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It might be universally disliked, but this Middlesex tradition helps to develop skills needed far beyond the classrooms. As students approach the restricted assessment week, the first thing everyone would probably do is to complain, but then move on to study for the tests. For decades, this policy of restricted assessment weeks has haunted the Middlesex campus. Initially, it was made to ensure the organization of assessments and prevent the over-piling of tests for students on one day. As the student body expanded over time, the academic departments also expanded correspondingly, and the school sought a new way to organize student assessments from different departments and teachers: the restricted assessment week. During these weeks, MX students would try their best to prepare for their tests within five days. However, as the workload increases throughout the year, many students feel more and more anxious about the assessment weeks, which often feel more like an exam week rather than a mere test or quiz week. The mounting anxiety and workload not only tortures the students, but also introduces a challenge to the system’s purpose. So, do we really need to have these mini-exam weeks? Though the answer might not be in most students’ favor, the fact is that we do need restricted assessment weeks. The most obvious reason is exam preparation. Restricted assessment weeks are arguably just another exam week with relatively easier tests, and these test weeks are exactly what help us to get accustomed to the upcoming exam weeks in winter and spring. I can still vividly remember how I felt when I walked into the Atkins Cage for my first-ever Middlesex exam: full of stress, maybe excitement, and hopes from the prayer the night before in my room. The first-time experience of exam week is undoubtedly memorable, marked by a mix of anxiety and fear over its difficulty and scale. Without the restricted assessment weeks, a student might be completely stressed out and lost in trying to find a way to organize their preparation for the exams. So, a restricted assessment week is needed in order to better prepare students for the taxing exam sessions. What is more important than preparing students for exam week is preparing us for life beyond Middlesex. As an elite college preparatory school, Middlesex does not merely help us attend a good college, but also prepares us for society. At Middlesex, a student cannot possibly survive without learning to schedule and prepare effectively, and this skill is exactly what one needs for the journey after Middlesex. As academics grow more demanding, it becomes even harder to find balance between sleep, studying, socializing, sports, and extracurriculars. The restricted assessment weeks not only serve to organize tests before the end of a marking period, but also train students’ ability to organize and schedule their time efficiently for the academic year and beyond. For Middlesex students, the restricted assessment weeks are probably the second major academic challenge after their demanding English classes. Indeed, it is painful, and I personally hate the need to study for the history test after just finishing a chemistry test and a math quiz, but we need to persist through these weeks in order to save ourselves from losing our minds when it comes to exam weeks and to acquire the ability to organize our lives effectively in the future. Restricted assessment week might be irritating (and it is), but it also prepares and drives us to get used to the academic schedule here at Middlesex. In the future, one needs to learn how to organize the time spent on different matters, and it is best to start learning this skill right now. Ethan Gu ‘28 illustration by: Olena Khiznychenko ‘27

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13naYqNtRdvOr0Yr-QHo88HB3dL20DX82/view

Nearly half of Singaporeans still cite racism as a problem, but Singapore’s adamant commitment to ethnic harmony makes it a role model for cross cultural coexistence. Located at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, Singapore is an island nation crucial for its role as a passageway near the Strait of Malacca for international shipping and aviation. Since Singapore’s independence in 1965, it has grounded its development in a commitment to cultural diversity. Under the CMIO model (Chinese, Malay, Indian, and “Others”), Singapore recognizes its mixed makeup, with every community uniquely influencing the island’s multicultural identity. But how did Singapore become the “cultural melting pot” many deem it to be? First, Singapore is built on three dominant ethnic groups: Malay, Indian, and Chinese. The Malay population is the root of Singapore’s identity. Singapore’s actual name “Singapura” (Lion City), comes from Malay, which continues to serve as Singapore’s national language. Additionally, Malay customs like Hari Raya Puasa, traditional arts like silat, and the cultural dressing of batik (which remains the uniform of Singapore Airlines flight attendants) are preserved as crucial pieces of Singaporean culture. The Indian community, although smaller, holds an equally important part of Singaporean culture. Hindu temples in Little India and celebrations like Deepavali are testaments to the enduring heritage of Indian communities in South East Asia.  