Tower Issue #4 2018-2019

The Masters School

49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522

Tower

VOLUME 75, NUMBER 4

@MastersTower Editorial With weather extremes across the country and world, climate change is clear. As we disregard our planet, we endanger not only our own future, but every other living being on Earth. It is imperative that we reflect on our actions and strive toward sustainable choices.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019

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Masters responds to departure of Cornigans Joseph Goldstein Lead Opinion Editor drew schott Opinion Design Editor

Danforth addresses the student body On Jan. 16, Head of School Laura Danforth gathered all Upper School students in Strayer Gym at 12:05 P.M. to inform them of the resignation of Robert Cornigans, a teacher in the Upper School English Department and member of the Masters community since 2004.

Danforth explained how during the prior day, the governing body of the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) released a list of 50 priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor, with allegations going back to 1950.

One of the priests on the list was Cornigans. Danforth proceeded to state that Cornigans tendered his resignation the previous night. Additionally, she said that while Cornigans would still have access to his Estherwood apartment before his move off campus in the coming days, he was barred from entering any other buildings on campus or communicating with any students. He has since moved off campus according to an email sent on Jan. 25 to students and parents entitled “Joint Update from the Head of School and Board Chair.”

While faculty members were present at the noon meeting,

they had already been notified that morning break by Danforth, who requested that they not speak to the press about Cornigans’ departure and refer any press inquiries to her or Director of Strategic Communications Adriana Hauser.

At the end of her noon speech on Jan. 16, Danforth assured the students that the “safety and security of our students is the highest priority,” a fact reaffirmed in an email sent to families on Jan. 16. Furthermore, she stated that if anyone had questions or wanted to speak about Cornigans’ dismissal, her “door is always open.” Danforth mentioned the Counseling Department would make itself available to talk to students and faculty. Over email, Student Assistance Director Stephanie Carbone declined Tower’s request for an interview.

After finishing her remarks, Danforth allowed students to ask questions.

Only one student spoke, asking about what would happen to Cornigans’ current English classes. As of now, Cornigans’ classes, English as a Second Language and AP English Literature, are being taught by substitute teacher Benjamin Thorn.

Cornigans was an active member of the Masters community During his 15-year tenure on campus, Cornigans was an active member of the community at The Masters School. Cornigans, as a member of the English Department, taught English at various levels, including AP courses and ESL classes. Cornigans was also Chair of the English Department from 2017 to 2018. Outside of the classroom, Cornigans advised the annual student-led celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. each January and was a photographer for various events on Masters’ campus,

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working on behalf of Tower, the yearbook and promotional materials for the school.

Cornigans lived on Masters’ campus for the full duration of his employment by the school; he was a dorm parent from 2004 to 2012 in Strong Dorm and lived in faculty housing at Estherwood Mansion from 2012 to his departure in 2019. Additionally, from 2015 to 2018, Cornigans led the week-long community service trip to Jonestown, Miss. during spring break.

Masters hires renowned investigative firm Following up on her intention in the Jan. 16 email to hire a firm that “specializes” in investigating matters of this nature,”the “Joint Update” email revealed that the services of the firm T&M Protection Resources were retained by the Board of Trustees, with the email calling the firm a “highly qualified New York City firm with significant experience in investigations of these matters.” Tower knows of no reports of sexual misconduct at Masters

by Cornigans, but the School wants to do its due diligence by enlisting the services of the firm. T&M Protection Resources, in addition to inquiries into sexual misconduct, investigates health care fraud and abuse, employment cases and financial cases.

The company also handles solutions for security, cyber security and intelligence.

T&M Protection Resources’ website offers details into the kind of work they perform when dealing with cases of sexual harassment. The firm claims that its services extend beyond investigations of allegations, but also to assessing how well an organization complies with its own policies regarding sexual misconduct as well as related state and federal laws. Furthermore, T&M’s Sexual Misconduct Consulting Service carries out training sessions to “provide education and awareness on issues of sexual misconduct,” according to their website.

In the “Joint Update” email, a phone number for both Deborah Katz, a Senior Consultant for the firm and Laura Kirschstein, the Vice President for Sexual Misconduct Consulting & Investigations at T&M, as well as an email address handled by a T&M Protection Resources domain was included for “students, alumnae/i or any member of the community” to contact T&M “with concerns and information about sexual misconduct at Masters or by a Masters employee.” Additionally, it stated that a parent or guardian would need to approve of an interview with a minor. When asked over email about the next steps of the investigation, Danforth and Hauser declined Tower’s request for an interview and said to refer to the two emails sent out for all relevant information about the investigation.

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MUN sends all-female delegation to Yale conference Michelle wei Opinion Design Editor This past Model United Nations (MUN) conference marked the first time all Masters members competing at the conference were female. The MUN club attended Yale University’s annual MUN conference in New Haven, Conn. from Jan. 17 to Jan. 21.

During the conference, members of the club represented various countries and individuals in a variety of committees such as the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the World Health Organization Committee and the African Union Committee as delegates. This was the second MUN conference of the 2018-2019 school year that Masters students attended. While the competition itself was not strictly for females, the club’s leadership and members hoped that this trip built camaraderie and encouraged female students in the club being heard.

“We had some issues within the club where we were either losing female delegates or we were not getting new girls to join the club because of some of the things they might’ve heard about the club’s culture. We were really focusing on creating a space where girls felt comfortable,” history teacher and MUN faculty advisor, Brendon Barrios said.

MUN co-president and senior Sophia Brousset explained. “What I noticed was a pattern of treating girls as not really in the club. Some members used to treat the girls as if they don’t really belong there or just ignore them completely. The girls who were actually there to work were either ignored or not taken seriously. I think it does tie back a lot to gender roles,” she said.

“MUN can be seen as a boys club,” freshman Lila Patterson said. Junior Nora Fellas, who has been involved in

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THE MASTERS MODEL UNITED Nations (MUN) club sent an all-female delegation to the recent conference at Yale University.

Pictured above from left to right, are Annie Rubinson, Clara Kolker, Nora Fellas, Lila Patterson, Sophia Brousset and Emma Goodman, all of whom won awards at the conference. Disclaimer: Brousset and Oks are members of the Tower staff. the club for a year, attributes this image of MUN to the fact that traditionally “masculine” traits like being loud and aggressive are praised in the club and at conferences.

“Those qualities are generally discouraged in girls and encouraged in guys. And so I think the environment is generally stacked against girls. It’s more of a natural environment for boys, not for every boy, but just as a general thing. For girls, we’re taught to be quieter and more submissive.

You don’t want to come off as bitchy or whatever. And so I think girls can be very insecure in MUN,” Fellas said.

Senior Emma Goodman, who recently joined the club, is now a mentor to other members. She cited instances in the past of Masters’ female delegates receiving inappropriate notes during committee sessions.

“I think not only MUN but a lot of

different spaces at Masters have to work on this sense of male dominance.

I was at an MUN conference and boys were ranking girls by their appearances,” senior Goodman said. Pingel, Brousset, Fellas, and MUN’s other current co-president, David Oks, had all also referenced seeing or hearing about similar inappropriate behavior.

As a response to these shared sentiments among various female members of MUN, females in the club had a meeting with Barrios to discuss how they were feeling and how to change the environment positively around May last year. The idea of an all-girls delegation attending a conference was proposed at this meeting. Fellas said that the meeting focused on how to deal with delegates within the Masters club, and learning how to be comfortable being assertive in the MUN setting. The emphasis on creating a safe

space for all members was reflected in the club’s leadership elections for this year, where the topic of sexual harassment was a big one, according to senior member Fritz Pingel. As presidents, Brousset and Oks have brainstormed solutions. Aside from planning the all-female delegation’s conference, the two presidents also added a clause to the MUN handbook. The clause states that sexual harassment and sexual assault are not tolerated within the club.

Brousset cited that every member has to sign this “agreement” clause before they attend a conference.

In response to this first all-female attendance to a conference, members had mixed reactions.

Fellas had a positive experience: “I enjoyed going on the all-girls conference. It was fun. It’s nice to have girls night and that kind of thing, but I don’t think that’s a solution to the problem.

