February 2018

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Dial

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

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Editorial: Stress & Mental Health

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Blast from the past: A look inside the On Black Power Johnson Health and Wellness Center

February 20, 2018

hsdial.org

Students enjoy a day of special programs, celebrating the grand opening of the Johnson Health and Wellness Center

By Sofia Graziano

Screams and chatters filled the air as students walked up the stairs. At the top, sat an expansive building, its glass windows glinting in the morning sunlight.

S t u d e n t s w e re w e l c o m e d b a c k t o H a c k l ey af te r t h e t wo - we e k w i nte r break with a pleasant surprise: a day dedicated to special activities, like hiphop dancing and circus acts, to celebrate t h e i n a u g u ra t i o n o f t h e Wa l t e r C .

Johnson Center for Health and Wellness.

The state-of-the-art Wellness Center provides students and faculty with a place to practice mindfulness, lead a healthy lifestyle, and preserve the legacy of Hackley ’s late headmaster Walter Johnson.

After Headmaster Michael Wirtz kicked o ff t h e c e re m o ny i n t h e t wo - co u r t gymnasium, school president Francesca Docters talked about the importance of wellness.

Fran introduced the five pillars of wellness–physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual– that are embodied by the new center. According to Fran, various spaces, like The Nest and The

Well, uphold different pillars to promote community-building and alleviate student stress levels.

To exemplify these ideals, students t o o k p a r t i n a my r i a d o f d i f fe re n t activities in small advisor y groups.

Students practiced mindfulness, an element of good mental health, through activities such as yoga.

As the day progressed, the focus moved to exploring ways to lead a physically healthy lifestyle through dance, martial arts classes, and cooking classes, which emphasized making nutritious decisions in the kitchen. A trivia competition ro u n d e d o u t t h e d ay b y exe rc i s i n g students’ cognitive abilities.

The new Health and Wellness Center fe a t u r e s a m u l t i t u d e o f h i g h t e c h equipment, from the workout spaces to the teaching kitchen to the sports facilities, which will continue to promote these ideals.

In addition to three basketball courts, the Johnson Center boasts a state-ofthe-art fencing studio, eight squash courts, an eight lane pool, and a track that overlooks the courts. The facility also includes a weight and cardio room, allowing students to satisfy all their

fitness needs.

At the center of the various fitness rooms is the Nest, a social hub complete with plush seating and views of the a ca d e m i c b u i l d i n g s a n d t h e f i e l d s .

While the Nest is no longer flooded with various stands and free samples like the Opening Day, the round, plush seating is now a prominent social space at the school. With the glass walls offering optimal view of the main buildings and the football field/track, many students u s e t h e l o u n ge to h a n g o u t b efo re and after sports practice or physical education classes.

After school, students and visitors can grab snacks from the Well, a café that sells a variety of healthy snacks including salads, yogurts, sandwiches, and smoothies.

Over a month later, the Center continues to attract students, faculty, and parents, alike. The space encourages a healthy lifestyle, but also commemorates some important figures in Hackley ’s past.

According to Vice President Michael Mezzacappa, “the beautiful structure is representative of all of the work Mr. Johnson put in to our school, both in character and in physical improvements.”

Photo by Lei Anne Rabeje

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Illustration by Olivia Weinberg

Anxiety has become an unhealthy cultural problem Hackley should enact policies that reflect its administrative emphasis on mental health

By The Editorial Board

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Dial staff

Hackley School 293 Benedict Ave.Tarrytown, NY (914) 631-0128 February 20, 2018 Vol. 120, No. 5 hsdial.org Editors-in-Chief Lei Anne Rabeje,

Olivia Weinberg Online Editor Alexi Sandhu

Sydney Stoller Technical Editor Cosima Boettner Section Editors

News Bailey Griffen, Matt Traum Opinion Bridget Barsanti, William Goldsmith Arts Georgia Panitz, Dylan Wade Feature Pat Walker, Lauren Ahern Lifestyles Amy Chalan, Natalie Sukhman Politics Raghav Chopra, Max Rosenblum Science & Tech Cory Gorczycki, Alexa Augustine Sports LiliAnna Khosrowshahi, Cole Wyman 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.

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s exams near, distress and anxiety permeate the student body. The issue of mental health has commanded the attention of Hackley administrators in recent years, and the Dial Editorial Board commends some of the measures that the administration has taken to improve the mental health of the student body. But we contend that Hackley ought to consider enacting further measures to alleviate stress.

Academics are celebrated at Hackley—and the institution has a reputation for its intense academic programs—yet the importance of mental health is occasionally overshadowed by academics on the Hilltop.

We should note that specific teachers and administrators have taken steps to address the issue of student stress. With the opening of the new Wellness Center and the school’s reinvigorated focus on health, administrators are moving forward in a positive and constructive manner concerning the issue of mental health—an issue that is especially relevant in a competitive environment like Hackley.

The Upper School has also began to give students a “no homework” weekend each trimester of the academic year. While many students have reacted positively to this initiative, some teachers have pushed back against the establishment of such weekends.

In addition, an informal survey found that some teachers do not honor the no homework weekend.

Despite the scheduling delays such

weekends may cause and the failure on behalf of some teachers to uphold them, the creation of “no homework weekends” not only alleviates student stress, but also provides students more of the chance to socialize and engage with friends on the weekend. We believe, therefore, that this initiative should be continued next year.

Stress down day is another initiative that aims to placate student nerves before exams. On stress down days students are able to dress down, and students are also offered the chance to partake in relaxing activities on these days.

This year students will be able to participate in yoga classes.

S o m e s t u d e n t s , h o w e v e r, have shared with the Dial the dissatisfaction they feel about some of Hackley’s stress alleviation initiatives like stress down day.

Senior Chad Lasseter said, “We are all really appreciative of all the school’s effort, and the pencils are a nice sentiment, but I don’t look forward to [stress down day] because I don’t think it makes anything less stressful—they just hand out chocolate and pencils and say ‘now it’s less stressful.’”

Dr. Sadler—Director of Support Services and stress down day organizer—felt optimistic regarding the creation of stress down days.

“I feel like [stress down days] are helpful in that they will raise awareness about ways that students can keep their stress manageable and what they can do when they do feel stressed out,” said Dr. Sadler.

While we commend how stress downs days do offer students stress reducing strategies, there needs to

be deeper attempts to address the culture of stress at Hackley that go beyond discrete days or weekends.

According to David Shimer, writing recently in the The New York Times, Yale University offers a class that “tries to teach students how to lead a happier, more satisfying life” to increase the happiness levels of Yale’s student body on a macro, communal level (Shimer). While we understand that the creation of such a course at Hackley is unrealistic, the Upper School can follow in Yale’s footsteps by addressing large-scale issues of anxiety in our community.

A junior shared with the Dial that the immense stress she had been experiencing contributed to her pulling a muscle in her face. She had to go on heavy pain medication and she also could not eat solid foods as a result. While the condition that the student was afflicted with is unique and rare, no such conditions ought to exist in a school with a healthy, happy student body.

Despite the Upper School’s new commitment to the issue of mental health, some administrators have suggested that the stress present on the Hilltop mainly emerges from outside sources like parents, as well as the college and academic expectations students and their families hold.

College anxieties and burdensome parental expectations certainly play a potent role in cultivating stress. The competitive environment in which Hackley sits—the Northeast— also plays a prominent role in the formation of anxiety. But in addition to its responsibility to ensure the education and college readiness of its students, Hackley

also has the responsibility to protect the mental health of its student body.

Teachers teaching highly advanced classes would assert that their duty is to prepare their students for substantial examinations such as the AP, and that frequent and important assessments must be administered and weighted highly to best prepare their students for their end-of-year examinations.

We recognize the importance of such preparatory measures, but the process of learning ought not to be enveloped by fretting about a test; students are not required to send in their AP scores to colleges anyway.

The Dial Editorial Board believes that teachers in general ought to decrease the amount of homework they give out. That said, however, the new load of homework students should have—while smaller in length—should challenge students and reinforce the material discussed in class. Homework is a necessary component of the learning process, but Hackley’s homework load can be curtailed while also not detracting from students’ ability to master material. By decreasing the student body’s homework load, teachers would enable students to get more hours of sleep, which could then lead to an even more successful group of Upper School students.

