List of 20 news stories.

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  “Fearless” Actress and Singer Bar Avraham faces her final season at Hop

  Giuliana Wright '29
  Bar Avraham ’26, Co-head of the Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) and lead singer in the band Persian Goodbye, is taking her final bow at Hopkins.
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  Are You Still Watching?

  Ellie Luo '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  The hum of the television fills an otherwise dark room. Something’s happening on the show you have put on, maybe some boring exposition you couldn’t care less about. You don’t know, because your focus is on the smaller screen in front of you: your phone. With the rise of short-form content, attention spans have decreased dramatically, from around 2.5 minutes down to 40 seconds according to National Geographic. Shortened attention spans have caused a lack of awareness during movies in and out of the theaters, leading to a rising trend of people watching a second screen. This effect has been deemed the “second screen phenomenon.” 
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  Behind the Set Pieces: Inside the New Theater Tech Class

  Saisha Ghai '27 Arts Editor
  If you walked into the scene shop, where the set pieces of each Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) production are built, during the school day you might see students measuring wood, with sawdust on the floor, and music playing in the background. While usually set design for HDA productions takes place during an afterschool program, this semester David Kenton has begun to teach a new Technical Theater class, focusing on the behind-the-scenes of every HDA production.

• Hopkins Musicians Strike a Chord at CMEA

  Veena Scholand '26 Arts Editor
  The Connecticut Music Educator’s Association (or CMEA) has been a festival for middle school and high school student musicians in Connecticut for over a century. According to Hopkins’s head of the Arts department, Robert Smith, “Hopkins has sent more students to the festival than any other high school in Connecticut.” The audition entails performing the year’s designated piece, a short sight reading, and a scale. Musicians participate in a regional ensemble that performs in the winter time. Students that are accepted are also able to audition again for a chance to perform at All States on the national level.
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  Quinby Berry: Enjoying the Harmony that Music Brings

  Keegan Slovinski '28
  Some singers find their voice over time. Quinby Berry ’26 found his—and then used it to lead others. A tenor deeply involved in Hopkins’ arts community, Berry has taken the stage in productions ranging from the musical Cabaret to the Hopkins Drama Associations (HDA) production 1960’s set Twelfth Night. In the latter, he performed in a Beach Boy-inspired band, distinguishing the production's time period. Still, he has most enjoyed his time leading the Harmonaires, Hopkins’  tenor and bass a cappella group.
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  Artist of the Issue Article: Caryn Kim

  Hejing Wen '29
  As a toddler, Caryn Kim ’26 was already surrounded by music. With a mother who worked as an organist and piano teacher, Kim grew up hearing music at home—and before long, she was learning it too. Music became part of her childhood in a natural, almost inevitable way.
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  Artist of the Issue-: Cora Turk-Thomas

  Silvia Gozar-Zimbrean '29
  Theater has always been an essential part of Cora Turk-Thomas’s ’26 life. From helping out in elementary school shows to becoming production stage manager (PSM) at Hopkins, their love for it has only grown, not only connecting them with others, but giving them skills they can carry with them throughout the rest of their life.
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  HDA’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” Will Keep Audiences Wide Awake

  Isha Seth '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  The Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) is preparing for their performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a show featuring “tap dancing, a roller skating groom, and challenging and fun music” according to Director Mike Calderone. HDA’s rendition of the musical comedy will open on February 26 in the Academic and Performing Arts Center.
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  Hopkins's Opinions on AI Music

  Elyssa Power '28
  Artificial intelligence, or AI, has become an increasingly visible part of daily life at Hopkins. Regarding the use of AI at Hopkins, Max Blechinger ’26 said, “I think in general it’s useful for studying or looking stuff up, but I prefer final papers for English so I don’t like that we have English exams now.” As AI tools influence the humanities, questions begin to emerge about its role in music. AI-generated music programs are capable of producing melodies, harmonies, and even complete songs within seconds. While these tools have gained attention online, their long term impact on students and faculty at Hopkins remains unclear, and opinions on AI music range from negative to indifferent.

• Piroetta: Shaping a Story through Dance and Light

  Ellie Luo '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  Vivid lights spill across the stage as the crowd erupts into a roar of cheers. The newest Video Production film shines on the screen, lighting up the entire theatre with its glow. From A Day In The Life videos to horror films for the haunted house, Advanced Video Production experiments and refines their skills in all sorts of genres, tinkering with pace, framing, and edit styles. This year, the class will collaborate with the Technical Theater class and the dance community to present their film, “Piroetta” in the APAC theater on May 1st. Made in homage to Italian Filmmaker Dario Argento, the project will showcase the creativity of the filmmakers, tech crew, and the dancers on campus to visually blend storytelling and movement.
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  Sappho Walked so Taylor Swift Could Run: The Evolution of the Love Song from the Ancient Agora to the MetLife Stadium