Number one, it’s not every boy and it creates this mentality that it’s every boy. Number two, it creates this kind of ‘us and them’ kind of resentment from the boys. Number three, I don’t think that removing us from the problem for three days is the solution. I think the solution should be discipline specific people. Take them out of the club if they’re causing problems,” Fellas said. Fellas noted that some boys in the club might have felt excluded, and that other female members appreciated the safe environment at the recent conference.

“Everyone is just really aware about it and is making a stronger effort to make sure nothing really happens.

The changes that have been implemented are positive,” Pingel said about the change he saw within the club due to steps taken, including the all-female delegation.

Pingel and Brousset also noted that in their earlier years, almost all the top delegates from Masters had been boys.

Both students said a number of strong delegates this year are girls. Additionally, Brousset cited that membership within the club this year is exactly 5050 between males and females.

By the end of the conference, the 11-person Masters team had won six awards. The Masters delegation had a majority of their delegates win an award, including multiple “Honorable Delegate” awards. Brousset and Annie Rubinson each won a “Best Delegate” award. The conference was the second most successful ever for the club, awards-wise.

For the future, the club hopes to continue cultivating safe spaces for all members. Barrios said, “I could envision an all-girls delegation attending a conference together as a bi-annual event.” Although the idea of a bi-annual all female delegation is undecided, both leadership officials and members said they are continuing to work towards a safer MUN environment.

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PICTURED HERE ARE VARIOUS students and faculty members performing during the annual MLK day celebration which took place on Jan. 17.

The theme for this year was personal narratives and many individuals shared their own stories and experiences.

Instead of the celebration spanning for two days as it has in previous years, this year the celebration was turned into a one day three-hour assembly and breakout sessions.

ALL PHOTOS VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

MLK Day commemoration highlights individual stories Shawn Farhadian Lead Sports Editor Logan Schiciano Sports Design Editor On Thursday, Jan. 17, Upper School students and faculty gathered to celebrate the school’s diversity, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., through a wide array of performances, recitations and speeches by members of the Masters community. This year’s commemoration included many new additions to the schedule.

The assembly, which spanned nearly three hours, had an overarching theme of “personal narratives,” in which students were encouraged to share their own stories and experiences with issues surrounding race, gender, age, political views, sexaulity, their names, and other issues of social justice.

Senior Rachel Aideyan, student CoChair and co-president of ONYX (a student-run club which serves as an inclusive space to talk about black culture and black issues at Masters) reflected on this year’s MLK day theme.

“It’s really important for people to share their truth and their story because we all come from different places and different backgrounds. This is a good outlet for us to understand each other,” she said. Aideyan performed her spoken-word piece titled, “My life as co-chair,” and also partnered with junior Jaelyn Felton to highlight black students’ experience at Masters

through their video: “This is how we was moving, but also brave, and re- and possible solutions regarding the feel every day, but this is what we minded me that sometimes poetry cuts matter. Others took the opportunity have to say today.” through all the explanation and just to respond with hands-on-activities.

Senior Leena Khurana, one of the highlights the reality,” she said.

Members of EFFECT, for example, presidents of MUSE, explained the sigIn years past, the MLK assembly led a session about environmental nificance of her group’s dance. “Since spanned across two days; however, advocacy, and participants made dry the ‘Me-Too’ movement is so prevalent this year, the assembly took place shampoo to learn about the issue of in today’s society, we decided that it in one school day. This year’s new plastic waste and palm oil. would be really powerful to showcase schedule also included two 40-minute Another new element of the day the stories of the survivors [of sexual breakout sessions following the three- was a “mix-it-up” lunch, where stuassault]. We know MLK Day is about hour morning meeting, with the pur- dents were assigned to specific dinempowerment, and we thought this pose of allowing students to “unpack ing hall tables with other members of would be a great opportunity for that.” and have dialogue about the subjects the Masters community. The purpose The performance was overlaid by the [raised during the assembly],” ac- of the lunch was for students to get to voices of various survivors know new faces while conof sexual assault or harasstinuing the conversations ment, including Anita Hill prompted by the earlier and Christine Blasey Ford. presentations. Brown notThe Prison Literature “It’s really important for people to share their ed that she had received a English Seminar class truth and their story because we all come from lot of positive feedback on made a presentation which different places and different backgrounds. This this aspect of the day. “One informed the community is a good outlet for us to understand each other.” student requested that we about the injustices within do it every month,” Brown the prison system, accord- RACHEL AIDEYAN ‘19 said. ing to senior Marcus Diaz, The absence of fora member of the seminar. “I mer MLK coordinator wanted people to be aware and English teacher Robof what’s going on behind the scenes, cording to Karen Brown, Director of ert Cornigans did not go unnoticed. whether it comes to solitary confine- Equity and Inclusion, who has assis- Cornigans resigned on the night of ment, or children being tried as adults. tant-coordinated the planning of the Jan. 15, less than 48 hours before Eventually, we can make a difference,” MLK celebration for the past three the MLK events got underway. The Diaz said. years. Brown noted that students news of his resignation was broken The presentations ended with a were often denied this opportunity in by Head of School Laura Danforth powerful conclusion by Felton and se- years past, as the assembly would end one day prior to the MLK assemnior Abdoul Bah. Their original spo- with students immediately heading to bly. Cornigans had been in charge of ken word-piece, “Dear…,” which they class afterwards. planning the event and had done so performed on stage, was a highlight Many of the presenters used the for many years. According to Tower for many in the community, including breakout sessions to further engage archives, he had participated in the Jennifer Carnevale, Chair of the De- the community with their issues. assembly, including making speechpartment of Performing Arts (DOPA). The Prison Literature class led a es and putting together films, since “There was so much that I loved, but Harkness discussion during which 2006.

I was really grabbed by their duet. It they discussed the prison system For Khurana, the news of

“

Cornigans’ resignation was unexpected, especially considering MUSE’s performance was related to sexual harassment. “The Sunday before we heard the news, he [Cornigans] and Ms. Brown came to check our performance,” Khurana said.

After Cornigans’ resignation, Brown took the lead in the final planning and execution of the MLK celebration, and other faculty stepped-up with the short notice. DOPA faculty, including Gilles Pugatch and Amanda Labonte, were on-hand at the tech rehearsal on the same night, and according to Brown, “They were great in making sure everything was lined up.” Carnevale also acknowledged the quick and urgent response to the situation. “Theater people end up being really good at dealing with last-minute crises,” she said.

Despite obstacles, the MLK celebration, according to Brown, was “a collaborative community event, and rightfully so because that was what Martin Luther King was all about -everyone working together for a common goal.”

Brown’s opening words at the assembly included a famous, relevant quote by the Rev. Dr. King. “One of the things that Martin Luther King said was, ‘If you can’t fly, then run.

If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.’” She added later on, “I think something we’re good at here at Masters is doing just that--moving forward even if we have some obstacles.”

Masters responds to departure of Cornigans Continued from page 1 The Masters School Reacts Hours after Danforth’s remarks, all International Boarding students attended a mandatory meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Sharon Room to further address Cornigans’ exit, according to an email sent by International Student Advisor and Director of Global and Civic Exchange Robert Fish. The email stated the reason for the meeting was because “many of you have concerns regarding the news shared by Ms. Danforth.” In addition to Fish and Thompson Dorm Parent Shelly Kaye at the meeting, Fish wrote that Danforth and Dean of Students Peter New-

comb would be present.

Since Cornigans taught English as a Second Language, the meeting was held to let international boarding students know that a process was in place for a teacher to cover their class and ensure their academic needs were fulfilled. Additionally, the meeting offered students any support they needed and allowed them to ask any questions to Ms. Danforth.

Since Cornigans’ departure, positions have been posted for an Upper School English/English Language Learner Teacher on the Employment web page of the Masters website. According to the summary for the position, the candidate must be a “skilled educator [who can] teach a range of English courses” and one who must teach “a junior or se-

nior-level Literature seminar each semester.” Additionally, the school recommends “TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) experience or… international/ cross-cultural teaching experiences.”

Cornigans’ sexual abuse allegation picked up by various publications On both Jan. 15 and 16, news sources such as The Boston Globe and ctpost began to report Cornigans as one of the 50 priests who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the investigation by the Jesuit governing body.

