent Keen’s philosophy, and an American flag was hung in the middle. The people working at the factory were extremely proud of their innovated facility, which made shoes humanely, environmentally, and efficiently, all in the United States. Although not all of the individual parts of the shoes are made at the factory, they are assembled and prepared there for distribution. This involves prepping the upper for a sole, attaching the sole, and cleaning up the shoe to be sold.

Keen uses a unique German process to create and attach the sole. The upper is placed onto a blue foot that is lowered into a sealed mold. Three different liquid chemicals are combined and then injected into the mold that harden and expand, creating a sole attached to the shoe due to pressure. Any extra rubber scraps can be melted down and reused again, wasting almost nothing. This production of the sole is highly efficient and environmentally friendly. All of the stitching is done in India, but someday Keen hopes to bring the entire process to the United States.

Back at his office, Le told me about another brand that has also been at the forefront of environmental innovation. Twenty years ago Portland’s Deja Shoe developed a sandal created from recycled materials. Ahead of their time, they went bankrupt, but recently Le offered to help them restart. Part of Le’s Buddhist philosophy is to always be working on a project, which he does without asking for anything, so when the owner of Deja Shoe approached him he agreed to help because “her goal was true and her aim was true. I am a Buddhist and so I help without anything in return.” Together they developed a flip-flop from recycled objects that is hand stitched in Portland. “You can look at it and know that it was lovingly handmade; when it looks so perfect it is not so cool. When you see the wrinkle, the folds, you can tell that there was labor involved.”

Nike, on the other hand, has to continue to innovate and change their products depending on the trends of the season and the demand of the consumer. Because of the large scale and changing designs their factories remain overseas and the construction becomes even more automated, moving away from the handmade look of Deja Shoe.

I visited the bustling headquarters of Nike, where I talked about the design and innovation process on a world scale with designers Jason Gonzales and Carmen Zolman. Although there are innumerable differences between large corporations like Nike and smaller businesses such as Keen and Deja Shoe, Nike has seen changes where products are manufactured. Businesses around the world are moving out of China due to rising labor prices and, as Zolman says, “things are shifting more to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Turkey. A lot of other countries are talking about Africa. I think that it will continue to be a cycle around the world; we talk about in the industry the day that the cycle will come back to the United States.”

Because of cost Nike will never be able to use 100% recycled materials like Deja Shoe; however Zolman says, “Nike has been at the forefront of the environmental processes.” They have made it a policy to use 5% organic cotton in every cotton product that Nike manufactures and use recycled polyester.

Zolman says that Nike cannot innovate as quickly as smaller companies do because they must test things extensively to ensure that everything will be successful over time and will do, scientifically, what they say they will. However, she also said that she has seen changes in the design process itself. Nike is focusing on “designing in 3D,” so instead of designers being limited by drawing, they create and work with materials to generate ideas. The “makers” trend is popularizing the crafted and handmade. Nike is struggling because “it’s no longer cool to have the big mass-market machine-made thing, people want something small and crafted,” says Zolman. To combat this, designers are working with new materials to make products unique and crafted-looking.

Zolman spoke about how she visited Andy and Bax, the military surplus store, to find an old military dry duffel bag, which she used to make an armor-inspired jacket. She also showed me a pair of shorts made from a parachute. These garments are purely for inspiration and try to push the envelope of what can be created from unlikely materials. She pointed to a black windbreaker jacket with militaristic leather-like detailing that had been inspired by the duffel bag shell that she created.

A difference between the designers at Nike and Le is their involvement in production after the company approves a design. On the return from the Keen factory, Le pointed out how in large companies the glamorous design process is often separated from the grueling world of factories and manufacturing. A designer who defines trends and decides how fashion will innovate may never see the actual process in which the shoe is made and experience the lifestyle of people in far off countries stitching the shoe together in an assembly line. For Tuan, seeing where the shoes he creates are made helps him become a better and more conscientious designer.