Finally, the Chinese communities, accounting for roughly 75% of Singapore’s population, have shaped Singapore ever since the migrations from coastal Chinese provinces in the 19th century. Tamil, a South Indian language, serves as one of Singapore’s three other official languages, with Mandarin being another. Dialects like Hokkien and Teochen and dishes like Hainanese Chicken Rice all accompanied these migrants, and they collectively evolved into a distinct modern Singaporean-Chinese identity. As with all aforementioned ethnic groups, festivals like Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autumn festival have become major nation-wide celebrations. All of these cultures form the fabric of Singapore’s identity, and both institutionalized diversification as well as natural coexistence have fostered a cross-cultural harmony.  Several government enforced policies firmly embed multiculturalism within the nation’s social and civic structures. The Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP), for instance, was introduced in 1989 to avoid racial divide in Singapore’s famed HDBs (government subsidized apartments), creating maximum ethnic quotas for each complex as follows: 87% Chinese, 25% Malay, and 15% Indian and Others (Housing & Development Board). The EIP has managed to house over 80% of Singapore’s population under peaceful coexistence and a unified identity, and is just one of many ways that Singapore encourages daily interaction among coexisting racial communities to reduce prejudice (Singapore Department of Statistics). The Singaporean government promoted racial harmony by cultivating these values at a young age, placing diversity as an integral part of the education program. Introduced in 1966, just one year after Singapore’s independence, the bilingual policy ensures all students learn English on top of their mother tongue. In fact, Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, deliberately made English the main mode of communication to provide a neutral and unifying medium in a multiracial society. This enduring choice to promote multilingualism has to this day facilitated social cohesion while preserving every individual’s sense of distinct cultural identity.  Social unity, however, isn’t just achieved through policy-making, but through a natural blending of cultures and traditions. A prime example of this development is Singapore’s distinct dialect called Singlish. Primarily English with a blend of Malay, Hokkien, and Tamil, Singlish demonstrates cultural unison as a product of cultural mixing over the last century, and most Singaporeans speak it proudly as it represents their national identity.  In the end, Singapore is not perfect, and racism continues to persist to this day, with 56.2% of Singaporeans considering racism as a continuing problem (Institute of Policy Studies). What sets Singapore apart, however, is its willingness to confront these problems rather than ignore them. School programs and government campaigns continue to address racial bias, ensuring that multiculturalism isn't just a statistical ideal, but a genuine way of living.  Mostly, ethnic integration has become just a daily reality for Singaporeans, as children grow up in multiracial schools and HDB communities. Displayed large in the national museum and in thousands of textbooks, Singapore’s national pledge dictates, “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion” . This small island continues to diversify, celebrating its quiet daily triumphs as it works to pioneer a more equitable way of living for the world. Zephyr Liu ‘28 image by: U.S. Postal Service

Review of the movie ‘The Hedgehog’ directed by Mona Achache Movies are intended for no more than two things: to capture and to magnify. The sole standard that differentiates a movie of good quality and one clumsily made is whether the production is able to shed light on topics so prevalent yet ignored in life, and through fine artistic expressions bring them out with full dramatic force, mingled with romance stemmed from mundane life but undoubtedly surpassing it. From the pantheon of celebrated movies, The   Hedgehog without doubt exceeded its peers in achieving excellence in the aforementioned expectations of a good movie. The   Hedgehog  revolves around three characters living in a luxurious apartment in Paris. Paloma is an eleven year old girl planning to kill herself on her twelfth birthday, horrified by the tethering nature of life itself, and how every single person around her lives a life of omnipresent predicament while possessing a sickening pride in what they own inside the “fish bowl,” oblivious to the presence of the fish bowl itself. She deems herself a pioneer, braving her way out of the circular glassware of a life by leaping out of the water and anticipating to die in the air of dignity and truth. Renee is the janitor, a cold, harsh woman on the outside, a living analogy to a hedgehog, and the only one in the apartment without an elevated status. Finally, Kakuro Ozu is a Japanese widower, a new tenant of the apartment who quickly befriended Paloma and established a relationship that is somewhere just more than friendship with Renee.  