January 2017 Issue

the

Dial

P.2 Hack-olades reward acts of kindness

P.6 Solving KenKen puzzles

P.9 Keeping pace with new technology

The voice of the student body Hackley School, Tarrytown, NY 10591

February 9, 2017

hsdial.org

Global climate change experts enlighten Upper School students Wendt Scholar Drew Jones and Szabo Lecturer Cynthia Scharf conduct a “Climate Interactive” simulation

By Will Goldsmith

Photo by Roya Wolfe Co-president of Dux Femina Facti, senior Lila Wolfe joins protesters in a chant at the Women’s March on Washington following President Trump’s inauguration. The march was organized as a way for citizens to express their desires for equality.

Community members attend Women’s Marches to peacefully promote human rights

By Roya Wolfe

“W

omen’s rights are human rights! Women’s rights are human rights!” The chants grew louder across the sea of pink hats on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The voices of people all over the globe were heard on January 21, 2017 when the Women’s March on Washington took the world by storm. Both women and men throughout America marched for equality and women’s rights. Hackley community members advocated for a variety of issues at marches in Washington, D.C., New York City, Stamford, CT and even Orlando, FL. The Women’s March on Washington was massive, with about half a million people flooding

through the city’s metro stations and streets. Marchers came from all over the country to Washington, D.C.; sister marches were staged in cities around the country and the world. According to the Women’s March official website, a total of 673 marches took place globally.

In Washington, D.C., the excitement was palpable in the air as signs bobbed up and down. People began gathering at 10:00 a.m., in preparation for the march that would soon start at 1:15 p.m. Senior Amanda Patterson was among the marchers there, and said, “my favorite part about the march was the general feeling of happiness and kindness among all the women.” Hackley alumnus Elizabeth Bendick ’08

also marched in the nation’s capital, noting, “the Women’s March gave me so much more than an outlet; it restored my hope. The hope that difficult conversations about diversity can happen, hope that women can feel empowered to be in control of their own bodies, and hope that despite differences, people can come together in a peaceful display of democracy.”

Upper School Spanish teacher Jessica Spates attended the march with her husband, Hackley athletic trainer Doug Sawyer. “I think female voices need to be heard, especially since [Trump] ran against a woman and because he’s been so depreciative of Continued on Page 8

The morning of January 19 began very different from actually creating with a wave of fear and apprehen- change. Something that wasn’t really sion sweeping through the minds discussed in the simulation was the of the student body. By the end of power of money. As sad as it is, I third period, Upper School students don’t think that people are going left the Zetkov Center with a stead- to be willing to disregard their own fast and resolute desire to create financial interests to create reform,” change. Community Time, usually said junior Chad Lasseter. used as a free period for students to The students representing the work on homework or attend club meetings, became an occasion for a thought-provoking and rather “It made me feel empowered and powerless simultanealarming reality to be revealed.

Drew Jones and Cynthia Scharf, ously, further inciting my will two leading experts on climate to create change, but also change, were Hackley’s 2017 Wendt and Szabo Lecturers. They each deeply saddening me to the presented powerful information existential threat that this on the perilous state of our planet. widely ignored issue poses.”

Yet they did so not through a Josh Gluckman mere lecture or video, but rather through a simulation in which certain Upper School students represented a collective group of na- wealthiest nations in the world tions, with the goal of preventing were granted chairs to sit on, our planet’s average temperature while those representing poor from rising 2 degrees Celsius. and less industrialized nations Some students expressed sat on the floor during the hope regarding the fate simulation. Mr. Jones used of our planet, while a computer simulation by others remained fearful which the students of each and alarmed about its group of nations were future. “The to collectively give simulation their emissions was great in peak, and the that it depictrate at which ed the reality they sought to cut we face. But their emissions Photo by Amy Chalan saying we’re Drew Jones, co-founder and co-director of going to do it Climate Interactive, encourages students to Continued on [fight climate take action on climate change.

Page 9 change] is

Community Council hosts a successful masquerade Snowball

By Amy Chalan

Keeping with the masquerade theme of Snowball, students danced the night away in masks at Hackley’s Upper School winter formal. The PAC was transformed into a starry paradise decorated with fairy lights, rose petals and floating balloons. Community Council members were tremendously pleased with the turnout and positive feedback from enthusiastic students.

For the first time in Snowball’s history, Community Council asked the student body to voice their opinions and vote on the theme for the dance. As Council aims to serve the community, president Alex Meyer wanted to offer the students input into the planning process.

The “Snowball” was started in 2014 by former Community Council president Damis Yancopoulos. Open to the entire Upper School, Snowball offers freshmen and sophomores especially, a fun social event in the midst of the traditional school stress, as Prom is typically for juniors and seniors.

Community Council started planning Snowball in November, much earlier than in the past, which allowed members to

Photo courtesy of Robert Patterson Upper School students dance at the Snowball while senior DJ Seth Tilliss plays the latest hits. Seth Tillis served as the DJ for the past two years, making the 2017 Snowball his final debut.

spend more time on details such as decorations, food, music, and advertising.

In the weeks leading up to the dance, the advertising committee promoted Snowball through videos on the student-run Facebook page, The Hive, posters, and announcements in grade-wide meetings and homerooms.

Using the funds raised through venues such as candy grams and food stands at sports

events, Council was able to decorate the PAC with lights, balloons, masks, and candles. Senior Jordan Schwartz said, “The PAC looked amazing and professionally done. The light-up masks were a nice touch with the theme.”

Those attending picked up a free mask at the entrance and danced to the music selected by senior Seth Tilliss, also know as “DJ Trilliss.” Seth will be hard to replace in

the coming years as noted by senior Uriel Garcia, “He was a great DJ and chose really great songs. We don’t have another DJ like that so we’re definitely going to miss him.”

Students also enjoyed the delicious Italian food offerings provided by Mr. Nicks, the catering service chosen by Council.

Sophomore Robert Patterson used his photography skills to capture students dancing the night away. Council also set up a photo booth with props and a backdrop for students to take photos. The photos were then uploaded online and emailed to students from Council advisor Bill McLay. The night was filled with loud music and laughter from students and teacher chaperones. Sophomore Mia Boemio said, “Snowball was very fun at the end and I would highly recommend attending it next year.”

Community Council hopes that Snowball will continue to be an annual and spirited tradition at Hackley, supported by the hard-working efforts of both the student body and Council members.

2 opinion

the

February 9, 2017

Dial

Hack-olades promote community values Science and Hackley community agree that Hack-olades will incentivize students to uphold strong character

By The Editorial Board

S

imilar to the way in which athletes are honored with “Athlete of the Week” distinctions, Hackley has begun to reward students who exhibit kindness and empathy with Hack-olades. The Dial Editorial Board supports the establishment of this system as we feel that it will serve as a step toward living up to Hackley’s “character is higher than intellect” ideology.

Hack-olades were created to shine a light on the values and beliefs of the Hackley community. The awards strive to reward students on “the content of their character,” rather than their academic ability or athletic prowess.

Students often express surprise when a teacher references the “character is higher than intellect” mantra. Many perceive the school’s emphasis on intellect to be of extreme importance. With the establishment of Hack-olades, however, Hackley is taking a step to living up to its Emersonian ethos.

Senior Kevin Kim, a recent winner of a Hack-olade for making a younger student feel included, said, “I think the system is a great idea because it will encourage students to do more kind acts, and will start shifting Hackley’s culture to a place where social kindness as well as athletic accomplishments are celebrated.”

Through rewarding students for acts of civility, Hackley is placing a significance on the manner in which students conduct themselves, and can perhaps help to encourage more frequent acts of kindness. By making these acts more visible to the community, Hack-olades may result in other members of the Upper School seeking to emulate such deeds.

James Fowler, professor of medical genetics and political science at the University of California, San Diego, found that one lone act of kindness often results in a domino effect in which more kind acts are carried out.

Hack-olade poll:

According to Nathan Collins of psmag.com, “When a reward follows an action, that action gets reinforced, and we’re more likely to take that action in the future.”

Regarding the impact of Hack-olades on the student body, sophomore Ismene Germanakos remarked, “The Hack-olades are a cool and fun way to keep everyone friendly toward one another. Even when we are all stressed with a lot of work, the Hack-olades make us all feel better.”

“I think the system is a great idea because it will…start shifting Hackley’s culture to a place where social kindness as well as athletic accomplishments are celebrated.”

Dial staff

Hackley School 293 Benedict Ave.Tarrytown, NY (914) 631-0128 February 9, 2017 Vol. 119, No. 5 hsdial.org Editors-in-Chief Benjy Renton, Roya Wolfe Online Editors Joy Dracos, Alexi Sandhu

Cosima Boettner Section Editors

News Alex Meyer, Amy Chalan Opinion Catherine Meyer, Olivia Weinberg Politics Lei Anne Rabeje, Raghav Chopra Feature Maddy Chen, LiliAnna Khosrowshahi Arts Bridget Barsanti, William Goldsmith Lifestyles Hannah Urken, Lucy Barse Science & Tech Grace Henrich, Georgia Panitz Sports Pat Walker, Bailey Griffen Photography Christian Riegler Advisers Michael Bass, Anne Budlong Policy Opinions expressed in staff editorials reflect the majority view of The Dial Editorial Board.

Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author and do not represent the views of Hackley School, its administration or its staff.

The Dial invites and encourages its readers to write letters to the editor or submit contributions. Contact us at dial@hackleyschool.org. We reserve the right to edit any submission for clarity and brevity, and to correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation when necessary. We refuse to publish submissions which are unsigned, libelous, or plagiarized.

Four hundred copies of each issue are distributed among the High School student body of about four hundred students and the faculty and staff.

According to Dartmouth’s “Review of Clinical and Functional Neuroscience,” the part of the brain that recieves and responds to rewards is called the limbic system. The limbic system, among a variety of functions, is “involved in motivation and reinforcing behaviors.”

Kevin Kim Some students have expressed frustration with the fact that Hack-olades reward individuals for acts that ought to already be normal standards of kindness.

“One student received a Hack-olade for responding to a question pertaining to Hackley’s standard of acceptance on an Admissions tour by saying that Hackley is an inclusive environment, accepting of children with two mothers or two fathers…I don’t think you need to receive a reward for such civility as Hackley already emphasizes the importance of having this sense of morals,” said sophomore Rachel Troy.