Although Nike and other large corporations play a huge part in how the fashion world changes, it is the smaller companies that are able to propel innovation, redefine the production process, and direct design.

Check out some photos! 

Shoe 1

Keen welcomed us by decorating a white board (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 2

The uppers being prepared to have a sole be attached (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 3

An upper that has just been steamed in prepartion of having the sole attatched (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 4

The machine where the upper and blue feet are mantled (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 5

The upper being lowered into the sole mold (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 6

The chemicals are expanding and hardening created the sole of the shoe, the black ooze coming out of the mold is the excess liquid rubber where the mold was injected (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 7

Because the rubber dries so quickly it can formed into all sorts of things! (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 8

Hannah, our old CatlinSpeak editor, trying her hand at cutting off a scrap of excess rubber (which will later be collected and melted down) (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 9

Cleaning up any finals pieces of rubber (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 10

Spray painting the sole black to make it shinier (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 11

The final line of shoes are being inspected for quality before being boxed and sent to the distribution center (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 12

A machine that test how many times a sole can be bent (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 13

This machine simulates the aging process so the researchers can see what the shoe will look like in 15 years (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 14

A water leakage test. There are sensors inside so the shoes which will indicate when water has leaked. The boots are being bent repeatedly and the water is died red so they can see where the water leakage is at the end of the experiment. (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 15

Force is being applied to the steel toe of a workout to see how much pressure it can take. (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shoe 16

This machine is pulling where a piece of rubber and sole where glued together to test the strength of the bond. (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Jacket

The shell jacket made from an old military duffel bag (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Shorts

A pair of shorts made from an old parachute hand sewn by Carmen (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Zoot shoe

Zoot Shoe – the Zoot running shoe that Tuan designed (Photo: Mary Whitsell)

Wordpress Slideshow

From the Beginning School to the Upper School Catlin Gabel upholds its image as a tightly knit community with many traditions that bring people together.

One of the Beginning School’s greatest traditions is Friday Sing, where every Friday, family members come to sing with the preschoolers and kindergarteners. The songs have remained the same for decades, so at every Lifers ceremony, Upper School students are able to sing along with the Beginning School students, because they remember singing those same songs when they were young. Another Beginning School traditional event is the Mini Olympics. Beginning School students become mini Olympians for the day and participate in events ranging from water balloon tossing to races with several outfit changes.

First Graders perform the Maypole dance at spring festival. (Photo: Karen Katz)

The Middle School has many great traditions as well. In the cake roll, a cake is rolled to determine whether it will be a long or a short winter. There’s also the legendary revels performance, in which Lower School music teacher Peggy McDonnell directs a musical performance consisting of hundreds of children. Another annual performance is the eighth grade musical in which students are expected to audition in front of their entire class.

One of the best traditions, however, that the Beginnings School, Middle School, and Upper School students participate in is Spring Festival. Spring Festival is a family-friendly event with bouncy houses, face painting, miniature pony rides, toy fishing, musical performances and food. The musical performances range from a rendition of “Hit the Road Jack” with hats and canes to Indonesian bamboo stick dances. There is also the adorable Maypole dance in which first graders skip around holding hands and waving ribbons. There are endless other activities such as henna and human dunking stations. This year Catlin Gabel’s Spring Festival will be on Sunday, May 5.

Although Catlin traditions have been around for ages, new ones are being made to bring the community even closer.

In science-fiction blockbusters, world-building is where the real meat is. Usually in the first act of a good futuristic science fiction movie, a director will set the scene for the world the audience is about to find themselves in and establishes the rules.

In Oblivion, that world-building is very well done. A sense of uncomfortable monotony and unease is expressed early on and helps to set the tone of the film. Still, like so many good-looking sci-fi movies, everything eventually turns into a giant, explosion-riddled battle for survival.

