September 2015 Issue

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S eptember 2015

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Hackley Names Michael Wirtz as New Headmaster

By Marc Rod

After a several month selection process, Hackley’s Board of Trustees has announced that Michael C. Wirtz will be Hackley’s 12th Headmaster, beginning on July 1, 2016.

Mr. Wirtz is currently the Assistant Head of School/Dean of Faculty at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, MA. St. Mark’s is a 9-12 day and boarding school. He also served as Acting Head of School for St. Mark’s in the first half of the 2013-2014 academic year.

Prior to becoming an administrator, he taught Chemistry. At St. Mark’s, Mr. Wirtz “works closely with faculty at every point in their relationship with St. Mark’s–from recruiting and hiring on through orientation, mentoring, professional development, feedback, evaluations and communications,” according to an email from John Canoni, President of the Board of Trustees to the Hackley community. Recently, at St. Mark’s, Mr. Wirtz helped the school build its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program, and led the effort to design a new STEM building and restructure the curriculum.

Hackley’s Board of Trustees chose Mr. Wirtz as the new headmaster for many reasons, chief among them, his connection to Hackley’s core spirit of community and character.

“In our first meeting with Mike, we were struck by how smart he is, how laser sharp and focused his thinking is. What came across the more we got to know him was how much he cares about people, how deeply interested he is in learning about and connecting with others,” said Math Department Chair Diana Kaplan, who served on the Headmaster Search Committee.

“We are very fortunate to have found an intellectually curious, genuine leader with a keen, analytical mind and open heart who passionately embraces the values and culture members of the Hackley community hold so dear, who will lead Hackley into the next decade and beyond,” said Trustee Ted Mathas, co-chair of the Headmaster Search Committee.

Mr. Wirtz could not be reached for comment for this article, but, when accepting Hackley’s offer, he said, “I am humbled and excited to join Hackley as the next Headmaster.

Photo courtesy of Michael Wirtz Mr. Wirtz in a Chemistry lab. He led an initiative at his prior school to develop the STEM program, in addition to teaching Chemistry at several other schools.

[Headmaster] Walter [Johnson] leaves a great legacy and I look forward to partnering with faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and trustees to write Hackley’s next chapter. Hackley’s core values–its deep commitment to the education of the whole student and its emphasis on character–align with my beliefs as both an educator and parent.”

In his email, Mr. Canoni expressed his excitement for Hackley’s future with Mr. Wirtz as Headmaster. “This is indeed a very exciting time for Hackley: to build upon our strengths, to preserve our unique culture, and to go forth with unreserved effort and embrace a future that truly can be even greater than our illustrious past,” he said.

Who is Andy King? Hackley’s Jeopardy! Champion Jeopardy was an important part of Mr. King’s life growing up. While Jeopardy! wasn’t a TV show he watched religiously, it was something he watched a fair amount with his mother.

Mr. King’s fondness for Jeopardy has similarly extended into his day-to-day routine. After dinner, Mr. King will usually settle down with his wife and three-year-old son to watch the latest Jeopardy! episode; during the broadcast, Mr. King cited his son as a personal reason for pursuing an appearance on the show.

Hackley has also had a history of contestants on the game show. “There has been a thread of Hackley students and faculty featured on Jeopardy! — former Latin teacher [Rowena] Fenstermacher and Hackley alumnus Rachel Gottesman ‘08 had previously appeared on Jeopardy before I did,” Mr. King said.

Support for Mr. King extended from the Hilltop as well. Junior Seth Tilliss watched reruns of both Jeopardy! episodes, and said that “it was very interesting to see somebody representing Hackley on live national television.”

Mr. King ultimately likened Jeopardy! to standardized testing. He advised anybody potentially interested in appearing on Jeopardy to “watch the show, because — like the SAT — the clues are often embedded in the question. — they’re just waiting to be uncovered.”

Photo courtesy of Jeopardy! Productions, Inc. Hackley’s Upper School Director Andy King was a contestant on two episodes of Jeopardy! last summer. He won his first episode, taking home $20,200.

By Neil Suri

This past summer, Upper School Director Andy King wrote himself into Hackley folklore, appearing twice on and winning the Jeopardy! game show. Millions of people across the country, including a myriad of Hackley students, alumni, and faculty, tuned in on July 30 and 31 to watch Mr. King take on fellow trivia whizzes in an acute battle of the brains. Mr. King qualified for not one, but two rounds of Jeopardy! by completing an Internet screening, an inperson audition and besting two opponents outright in the first episode of the show, winning a total of $20,000.

Mr. King’s feat, however, did not come after intense or extreme training on his part. “I adopted this sort of cavalier attitude before my appearance on Jeopardy!, figuring that there was no real way to prepare myself for the real thing. I consigned myself to either doing well or not doing well,” he explained.