Naturally, Paloma wants to leave something behind for the world to see, as it is an intrinsic urge of us human beings, if it is not all we have been doing, before leaving it once and for all, and the best thing she could think of is to record all the moments of brutal struggle and infinite haggardness she manages to come across, as a mocking finale, delivering her last punch to the world.  As Paloma proceeds her work of recording the world and counting down until the days she will take her life, she accidentally spots a book lying on the janitor’s desk while returning her cat to her office. In Praise of Shadows , a sophisticated book inspecting the elegance of life, and with a glance of this book Paloma henceforth stole a lucky peek into Renee’s life and witnessed her wisdom and ruminations behind her humbled look and attitude in comparison with the rotting beasts banging around the hollow shell of the distinguished tenants. The other witness of such a glamorous soul is Mr. Ozu. This is where the movie brought up its first philosophical stance, that every single person has a certain grace hidden in their souls, often much overlooked by the people around us, and that it often takes a whole lot of kindness, patience and even a little bit of a miracle to have this grace seen. And to deem this grace as a credit due, the observer has to have a soul vibrating with the same frequency as the graceful soul, or else no matter how obvious, it will be a fruitless search dissolving into disheartening loneliness. Renee is lucky to find Mr.Ozu and Paloma, and the sentence works equally well the other way around. However, despite her deepening connection with Mr. Ozu and Renee, Paloma still wants to die. Ironically, it is Renee, on the verge of a hopeful future with Mr. Ozu, who is suddenly killed in a car accident. Paloma, hearing the news, cried helplessly in her room. This is when she decided not to die. Therefore the movie slips into the second theme: the power of death over life, or somehow really the power of love over life. There was a scene wedged somewhere in the movie in which Paloma’s neighbor died and she pointed her camera towards the body. Fear was not present, there was only calmness, a tranquility and assurance from Paloma as if it all was just a rehearsal, and soon her body would be one lifeless as Renee’s. Her death taught Paloma how to live. There is always something so incredibly funny about death by one’s own pursuit, how they were not death, not at all, but a rejection of life, and how another person's love or death could teach them the integrity to preserve. The Hedgehog  successfully portrays the struggle to be understood in an often superficial society, where time is greatly invested upon the production of outward value instead of the search for innate value. It paints the lure of death to wandering souls and the wonder that one might just meet a few people that will ground them to the smears of meaning in a mundane world. Maxine Zhou ‘29 image by: The Hedgehog

Analyzing a change in musical paradigm For the first time in more than 35 years, no rap song appeared in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Since 1990, over 2,000 consecutive weeks have featured at least one rap track in that range. The chart dated October 25, 2025 was dominated by pop, country, and K-pop artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish. As a high school student who listens to a substantial amount of rap music, I find this development surprising. Indeed, after examining the data and trends, I firmly believe rap is not dying. Instead, it is undergoing a necessary transformation that will strengthen its cultural impact in the long run. Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s collaboration song “Luther” had been the last rap song in the Top 40, currently holding at No. 41. 26 weeks after its release, it fell below No. 25 and was removed under Billboard’s recurrent rule, which retires songs that remain on the chart for too long. This technical detail, not a sudden collapse in rap’s popularity, ended the streak. Social media reacted strongly as many users declared the end of hip-hop. Such claims, however, overlook broader patterns. Rap’s presence on the charts has gradually decreased in recent years. In 2017, hip-hop accounted for 25.7 percent of music consumption in the United States. Today, that share is closer to 12–15 percent. Several factors explain this trend. Streaming platforms prioritize short, viral clips over complete albums, encouraging artists to release large volumes of music. This flood of content makes it harder for any single rap song to gain sustained traction. Additionally, genre boundaries have blurred. Rap originated with strong ties to street culture before becoming more mainstream and having pop/rock elements being incorporated. Artists like Doja Cat utilize rap elements, but their tracks are often classified as pop if the production leans in that direction. As Tom Breihan wrote in Stereogum , rap influences are “still all over the Top 40; it’s just not being made by rappers.” A Billboard article titled “No Rap Songs in Hot 100’s Top 