Tom Cruise and Andrea Riseborough star as a couple living in a massive spire built in the destroyed vestige of New York City. 50 years prior, Earth was attacked by aliens called Scavengers, or “Scavs,” and the war that eventually drove them off left Earth a shadow of its former glory. Humanity has been driven to turning the oceans into fuel for giant ships bound for Saturn’s moon Titan.

(Source: wikipedia.org)

Cruise and Riseborough are some of the last people on guard duty, protecting these massive ships from the last remnants of the Scavs, while also reporting to mission controller Melissa Leo, a mildly sinister lady whose evil intentions you can see coming from a mile away.

Oblivion looks great. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, whose last movie was the controversial (and also beautiful) Tron: Legacy, the art style is simply inspiring. Environments shift from sparse, clean looking, utopian settings to organic, dirty, and somewhat welcoming scenery. Both come off as completely real and are a testament to both the directing and the cinematography from Claudio Mirana, who also worked on Tron.

However, Tom Cruise is still there. There’s nothing here to really distinguish him from his roles in Minority Report or Mission: Impossible. He briefs the audience on his emotions with voice overs telling us he’s sad or in love. He also keeps repeating a poem by Thomas B. Macaulay about death, in which he tells us he’s gonna pull through.  He never really brings any real character to the role, sleepwalking through gorgeous post-apocalyptic landscapes.

All in all, Oblivion looks fantastic. It just isn’t hiding any depth underneath all that beauty.

When I first saw Ian this September I was struck by his uncanny resemblance to comic book hero Tintin, and I was curious if his personality matched up to my high expectations of someone who looks so similar to my favorite childhood adventure character.

So one afternoon I pulled Ian away from his tennis practice to see if he would like to be the next BOTM. Eagerly he accepted and agreed to come to meet me before school.

He arrived at our meeting early; I was immediately impressed by his organization and commitment, something rare for freshman boys. In addition his sunny demeanor and bright smile at 7:30 in the morning are a testament to his positive and fun attitude.

(Photo: Siobhan Furnary)

What is one thing that girls should know about you?

I am actually old for my grade, so I am the age of most sophomores. A lot of girls don’t know that about me because I am a freshman but in my preschool they started all the boys when they were six and I have a summer birthday. (A call out to freshman girls looking for an “older man”?)

Do you have any secret talents?

Maybe its not so secret, but I play guitar, and I was in a band over the summer.

Have you ever wooed any girls with your guitar skills?

(Smirking) I’d be lying if I say that I haven’t.

Do you prefer spontaneous or perfectly planned dates?

I am really open to anything, I usually like a rough plan but after the date starts I see where it goes.

What is the ideal date to you?

I think probably going to get dinner at sushi and then going to a Blazers game and then take her home.

What do you look for in a girl?

I look for girls that are really comfortable in their own skin, girls that are really comfortable talking to me about themselves and don’t feel they have to be shy around me. Really nice girls.

(Photo: Siobhan Furnary)

Any deal breakers?

When girls are on their phone they whole time you are trying to talk to them.

What do you do to get a girl’s attention?

I’m usually pretty up-front. Usually I just start a conversation and see where it takes me.

Sometimes it doesn’t go too well but… (He looks out the window of the study room uncomfortably, perhaps reminiscing about a time when his direct approach wasn’t as successful)

Any embarrassing love stories?

The first time I put my arm around a girl I tried to tell a story about two turtles getting separated which ends with me reaching my arm across the girl, but she didn’t hear and it didn’t work.

What was her reaction?

She just laughed, giggled a bit and kept watching the movie.

What are three words that best describe you?

(After much thought) Caring, athletic, and nice.

Do you have your eyes on anyone now?

No I’m pretty open. Especially those older girls who aren’t tied down by prom dates (he adds jokingly).

Well ladies, if you are looking for a nice guy who is sure to take you on adventures, approach Ian and perhaps try some suave move to get your arm around him. Just watch out because Tintin tends to get himself in trouble.