Mr. King admitted that he was a bit nervous at the outset of the first Jeopardy! episode, but eased into its fast pace as it progressed. He said that the quickness with which the game evolves was one of his biggest personal obstacles as a competitor.

“The speed at which the game is played intimidated me at first, especially since I was hearing the questions for the first time.”

Mr. King explained that accurately pressing the buzzer was another challenge he faced. “Pressing the button has to be a very precise motion; pressing too early means that your buzzer is delayed due to being locked out, while pressing too late allows your opponent to buzz in before you,” he said.

As the game show began to draw to a close, Mr. King played more conservatively in Double Jeopardy. “After doing some rough math in my head, I was relatively certain that I couldn’t be caught by the other competitors, so I decided to play it safe going into the Daily Double,” he explained. Ultimately, Mr. King’s tactics prevailed, as he was crowned champion of the first episode of Jeopardy!- a victory, he said, that took time to sink in.

Mr. King was certainly satisfied with his win, which met the expectations he had set for himself before appearing on the show, and his eagerness carried over into the second taping of Jeopardy!. He said, “The second show was a much more anxiety-driven one, as I was outplayed by two very skilled and intelligent competitors. I knew the answers to most of the questions, but I got beat to the punch on the buzzer,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Serena Hernandez Hackley students showed their support for Mr. King on Jeopardy, through Snapchat.

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September 2015

Dial

Ambiguity in Hackley Policy Can Lead to Gender Bias

By The Editorial Board

After baking for hours under the hot August sun, Hackley’s female athletes were told that they couldn’t remove their shirts in an effort to cool down - even as they could see male athletes practicing shirtless just a few fields over. This dichotomy is unacceptable: While a ban on shirtlessness during athletics deserves plenty of healthy debate and discourse in the community, it is certain that, before students are told to put a shirt on during practice, an unambiguous rule regarding shirtlessness during athletic activity needs to be established.

According to both Upper School Director Andy King and Athletic Director Jason Edwards, there are no official written dress rules or restrictions for athletics at Hackley. Instead, individual coaches and teachers are left to decide what constitutes as appropriate athletic dress. Evidently, their opinions differ: shirtless athletes can be found at nearly every preseason boys’ soccer or cross country practice, for example, but field hockey players are generally forbidden from shedding their tops.

While this fact does not necessarily insinuate unfairness, the current situation does at the very least arouse some suspicion

Photo courtesy of Francesca Docters Senior Sammy Mueller swelters with her shirt on in the August heat.

about implicit gender bias. For one reason or another, it is oftentimes male athletes that are permitted to play and leave practice shirtless, and the female ones who are told to cover up.

This doesn’t imply that all coaches believe that girls shouldn’t be allowed to practice shirtless while boys should. English teacher and field hockey coach Jenny Leffler, for example, remarked that while she doesn’t allow her athletes to play shirtless, it “definitely bothers her when she sees boys being allowed to play shirtless.” To her and many others, the solution to the situation isn’t to have different rules for boys and girls; it is to make every athlete wear a shirt during practice.

While such a complete ban on shirtlessness is likely both impractical and unnecessary (any athlete will attest to how uncomfortable it is to stay in a sweat-soaked shirt for hours, and the need for body modesty amongst small, largely singlesex teams is far less than the need for it during school hours), the largest and most significant issue is the lack of a clearly defined policy for all coaches to follow and enforce. Without such a policy, all decision-making agencies on the matter will remain in the hands of individual teachers who have varied opinions, leaving students to be treated differently based simply on what sport they play - and, coincidentally or not, sometimes on their gender. To quash any suspicions of implicit gender bias against female athletes, the school must create a policy that ignores gender and is the same for all students.

Luckily, Hackley seems to be on its way to doing so. Mr. King said that while he “would prefer everyone kept their shirts on,” he would be happy to meet down with the deans and all coaches about what would be best practice regarding shirtlessness in sports going forward. Ensuring that student representatives, whether they be from community council or athletic teams, are involved in these administrative meetings is both an easy and important step the administration should take to insure that student voice is heard on a policy that would affect students almost exclusively.

Hopefully, after experiencing the late August heat, listening to student opinion, and considering that a little bit of midriff exposure for two weeks before the school year even begins during a team’s generally spectator-free preseason isn’t going to kill anybody, Hackley will allow all students to practice shirtless. If not, however, the school should at least provide some gender-neutral policy on the issue that ensures that all student-athletes are on equal footing.

Can you guess where these are on campus?

Photo by Robert Hallock Junior Fernando Docters cools off at practice after taking off his shirt.