While Hackley has illustrated that it does appreciate the significance of the mental health issue at hand, the school ought to begin to consider its cultural impact on student morale, as well as the efficacy of its stressreleasing initiatives. The opening of the new Wellness Center poses an opportunity for such reflection.

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Celebrating Black History Month

the Dial Blast from the Past

By Olivia Weinberg

This issue’s Blast from the Past commemorates Black History Month with an article written for the Dial by Thomas E. Diggs Jr. ‘69. Diggs served as school president his senior year and was among the first black students Hackley admitted in the 1960s.

The first African student at Hackley was Louis Russ ‘53, the son of a Liberian diplomat. Despite the record suggesting that the student body was accepting of Russ, it states that he was self conscious about his race and ethnicity and was hesitant to socialize.

Russ was shortly followed by a group of African American students in the early 60s, with Malcolm Mooney Jr. being the first to graduate in 1962.

Diggs’ article expounds on the notion and significance of “Black Power” in “White America.”

Diggs’ words still stand true today – while some might not consider issues of race to be as glaringly obvious, millions of Americans struggle with the concept of racial equality. February is a month in which we need to consider America’s black history and reevaluate our actions (police brutality and mass incarceration of people of color to name a couple) as a country and an individual.

We must not only appreciate leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X’s leadership, words, and bravery, but continue to act upon them. As a place where education and character are held at the utmost importance, remembering Black History is the first step of many to ensure a more equal path for black Americans in the future. *Editor’s Note: Readers should be advised that Diggs’ article contains racially charged language.

This is exactly how the article was originally published.

On Black Power

By Thomas e. Diggs Jr.

This country has fallen victim to a psychotic hysteria over the utterance of two simple words. The mentions of the words “Black Power” has put America into a frenzy.

Black Power, however, has several connotations, all of which are important. The one meaning most accepted by whites is that which stresses black owned businesses, black representation in government, and education, and black self-improvement. This interpretation stresses the fact that blacks want to do for themselves and rid their communities of white dominance in schools, government, and busi-

ness. The results of this more conservative form of Black Power is the establishment of a black unity and identity, socio-economic and cultural.

There is a deeper meaning, however, which is supposedly a threat to white security. “Say it loud; I’m black and I’m proud” are the words that are echoing. Throughout the United States the black man has developed a sense of pride in his blackness as well as a new unity.

Martin Luther King, whom I deeply respect, with all his sit-ins, marches, and peaceful demonstrations did not accomplish this. It took H. Rap Brown, Stokley Carmichael, and riots to awaken blacks and whites in America.

It took this second meaning of Black Power.

Blacks sat, sang, and marched for over two hundred years and could not accomplish this. The time has come to stop singing and start swinging. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or death.” Paul Revere rode through the white community and said “Get a gun, white folks, the British are coming.” And all this came about over a few boxes of tea. Rap Brown said the same thing to the blacks. He was just as bitter as Patrick Henry and for a more worthwhile case; yet he is condemned and called a traitor.

America is insane. Rioting is a form of Black Power, yet rioting is sad because it is self-destructive; but rioting in the form of the Boston Tea Party was not. However, two days after the Detroit riots, the Ford Motor Company hired over six thousand Negroes.

Perhaps mr. Ford doesn’t want his Mustangs scorched, but do you realize how long it would take to employ six thousand blacks using sitins, marches, and peaceful demonstrations?

This was Black Power, Baby!

White America speaks of the progress the Negro has made; however, this is only an excuse to tell the blacks to behave themselves.

After four hundred years the black man had to progress somewhat. Non-violence is a fraud.

America only does what it has to do under the Constitution, which in itself is a fraud. White America has not changed in four hundred years, and it won’t unless blacks change it themselves. America must be pressured, for as soon as the pressure is relaxed, things will get worse.

The old Negro used to sit around telling stories. He was beautiful, peaceful, and patient. There was no pressure and the whites did nothing but say, “You’re a good boy.” That old black boy is bitter now, and he is the most dangerous person in the world. Black Power

Photo courtesy of the Hackley Archives In honor of Black History Month, The Dial ventured into the archives to find an article written by one of Hackley’s first African-American students on Black Power that was published in the 1960s.

is telling it “like it is,” and he is acting “like he feels.”

But white America is her supreme hypocrisy refuses to understand this. America constantly talks about ridding the streets of crime. “Crime on the streets” is just another way of saying nigger.

Stokely once said that he did not want whites in the Civil Rights Movements any longer, and the press cried “reverse racism.”

What’s reverse about it? Blacks have a right to hate; after all, they learned it from four hundred years of observation of the white.

Nevertheless, nothing is racist about that statement. He was only saying he was tired of seeing all those northern whites coming

down south with guilty consciences to annoy their rednecked white brothers down south.

“All you have to do is take a Negro home with them, to their own parents. Then go back down south, and when you see redneck react, just remember your mama’s face. The same, aren’t they? Then maybe you’ll have a bit more compassion for your southern white brother.”

When the slaves were freed, the whites feared a full-scale revolution would occur on New Year’s day in 1866. It didn’t happen in 1886; it is happening now, in 1969. Wake up white America. Black Power is telling and showing and shouting it “like it is.”

White America, it’s your move! “No more water, the fire next time.”

Make the Most of the February Exam Schedule

By Bailey Griffen

Start studying!

1st: 20th Century World 2nd: U.S. History 3rd: History 9, Economics, Modern Euro, AP Comp Sci

1st: Algebra (I, II), AP Calculus AB, Statistics, Multivariable Calculus 2nd: Precalculus (Adv. and Regular), AP Calculus AB/BC 3rd: Adv. Algebra II, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, Geometry

1st: Chinese, French (I, III, AP), Spanish III, Organic Chemistry 2nd: Spanish (II, IV, AP) 3rd: French (II, IV), Greek & Latin, Spanish (I, Acc. III)

1st: Biology (Cellular and Regular) 2nd: Acc. Chemistry, AP Biology, Physics 9 3rd: Adv. Biology, AFER, Chemistry (AP and Regular), Physics (Adv. AP)

Have fun! Relax!

With midterms just around the corner, new and veteran Hackley students alike may wonder how the exam schedule will depart from a typical day of classes and how to make the most of each exam review day.

This year, the exam cycle will kick off with Exam Prep Day on February 16 - the day after the end of trimester 2. On this day, all classes with exams and English will meet and class time is spent reviewing and organizing for exams rather than learning new material. There are no drop periods as minor classes don’t meet.

Following President’s Day Weekend, a great time to organize study material and identify material you need to review, there will be two exam review days on February 20 and 21. On these two days, students are only expected to attend their English, history, and math classes, and free periods can be spent studying at home or in the library. History exams will occur the following

day and all math exams will take place on Friday, February 23.

The two-day weekend is another welcome opportunity to continue studying for the two final exams and to take a well-earned break.

The week will begin with another two review days where only English, language, and science classes meet. Language exams take place on February 28 and science exams will conclude the exam cycle. Just like last year, there will be no English exam, and instead, sophomore and junior English classes will hold graded discussions in early March.

Assuming no snow day during the testing period, and no other missed exams, Friday, March 2 will be a day off for all Upper School students, providing a well-deserved opportunity to catch up on sleep, spend time with friends, and recharge for the last two weeks of school before winter break.

Students with more than one exam on the same day are encouraged to speak with Mr. Arnold to spread them out as much as possible.

Graphic by Bailey Griffen

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Acting students bring Shakespeare to life in National Competiton

By Bailey Griffen

Photo by Lei Anne Rabeje Senior Hannah Goodwin-Pierce plays Viola from Twelfth Night. In this scene Viola discusses the struggles of being a woman, while under the disguise of a man.

Photo by Lei Anne Rabeje In channeling Julius Caesar, junior Tucker Wilke acts out a monologue in which Caesar rejects a request made by a Roman senator.

“To be, or not to be, that is the question.” William Shakespeare’s famous words emanated through the PAC as students prepared for the annual Shakespeare Competition. It is a Monday afternoon and much of the Hackley acting community is rehearsing for their respective roles in the event. The tireless hours spent perfecting a convincing delivery, accompanying gesticulations, and facial expressions are all in anticipation of this year’s January 31 performance date.