When Nic Bergen first contacted Upper School music teacher Charlie Walsh to discuss starting Catlin Gabel’s first a cappella group, neither realized what the group would become. Now, nearly a year since the formation, the group, recently named “Noteorious,” has a dedicated base of singers and is looking toward the future with a thirst to expand and become a more central part of the Catlin Gabel community.

Members of Catlin Gabel’s new a cappella club, Noteorious, practice during one of their practices. (Photo: Mike Mendyke)

A cappella, which uses only voice in place of typical instruments such as percussion, brass, and strings, was originally used in religious worship. Only in recent history has it became an accepted part of pop culture, as shown in movies like Pitch Perfect and the television show “Glee.” As Walsh pointed out, until recently, a cappella “really hasn’t been a high school thing.” Now that it is, it isn’t being used as it used to be; instead groups like Noteorious are “bent towards pop songs and songs you hear on the radio.”

The founder of the group, Nic Bergen, became interested in a cappella after singing in the Middle School choir, but “wanted to do more singing in a relaxed setting.” He worked with Walsh and a member of the a cappella group “Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix” to start Noteorious.

After the club was established about 35 people signed up. But like every club, not all the members were truly invested and “it dwindled down to about 15 people, but that’s still good,” explains Bergen.

The group meets once per seven-day cycle to learn new songs and practice old ones, but as Bergen and new co-leader Iris Ellenberg acknowledged, its difficult to build a lengthy set list with such little time. This year they’ve learned around four songs, which include Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road” and Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time.”

In the future Walsh, Bergen, and Ellenberg hope to grow the group by recruiting more Upper Schoolers, especially rising freshmen and upperclassmen (it is currently composed primarily of rising sophomores). They also hope to increase their set list in order to partake in a cappella competitions and possibly even host an a cappella competition at Catlin Gabel.

For anybody interested in singing, Noteorious is an obvious choice. “If you want to show up and sing with us then we’ll let you sing” says Walsh. “The idea of a cappella is to have fun, make good music, and hang out.”

CatlinSpeak had a chance to interview members of Wonderly, a group of female entertainers on the cutting edge of online media.

Wonderly is a creative cooperative between prominent female artists. All of the original content creators that I interviewed work within the medium of short film and music that they ultimately post onto Youtube. While each creator has her own individual channel, the main Wonderly site (wonderly.com) features links to their videos as well. This allows audiences to find creators that they already know, while still being exposed to the other 37 artists who are featured in the site. Wonderly represents a largely unprecedented collaboration between independent filmmakers.

In addition to the videos, the site also features a social media feed with tweets and Instagram photos. A smart phone app based on the site will be released soon. Housed on the site is a store where one can buy hard copies of music and videos created by Wonderly. In addition to Wonderly’s online presence, the organization is also host to a number IRL (in the real world or “offline”) events for creators and audiences to interact in person. In order to help generate ideas, each month Wonderly posts a topic, typically a universal theme such as March 2013’s “play” for creators to work with. Anyone who wants to can submit work fitting in that theme, and one is chosen to be “featured fan of the week” and have their work featured on the site.

What content do you produce?

Grayson Burger http://www.youtube.com/user/pirategray?feature=: I create a bundle of videos: Vlogs, Funny Skits, Cinematography, Poetry type videos, discussion topics, daily vlogs, gaming videos (playthroughs and guides), questionnaire videos, and just a bundle of things that interest me.

Emily The Bravee  http://www.youtube.com/user/emilythebravee: I’m a vlogger, but I’m working on incorporating some more animation into my videos because I’m in school for animation. I’m currently developing an original animated web series that we’ll hopefully be apart of Wonderly.

