Tower Issue #6 2014-2015 by Tower

Tower The Masters School

49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522

VOLUME 71, NUMBER 6

Editorial Many students are starting academic summer programs geared toward getting a competitve edge in the college process. Does this trend toward summer sessions signify a healthy intellectual challenge or is it just another example of sacrificing the carefree days of youth to chase elusive Ivy League dreams?

FRIDAY MAY 29, 2015

tower.mastersny.org

Fonseca leaves behind legacy of growth sought to build the physical plant of the school. The campus we are faNaomi Nivar miliar with today is far from how it was when Fonseca was inaugurated Features Editor as Head of School. Under Fonseca, Masters has expanded physically Dr. Maureen Fonseca, Head of with four new buildings: Morris Hall, School since 2000, is departing Mas- The Middle School, the New Faculty ters after 15 years, leaving a legacy of Residence, and the Maureen Fonsedevelopment and growth. ca Center for Athletics and Arts. “Dr. Associate Head of School for In- Fonseca had a vision for how to bring stitutional Advancement Tim Kane the school forward,” Roche said. said, “Her real legacy is a deep comAccording to Kane, the capstone of mitment to building a faculty sec- Fonseca’s building efforts is the Mauond to none, a faculty of distinction.” reen Fonseca Center for Athletics and Kane explained that quality teachers Arts, named in her honor by the Diana will have offers Davis Spencer from a range Foundation, of schools, so which made it was vital a $10 million for there to be dollar gift. I will miss the way facenough money Kane said ulty and students alike to offer competin the 1990s, work towards keeping itive salaries Masters had a to attract the closing scare the spirit of Masters a teachers Masdue to low joyful one.” ters desired. enrollment. Fonseca inThe school decreased the bated wheth- Dr. Maureen Fonseca faculty by funder it should raising through go co-ed or meeting alumni shut down. and other invesIn 1996, more tors. Colleen Roche, a history teacher change occurred than ever, including who has been at Masters for 19 years, Masters admitting its first co-ed class, said, “Fonseca increased professional the opening of CityTerm, the opening development significantly during her of The Middle School, and the introtime here.” duction of the Harkness method into Also, eight new apartments were the curriculum. added for teachers and their families Since then, Fonseca has increased in 2009 to both accommodate and pro- enrollment, going from 390 to 655 mote faculty living on campus. students. Dean of Academics Chris In her time here Fonseca has also Goulian said, “The most significant

“

change for the school has been the increase in the number of students, faculty and administrators.” Under Fonseca, enrollment has stabilized, making Masters a popular place for prospective students. Roche highlighted how Fonseca shows her love for kids through events she created, like an annual holiday cookie baking party at Park Cottage for the faculty kids. Roche said, “My kids, like all faculty kids, feel personally connected to her. Explaining to Ethan and Sarah that Dr. Fonseca was leaving was hard.” She added that even though the school has doubled during her time here, it amazes her how Fonseca has somehow “still managed to keep the school feeling like a family.” Skeffington Young, Head of the History and Religion Department, said Fonseca’s humanity shows through her efforts to address the stress that faculty may experience. He added, “She reminds us to take care of ourselves as well as tending to the

Shooting in Texas raises questions of extremism and free speech GaBBy Davies Sports Editor After two Islamic extremists died at the hands of Texas police officers, there remains a haze of uncertainty between free speech and hate speech. On May 4, a group called the American Freedom Defense Initiative held a ‘Draw Muhammad’ competition in Garland, Texas. The group considers itself a free speech organization but it is listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-Muslim hate group. The controversial cartoon drawing event’s main speaker was right wing politician Geert Wilders. Wilders is already on al Qaeda’s “hit list” after calling for the ban of the Quran in the Netherlands.