Although the competition was not held until the end of January, students in upper level drama classes begin preparation during winter break when Mr. Teacher sends a packet of possible monologues.

The packet contains parts from Shakespearean plays, and each actor selects one to perform. Acting students then return from winter break ready to immerse themselves in Shakespeare, and perfect their recitation through a myriad of different activities.

“Some of my favorite preparation tactics we’ve used are writing our lines down from memory to see what we know and all reciting our monologues at once to make sure we articulate and project,” said senior Angel Torres.

The event aligns nicely with Hackley’s English curriculum as the ninth, tenth, and twelfth grades all dedicate part of the year to a study of one of Shakespeare’s works.

English teacher Nicole Butterfield initially encouraged Hackley to participate in the competition. She feels that bringing Shakespeare’s plays to life is beneficial to both the actors and the audience.

“I believe the competition benefits the performers the most because they have to read and analyze their monologues for a level of understanding that many students in a typical classroom setting will not. Performing Shakespeare, memorizing and really embodying a character takes a person’s understanding to a whole new level. And because Shakespeare plays, like all plays, are meant to be seen in performance, the audience definitely benefits from seeing the monologues. Not being familiar with a particular character or play can be a challenge for the audience, but the best monologue performances overcome this lack of contextual understanding,” Mrs. Butterfield said.

This rings true for senior Hallie Robin as the “competition has helped me become more familiar with the language of Shakespeare and has helped me understand the

message of the monologue.” She suggested that this translates into an enhanced ability to analyze Shakespeare in the classroom.

H a c k l e y ’s S h a k e s p e a r e competition is part of the nation-wide contest hosted by the English-Speaking Union of the United States. As stated on its website, the mission of the competition is to celebrate “English as a shared language to foster global understanding and good will by providing educational and cultural opportunities for students, educators, and members.”

The competition is comprised of three different stages: the school, regional, and national levels. The victor of the Hackley rendition progresses to the regional level where they will compete against other actors in the Greater New York City area to earn a spot at the national competition which will take place in Hawaii this year.

In total, it is estimated that 20,000 students take part in the annual event. The national champion receives a scholarship to attend the Young Actors’ Summer School at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England, while the runner-up is granted a no less prestigious scholarship to the American Shakespeare Center Theatre Camp in Virginia.

MET Changes Admission Policy

Metropolitan Museum of Art increases prices for visitors from outside New York

By Georgia Panitz Photo by Georgia Panitz Mrs. Schmitt works on her next “Maker Monday,” an initiative which encourages students to engage in creative and relaxing activities while in the Goodhue Library.

Mrs. Schmitt’s “Maker Mondays” projects in Sternberg Library engage and delight students

By Alexa Augustine

From fluttering butterflies to ornaments, “Maker Mondays” show that all it takes is a few materials, and a little creativity to craft something intriguing. Library Administrative Assistant Mrs. Schmitt came up with the idea to have “Maker Mondays” at Hackley and organizes activities, materials, and instructional guidance for students to use.

Photography was originally Mrs. Schmitt’s passion. She attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and studied photography before she became a photo editor for The Journal News. After working there for 18 years, the Westchester newspaper was downsized due to the overall decline of profitability in the printed news industry. Mrs. Schmitt then made the decision to work at a bookstore. “I loved reading and books,” she said, “working at a bookstore was great and so much fun.”

Mrs. Schmitt initiated “Maker Mondays” to create a space for students to engage in creative activities, “I like talking with the kids and interacting with the students and I love making things. So I said, ‘Maybe there’s something I can do with the students that they would find interesting,’” said Mrs. Schmitt.

She was inspired by the makerspaces that other libraries have been opening up in response to the popularity of online books inciting the need for less space for physical books. Many public libraries have set up creation spaces for DIY projects and workshops.

The first activity she organized for students was creating a box made out of playing cards in September. Since then, she has organized a variety of activities, including constructing origami bats for Halloween, making paper beads, and decorating dehydrated oranges. For Valentine’s Day, she plans on bringing back the Blackout Poetry activity from last year “because that was so much fun and it was a huge hit and everyone was so creative.”

One of the difficulties Mrs. Schmitt faces in planning Maker Mondays is finding an activity to organize, “I just come up with things that I’d like to make and anything that I think would be fun. I usually ask a student if they think something will be interesting.”

Maker Mondays give kids an escape from school work to spend time making fun, takehome projects. Senior Isabel Wong said, “It’s nice to just not focus on work. It gives me a place to have fun and relax.” The projects require little time or materials, and students walk away feeling proud of what they created.

“Maker Mondays have shown me how you can do a lot with some string and paper and glue,” said senior Angel Torres.

The projects have made a huge impact on the library. “I’m hoping that it is seen as a fun place where people can find interesting things to do without talking loudly,” said Mrs. Schmitt.

Maker Mondays are popular among students and many have left the library excited about the initiative and ready to craft!

In the wake of financial concerns, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) has changed their admission policy for people who are not New York State residents.

Their current pay-as-you-wish policy, in which patrons are encouraged but not required to pay specific prices, will continue to be applied to New York residents and students from New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

In addition, museum members and children under 12 will continue to enter the museum for free. However, a hefty charge of $25 will be required of adults visiting from outside of New York state which constitutes 31% of their annual visitors. These changes will go into effect on March 1st, 2018.

According to the MET’s official press release, while creating this new policy they considered that their institution was, “founded in the 19th century primarily as an educational entity intended to teach and uplift the diverse populations of New York City.”

The museum also recognizes it has evolved into, “both the top tourist destination in New York City and a world-renowned center of scholarship and learning.” The MET stated the change in admissions policy is “necessary

Photo by Lei Anne Rabeje Senior Celia Gooding took the stage as the first out of the 16 students who par ticipated. All of the students are members of the Acting 1, 2, and 3 classes.

Photo by Georgia Panitz The students’ performances were assessed by a team of judges who consisted of four Hackley teachers. Pictured above, Madeline Zuckerman.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

and reasonable” since the museum’s current policy is not sufficient to cover their daily operations.

In the wake of increased admission prices, New York City offers more cost efficient alternatives for Hackley families who live outside of New York, or have friends in town visiting. For those who are looking for different museums to explore, the tri-state area offers many other options as well.

The New Museum in Manhattan’s Lower East Side is $18 for adults, and free for young adults ages 15-18. It offers contemporary art and an array of exhibits currently featuring “Songs for Sabotage” which seeks to “propose a kind of propaganda... in order to reveal the built systems that construct our reality, images, and truths.” This specific exhibit, as well as many of the New Museums’ installations, utilize various mediums including video, sculpture, and images which always prove intriguing and thought provoking.

In Westchester the Katonah Museum of Art featured the Young Artists Market on Sunday, February 11th from 12-4 P.M. Senior Jocelyn Blockinger is acting as a coordinator for this event and helping Hackley students, including a large number of AP Artists, to sell items, “it’s definitely a unique and amazing opportunity for young artists that really isn’t otherwise available,” she said about the event.

While the exhibit is over, the Katonah Museum of Art has three ongoing exhibits, ranging from outdoor sculpture to Middle Eastern and South Asian Art. While prices for the MET have increased, New York City and the tri-state area offer a number of cost friendly and interesting alternatives which are beneficial for both tourists and residents from more local areas.

Photo by Georgia Panitz The MET’s legendary exhibits, including the Costume Institute above, will now require higher admissions prices for those who are from outside of New York.

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The Rise of Bitcoin

Boiling Bitcoin down to the basics

By YingShyan Ku

$200 million

worth of Bitcoins transacted every day in January

itcoin, a form of cryptocurrency which is gradually becoming more acceptable as a payment system, was first released in 2009 by an unknown person or group under the name of “Satoshi Nakamoto.” Generated through a process known as mining, Bitcoin works separately from government supervision in contrast to paper money, which is printed and distributed through a central government.

Bi t c o i n i s m i n e d t h ro u g h computers with specifically designed hardware to solve complex math problems in exchange for Bitcoin.

Since 2009, when the value of Bitcoin was worth basically nothing, the value of Bitcoin has drastically increased, peaking at $17,900 on December 15, 2017. One Bitcoin is currently valued at $8119.49 as of February 8, 2018. A reputable analyst has even predicted that the price of Bitcoin could reach as high as $100,000 in 2018. Many companies, such as Microsoft, have now begun to accept Bitcoin as a valid form of payment.