Sarah Sneak http://www.youtube.com/user/Sarahsneak: I create a smattering of content. I don’t stick to one genre, because I personally feel like I don’t fit into just one: I’m a comedian, a dramatic actor, a model, a life vlogger. I make content I want to see. My ultimate goal is to help people out who may be in tough spots in their lives. I often have been helped through tough periods in my life by engaging in Youtube and watching other people combat troubles with smiles and open hearts. I hope that I can help at least one person smile in a day. That’s all that matters to me.

Abberz 07 http://www.youtube.com/user/abberz07: I make quite a wide range of content – everything from general day-to-day life vlogs to music recommendations, fashion/styling videos to makeup tutorials. I like to have my content be a good representation of me as a whole and I’d like to keep doing that, and let my channel grow with me.

Marina Watanabe http://www.youtube.com/user/marinashutup

: I make vlogs about the weird characters and happenings in my life. I enjoy dry humor and deadpan comedy and my goal with my channel is to expand my ability to use them effectively and one day produce a web series.

Brizzy Voices http://www.youtube.com/user/brizzyvoices :Most of my content is impressions of cartoon characters. My goal is to make people smile as they are reminded of some of their favorite characters and shows while practicing my voices and challenging myself.

Miss Parker: I create funny, inspirational & sometimes, fashion content on my channel! My goal is to create more inspiring content, create a network within myself to keep people alive, inspired, loved & motivated when it comes to working toward their goals.

Wonderly speaking at a panel at Vid Con. (Photo: Kenneth Woods)

Who may apply to become a part of Wonderly?

http://www.youtube.com/user/rachelskid85

Rachel Skidmore: We are open to inviting non-cis females and reviewing applications from anyone who identifies as a woman.

Why female exclusive?

http://www.youtube.com/user/LanaMcKissack?feature=

Lana McKissack Moore : Wonderely is very important because women are underrepresented in the digital space, and it’s fantastic to have a place with such varied content from strong and independent females.

What is the hardest part of working online?

Grayson Burger: The hardest part is the fact that you’re an entire production team in one person. You have to do your own hair, make up, style (if you choose to), lighting, scripting (depending on the video), filming, camera work, editing, uploading and more. It takes a lot of work, dedication, ambition and passion, but through it all, it’s worth it. Sharing your thoughts and creations to people all around the world, bringing people together and just enjoying what you do is worth it all. Another thing is that there’s a lot of people on the internet that are unforgiving and will make rude comments, trying to tear you apart. Dealing with hate and trolls can be really difficult, but with time and a strong heart, you’ll get past it.

Abberz07: The hardest part of being a film maker is finding a balance between what I’m really excited about and what is actually worth making a video about.

Brizzy Voices: Finding time and place to film is totally the hardest part about filming. I refuse to film with other people around (canNOT focus) so that really limits my options too.

Miss Parker: The hardest part is not having any physical help sometimes when I need it.

Michelle Potter: Sometimes YouTube doesn’t buffer fast enough!

What’s the most fun part of being an internet entertainer?

Brizzy Voices: The most fun part of making videos for me is finishing them and sharing them with the world!

Grayson Burger: When you’re with friends making videos, joking around and just being silly on camera.

Michelle Potter: Sometimes people make gifs of us and post them to Tumblr. *hint hint wink wink* We get a kick out of the fun art fans create. Check out our wonderly.tumblr.com for awesomeness

Abberz 07: The actual editing of the video. And the most fun is connecting and collaborating with other content creators because it only helps me grow as a YouTuber.

Marina Watanbe: Telling stories!

Miss Parker http://www.youtube.com/missparkertv: The easiest/most fun is when I’m done, my video is being seen & my supporters are loving it! My job is done — for a few days! LOL.

What has your experience been like with offline events?

Emily The Bravee: The only offline Wonderly events we’ve had so far are the ones between the other Wonderly girls while we were still launching the site. They’re a blast though. There’s nothing that makes me feel better about doing Wonderly than being surrounded by these amazingly talented girls that I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with. Wonderly bonding ranges anywhere from shopping to parading around Disneyland to eating large amounts of pizza.

