Red (Taylor’s Version)
By Chelsea Davis
Blonde, activist, and serial dater–characterizations of Taylor Swift by the few members of society left on the periphery of the artist’s bard-like influence. The release of her second re-recorded album, “Red (Taylor’s Version),” demonstrates the power of Swift’s lyrics not only on her fans, but on new listeners and art communities too. Originally released in 2012, “Red” has become even more popular with its re-release, breaking the record for most-streamed album in a single day and giving Swift her fourth number one record in 16 months. Such recognition comes from more than catchy beats and star-studded features; it is Swift’s intimate and complex lyrics that have fostered loyal fans who span generations.
Much of the support for the new record comes from Swift’s bold decision to re-record her albums in order to regain control over them from her previous music partner, Scooter Braun. Braun made a $300 million deal with Big Machine Label Group, the owner of Swift's first albums, a deal which she said, “stripped [her] of [her] life’s work.” The move made waves in an industry that has seen frequent cases of young musicians being taken advantage of by powerful music moguls.
“She’s bringing awareness to an issue no one really knows about,” said senior Annabelle Haroche. “[Swift] is putting more emphasis on new musicians, making sure they know what they’re doing when they sign contracts and creating a path for them to possibly own their own music.”
To many listeners, Swift’s recapturing of the albums that originally fueled her now global influence makes the music even more powerful as they represent female empowerment.
“As a woman, she is someone that I look up to,” said Prep School science teacher, Melinda Bertram. “Time and time again, she's been vulnerable with her growth from being a teenager to a young woman, mirroring experiences of how [fans] grow, change, and learn.”
As Swift re-explored her life in her early twenties, Swifties (as her fans like to be known) do the same, reexamining the meaning of each track to them. Such was the experience for “OG Taylor Swift fan” Ms. Bertram.
Bertram has a “continued relationship” with Swift because of the two’s parallel growth. “Whenever an album came out, I was the age she was while writing.”
While Bertram initially connected to the adolescence of Swift’s lyrics in her early years of listening to the artist, the new versions of the songs have created an experience of nostalgia and discovery. Especially relatable to Bertram is the song “Nothing New,” one of the vault tracks that features Phoebe Bridgers and is about Swift’s reflection on being relevant as a female.
“When you get older, you lose that shine in terms of how society views you. So I thought the song was super powerful in terms of encapsulating a feeling that I felt and that I feel, and giving new meaning to the rest of the songs,” said Bertram.
For Annabelle Haroche, Swift has made a profound impact on her life, acting as a role model and a source of comfort.
“She makes me feel less alone,” said Haroche.
Haroche was able to find a connection with Swift, as she said, “Taylor Swift is my entire personality, my entire TikTok page, but more than that. Everything she does and says resonates [with] me and means something to me. It's hard for me to say that about a lot of things, honestly.”
Swift’s success, and that of “Red (Taylor’s Version),” has been attributed to the artist’s vulnerability and her relatability.
Commenting on Swift’s success, Ms. Bertram said, “her fans can see themselves reflected in a vivid way that they haven’t been able to express themselves.” Moreover, the overall album explores “the complexity of emotions, like being ‘free, confused, and lonely, all at the same time,’” said Ms. Bertram, quoting Swift’s iconic lyrics.
Though separated by age, Haroche and Bertram have been able to foster a unique connection through their shared love–or obsession–with Taylor Swift, just as the rest of the Swiftie community has.
“What's been cool is seeing how that connection I felt to an artist is still relevant to even my students,” said Ms. Bertram. “Being able to talk with Annabelle, for example, about how she sees herself in [Swift] is one of those moments where the power of art can bridge all of these different experiences and bring it into a place where everyone feels seen or heard.”
Some people still lay beyond the realms of Swift’s spiritual influence, but for her over 200 million devout fans, the magnetism of her lyrics and intellect remains clear.
Mr. Wilson
By Jade Glatter
In the spring of 2021, Ms. Dean, the previous Prep School Director, left Columbia Prep after twenty-one years to become the new principal of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Massachusetts. Temporarily taking her place, Mr. Wilson, previous Dean of the Class of 2023, rose as the Prep School director this fall, leading the Prep School through yet another year of uncertainty. Nonetheless, Ms. Dean and Mr. Wilson, along with other members of the faculty, worked together tirelessly throughout the spring in order to ensure that Mr. Wilson would have all the resources needed to take on this role.
As with any profession, changing roles has its difficulties, but it is also a rewarding experience at the same time. Specifically, being the Prep School Director comes with a multitude of responsibilities, some of which can hold a heavy weight on a person. However, it can also feel as though one has the power to give some of their own input into major decisions. Nonetheless, the shift takes time and patience.
In an interview, Mr. Wilson was asked, “How would you describe the shift from Dean of the Class of 2023 to the Interim Head of the Prep School?”