However, critics believe that Bitcoin is a price bubble that is bound to crash and burn. Some economists fear that Bitcoin, the

fastest growing asset in 2017, is forming an economic bubble, which refers to an asset at a price range that has exceeded its intrinsic value.

Since its peaks in early January, the value of Bitcoin has drastically decreased. According to the website Coinmarketcap.com, the value of all cryptocurrency–including Bitcoin– has been cut by over a half as of early February.

A New York Times article cites this drop to the hackable nature of cryptocurrency. In the absence of government regulation and an entity overlooking and controlling the exchange of cryptocurrency, hackers and ponzi schemes can “[drain] funds from online exchanges.”

Nonetheless, speculators are investing in Bitcoin, betting on how far it can rise, as interest in the cryptocurrency grows. The economic growth of Bitcoin closely resembles that of the tulip mania of the 17th century where the tulips held no real intrinsic value besides that attributed to it by the craze of people purchasing them. This specific case in history suggests that Bitcoin may eventually suffer a major collapse, while others argue that its price has yet to peak.

In addition, there are fears about Bitcoins’ cost of energy and its effects on the global climate. Statistics have shown that Bitcoin is contributing to the warming of the atmosphere.

As Bitcoin algorithms become

harder and harder to mine, more computing power is needed and thus the mining process requires a significant amount of energy.

For instance, a large quantity of Bitcoin in the world is currently being mined in China where electricity is subsidized. Moreover, electricity in China is generated through the burning of coal or the usage of other fossil fuels, which negatively impacts the environment.

Fortunately for investors, Bitcoin protects user anonymity, meaning that its purchases are discrete and untraceable to a person’s identity.

In addition, Bitcoin does not suffer from third-party interruptions.

National governments or banks do not have the ability to interrupt user transactions or freeze Bitcoin accounts. In contrast to national currencies regulated by federal governments, users of Bitcoin possess a great degree of freedom. Moreover, one of the major advantages of Bitcoin is that purchases are exempt from sales taxes since third parties are unable to identify or track transactions.

The price of Bitcoin is constantly in a fluctuating cycle of rising and falling. Just in the previous week, Bitcoin fell below $10,000 from its highest point a month earlier.

The cryptocurrency has both made fortunes overnight and ruined people’s investments or even their livelihoods.

16,848,300

Bitcoins in circulation

1 Bitcoin equals

$7580.01 USD

96

countries do not restrict Bitcoin usage

Illustrations by Lei Anne Rabeje

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February 20, 2018

1: A popular piece of gym 2 : The opening of the

equipment in the weight room is the squat machine with air resistance. Many new machines in the weightroom measure power through air resistance and offer a different type of workout for athletes.

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Johnson Health and Wellness center featured a speech from school President Francesca Docters, a ribbon cut by Vice President Michael Mezzacappa and a performance of Hackley’s Alma Mater by the K-12 chorus.

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A H T L A E H N JOHNSO New facility provides opportunities for student athletes

By Tyler O’Brien

On January 8th 2018, a day-long assembly introduced the Walter C. Johnson Center for Health and Wellness to the student body. The Wellness Center provides students and faculty with a place to practice mindfulness, lead a healthy lifestyle, and preserve the legacy of Hackley’s late headmaster Walter Johnson.

With this new facility, the hope is that students will have a place to help further their growth as both a person and an athlete.

The Walter C. Johnson Center for Health and Wellness is equipped with new athletic facilities: a pool, squash courts, basketball courts, and two workout rooms. Athletes hope that the new facilities will have tremendous impacts on their game, both mentally and physically.

The center has two different fitness rooms, one for cardiovascular endurance and the other for weight lifting regimens. These fitness rooms are run by trainers Sam Paterno and Lisa Paverini.

According to some athletes such as junior Matt Jean, the Zetkov’s weight room lacked machinery for cardiovascular endurance. With only two treadmills and four ellipticals, many athletes found themselves unable to complete their requisite workout regimens. Sophomore Sophia Masotti said, “It’s helped because now I don’t have to wait on the elliptical while someone else is on the treadmill.”

“Having an entire space devoted to wellness allows me to improve myself both academically and athletically,” said junior Walter Myers, who balances a rigorous academic course load and is a three-sport athlete. Having such a

facility also provides athletes places to study efficiently by Despite the countless benefits the new facility has providing quiet settings in which to get work done, such provided, it has not operated without conflict, such as the Nest. as the late opening of the pool. Many swimmers were In addition, the new fitness center provides an disappointed since they did not get to swim in the new opportunity where students can explore their creative side. pool during the Winter Sting. Sophomore Aiden Wilson The facility has two improvements to summed up the sentiments of many existing programs: a teaching kitchen swimmers by saying that he was “very and a dancing studio. Students can frustrated” with the opening.

Having an entire now explore their culinary side in the Senior Bryce Chu added that he space devoted to Wellness Center. was,“extremely disappointed... because wellness allows me to Hackley now has the adequate I’ve been swimming for Hackley for improve myself both space for their dancing classes such four years now.” academically and as Zumba, which were not set in the Swimmers were also frustrated that athletically.” proper space and setting in the past. they were stuck in an outdated pool.

The new gym will allow students Whereas the rest of the athletes are to enhance their creativity through enjoying new facilities that enhance Walter Myers dance. athletic ability, they had to compete Sophomore Madeline Zuckerman, in the old pool, which had a negative head of the Hackley Dance Club, effect on their abilities this past season. thinks that the new dancing facilities will have a Bryce Chu said, “The air quality in the other pool is tremendous impact on her club. She says, “The dancing awful. We’ve had practices being delayed or we have had facilities of the new gym will play a great role in the future to stop practices because the air quality is so awful... of dance programs and the Hackley Dance Club. With Whenever we swim in that pool, even in meets, our times the addition of barres and dance spaces, it will be easier to are significantly slower.” hold club meetings to dance instead of using the tighter Despite dissatisfaction with the opening of the swimming spaces in Raymond.” pool in the new facility, the Johnson Center for Health The Well is a new café in the facility that offers students and Wellness appears to hold promise for student athletes. healthy options that students can enjoy before and after athletic practices and games. The menu includes various smoothie options, Starbucks coffee, and sandwiches.

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The Dial’s favorite snacks from the Well 3:

The Wellness Center also features Hackley’s first ever fencing studio, which allows the team to make the most of practices, instead of having to travel to the PAC and Education First. The new studio also makes it easier for fans to attend meets.

By Amy Chalan, Natalie Sukhman, and Patrick Walker

The Well offers various snacks available everyday from 3:05 PM-6:30 PM. It is staffed by Flik and takes cash only. They offer various snacks including Starbucks coffee and meals such as wraps and soups.

4: Students utilize the Nest,

which is the atrium in the Johnson Center both during and after school to socialize with friends, purchase snacks from The Well, and rest after sports practice. The Nest has comfortable seating and offers a great view of the campus.

Yogurt $2.00

5:

Athletic trainer Lisa Paverini assists students with workouts in the cardio room with sets that are specialized for each student depending on the outcome they hope to achieve. She also works with students in the weight room.

Paverini has been a trainer at Hackley for three years.

Photos by Amy Chlalan, Emmy Wenstrup, Lei Anne Rabeje, Amanda Mooney, and Natalie Sukhman

Protein bar $1.50

Hummus $3.25 Smoothies

Mixed Berry, Spinach Pineapple, Banana Orange

R E T N E C S S E AND WELLN

$5.25

Assorted Fruit $1.00

8 politics

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Students face consequences of stress and school-related absences

By Amy Chalan

Stress has become a major component of student life, but some fail to recognize the danger of this element coupled with illness in school. Dealing with academic stress and the culture surrounding grades have changed in the typical school environment. They have serious, direct consequences on the wellbeing of students, as well as their learning and social abilities.

Although teachers attempt to make the daily workload manageable, students struggle when making the

“I think that the students need to realize there is a time to stop; with that being said it’s tough everyone wants to do the best they can”

decision between taking a sick day or missing lessons.

The blame cannot be placed directly on the administration itself, since students themselves are victims of a culture they have created.