Grayson Burger: I absolutely LOVE them. It’s a great way to meet new people, talk with viewers and become a lot more personal to everyone around you. It’s a time where you can to meet people face to face rather through a username and it brings our viewers on a whole other personal level. It’s fantastic! And as for meeting fellow YouTubers, you get to learn, collab, and work with others that have and share similar interests (at least share YouTube in common) and grow together as people. Most times there’s activities like performances which you can watch, booths to meet people, and just mingle with others. Most times such things happen at convention centers (I’m talking like VidCon and PlaylistLive which are absolutely fantastic).

 What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Grayson Burger: Sometimes people get caught in confusion as they’re trying to make their channels larger. Don’t focus on the numbers as much. Quality is key to YouTube. You need to make videos you enjoy and would want to watch over and over and be happy about. You need to enjoy it and not make it into a job. At first, it will be really difficult to have your videos seen, but with some research, proper meta data (descriptions, tags, titles, etc) you can quickly learn the ways of YouTube and the community and thrive with time. Just be yourself, have fun, and post things YOU like.

Brizzy Voices: After 6 years of pursuing art and animation the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you need to be your biggest fan. No one is going always be there for you except yourself and no one will motivate you more than yourself. It’s cheesy, but believe in yourself!

To see more from these talented artists and others, visit Wonderly.com, youtube or twitter.

With seniors leaving campus this May and graduating soon after, many have begun to reflect on their experience in the Catlin Gabel Upper School and pass on their wisdom.

Much of what the seniors wished to change occurred during their freshman and sophomore years, including building better connections with their teachers and taking classes that inspired them.

Advice the seniors had for underclassmen consisted of working hard and trying to find a balance between social life and studies, and to not be afraid to be outgoing with peers and teachers.

Hannah as a freshman. (Photo: Hannah Rotwein)

Hannah Rotwein ’13 says “I wish I had been more outgoing from the beginning, both with my peers and teachers. There are a lot of quite interesting people here to talk to, and I didn’t take advantage of that at the beginning of high school.” Tucker Gordon ’13 says “I think as a freshman I struggled a lot balancing school and social life, but really figured it all out as a junior and a senior. You really just have to train yourself to not care what people think and just be yourself. Be the kid that you want to be, and you’ll be so much happier and more confident”.

Reflecting on each of his years, Gordon says: “Freshmen: work hard and go to the library instead of the lounge. Sophomores: try out new classes: a different art, computer science, a cool history elective, you name it! Now is the time. Juniors: just keep your head down and work through it. It sucks, but it will all pay off I promise you. And for all boys: become good friends with girls. They have the best studying habits. I’m a guy, and no offense to other males out there, but in general we’re not too great at managing school and social life. The girls though, they have it down. Befriend them, study with them, and learn from them. It will help you so much in life.”

Many of the seniors agreed that students should take classes that interested them rather than ones they think they would get a good grade in or will make you look better on college apps. Koby Yudkin ’13 says “It’s much better to take a class that you are genuinely interested in and get a bad grade than to take a class that you aren’t interested in and get an A.”

Tucker freshman year. (Photo: Laura Gordon)

The seniors also agreed that the most important thing to do while at the Upper School is to form strong relationships with teachers and to realize how lucky one is to be surrounded by the people around them. Fiona Noonan ’13 reflects that “I wish it were easier to step back from the Catlin bubble and realize how lucky we all are, and realize how privileged I am to be here with such driven, engaged people. Sometimes it’s easy to get dragged into drama and forget about that piece, since we’re all so focused on our own stuff and on being inside the Catlin community.”

Although the seniors may be leaving soon, they have learned a lot about how the Upper School works and how to be the most successful here. Start up a conversation with one of them or ask them a question about forecasting and you may be surprised with what you learn.