Texas police guarded the meeting, during which two Muslim extremists were shot dead by a Texas officer. When the extremists, who were wearing body armor and carrying assault rifles, saw police car guarding the event they proceeded to shoot at the officers. The officers had only one handgun between them. The armed officer was able to shoot and kill both extremists, saving the people inside the cartoon-drawing event. Many people are relating the incident to the shooting at the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, but this event was hosted by an open hate group, making the lines between free speech and hate speech blurry. Attendees of the event were all openly against Islam and Muslim culture, meaning they were insulting the Muslim

people out of spite and not satire. Of the two shooters, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, Simpson had already declared his loyalty to the Muslim extremist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Despite the planned violent attack on the hate group, the extremists were known at home as kind people. The president of Elton Simpson’s mosque, Usama Shami, said, “He (Simpson) was a gentle person. He always had a good attitude, a good demeanor.” Sophomore Fatouh Konteh, a Muslim, believes that both sides of the Texas conflict are to blame. “The shooting shows how much work needs to be done on both sides. Not all Muslims are terrorists and people need to be aware of this,” she said.

needs of our students.” Although Fonseca did not initiate the transformation of Masters from single sex to co-ed, she stepped into a tough position four years after drastic changes and did not hesitate to improve the school as a whole with her own style. Goulian said, “Dr. Fonseca has a gift in recognizing in individuals their talents and encouraging them to pursue their goals.” He added, “Amongst the hallmarks of her fifteen year tenure as Head of School are inclusivity and ability to delegate and empower others.” Fonseca led many successes throughout her time here. Roche said, “Fonseca did not go into administration for the mere sake of administration. She fulfills her business responsibilities but is first and foremost a humanitarian.” She will be missed, but her influence on the 96-acre campus will be felt long after she is gone. K a n e said, “She is leaving the school in a very s o l i d and enviable place.”

Journalist to speak at graduation JacksoN myers-BrowN Staff Writer Throughout the year, everyone at Masters has been wondering who will be speaking at this year’s graduation ceremony. It has finally been announced that the New York-based journalist Ray Suarez will be the speaker for the class of 2016. Suarez is an award-winning journalist who is currently the host of the show Inside Story on Al Jazeera America. He also was the host of the National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation Program from 1993 to 1999 and was the Senior Correspondent on PBS’s News Hour from 1999 to 2013. He is the author of three books,

including a companion to the PBS documentary of the same name, Latino Americans: the 500-Year History That has Shaped a Nation. Educated at New York University and the University of Chicago, Suarez has been renowned for his work in journalism for many years. In 2010, he was inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame and has had extensive experience with journalism on all fronts, especially on television and radio. While currently living in Washington, D.C. with his wife and children, Suarez is a New York native. His twitter bio describes him as “A Brooklyn boy, author, cyclist, city-lover, world wanderer, boricua, and Yankee fan.”

◄

RAY SUAREZ WILL BRING a wealth of journalistic experience with him when he comes to Masters to deliver this year’s commencement address.

LAURA BUCKMAN/REUTERS

INVESTIGATORS GATHER EVIDENCE AT the scene where police killed two Muslim men who arrived armed with assault rifles at the site of a “Draw Muhammad” cartoon contest in Garland, Texas.

UNM LIVE

OP-ED

TOWER/MAY 29, 2015

OpiniOn EDITORIAL

Students feel pressured to engage in summer programs When you think of summer, you generally think of being outside with your friends, not in a classroom. However, with the pressure of building an impressive application for college, more and more students are spending their break participating in academics.

While for some students the summer provides an opportunity to participate in outside of school academic pursuits they enjoy, many wish they could spend their summer resting up for the school year to come. However, although students may not want to spend their summers studying, pressure from their peers, parents, teachers, and counselors may make them feel like they are forced to.

SOFIA LINDEN/TOWER

In order to feel as if they’re not falling behind in the college process, students will sign up

for classes and programs t h e y don’t nece s sari l y enjoy. However, in participating in these activities instead of doing something they actually like, students are making themselves unhappy in order to achieve a goal, college, that they perceive will make them happy in the long-run. By sacrificing their short-term happiness for their long-term goals, high schoolers are effectively putting their success above their mental health. Colleges claim that they want to see what applicants are truly interested in and passionate about. However, if a student is passionate about something non-academic that they do in their spare time and not in an organized program, colleges think that they aren’t showing “demonstrated interest” in their passion. To avoid this, students sign up for summer pro-

Tower 2014-2015

editors-iN-ChieF aRiel cenSoR yiyi(mia) ouyang RaJan cutting

News editors

Rachel SaundeRS Jake Regele

opiNioN editors Sofia linden abigail coStigan

Features aNd arts editors grams in areas they aren’t interested in. Although colleges emphasize getting to know their students, expecting applicants to have a resumé full of summer programs forces them to fabricate many of their passions. Students should not feel pressured to go to a summer program just because of the need to get into college. Summer is a time for relaxing and taking time to do the activities you love. If going to a program is not enjoyable for students, he or she shouldn’t go. Counselors, teachers and parents should understand that a student’s mental health and pursuit of their passion should always come first.