According to the list from the investigation that was posted on the Jesuit’s website, but republished in

a Globe article called “Jesuits release list of priests credibly accused of abuse, including 22 with Mass. ties”, it was reported that Cornigans worked at two high schools as a priest during his time in the Jesuit Order: Boston College High School in Boston, MA and Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, CT. The credible accusation stated that the incident involving Cornigans occured in 1976 while he was working at Boston College High School.

Cornigans left the Jesuit order in 1981, although the allegation was not reported until 2003, which then led to the Jesuit’s investigation.

The Jesuits then waited another 16 years to release his name.

On the night of Jan. 16, Rick Rojas wrote an article called “After List of Jesuits Accused of Abuse,

Schools Rush to Reassure” and it was published on the website of The New York Times. It was published in print on Jan. 17 and mentioned the Masters School and Robert Cornigans by name. The article reported that officials of Masters initiated an investigation. However, Rojas wrongly stated that Masters administration “force(d) him to resign.” Although, the article later correctly stated in the article that he “resigned after the list was released and… he would be leaving his campus residence in the next few days,” information taken from Danforth’s first email sent on Jan. 16.

Disclaimer: Robert Cornigans was Joseph Goldstein’s AP English teacher for the 2017-2018 school year.

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Sexual abuse scandals force Jesuit transparency After the recent release of a list of priests accused with credible allegations of sexual assault by the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus, Tower investigated deeper into the policies that the Society has surrounding sexual assault, including why the list was released, what policies they have in place and further information on former Masters English teacher Robert Cornigans.

on the recently published list of Jesuits. He wrote “The People of God rightly desire greater accountability from the leadership of the Church Editors-in-Chief in regards to sexual abuse of minors by priests. The Jesuits are releasing The USA Northeast Province of this information to provide that kind the Society of Jesus released a list of of transparency. We view this disthe names of 50 priests accused with closure as part of our commitment to credible allegations of sexual assault, preventing abuse and hope that it will three weeks ago on Tuesday, Jan.15. contribute to the process of restoring The Provincial of the Northeast Or- trust.”

After the 2002 United States Conder, Rev. John Cecero, wrote a public letter explaining the regrets of the ference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter Church in having failed to take ac- for the Protection of Children and Young People, the USA Northeast tions against clergy sex abuse.

Province In past developed years, the Catholic a contract “Robert Cornigans left the Society Church has with Praeof Jesus back in 1981, a full 22 years been scrusidium Inc., before the accusation against him a compatinized for came forward, so we do not have its neglect ny devoted much information on him. And of sexual to abuse while I cannot disclose anything abuse scanrisk manabout the alleged victim or the dals within agement, abuse itself, it appears that it was a its clergy. that indesingle allegation.”

Spotlight, pendently winner of accredits the Acadeprovince - MICHAEL GABRIELE policies and my Award monitors for Best Picthe provture in 2016, depicted the ground-breaking Boston ince’s adherence to Charter proviGlobe’s investigation in 2001-2002 sions. The letter that was published with the intention to bring to light the alongside the most recent list of abussexual abuse cover-ups of the Roman ers mentioned the company’s success Catholic Church. Cecero, in his letter, within the Province: “We have implealluded to the Globe investigation, mented these best practices for more stating the article revealed the “very than fifteen years and can be grateful, shameful history for the Church.” although no less vigilant, that there The most recent published docu- have been no new cases of abuse of ment follows a string of lists released minors or vulnerable adults in the in Dec. 2018, which included accused Northeast Province.”

“We did not know any best practicpriests in the Jesuits’ Maryland, Midwest, West and Central & Southern es to handle these violations many deprovinces; the USA Northeast Prov- cades ago and regrettably made misince was the final region of the five takes along the way,” Cecero wrote.

United States territories to release a The official website for the USA list of implicated priests. In the same Northeast Province details its current December, just before Christmas, policies for responding to allegations Pope Francis, head of the Catholic of sexual abuse in their policy handChurch and first-ever Jesuit-order book, Ethics in Ministry Policy, in the pope, issued a statement urging all chapter, Responding to Reports and clerics who had abused minors to turn Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors themselves in. or Vulnerable Adults by a Jesuit.

Director of Communications for “These policies date to the early the Maryland Province and USA 2000’s when we were first accredited Northeast Province Michael Gabriele by Praesidium. They are re-released responded to questions from Tower whenever Praesidium updates or regarding sexual assault policies and changes standards,” said Gabriele. questions via email regarding forAccording to Article A of the chapmer Masters English teacher Robert ter, if a civil or criminal investigation Cornigans, whose name was released into an accused clergy is begun, the

AlexAndrA Bentzien eMMA luis

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THE NORTHEAST PROVINCE OF the Society of Jesus published a list on Jan. 15 revealing names of 50 priests who had been accused of sexual abuse to provide a sort of transparency that was lacking in the past, according to Michael Gabriele, the Director of Communications for the Maryland and Northeast Provinces. Gabriele also explained that there is not that much information on former English teacher Robert Cornigans because he left the Society of Jesus 22 years before the accusation against him were brought to light.

Jesuits are required to suspend their own investigating procedures until the civil proceeding is complete.

However, a Review Board specifically assembled to review cases of sexual abuse develops its own conclusion after a Jesuit-led investigation, and presents a final decision to the Provincial, who determines whether a “clear and credible” allegation is established.

Afterwards, the Provincial decides the best way to inform Jesuits of the Province which clerical members are

restricted from the ministry and also whether or not to inform those outside the Province.

Gabriele also said, “Keep in mind that while the Jesuits are a religious order within the Catholic Church, the Jesuits report through a Jesuit provincial, not the local bishop. If an allegation of sexual abuse comes forward about a current minor, civil authorities are immediately notified to investigate.” However, the policy changes when a victim becomes a legal adult.

“If the victim is now an adult and the accusation is from years ago where the police cannot get involved or the victim wants to remain anonymous, the province refers the investigation to a third party review board consisting of mental health professionals, legal professionals and often law enforcement professionals. If they conclude that the accusation is credible, the man is permanently removed from all public ministry,” Gabriele said.

Tower reviews Masters’ sexual harassment policies MorgAn Brettschneider News Design Editor Recently, sexual abuse allegations against former Upper School English teacher Robert Cornigans in the 1990s were brought to the attention of the Masters community.

It is important that every student, teacher and staff member feels comfortable reporting incidents of harassment and understands the school’s current policy regarding sexual assault and misconduct in case a situation arises.

During the summer of 2017, Dean of Students Peter Newcomb, along with other administrators, came to the conclusion that a more formalized policy regarding sexual misconduct needed to be put in place.

The Student and Family Handbook outlines the policy explaining procedures for reporting incidents of sexual assault and harassment as well as the disciplinary actions and investigations undertaken in order to combat this abuse. The section Policy Against Harassment, Discrimination and Bullying clearly defines what constitutes sexual misconduct. “Sexual assault and requests for sexual favors that affect the educational or employment experience constitute sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment may also consist of unwanted physical contact, requests for sexual favors, visual displays of degrading sexual images, sexually suggestive conduct, or remarks of a sexual nature.”

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PICTURED IS A COPY of the Upper School Family Handbook, which outlines specific policies and values of the school. In the summer of 2017, Peter Newcomb, the Dean of Students and other administrators thought it was neccessary to create a more formalized sexual assault and harassment policy that is currently reflected in the handbook. The handbooks details the disciplinary actions taken in order to deal with assault and harassment along with other instructions and guidlines in terms of reporting claims of misconduct.

The section titled Response to Complaints explains that once an incident of sexual misconduct is reported, the Dean of Students will initiate an investigation of the claims. This process may include interviews of individuals involved in the situation and other witnesses that may offer useful information.

After this initial investigation, the Dean of Students will compile a written report of facts compiled and recommendations on how to proceed

to the Head of the Upper School.

Then, the two of them will work together in order to determine which measures and disciplinary actions should be taken.

Currently, Newcomb and Dr. Nikki Willis, Head of the Upper School, take the lead on these investigations. “The process for addressing [assault and harassment] is the same when a report is lodged.