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Hackley School 293 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown, NY (914) 631-0128 September 2015 Vol. 118, No. 1 hsdial.org Editors-in-Chief............................................................Marc Rod, Sonia Singh Online Editor...............................................................................Benjy Renton Technical Editor............................................................................ Joe Lovinger Editors News........................................................... Sydney Monroe, Alexandra Meyer Opinion........................................................George Wangensteen, Lucy Barse Politics............................................................................................... Neil Suri Feature......................................................................Allie Molner, Roya Wolfe Arts........................................................................ Madison Chen, Joy Dracos Lifestyles...................................................... Hannah Urken, Catherine Meyer Science & Tech.......................................Kelly Castro-Blanco, Grace Heinrich Sports..................................................................Chris Chon, Hope Weisman Photography....................................... Robert Hallock, Nick Rizzi, Max Chen

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Advisers Michael Bass, Anne Budlong Policy

2 ANSWERS:

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. 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.

Letters and submissions can be emailed to: dial@hackleyschool.org.

The Dial is the official student newspaper of Hackley School.

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1. Lindsay Room. 2. Staircase heading down from the Kroeger Arch. 3. Outside the Admissions hallway.

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September 2015

feature/arts 3

From Costa Rica to Yellowstone, Hackley Hornets Buzz Around the Globe

The National Parks Casten trip crew stopped at a waterfall during a hike.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Ying

By Catherine Meyer and Alex Meyer

This summer, six teachers and 23 Hackley students expanded their horizons — literally.

After participating in an application process, 15 of the selected students embarked on a trip to Costa Rica through a Hackley program.

In addition, eight students also went to Yellowstone National Park on a Casten trip.

The Costa Rica students stayed with host families, which allowed them to become completely immersed in the culture. “The experience allowed me to gain a lot of knowledge of a very different culture in the world”, said junior Andrew Chung. In contrast, the students on the Yellowstone Casten trip stayed together, which seemed to help the group bond during their time there together. “I would say one of my favorite parts was just being with everyone in the group,” said Carina Burroughs.

While the simple goal of improving their Spanish speaking skills contributed to most of the students’ desire to go on the Costa Rica trip, all of them returned to Hackley with some truly incredible experiences. “I guess my biggest takeaway from the trip was a renewed sense of adventure,” said

senior Mike Nelson. “All of these separate events I’ve experienced in Costa Rica made me realize how crucial that thrill of adventure is. Everyone should have that experience at least once in their lives,” he added.

The students on the Costa Rica trip snorkeled, ziplined through canopies, kayaked, and went horseback riding. However, most students said that the experience of living with a host family was one of their favorite parts of the trip.

What began as a rather awkward relationship for junior Tyler Sexton-Holtmeier and his host family became a wonderful one, and by the end of the trip they really enjoyed spending time together. “On the first night I was with them, I went to sleep at 9:30 and we barely spoke. On the last two nights, we stayed up until 1 a.m. hanging out with each other and [my host’s] friends,” Tyler said.

Junior Seth Tilliss played card games, Jenga, and soccer with his host family, and said that time spent with them was very memorable.

While in Costa Rica, the trip leaders encouraged students to speak in Spanish not only to their host families, but also to each

Photo courtesy of Amanda Patterson Hackley Students enjoy traveling around Costa Rican villages. From left to right: Juniors Amari Sherrill, Will Ballentine, Andrew Chung, Ryan Smith, Seth Tilliss, Tyler Sexton-Holtmeier.

other, applying their previous knowledge of Spanish and learning more about the language. “My Spanish skills were really put to the test, but communication was pretty manageable,” said Seth. “My host family allowed me use the Spanish I learned in the classroom in real life situations. I was able to try new vocabulary and verb tenses, and this trip was a great opportunity to get exposure to this material before taking the AP course next year,” said senior Molly Harmon.

By the end of the experience, most of the students who attended the Costa Rica trip said they would recommend the trip to their peers.

Junior Tyler Sexton-Holtmeier said, “It’s a great balance between enjoying fun activities with the other Hackley students, spending time with the family, and improving your Spanish.”

Seth enjoyed his time in Costa Rica so much that he encouraged people to travel there even if it were not with the same program. “I’ve traveled to numerous places around the globe, and this was surely one of my favorites,” he said.

The students on the Yellowstone trip went white water rafting, and hiked the

most prominent peak, Electric Peak, in the northwest corner of the Yellowstone National Park. The students’ reviews for the Yellowstone trip were as overwhelmingly positive as those for the Costa Rica trip.

“The national parks supplied us with an incredible setting for an escape from our usual routines back home, and the individuals on the trip made it all memorable. I had an amazing 10 days and definitely think anyone looking for a fun and exciting experience would enjoy this trip,” said senior Laura Seebacher.

Both trips pushed students outside of their comfort zones to try new things, leaving them with unforgettable memories. The students on both trips encouraged their classmates to follow their example and venture outside of their comfort zones. “Always be open to try something different, because it could leave a positive and long lasting effect on you,” Amari said.

Laura echoed this sentiment. “I was actually a bit hesitant to sign up at first because I’d never done anything like it before, but then I realized Casten trips are probably the perfect time to try something new,” she said.