40 for First Time Since 1990” provides valuable context. It describes the event as “the latest sign of a recent dip in rap’s commercial dominance.” The piece highlights how hip-hop grew from underground origins to a multibillion-dollar industry, only to face saturation. Producer The Alchemist, quoted in a related discussion, argues that charts no longer reflect rap’s true vitality. He emphasizes that the genre thrives on streaming platforms, not corporate rankings. Supporting data show that rap songs continue to accumulate billions of streams, even if they do not appear in the Top 40. For example, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” generated 1.5 billion streams in 2025 alone. In my view, rap’s absence from the Top 40 is not a sign of weakness, but rather an opportunity for renewal. The Billboard Hot 100 has always favored commercially safe music. Rap, at its core, challenges authority and gives voice to marginalized communities. As rap is becoming much more popular and main-stream, it spreads out into all different genres and provides the additional excitement and emotional kick that only it can best deliver.  In addition, the genre is always evolving and changing, with many artists experimenting on different sounds. These developments ensure the genre remains dynamic. As a student, I experience this evolution daily. My playlists include established figures like Travis Scott alongside newer acts pushing creative boundaries. The current chart drought has encouraged me to explore beyond popular hits, discovering music that resonates more deeply. In conclusion, rap is far from dead. It is adapting to a changing industry and preparing for a resurgence on its own terms. In a few years, when the next groundbreaking track emerges, this moment will be remembered as a turning point, not an endpoint. Hip-hop’s future remains bright. Lawrence Chen ‘29 image by: Statista

My view on Morgan Housel’s path towards “financial freedom” Why does one question the moves of others? Why do psychological factors matter so much when investing? Is it possible to change the way in which one acts in regard to money? These questions appear a lot when reading the book The Psychology of Money . Why does someone do something the way they do? The short answer to this question is that only the person making the decision can choose their actions.  In making this book, Morgan Housel had one goal in mind: to tell others that “doing well with money has little to do with how smart you are and a lot with how you behave.” This quote resonated with me throughout my 2 month, cover to cover journey. After the culmination of the text, I came up with three main takeaways. First, whatever one does in life should only have to make sense to themself.  Now what does this actually mean? To me, this means that when one is tasked with completing an action or making a decision, the way in which they respond should not be influenced or altered due to the beliefs or impacts of others. One’s response should solely come from themselves. Allow for yourself to be able to think critically and be able to understand your needs.  Second, partially negate all fear, greed, and experiences in order to be able to make smart financial decisions. Initially, I wondered, “how is that even possible?” especially since emotions weigh in on almost every decision I have ever made. In this case, it does not mean don’t follow your gut, but that when making decisions that have an influence on your life, don’t let emotions dictate how you go about your process. Emotions limit your abilities to make rational decisions. Even though the main contents of this book encompass economic and financial literacy, these lessons that one can learn from reading Housel’s book can impact other aspects of one’s life. In life, you will face many challenges and have to make many decisions that may end up hurting someone else or having a negative impact on others; Not letting emotions dictate the way in which you respond can only help you make the correct decision for your respective situation.  Third, the way in which one acts in regard to money is controllable and able to be changed. Contrary to many people's beliefs, being financially successful has to do a lot with how you think and talk about money. The way one thinks about money can be the difference between financial freedom and economic limits. Changing one's mindset about money is the starting point. After that, it is the way one acts which can further financially separate themselves.  Overall, this book allowed me to critically analyze what it takes to become financially free in life. Whether you are 60 or 16, it is never too late or too early to start changing your ways of thinking and acting upon money. In the future, I hope to read more financial books by Housel; however, in the time being, I will continue to allow these takeaways to seep deeper and deeper into the way I view money. Oliver Gates ‘27 image by: Amazon