Questions also remain on the minds of Hackley faculty with respect to whether winners of Hack-olade rewards were honestly and candidly acting kindly, or simply behaving in that exemplary manner in order to win an award. “The only thing that I worry about is our students feeling genuine in winning these awards. I hope winners of Hack-olades truly

13%

distinctly remember the communal impact, the sense of camaraderie and community hear t, of that meeting,” said Upper School English teacher, Wil Lobko.

Hack-olades recognize and praise both the hearts and spirits of Hackley students. Such recognition will help to ensure that the civility displayed by Hackley’s student body, not simply their accomplishments, will be celebrated.

Illustration by Olivia Weinberg

“Hack-olades are a cool concept and it’s

of students polled think the awarding of Hack-olades has made a difference in the attitudes of Hackley students

the

believe that they reflect something important,” said sophomore dean Melissa Stanek.

While issues pertaining to the legitimacy of acts of courtesy that win Hack-olades and the notion of rewarding people for upholding a uniform level of decency are indeed valid, The Dial Editorial Board believes that Hack-olades are still important rewards due to the Hackley community’s sense of character and morality that the awards reflect. “I don’t think that students and faculty at Hackley act the way they do for awards. It was a gift to witness someone winning a Hackolade.

I

nice to see other students receive it, but I haven’t seen a drastic change in attitude.”

Anonymous

Poll methodology: Polls were distributed electronically through Upper School student emails.

185 students responded, representing approximately 47% of the student body. This poll has a margin of error of ±5.3%.

Opinion

Climate change is real; we all must help fight it

By Jamie Leonard

That Earth’s climate is changing is indisputable. According to NASA’s climate change department, 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is real and mainly caused by humans. This scientific consensus has been increasingly widely accepted among the American public. A 2016 Gallup poll found that 90% of Americans believe the climate has already begun changing or will at some point in the future. Even former Texas Governor Rick Perry, President Trump’s nominee for Energy Secretary, and historically, a prominent climate change denier, admitted during his hearing for the cabinet post that “the climate is changing” and “some of it is caused by man-made activity.”

Still, many powerful politicians today, including Perry, either fail to understand or refuse to acknowledge several crucial points.

First, reliable, fact-based, peerreviewed climate change models have confirmed that continuing “business as usual” will have catastrophic consequences for the entire world, America included.

Second, scientists agree that more than “some” of climate change is caused by humans; indeed, human activity is the main driver behind climate change.

Third, as Drew Jones and Cynthia Scharf, Hackley’s Wendt and Szabo

Photo by Christian Riegler Cynthia Scharf encourages change among students and teachers at the Wendt and Szabo lecture and simulation. Hackley’s HEAL has taken measures to assure such change by organizing events such as the FreeBee.

Lecturers, clearly demonstrated, the U.S. has both the ability and responsibility to take significant action regarding climate change. The Paris Agreement is a good first step, but further action will be necessary to avert climate change’s most disastrous effects.

In the face of such an abstract and far-reaching threat, individual actions

may feel ineffective and pointless. In fact, the opposite is the case. Individual action, now more than ever, is crucial, and solitary actions have the potential to inspire others, and snowball to create real, large-scale change.

One avenue for change is through political engagement. The current presidential administration openly denies incontrovertible climate sci-

ence. President Trump has stated that climate change is a false theory “created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive.” He has consequently deleted all mention of climate change from the White House website, and has threatened to back out of the Paris Agreement.

If the president will not encourage action, it is the people’s responsibility.

Educate yourself and others about the dangers of climate change. Call your representatives and urge them to support action. Add your signature to petitions. A series of marches to encourage action on climate change – possibly inspired by the recent electrifying women’s marches across the country – are currently being organized to take place in March. Go march; this is not a partisan issue.

Finally, you can take small daily actions to benefit the environment.

Reduce use of plastic water bottles.

Carpool when possible and don’t idle your car. Be mindful of waste. Get involved with HEAL, the Hackley Earth Action League, which organizes environmentally-friendly events every year like the FreeBee, and which will explore a campaign to encourage Hackley to divest from fossil fuels. Be conscious of your carbon footprint.

The threat of climate change is real, and we all have a part to play in mitigating its dangers.

the

Dial

February 9, 2017

arts 3

Finding solace: artistic expression of a night owl

By Natalie Sukhman

Photo by Joy Dracos Eleanor’s concentration focuses on the reactions of her viewers. She wants people to question how things got where they are and where they are going to be.

Photo by Joy Dracos Eleanor does a majority of her art work when she is alone at night. For her, the combination of silence and chaos creates a focused environment. This silence of the night is combined with the noise of her blasting heavy metal music.

While many use art as an outlet for informal expression or as a form of relaxation, senior AP Art student Eleanor Henrich uses it as a way to communicate with people, believing that art is the physical representation of an artist’s soul. She has always been creative, as an artist her whole life, but it was not until high school that she developed technical skills along with her creative ones. When asked about her goal for her art, she said, “Especially in my concentration, I want people to question. I’m telling the stories of objects that people see everyday, but I want people to wonder how things got to where they are and where they are going to be.”

Eleanor grew up surrounded by art. Her main inspiration comes from her grandmother, who is a china painter and suffers from arthritis in her hands. This was an obstacle for her grandmother, but her love of art pushed her to continue. Eleanor’s concentration, demonstrating how objects are created and abandoned, also stemmed from experiences with her family. “I live in a 200year-old house and my parents used to bring me to antique malls as a child. I’ve always been surrounded by old objects that have significance because of their age.” Through her art, Eleanor explores the questions, “What happened to objects that were not given the chance to be antiques? How and why were they forgotten?”

She uses color to portray time, using pastel and charcoal to differentiate between time periods. Eleanor’s versatile perspective of her environment helps influence new ideas for

pieces. She looks around her house or other old buildings to find objects with interesting compositions. Eleanor creates on the go; her favorite medium is drawing because she only needs a few materials. “While there are many different mediums in drawing, all you really need is a pencil and paper. I have made art on an airplane with a pencil, a notepad, and cold tea,” Eleanor commented.

As an incredibly busy Hackley student, Eleanor has often struggled to find time to balance art, schoolwork and other activities into her schedule. As a night owl, however, staying up late has not been much of a problem for her. In fact, the relationship between a hectic school schedule and a peaceful zone to create art has manifested itself in her work.

“When I am creating art, I love this odd combination of stillness and chaos. I do the majority of my work when I am alone late at night. The silence that comes at 2 o’clock in the morning helps me focus. In this silence, I love creating chaos. I blast heavy metal; I use a lot of pastels in my work and it ends up everywhere: my hands, my face, my clothes, my work table,” she said.

Eleanor uses art to escape her schoolwork, where there are correct answers and set interpretations. In her art she finds an escape, where there are no lines, “only colors and shades coming against each other to create distinction. It is freeing to not have to be in a world of black and white,” she commented.

Eleanor wants to continue exploring art, with plans to major in Studio Art and Psychology in college.

Upper School actors partner with Middle School peers

By Katy Robertson and Samantha Rosenstein

As the Hackley community strives to link its students in all grades, the Upper School drama program, led by Willie Teacher, has initiated a partnership with Middle School drama teacher Merideth Maddox’s acting students. Starting with the 2016-2017 school year, Upper School acting classes have periodically worked with the Middle Schoolers as their acting role models, helping expand their knowledge of the theater and practice their writing and performing skills.

A recent project created through this partnership was the writing and editing of scripts written by the Middle School acting minor classes. After these students succeeded in writing their first drafts, Upper School students worked to produce final edited drafts. Once the Upper School actors finish preparing for and competing in the annual English Speaking Union Shakespeare Monologue Competition, they will return to the Middle School classes and perform the scripts written by the 7th graders.

The current activity being generated through this joint program is a mock audition. The act-

ing minor class has organized this project to include both their peers and the Upper School acting students. These Middle Schoolers have selected sections of many plays to be read in the audition, simulating an extremely professional and life-like atmosphere throughout the entirety of the auditioning process.

Upper School actor, Madeline Zuckerman, reflects on her experience auditioning stating, “Going back to visit the Middle School acting class was such a memorable experience. I was reminded of all the good times I had learning from Mrs. Maddox and Mr. Teacher. It’s great to be able to help and participate with younger students while doing an activity we all love.”This feeling of nostalgia and pride resonates heavily within all of the Upper School students as they are able to continue their relationships with beloved teachers and help craft a new class of actors.

This exchange uses Hackley students’ passion to further improve their knowledge, while simultaneously creating alliances. Both the Middle and Upper School acting teachers hope that other departments follow this initiative of connecting students in different divisions.

Photo courtesy of Katy Robertson and Samantha Rosenstein Actors practice their monologues in class, in preparation for the ESU Shakespeare Monologue Competition.

Photo courtesy of David Ben-Ezra Juniors Hannah Goodwin-Pierce, Bea McColl and Celia Gooding serenade the audience with Beyoncé’s “Sweet Dreams.”

Coffeehouse showcases Hackley’s artistic voices

By LiliAnna Khosrowshahi

When you walk into the Performing Arts Center and hear the sound of Wade Tonken’s familiar voice, see the massive cooler of Starbucks bottled mocha frappuccinos and the spotlights hitting the array of instruments on the stage, you know it’s showtime. Coffeehouse is one of Hackey’s most attended events, and is rewarding for both the audience and the performers.

This year’s Winter Coffeehouse was a definite crowd-pleaser, full of music, poetry, and comedy. Coffeehouse maintains a strong reputation and allows for the audience to enjoy the many rich talents of the Hackley community. Senior Chris Wahrhaftig said, “I think Coffeehouse is a great way to see a lot of hidden, cool talents that you don’t really know about.” Coffeehouse continues to surprise the community with new, unique talents, giving performers the chance to show off to their friends, teachers, and family. “It’s really fun watching my friends perform, but I especially love watching my teachers perform.

It’s a really fun way to bring the community together to support one another,” senior Riya Mital added.

Freshman Emmy Wenstrup commented, “Coming into freshman year, I was really looking forward to Coffeehouse, because my brother raved about it and I’m also excited to hear new talents throughout the community.”

Performing at Coffeehouse is a challenging yet gratifying experience.