According to Psychology Today, this “vicious cycle” of stress is characterized as “connect[ing] the phenomena of more stressedout students, accelerating stress contagion at school, and increased societal demands and anxieties.”

The scientific magazine also

Karen Casper, Math Teacher

linked a decrease in the health and wellness of students with academic demand and stress, indicating the negative consequences of stress caused by school. Among these consequences is becoming more prone to illness.

Students tendng towards unhealthy behaviors to cope with p re s s u re i s e q u a l l y a s destructive as excessive stress.

Junior Ingrid Lauerwald said, “As much as missing a day of school makes me anxious, it is also necessary in the long run and my parents and I recognize this as well.”

Freshman Lara Schecter said, “ I think that you begin to think its normal to be stressed and have a lot of work, as you look at the juniors and seniors.”

Seniors feel even more pressure, for whom eight absences in a class will require them to complete a project. The repercussions of failing the project are serious: no diploma.

Math teacher Karen Casper and other faculty noticed that students also put pressure on themselves to put in maximum effort: “I think that the students need to realize there is a time to stop, with that being said it’s tough everyone wants to do the best they can.”

All in all, the health and wellness of students should be placed first, regardless of the expectations from the community, bringing into question what the administration can do to ease the pressure students.

Senior Ellie Grueskin said, “It disincentivizes us to stay home and work on healing ourselves, because we can only miss a certain amount of days, and it ends up hurting our wellness. We have to keep count [of the days missed] which makes it harder for us to see doctors... It’s hard for us to prioritize our wellness when we have this restriction.”

concerns, they are fond of the new plan overall. epublicans in Congress passed Economics teacher David Sykes added the controversial tax cut last that “the other critically important piece month, the most sweeping of this bill is the fact that it’s predicted to overhaul of the tax code since add 1.5 trillion dollars to our debt… which 1986. While the plan cuts tax rates for could have some significant economic most Americans, it has sparked outrage impacts moving forward.” amongst New Yorkers as it may increase Nevertheless, the bill does come with their tax rates through the restriction of important benefits. Tax rates will decrease the SALT deduction. for Americans in each income bracket, The SALT (state and local tax) deduction although these cuts are temporary and is a provision which previously allowed will expire in 2025. Notably, Americans residents in high tax states such as New who fall into the highest tax bracket will York to avoid being taxed on the same see a cut from 39% to 37.5%. Moreover, income and/or property twice. Now, since the bill cuts the corporate tax rate however, the deduction is limited to from 35% to 21%, Wall Street could $10,000. see increases in investor returns, higher The controversy over the SALT provision salaries, and worker bonuses. was reflected in the House vote – 11 On top of its benefits to the local of 12 Republicans in the House who economy, Mr. Sykes and the Hackley voted against the bill are from high tax, Conservatives leaders both remarked that blue voting states whose constituents are the plan encourages business to stay or impacted by the new SALT provision. return to the United States. The Hackley Cr i t i c i s m s o f Conservatives the tax bill are remarked that the m a n i f o l d . Da n Conservatives are highlighting new corporate tax Donovan, the rate is “much closer these companies that are sole Republican giving $1000 raises, but those to the global average, representative which will make U.S. o f N e w Yo r k same companies are cutting corporations more City, expressed thousands of jobs.

The net competitive, and will his discontent incentivize them to w i t h t h e p l a n : benefit is to wealthy people, stay in the U.S. as “The tax reform which just exacerbates income opposed to storing … will hurt, not inequality. profits in offshore help middle class accounts.” families in New Shane Gilbert, US History Teacher On the contrary, Mr. York. We need a Gilbert added that: bill that doesn’t divide and penalize some “the majority of the benefits would go Americans just because of their zip code.” to the wealthy according to the CBO’s Ben Casselman and Patrick McGeehan analysis. Conservatives are highlighting of The New York Times report that the these companies that are giving $1000 bill could decrease home prices, create raises, but those same companies are difficulty for local governments to upgrade cutting thousands of jobs. The net benefit infrastructure, and cause cuts in federal is to wealthy people, which just exacerbates programs that make living in expensive income inequality.”

New York easier for some disadvantaged Trump had originally promised that groups. As such, history teacher Shane the bill would simplify taxes through a Gilbert noted that “cuts to [welfare] postcard tax form, yet this has not yet programs indirectly caused by the tax happened and some argue the tax process bill will significantly hurt those already has become more complicated. disadvantaged and will benefit those who The radical transformation of the tax might not necessarily need these benefits.” code, like most pieces of legislation, The Conservative Club criticizes the has its benefits and its harms. Mr. Sykes fact that the plan “reinforces progressive concluded, “There are so many variables tax, while many Republicans … prefer a impacting the consequences of the bill, so proportional tax rate.” They also explained it’s challenging to statistically and precisely that the plan harms the upper middle class, measure the impact of a law like this in a a group whose rate they believe was not constantly changing American economy.” lowered enough. However, despite these

R

How New Yorkers’ wallets may be affected

of students cope with strss through unhealthy methods, according to a study from the DOI foundation

Illustrations of viruses from of Piktochart and Wikimedia Commons

By Max Rosenblum and Emmy Wenstrup

THE GOP PASSES SWEEPING TAX BILL:

43%

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Photo courtesy of Pxhere Infographic by Max Rosenblum

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Ms. Judkins advocates participation in local politics

Head librarian highlights work for League of Women Voters

By Raghav Chopra

H

ead Librarian Brianna Judkins, chatting with the Dial from her office in the Sternberg Library, candidly explained her reasoning for becoming an activist.

The election of 2016 galvanized her to action: “When Trump became the Republican candidate, I said, ‘wait I can’t just sit and do nothing.’”

Motivated by a concern that democracy had stopped working, Ms. Judkins leapt at the opportunity to make her own voice heard, and to be a part of the effort to fix the problem.

At her local farmers market, the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan group dedicated t o t h e p re s e r v a t i o n o f democracy, was registering, and she asked them how to join their group. In her own words: “Next thing I knew I was on the board.”

Nonetheless, Ms. Judkins’ history of political activism stretches farther back.

As she traced the roots of her activism, she paused for a moment, remembering early but profound memories of her parents and Wisconsin.

Both were elected officials: her father an alderman on the city council and her mother president of the school board, both running for office and well-versed in Wisconsin politics.

Despite being liberal, her parents actively campaigned for a Republican politician whose views they supported, motivated by a sense of duty to express their beliefs.

Partisan politics was not their

interest; real issues, policies, and candidates were their concern, and they became Ms. Judkins’.

The values her parents held and their activism no doubt influenced her decision to join “the League” as she calls it, of which her mother was a part.

The increasing polarization of the political sphere, where parties mattered more than the values they embodied motivated her seemingly spontaneous decision to take a stand.

Ms. Judkins had to find her place in the organization, a way to make her time worthwhile.

In the age of Information, some of what once happened at sit-ins and public rallies now happens on the internet and through Twitter, and new opportunities offered by online communication has allowed Ms. Judkins to do her part and make her voice heard.

On the board of the League of Women Voters of the Rivertowns, she oversees the online and social media operations of the group.

Online outreach has not been a forte of her local branch of the League, now over a century old and many of its members older than the audience of young activists they are trying to reach. If Ms. Judkins wanted to keep the good work of the League going, she was going to have to keep up with how people get involved.

Managing the online side of the League is Brianna Judkins, Head Librarian more than just sending out 3AM tweets about Ma k i n g a d i f f e re n c e , election legitimacy. however, takes more than On top of publicizing the broad just nominally joining an range of topics covered by the activist group.

League, from conducting research on specific topics and publishing them along with official stances, to moderating candidate debates and

“ When Trump

became the Republican candidate, I said, ‘wait, I can’t just sit & do nothing.’

”

attending forums on specific laws like the recent proposal for statewide single payer healthcare, she has also redesigned and streamlined the League’s website, all in an effort to get information out to and increase involvement with a wider audience.

Though it may not carry the same excitement as chanting and holding picket signs, Ms. Judkins’ work is essential to the process of grassroots political activism.

She explained, “Even though I’m not out there, if I wasn’t doing what I’m doing people wouldn’t know about it.”

She recently managed publicising forums for proposals for single payer healthcare across New York, her efforts key to increasing awareness and engagement.

While offering her strengths to the group to best help them, she has also developed in areas she hadn’t previously learned.

