Hot Takes from the 144th Board

At Lawrenceville, putting math classes into a Harkness format is like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Over the past three years, I have tried to work at the whiteboards with my peers, thinking “conceptually” in a collaborative manner, but I have rarely walked away with a better understanding of our material because of such efforts. In English and History classes, I completely agree that we can learn tremendous amounts from our classmates’ ideas, but I can’t say that my peers are a great resource for learning Calculus. Sure, collaborative class activities have helped me understand how my classmates think and learn, and I have been challenged to present my work thoroughly. Still, at the end of the day, explaining mathematical concepts is rarely a matter of “common sense” for the average Lawrentian, so why act like it is? 

The meat industry is disgustingly polluting and inhumane in so many ways: making room for farms by removing carbon-storing trees; pumping chemicals into animals, separating babies from parents, and packing them in dirty rows and cages; dumping animal waste into waterways filled with drinking water. If you eat meat with your meals each day without a second thought, you support this filthy industry. Distance yourself from the corporations making billions through animal abuse and worsening climate change. We must remember that daily meat-eating harms both biodiversity and the health of disadvantaged communities—things easy but inexcusable to ignore. No more excuses—including “I’m an athlete,” as many Olympic athletes are vegan—or claiming that vegetarian diets are more expensive. In fact, one study from Oxford University claimed that a “vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian diet could slash your food bill by up to one-third." While humans have historically been omnivorous, we have hurt and altered the climate to such an extent that we all must make significant changes to our lifestyles if we want significant improvements to our climate’s perilous state. 

BookTok is a community of readers sharing full-book reviews in 60-second clips on social media platforms. Dense classics and award-winning literature are hard to describe in under a minute, so BookTok is instead proliferated by easily digestible, instantly gratifying pieces of literature. Reading novels BookTok novels is the literary equivalent of binge-watching Love Island—entertaining, but not necessarily nourishing.

Yet, despite the generally poor quality of books promoted, I think BookTok is a net positive for literacy—it might serve as a gateway to more complex works and an exit from continued online “doomscrolling.” The Colleen Hoover enthusiast of today might become the Dostoevsky fan of tomorrow as long as they continue reading. As long as BookTok motivates people to spend time offline and read physical books (without split-screen Subway Surfers clips playing), BookTok is an overall “W”.

Internet slang baffles many, yet “touching grass” is the latest highlight of Lawrenceville’s lexicon. The words typically hurled at someone “chronically online” encompass accidental wisdom in this digital-age directive—a necessary prescription for our screen-saturated lives.

Last summer, I was given the delightful opportunity to embark on a backpacking expedition in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The backcountry tested limits at every turn: by the end of the first week, our unlikely crew had slogged through rain-soaked paths while shouldering 50-pound packs containing our lifeline to survival. I distinctly remember our first morning meditation—sitting silently in a dewy meadow—grounded me before the challenging weeks that followed. Indeed, many friends will hear me cite my time in the mountains as one of the most influential periods of my life.

The science backs up what many intuitively know—physical immersion in nature, even just “touching grass,” can reduce cortisol levels and blood pressure. Beyond the physiological benefits, it serves as a welcomed interruption from our screen-dominated routines. When we literally “touch grass,” the fresh air allows us to truly observe the world as we see it. 

The unweighted GPA system at Lawrenceville does more harm than good, ignoring the drastically different levels of courses offered. Even if someone who takes four 500-level classes during their IV Form year has a lower GPA than a student taking only one 500-level, their GPA will not reflect this challenge, deterring students from Lawrenceville’s most enriching offerings. Yes, the official School transcripts sent to colleges do highlight 500-level classes in bright yellow, but when comparing GPAs from year to year or selecting seniors for cum laude distinction, the Lawrenceville community does not have numerical ways to communicate course rigor. Weighted GPAs more accurately represent a student’s academic achievements and reward students for pushing themselves in intellectual settings.

We all crave success, be it a shiny A+ on an impossible math test, winning 5-0 in an interscholastic fencing meet, or obtaining the perfect male lead role in the upcoming musical. We subconsciously trace the footsteps of graduates and strive to sculpt the perfect Lawrentian in their image.

Thus, we’ve trained ourselves to evade misfortunate outcomes like they’re plagues, for they evoke disappointment and self-flagellation, twin spiteful daggers that cut and slice our self-confidence apart. Paralyzed by the fear of rejection, we never dare search for the successes that await us. We’d rather be uniform than face rejection.

Are failures really the end of the world?

When the first credited actor and Father of Tragedy Thespis stepped beyond the 6th-century Greek Theatre chorus to speak as his own character, he adopted a distinct approach, celebrating individuality regardless of the outcome. His tragedies aren’t endings—they’re beginnings, transforming unfortunate flaws into growth. Even today, his revolutionary spirit inspires countless dramatists.

If we are all mere players on a stage, then know that failures from rising actions always lead to climaxes. While we may want to wallow in self-pity in the face of rejection, we might miss the next blessing coming our way while doing so. Therefore finding success in our lives requires us to change our perspective. Like Thespis, we should burgeon from pain, redirect our efforts to what really fulfills us, and let the sisters of Fate decide the best timing to shine their spotlights upon us.