Senior Carolyn Miller has been performing at Coffeehouse since her freshman year.

“When I stepped on stage for the first time, I was really nervous because I was basically singing in front of around 250 kids who were older than me. I remember halfway through my song everyone started to cheer and all those nerves went away because I realized how supportive the community is and how rewarding performing can be,” said Carolyn.

Another talented senior, Lila Wolfe, has a small routine to help her cope with nerves and clear her mind before performing. “I think about the first words I’m going to sing and once those words are in my head, I make sure the people I’m playing with are ready. As soon as they see me smile, we start going and I just focus on the song, and not the people watching,” Lila stated.

4 feature

the

February 9, 2017

Dial

Ivie elucidates the true meaning of beauty Editor’s Note: Senior Ivie Uzamere delivered the following Chapel Talk to an audience of students and faculty on December 15, 2016. The Dial reprints an excerpt of her speech below. The full text is available on our website at hsdial.org. …I am going to tell you a story that helped me define what is truly beautiful for me.

Last summer, en route to New York from Montreal, where my mother’s Haitian Frenchspeaking family is from, my mother decided to make a pitstop at a

Walmart and asked me to get a toy for my seven-year-old cousin, Haleynha, who was with us at the time. Following my mother’s instructions, I directed my cousin to the “pink section” and her eyes lit up as she saw the many dolls.

I handed her one that was not the standard Barbie (blue-eyed, skinny, blonde hair and white-skinned), but rather a doll that was black with natural hair. “Haleynha look! What about this one?” Her excited grin instantly turned to a scowl. She handed the doll back to me and said in French, “Ivie, elle n’est pas belle, je veux cela,” French for “Ivie, she is not pretty.

I want this one.”

The one that she wanted was the blonde, white “ideal” Barbie. At that moment my heart broke because Haleynha’s skin is a beautiful caramel brown and her thick hair has a great kinky texture, yet she was asking for a white doll with blonde hair. She was calling dolls that resembled her ugly, and I ached for her.

Society has made little girls like my cousin feel like they are less than “ideal.” Many little black girls do not see the beauty they possess, or the way their smiles and presence could light up a room, but rather the only things they seem to see are what we black girls are not, instead of everything we are.

Although this situation wounded me to the core, I could not blame my cousin because I too have struggled with accepting my skin and black features. Attending a predominately white school since age five, for almost 13 years I have been surrounded by so many girls who perfectly conform to the Eurocentric beauty standards.

There were times in Middle School that I longed for thin lips, a Photo by Benjy Renton delicate brow with a

graceful arc and a perky, narrow nose. I envied the faces of other girls at school admired for their beauty which exemplified the standards of the mainstream media.

Once in Middle School, one of my white friends who was having what she felt was a bad hair day said that her hair looked “nappy.”

When I heard a word that is usually used to describe the coarseness of black hair to denote ugliness, I felt humiliated.

“I have grown to love my features, not because the trends tell me that I am supposed to, but beause wishing to be anything different is an affront to who I am.”

Ivie Uzamere

In today’s society, black features are seen only as beautiful on the face and body of a white woman. She can wear cornrows and inject collagen to create full lips while disregarding the history and the negative stereotypes and it suddenly becomes fashionable.

Once after spring break many of my white classmates were excited to show off their tans and one girl even extended her arms towards me and said, “Look, I am almost as black as Ivie.” She claimed that she wanted to get as black as me, but I knew she did not want to really be black. Black beauty in this instance and in too many others is not being recognized for its own merit, but instead is regarded as a costume that can be taken off at will.

Society constantly imposes Eurocentric beauty standards which inevitably shames black women for our differences. Too often for a black woman, the goal is to at least appear as white as possible. The lighter the skin, and the more white features you have, the closer

you come to meeting the “ideal” standards.

However, consider the irony, that despite all this pressure for black women to adhere to these Eurocentric beauty standards, it is okay for white women to take on a more so-called “exotic guise.” It is more beautiful for her to showcase her “black” features because at the end of the day, she is still white.

I have grown to love my features, not because the trends tell me that I am supposed to, but because wishing to be anything different is an affront to who I am. It is also because I firmly believe that there is something beautiful in my hues that contribute to the woman I see in the mirror. I am not going to let others choose what I can and cannot love about myself. I refuse to comply with a set of standards that fail to acknowledge diversity.

I look forward to a tomorrow where we recognize that there can be no single standard of beauty. Where no one look determines what is beautiful. Where forces like the media and the industries that create and perpetuate the ideas of beauty will finally celebrate different ways of looking. I want to live in a tomorrow where you and I are not seeking the approval from an external standard of beauty, but we actually love ourselves and uplift one another.

I think that when we choose not to acknowledge the other forms of beauty that exist in the world, there are not only consequences for those who do not meet those standards but there are consequences for everyone, we diminish ourselves. Yes, it is natural to want to be beautiful, but we are more than the sum of our genes. We are beings of consciousness, we are critical thinkers, we are self-aware, and we have choice. Therefore, we will decide what makes us feel beautiful, we do not owe it to anyone to conform to or accept their standards.

Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, but rather we behold our own beauty.

Ivie Uzamere ‘17

Independent studies offer unique options

By Catherine Meyer

Designing your own curriculum is all the rage at colleges across the country, and now teenagers here on the Hilltop have the power to do just that. While Hackley offers minors ranging from Creative Writing to Psychology to Photography, there is one minor that encompasses virtually everything else: independent studies. Hackley’s independent studies allow students to pick any topic of interest and study it twice a cycle. The creation of independent studies as a minor has brought infinite educational possibilities to Hackley’s curriculum.

For students like senior Amanda Stern and senior Malcolm Roesser, who completed all of Hackley’s offerings in the Classics department by junior year and now are in an independent study for Greek 2, independent studies provide an opportunity to continue studying topics they are passionate about.

Amanda said, “It’s very personal in that you get to choose exactly what you want to do. You are studying

things that you are actually interested in and that you choose to study.” Senior Riya Mital, who is doing an independent study about the Middle East, also enjoys the ability to cater the course to her own interests. “[History teacher Melissa Stanek] really lets us make decisions about what we want to study. Mrs. Stanek is great about asking us what parts [of the Middle East] we are interested in and she helps us find materials to learn about the topics,” she said.

Other students love the intimate educational environment independent studies provide and the opportunity to learn about new topics they have not had the chance to learn about in their other classes.

“I’m with two teachers and it’s just me, so I have a lot of personalized attention,” said senior Luisa Stalman, who created an independent study about Latin America. “I like that [independent studies are] so flexible,” she continued, “and that you can choose what you want to study and when you want to study it.”

Photo by Catherine Meyer Seniors Amanda Stern and Malcom Roesser chose to continue their Greek studies in an independent study with Dr. Adrianne Pierce, Classics Department Chair.

Hope Weisman (front row, center) competes in the Mercer Lake Sprints in West Windsor, NJ.

Photo courtesy of Hope Weisman

Champion rower and aspiring entertainer has high hopes

By Benjy Renton

It’s 5:30 a.m. While most Hackley students are either still sleeping or just starting their days, senior Hope Weisman is already lifting weights or engaged in her cardio workout.

Over the course of one day, Hope will row a 2k sprint, attend classes at Hackley, write a portion of the screenplay for a TV show, and bring smiles and laughter to everyone she sees.

One of Hope’s greatest talents lies in rowing, a sport she started in 8th grade. After rowing in Pelham, she realized that rowing was a sport in which she can reach her full potential, and joined the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport, CT. “I was a small fish in a big pond,” Hope said laughing. Immediately feeling at home with members on the team, she saw them as a dynamic and reliable group, where everyone is supportive of each other. Hope also saw joining Saugatuck as an in-

dication that she could progress; the club is currently ranked among the top rowing clubs in the country, and rowers compete in prestigious races such as the Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, MA and the San Diego Crew Classic. Hope is working towards being in her club’s first boat this spring; comprised of the best rowers, the boat also includes a world record holder.

In addition to rowing, Hope has always exhibited a strong interest in stand-up comedy. She sees many connections between her comedy performances and commitment to rowing. “So much of rowing is having a positive attitude, because it is such a mundane and monotonous sport,” Hope said. She loves making the other people on her team feel happy, and draws a parallel between the feeling when she crosses the finish line and making a whole room of people laugh. In either situation, “you realize you’ve done something to make them a little happier or

impacted their day in some way,” Hope added.

With all of these activities, Hope strikes a perfect balance between academics, athletics, and everything in between. Coming home late from practice, she often must squeeze in her seemingly endless amount of homework into the wee hours of the morning. “It’s hard to balance everything, but it’s also a lot of stuff I enjoy doing, which makes it a little easier,” Hope explained.

In the future, Hope expects to continue her trifecta of rowing, screenwriting and comedy at Columbia University, intending to major in film with a possible minor in creative writing. “I definitely plan to row in college, as there is definitely room to grow,” she said. In addition, Hope anticipates joining a comedy club. “The girls on my team really like my humor,” she laughed.

The Hackley community is clearly in the same boat.

the

Dial

February 9, 2017

politics 5

Exploring politics around the world

Current political situations in Turkey, Israel, Germany, Brazil, and the Philippines spark tensions beween political parties

By Lei Anne Rabeje and Raghav Chopra

Israel: Inside the IsraeliPalestine conflict President Trump vowed several days after his inauguration to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. His pro-Israel position comes several days after the Paris summit discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Paris summit was held on January 15 to discuss peace between Israel and Palestinians, yet neither state was invited to participate in the day-long meeting. According to BBC World News, a Foreign Office statement claimed “‘particular reservations’ about a conference ‘intended to advance peace between the parties that does involve them.’” The summit sought to enforce the two-state solution, which asserts each state’s boundaries, the annexation of Jerusalem by one state, flow of refugees, and foreign military occupation.

It concluded restating their commitment to the two-state solution, garnering support from Palestine and accusations of its unfairness from Israel. Following the summit, pro-Israel POTUS Donald Trump proposes his intention to move Israeli U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which aligns the United States with Israel in the division of land between the states.