When our office begins an investigation, it’s helpful when reports have

specific details as opposed to being anonymously made,” Newcomb said. In terms of disciplinary actions, the consequences for assault and harassment differ. “Sexual assault involves more intense action,” Willis said.

Reporting instances of sexual misconduct or abuse outlined in the handbook can be extremely difficult for many individuals. It is important to note that the Counseling Center can be a source of comfort and at times, confidentiality. Stephanie Carbone, head of the Counseling Center explained that a few times a year students come to her office to explain instances of assault or harrassment. “When there are events in the news or when we do some kind of training such as the consent program on senior transition day, students will come forward and say, ‘You got me thinking of what happened to me last month, can I talk to you about it?’”

“When reporting claims of assault or harassment, involving students, information reported to the Counseling Center stays confidential unless there is a threat to the student’s safety, in which case those situations are reported. “We as clinicians will work very closely with the student to support them and make sure they feel safe, coach them to tell their guardian, an administrator or help them tell people that they need to tell. What we do is sort of put ourselves where the client is and let them talk about what happened and address how they can feel more empowered and get some

control of the situation back,” Carbone said.

However, when reporting cases of sexual assault or harassment involving a teacher, the policy is different. “Faculty members have a responsibility to report inappropriate behaviors and gestures from adults to children. If a student came to me to disclose something like that, it would not be kept confidential because that is considered endangering the welfare of a child,” Carbone said.

The Counseling Center also offers a variety of resources in order to help victims cope. “Students do come to us because we might be the first place that they want to come to to figure out how to handle this and we will support them and coach them in next steps,” Carbone said.

“I refer victims, probably every year, to victims’ assistance services, even for a confidential phone conversation.”

Currently, the Dean of Students Office is making many changes in order to promote a safe environment and support victims. “One of the things our office is doing is training members of the Dean of Students Office as sexual assault advocates to help students going through traumatic experiences,” Newcomb said.

The School is also well aware that the world is changing and is paying attention to how this affects the policy. “As the climate of the world changes we learn more and more about what we need to do better,” Willis said.

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Tuition revamped as school reimagines boarding DaviD okS Lead Magazine Editor For several years running, Masters has announced an increase in its tuition. This year, in response to concerns from families, the School has put in place a new policy merging fees into tuition and reflecting the shift toward a five-day and seven-day boarding plan.

This policy is dubbed “inclusive tuition.” Under it, various fees, like those for international boarding and student activities, are absorbed into the tuition. These fees—like $700 for Middle School students, $1,300 for Upper School day students, $1,350 for domestic boarders, and $4,550 for international boarders—supplemented tuition, meaning that costs exceeded the sticker price.

Inclusive tuition was a reaction to concerns regarding “hidden costs” in the school’s tuition, which served to inflate it beyond the sticker price.

Chief Financial Officer Ed Biddle said, “Many parents pointed out that the all-in cost (that includes the fees) is not the number that they anticipated when they enrolled their child. Quality programs, like Masters, should have all-inclusive tuition to the extent we possibly can, and not have additional fees that are charged that look like we are trying to get a lower tuition number and just mak-

ing up with fees.”

Under the new policy, students will be charged one sticker-price amount based on their admissions classification.

The amounts charged under the new plan are $49,000 for Middle School students, $49,000 for Upper School day students, $62,000 for fiveday boarding students and $72,000 for seven-day boarding students.

For comparison, the current tuitions (without the inclusion of various fees) are $45,900 for Middle School students, $45,900 for Upper School day students, and $64,400 for boarders.

Part of the new policy involves the split between seven-day and five-day boarding. Five-day boarding students will pay less than seven-day boarding students, and less than the current amount charged for boarding.

“Since we were making a lot of changes to the program anyway by adding five-day, it really gave us an opportunity to rethink the entire model for tuition and fees,” Biddle said.

Biddle hopes that the change will cast the tuition in a new light. “For example, you used to see things priced in 99¢ intervals, so it’d be $5.99. Nowadays, most people realize that a quality product will be priced in whole numbers,” he said.

He views it as a move away from an oblique tuition system: “I think that transparency is really important.

And I think that’s our main goal, educating parents about the full cost of

educating their children at Masters.”

This new policy comes after years of tuition hikes. Adjusted for inflation, which makes retrospective costs higher, tuition for an Upper School day student rose more than $4,000 (from $41,321 to $45,681) from the 2014-2015 school year to the 20182019 school year. Tuition for a boarding student rose nearly $6,000 (from $58,103 to $64,092) during the same time period. (Ignoring inflation, the increase was more significant—more than $6,500 for day students and almost $9,500 for boarders.) The change is illustrated on the graph to the right.

For the fiscal year ending in June 2017, Masters reported $34.9 million in “program service revenue,” which is almost entirely tuition but also includes sales and other extraneous revenue sources. (Donations are not included in program service revenue.)

Program service revenue was 84.5 percent of the School’s revenue for the 2017 fiscal year, compared to 86.2 percent in fiscal year 2016, 62.8 percent in fiscal year 2015 (a drop probably caused by a $10 million anonymous donation connected to the building of the Fonseca Center) and 83.4 percent in fiscal year 2014.

This data suggests that tuition, despite occasional upward and downward swings, has remained fairly constant over the past few years, a trend attributable to the tuition increases.

The School has declined to provide

Science curriculum changes to give students more opportunities amita khurana Lead Features Editor Beginning the 2019-2020 school year, the Science Department will make structural changes to some science courses. Instead of being taught as full-year majors, Biology, Physics and Environmental Science will become semester majors, worth 0.5 credits each, similar to the current Science Seminar classes.

Biology will be split into Molecular Biology and Human Biology; Physics will be split into Mechanical Physics and Electricity and Magnetism Physics; and names for the new Environmental Science classes are still being discussed. Environmental Problem Solving and Applications (E.P.A.), Chemistry, Honors Physics and all AP courses will remain year-long majors.

Upper School Science Depart-

ment Chair Frank Greally is looking forward to the new change. “The idea is to give students, 11th and 12th graders, as many choices as possible,” he said. Greally explained how some students who took a year long class didn’t particularly enjoy it or want to. This new change will hopefully ensure that students are more interested in their classes. He also commented on the college aspect of this change: “From talking to college counseling, they feel that colleges will be happy as long as you are taking strong courses. Our courses will still be strong, but you just can mix and match,” he said.

For example, a junior or senior can take a Science Seminar in the fall semester and Human Biology in the spring semester. If they want to complete a full year of biology, they can take both biology courses in the same year. If a student wanted to take Electricity and Magnetism Physics, they are required to take

Mechanical Physics, as the concepts of Mechanical Physics will be used in Electricity and Magnetism.

In future years, different Biology and Physics classes will be offered, and the Chemistry curriculum may expand to include semester classes. Students will know at least two years in advance what classes will be offered so they can plan their course of study for the future.

The current freshmen, the Class of 2022, will take chemistry next year and can take Biology as juniors or seniors, if they want to. Incoming freshmen will still be required to take E.P.A. Senior Harry Clay likes “the freedom it gives for students to study what they want to study.”

“I think this is very exciting. We will have different offerings and our teachers will be able to offer courses that they find stimulating which hopefully students will also find the same way,” Greally said.

DAVID OKS/TOWER

TUITION HAS INCREASED STEADILY for the past several years at Masters, partly because of a desire to include extraneous prices in the total cost for tuition. Upper School day tuition will cost $49,000 and 7-day boarding will cost $72,000. specific information about what percentage of students pay full tuition or pay no tuition at all.

“In our publicly available materials, we disclose that 17 percent of

the tuition revenue line is financial aid. And approximately 25 percent of our students receive financial aid.

Those are the statistics that I’m able to share,” Biddle said.

Oks set to meet President Trump Sarah Faber Staff Writer David Oks, former Ardsley mayoral candidate and Masters senior, has been selected as one of two students from New York State to participate in the United States Senate Youth Program.

From March 2-9, Oks will travel to Washington, D.C. on an all-expenses-paid trip. There, he will meet with prominent politicians: Representative John Lewis, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Secretary Mnuchin and President Donald Trump, to name a few. Oks will also have the opportunity to meet with Senators, senior members of the media and officials from various federal Departments, including the Departments of State and Defense. Participants will stay in the Mayflower Hotel, a D.C. landmark that often hosts important government officials from around the world, and receive $10,000 for their college tuition.