Leaning back in her chair, she said with genuine reflection, “These women and men [on the board] are so intelligent and know so much about local and state politics.”

Through her experience joining the League of Women Voters, Ms. Judkins found that the most powerful impact her newfound voice could have was to reach out, and make others want to make themselves heard.

The first step is staying informed, be it following a local politician on Twitter, or following a local nonpartisan group like a local branch of the League of Women Photo by Emmy Wenstrup

Net neutrality repeal raises pricing concerns for schools

By Jared Tilliss

This past month, net neutrality was repealed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This result has aggravated many, including educators nationwide over the restriction of once accessible internet content.

Net Neutrality is an Obama-era regulation that forces Internet providers to treat all data on the Internet the same, and prevents companies from blocking, throttling, or conducting paid prioritization of Internet content. While blocking is the act of preventing content from appearing entirely, throttling entails slowing down the speeds at which content can be viewed. Unfortunately, with the FCC’s decision, the competition between companies and consumer fairness disappears.

As a result, many schools foresee trouble as Internet providers take control of Internet lanes and speeds.

Private schools like Hackley are susceptible to the decision’s widespread effects. Mr. Erich Tusch, Hackley’s Director of Instructional Technology, explained, “Hackley is a customer in much of the same ways as each of our families are customers of their home Internet provider.” In other words, Hackley’s Internet access could be slowed down or even blocked as a result of the FCC’s decision. As Hackley increasingly leans on technology and Internet services as crucial educational tools, fast and efficient Internet may no longer be accessible to students when writing essays, papers, and completing any other schoolwork online.

Some Hackley students are voicing their opinions and taking a stand against a decision they see as problematic. Sophomore Yugo Tsukikawa explained, “I don’t agree with the decision. Net neutrality used to protect the

Internet.” Sophomore Tahyram Touré has been an outspoken supporter of net neutrality, explaining that he “liked the free nature of the Internet”.

Ben Ostfield, a senior in Hackley’s Media class, noted that the change could have detrimental effects on the common citizen. He explained, “the worst possible scenario would be that media companies and Internet providers would be able to essentially control all of the information available to consumers. The voices of smaller political parties, organizations, websites and opinion groups would be silenced, which would really narrow the political spectrum.”

The move on net neutrality could also harm public schools across the country, with varying degrees of economic resources.

Richard Culatta, leader of the Department of Educational Technology during the Obama administration, explained, “net neutrality leveled the playing field because it didn’t matter if you were in a wealthy school or an under-resourced school. And as soon as net neutrality goes away, we’re back to where we were before, where students are getting short changed based on the socioeconomic status of their community because they aren’t able to pay for those resources again.” Culatta is hinting at the idea that because the Internet is a free-ranging network, the move on net neutrality could force schools with much tighter budgets to have to pay more for their content.

The effects of net neutrality on the education system have panicked administrators and students alike. Only time will tell if the educational lives of Hackley students are drastically altered as a result of December’s net neutrality decision.

join the protest: battleforthenet.com

Photo by Olivia Weinberg The fight for net neutrality is not over. While the recent FCC repeal of the bipartisan regulation has raised concern, advocate students like senior Elon Middleton urged students to sign online petitions and contact their senators to vote no to repealing net neutrality.

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Students in Advanced Forest Ecology Research study local wildlife at Teatown

By LiliAnna Khosrowshahi

O

n Januar y 23rd, Hackley’s Advanced Forest Ecology (AFER) class went on a field trip to Teatown Lake Reservation Preserve in Ossining, New York.

The Reservation is an 1000 acre nature preserve consisting of a large hiking area where the AFER class had the chance to see what a healthy forest looks like, several non-releasable bird exhibits, and an indoor exhibit for smaller reptiles such as frogs, snakes, and turtles.

The trip started off with a scavenger hunt on the trails where the students were challenged to find and identify just a few of the plants and trees that the AFER class had learned this year.

The students were presented with a photograph of something on the hike and were tasked to find it.

Junior Jack Kneisley said, “The hike really allowed us to experience the nature and forest we have around us as well as also learning about the ecology of the Westchester area.”

After the AFER class found all of the clues, the students returned to the indoor exhibit and reviewed

what they had found. They then began to discuss some of the trees in further detail.

The Nature Preserve has various outdoor non-releasable bird exhibits that house birds that were found with critical injuries that would not survive on their own in the wild.

The birds in the exhibits include screech owls, hawks, a bald eagle, and other large birds of prey.

The last activity the class did was an interactive activity that taught them about the local wildlife in Westchester.

The AFER class was able to touch and observe various snakes and turtles, and were able to watch an opossum eat its lunch!

“Learning about all the different animals that live in our area is really cool and important and actually seeing them all up close was incredible. Seeing the opossum eating was definitely the highlight of the trip,” said Jack.

“I thought it was really cool to explore the area and see all the different trees around us on the hike. I loved getting to see all the tree stumps from the beavers and how even if the tree is only a stump it is still able to regenerate itself and grow back.”

Graphic by Dylan Wade

Photo courtesy of Will Crainer The AFER class was able to see the various ecosystems that exist in the forest, whether they were current or from the past.

Photo by LiliAnna Khosrowshahi A lot of the knowledge that the AFER class had accumulated from this year’s curriculum was able to be directly applied to the Teatown Trip.

Creativity and imagination come alive in the much-awaited Makerspace

By Lauren Ahern

while English classes can create Walking into the new Makerspace, costumes and masks while studying it’s hard not to be inspired by Shakespeare or other plays.

Sophomore Oren Tirschwell, a the lego and cardboard-covered tables and doodle-covered turquoise member of the student Makerspace walls. With different materials and Committee, which has been giving machines available for the creative student perspective on planning drive of students and teachers alike, how to use the room, said, “The the Makerspace was created to idea is to get it working for all of facilitate innovations of all kinds the teachers to integrate it into the classroom environment. There was from the Hackley community.

E r i c h Tu s c h , D i r e c t o r o f already a teacher orientation for Instructional Technology and those who were interested, where one of the leaders in creating the they got to go and learn about it.”

The teachers who were part of the Makerspace, said he hopes the room orientation worked with programs will be a vehicle to “promote problem like Paper Circuits, which allows solving” and “design thinking.” The you to create electrical circuits using Makerspace encourages the use of all a special paper, as well aa TinkerBot, of the skills students have developed a program that lets you build an to create their ideas and designs. object to 3-D print.

Tusch explained, “To develop Physics teacher Bill McLay, who solutions to the problems presented, attended the orientation, said he one needs to call on more than is still trying to figure out how simply just math skills, or just to integrate the space into his writings skills, or just design skills. curriculum but he has some ideas.

All that becomes a part of the He said, “For experience.” m y a dvanced The goal is for We built this space as physics class we teachers in all subjects to recognize a version of one, we’re have some larger the advantages the c o n s i d e r i n g t h i s a n scale projects Makerspace gives as interactive space, one that are not only a space for hands-on that will build and grow difficult to do in learning. overtime based on the the classroom but also to store The Makerspace needs of the school. while working so is not only an we may be able Erich Tusch, Director of engineering space, t o m ove t h a t Instructional Techology but is a space for all over to there.” subjects including He also said he the liberal arts such as English and is tinkering with the idea of having History. his freshman classes 3-D print their According to Tusch, humanities rockets for the Rocket Project. classes can integrate the space into The Makerspace is a school-wide the curriculum. He suggested that resource with amenities such as history classes can build replicas tables that change heights, lowering of different tools or buildings to for the lower schoolers and raising get a real experience and connect for the upper schoolers. more strongly to the time period, The room is filled with gadgets

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Photo by Lauren Ahern The makerspace is a place where students can foster their imagination and creativity.

It contains many different resources, from 3D printers to wide-open tables.

such as 3-D printers, computers, and a sewing machine, as well as other appliances such as power tools, welders, and hammers. The space also has cabinets full of resources for creating such as fabrics, glue guns, markers, wiring, and cabling.

For the Upper School, an elective will be offered next year as well as availability for teachers to enhance different topics through the space.

In the Middle School, many teachers are already planning on making use of the new space, and the Makerspace will be open during their lunch period and after school study halls. The Lower School made a smaller traveling set of equipment for classes to use in their building.