Germany: Rising Popularity of German right-wing populist party The anti-immigration party (AfD) recently won 14% of the Berlin vote in recent elections, an unprecedented high. On the other hand, the previously dominant Christian Democratic Union, the party of Chancellor Merkel, won only 17.5% of the vote. The AfD is an openly Islamophobic party whose rise to power arrived as a result of some discontent with Merkel’s open door immigration policy for refugees. Initially, in response to civilian deaths in the Aegean Sea, most Germans supported her policy, but it has since gained some dissent as right wing advocates blame recent terror attacks in Germany on the influx of Syrian refugees. Some in the EU worry that this rise of right wing populism in Germany may reflect Trump’s election in the U.S., and threaten Germany’s strength within the Union. With elections for the Chancellor coming in September, if Merkel is usurped in her attempt for a fourth term, political turmoil could upset German and EU markets. The AfD has many qualms with the EU in its open border agreements, and their assent to power could see downturn in economic growth in Germany, as well as Western Europe as a whole.

Turkey: Take a look inside the failed coup attempt Turkey underwent a failed coup attempt against President Erdogan in July 2016. Erdogan blamed the seizure of certain regions of the cities of Ankara and Istanbul on Fethullah Gülen, an Islamist businessman living in Pennsylvania, deeming it an effect of the corrosion of secularism in the country. Public opinion was mostly against the coup d’état attempt, with the populace informed to prevent progress of defecting forces, which were ultimately defeated. In response to the insurrection, Erdogan arrested 40,000 officials accused of connections to the coup against the executive-in-chief, and dismissed more than 100,000 soldiers from military service. However, more concerning are the possible amendments to the Turkish constitution. Erdogan, who already has a reputation of restricting freedom of speech, would be given centralized power to directly appoint Parliamentary members of his own party, and direct control over the judiciary branch. The instability has already affected the Turkish market, with the lira becoming the worst performing currency this year, despite Erdogan’s attempts to lower bank interest rates to compensate. The increased violence and endangerment of representative government could also lead to a reduction in Turkey’s vital tourist economy.

Philippines: Suspending the extrajudicial mass killings Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa announced the suspension of President Duterte’s controversial war on drugs on January 30 following the murder of a South Korean businessman. According to BBC News, more than 7,000 people have been killed since Duterte’s war on drugs began last June, which has mostly targeted impoverished communities. The hardline stance against drugs and use of extrajudicial groups has garnered harsh criticism from human rights groups, yet Duterte continues to have popular support amongst Filipinos. CNN World News reporter Pamela Boykoff interviewed several persons from Duterte’s home county, Davao, Mindanao, where he served as mayor for 15 years. Anton Uy, a 16-year-old engineering student praises Duterte as “courageous” and “determined” in the interview, saying, “He never gives up. He always knows what the right thing to do is for the Philippines.” Uy’s sentiment towards Duterte staunch position is reminiscent of that of many Filipinos, with an approval rate of 80 percent, according to Independent.co.uk, despite promotion of mass killing.

Illustrations by Lei Anne Rabeje

Brazil: Rising economic instability with Temer Brazil’s economic crisis continues months after ex-President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment and removal from office due to a corruption scandal involving Petrobras, one of the country’s most important companies. According to Forbes, Petrobras’ stock market crashed 80% following Rousseff ’s removal from office on September 1, 2016, resulting in increased unemployment across Brazil. A recent survey claims that unemployment rose from 4.5% in 2010 to 12% in 2017. Rousseff’s removal comes after a 14-year long rule of Rousseff’s Workers’ Party, one of the largest left-wing movements of Latin America. The past 14 years was marked with an exponential poverty decrease as the percentage of poverty was halved and now lies at 21.4%. Yet following Rousseff’s suspension on June 2016, unemployment reportedly shot up 20% from 2015 with nearly 11.4 million unemployed Brazilians.

Michel Temer, Rousseff’s running mate, now serves as the President of Brazil, but the future looks grim following accusations of Temer soliciting millions in illegal donations.

6 lifestyles

the

February 9, 2017

Dial

Energize Your Brain

Ellie Grueskin: math whiz and published author

By Olivia Weinberg

Photo courtesy of Ellie Grueskin Ellie autographs a KenKen problem book for the winner of a local competition at a White Plains STEM camp.

az e

History teacher and advisor to the Hudson Scholars, David Sykes said, “Ellie was incredible with the Hudson Scholars!

She came every afternoon with a huge smile on her face, great enthusiasm, and a passion for math and KenKens that was contagious. The combination of her math skills and her ability to connect with the Scholars made Ellie an indispensable part of the two-week enrichment program and a favorite volunteer among the Scholars.”

Ellie’s work culminated in the publication of a book, KenKen For Beginners: Tried and True Tips & Techniques for Beginners, which she co-authored with Joshua Rosen, an elementary school teacher from Dobbs Ferry who uses KenKens to teach math.

The book is also available in Hackley’s library. “It’s meant for people who have never seen a KenKen before, or just want to get better at them,” she said. “I like that [KenKen] is a way to apply math outside of the classroom. I think it helps me think in more creative, logical ways because it helps me see that there are multiple ways to solve a problem,” Ellie added.

Br ain M

For most students, taking time out of their day to do math puzzles seems like a chore. For junior Ellie Grueskin, math puzzles called KenKen are a welcomed and sought out challenge.

KenKens are gridded puzzles that come in 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, and 6x6 varieties. They involve the player filling out cages — smaller boxes within the grid — with numbers that add, subtract, multiply, or divide to the number denoted at the top of the cage. The operation with which the player uses is also denoted at the top of the cage, next to the goal number.

Ellie’s passion for KenKen was fostered at a young age. “My dad was an avid fan of the crossword puzzle in The New York Times and I would always sit with my him while he was doing it on Sunday mornings. One day, when I was about nine or ten, he noticed that there was a little math puzzle on the lower right hand corner and thought it might be interesting for me to try,” she said.

Ellie continued to do KenKen puzzles for fun and as a way to further her arithmetic skills.

In March of her freshman year, Ellie saw an advertisement for a Pi Day KenKen competition in Princeton, New Jersey. In addition to the competition, the inventor of KenKen, Tetsuya Miyamoto was speaking to the participants about how he created KenKen and his philosophy on effective ways to teach math.

Ellie completed the competition successfully and attracted the attention of the president and a few employees of the KenKen company. They asked her to stop by the headquarters in Pleasantville and later offered her a summer internship there.

As an intern, Ellie was in charge of compiling educational math packets and writing weekly newsletters that would go out during the school year. She also coordinated KenKen competitions at local schools.

This past summer, Ellie returned to KenKen headquarters as an employee, helping to create the website for the international championship that took place in December. She also helped set up and participated in talks given by the KenKen company, including one at the Google office in downtown New York City.

In addition, Ellie worked with Hackley’s own Hudson Scholars program, teaching the students strategies for solving math as well as KenKen puzzles.

“Hudson Scholars was extremely rewarding in the classroom as I was able to gain experience teaching math and work with a great group of students…I’d say my favorite part of the program was getting to see how the Hackley community (teachers and students included) could use the insight and experience they’d gained through their time here to educate and inspire others,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Ellie Grueskin Ellie’s KenKen book offers tips and techniques for beginners and provides some practice puzzles.

Mr. Gruenberg’s passion for puzzles is mind-boggling

By Bridget Barsanti

From the 3x3x3 to the 13x13x13, mathematics and psychology teacher Jon Gruenberg applies his knowledge of geometric patterns with his mental determination to solving Rubik’s Cubes.

Mr. Gruenberg’s passion for math stems from the satisfaction of simplifying a problem down to an elegant solution. “I guess that’s true in both mathematics and life,” he said.

Additionally, he appreciates patterns that emerge through exploration of mathematics.

Mr. Gruenberg enjoys studying psychology because he believes it is important to understand what motivates people and why they act and behave in the manner they do. “I find my work in psychology has allowed me to be more patient and understanding with others and has revealed to me the many ways in which I can improve as an individual,” Mr. Gruenberg said, “I can’t think of an instance where it wouldn’t be beneficial to have a greater understanding of yourself and those around you.”

Photo by Bridget Barsanti Mr. Gruenberg surrounds himself with his Rubik’s Cubes while pondering his next move.

His passion for teaching, however, did not come until college. “In high school I did not have a plan of what I was doing later that week, much less a lifelong plan,” he said.

However, Mr. Gruenberg recalls sitting in class as a student, thinking about how he would or would not explain things if he were to teach the lesson. Later on in college, he sought opportunities to work in classrooms and found himself comfortable in those settings.

It was after college that Mr. Gruenberg started solving Rubik’s Cubes. As a kid, he never got very far. Rather than simply peeling off the stickers, as many of his friends did, he learned how to break the cube apart and piece it back together, which he considers “a far more refined way of cheating.” Years later, in his twenties, a friend introduced him to the Rubik’s Cube again and introduced Mr. Gruenberg to some algorithms to solve it. For several years, Mr. Gruenberg practiced these algorithms until they were memorized.

At the last school he taught at, the Hewitt School, he found a cube, solved it, and left it on his desk. At the end of most days, he would find it jumbled, but always solved it before he left school. As a gift, one student gave him a 6x6x6 cube, which he did not even know existed. From there, his interest has grown to over 20 different cubes.

When asked what helps in solving Rubik’s Cubes - his knowledge of mathematics or psychology - he responded by saying, “Both.

Neither.” He then explained how it requires

determination. His restless mind reminds him that once he starts something, it cannot be left unfinished or unsolved. This determination comes from his knowledge of psychology.

On the other hand, mathematically, Rubik’s Cubes require some visual-spatial geometry needed to map algorithms and patterns from one cube to another. He does not solve cubes by studying them for a few seconds and knowing how to solve them, but uses more of what he considers a “brute force method.”

He currently has three cubes he has yet to solve. One fell apart when trying to turn it, and took him hours to put it back together.

He also has a Tuttminx in the shape of a truncated icosahedron, which consists of 32 sides. He has not even thought about mixing it up just yet. The third he has yet to solve is a 3x4x5 cuboid.

Mr. Gruenberg’s collection extends from a 2x2x2 all the way up to a 13x13x13. “The 4x4x4 up through the 13x13x13 all solve pretty much the same way and are not that tough. Cubes get more complex as they start turning on different axes.”

To Mr. Gruenberg, finding solutions to complex problems and creating order from chaos offers a sense of accomplishment.