“The application process involved

submitting test scores, an essay, a letter of recommendation and a resume,” Oks said. “Then, after they narrowed down the pool of applicants, they invited me to the next stage, which involved an interview with four people in the Department of Education in Albany.” The interviewers asked Oks about his views on a balanced budget amendment, whether or not he identifies as a nationalist and how he would address income inequality.

“I think I’m going to ask Gorsuch about the Masterpiece Cakes decision,” Oks said, referring to a Supreme Court case that dealt with a Colorado bakery that refused to bake a cake for the wedding of a same-sex couple, “Or maybe his views on Chevron deference,” Oks said about a view that the Supreme Court will defer to an administrative agency when the statute is silent on the matter, which Gorsuch is starkly against.

“The thing I’m most looking forward to is meeting really inspiring teenagers from across the U.S.,” Oks said.

Disclaimer: David Oks is an active member of the Tower staff.

Wood takes paternity leave, Rubin fills his role Logan Schiciano Sports Design Editor The birth of a child is one of life’s finest moments; English teacher Darren Wood elected to take a paternity leave from Masters in order to spend time with his son, Owen, who was born in October.

Wood, who has been gone since the start of the second semester, plans to return on May 6, according to an email sent to his students and their parents from Head of Upper School Dr. Nikki Willis.

Wood expressed that he is delighted to spend “slow days” dedicated solely to parenting. “I am most looking forward to spending lots of uninterrupted time with my son! He’s adorable and very sweet and, like my first two children, teaches me more about my capacity for love, patience and joy,” he said in an email to Tower.

English teacher Dr. Paul West explained the reasoning behind Wood’s taking his leave at this time. “I think in terms of timing– what would work for the class, as well as how [Wood] and his wife coordinated their leaves–that seemed like the best arrangement.

It makes sense for students to have

a clean start at the beginning of the semester,” West said. Wood agreed with his colleague’s sentiment.

For the next three months, a new face on campus, Deirdre Rubin, has stepped in to teach his classes: three sections of tenth grade English, along with a senior seminar in poetry. As for Wood’s advisees, science teacher Nancy Gormley will serve as their replacement advisor.

Rubin, who is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., taught at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, N.Y., earlier this school year, working in the English department. While she is new to Masters, she is actually quite familiar with the Harkness method. “I did one of my graduate degrees in Liberal Arts at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., and Santa Fe, N.M., and while it was not called the Harkness method, everyone sits around the table and speaks about a text or about an issue without being called on,” Rubin said. Rubin also mentioned how the role of the student and teacher are similar in Harkness, and she is excited to teach in the style in which she learned.

West explained how he and the other teachers have tried to help make her transition to Masters a smooth one. “Several years ago

the tenth grade English teachers — West, Wood, and Zev Barnett — redesigned the tenth grade curriculum. We have a lot of documentation of the lesson plans, which we’ve shared with her. We also have weekly meetings with the tenth grade English teachers, which is a good time to formally check-in,” West said.

Rubin, who also had the chance to attend many of Wood’s classes prior to his leave, expressed her thankfulness for the support. “All the teachers in the English Department have been really helpful along with Dr. Willis [interim Head of the English Department].

Mr. Wood gave me his curriculum to use, and I’ve been adapting it.

I worked with him to make sure there’s consistency,” she said. Rubin also referenced school librarian Judy Murphy, who gave her a selection of poetry and other young adult books to use in her classes.

Aside from teaching, Rubin has many additional interests including film, reading, writing, hiking, feminism and spending time with her family. She is also intrigued by philosophy, noting that she taught it at Marist College last semester, and previously at Iona College and the College of New Rochelle. “We’re happy to have her,” West said.

RUBIN PHOTO: VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARREN WOOD

ENGLISH TEACHER DARREN WOOD and his son Owen Wood, who was born in October. Wood will take the next several months off from teaching to take care of his children, and teacher Deirdre Rubin (shown above) will take over his classes.

OpiniOn OP-ED

TOWER/FEBRUARY 8, 2019

5

EDITORIAL

Don’t worry, Trump, climate change isn’t going anywhere—unless we act “W

hat the hell is going on with Global Warming? Please come back fast, we need you!” President Trump wrote on Twitter back on Jan. 28., addressing the polar vortex which swept the Midwest and the Northeast last week.

Just this week, Chicago witnessed rising death tolls due to the extreme cold and is now experiencing a 70-degree change as temperatures hit the 40s.

These extremes were felt across several states, stretching from the East Coast to the Midwest. It is foolish to dismiss these dramatic extremes as just another winter in the United States. According to The Washington Post, the United States faced $100 billion in damage from extreme weather in 2018 alone, and Australia is facing record-breaking heat this month. Cities in the United States that have never experienced heavy snowfall are blanketed in snow, upwards of 20 deaths came out of the extreme polar vortex in the Midwest and even our oceans are changing color due to phytoplankton responding to temperature changes.

Our health, resources and planet are compromised not only by government officials who may not live long enough to experience the effects of climate change we will inevitably face, but by every human being who shares this Earth. The harsh and pressing reality is that we, especially us young adults, will suffer the consequences of our desperately en-

dangered planet firsthand due to the ignorance, indifference and inaction of not only lawmakers, but all of us who refuse to admit and act on the profound truth that, if we continue to squander our natural resources and pollute our environment excessively, we will all become an endangered species. No amount of profit, economic ambition or greed is worth sacrificing the future of our planet.

A year and a half ago, President Trump pledged to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, an agreement signed by 195 nations to promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase renewable energy sources and in working together, keep the increase in global temperature below 1.5º C. Since then, countless laws and progress made by environmental organizations have been reversed. Even the Acting Head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Andrew Wheeler, is a former coal-industry lobbyist who is unsure of how pressing the issue of climate change truly is.

Politicians in power need to recognize that climate change not only exists but is anthropogenic; humans are responsible for the deaths of not only our own kind due to extreme weather and pollution but of species going extinct 1,000 times faster because of human causes.

While politicians must recognize this and make change, so do we. Every single human, no matter their age, has a footprint on this planet, and not many

take action.

Our planet is the only known place in the entire universe that can perfectly sustain human life; its singularity is a truly irreplaceable gift. Climate change transcends all divides we as humans have devised – this earth is the only home all humans, animals, plants and natural landscapes we can collectively call our own, and it warrants our serious respect. In essence, the idea is simple, and it is also remarkably beautiful. Despite our differences, we remain unified by the many mountains, seas, forests and deserts that we share.

Climate change is an issue which must always remain at the forefront of not only each discussion, but each action. Every time is a good time to reflect on how we can contribute our part to ensure that we have a future. Right now is the moment we must remain aware and react, actively.

Masters’ mission statement describes our core values of learning and doing as actions which entail a “collective responsibility” and a deliberate purpose to “learn to solve problems and design new visions for the world and [our] place in it.” We must be active members of our community and the planet, whether it be a contribution as small as turning off the lights, recycling properly, composting food waste, carpooling or taking responsibility for your footprint on Earth.

Sustainability must have our continued focus, no matter the day or time.

Crackdown on LGBT community shows human rights abuses by Chechen government

News desigN editors MorGan BrettSchneider JacoB Strier Lead opiNioN editor JoSeph GoldStein opiNioN desigN editors drew Schott Michelle wei Lead features editor aMita khurana features desigN editors daVid okS annie ruBinSon Lead sports editor Shawn Farhadian sports desigN editors eliJah eMerY loGan Schiciano Lead web editor aNd adobe, aesthetiCs & arts editor tYler conwaY web CoNteNt MaNager Mitch Fink web desigN editor aMina choudhrY web produCtioN MaNager JacoB kriSS soCiaL Media MaNager GaBriel keller staff MaNager Maxwell Goldrich

aCCuraCy & aCCouNtabiLity aNd advertiseMeNt MaNager YaSMine paScal photos & iLLustratioNs editor Vincent alBan staff iLLustrator ziqi wanG

Casey Li

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Lead News editor Sophia BrouSSet

staff writers Sarah FaBer Mitchell Fink GaBriel keller

THE INTERNATIONALIST

he Federal Subject of Russia, Chechnya, has launched a renewed crackdown on the LGBT community since Dec. 2018, in which at least two people have died and more than 40 have been detained on suspicion of being gay. The new wave of arrests was reported by the Russian LGBT Network, which has closely monitored alleged abuses in Chechnya while evacuating people from the region. Protests were sparked by the arrest of an administrator of an online LGBT group on Russia’s largest social media network, VKontakte, after authorities accessed the contacts in his cellphone, resulting in mass arrests. Although Alvi Karimov, the spokesman for Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has said that those reports are “complete lies” and the leader himself claimed that the allegations were “an invention by foreign agents” and were creat-

editors-iN-Chief alexandra Bentzien eMMa luiS

CoNtributiNg writer ed by activists hungry for money, evidence suggests otherwise.