Students Embark on Rigorous AP Art Concentrations

Photo by Allie Molner Senior Ally Petitti works on her concentration focusing on her friends over the summer.

By Max Chen

During a productive summer, students from AP Studio Art each created three outstanding pieces as part of their concentration.

These three pieces are only the beginning of a 12-piece concentration. This concentration project will be completed by the end of the school year and submitted as a portfolio to receive AP credit. Each of these talented artists focused on a thematic topic that challenged their artist skills and expressed their creativity. AP Studio Art Teacher Greg Cice designed this summer project so that the students “could have a chance to explore … and experiment with different mediums” while keeping “their skills tuned and refined.”

In his concentration, Senior Levi DeMatteo will explore the role of humanity in the destruction of the planet. He highlights how human advancements in various fields dis-

rupts natural order, and questions the idea that humans are divine beings not subject to nature’s laws. Levi’s concentration originates from his concerns about the environment.

“In 2015 after we’ve passed the tipping point and initiated the first signs of mass extinction, I became a lot more interested in more retrospective questions. Why did we get to this point? Could we have stopped this?” said Levi.

To Levi, art “is a vessel that expresses ideas and emotions more proficiently than words.”He plans to use the book of Genesis to answer such questions and convey his message.

Levi’s passion and dedication to art made it easy for him to complete his three pieces during the summer. Levi said that “it’s easy to work it into your schedule if you care. It’s not that hard to put in an hour of drawing a day.” Levi’s biggest challenge is planning out his pieces. “Given the collage-like nature of my drawings, I don’t always know what they’ll

look like at the end because they’re really a bunch of tiny drawings that make up a larger one. So planning ahead and thinking about what I want my art to look like is a challenge for me that few other kids have to deal with because most other AP art concentrations are drawn from gridded photographs,” said Levi.

In contrast to Levi’s deep analytical concentration, senior Ally Petitti planned her concentration with a more personal focus. At the beginning of summer, Ally couldn’t decide on a specific topic. She wanted to find a topic that allowed her the opportunity to draw freely and not be tied down by the assignment. Ally eventually decided to focus on drawing close friends and specific memories. “My goal is to portray my senior year through my friends and the moments that I enjoy the most, and even the ones that are stressful and tough,” said Ally.

Ally’s biggest challenge is balancing her ideas for her pieces with the time limits she has to create them. “I want to illustrate multiple people, but the limited amounts of time for each piece make it hard to have more than one person in each piece,” she said. For Ally, art is a relaxing form of expression that she wants to continue after Hackley. “I hope that art will always be a part of my life, because it has always been a great way for me to express myself and relax. I don’t see myself studying art in school, but I hope to always continue to draw and keep going with it,” said Ally.

Senior Jason Traum, who is also drawing his friends, uses oil pastels to paint a series of pixelated portraits. For his concentration, Jason will focus on how light hits the face while expressing the subject’s features through color, value, and temperature. “I sketch the person’s face, grid the paper, and paint each individual ‘pixel’ as its own canvas, and then integrate

the pixels together to make the finished piece,” said Jason. Jason documents the steps and process of his artwork @yosoyjason on Instagram.

Jason was motivated by the artworks of students in previous AP Studio Art Classes.

“When I came to Hackley in 9th Grade, I remember looking at the works by upper classmen hanging on the walls, thinking that I could never do anything that was close to being as good as what was hanging there, but for the last three years Mr. Green and Mr. Cice have motivated me to continue in the art program, and now I’m taking AP Studio Art.” he said.

Photo courtesy of Jason Traum Senior Jason Traum creates a Chuck Close-inspired self-portrait with pastels.

4 sports

September 2015

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Girls’ Varsity Tennis Gears Up For A Winning Season “Best captains, b e st p l a y e r s , best coaches, b e s t t e a m .”

-Junior Ashley Halloran

“It is a privilege to play with such amazing people.”

-Freshman Kit Greenberg

“The best thing about Varsity Tennis is feeling like you are a part of something so strong. I couldn’t be more excited for this season and this team.”

-Sophomore Alex Hayward

“HGVT is only Hackley team that people will be talking about this season.”

-Senior Caterina Moran

“This year’s team will be the most competitive in my time as head coach...The [team’s] newcomers, combined with our already formidable lineup, should hopefully help us contend for the league title for the first time in years” -Coach David Sykes

Clockwise from top: The girls warm up with some footwork drills before practice (photo by Allie Molner); Sophomore Alex Hayward returns a hit from one of her teammates (photo by Christian Riegler); The team takes a trip to Soul Cycle during preseason (photo by Sonia Singh); Coach David Sykes gives tips to players during practice (photo by Christian Riegler); Freshman Kit Greenberg prepares to serve a ball during practice (photo by Christian Riegler).