“There is something captivating about a puzzle box. The duality of the simplicity and complexity of a Rubik’s Cube is quite impressive,” he commented.

the

Dial

lifestyles 7

February 9, 2017

n, Quiet Your Mind Q&A with Charles Colten, Director of Community Wellbeing Interview by Lei Anne Rabeje and Amy Chalan

Q. In your experience, are Hackley students able to balance social and academic activities while maintaining a healthy mindset?

A.

What is most important is not whether or not I think that students are able to balance their social and academic activities, but rather what each of you (students) think for yourself.

I would encourage everyone to check for yourself, and to do this on a regular basis. “How am I doing?” “ How well balanced is my life?” “Am I attending to the things that I value and consider most important?” Once we reflect on these questions, we can then decide if and what we’d like to do to either maintain or restore the balance in our lives.

Q. How does your department try to aid students in keeping balance in their everyday lives?

A.ley are The Health and Wellness initiatives at HackQ. Do you have any other tips for students taking midterms cross-divisional and cross-departmental, to maintain wellness?

Photo by Christian Riegler Mr. Colten draws a visual representation of different ways to sustain balance in our lives.

spanning everything from the Lower School, Middle School, Upper School, Faculty, Staff, and Parents. Rather than a departmental initiative, it is a community-wide commitment to being our best selves as individuals and as a community. In terms of aiding students in keeping balance in our everyday lives, there are two primar y ways.

One is through the health curriculum in the Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. Each of these has been expanded and deepened since Hackley made the commitment to wellness as a core value in 21st century education.

The health curriculum includes character values, meditation, stress reduction, resilience training, and physical wellness. The other way consists of mindfulness practices and resilience training that are integrated directly into classrooms, advisory, athletics, and the arts. Many teachers have already started to incorporate these activities into their classes and have reported that they’ve seen very positive results. What is even more important is that students have reported how valuable these practices have been, and students are asking their teachers if they can “do” the centering exercises, breathing practices, or just take a moment of stillness and silence at the beginning of class to reflect or gather their thoughts. Many students and other community members have come to me, either individually or in groups, to learn ways to reduce stress, to improve their sleep, or to have better nutritional health. As the Director of Community Wellbeing, I am available on a drop-in basis, or by appointment, to consult on behalf of the students, faculty, staff, and parents.

A.

A certain amount of stress can be beneficial. The nervousness of taking a midterm, preparing to go on stage, compete in a debate tournament, or play in a big game gets our system jumpstarted. Cortisol and adrenaline flow through your system and pumps you up to perform. However, too much stress and/or chronic stress can frazzle or block the neural pathways that allow you to remember what you studied or even see, hear, and feel what is happening right now. Preparing yourself to be in the optimal state of alertness and relaxation is fortunately something over which you have some control.

Taking midterms or not, these tips will help you perform at your best: academically, athletically, artistically, and interpersonally. Eat, Sleep, Breathe.

• Eat. Putting good “fuel in the tank” will help you attain your peak performance. Put lousy “fuel in the tank” will limit your performance. Included in this is drinking enough water. Proper hydration leads to optimal performance, mentally and physically. When someone is malnourished or dehydrated, they are not at their peak, can be irritable or impulsive, and they often make simple mistakes that they otherwise would not. Fortunately, we are in a position where this is an easy one to address.

• Sleep. Figure out how much sleep you need to be at your best, and adjust your bedtime accordingly. This will be different for each person, so again, “check for yourself.”

Getting adequate sleep is one of the simplest things one can do to ensure that you will get good grades, do well in sports, arts, and interpersonal relationships.

• Breathe. Sometimes when we get stressed out, we either forget to breathe, or our breathing becomes shallow.

Taking the time to stop and breathe deeply can literally open the neural pathways in the brain, allowing you to accurately assess what is going on, to remember what you’ve studied, and to make good judgements about how to respond.

Solve this KenKen To see the solution to this KenKen puzzle, scan the QR code below.

Illustration by Hannah Urken

App of the Month: KenKen Classic

By Grace Henrich

While KenKen puzzles can be completed on paper, the app KenKen Classic is an easy way for new puzzlers to start. The app provides users with a quick introduction to KenKen puzzles, as well as tools such as “Possible Notes” (numbers that might fill a particular square) and “Impossible Notes” (numbers that cannot be in the square). If

you get really stuck, tools like the eye and magic wand, which checks numbers and fills in random squares, can be really helpful. There are 350 total puzzles, with seven different sizes from 3x3 to 9x9 which increase in difficulty. KenKen Classic is available for free in the App Store, and KenKen Classic II is free in Google Play.

8 politics

the

February 9, 2017

Dial

On the front lines at President D o n a l d T r u m p ’s I n a u g u r a t i o n

The Dial’s Assistant Online Editor joins the crowd to witness Donald Trump’s historic inauguration surrounded by an enraptured audience enlivened by his promises and proposals

By Alexi Sandhu

“Lock her up! Lock her up! Lock her up!” Those were the words heard as I walked onto the Mall in Washington, D.C. on the day of President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration. Former First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton had just made an appearance on the jumbotron, sparking a wave of “Boos!” from the energetic audience.

The sky was dark and cloudy as I passed various vendors shouting, “Ten dollars!” for Trump hats and other merchandise with slogans like “Bomb The Hell Out Of ISIS” and “Hillary Sucks! But Not Like Monica!”. A line of yellow-clad teenagers were walking along with us toward the heavily secured Mall.

The unaffiliated students were from a school in Pennsylvania and had planned to attend the inauguration before the election, no matter what the outcome; their expressions ranged from grim faces to small smiles as they quietly whispered to one another.

I neared the first of two security gates blocking the entrance to the Mall. Soon, a line of posters and signs hoisted high in air rose over the sea of heads in front of me.

The massive line had now come to a standstill. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the anti-Trump protesters (members of a Christian church group located in the South) yelled at us through megaphones about the failed promises of our soon-to-be president in regards to banning abortions and “homo-marriage.” One sign informed readers in bold, red text that ‘BLM are racist thugs’; later, I learned that BLM stood for Black Lives Matter, the

Photos by Alexi Sandhu Trump’s inauguration provokes polarized sentiments across the United States, mobilizes protests and increases nationalism amongst the population.

name of a movement that in part, draws attention to police brutality of African Americans.

“They pretend to be your friends and they put their hand on your shoulders and then Ka-boom!

Ka-boom!,” said one man into the megaphone, pretending to blow up and fall to the ground in the hopes of proving to his audience the consequences of trusting or befriending a believer of Islam. A single soldier kindly approached the man only after he had elicited a few outbursts from the crowd. The group thanked us for such a “great” turnout to their protest just as we were able to finally shuffle past.

This was my first taste of what was to come in the following hours.

We passed the next security gate without incident and finally entered into the vast field of the Mall. A row of porta potties were placed for the public’s convenience and covered with an obscene amount of tape which had been subtly ripped off the day before by silent protesters.

Shortly after arriving, the jumbotron began displaying the presidential car on its way toward the Mall, while announcing the names of important government employees entering the stage. A massive “Boo!” echoed across the Mall as the Clintons walked onto the stage.

It was silent, however, compared to the deafening uproar of cheer that greeted the arrival of President-elect Donald J. Trump. It was not long before Mike Pence and soon after, Trump were sworn in to become the 48th and 45th Vice President and President, respectively, of the United States of America.

President Trump took to the podium and delivered his inaugural

speech. It was a direct, to the point speech consisting of simple sentences and short slogans to appeal to the many supporters watching from both the Mall and throughout the world. Each sentence ended in a cheer; there was only the smallest second of hesitation and confusion when the constant screen cut to the audience showing a Sikh man in a turban after President Trump promised to eradicate Islamic terrorism from the face of the Earth.

“A massive ‘Boo!’ echoed across the Mall as the Clintons walked onto the stage.

It was silent, however, compared to the deafening uproar of cheer that greeted the arrival of President-elect Donald J. Trump. It was not long before Mike Pence and soon after, Trump were sworn in to become the 48th and 45th Vice President and President, respectively, of the United States of America.”

A group of older, white men with leather apparel and tattoos across their arms, stood near me during the address, loudly yelling their support of President Trump’s speech.

Most of the audience left during the speeches by religious leaders and by the time Obama flew off in his helicopter, the Mall was practically empty. The only sound to be heard was the voice of Mick Jagger singing, “You can’t always get what you want.”

Emerging Democratic leaders Hackley students stand in solidarity with Women’s to challenge Trump in 2020 Marches along the East Coast

By Bailey Griffen

Whether or not you were pleased with the results of the 2016 presidential election, the unusual and tense race that led up to Election Day on November 8, 2016 has many wondering if Trump will seek re-election and who the most likely candidates will be to run against him. To help make sense of this, The Dial profiles two likely candidates for the 2020 presidential race, due to their expressed interest or esteemed positions within the Democratic Party.

Cory Booker

Elizabeth Warren

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons user Senate Democrats Senator Cory Booker advocates for a raise in the Minimum Wage with fellow Senate Democrats.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons user A. Shaker/VOA Senator Elizabeth Warren addresses the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Cory Booker could be a potential candidate running in the Democratic camp in the next election.

Serving as the Mayor of Newark from 2006-2013, he gained a reputation as a very personable and approachable leader, exemplified by his public service work in the Newark community and his equable presence on social media. He has a history of supporting affirmative action, same-sex marriage and abortion, as well as working towards plans for climate change and scaling down U.S. involvement in the Middle East. Since 2013, he has served as a junior Senator from New Jersey. Recently, he has taken on criticism and applause from both sides of the political spectrum as he became the first Congressman to speak out against Trump’s nominees for Cabinet positions.

While Elizabeth Warren is a seasoned voice in the Democratic Party, many suspect that the 67-year-old Senator from Massachusetts might try and run on a national platform. A former professor of law and member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, she is an avid supporter of protecting consumer rights.

The first female senator from Massachusetts, a role she has played since 2012, Warren has also served on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. She has taken a strong stance on civil rights and environmental issues.

Notably, she has proposed leading the world in investing in green technology and making 50% of American energy clean and carbon free by 2030. Warren is also an avid supporter of the DREAM Act.

Continued from Page 1

women,” she commented.

Several Hackley community members also joined the march in New York City. According to senior Amanda Stern, “It was all out of love. I think that at times it was more anti-Trump and less women for equality than I’d hoped it would be. I think it brought to light an important issue that some people think isn’t there anymore, when it is.”