Kanaiza is a gorgeous senior known for her sassy attitude, flowing braids, and being part of the infamous doubles team “Flonaiza” (with Flora Field ’13). Underclassmen may not have seen her before this year, because she spent her junior year abroad in Spain. But now she’s back at Catlin, better than ever, and ready to talk about romance, pick-up lines, and the merits of “Jerseylicious.”

(Photo: Siobhan Furnary)

First, the basic questions. What’s your favorite movie?

(Looking slightly caught off-guard). Oh! Um, probably Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, or Hairspray.

Favorite color?

Purple.

Favorite food?

Ice cream. Mint chocolate chip is solid. You can’t go wrong.

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?

Um, (shocked that the question even had to be asked) television!

(Photo: Siobhan Furnary)

If you could be in any reality show, which one would it be?

Oh! Any reality show…I watch many, many. Which one do I want to be in, or which one fits me the best? (Either way, I answer. She considers for a while). “Jerseylicious.” I love “Jerseylicious.”

Why “Jerseylicious”?

This is so hard for me. First of all, they dress AMAZINGLY. They dress so outrageously in their fashions every day and they’re just going to work. They wear like eight-inch heels and dress head to toe in animal print, and they have like 10 inch nails. And all they do is wash hair and get in fights and go clubbing. They’re just…it’s really dramatic. It’s really fun. (Whispering) I love “Jerseylicious”…so much.

Moving on to romance, what do you want in a significant other?

I like gentlemen who are respectful and just genuine people. You don’t have to be intelligent, you don’t have to be smart, but just a nice person who’s easy to talk to and relatable. Also, gotta have an attractive face––I should enjoy looking at him.

(Photo: Siobhan Furnary)

Buff or skinny?

I don’t like too buff. I’m not really attracted to huge muscles. But also, I don’t want to see your bones.

Describe your perfect date.

(Laughing). I guess just like go for ice cream or something and then go hang out in a park or something. Really low key. Somewhere we can talk, I guess.

What’s the biggest turn-off for you?

Just disrespect to women, or being racist, or…being rude.

What would a guy have to do to sweep you off your feet?

I really like just guys showing general gentleman qualities. Like opening a door for me. I love that. Saying hello. Acknowledgeing me when I walk in a room by standing up. Not looking me in the eye when I speak to them. Bowing their heads. Yeah. And I just like to see a guy being nice, generally, to people around him.

Celebrity crush?

Chace Crawford without the man-bangs. Him, or Flava Flav.

Who was your first love?

Ok, when I was in preschool––this is at Kindercare––there was this one kindergartener, and I don’t remember his name, and he had black hair. He was so amazing, and I was so in love with him, and he was just so hot. I would ask to go to the bathroom like four times in one hour and I would peer into the kindergarten room so I could see him. That kid. Definitely never learned his name. That’s good. That was a year.

(Photo: Siobhan Furnary)

What’s your best romantic moment?

Well once I was going on a date with this guy I guess, just in the middle of the day, and we were meeting in a park, and he brought me a really pretty flower, and just told me I looked beautiful that day. It was super cute (smiling, reflecting).

Best pick-up line?

Pick up lines…uh…well first of all I don’t really like pick-up lines. But I guess, “Are you wearing space pants?” That gets me every time. I don’t like pickup lines, but this one, it always does it for me.

What are three things that potential suitors should know about you that they might not know already?

(Counting out on fingers) I’m not as scary as I seem. I have a sense of humor that makes it so some people can’t distinguish when I’m kidding and when I’m being serious. And…I like live music.

(Photo: Siobhan Furnary)

Any specific band/group you’d like to see?

I’m down for whatever. I’m flexible. Winky face.

Do you have your eye on anyone at the moment?

Are you allowed to say no? No.

Any message for the men out there?

(Leans forward, getting serious). It’s ok to be nice to girls.

So, gentlemen, it’s time to up your game, turn on the charm, and bow deeply if you hope to catch Kanaiza before she’s off to college. If that doesn’t work, you could always ask her about her space pants.