Female students still face judgement and internalized misogyny, but spaces like FemMX bring the key to true empowerment of girls. There's a certain shift that happens when a group of girls laughs too loudly in public: the moment when the laughter softens, glances are exchanged, and everyone becomes aware of the eyes on them. It’s a quiet kind of surveillance that changes how we act, how we talk, and even how we relate to each other. Being a girl among other girls can be joyful—until someone decides to comment.  Here at Middlesex, despite the strong female presence, we are not immune to the pull of internalized misogyny. It shapes how we see ourselves and each other, surfacing in comparisons we make, the competition we feel, and the ways we diminish ourselves under a gaze that insists we are always being perceived. Even in spaces designed to empower us, this gaze persists as a constant reminder that sisterhood in fact doesn’t come easy, as we have to keep actively choosing it or else we risk losing it.  This becomes painfully clear in how it warps our friendships. When we are together, there is always a third presence: the male perspective we have internalized so deeply. It changes what we talk about and how we talk about it.  But lately, the rise of FemX brought a change. In FemX, we practice a different way of being together. For instance, recently, FemX organized an all-girls pajama party, a simple idea that created something unexpectedly powerful. For one night, girls across all grades gathered together without the weight of external male judgment. The difference to me was immediate, but striking. Freshman and seniors sprawled across the same floor, swapping funny stories. Girls stayed until the very end not because we were trying to prove we could, but because we did not want the conversation to end. There was loud, unrestrained laughter, and no one softened it. Just the pure joy of being among other girls. Furthermore, FemX’s mentorship program has further accelerated the sense of community within the female population. The program pairs upperclassmen with underclassmen, a structure that has transformed the daily campus experience. Now, when a nervous freshman walks into the dining hall, a senior’s familiar face waves at her, making sure that she feels seen. These are not formal scheduled check-ins, but rather organic connections. The mentorship program has woven a safety net across grades, creating care that makes Middlesex feel less like a place where you have to prove yourself to others, but more like a place where you are accepted for who you already are. It is harder to see other girls as competition when you have sat with them in your vulnerability, when you know their fears and dreams and the specific ways they are trying to assert their space in a world that keeps telling them to shrink. As I write this on the fiftieth anniversary of co-education at Middlesex, I reflect on how far we have come as a community to empower girls within this space. However, empowerment on paper does not translate to empowerment in practice. We have girls in leadership positions and girls excelling academically, but there are still many who feel like they do not belong in certain spaces, who measure their worth to impossible standards, and who carry the load of navigating a world that views them differently. Fifty years should mean we are past the point of proving we belong here. And yet, this constant fight to prove ourselves, prove that we belong here. The anniversary asks us all to consider: what does true empowerment look like? So yes, MX has had co-education for fifty years; however, it seems like we haven’t quite learned to co-exist. The structures may have changed, but the culture is still catching up. Marina Sabater ‘26 image by: Kat Stephens '27 image by: Middlesex Instagram

How does sport betting affect Middlesex in light of the recent NBA illegal gambling scandal? Fixing games and illegal sports betting have plagued this country throughout its history, dating back to the Black Sox Scandal, which involved rigging the 1919 World Series. Following a brief ban on sports betting from 1993 to 2018, its return has been the cause of much turmoil and scandal, as athletes and bettors now navigate the new legal landscape. Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a major investigation into the NBA related to sports betting. Many players have been charged or arrested for crimes including money laundering, illegal sports betting, and rigged poker games. Notably, NBA Guard Terry Rozier was recently arrested on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud. The FBI believes that he passed on inside information about the teams and players to a betting ring, allowing them to make advantageous wagers. Even more egregiously, the FBI believes that he faked an injury in a game in March 2023 to underperform his predicted statistics, an attempt to protect people's bets. Additionally, former NBA player Damon Jones was charged with providing inside information to gamblers and funneling people to illegal mob poker games. In one instant, he revealed that LeBron was not going to play in a game against Milwaukee due to injury before the public announcement. He is also believed to have funneled wealthy individuals to rigged poker games run by organized crime groups through the use of his status as a former NBA player. Moreover, Chauncey Billups, the head coach at the Portland Trail Blazers, was recently placed on leave after being