Wen-Xuan ni naomi nivaR

sports editors gabby davieS leo PSaRoS

MaNagiNg editor teddy o’connoR

staFF writer

JackSon myeRS-bRoWn

Copy editors aRiel cenSoR RaJan cutting

web CoNteNt MaNagers gabby davieS naomi nivaR

advertisiNg MaNagers teddy o’connoR Rachel SaundeRS

Tower advisers thank editors This spring, we say goodbye to three editors who have been part of the journalism program for all four years of their high school careers. They have proved a willingness to take on controversial issues and champion issues of equality and diversity on many fronts. Thank you, Abigail, for your enthusiasm and passion for environmentalism and feminism. You have led with a smile and sense of easygoing camaraderie. Thank you, Sofia, for your artistic flair shared each and every issue, for your sharp editorial eye and for your leadership, especially in our brainstorming sessions. Thank you, Wen, for your commitment to excellence in all things in the layout and design realm. Thanks too for your leadership, especially in looking at the big picture of our ever-expanding digital news media presence. Each of you has contributed so much more than these brief appreciations, and you will be dearly missed by each and every one of us who calls the Tower lab our home away from home. With affection, Ellen Cowhey and Matt Browne

Congratulations to our new EDITORS-IN-CHIEF!

CoNtributiNg writer dan RuSSo

staFF photographers lazaRena lazaRova anaiS mazic liuchang (kRee) zhang

ColuMNists

oWen liebeR Phoebe van eSSche

distributioN MaNagers JennifeR munningS aSli noyan

FaCulty adviser

The editors-in-chief for Tower’s 2015-2016 are juniors Yiyi(Mia) OuYang, Ariel Censor and Rajan Cutting. All are passionate about journalism and have demonstrated leadership throughout the year. Under their leadership Tower will continue to bring intriguing and relevant news to the community.

2014-15 Editors-in-Chief say goodbye Dear Masters Community, Over the years we have engaged with you, observed you and learned from you. Thank you to everyone who took the time to work with us and help us, whether that was through interviews, giving us photos, writing letters to the editors, or suggesting ideas. Working on the Tower staff these past three years has been an unforgettable time of hard work and growth. We owe Richard Simon a special shout-out for his unrelenting support. Thank you to Ellen Cowhey and Matt Browne for supporting us, teaching us, and pushing us to do our best. Thank you to the entire Tower staff for being such an enriching presence in our lives. Sincerely, Your departing Editors, ELLEN COWHEY/TOWER

Sofia, Wen, and Abigail

ellen coWhey

assistaNt FaCulty adviser matt bRoWne

oNliNe Media

For more information, follow Tower on the following platforms: Website: Tower.MastersNY.org Facebook: /MastersTower Twitter: @MastersTower Instagram: @MastersTower

distributioN proCess

Tower is hand-delivered on the day of publication to the Upper School. 650 copies are printed and one is put in each faculty member’s mailbox. In addition, a copy is sent to each of our advertisers.

sCholastiC press aFFiliatioNs, letter aNd editorial poliCy Tower is the winner of the Pacemaker Award for Overall Excellence, an award-winning member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), Journalism Education Association (JEA) and Quill and Scroll. To send Letters to the Editor, e-mail TowerEditors@MastersNY.org. Published approximately five times a year, Tower, the student newspaper of The Masters School, is a public forum, with its Editorial Board making all decisions concerning content. Commentaries and opinion columns are the expressed opinion of the author and not of Tower and its Editorial Board or its advisers. Furthermore, the opinions conveyed are not those of The Masters School, faculty, or staff. Unsigned editorials express views of the majority of the Editorial Board.