In 2017, more than 100 gay men were arrested, tortured or even killed in the highly conservative and predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia. The same year, police and military officials encouraged family members of LGBT individuals to engage in honor killings. The country has consistently faced accusations of illegal detentions and human rights abuses, and homophobia and transphobia are widespread in the republic.

In fact, Kadyrov and other government officials have repeatedly claimed that Chechnya does not have a gay population.

Despite official denials of allegations, dozens of survivors have come forward with their stories.

The Russian LGBT Network obtained evidence that at least two were killed in the latest purge and that one of the detainees died from

a knife wound. Police also seized detainees’ travel documents to prevent them from leaving the country. Local authorities make “every effort to prevent victims from applying to the courts in the future.”

In Dec. 2018, the Organization

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

TWO PROTESTORS HOLD SIGNS, one in English and one in Russian, that condemn Chechnya’s crackdown on the rights of LGBT citizens. Chechen law has no protections for LGBT individuals and as a result, homosexuality is outlawed, punishable by detention, torture or even death.

for Security and Cooperation in Europe concluded in a report―a compilation of survivor testimony of harassment, arrests, torture, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killing of minorities―that “serious human rights violations” had occurred and “a climate of impunity” is rampant.

Currently, it is unclear how many, if any, of the detainees are freed. Although nongovernmental organizations–such as Human Rights Watch and Rainbow Railroad–and the Canadian government are working to grant asylum to LGBT Chechens, more needs to be done to understand and resolve the true cause of gay purges in Russia. Differences in sexual orientation, like race, religion, speech, gender and political affiliation, should not be a point of discrimination.

CorreCtions from issue 3 While Tower strives to find and correct errors and misspellings in the production of the paper, there can still be mistakes that are brought to the attention of the Tower staff after the paper has been published.

Here are corrections from Issue 3: On page one, the date is listed as November 21, 2018. The issue was published on December 21, 2018.

On page eight, the name of the manager of Central Taxi in Scarsdale is written as Pierre Blier. His name is Peter Blier.

On page 12, the photo caption for the article, “Queens-based alumni face possible uprooting as Ama-

zon arrives,” states that the amount of money given to Amazon in tax breaks is $3 million. The correct amount is $3 billion.

Also on page 12, the article titled “Students talk diversity, inclusion at SDLC conference” referred to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference as “SPLC” in the headline. This should have read as “SDLC”.

nora FellaS faCuLty adviser ellen cowheY 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, Letters 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. We encourage Letters to the Editor, which can be submitted to the following email address: 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/FEBRUARY 8, 2019

OP-ED

6

Amid political turmoil, women bring promise for the American system of government Annie Rubinson Features Design Editor The months and years since the 2016 presidential election have polarized the United States; within the government, across the population and between the government and the public. After all, on Sat., Jan. 12, the Trump administration broke the record for the longest government shutdown in American history at 35 days.

But, in the midst of this political turmoil, it is imperative that Americans remain optimistic, as the past two years since President Trump’s inauguration have shown promise for much-needed progressive change in the American political system.

Primarily, Trump’s victory catalyzed a rise in activism across the United States. While the election left many feeling hopeless, we must acknowledge that it lit the torches for thousands of people–of all races, ethnicities and nationalities–demanding change across the country. It is because of this event that Americans have begun to exercise free speech

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of NY, Congresswoman Sharice Davids of KS, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of MA, Congresswoman Deb Haaland of NM and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of MN and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes of CT. For the 116th Congress, a record-number of 102 women will serve in the House of Representatives, which Annie Rubinson believes is a beacon of hope for our government. like never before.

According to The Guardian, within the first 15 months of Trump’s presidency, more people joined protests and demonstrations than at any other point in American history. Such protests especially attracted the attention of women, fueled by Trump’s years-long record of misogyny and other offensive commentaries. Fortunately, many of these women have taken their protests to the next level by running for office, striving to create change where it is requested.

The 2018 midterm elections marked many firsts in American politics, mainly in that a record number of women won elections or were

appointed to serve in government.

This group of 117 includes the first Native American congresswoman, the first Muslim congresswoman, many states’ first black and Latina congresswomen and the youngest congresswoman to date. Not to mention, statistically, the United States is now well within the top 40 nations with the highest percentages of women in government, at 23.7 percent.

These women should be seen as symbols of hope for all concerned with the current state of the union.

Because of these women, many of whom ran on progressive platforms in the past, the wants and needs of liberal Americans will finally be ad-

dressed. While racial, ethnic and gender ratios within Congress are not nearly reflective of actual nationwide distributions, they are now more accurate than ever. In essence, while polarizing, the Trump election paved the way for a complete redefinition of representation within the American government.

Congress and the President managed to reach a deal to keep the government until Feb. 15th. However, unless Congress gives him funding for the Texas border wall, he has threatened to resume the government shutdown and even go so far as to declare a national emergency, building the wall through executive

action. Hopefully, the progressive platforms of the new congresswomen will soon direct the national agenda elsewhere.

Although federal employees have returned to Capitol Hill, Trump’s flexibility, along with his global and domestic attentiveness, remain shut down. But at this point, it’s safe to say that the president had best watch out for when these women get a chance to really raise their voices, and finally create the change demanded by those around them, moving America in a more progressive direction. For more information on the record-breakers elected in the midterms, visit tower.mastersny.org.

Senioritis: it isn’t as bad as people think shAwn FARhAdiAn Lead Sports Editor Seniors at Masters have approached a highly anticipated time of their high school careers, one typically filled with less motivation and more procrastination: second semester. Contrary to the beliefs of many teachers, parents and colleges, however, this supposed “affliction,” known as “senioritis,” is actually a good thing, to a certain extent.

Is senioritis even a problem to begin with? If a second semester senior is/will get accepted to a college, is in an adequate mental and physical shape and their grades do not plummet, that student is likely in a stable enough condition to enjoy themselves and their surroundings more for the next six months. Although exceptions exist across the country, this description best resembles the seniors that will cruise through this semester, and best represents the majority of a high

LILY WANG/TOWER

AS SECOND SEMESTER BEGINS, the issue of senioritis may start to affect seniors, which Shawn Farhadian writes is a positive occurence. Farhadian argues that senioritis creates the ability to schedule more efficiently and a shift to a more relaxed work ethic, but also mentions their effort for studies must remain. school’s graduating class.

In fact, there might even be benefits to this change in mindset: as opposed to chugging coffee at 2:30 a.m. to cram for a test during the first semester, a student now might spread out their studying schedule

before going to bed at a reasonable hour. This change, moreover, isn’t like making a sudden, sharp left turn while driving. If anything, it is more comparable to switching lanes. Seniors are still moving in the right direction, but they might

just be working at a different, more comfortable pace than they have been over the past three and a half years.

And while seniors are at risk of letting their grades plummet and potentially ruining their futures, these outcomes are extremely unlikely. Colleges almost always warn that a senior must maintain their grades during their second semester or else risk the possibility of having their acceptances rescinded.

But this only occurs under rare circumstances, when students show complete disregard for their teachers and classes. The problem then is no longer senioritis, but simple insensitivity. Seniors who perform poorly enough to have college acceptances withdrawn are likely performing at a concerning rate, one that Masters teachers, college counselors and advisors would likely acknowledge before such an instance were to arise.