In addition to upperclassmen who attended, freshman James Sexton-Holtmeier was at the march with his family members. “Nobody could move due to the large unexpected turnout, which in itself was amazing,” James said. “The overall highlight for me would have to be the signs everyone came up with.

I thought they were creative and hilarious,” he added.

While multiple members of the Hackley community supported and participated in the marches, some shared a different perspective, such as junior Chiara Calov. “Our new president just got inaugurated and we have not yet given him a chance to work for us, the people of America. We are trying to oppose

him, before he has shown us his capabilities and possible strides he will make for our nation,” she stated.

Co-president of Dux Femina Facti, Izzy Ampil, attended the Women’s March in Stamford; it drew a much smaller crowd, with about 5,000 people present. “The organizers of the event brought in representatives from Planned Parenthood and the NAACP, members of Native American, Muslim, and gay communities, and a host of local politicians who addressed inclusivity of ability and background. The women’s marches received criticism about their lack of intersectionality, particularly early in the process, and I was impressed by this march’s attention to these issues,” she said.

Senior Aurora Straus attended the Women’s March in Orlando, Florida. “There were some protesters there yelling at the marchers, but it was so powerful being a part of something larger that nobody really cared about them,” Aurora said.

She emphasized that representing in swing states is just as important as going to places like Washington, D.C. and New York City.

the

Dial

February 9, 2017

science & technology 9

Alex Popov’s pacing car links brains and brawn

By Georgia Panitz

Every athlete has goals to improve performance in his or her respective sport, whether it be increasing their serve speed, improving the ability to shoot with his or her left foot, or working on foul shots. Senior Alex Popov’s goal is to improve his times as a member of Hackley’s cross country and track teams. About once or twice a week, cross country coach and physics teacher Seth Karpinski instructs his runners to perform threshold workouts, in which they run relatively close to their race pace for several miles to prepare for competition by improving their anaerobic endurance.

It can, however, often be a struggle for runners to keep a consistent pace during their workouts.

Runners either start too quickly and eventually slow down because of fatigue, or they are not aware of the exact pace they are keeping. In an effort to improve his ability to keep a consistent pace during workouts, Alex designed a pace car which travels in front of a runner at a speed set by the user.

“I wanted the pace car to serve as a more visual indicator of the correct pace, making it easier to run difficult workouts without having to think about pacing,” said Alex.

While some people use GPS watches and stopwatches during paced runs, GPS watches have difficulty taking into account the corners of the track when determining a runner’s pace, and it is difficult to estimate your pace in the middle of a run using a stop-

Photo by Georgia Panitz Senior Alex Popov tests out his pacing car on the track at Hackley. He built this car to help him train more efficiently by keeping him on a constant pace.

watch. Alex’s design of the pace car utilizes a Traxxas Slash motorized remote-controlled car. The base of the car, called a chassis, provides a framework for the rest of the equipment and is beneficial due to its large size and ability to carry many heavy components. The car features a secondary battery, a small computer called a Raspberry Pi 3 which uses the Linux operating system, a webcam, and a light sensor which determines the speed of the car by counting wheel rotations.

While building the pace car, Alex made modifications such as the elimination of a remote to control the speed, in favor of using a computer so that he could change the speed control and steering of the car. Alexander uses the software Python, which he describes as “a very versatile and easy-to-learn programming language.” In addition to using Python, Alex also uses Open CV, an online library which contains algorithms used by robotics enthusiasts and companies like Google and Microsoft.

Photo by Georgia Panitz Alex uses Java to program his pacing car because he says it is a very versatile and easy to learn programming language.

The program for the car, which detects and follows the line on the track, Alex explains, “uses a linear regression to figure out the equation of a line on the track as if that line was plotted on a coordinate grid in front of the car. Then, based on the slope and intercept of the line, the software figures out the appropriate steering angle. In the future, I’m looking into changing this system to one based on neural networks, a far more complex but also more robust way to detect and follow a line.”

While a patent for a car similar to Alex’s already exists, he has never been interested in making profit off of the car. Once he has completed a model which consistently works well and is easy to use, Alex said, “I’m planning to give it to the Hackley Cross Country team in the hope that it continues to make their workouts less tedious and more fun, and maybe even inspires some of my team members to look into building robots of their own.”

Photo by Georgia Panitz The Rasberry Pi 3 is the brain of the pacing car and uses the camera and wheel rotation sensors to follow the lines of the track.

Climate change simulation gives insight into the problems of Earth’s future Continued from Page 1 down by every year after. To demonstrate the potential ramifications of a global temperature rise exceeding 2 degrees Celsius, a blue tarp, signifying the world’s oceans, was placed over students of Third World countries, who are bound to feel the strongest effects of climate change.

Many students felt strong and contradictory emotions following the simulation.

“It made me feel empowered and powerless simultaneously, further inciting my will to create change, but also deeply saddening me to the existential threat that this widely ignored issue poses,” said sophomore Josh Gluckman.

Ms. Scharf (Upper School history teacher Vladimir Klimenko’s wife) began her speech with a potent and clear message: climate change is indeed occurring. Not a shadow of doubt remains in the minds of members of the scientific community regarding the validity or enormity of the problem our planet faces. To put the degree of agreement that scientists hold concerning this issue into perspective, Mr. Jones remarked:

“There are still scientists that say smoking does not cause cancer, and there are still a few scientists that say humans do not cause global warming.”

Both Ms. Scharf and Mr. Jones discussed the reluctance that some countries around the world, such as Russia, have exhibited with respect to investing in renewable energy. “There is an infrastructure that has been built up in every country to get energy to its citizens and to its industries, and it’s been based on fossil fuels. Transforming the infrastructure, all the thousands of miles of pipes, and the factories, is costly and is going to take time,” said Ms. Scharf.

While this harrowing change will indeed be difficult and will take years to accomplish, a desire to resolve this issue is still ever-present. “Hope is a choice, not an assessment. Hope is the commitment everyday to be part of creating the world we want to see. It should not be a calculation of the possibility of success or failure,” said Mr. Jones.

Photo by Christian Riegler Wendt Lecturer Drew Jones leads Hackley students in a simulation activity of United Nations discussions on climate change. Mr. Jones used his simulator to show how different climate change agreements would affect the global climate.

10 science & technology

the

February 9, 2017

Dial

The power of persuasion is a winning sport

Super Bowl commercials pay a steep price to shape and manipulate consumers’ opinions of their products

By Cory Gorczycki

Will you be watching thea Super Bowl for the game, the ads or both?

In 2016, according to Forbes, 45% of people surveyed chose the game as the most important part of the Super Bowl, but a surprisingly high 23% of respondents chose the commercials as their top reason for viewing the game. The ads featured during the Super Bowl have become an event in and of themselves.

Non-sports fans often watch the game just to see how outrageous or extraordinary the commercials will be, and some people anticipate the ads’ release weeks beforehand.

There is even a website (www. superbowlcommercials.co) which speculates a year in advance about the new commercials for the future Super Bowl. Talk about hype! This site features a countdown clock to the Super Bowl, ad release updates, and even food ideas for the big game.

Some Super Bowl commercials are pre-released prior to the Super Bowl.

Other commercials are discussed for days after the game. For Budweiser,

Graphic by Georgia Panitz

the Clydesdale horses ad, which was first aired about 30 years ago during Super Bowl XX, features a different chapter to the story for each Super Bowl; it becomes a talking point as to whether this year’s story is better than the past. The lizard in the Geico ads or the “mayhem guy” in the Allstate ads become topics for people to talk about with friends.

“Commercials aim to grab the viewer or reader’s attention and to stimulate interest in the hopes of driving the viewer to purchase a company’s products.”

As these companies drive millions of people to say, “Hey, have you seen that commercial?,” their quest for intensified product and brand awareness is accomplished, though at a steep price. In 2016, Forbes projected the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad to be $5 million $166,667/second!

Did you know that on average, “every day, each of us is bombarded with over 1,600 commercial messages,” according to LifeSquared?

Commercials aim to grab the viewer or reader’s attention and to stimulate interest in the hopes of driving the viewer to purchase a company’s products. As actor Will Rogers once said, “Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for things

they don’t need.” Repetitively presenting ads of products, that then become very familiar to viewers, is an advertising strategy used to shortcut the consideration process for buying an item. Companies want the consumer to automatically select their item as shoppers are walking down the aisles of a store or shopping online. When asked what commercials they remember most, Hackley students responded with ads such as: Kars for Kids, Google, Geico, Audi, Toyota, Tide, Verizon, AT&T, Nike, McDonald’s and Frosted Flakes/Coco Crisp cereals.

What are the first few ads that come to mind for you?

Advertisements not only communicate the properties of products, but they can also impact a consumer’s emotional response. In a process called affective conditioning, companies showcase their products next to objects about which people already have positive feelings to trigger the consumer’s brain to feel good about the product as well. For example, if toothpaste is advertised surrounded by sunshine and flowers, people will feel positive about the toothpaste as well. According to Psychology Today, a study was conducted on two groups of people who were both asked to pick between two brands of pens. 70-80% of the time the consumers chose the pen brand whose commercials utilized affective conditioning, even if it meant that the brand they chose

Russia goes phishing Intelligence agencies confirm Russia’s interference in the 2016 election

By Matthew Traum

Much controversy exists surrounding the certainty and the degree to which Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election.

President Trump has made controversial statements regarding the ability of U.S. intelligence agencies to determine who is responsible for the multiple hackings of organizations, such as the Democratic National Committee (DNC). By investigating technological clues, however, it is possible for agencies to determine who is responsible for a hack.

The Obama Administration released a report which said that Russia hacked the DNC and initiated other cyber activity in an attempt to harm Hillary Clinton’s electability, such as producing negative propaganda and paying Internet trolls. In their official report, the CIA, FBI and NSA stated that they have high confidence of this. The CIA and FBI also have “high confidence” that this

cyber activity was done to elevate Trump’s election chances, while the NSA only had moderate confidence.

The Department of Homeland Security is cited in the report as stating that Russia did not affect the actual vote tallying.

While it is very difficult to pinpoint a hacker from a single hack, the intelligence community as well as multiple cybersecurity firms have been able to deduce Russia’s involvement. This is possible since when hacks are completed, they leave a trace. Hackers tend to reuse some of the same code in their hacks.

