Synaptic

By Chris Ver Heul ’26

I could almost see the water rushing in. Like a fire of water, growing inch by inch until the town became lost to the rapids. Buildings that once housed sawmills, doctors, and books were submerged. No longer were they the homes of humans; instead, they were to house bass and bluegills. I could picture it, as I looked from the top of the dam across the water of the lake, reflections of sunlight burning into my eyes.

By Jomar Leon ’29

At a young age, I thought sustainability was just about the 3 Rs: recycling, reusing, and reducing, but it isn’t. Sustainability is also emotional and cultural; it’s about not losing who you are. In this way, my journey toward sustainability has been about reconnection. Here, I’ll tell my story of how I came to see the food crisis in Puerto Rico as deeply tied to my family, my heritage, and the planet.

By Isaiah J. Cochran ’29 and Jackson Jurgens ’29

Video games have evolved from simple pixelated screens to immersive virtual worlds that attract billions of players worldwide. While gaming has become one of the most profitable industries globally, it has also sparked controversy regarding player well-being. Many modern games are intentionally designed to keep players engaged for extended periods of time using psychological techniques. This has led to growing concern about “gaming addiction,” especially among younger generations.

By Jacob Williamson ’26

Thinking back to my time in the southern United States, it’s not the cities or busy highways that come to mind. Instead, I picture the calm, misty wetlands close to my grandmother’s house in the Louisiana swamps: the lethargic water, the distant call of a heron, and the tall, old cypress trees standing erect in the distance. There’s something almost sacred about those trees. Their trunks are sturdy and wide, their roots reach deep into the murky water, and those big, knobby “knees” poke out of the water like silent guards keeping watch.

By Anikah Rath ’26

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.” This famous quote by Oscar Wilde, novelist, poet, and playwright, reveals the idea that through the act of covering oneself up, one can paradoxically uncover who one is. This further reflects the intention of this analysis and of Bob Dylan’s career. Bob Dylan, famously known for reinventing his persona and musical genre, trailblazed the way for many other artists to expand their own horizons.

By Hannah Higgins ’26

This study investigated whether grazing duration in domestic horses differs between morning and evening or by breed. The breeds used included Missouri Fox Trotters, Pony of the Americas (POAs), and American Quarter Horses. Horses were observed twice daily for four days, and cumulative grazing time was recorded during ten-minute intervals.

By Kayla Lindquist ’25

People often ask me what my favorite bird is. The question repulses me; how could I possibly just choose one? And yet I always answer: the Short-Eared Owl.

By Hailey Glover ’25

The rhetoric of the Bible possesses a dualistic nature. The Good Book has accessible teachings that can be gleaned from an apparent interpretation of the text, and a deeper meaning found through careful reading and the interpretation of metaphorical language and symbols. An example of this dualistic nature is found in Genesis IX when Ham “sees” Noah’s nakedness.

By Kelsea Hurley ’23

As one of the most influential forms of popular culture in the world today, hip-hop represents a type of cultural expression that combats these injustices and stereotypes that have been formed about what it is like to be Black in America. Hip-hop has influenced an entire generation to form a strong distrust for the criminal justice system because of how it systematically targets Black Americans. Artists evoke the history of oppression through the language and song of hip-hop to try and make the listeners see the truth behind this horrible reality (Dutra, 2020). It is very important to recognize that the connection between hip-hop and the lived experiences of the youth of color makes it an especially useful cultural tool to analyze and critique their world and the social forces that impact them (Graves et al., 2020).

By Cheyne Plants ’27

America’s past is not a sight for sore eyes, but in fact, is one sight that can cause sore eyes. Our flag of stars and stripes has been stained with blood, torn by strife, and burnt by fury. Our landscape has been marked by the fallen brave plundered by injustices. I believe part of the reason why we Americans remain so proud of our country is that, because of the trials of past mistakes, we have become stronger as a nation.

By Gabriella Petruzzello ’24

Ethical communication requires a broad consideration for the individualized needs of every person, regardless of their physical characteristics or cognitive abilities. Neurodiversity is a newly explored area of ethical communication that emphasizes how we can enhance communication for individuals with autism, ADHD, and other neurodiverse individuals. Changing the communication landscape to become more inclusive to people with differing levels of cognitive abilities and perspectives is critical to cultivating a more welcoming and productive workplace.

By Ashley Robbins ’23

Leaves of the Sycamore are wide and fat. Sycamore’s latin name is Platanus occidentalis. Occidental is Latin for “relating to countries of the West” (North Carolina State University Extension). This is an important distinction, because in historical literature of Southwest Asia (notably the Bible), there are descriptions of “Sycamore” trees. These trees however are not the American Sycamore, they more closely resemble the fig tree (Easton).