TOWER/MAY 29, 2015

OP-ED

Socioeconomic status hinders opportunities ARiel CensoR Editor-in-Chief

Although this year’s theme is diversity, the school hasn’t done much to directly address a key aspect of the theme: socioeconomic class. Within our community, there are students from a wide range of backgrounds. Students come not only from countries all over the world, but also from all over the financial spectrum. However, students are uncomfortable discussing the obvious tension that exists in our community between the wealthy and the poor. In the survey Interim Director of Residential Life Tom Wethington conducted on Diversity Day this year, 170 out of the 390 respondents said that socioeconomic status has the biggest impact on an individual in American society compared to a list of other issues (such as race, ability, gender, etc.). This

represented the largest response group to this question. However, 178 students, again the largest group response to the next question, said they were not comfortable talking about socioeconomic status. Why are we so uncomfortable talking about something that has such a large impact on our everyday experiences? At our school, students are confronted with extreme displays of wealth daily. It’s not rare to see a student come to school wearing head to toe Chanel, then Cartier bracelets with a Givenchy backpack to complete the look. Being a student on scholarship or with out much disposable income can be hard when you’re constantly reminded of what you can’t afford. After every break, affluent students discuss their vacations to far off, exotic places while those without enough money to go on trips try to laugh about

having to spend the break watching Netflix. The same phenomenon occurs when wealthier students participate in school trips such as attending professional sports games and mall trips while those with less income stay behind. Even though they try to make light of it, these economically-challenged students often feel an invisible barrier between them and their peers emphasized by the fact that no one talks about it. We need to make an effort to promote a dialogue about the diverse economic backgrounds present in our community. By ignoring the obvious tension that exists in our school between those with wealth and those who are less privileged, we are exacerbating the isolation that less affluent students may already feel. Although we did discuss class on Diversity Day, once-a-year discussions

Failure to execute AbigAil CostigAn Opinion Editor Executive Committee is the school’s forum for students to voice their ideas. Every Tuesday the body, which consists predominantly of students but includes teachers and administrators, discusses proposals written to them by students. In April, seniors Katie Epes and Lexy Ginsberg proposed that seniors be exempt from finals if their GPAs were above a certain point. After three weeks of discussion, the proposal was passed and then sent to the Academic Committee where it was rejected. Epes said, “I think in this situation, because it did deal with academics, students can’t make these decisions on their own. But having a place to discuss that is still good because it was interesting to hear different teachers and students opinions on the issue.” Talking about bringing the proposal to Executive Committee, Ginsberg said, “I feel like it was worthless because in the end they didn’t give us a valuable response as to why they didn’t pass it. There was no substance to their rejection; they just said no. Their rejection was just not

accurate, because some colleges have final projects instead of finals. It’s not as if we were asking them to cut any form of assessment, we just wanted them to craft something like a final project.” This is a narrative that often gets repeated. While Executive Committee is really effective at starting conversations, it is just a recommending body. The conversations can help shape the way the school operates, but having heated conversations and poring over every detail of proposals for weeks at a time without any result can be exhausting. While having intelligent discussions with teachers and administrators outside the classroom can enhance leadership skills, the frustration caused by the lack of fruition of those discussions can deter students from wanting to participate. Senior Margaret Dupree is the secretary of Community Government. Regarding Executive Committee, she said, “I think the aspect of a being a recommending body is hard because it’s our recommendation, and in the end it doesn’t mean that much. Sometimes I wonder why there’s so much emphasis on the details and the purpose of why we are sending this recommendation when the recommendation itself is more important than the purpose.”

aren’t enough to solve an issue that we experience year-round. We need to discuss our socioeconomic differences more openly in our classrooms, friend groups, and families. It may be uncom-

fortable at first, but it’s extremely important. It’s hard to eliminate the barriers that exist between economic classes at our school, but we can at least begin a conversation as a first step.

JOHN COMFORTO

MODEL UNITED NATIONS THIS year went to Yale University. While students who qualify for financial aid might get a certain percentage of matching aid to cover the cost, such trips may be beyond the reach of those who don’t qualify for financial aid.