Mr. Wilson responded, “The shift was challenging, for sure, but my colleagues and the community have been really helpful and supportive.”
Mr. Wilson proves that with the guidance and assistance of others, difficult transitions can be made smoother and more enjoyable. His response also demonstrates the supportiveness of the CGPS faculty and their willingness to always be there for others in need.
In order to be a strong leader, one must be prepared to take on whatever responsibilities their job entails. However, different responsibilities come with different positions of leadership. Although Mr. Wilson held a position of leadership before becoming Prep School Director, and had many responsibilities with this position, being the Prep School Director demands taking care of many other, different types of duties.
When asked about whether or not he has more or fewer responsibilities than anticipated, Mr. Wilson responded, “The Prep School Director has a different set of responsibilities that are greater and more varied in many ways.”
Although his new set of responsibilities may be “greater and more varied” than his previous one, Mr. Wilson does not neglect the challenges that come with being a Dean.
He states that “Deans are academic advisors, family and student advocates, and so much more.”
Although being a Dean does not require making decisions that apply to the entire Prep School, Deans must accommodate the needs of their students on a day-by-day basis. Mr. Wilson, being the Class of 2023’s Dean for three years, formed connections with and directed his students through the beginning of their Prep School experience.
Mr. Wilson was asked whether or not he still feels as closely connected to his students as he previously was as their Dean.
He says, “When I get the chance to check in with individual students and catch up on their academic progress, family life, extracurricular life, yes, I do.”
It seems as though Mr. Wilson is making every effort to stay close to his students in the Eleventh Grade.
However, Mr. Wilson states that the one thing he misses the most with his new position is that he “[doesn’t] get to interact with the students in the Class of 2023 as regularly as [he] did when [he] was their Dean.”
Despite the fact that Mr. Wilson cannot meet with his students as frequently, his new position has given him the opportunity to closely interact with the CGPS parent community.
Mr. Wilson states that “[he] meet[s] with the Parents Association once per month.” He then followed that by saying: “I feel really connected, and that’s definitely a great aspect of this role.”
Being able to connect with the larger community gives Mr. Wilson the ability to take more opinions into account when making decisions for the Prep School. Additionally, he is able to gain feedback on decisions he has already made, allowing him to make more beneficial decisions in the future.
The last two things Mr. Wilson was asked in this interview were what his favorite and least favorite aspects of his role are.
Living in an unpredictable world, it can be difficult to decide what is best for the Prep School, while also keeping in mind the health of students. Mr. Wilson says that perhaps this is his least favorite part of the job.
He states, “making decisions about the day-to-day operations of a school within the limitations of the pandemic” can be very tough. He proceeds to say that making decisions under these limitations “[is] really a lot to process and deal with on top of all of the other daily tasks involved in this line of work.”
While tackling the challenge of COVID-19 can be difficult, making decisions that are ultimately successful can feel fulfilling.
Mr. Wilson expresses that “the best part of this job is working closely with others to solve problems and improve our community.” He adds, “There’s so much satisfaction that comes with finding a solution to an issue that ultimately improves the experience of students, teachers, families.”
With every role that demands responsibility and care, there will inevitably be bumps in the road. Nonetheless, Mr. Wilson has done an excellent job in navigating his way around different challenges throughout this first semester. It is without a doubt that he will continue to do so for the duration of the year as he will continue to stay connected to both students and parents, ensuring that the decisions he makes will be advantageous to all.
COVID Teens
By Dmitry Gordeev and Ella Nejat
CGPS is composed of a hard-working, studious, and engaged student body. But who is CGPS from 3:10 pm to 8:20 am the next day?
During the pandemic, students were faced with more free time than they knew what to do with. While many students would usually elect to play sports and “hang out with friends,” as sophomore Spencer Brod said, the necessity of adhering to COVID protocols restricted such activities. Stuck inside, CGPS students adapted and got creative.
Sophomore Nicky Ouida says that he enjoys playing football and being with his friends. These hobbies, as mentioned previously, were hard to do due to COVID. Since then, Nicky tells us that he could be found “playing video games for at most two [hours].” Nicky shows us how video games can virtually keep us connected to the world around us when we might feel physically disconnected. He says, “I like to fill a lot of my time with video games; they're fun, and I'm pretty good at them.” This writer applauds Nikki for keeping his brain stimulated outside of school work.
It has been proven by a lot of students that sports are one of the main sources of interconnection for them. Now with the spirit of the school rising, and the boundaries between social interaction changing, we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for our students. Whether that be another train (pandemic) coming, or hope.
We also noticed from interviews with students such as Spencer that the hobbies that students have are not just pastimes, but can help students reach their future career goals. In the lounge, we asked Spencer what he would do if he had extra free time. Spencer, without a delay, responded with a smooth and assertive statement: “I would do something in sports management. I want to be a sports broadcaster so I would like to do something in that department.”