These are known as signatures, and by matching these signatures, it can be determined that a group that made one hack is also responsible for another.

The hackers involved in the DNC incident had previously hacked other entities tied to Russian interests, such as military and political targets in Ukraine and Georgia. The

Illustration by Georgia Panitz

intelligence and cybersecurity communities believe Russia is the only plausible source that has interests in all these places.

This knowledge, along with the information that the hackers were usually active during working hours in the Moscow Timezone, led intelligence community members such as Matt Tait, the CEO of cybersecurity firm Capital Alpha Security, to believe beyond all reasonable doubt that Russia is responsible for the hack.

The hackers were able to enter the DNC server by using a simple but effective method known as phishing. Phishing often occurs when people see a link such as https:// myaccount.google.com/security, and assume that the link goes to the URL shown. However, this link can be linked to something completely unrelated. Phishers often link it to a website they created that looks very similar to the link written down.

Phishing websites often asks for credit card information, passwords, security questions, and even social security numbers. Victims often unknowingly give their information away, assuming it is going to the website falsely simulated by the hackers. As effective as phishing can be, it is easy to avoid. Before people enter any passwords or other personal information, researching the website can help prevent important information from being used by hackers. Through phishing, Russian hackers were able to obtain information from members of the DNC, including many documents, some of which the Russians shared with Wikileaks. The documents released

by Wikileaks were also a major point of controversy this election cycle.

Graphic by Georgia Panitz

possessed the relatively weaker set of product features.

Over the last several years, commercials have gone to great extremes to not only advertise the merits of their products, but also to build brand identity. Their goal is for consumers to want to wear, to eat or to own the product as a status symbol.

In his book Business Ethics, Hans Peter Schmitz observes that we “identify ourselves with the products we buy. Consumerism goes beyond the idea that our brands (whether we wear Nike sneakers or TOMS shoes, whether we drive a Dodge Charger or a Toyota Prius) are symbols of who we are. Consumerism means our products aren’t just things we

wear to make statements. They are us; they incarnate the way we think and act.”

As television has lost its virtual monopoly as the primary form of media for most consumers, television commercials have been driven to become much more elaborate as they must now compete with Twitter ads, Facebook ads, and other electronic media that can target specific groups of consumers with increasing granularity. The Super Bowl ads are a prime example of this need to create, hype, and spend.

Tune in to Super Bowl LI to see which commercial you think is the most impressive!

Action required to prevent climate crisis

By Cole Wyman

Our planet is currently being choke held by its human inhabitants and this deadly grip is only getting tighter and tighter. Since the last Ice Age, carbon dioxide levels have never reached 300 parts per million (ppm), .03% of our atmosphere, however it surpassed this mark relatively recently. These levels were around 320 ppm as of 1950, and since then have risen 80 ppm at an unprecedented rate, according to NASA. It can be extremely dangerous to go much above these levels, as our temperatures will rise and any slight change to Earth’s longstanding ecosystem can be deadly.

Although we cannot oftentimes see the climate change epidemic happening on our globe, some effects can be visible. We see effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; few effects that can be seen now are the sea level rise of 6.7 inches in the past century, glacial retreat in many different regions, and the 30% increase of ocean acidity, all according to NASA. This list will only increase as countries such as the U.S. do not start to place drastic new restrictions so that we can really cut down on emissions.

Many countries are going ahead and making change as a result of of this disaster that we need to fix. America, on the other hand, is comparatively lacking in these efforts. Sweden has pledged to end all the burning of fossil fuels. Germany has pledged to remove all gasoline powered cars by 2030. Other countries that are leading the way

Poll: To what degree do you think climate change is a problem?

Extremely Alarming (62.15%) Somewhat Alarming (28.81%) Not alarming, but worrisome (7.91%) May be a problem in 100 years (1.13%) Poll methodology: Polls were distributed electronically through Upper School student emails. 185 students responded, representing approximately 47% of the student body. This poll has a margin of error of ±5.3%.

in converting to reusable energy include Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Uruguay. Americans just elected a President, Senate, and House that generally favors industry over our important but crumbling climate.

This is something that could very well be problematic as a shocking 85.4% of Hackley students polled are alarmed by what they see as a dangerous and controversial president taking office in such an important time.

It appears our Wendt and Szabo Lecturers, Drew Jones and Cynthia Scharf, did a wonderful job informing the student body at Hackley of the urgency pertaining to climate change as nearly 96% of poll respondents believe that climate change is an important issue. With that, a startling 62% of students have decided that change must be made now, and only 1% see this as a matter of the future.

Now that Hackley students are informed about this escalating issue, with the help of HEAL, Hackley’s Earth Action League, we need to make changes as a school.

the

Dial

sports 11

February 9, 2017

Navigating the college recruiting process

By Alex Meyer

“Committed.” The word that every athlete aspiring to play sports in college hopes they can proudly claim to be. Many people search for a universal “road map” to the recruitment process, and feel that they need to follow particular steps in order to get committed. However, what these people do not know is that there isn’t one particular “way” to do it; there really is no definitive “structure” to the recruiting process, and the nature of recruiting can vary among different sports, preferences of the person, and between boys and girls.

A concrete timeline to the recruitment process does not exist. Some student athletes begin preparing to play in college as early as 8th grade, whereas others begin later in high school. “I’d say I was thinking about trying to catch coaches eyes at tournaments in probably freshman year and then I got more concerned about thinking about specific schools towards the end of sophomore year and the beginning of junior year,” said senior Wyatt Khosrowshahi. Particularly, women’s lacrosse programs can begin committing student athletes at the beginning of their freshman year in high school. Senior Meghan Cunningham had two teammates on her club lacrosse team who committed around “January of their freshman year. One to Virginia Tech and the other to Vanderbilt,” she noted.

Freshman Year

• Work on your skills and your physical training.

• Start collecting performance data (goals, assists, times, RBIs...) for use in an athletic resumé in future years.

• Get the best grades you can!

15%

of Hackley graduates in the past three years have played sports at Division I, II or III levels.

Junior Year

• Start compiling an athletic resumé and videos of your skills.

• Begin the college counseling process in January and take the SAT or ACT. • Visit colleges over spring break.

43

student athletes have graduated from Hackley to compete at Division I, II or III from 2014-2016.

Sophomore Year

Senior Year

• Think about your skills, teamwork and physical • Stay in contact with college coaches over the training and discuss your role on a college team. summer before senior year.

• Seek advice from coaches and college counselors • Make “official” visits to meet team members and to discuss the sport(s) you may pursue at a higher get to know college and athletic program better. level.

• Work hard on your college applications.

• Keep your grades up!

Sources: Hackley College Counseling Office and Hackley Athletics Department Graphic by Benjy Renton

The most complex component to committing to a school is finding one that suits the recruit academically, athletically, and socially and prioritizing what they hope to get from their college experience. Senior Teddy van Eck, who will be playing tennis at Brown University next year, felt that the most important thing in his search was the academic and social fit of the school, and not the level of the sport he was playing.

“Ultimately it didn’t come down to DIII vs. DI for me, but it came down to the academics of the school and if I felt I would fit in there and if I

Wrestling team is smaller yet stronger

liked the team,” he said. “The people at Brown really drew me more than academics, because while they were definitely a factor, at the end of the day you’re not going to a school and focusing on academics 24/7; you want to have a good time.” As student athletes near the end of their recruitment process, it is common for student athletes to take official or overnight visits to experience a day in the life at a particular school and get to know the students there.

Like Teddy, senior Winston Britton prioritized academics in his search for a college, however, he

also valued the division level of the football program for that school.

He will be playing football at the University of Pennsylvania next year.

“It’s always been a lifelong dream of mine to play at the Division I level, and that really ran through my mind while I was looking at schools. I didn’t want to go to the Division III level unless I absolutely had to and had no offers from the Division I level,” he said.

While many sports have multiple levels of play, squash is an exception. This difference definitely shifts the elements to a student’s search;

without various divisions there leaves more room for investigating the school apart from the division of the team. “For squash, it doesn’t really matter whether it is a DI or DIII school, because the best team in the country is Trinity which is technically Division III in other sports, so schools with either Division I/III didn’t really affect where I was looking,” said senior Wyatt Khosrowshahi.

Many students also take the social aspect of teams into account as they approach their decision to play sports in college. Senior Tucker van Eck, who will be playing squash at Williams College, definitely looked into how athletics would play a role in his college experience socially before he made a decision. “At schools like Williams, or NESCACs or any other small schools, roughly 60-70% of the school population is on a sports team, so when you’re not in that 30%, it can be kind of harder to start off unless you’re in a music program,” he said. “When I started looking at schools and the prospect of going to a school in the midwest or a school in California, I realized that I would have to join a lot of clubs and there wouldn’t be many things that would make me distinct...I also felt like I would have to join a frat or something similar, because in big schools it can be hard to find a friend group.”

By Pat Walker

Over the last two years, the Hackley Wrestling team has dwindled in size from 24 to currently seven members. Despite having a pool of young and talented wrestlers remaining, the success on the mat of each individual player cannot translate to wins given the low numbers. Lacking eight out of the 15 weight classes, the team is oftentimes forced to give the other team a victory before the match even begins.

In previous years where every weight class was filled with two people, the team now has to refocus its dependence on each member’s own ability to win. With simply no alternative motive to cope with the lack of weight classes than to do their job as a wrestler, members of the team have motivated each other throughout the season to create this success. “The low numbers have provided us with a lot of competition with each other to be the best that we can be. This can be directly seen in the fact that almost everyone on the team has a winning record at the moment, and we are performing pretty well.

We have made a lot of progress in both wrestling and the relationship

that we as a team share,” said junior Gio Crispi.

An upperclassmen captain for the team, Gio has witnessed the team at its best and worst in size. Specifically, during the team’s 2014-2015 season, three Hackley wrestlers advanced to National Preps, placing two thirds and one fourth. Coming off a leg injury from football, his return to the team has been vital to their success and growth as a unit.

“This year’s experience has been very unique for us. Unlike previous years where there was a lot of hierarchy and competition between teammates for spots, this year has made the Hackley wrestling team like a family, and while I definitely have great memories from the past two years, they are much different than they are this year. I would say it’s a brotherhood, but we have a girl on the team so it is more than that,” Gio commented.