Sports and academics clash as students struggle to balance both RAChel sAundeRs News Editor YiYi ouYAng Editor-in-Chief The time students have to switch from school to sports is very slim. Within thirty minutes, from 3:00 to 3:30, students must meet with teachers, get extra help and change into sports clothing and make it out to the field for their practice. Coaches demand their players be ready to play exactly at 3:30. Both coaches and teachers expect nothing less than perfection from teenagers who must quickly switch their focus from school to sports and back again even when tired. Very often, students are torn between seeking extra help and disappointing their coaches. Instead of getting help for a math test the next day, they trade the grade for the win. If they choose to go to extra help, telling the coaches and other team members is not easy. Their penalty is the feeling of letting down the entire team. Sports take students out of class hours early in order to reach away

games on time. In fact, students are expected to leave class early. Because the games are farther away, students now have to sacrifice class time to make it to these games. The varsity golf team traveled to the NYSAIS Golf Tournament, leaving at 10:20 in the morning. Teachers can find sports trips disruptive to class, making it difficult to find time to meet with students. When teams have two to three away games in a week, catching up with teachers becomes increasingly difficult. For boarders, the designated study hall time (8:00 to 10:00) is interrupted by away games. The students return late with limited time to complete their homework. Even with time left in the night, the students are tired from a long bus ride and physically exhausting game. Perhaps there should be a desig-

nated time in which games are permitted to be scheduled. If a game occupies a certain number of hours in a day, the students may choose not to go without repercussions. After classes, students would benefit from a longer period before sports; even 15 more minutes would aid in the transition from academics to athletics. Students have at least two sides to them: the athletic side and the academic side. Pleasing both teachers and coaches can be very difficult, especially when students are passionate about the sports they play and the classes they take.

YIYI OUYANG /TOWER

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FEATURES AND ARTS

Han Lu Jamie Kim Lucy Slate Matt D’Angelo Mpanja Rwakibale Sarina Li Wen-Xuan Ni

Washington St. Louis Ariel Vasser Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hannah Schrader Isabella Levethan Justin Friedman SeulGee Lee

Aaron Cohen Abbey Frank Meg McKean Rebecca Via

Franklin and Marshall College Brandon Schneider Carly Rutkovsky Isabel Lucas Julia Brown

Oberlin College Colgate University Emily Kahn Hailey Park Katherine Epes

Alex Broekhuijse Jules Greene Spencer Zarou Berkowitz

The graph is based on students who responded to our survey prior to May 19. For the complete list of colleges, visit the Tower website at tower.mastersny.org. Colleges are listed first by amount of students attending then alphabetically by students’ first names.

* Non U.S. colleges Concordia University (Canada) Clara Meere-Weigel University of British of Columbia (Canada) Matilda Ahun Yonsei University (Korea) Mina Fukai GRAPHIC CREATED BY WEN-XUAN NI/TOWER

Cornell University Angaelica LaPasta Cesca LaPasta

Dartmouth College George Washington University Eric Passarelli Joseph Shanahan

Colette Rosenberg Sam Epley

Denison University

University of California, Los Angeles

Asher Berkson-Gold Olivia Gibson

Ariana Perlson Justin Schmerler

Fordham University Ilya Levyant Raimbek Issayev

Union College Madeline Levin Stephanie Sioufas

University of Chicago Pace University

Alexander Daibes

Madison Markham Nurilya Sattybayeva

St. Lawrence University

Hampshire College

Abigail Costigan

Amalia Mayorga

OFF TO COLLEGE

New York University

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/MAY 29, 2015

University of Colorado Boulder Anna Feldman

Roger Williams University Arran Fenniman University of Southern California Arthur Chen Skidmore College Basil Lilien Tulane University Ben Sibley Colorado College Ben Zeitz-Moskin University of Puget Sound Christian Wiemer Bowdoin College Dante Moussapour Binghamton University David Mancione Indiana University Bloomington Elliot Liu Boston College Emily O’Rourke North Carolina State University Erin Kopf Hunter College Gerson Borrero Boston University Hailey Payea Miami University of Ohio Hannah Hardie Smith College Hazel Kalderon Occidental College Jasmine Esparza Trinity College Jason McLeod

Yale University Jonah Ury Rochester Institute of Technology Julian Januszka Northwestern University Julianna Marchant University of California, Berkeley

Kaan Solakoglu

University of Massachusetts Lowell Kalamazoo College

Kara Kinz

Kaspar Hudak

Carnegie Mellon University Kwun Ip (Patrick) Lee Barnard College at Columbia University Laura Arbelaez University of Michigan Point Park University

Lexy Ginsberg Madeline Watkins

Sewanee: The University of the South Syracuse University Middlebury College Lafayette College Bates College