  Aerin O'Brian '26 Lead Arts Editor
  A lot has changed since ancient humans gathered in the agora to debate, to learn, to exchange ideas and to be entertained: we no longer believe that the Earth is flat, we made Icarus’s dream of flying a reality and did not get scorched by the sun, our phones contain more information than several libraries of Alexandria, but one thing has remained the same – we keep falling in love and we keep singing about it. Occasionally, we still gather in large stadiums to hear our modern-day poets pour our feelings into songs. When Charles Darwin traced the origins of music to the courtship rituals of birds, he concluded that, “Love is still the commonest theme of our songs.” So, as much as we are sometimes embarrassed to admit – relegating love songs to the guilty pleasure purgatory of our Spotify playlists – singing about love is part of our biology. While love remained an ever-present subject through the ages, the popular cultural attitudes towards love and the love song have waxed and waned, shifting from moralizing to mocking, from sentimental to rebellious, from wholesome to transgressive, from embarrassing to embracing.
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  Beach Boys and Romance: HDA Presents "Twelfth Night"

  Veena Scholand '26 Art Editor
  From 60’s music to thrilling fights, HDA’s production of Twelfth Night prepared through the months of October and November to take the stage on December 4th, 5th, and 6th. As opening night approached, the excitement of the cast and crew grew for a “very unique” production, says Fiona Wiman ’28, playing Olivia.
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  From the Kiln to the Breakfast Table: Ceramics at Hopkins

  Saisha Ghai '27 Arts Editor
  From the classic Greek vases depicting mythology to the delicate Ming dynasty pottery, ceramics have earned their place in society over hundreds of years. At Hopkins, Ceramics is a class that provides students with new methods of problem-solving, forcing students to turn a lump of clay into a pinch pot or an inedible baked good. Students practice wheel and hand-building techniques, experiment with different colored glazes, and follow the steps required to prepare and fire their work.
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  Hopkins Community Divided: Tacky or Timeless?

  Aerin O'Brian '26 Lead Arts Editor
  It seems that almost as soon as the clocks fall back and the trees shed their festive autumnal canopies, American homeowners rush to deck the halls with holiday cheer, swapping the orange glow of the Jack O’Lanterns for the winter-themed blaze that spans the gamut from tacky to tasteful, from gaudy to restrained. But beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder, so we asked the Hopkins community to rate popular winter holiday decor and express their own opinions on what they consider “tacky” or “timeless.”
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  Hopkins Jazz Combo, H Bop, Takes the Stage

  Ellie Luo '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  The soothing sound of the steady bass linen accompanied by tunes of light jazz fills the basement of Thompson as Hopkins’ jazz combo, H Bop, begins their rehearsals full of laughter, fun, and learning. In this student-run ensemble, musicians are able to find their own sound and enhance their skills of improvisation. Despite its independent nature, H Bop not only fosters a place for individual discovery but also strengthens connections through music.
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  It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas

  Isha Seth '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  As the holiday season approaches, a familiar, cheerful, and inescapable soundtrack arrives. Songs like “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” and albums such as Michael Bublé’s Christmas are among the festive favorites that are played everywhere from radio stations to malls at this time of year. The festive musical tradition has created a divide: some people love it, and some hate it. Even among the Hopkins community, students and faculty have differing opinions on holiday music.

• Advancement of AI and Art: The Art-Official Gallery

  Ellie Luo '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  With walls filled with vivid colors, bold statements, one big question looms: what happens when machines start making art? The announcement of this year’s community gallery show Art-Official Intelligence sparked discussion, raising both excitement and caution over the role of artificial intelligence in art. Scheduled for October 17th through November 14th, the show encourages students to think about AI in a new perspective in respect to art.
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  AOTI Austin Casebolt

  Saisha Ghai '27 Arts Editor
  “Can you use an element of art to express power?” This is one of the questions Hopkins’ new art teacher Mr. Casebolt has pondered in the classroom with his students. From learning through observing, to experimenting with new mediums, to becoming a teacher himself, the meaning of art to Mr. Casebolt has evolved over time. He now brings his experiences to Hopkins to discuss and teach art to both students in J-school and experienced seniors.
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  Our American Cousin

  Isha Seth '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  From learning to walk in Victorian hoop skirts to perfecting the accents of their hilarious characters, the Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) worked since the start of school on their first production of the year: “Our American Cousin.” The show opened on Thursday, October 16th and ran for three nights.
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  Ecce, HDA: Hopkins Students Go to Edinburgh

  Saisha Ghai '27 Arts Editor
  From shows starring three chickens to Shakespeare to acrobats flipping around the stage, the Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) has seen it all this year when they took their talents abroad to Edinburgh, Scotland’s annual Fringe Festival. Twelve members of HDA gave daily performances of Hopkins classic Ecce, Romani!, explored famous castles, watched fellow actors deliver stunning shows, and learned about the art of theater every day.