Tusch believes problem solving will prepare kids for jobs in the real world, “Very seldom you get a job in the worlds where it is one skill… most jobs require skill from what in high school would be several different classes” said Tusch.“We’re trying to create that

type of experience here, where it crosses over these curriculums and over these ages.”

Along with preparing students for jobs, Tusch believes the experience with different tools will prepare kids for real life tasks. After the Lower Schoolers first tested the room, he said, “For little kids, I was surprised how many had never held a saw or a hammer. You’re all going to have an apartment sometime, you’re all going to need to know how to hang draperies. Knowing how to use this stuff is important.”

Tusch views this new Makerspace as a first step for Hackley. “We built this space as a version one, we’re considering this an iterative space, one that will build and grow overtime based on the needs of the school.”

The new Makerspace is a fantastic opportunity for the Hackley Community to construct and invent, and discover new talents and passions to grow and achieve.

App of the month: HQ Trivia

By Dylan Wade

At 3PM and 9PM each day, students gather around their smartphones to take part in a live trivia game that gives them the chance to win large cash prizes.

Led by comedian Scott Rogowsky, HQ is a trivia app that puts your knowledge to the test.

Players are asked 12 multiple choice questions that become increasingly difficult throughout the course of the game. With only 10 seconds to answer, many participants are eliminated about halfway through.

The question topics range anywhere from science, to politics, to sports, or to common knowledge.

The December 28th game featured a question involving the origin of the guinea pig.

The cash prize motivates many players to pick up their phones and answer the questions.

While in August the game prize was only worth $100, as the popularity of the game increased, so did the rewards. With regular prizes of $2000, Sunday prizes of $10,000, and a New Year’s Eve special prize of $18,000, the next game is a mystery.

The money is distributed evenly to the players who made it to the 12th question and is delivered through PayPal. Mr. McLay, an active player, has made it all the way to question 9 but has not yet won.

Though many students are involved in the daily games, HQ is beginning to become a distraction.

At the end of the day, players rush out of their last period classes to grab their phones and play. The 9PM game distracts many students from their homework.

Sophomore Emma Brennan added, “The game that is at night can distract me sometimes, but it lasts less than 10 minutes so it’s not too much of a problem.”

As the #1 trivia game on the app store, HQ has become a hot topic in the hallways. “I think it encourages socialization. In the hallway people help each other, share answers, and talk about the questions before the game,” Brennan remarks.

Despite that lack of productivity that comes with playing, HQ is a fun, new take on trivia that allows players to learn interesting facts and possibly win money.

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Split workout space may cause gender separation Coaching staff looks to implement changes in the future to promote a balance in fitness workouts

By Sydney Stoller

A student pushes open the huge glass doors that mark the entrance to the new health and wellness center, walks past The Well café and turns left into the cardio room.

Its floor length windows and high ceilings present a stark contrast to its windowless weight room counterpart in the basement of the same building.

The opening of the Walter Johnson Center for Health and Wellness brings new facilities for sports teams and health and physical education classes. The Johnson Center is equipped with both a weight room centered around strength training and a workout room that features cardio equipment, weight lifting machines, and a variety of free weights.

With the introduction of the two new gyms, comes a change to the physical education curriculum.

Instead of “weight room” being one class that students sign up for, it is now broken up into two separate classes, one for each room.

Although this decision was made purely because of the placement of the two rooms-the cardio room is on the right side of the main floor and the weight room is on the left side of the lower level - it does prompt the question about gender segregation between the two rooms.

Weight lifting and training often brings to mind male athletes like The Rock, Mike Tyson, or LeBron James, rather than the equally strong Serena Williams or Ronda Rousey. The stereotype of men

Photos by Lei Anne Rabeje The Johnson Center boasts two separate fitness facilities: a cardio room on the first floor (top left) and a weight room in the basement (bottom left and right photos). The separate fitness rooms allow for two different physical education classes, as opposed to the weight room gym class in previous years.

being stronger than women is one entrenched in the culture of society.

It is why the pay gap between female and male athletes is only slowly and recently diminishing.

On the Hilltop, many students and faculty members have expressed concerns that the separation of the weight room will cause female students to become less enthusiastic about endurance training and other stereotypical weight lifting.

Coach Lisa Paverini, a trainer at the Hackley gym along with Coach Sam Patierno, talked about the attendance of male students in the cardio room, where she has worked throughout the first week of the opening of the Health and Wellness Center.

She described the declining number of male students in the room by saying how on the first day “we had probably about five or six guys in

Focusing on Football:

here and maybe just as many girls, and then the second we had maybe three,” and by the end of the week, “we only had one guy the whole time.”

As a result of this, Coach Lisa said that “it does look like more girls are going to be utilizing this room and the guys kind of are more interested in going down to the weight room.”

The coaches have acknowledged this issue of gender separation

and have proposed the solution of stationing both coaches in the weight room, and hiring someone else to supervise the cardio room.

Coach Lisa predicts that many of the girls will feel more comfortable in the weight room if she is down there as well.

The coach added, “If [the female students] have somebody to help them and show them what to do, I think they [will] feel a little less intimidated.”

Junior Isla Parton is one of the few girls that prefers the weight room over the cardio room. She agrees with Coach Lisa, and credits her with her newfound interest in deadlifting and cleans.

She added that, “The weight room should be an inviting place for all genders to comfortably try the range of machines that aren’t available in the cardio room.”

The staff working at the athletic center expressed the importance of gender equality in both the weight room and cardio room.

While training, it is important to supplement lifting exercises with body weight movements, so it is crucial to attend both rooms in order to maintain a balanced work out regimen.

The new athletic center gifted the Hackley community with incredible new facilities. Although the division of the weight and cardio room initially presented an unwanted gender separation, the coaching staff may implement new changes to ensure participation of both female and male students in the weight and cardio rooms.

Smaller liberal arts colleges attract

football players, excluding middle tier athletes who can’t pay full tuition

By Tommy Larson

Many liberal arts colleges are beginning to revamp their football programs in order to improve their reputations and to foster revenue. These resurrected teams are giving young and talented athletes a chance to show their skills in an atmosphere that before would not have been available. However, these football programs can also detract from the schools’ academics and divide the campuses’ focus, and some recruiting policies have been found to favor white males over those of color.

These Division III schools are not the top ranked competition, but for athletes with a love of the game they offer plenty of playing time. These liberal arts schools also offer a more prestigious degree than many of the bigger football-orientated schools, such as Alabama.

When asked to describe the atmosphere and time commitment of a Division III football program, Will Cotter, a longtime football star at Hackley and quarterback for Williams

College, could only respond, “It’s dope.”

In Division III football, student athletes aren’t paid, and scholarships can’t be awarded to the players based on ability. The 90 players a football team fields pay full tuition to attend a school they otherwise would not have decided to go to. That’s an extra few hundred thousand dollars that easily fields the cost of the football program with surplus to the school.

These football programs can also cause rapid growth for a school. They can attract more students who are looking for a spirited school and also encourages alumni to revisit and maybe even donate to support the team.

In the past ten years, 12 NCAA Division III schools, such as Wesleyan and Hendrix have added football programs. These schools have been placing a lot of money into their facilities to attract players who are able to pay full tuition.

Williams spent $22 million to renovate its football stadium, Amherst spent $12.5 million on theirs, and Middlebury has a new $46 million athletic fieldhouse. In 2016, after

Graphic by Tommy Larson

revamping their football program, Wesleyan received an all time high 12,000 applicants for their undergraduate program, which can in part be credited to the school atmosphere.

According to an article by Ben Strauss of Slate, some Wesleyan students are not happy with the new athletic side of the school. One Wesleyan student even stated that he, “worries about the divide on campus between athletes and non-athletes.”

Ben Strauss further asserted that division III schools are allowed to admit just less than 10 percent of its freshman class, around 60 or 70 students, that do not meet the schools’ academic standards.

According to a study done by a mathematics professor named John Emerson, recruited male athletes at Wesleyan have a grade point average that is fifteen percent lower than non-athletes at the school. The numbers are even worse when narrowed down to contact sports such as football and hockey, where the GPA percentiles are 17 percent lower than non-athletes.