It will be challenging to try and pry seniors away from the things they have wanted to do since they became high schoolers, but teach-

ers can actually lessen the clear “effects and signs” of senioritis by also recognizing where students are coming from. This is not to say that teachers should completely transform their views on student procrastination and laziness, but understand that this is arguably the first opportunity a senior has to relax their nonstop working mindset could lead to more stimulating assignments, especially those that are project and group-based.

As a second semester senior myself, I am looking forward to more relaxed evenings, quality time with family and friends, sleep, self-care and preparing for both the next chapter of my life and the bittersweet end to high school. This is not to say that I will deliberately attempt to do poorly in school, but I personally would not like to continue working in overdrive. I would prefer to have a less-stressful, more enjoyable end to my Masters career.

This sentiment is not unique by any means, as it is the true form of senioritis―seniors are not asking to fail, we are just looking to live.

After “Surviving R. Kelly,” abuse Recognizing changing must be recognized and condemned perspectives, hero YAsmine pAscAl

worship and reality

Accuracy & Accountability and Advertisement Manager Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known by his stage name “R. Kelly,” is a popular R&B singer whose name made headlines following the airing of the Lifetime documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, on Jan. 3.

The documentary detailed the sexual abuse allegations against R. Kelly and featured accounts from his victims, family members and colleagues. The content of the documentary sparked uproar on social media, many expressing horror by the singer’s actions.

It was no secret that Kelly was attracted to underage girls: in 1994 Kelly married Aaliyah Haughton when he was 27 and she was only 15, and in 2002 a sex tape of Kelly having sexual intercourse with a minor went viral. Yet, even after he was charged with producing child pornography in 2002 in both Chicago and Florida, people continued to support him.

It is sad that we as a society turned a blind eye towards his abuse of countless underage girls while the evidence was directly in front of us. By doing so, Kelly’s listeners normalized his behaviour, allowing young black girls, who looked to Kelly as a mentor, to fall victim. In turn, we taught them that their bodies were not their own and that exploiting their sexuality was the only way to get ahead in life.

dAvid oks Features Design Editor

W

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ROBERT SYLVESTER KELLY, ALSO known as R. Kelly, was the topic of a documentary in which numerous women came forward and detailed various sexual assault allegations against him. In light of these revelations, Yasmine Pascal writes that sympathy and empathy towards others must be taught from a young age and that no individual shall be exploited by another.

Kelly himself was molested by a family member when he was seven years old. No one, especially a child, should have to deal with that kind of trauma. Everyone should have a right to their own body and no one should take that away. His history, however, does not excuse him for what he has done, but it shows that we need to teach kids how to respect each others’ bodies, as well as their own. We need to teach children that their feelings matter and if they feel uncomfortable, it’s okay

to voice that. We have to create a safe space for people to talk about their abuse, without feeling that they would be judged, ridiculed or blamed.

We need to do better, so that what happened to R. Kelly, his victims and other rape survivors does not happen to anyone else. People need to know that their voices do matter and no one can take that away from them.

hen I was in elementary school, I was fed something of a storybook version of history. You’ve heard the same, I’m sure: the story of happy Pilgrims dining on squash and turkey with gracious Native Americans. The story of heroic patriots overthrowing the cruel British. How Paul Revere rode at midnight and William Taft couldn’t fit in a bathtub.

History was fun and innocent.

And then, as you grow older, you’re taught something different. Your view of history is complicated by uncomfortable facts, unhappy realities.

You realize that America is also the country that burned Jesse Washington alive and shot Medgar Evers in the heart in his driveway. You learn to agree with James Baldwin that “American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.”

I think the same is true of people. It is difficult to truly plumb the depths and heights of what people can do. And when we discover something new about someone we knew

well, it is not clear what we should do.

There are dual temptations in the face of such revelation. There is the temptation to dismiss, to destroy, to consign that person into some dingy place in your heart and forget.

That is the decision of the stoic, the one who sees all that life has to offer and declares with Paul Simon, “I am a rock! I am an island!” But this is not right. To borrow from Star Wars, only the Sith speak in absolutes: only the monstrous exorcise from their mind those who’ve done wrong. And, as Nietzsche once said, “Whoever fights with monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”

And there is that other temptation, the temptation to forget and forgive. It is the temptation to remember someone’s memory as uncomplicated, to view life through glasses of a rose tint. It is the most human urge of all, to valorize those we knew as saints or at least heroes. But in canonizing the saint we lose sight of the person; in pursuing only those traits that are noble and virtuous we forget that so much of what makes life beautiful are our flaws, the parts of us that are “human, all too human.” There is no room for the human in the saint, no room at all.

TOWER/FEBRUARY 8, 2019

FEATURES AND ARTS

7

Features & arts

The future of AP courses at Masters: What does it look like?

Joseph Goldstein Lead Opinion Editor

While students continue to populate their schedule with Advanced Placement (AP) courses, many schools–including Masters–are reevaluating the status of APs in their curriculum.

APs can be traced back to 1955, when a program called the “Kenyon Plan” (pioneered at Kenyon College

by President Gordon Chalmers) was introduced nationally. From there, the College Board took control of administering and designing the curriculum for APs. Initially, APs had two intentions: to better prepare high school seniors for college and graduate-level work, and to offer middle and lower-class families an opportunity to gain college credit. This way, affording college became feasible for more families as students could start on their college degree in high school and graduate college early–potentially saving tens of thousands of dollars.

Since 1955, a lot has changed regarding APs. The number of students who take AP courses has exploded across the country; according to the College Board, 691,437 students took AP exams in 2007 while 1.17 million took them in 2017.

Colleges also shifted their perspective on APs. Realizing they were losing out on tuition money when more and more students enrolled with college credits they

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS SPANNING ACROSS the country have been re-evaluating the importance of Advanced Placement (AP) courses from the stance of high school curriculum and college admissions. The College Counseling Office at Masters is currently having discussions and deciding the future of AP courses within the Masters curriculum. earned in high school, many colleges decided to offer credit for only certain APs and others have stopped offering credits for AP courses entirely.

High schools are also changing their stance on APs. While the tests are administered in record numbers

Masters alumna to star in short film acter feels fulfilled when she helps others. I have always loved being there for Editor in Chief others and helping them if they need me… I really don’t think I’d feel sane Alumna Francesca Scorsese ’18 is if that was not a large part of my life,” no stranger to movie sets--growing up she said. behind the camera with her father and The film is directed by Diljot Garcha director Martin Scorsese--but also in and is currently in the pre-production front of the camera, appearing in films stage. However, Scorsese has already such as “We Salute You” (2018), “Al- formed bonds with the cast, especially most Paris” (2016) and “Hugo” (2011). her co-star, Bajwa.

Scorsese, while balancing her school “The rest of the cast is great! They’re work in her freshman year at New York really easy to talk to, super nice, and University (NYU), is teaming up with very professional. I have been talking Bollywood actor Arsh Bajwa as the lead to Arsh much more since he is the coin a new short film titled “The Differ- star and we have known each other lonence.” Scorsese is studying film at NYU ger, but the others that I am going to be Tisch, but also is considering adding filming with are truly wonderful people acting classes to who I can’t wait her already busy to work with!” schedule. “I only Scorsese said. take up an act“I think the main thing that stuck As of right ing job if I know out to me was that my character now, the filmthat I will have feels fulfilled when she helps othing location of the time for it, ers. I have always loved being there the film is undeso that is really for others and helping them if they cided as Bajwa what keeps my need me. I really don’t think I’d feel currently resides school life and the same if that was not a large part in Los Angeles my work life in of my life.” while both Garharmony with cha and Scorsone another,” - FRANCESCA SCORSESE, ’18 ese live in New Scorsese said.