Margaret Dupree

Marra Burroughs Matthew Bosshart Nick Aldrich Peter Nadel

High Point University University of Arizona

Royal Peoples Samuel Schwartz

Johns Hopkins University Lewis and Clark College University of Wisconsin-Madison BOB CORNIGANS

Emerson College

Serena Wessely Sofia Linden Taylor Friedman

Wendy Zhang

Williams College

Will Turett

3 Non U.S. colleges *

FEATURES AND ARTS

Han Lu Jamie Kim Lucy Slate Matt D’Angelo Mpanja Rwakibale Sarina Li Wen-Xuan Ni

Washington St. Louis Ariel Vasser Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hannah Schrader Isabella Levethan Justin Friedman SeulGee Lee

Aaron Cohen Abbey Frank Meg McKean Rebecca Via

Franklin and Marshall College Brandon Schneider Carly Rutkovsky Isabel Lucas Julia Brown

Oberlin College Colgate University Emily Kahn Hailey Park Katherine Epes

Alex Broekhuijse Jules Greene Spencer Zarou Berkowitz

* Non U.S. colleges Concordia University (Canada) Clara Meere-Weigel University of British of Columbia (Canada) Matilda Ahun Yonsei University (Korea) Mina Fukai GRAPHIC CREATED BY WEN-XUAN NI/TOWER

Cornell University Angaelica LaPasta Cesca LaPasta

Dartmouth College George Washington University Eric Passarelli Joseph Shanahan

Colette Rosenberg Sam Epley

Denison University

University of California, Los Angeles

Asher Berkson-Gold Olivia Gibson

Ariana Perlson Justin Schmerler

Fordham University Ilya Levyant Raimbek Issayev

Union College Madeline Levin Stephanie Sioufas

University of Chicago Pace University

Alexander Daibes

Madison Markham Nurilya Sattybayeva

St. Lawrence University

Hampshire College

Abigail Costigan

Amalia Mayorga

OFF TO COLLEGE

New York University

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/MAY 29, 2015

University of Colorado Boulder Anna Feldman

Yale University Jonah Ury Rochester Institute of Technology Julian Januszka Northwestern University Julianna Marchant University of California, Berkeley

Kaan Solakoglu

University of Massachusetts Lowell Kalamazoo College

Kara Kinz

Kaspar Hudak

Carnegie Mellon University Kwun Ip (Patrick) Lee Barnard College at Columbia University Laura Arbelaez University of Michigan Point Park University

Lexy Ginsberg Madeline Watkins

Sewanee: The University of the South Syracuse University Middlebury College Lafayette College Bates College

Margaret Dupree

Marra Burroughs Matthew Bosshart Nick Aldrich Peter Nadel

High Point University University of Arizona

Royal Peoples Samuel Schwartz

Johns Hopkins University Lewis and Clark College University of Wisconsin-Madison BOB CORNIGANS

Emerson College

Serena Wessely Sofia Linden Taylor Friedman

Wendy Zhang

Williams College

Will Turett

3 Non U.S. colleges *

TOWER/MAY 8, 2015

TOWER/MAY 29, 2015

NEWS

Calling to all writers in community Calling upon all interested Tower bloggers and columnists If you aspire to be a writer, you’ve got the summer to make a game plan. You can submit two or three sample blogs or columns in late September or early October after the contest is announced. In the past, we’ve had political commentary columns, columns reviewing places

of interest in Westchester or new bands. We’ve had blogs that feature “Humans of Dobbs” and key gifs that highlight Masters moments. We’ve even had a food blog that teaches readers how to make yummy concoctions in the dining hall. What will your column or blog feature? What might it be called? Dream big and

prepare to submit your ideas and sample columns or blogs next fall. We look forward to tapping into the creativity and imagination of our learning community. All incoming upper school students and faculty are welcomed and encouraged to submit to Masters’ award-winning student newspaper. Stay tuned for more details.