CGPS students, even through hard times, can still strive and prosper in specific interests even if we are COVID teens. We shouldn’t be treating the pandemic as an obstacle, rather we should celebrate how far we’ve come and ask ourselves how far we will go.
Freshman Zach Phlegar responded to the question of “What would you do instead of schoolwork to expand your hobbies?” He said, “I think a solution to this could be for the school to give us half-days to get real-world experience with professions that we are interested in, or for the school to offer more extracurriculars for this.”
Academically strong students like sophomore Sarah Reidman seem to have their hands in everything from CPTV to Baking Club to Blue Key to Track and Model UN. Her system of managing her workload and extracurriculars is separating her workspace into school on weekdays and hobbies on the weekends.
She said, “Schoolwork doesn’t really affect hobbies; honestly just separate things. I feel like I can put a lot of time into my hobbies and homework. I also like to divide it in a way where I get to do a lot more hobby stuff on the weekends and during the week just focus on school.” An interesting method of working indeed. This method highlights time management and the importance of having hobbies. Sarah clearly works heavily on school-related work throughout the week, but she allows herself a break on the weekends to recharge and prepare for the next week of work ahead.
Listed above are only a small sample of the wide varieties of out-of-school pastimes. It’s such an inspiration and privilege to be in such a talented and passionate group of people. We applaud all students of CGPS for their constant drive and diversity of interests.
China’s Economic Crisis
By Olivia Rinaldi
China’s current economic crisis is based on an insolvent banking system, a government crackdown on publicly-traded “privately-owned” companies, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first two factors are interrelated, as their origins can be traced to the unwritten pact between the people of China and its communist leaders, whereby individual freedoms are sacrificed in return for promised economic prosperity. The latter has proven to be an unpropitious event.
The issue of the insolvent banking system reared its head through Evergrande, the second largest real estate company in China. Real estate and related businesses account for about 30% of China’s GDP. The country’s property sector is in a correction phase after years of oversupply. Experts believe more than 100 million units are sitting empty. Unable to generate the cash to pay the interest on its debt or repay principal, Evergrande is deep in debt; estimates run as high as $300 billion. Many other developers are also experiencing cash flow issues and are seeking more time to repay loans or even warning of potential defaults. The concern is whether or not the fall of one of the largest real estate companies will have a domino effect on banks and result in a financial crisis similar to the one the U.S. faced in 2008. However, these developers have staved off defaults via state aid. This elongated consolidation of the sector is more convincing than numerous developing failures.
Alibaba, the publicly-traded “Amazon of China,” is the poster boy for government crackdown on what were incorrectly perceived to be independent companies by the markets. Alibaba lost over $400 billion in market value after Jack Ma, its founder and principal owner, disappeared on October 24, 2020. Ma gave a speech in which he was critical of the Chinese state-owned banks and regulators. Chinese authorities pounced. They squashed the heralded IPO (Initial Public Offering) of Alibaba’s The Ant Group, the largest fintech company in the world and a threat to China’s state-owned banks. Chinese leaders called Ma to Beijing for “regulatory interviews.” Uncharacteristically, he wasn’t seen for about 6 months. Many other prominent businessmen also have disappeared or have been removed from the companies they created or built to prominence.
This has been one of the catalysts for the Chinese stock market to decline by about 20% this year while the S&P 500, a stock market index tracking the stocks of 500 “large-cap” U.S. companies, has risen nearly 20%. That is a remarkable divergence that largely reflects investors’ lack of confidence in the independence of Chinese public companies. This gap prevents Chinese companies from getting access to capital to grow and gives pause to foreigners either looking to invest in China or to buy products made by Chinese companies.
The situations faced by Evangrande and Alibaba are related by their cause: the heavy hand of the state’s involvement in the economy. A majority of China’s financial institutions are state owned and run. State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) accounted for 75% of state bank loans and for over 60% of China's market capitalization in 2019. Its economy is rapidly advancing and market oriented, as it incorporates economic planning through industrial policies and strategic five-year plans.
In present day China, citizens trade personal freedoms in return for the promise of economic security from the government. This being the case, the government is forced to continue growing the economy at all costs in order to avert social unrest. This pact led to the current economic crisis in China. There has been a tremendous amount of overbuilding of infrastructure and real estate in order to keep people working. However, due to the fact that it is state influenced rather than driven by the supply and demand of the markets, much is overbuilt. Further, currency and capital flow constraints that prevent Chinese citizens from investing in overseas stocks, bonds, and real estate recycles capital into mainland-China stocks and real estate, artificially inflating the value of those assets. One consequence is brand new: modernized skyscrapers that sit completely empty.
Finally, COVID-19 has disrupted China’s export manufacturing industry. Facilities were closed, and production shut down or dramatically scaled back to quell COVID-19 outbreaks. Similarly, cargo export operations at ports were stunted by COVID-19 outbreaks among workers and the aggressive steps authorities took to contain them.