The system of recruiting college athletes that don’t meet the schools’ academic standards has been found to benefit white men at Wesleyan. According to two former Wesleyan Admissions officers, minority athlete-scholars have an advantage in admissions independent of athletic ability because they increase diversity at the school and can receive academic scholarships, and therefore the slots of the recruiting program generally go to white athletes, as they are paying full tuition to a school that they could not normally attend.

Hendrix College, one of the most prestigious schools in Arkansas, resurrected their football program in 2008, and was able to attract many athletes who never thought they were going to be able to play football at the college level.

Vance Strange, a longtime member of Hendrix’s fundraising program, and Amy

Photo courtesy of Will Cotter Former Hackley star Will Cotter plays football on the recently bolstered Williams Ephs, which recently spent $22 million to renovate its football stadium.

Weaver, Hendrix’s athletic director, believe that once start-up costs such as equipment (only $900 per player) are covered, a roster of 65-70 players would net the school $1.8-$1.9 million a year through tuition and alumni support.

From 2001 to 2013, the school’s enrollment increased by 40 percent (more than 1,400 students). For lower level college athletic schools, creating or bringing back their football program is worth the money and brings with it a stronger reputation.

For these Division III liberal arts colleges across the country, the influx of revenue that a football program brings is worth the slight degradation of academic prestige.

12 sports

GARRETT

Photo by Ella Jones Garrett Towne holds the record for the 100 yard butterfly, with a time of 50.00s, breaking the school and Ivy League record previously held by Norman Scott ‘04.

By Ella Jones

L

the

February 20, 2018

ast month, senior Garrett Towne qualified as an All-American athlete in swimming.

Garrett has been on the Hackley varsity swim team since eighth grade and has been swimming for as long as he can remember.

This season, in a meet against Fieldston, he broke three school records, two league records, and automatically made AllAmerican in the 100 backstroke, with his 100 butterfly pending. The 100 butterfly record was once held by his father, Doug Towne, who swam for Hackley.

Garrett explained that there are two types of All-American qualifications. There are the USA Swimming standards which require a specific time as well as a certain GPA and there’s the NISCA All-American, which has more difficult time standards. The latter has been a long term goal for Garrett.

Making these time cutoffs is usually a challenge for dual meets, as club swimmers like him wouldn’t have the rest required for making best times. In the case of the

Dial

goe s to

TOWNE

During the 2017-2018 season Garrett set new records for the school and Ivy League.

Fieldston meet, Garrett was well rested and tapered from a meet outside of school, allowing him to make the goal times.

Badger Swim Club, the team which Garrett and four other Hackley students are members, offers ten practices a week.

He’s required to attend least eight of them, swimming for two hours straight, sometimes twice a day. Due to these rigorous practice times, Garrett is usually too tired to make the required All-American times at regular school dual meets.

When he has to practice twice a day, Garrett wakes up before 5 am, making it harder to manage a legitimate sleep schedule.

“I don’t think I’ve actually fallen asleep [in class], I’ve almost fallen asleep,” Garrett said of the repercussions of his training schedule.

Alongside his All-American achievements, Garrett has also set multiple school and league records. He credits these achievements to the motivation offered by the records of those before him, saying, “Records are meant to be broken.” In setting his own records, he hopes to provide the same motivation for the

Photo by Ella Jones Garrett Towne swims over 16 hours every week and balances his heavy workload.

Garrett studies Greek, English, Calculus Based Statistics, 20th Century World History, Astronomy and Meteorology, and Advanced Physics.

team’s future members. This is the legacy that he hopes to give to the team.

Before joining the team, Garrett remembers watching all of the teams’ meets and was inspired by the athletes and his older siblings on the team. Being the youngest sibling, it was natural that he would become a swimmer. “I always looked up to my brother and the swimmers on the Hackley team growing up,” said Garrett. He found his own passion for the sport, hitting times that his siblings never could.

As Garrett now nears the end of his final Hackley swim season, he reminisces about the highs and lows of his time with the team.

Garrett said the excitement and spirit of the meets have always been two of his favorite things about school swimming. His favorite moments are those where it all come down to the last relay and the entire team is cheering.

Garrett will miss this most once the season is over.

Ivy League & School Records 100 Backstroke

49.19s

(Automatic All-American time)

100 Butterfly

50.00s

(All-American consideration)

400 Freestyle Relay

3:16.21

School Record 200 Medley Relay

1:38.51

Senior Sports Commits Francesca Docters officially becomes a part of the Northwestern Women’s Soccer Team

By James Sexton-Holtmeier

Photo by LiliAnna Khosrowshahi Francesca Docters is ready to kick it through the next chapter of her life at Northwestern University.

Senior Francesca Docters (Fran) has always been a top soccer talent in her very competitive grade, and she recently committed to the prestigious Northwestern University.

Fran has been playing for as long as she can remember.“I’ve been playing soccer since I could walk. The game is rooted in my family, whether we’re debating our predictions for game outcomes, watching our favorite teams, or best of all, playing together, it never seems to escape us,” said Fran, “Without my family and our Argentine culture, my passion for soccer would not be the same.”

Although Fran has always dreamed of playing at the collegiate level, she realizes that there are some negatives of being a Division I athlete, but she is willing to make the sacrifice for the game she loves.

“Being Division 1 student-athlete is one of the most notoriously time-consuming activities a college student can be a part of. With

the exception of the one rest day a week and game days, there are team practices and lifts (weight training) everyday, usually accumulating to around 3-4 hours of the day,” said Fran.

“While home games are convenient, away games can take you off campus from Wednesday to Sunday of any given week. One challenge student-athletes face is scheduling classes around practice times; this presents the inevitable event of getting left out of a certain class or having to push it back to the next semester,” she continued.

This is clearly a major time commitment, but it is all worth it.

Fran has an incredible work ethic. She believes that some of that drive comes from her older brother Fernando.

“Fernando has always been a role model for me, especially in the soccer world. He certainly demonstrates the importance of resilience and humility. When his hard work and talent had been undermined, he was always able to keep his head up and prove himself the next day. This will always make him an inspiration to me and anyone else who knows him,” she said.

Sam Goldberg heads west to California to play Division III football at Claremont McKenna

By Cole Wyman

Sam Goldberg has always been seen as the “big guy” around school, but the star defensive end heard just the opposite when he started inquiring about what it would take to play football at the collegiate level.

He went to combines at big-name schools, such as Yale, only to under perform and be intimidated by other kids there who he described as “monsters”. A combine is a tryout where coaches from different colleges gather to watch potential recruits perform different workouts that can prove strength, speed and skill. Although disappointing, his performance at these combines were a wake-up call, letting him know where he stood.

When Goldberg started talking to coaches after last year’s football season they told him he was way too small and gave him one of two choices, give up on his dream or reach for almost impossible goals. Sam decided to go for his dream.

These nearly impossible goals included adding 40 lbs, benching 300, squatting 400, deadlifting 500, running the 40 in under 4.8 seconds, and 4.5 in the shuttle, a workout in which the athlete must shuffle and run around cone. He had to do this while continuing to endure a brutal Hackley schedule. At the start, Sam could barely bench 225 pounds. Despite the extremely

steep hill to climb, Sam worked between 6 and 7 days a week and eventually “surpassed all of the goals like crazy”. By eating 6000 calories a day he was able to go from 180 lbs to 250 lbs.

After increasing his weight by 70 lbs the coaches he talked to started to seriously consider him. The same coaches who brushed him off as to small a year earlier began to see his potential unfolding.

“Before, purely based off my size at the position I was playing, coaches would say that I could do it if I put on weight, but they didn’t really think I could… After I underwent this massive change all the coaches saw me as a legitimate player,” Sam said.

Sam’s growth as an athlete over the summer allowed him to rise as an athlete during the fall season. His dominant performance earned him a spot in the Golden Dozen, a collection of the twelve best football players in the county.

By this point he was still talking to schools and linking up with new schools with help from his private football advisor, Mr. Edwards, and Coach Berk. He went to a combine at Washington University in Saint Louis and performed really well receiving offers right away to play college football. Sam was patient leaning more towards Pomona, but as soon as they started fading in interest, Claremont McKenna started calling and Sam eventually chose the school.

Photo by Cole Wyman Sam Goldberg is looking forward to continuing his successful football career at Claremont McKenna college, a division III school in Claremont, California.