By Quinn Deahl ’23

The medieval and renaissance periods of British history mark the point in time when England began developing its national identity. This evolution coincides with the increasing contact between the English and different national groups which allowed them to truly distinguish themselves. Early English literature reflects these developments and the subsequent attitudes that the English began to advance about themselves and their perceived others.

By Leslie Delgado

Alien Salamanders exist in Mexico. Curious? Well, this “alien salamander” is named the axolotl, or Ambystoma dumerilii, and has been a prized Mexican icon for centuries, but they are on the bridge to extinction.

By Anika Faro ’23

Strong warrior women and regal queens are the epitome of strong female characters. In the Aeneid, Dido is a powerful queen who has fought for her people. Dido is the queen of Carthage who ends up falling so in love with Aeneus that she commits suicide at the end of Book 4. Adrienne Rich’s theory of the lesbian continuum and compulsory heterosexuality is useful in providing a new feminist analysis of Dido’s story in Book 4.

By Quinn Deahl ’23

America is unlike Germany in its response to atrocity given that Germany has made significant efforts to acknowledge its responsibilities for the Holocaust and build a culture of remembrance, subsequently becoming a welcoming and inclusive place for the Jewish people that were once victimized while America has largely repressed its human rights violations against African Americans.

By Katie Wang

Between the years 2015 and 2017, a national survey conducted in the United States found that 64.9% of 72.2 million women used contraception. Of those women, the second most utilized form of contraception was an oral contraceptive pill. The only form of birth control which exceeded the use of the pill was female sterilization.

By Emma Chervek

Paradise Lost tells the story of the creation of the universe based on the Biblical account in the book of Genesis, focusing on Adam and Eve’s early life in Eden: earth’s ultimate paradise. This story is influenced by the natural characteristics of its setting and is therefore inseparable from the physical environment in which this story is set.

By Grace Patrick-West

During the Victorian era, interest in faeries began to peak. With the Brontë family connection to Ireland, Charlotte Brontë’s inclusion of faery lore in her novel Jane Eyre is quite useful in understanding her connection to both the time period she lived in and to her Irish lineage.

By Barbara Engleheart

In modern societies, violence is typically categorized into justified violence, or violence necessary for “the greater good,” versus violence as evil, criminal and unjustified. There are two constructs for which this differentiation has been naturalized so strongly that we usually would not even consider drawing parallels between them: soldiers and terrorists.

By Alora Nowlin '21

One of the most valuable skills we can learn today is how to live sustainably. This is easier said than done. There is not a class that can teach you how to live sustainably in the course of a single semester, since the resources that are available to us are ever-changing.

By Lauren Goeke '19

I vividly remember my trip to Alberta, Canada in the summer of 2018. The wheels touched down on the landing strip. I found myself in a foreign land where the landscape, people, and priorities were completely different from my home in St. Louis, Missouri—and different from the college I attend in Pella, Iowa.

By Emma Clodfelter '21

Perhaps the most unique trait of spiders is their silk. Despite other insects producing silk at some stage in their development, spiders remain distinctive due to both sexes using silk throughout their entire lifespan.

By Kayleigh Rohr '20

This paper deals with the impact of home and housing on health in Mayan communities, particularly in Yucatán. Kayleigh’s expansive investigation draws from areas such as human rights, environmental studies and the biological sciences in order to illustrate the interdependency of housing and access to culturally-appropriate health care.

By Bailey Anderson '18

Postmodernist novels famously defy convention and resist unifying theories or ideologies. They lack conclusionary details and the most bizarre occurrences are often left “up in the air.” Even in the novels themselves, readers are sometimes advised against trying to make too much out of the stories they tell.

By Amelia Howard '19

What exactly is foreign policy and why does it matter?

By K.E. Daft '19

Willa Cather has been hailed, for decades, as an advocate for Bohemian culture.

By Braden Furness '20

Bioluminescence is a key part to many organisms and their lifestyle, both on land and in the ocean.

By Marina Paul '21

When asked to think about learning challenges in elementary school, it would be safe to assume that many people would reflect on the difficulties of mathematics.

By Matthew Wells '18

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (GOT) is a laudable effort to put in players’ hands the chance to exercise their inner Machiavellian in a (hopefully) nonviolent fashion.

By McKenna Kilburg '18

Over eight million different species exist on earth, and of these, most species display some sort of socialization within or between species. This socialization can take the form of several frameworks.

By Katherine Lowe '18

This paper seeks to prove a significant theorem from Euclid’s Elements: Euclid’s proof of the Pythagorean theorem.