Faculty bid farewell glish. In the History and Religion department, Charles Sliter is Editor-in-Chief leaving his position as a world As the school year ends and history teacher and boys’ varsithe Academic Office and de- ty lacrosse coach for a teaching partments prepare for next job at Rye Country Day School. year, they not only greet new This was his first year at Masteachers but say goodbye to old ters. “I really like Masters and ones. This year at least five wasn’t looking to leave. An opteachers are leaving, one is re- portunity just came up.” World religions teacher, Eltiring, two teachers are taking sabbatical leaves, one coach is len Cowhey, who serves as facleaving and one administrator ulty advisor to Tower, is taking is leaving. a sabbatical leave. From the science department Cowhey will be working tothere are two teachers leaving. wards a master’s degree in chemistry, biology, and semi- eastern classics at St. John’s nar teacher Kristen Tregar as College in Santa Fe, New Mexwell as Freshman Class Dean ico. and chemistry teacher John The Athletics Department is Comforto are leaving. Comfor- losing the girls’ head varsity to is also the MUN club advisor soccer coach, Michael Callisto, and a Thompson dorm parent. who will not be returning in the fall. “Mr. Comforto The Visuhas changed the environal Arts Dement of the partment is dorms and has saying good“Ms. Tregar is a positive always been teacher who has a lot of pasbye to Pam approachable. Connolly sion for everything that she He’s a role and Stazi does. She brings good vibes model and I Tangherliand energy into everything and will miss him anyone involved in anything reni. Connolly next year,” was filling lated to theatre is going to miss said Junior in for Madeher next year,” Josh Bunch. - Junior Timothy Kapolwitz. line Wilson Tregar is the while she advisor to the was on her Ireland Projsabbatical and Tangect and has been involved in a number of herlini was replacing Amy Atproductions. lee, while she was on her leave “Ms. Tregar is a positive of absence. During Atlee’s leave teacher who has a lot of passion of absence she stayed close to for what she does. She brings campus life teaching the yoga good vibes into everything and co-curricular. anyone involved in anything After 15 years of leadership, related to theatre is going to Head of School Dr. Maureen miss her next year,” said Ju- Fonseca is leaving. Recently an anonymous donior Timothy Kapolwitz. Lee Dieck, chemistry and nation has been made to reseminar teacher, is taking a name the Masters Athletics sabbatical leave. Dieck will and Arts center to the Maureen continue to work with the lead- Fonseca Athletics and Arts ership committee here on cam- center, in her honor. Some teachers are leaving pus. from this Sharon Linsker is retiring that are omitted article because they have not from the English Department. Linsker has worked at Mas- yet officially announced to the ters for 11 years, and has public that they are leaving. taught different levels of en-

Rajan Cutting

“

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1/2 Page Add

SPORTS

TOWER/MAY 29, 2015

SportS

Girls’ varsity tennis serves their way to round two

STAZI TANGHERLINI

THE GIRLS’ VARSITY TENNIS team played in the FAA tournament. Although the girls did not win, they reached the second round, which they had not done before. The team has been anchored by several returning students but also includes a large number of new players. History teacher Greg Lesser has coached them through the season, and helped them overcome obstacles in their training. ond round of the FAA tournament. Sophomore Julia Poster won her first round match 8-4, but fell in the quarterfinals to a student from Greenwich Academy. Junior Zoe Kreutzer and senior Colette Rosenberg beat Hamden Hall 8-1 in the first round but fell to St. Lukes in a tough match. “We played smart. Zoe was appropriately aggressive, and we took advantage of

raJan cutting Editor-in-Chief teddy o’connor Managing Aditor The girls’ varsity tennis team has been blessed with success this season. With hard work and dedication they made it to the sec-

our opportunities,” Rosenberg said. “I am really upset that Colette’s leaving. We really understood each other, and never got upset. I feel like Colette was my perfect doubles partner,” Kreutzer said. Due to bad weather in the beginning of the season, both boys’ and girls’ tennis teams were unable to practice on the courts. Junior Ria Thakurani said, “We were faced with a tough obstacle and

had to work harder to overcome it and, in the end it brought us closer together.” Thakurani emphasized the lack of support received from the community. “At times it was hard to stay motivated, especially when we noticed not many people would come to our games,” she said. Despite early season troubles many of the members of the team had great things to say about Head

Coach Greg Lesser. “Mr. Lesser is so fun, and such a good coach. He’s fun but tough; he makes us run. I have improved over the course of the season, and it has definitely been because of Mr. Lesser,” Kreutzer said. Lesser said, “I encouraged the team to work hard and try to win every point. We’re only losing three seniors so I’m excited to see what the team is going to bring next year.”

