Rayane Taroua ’20 at the Rooted Research Conference

Rayane Taroua '20 presented the findings of an original research paper at The Gunnery's 2019 Rooted Research Conference on April 28.  Her paper, entitled "The Environment of Illness at Hopkins," was part of a series of presentations by students of long-form research papers around the theme of the conference, "An Exploration of Heritage and History."  Taroua explored the pressure students put on themselves to attend school regardless of their physical well-being.  In addition to surveying current students, she interviewed some alumni/ae about their experiences in the past, as well as current faculty and administrators.  Taroua’s presentation was followed by a period of questions and answers from interested students, faculty, and parents from The Gunnery.  Other student paper presentations covered topics such as the development of a hands-on archaeology course at Lauralton Hall, the development of the student newspaper at The Gunnery, and alumni veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars from The Gunnery. Student applied to participate in January, and Taroua was one of eight students accepted to present at the conference. Taroua's research began as an assignment for Mr. Addison's English Writing Seminar, and participation in the conference allowed her to continue her research and compile her work into a long-form presentation.