accused of helping funnel people to mafia-run poker games by the FBI. Over 30 people have been charged in this illegal betting conspiracy so far. The FBI continues to investigate these charges. A little over a year ago, the rising star Major League Baseball Shohei Ohtani was wrapped in a scandal where his translator Ippei Mizuhura supposedly stole over 16 million dollars and used it to make and pay off gambling and other debts. Mizuhura was sentenced to over 4 years in jail as a result. While Ohtani was officially cleared of all wrongdoing, such exoneration of one of the league’s best player is convenient, and one must wonder if there was a cover-up surrounding this whole situation. Has sports betting come to Middlesex? The answer is unclear, but the ease of online sportsbooks is making it increasingly easier for younger people to get attached to sports betting. It is seen as a way to put one's money where one's mouth is and predict games and stats. Sports betting has become a source of debate here in Middlesex and America as a whole. Sport betting is not inherently bad and has many positive benefits, but the question is whether our society and athletes themself have the morality to preserve the beauty, competitiveness, and sportsmanship surrounding the game in the face of the temptation which sport betting offers. The solution to the temptation surrounding sports betting is stricter regulation on leagues and sports betting to preserve the honesty of the game. However, if more scandals continue to appear, sport betting might be rebranded in order to preserve the honesty of sport and competition, which supersede all benefits surrounding betting. Timmy Hale ‘27 image by: NBC News

A new beginning for Middlesex athletics The new Field House at Middlesex is going to completely change how sports feel on campus. Currently, practices and games have to share limited space during the winter season; in the Spring season, similarly, the track team needed to travel elsewhere for daily practices. Once the Field House is built, it will open up opportunities for athletes, coaches, and fans.  One of the biggest changes will be the addition of more basketball courts. During the winter season, due to a compact practice and game schedule for both boy’s and girl’s basketball teams, they have to switch off gym times and practice at an inconsistent schedule. With the new space, teams will be able to be more flexible in practice time and in assigning game courts. Even students who aren't on the varsity or JV teams will have opportunities to shoot around or play games during free time. It will make the winter sports season feel much more alive and energetic everywhere.  The half-track inside the Field House will be another game changer. For the track and field athletes, winter training is often tough because of the snow and freezing temperatures. Having an indoor track means runners can keep training consistently all year long. All the track athletes can do conditioning workouts in warm weather, and don't have to worry about slipping on icy paths while training outside. Besides a half-track, a new weight room is going to be built inside the field house as well. This will give all Middlesex athletes a chance to train in a more updated environment. The new weight room will provide new lifting equipment and a training facility for Middlesex students.  The best part about the new Field House might not just be all the new features, but the sense of community it can create. It will add on to our school’s mission of “finding a place full of opportunity, challenge, and friendship"—sports at Middlesex aren’t just about winning games, but about belonging. Tiger Wu ‘27 image by: Celine Ding '27

Just a week before break, amidst a flurry of assignments and tests, a group of talented Middlesex students were hard at work preparing for Radium Girls. After enduring a demanding “tech week” filled with rehearsals that lasted for hours upon hours, the cast and crew were finally ready for opening night. To further excite the community, the theater department posted a brief clip to their Instagram page, giving the audience a sneak peek about what to expect. After watching the teaser which included haunting music and unnerving gore, I was more than ready to see what was in store.  Hustling through a large crowd of students and faculty, I finally reached my seat. Despite watching the preview, I still wasn’t completely sure about what I was about to watch–all I knew was that Radium Girls was based on a historical event. So part of me expected a complicated, intellectual, and possibly tedious show. The production began on a light-hearted note, displaying the joyful chatter of several girls. Initially, I was unsure of how the spooky teaser was related to the joyful display in front of me. However, my questions were quickly answered as the scene before me grew more somber, unfolding a series of tragic historical events. Unlike previous productions, ranging from SpongeBob the Musical  to Legally Blonde , Radium Girls required actors and actresses to explore a different facet of their acting. Rather than perfecting a peppy, energetic, or comical character, students were stretched to explore darker emotions. Despite this imposing task, students rose to the occasion. From fake tears to impassioned arguments, Middlesex thespians delivered not only believable but impactful performances, ultimately making Radium Girls a success.   