If Prince Andrew’s arrest was meant to signal the law’s neutrality despite the status that public figures may hold, the underwhelming resolution to this drama has instead reinforced the opposite perception. Across the Atlantic, the spectacle surrounding our era’s greatest scandal has done little to restore public confidence in the impartiality of justice or the strength of our institutions.

The Holdovers is a film made by Alexander Payne in 2023, already having been hailed as a standard of the prep school story genre over the past few years. The movie follows the relationship between Paul Hunham, a classics teacher at Barton Academy, and Angus Tully, who has been left behind over Christmas break while his mother goes on vacation with her new husband.

Standardized collegial testing has become something of an institution. Since the ACT and SAT were implemented, they have grown and changed to the point where they are unrecognizable from their initial forms, but remain constant in their purpose of gauging a student’s academic excellence.

Among our nation’s cities, it has often seemed paradoxical that civic engagement in the largest metropolitan center in the country is so low. In fact, turnout for city mayoral elections has gone consistently downhill since the 2000s, a trend that underscores a growing threat of disengagement that could perhaps shake the foundations of our political system. But 2025 seemed to prove different.

Despite the results of the mayoral election attracting much interest as to the future of the city, one thing is clear — that at Browning, a spirit of civil discourse remains present and thriving. 

For thirty-one years now, Browning’s Sanford Pelz has led our juniors and seniors to college campuses across America. Though discontinued for some time in light of the COVID pandemic, since 2021 the program has continued to thrive as a time-honored tradition, with the goal of enriching Browning students’ understanding of the college admissions process through exposure to an assortment of schools. 

In the wake of increasing socio-political tensions regarding the institution of slavery, then-candidate Abraham Lincoln remarked that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” 166 years later, that historic statement could not be more relevant. 

From studying in Britain and Germany to teaching physics at Browning, Dr. Viraf Mehta has had a lifelong passion for science which has informed his work not only as a teacher but as a distinguished scientist as well. The Grytte had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Mehta, the newest addition to the science department, to discuss his experience, his teaching philosophy, and vision for inspiring new scientists at Browning. 

From his first exploration of pottery as a postgraduate student at a boarding school in New England to teaching six grades of students here at Browning, new art teacher Luke Kelly has been able to apply his passions for both the arts and education to help foster creativity in his pupils. The Grytte had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. Kelly, the newest addition to the art department, to discuss who he is and examine his artistic influences, teaching methods, and vision for inspiring young artists at Browning.