Horton makes a royal splash for Britain in Hungary sofia Linden Opinion Editor

Freshman India (Scarlett) Horton spends her time outside of school, treading water and attempting to score points by skipping shots into her opposing team’s goal. Masters does not offer water polo, but this did not stop Horton, who has played on a club team for three years and made the British International team last summer. The weekend before finals she will be competing with the British team for the first time in Hungary. Horton started playing water polo after visiting The Middle School, which she attended. A girl she met on her tour played water polo and intro-

duced Horton to her team. Ever since then, she has been practicing about five times a week for three hours at a time with the Greenwich Aquatics team at the YMCA. In order to prepare for her international tournament, she puts in extra hours before school and has stayed after practice as well. Her coach has given her some additional workouts to do during practice while the rest of her team is training separately. Horton said the support from her coach has been very encouraging. Her coach, Ulmis Iordache has worked with her for a couple years now. “She’s a very strong girl. She has a lot of physical ability,” he said. She added that not only her coach, but also her family and friends have helped encourage her to stay with the sport and work hard. “I went through

a phase where I wasn’t enjoying it and my brother told me not to quit,” she said. Now that she has made it onto an international team, she is happy she listened to her brother’s advice. Horton says that the national Hungary team is known to be a top European team and this tournament is with the junior national team, so the games for Horton’s team are going to be tough. However, she still believes her team has a shot and can put up a fight. “I’m pretty nervous, especially because it’s the week before finals,” Horton said. “But I’m also super excited to play with them, so I have really mixed feelings.” Iordache said that Horton’s American team is also very strong, competing both in national tournaments, and once a year at an international tour-

Track team sprints to second place Jackson Myers-Brown Staff Writer For the third consecutive year, the varsity track team went to the historic Penn Relays competition, this year getting their most successful results yet. First held in 1895, the Penn Relays was one of the first meets in America and built the foundation for relay running as a sport. Today, it is regarded as a prestigious, weekend-long athletic event in which many different types of schools from across the country compete.

This year, the track team ranked high in the category of independent prep schools. In the boy’s four by 400 meter race, Masters came in first over Hopkins and Wilbraham & Monson, with a 12-second lead. Sophomore Gene Perry notably finished a lap in 51.86 seconds. In the boys four by 100 meter race, Masters came in second place. Also for the four by 100, the girls team came in fourth. Coach Tim Weir said, “It can be a bit daunting... but by the time we went this year, they weren’t as nervous and they were able to take advantage of the opportunity rather than just showing up.”

nament in Florida. “Water Polo in the USA for women is more advanced than it is in Europe,” he said. “So for

Scarlett she is at the highest level in the United States, making her a great candidate for an international team.”

PHOTO COURTERSY OF GREENWHICH AQUATICS

SCARLETT HORTON PARTICIPATES IN daily life as a freshman, but on the side competes world-wide in water polo. She practices daily with the Greenwich Aquatics team at the YMCA.

Baseball takes the season home

“We started preparation three years ago, when I came here,” Weir said. But he added that many of the kids who started out three years ago got some of their best times at this year’s relays. “Next year we’ll bring some new students because we are graduating some really good athletes on the boys and girls side, but we’ll give new kids the opportunity to come down and experience Penn. It’s an experience. We hope we run well and this year we took advantage of that, but it’s overall an experience,” Weir said.

MATT BROWNE/TOWER

PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM WEIR

THE BOYS’ TRACK TEAM came in second place this year as they competed in the historic Penn Relays. Track and Field has been a recent addition to the athletic program but the team has accomplished tremendous things.

SENIOR RORY MAGLICH CONNECTS on a line drive in the Panthers’ six to two home field win over Long Island Lutheran High School on May 6, which improved the varsity baseball team’s record to six to three on the season. Maglich finished the game three to four with three runs scored and one stolen base. He also pitched a complete game, spreading out four hits over seven innings while striking out eight and walking only one. The baseball team finished the rest of the season even stronger than it started, winning three of its last four games to post an overall record of nine to four for the season. With solid pitching, strong hitting, good defense and positive team chemistry, Masters enjoyed a breakthrough winning season this spring.