What made this play unique from previous shows? Maybe the powerful performance was simply a reflection of hours upon hours of tireless work. Or maybe the unique choice to put on a play so different from previous productions played a large role. As previously mentioned, the theater department often chooses a more comical or light-hearted route. This often seems appropriate, given the ages of the actors, actresses, and audience. However, the few times a more serious piece is chosen, there often seems to be a more profound impact. While choosing such a drama may be riskier, there is also greater room for thespians to explore a wider breadth of emotion.  Upon leaving the theater, the general consensus was positive. Students, likely expecting a less eventful show, were shocked by the twists and turns Radium Girls had in store.  The theater department will be combining the trend of light productions with darker pieces with the upcoming musical this spring, Bat Boy: The Musical . This show merges both horror and comedy to communicate the story of the titular character who is discovered, lurking in a cave.  While the success of this musical remains to be determined, the show has significant promise, with a more comical aspect for younger audiences layered on top of serious, scary, and intriguing themes.  I hope that in the future, we will continue to see more productions that tap into a diverse range of genres, pushing actors and actresses to experiment with complex characters, thus fully engaging the Middlesex audience.  Kiki Friedbauer

Is it driving the dialogue or gathering dust? A deeper investigation into the significance of The Anvil. With the motto of the year being ‘engage’, there have been increasing discussions about Middlesex’s approach to engagement. Starting with the advent of the much-disdained no-phone policy, students are growing skeptical of the whole ‘engage thing’. Yet, it's often easy to forget about the importance of other outlets for engagement, one of them being the largest campus newspaper—The Anvil . As a medium for student voice and discussion, much of theAnvil’s purpose gets lost in the heat of fanatic debate and contention. Indeed, what is the role of the Anvil? What will it look like going forward? How does it promote ‘engagement’? The Anvil garnered its legacy and legitimacy across over a century of student engagement, now going into its 120th anniversary. Throughout the years, the paper has co-existed in contention with many other student publications including an earlier paper called The Circle. Yet, in its stand against time and turmoil, the Anvil has emerged as the most prominent student news outlet and seemingly remains uncontended. Now a hub of literary excellence and lasting history, all existing editions of the Anvil are stored in the Archives – located on the 2nd floor of the Warburg Library and set for exclusive storage use. Currently, a number of Anvil student-staff and the student body work towards preserving the publication's history of excellence through multiple issues across the year. Logistically, the staff is composed of Section editors, Chief Writers, Photographers, Illustrators, and lead-Editors-In Chiefs. These staff members coordinate a number of issues and events throughout the year—memorably having organized a trip to the Harvard Crimson Workshop last Spring.  Beyond offering numerous opportunities to engage in journalism, the Anvil provides a space for students and faculty alike to engage in discourse and discussion. Students pick up printed copies around campus, fill in polls, and actively write for the Anvil . Namely, the Anvil  allows students not only to listen and create argumentative articles, but also to appreciate the greater diversity of voices on campus.  Similarly, Anvil serves as a platform for faculty, as they provide enthralling tales about their perspectives and outlooks through in-depth interviews. The Anvil bridges faculty and students, offering details about initiatives on campus that otherwise don’t get the publicity and nuanced discussions.  The Anvil also holds student organizations and activities accountable. A number of clubs have taken up suggestions that first appeared inin Anvil articles—namely Finance club with the prospective advent of a new vending machine and progressive management. Similarly, student advocacy and commentary on the Field House and MX Development have been factored into the school’s vision and initiatives. Undeniably, Anvil publicity and commentary have an impact on opinions and action on campus.  Most importantly, however, the Anvil always embodies a capacity for change and growth. Looking forward into the 2024-2025 school year, the Anvil plans to expand and improve even more. With plans to increase social media presence, feature videos, and introduce podcasts, the Anvil has a lot in store for its 120th year in action. Yet, amidst all the change, the Anvil will continue to serve as a space for free speech, dialogue and engagement for all at Middlesex.

