Features – A Student Publication of the Roxbury Latin School

COVID-19 has changed the world as we knew it

Rumors abound, but the origin of the coronavirus is uncertain

By Ethan Phan II

November 17th was a gray, foggy day in Wuhan, China. The past couple weeks had boasted subtle winds, warm weather, and clear skies, and this particular Sunday marked the beginning of gloomier forecasts in the region. But no one could have predicted just how gloomy things were about to become.

School-wide poll reveals students’ reactions to the pandemic

By Tripod Staff

Each issue this year, Tripod has conducted a poll of the student population asking a combination of serious and funny questions. This issue we focused many of the questions on how students are feeling about the unfortunate situation we are all in. We received responses from one hundred and six students from all ages. We hope that the information and responses provided here will provide some insight into how we are all doing and as always, some humor too! Notes from the Tripod editors are in italics. Thanks to everyone who responded! At the bottom of the article, you can see the winners of our two prizes.

Patriot or traitor? Brady’s departure is the end of an era

By Miles Baumal-Bardy VI

As we sit here stuck in our homes, upset that all major sports events are canceled, it is important to reflect on one of the most important people in New England sports history: Tom Brady. Some might hold a grudge against this man, but we can never repay the satisfaction he brought us. Winning six Super Bowls, he was the only man in history to accomplish such a marvelous feat. Brady started as a lowly sixth-round pick from Michigan in the 2000 NFL draft, but he would soon blossom into someone much greater.

Yard signs celebrate seniors

By Christian Landry I

All around Massachusetts, high schools have been providing yard signs for graduating seniors to indicate that they are a member of the class of 2020. With the help of parents of Class I, RL has done the same. On May 9, several parents of the class of 2020 traveled to houses of RL seniors to drop off RL yard signs.

Zoombombing slows meteoric growth of video-conferencing company

By Tim Smith I

In this time of self-isolation, the resultant decline in consumption outside of necessities has caused the stock of many successful companies to decline. The opposite has happened for Zoom Video Communications. Their stock was steadily climbing due to the increase in working and learning from home, but this recently changed due to privacy concerns within the company. That lack of privacy has been exploited in a popular yet controversial way: zoombombing.

Roxbury Latin By-the-Numbers + They Didn’t Say It + They Said It

10 – Combined AP scores of all 10 Calculus AB students

0 – Number of assignments cheated on during the online semester

Staying in shape during quarantine

By Ben Crawford II

Without access to gyms, working out during quarantine can be complicated. To find out what RL student athletes are doing to stay in shape, I interviewed three Class II students – Frankie Lonergan, Will Specht, and Rohil Dhaliwal. Here’s what they had to say.

U.S. Armed Forces face a different kind of challenge: the battle to stay healthy

By Daniel Berk II

As the outbreak of COVID-19 worsens and we are forced to observe social distancing and quarantine for much longer than we would like, both a pressing and polarized issue has arisen: whether the American public should go outside and brave the virus or play it safe indoors. However, it is not just the American public that faces this issue. The armed forces must deal with the same quandary but with much more impactful consequences.

In Boston it’s do as I say but not as I do

By Willem Santry II

For the most part, Bostonians fit into two camps: those who follow the rules (mostly not from here) and those who don’t; there is no in-between. Since the Coronavirus took hold of the City in March, this division has become even more pronounced. Take, for instance, a couple of weeks back, the Mayor’s just announced a 9 pm curfew – no man, woman or child allowed out on the street except for essential business. I’ve got to walk the dog, it’s 10 pm, and I figure that this has got to be “essential” business. Of course, the curfew doesn’t apply to me. The street is eerily quiet, the usual sounds of cars and planes completely absent.

Multitasking Madness

By Jonathan Weiss I

Disclaimer: Before reading this, please know that I’m a total hypocrite. Me writing an article on multitasking is like Ronald McDonald preaching healthy eating. My morning routine consists of me brushing my teeth, doing laundry, listening to Flying Lotus, and plotting world domination. All at once. However, addressing my multitasking habit has made me a much more mindful person, for reasons I’ll explain.