With just seven members on the roster, Hackley Wrestling is still able to maintain a winning record for almost everyone on the team.

The team’s size has motivated the wrestlers to be the best they can be and has successfully established an unbreakable bond among members of the group.

Photo by Benjy Renton The wrestling team shakes hands with Salesian following its victory at the Winter Sting.

Photo by Maddy Chen Upper School students participate in yoga as a Physical Education class. The new program has expanded yoga beyond its traditional offerings.

New yoga initiative relaxes students

By Maddy Chen

Breathe deeply and relax your body, mind, and spirit. It is the end of another long day, and the Hackley yoga studio is bustling with students. The recent uptick in the Hackley community’s participation parallels the school’s current health and wellness initiative. Often practiced as a form of meditation and stress relief, Hackley yoga isn’t just a PE requirement, but rather a healthy way for students to decompress after school.

Charles Colten, Director of Community Wellbeing, has provided a strong push for yoga’s presence at Hackley. “I believe that yoga is an excellent practice for keeping fit, focusing the mind, and cultivating a flow state. For these reasons, I am passionate about making yoga available to students and teachers at Hackley,” he said. He also speculates that yoga balances out “our high-speed, high-stress lifestyle,” explaining why “individuals [are] choosing mind/body practices that help them to slow down.”

Many of the yoga students seem to share this sentiment, finding yoga a relaxing way to decompress after a challenging day at school.

“Yoga is a great way to relax and

relieve stress in a fun and different way,” says freshman James SextonHoltmeier. Similarly, junior Delia Tager describes yoga as “a really good way to unwind after a super long day,” noting that “after doing an hour of yoga, I feel so much more relaxed and ready to tackle my homework.”

The Hackley Boys’ Basketball team has found other reasons to implement yoga into their workouts as well. As they geared up for the winter season, the boys were in the yoga studio practicing some new moves. Elaborating on how helpful yoga was for the team, senior Andrew Chung said, “we knew this season was going to be tough on our bodies, so we thought starting yoga early would help us prepare.” He also added that the team enjoyed it for the physical workout, saying “it requires full body strength,” a realization that yoga far exceeds a stretching class.

Even the little ones on campus have begun to incorporate yoga and wellness into their school days. Dimming the lights and turning on some meditation music, Lower School teacher Sue Harmon’s third grade classroom is transformed into a perfect space for “mindfulness activities” that

emphasizes the importance to “be here now” in the midst of their busy lives. The kids have learned to focus on “grit” and a “growth mindset” while practicing the five elements of mindfulness: stillness, grounding, strength, listening, and community.

Next door in Stacy Kaegi’s third grade classroom, the children bring out their yoga mats for some small yoga sessions a few times a week. As a nearly certified yoga instructor, Mrs. Kaegi understands “the relationship between the brain, nervous system and body, and how yoga and mindfulness can effectively support each component.” Thus, she leads her children through various yoga techniques to help promote a sense of relaxation and focus into the classroom. “With each session, the children practice yoga poses, learn new breathing techniques and participate in relaxation exercises. You know it’s a good thing when the students ask to do yoga”, she says.

Third grader Sydney describes her experience with these yoga sessions as one that “makes [her] feel relaxed, mindful, and present.” Her classmate, Emmanuelle, adds, “it helps me concentrate, and I work more efficiently during the day.”

12 sports

the

February 9, 2017

State of the winter season

Q&A with Jason Edwards, Director of Athletics Interview by Pat Walker and Bailey Griffen

Following the exciting Winter Sting, Hackley’s winter teams prepare for the rest of their season

By Bailey Griffen

Throughout the winter season, Hackley has boasted strong performances across its eight varsity teams.

With many impressive accomplishments thus far, the community looks forward to supporting teams as they approach some of the loftiest challenges of the season with championship tournaments, meets, and matches in the near future.

The results continued for the Basketball teams as the boys, led by Andrew Chung and Will Balentine, have an 8-6 winning record. Captains Meghan Cunningham and Kristen Bringsjord have worked on building a strong base as they have much young talent, including many freshman members.

They have won two league games.

The Fencing team has also seen a successful season, and much hard work culminated in the ISFL Individual Championship on January 28 where Epee captain, Josh Zhang, become the individual boys Epee champion.

With a strong and large leadership and eighth graders Ella Boodell, Max Bryant, and Alex Kirchgaessner, the team has much promise going into the ISFL team Championship meet when it will fence each team in the league.

The Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Squash team has a strong roster, arguably one of the most talented in recent years.

Dial

The boys have been undefeated this season and the girls have an 11-3 record. Both teams play eighth graders, Ryan Chen and Nina Mital respectively, in their line-up. The team is looking forward to High School Nationals on February 11 where the boys hope to get a DI seed.

The Swimming team has made quite a splash this season despite the loss of many key seniors last year. It also has a promising future with many younger members, including eighth grader Mary Rotenberg. The girls are currently 3-1 in the league, while the boys have an 4-0 record.

This year, the Winter Track team has had a strong run. While the distance team used early meets as a chance to work out, the sprinting and throwing teams have seen many successes. Notably, Onye Ohia-Enyia ran a school record in the 300 meter at the prestigious Molloy Stanner Games. Girls and boys have consistently had scorers in the top 5 in the 300 meters and 55 meter hurdles at Ivy League meets.

The Wrestling team makes up for its few members in dedication and skill.

While the beginning of the season saw the team forfeit matches against schools they could have otherwise beaten, the Wrestling team has begun to exhibit its potential. They beat Salesian at the Winter Sting.

Q. What were your personal highlights from the Winter Sting?

A. The Winter Sting as a whole was a highlight.

All the teams played exceptionally well. Out of all of

them we only had one that didn’t pull out a victory but when you look at what the Sting is, it’s about a day of bringing all three divisions together. If there is one Sting that does that well, it is the Winter Sting because it is all encapsulated into [the gym]...

Overall, it’s just one of those days that when you get those squash and swimming facilities packed like they are, it creates an environment that our students don’t normally see.

Q. What teams immediately stand out to you when you think about the winter

Photo by Pat Walker Director of Athletics Jason Edwards works hard on the field and in his office.

season?

A. I would be foolish not to talk about the Boys’ and Girls’ Swimming programs. I think you’re Q . Can you name a few athletic standouts going to see a lot of records broken by these two or rising stars that you find unique? particular teams. Also, our Boys’ and Girls’ Squash programs are beyond good. If you take this last A. It’s hard to pick a team in the winter season. week, for example, the boys played Packer Col- I was a wrestler so I always lean towards wrestling. I legiate and beat them 4-3 and the girls played Sacred Heart who they previously lost to 5-2 and beat them 4-3. So when you look at the Squash program, it’s one of those years where everything is coming together. You are also going to see some outstanding achievements in Track and Field. I know Onye Ohia-Enyia just broke the 300m record this past weekend at the Molloy Stanner Games while taking a bronze medal. The Fencing program had two foil teams that defeated Masters School.

Overall, we have definitely seen some success. Boys’ Basketball beat Poly Prep earlier in the year which was a huge win for them. In my opinion, it has been a great winter season so far and you are going to continue to see a lot of individual achievement by the end of February.

would love to see the Hive involved more for other sports, but I think the most exciting right now are the Boys’ and Girls’ Squash programs as well as the Swimming program. I think they are poised to do things that haven’t been done here in a very long time. Particularly when it comes to Nationals for the Boys and Girls’ Squash teams, but also when it comes to swimming and when they get to Ivy Championships, I think you’re going to see a lot of names change on that record board. I think Track and Field will also show some individual achievement that we usually don’t see. So I don’t really have a favorite, but when it comes to the overall winter season, I am really excited to see what the end of the year results look like.

Hackley’s winter teams are hot and happening Swimming

Girls’ Squash Captains: Riya Mital, Maddy Chen, Amanda Stern • Beat Holy Child 7-0 in the Winter Sting • Squash Nationals weekend of February Captain: Demetra 11 in Hartford • C u r r e n t s e a s o n Yancopoulos • States: February 11 at record 11-3 Poly Prep

Wrestling

Captains: Clay Sullivan, Jackson Corrigan, Josephine Sasso, Olivia Weinberg • Defeated Fieldston in the Winter Sting

Boys’ Basketball Captains: Andrew Chung, Will Ballentine • Record: 8-6 • Won Dan DeVirgilio Tournament 48-27 vs. Harvey on December 3 • Collegiate Tournament on President’s Day Weekend (February 17-19)

Photos by Benjy Renton and Chris Taggart Clockwise from left to right: Girls’ Squash beat Holy Child 7-0 in the Winter Sting; Swimmers help lead team to undefeated season; Junior Gio Crispi has won all his matches since returning from a devastating leg injury; Senior Will Jones makes a pass in the Winter Sting. Hoping to emulate their success in the Dan DeVirgilio Tournament, the team looks forward to the upcoming Collegiate tournament.

Girls’ Basketball Ca p t a i n s : K r i s t e n Bringsjord, Meghan Cunningham • Beat Fieldston 4523 in the Winter Sting • Won Dan DeVirgilio Tournament Championships 3332 on December 3

Winter Track Fencing Captains: Amin Mustefa, Captains: Luisa Stalman, Alex Popov, • Girls’ Sabre: Hanna Julia Stewart-Wood Mark • Ivy League • Boys’ Sabre: Raghav Championship Meet on Chopra Feb. 16 • Girls’ Épée: Eleanor Henrich • Boys’ Épée: Josh Zhang • Girls’ Foil: Izzy Ampil, Captains: Wyatt Camille Butterfield, Khosrowshahi, Salik Awan, Marisa Nakagama Tucker van Eck • Boys’ Foil: Chris • Beat Fieldston 6-1 in the Thompson Winter Sting • Championships Feb. 25 • Undefeated 15-0 record

Boys’ Squash

CPhotos by Benjy Renton and Chris Taggart Clockwise from left to right: Underclassmen like Ismene Germanakos help led team to victory in the Sting; Amin Mustefa races the 55 meter at Ivy Meet in the Armory; Players like Varun Krishna have helped Boys’ Squash to have an undefeated season; The Fencing team came home with numerous medals from their Individual Championship on January 28.