A guide on constructing Opinion Writing  Photo by Adam Nestle On Thursday, September 25, 2025,  The Anvil team had the privilege of welcoming New York Times columnist and Middlesex alumnus Bret Stephens ‘91 back on campus. More than three decades after graduating from Middlesex, Mr. Stephens returned to campus to impart his insights on opinion writing to the Anvil staff and wider school community—an opportunity made possible by several of the Anvil’s new initiatives this year. From once sitting in the same English classes as ourselves to publishing globally acclaimed columns, Mr. Stephen’s journey naturally raises the question: what role did Middlesex play in shaping a writer of such influence? This article will cover the major takeaways, themes, and reflections from Mr. Stephen’s Workshop.  A graduate of the Class of 1991, Mr. Stephens began his career as an assistant editor at Commentary Magazine  in 1995-96 before joining The Wall Street Journal  as an op-editor, eventually becoming an opinions columnist at The New York Times . Since then, Mr. Stephens has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. A critically acclaimed writer and reporter, Mr. Stephens’ insights carry particular significance at Middlesex, an institution that continues to kindle many students’ passion for writing. With over 20 members of the Anvil staff and Middlesex community present, Mr. Stephens began his workshop by reflecting on his time at Middlesex. He founded The Circle— a student paper created to challenge The Anvil, which at the time didn’t nearly publish nor engage as much on campus. He reminisced on memories of his rebellious Middlesex career, including chaining his former Head of School’s bike to the Middlesex flagpole for an astounding cover image on The Circle. Memories like these, he explained, while not directly related to writing, shaped the independence and boldness he would later carry as a writer.  These principles guided the themes of his workshop. Firstly, Mr. Stephens commented on how he confronts an increasingly polarized political climate. At the forefront of writing, Mr. Stephens believes that engaging with both liberal and conservative values is deeply important. To illustrate, he analogized progression in politics to a sailboat: progressive, democratic values serve as the sail that forwards policy and change while conservative values act at the keel that grounds us in stability and prevents tipping against radical tides. In addition, he emphasized the need for more mutual toleration in the journalistic sphere. As most journalists seek to comment on truth and ideals, it is important to confront conflicting views with constructive rather than dismissive feedback. Olena Khiznychenko ‘27 commented that she “respects his confidence in speaking out on more contentious and radical issues” in such a tumultuous political climate.  Building on his message for open-minded dialogue, Mr. Stephens turned to the craft of opinion writing itself. He stated that all reasoned opinions, if well-researched and personally convicted, are worth writing about, especially when journalistic diversity in opinions is low. But more than that, he concluded that the best way to argue and ground these opinions is through concise but passionate language. Mr. Stephens himself wrote, “A wise editor once observed that the easiest decision a reader can make is to stop reading. This means that every sentence has to count in grabbing the reader’s attention, starting with the first.”  In every opinion piece, it is important to ask yourself: Why does this matter? Why should I care? How do I make my reader care?  Implicating value, in all writing, is the first and foremost priority for any writer in the journalistic space.  Finally, he imparted that above all, the journey is hard, that if “you are finding writing easy, you’re doing it wrong.” The experience of writing is constantly changing and evolving as you consolidate your ideas. By no means should writing ever feel like a linear process, as all good writing is formed in the experience of struggling with the best ideas. Mr. Stephens concluded that, as writers, it is important to notice the independent worth of our ideas as moving pieces in a greater political climate. Without discourse, opinions, and writing, there cannot be true progression. Therefore, in every conflicted writer, there lies unbound value in evolving arguments and making change beyond our own opinions.  Bryan Dong ‘27