York. Scorsese “The Differexplained, “We ence” is a short film that is predicted are currently debating whether or not to be around 15-20 minutes in length to shoot in New York or Los Angeles. and is based on true events. According Right now, it is looking like it will be to Scorsese, the plot follows the story of happening in New York though.” a relationship between an Indian man According to Scorsese, the script is and an American woman, focusing on still in the making. However, after its the idea of loving each other’s imperfec- predicted release later in the year, the tions. Bajwa will be playing the role of short film will be available on Youtube an Indian man, who just immigrated and Vimeo, as well as being submitted to the United States and is struggling to several film festivals such as the well with learning English. The character is known Sundance Film Festival. faced with the challenges of immigrat“It should be a very special and ing to a new country, until he meets heartwarming film that I am sure will Scorsese’s character, an American touch many audiences’ hearts. The iswomen who helps him adjust to Amer- sues that this film touches upon are ican life. also not widely expressed in most films Scorsese also has found similarities and are often unacknowledged in real between herself and her character in life, which is really important and a the short film. “I think the main thing large factor into my decision of being a that stuck out to me was that my char- part of its production,” Scorsese said.

emma luis

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each year, many schools–especially independent ones–are getting rid of APs. Masters has not yet decided whether it will keep APs available to its students. As Director of College Counseling Adam Gimple put it, “Masters is exploring all avenues

and wants to do right by its mission and its families.” A committee, headed by Gimple, was formed to open discussion among teachers concerning APs. “Our mission is to explore all of the different options while being non committal,” Gimple said.

Gimple described, “There is a perception [among parents and students] that if you drop them then it’s doing something to your credibility.” However, he pointed out, most colleges are indifferent to the absence of AP courses as long as they are replaced with quality courses. Classes known as “Advanced Topics”, which colleges see as equal in rigor to most AP equivalents, are offered at many high schools Gimple added that not taking an AP class generally does not restrict students from taking AP exams.

Certain Masters students have been prohibited from taking AP exams if the school believes taking the exams would be against the students’ interests. For certain subjects, especially science and math classes, teaching to the AP test does not limit the content that can be taught in that class. Students in a Topics class who feel prepared to take a certain AP test are still allowed to take that test and receive the same college credit as if they took a fullfledged AP class.

A potential caveat to Topics students taking an AP exam would be preparation for that test. Most AP classes spend at least a number of weeks before the test date studying, and this period would be absent in a Topics class. To ready themselves for their exams, some students or parents may feel the need to hire a tutor or purchase AP study books.

While this is an option for some, other families may not be financially able to do so.

8

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/FEBRUARY 8, 2019

Women’s March sparks reflection upon the role of feminism today Gabriel Keller Staff Writer On Jan. 19, the third annual Women’s March took place in cities across the country. This year, however, there were two separately organized New York City marches. While the National Women’s March has been the face of women’s marches all over the country, the Alliance Women’s March on New York has been the major women’s march in New York for the past three years.

Recently, the National Women’s March has come under fire for their president’s support of Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, who made some anti-semitic remarks. The New York chapter of the National Women’s March did not have a permit to march because the NYPD would only give out one for that day, and instead rallied at Foley Square.

The women’s march tradition began on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The March was incited by Trump’s 2005 Access Hollywood interview with Billy Bush, where he discussed how he sexually assaulted women. In the first year of the March, over four million people marched in cities across the nation. The center of this movement was the Women’s March on Washington, where hun-

dreds of thousands of people came to protest outside the White House.

On Jan. 21, 2018, an estimated 1.5 - 2.1 million protesters marched again in cities around the country, reflecting the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.

Before the women’s marches began and all throughout them, there has been wide criticism of the marches and feminism overall, with many questioning why feminism is still necessary. While

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“There are so many people that still think that women don’t deserve the same rights as men, and these marches can expose people to a different way of thinking.”

- MARINA SHISHKINA ‘20

addressing that statement, faculty advisor to GALs and vocal feminist Elisabeth Merrill said, “I think that people who ask that are ill-informed on women’s history. People think that issues such as access to birth control or women not being considered property are issues so far in the past but, I think, the current political climate shows that there are actually people who don’t think women are equal.”

At 10 a.m. on a 30-degree January day, thousands gathered at 72nd street and Central Park Ave West to begin the 2019 Alliance Women’s March. Everyone there

came from a different place and background, but one thing brought them all together was the the hope for an equal future.

Dianne Madray is the founder of Let the Women Speak, an organization that she started over three years ago. “It’s about giving women a voice, because with a lot of the issues that women face, we’ve been silenced,” Madray said. Madray and a few of her colleagues were at the march, holding various signs and all wearing shirts with their logo.

Jodie Caldwell, a librarian at Drew University, said, “I think that the political climate is really bad right now, and one of the things I find about these marches is that they energize you to go back and fight for equality.” Caldwell was also holding a sign that read “Even librarians won’t be silenced.”

Masters also had a presence at the Women’s March, with some students and faculty going on their own. Junior Marina Shishkina, who attended the march, said, “I took my grandma with me to the March to show her something she hadn’t seen, and she was just so surprised to see all these people marching for women’s rights.

There are so many people that still think that women don’t deserve the same rights as men, and these marches can expose people to a different way of thinking.”

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

SUE ADAMS RECENTLY BEGAN work as a 24-hour nurse practitioner within the Masters health center.

Profile: Sue Adams, newly-appointed nurse amina Choudhry

Web Design Editor As cold and flu season rolls in, Sue Adams, Masters’ newly appointed nurse practitioner, has had a very busy season. For many years, sick boarding students after hours were often plagued with the decision of ignoring illness or getting sent to the ER. Students felt that Masters lacked middle ground. “Particularly as a freshmen, it’s hard when you’re just learning how to take care of yourself to be able to gauge the severity of the situation and whether you really needed the EMT,” senior and Border Representative Bridget Slakas said. That’s where Adams comes in.

Adams’ job differs from Tara Eng’s, the school nurse, in that she diagnoses and prescribes medicine.

Head of Residential Life Dena Torino noted that Adams has been an amazing asset. “She’s on call and she’s closer to the school than the EMTs ever were and hopefully next year she can be on campus,” Torino

said.

“As an AOD (Administrator on Duty) I feel so much better supported knowing that if somebody is sick or injured there’s an immediate course of action,” Torino added.

On weekdays, Adams arrives at the Health center at 1 p.m. and stays until 8 p.m. But, she is on call 24 hours a-day.

“Masters knew that they needed to augment health services and extend hours, so they decided to seek out a nurse practitioner. My main goal as 8 p.m. rolls around is to make sure everyone is able to go back to their dorms feeling safe and comfortable,” Adams said.

Adams is well-seasoned in working at schools. She worked as a nurse practitioner to the medical director in the City School District of New Rochelle for five years. After, she became the Health Services Coordinator in the Byram Hills Central School District. Prior to coming to Masters, she was the lead nurse practitioner at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center.

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

GROUPS OF ALL AGES rallied together at the third annual Women’s March, advocating for women’s rights. After three years, the March has received harsh criticism, and raised many questions about the role of feminism in today’s society. Women’s March attendees, teachers, and GALs members within the Masters community (as well as other academic institutions and non-profit organizations) respond to such questions, and reflect upon the importance of feminism.

TOWER/FEBRUARY 8, 2019

9

FEATURES AND ARTS

Masters experiences government shutdown in airports Maxwell Goldrich Staff Manager After Congress and the President failed to come to a final Appropriations agreement—an agreement regarding the total of assets devoted to funding the government —on Dec. 22, 2018, the government commenced a partial shutdown that became the longest-lasting shutdown in U.S. history at 35 days. The shutdown mainly impacted the running of the Transport Security Administration (TSA); according to CBS, between 200 and 300 agents called in sick as a symbol of protest against the government shutdown and demand for their hard-earned paychecks. While most Americans did not feel the direct impact of this shutdown, many members of the Masters community did.

Junior Brian Margolis saw this absence firsthand in early January when he traveled to Ohio. “Although I haven’t seen a significant decrease in TSA workers, security lines were moving much slower than normal and there appeared to be reduced morale as the agents

were particularly indifferent to travellers.”

Freshman Lily Schwartz also saw a decline in TSA members in U.S. airports when she traveled to Argentina in late December.

“In America, I saw that the lines were very long because only one or two people would be working, but when I went to Argentina, this had

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“Security lines were moving much slower than normal. The agents were particularly indifferent to travellers.

- BRIAN MARGOLIS ‘20

no effect on their airport system,” Schwartz said.

Junior Zeynep Ozturk, an international student from Turkey, noticed the change in TSA airport security in early January when she traveled back to the U.S. “U.S. Customs lines are typically very long, but this time it was even longer. They kept calling for agents to open up more lines; but it was hard to find officers.”

Another international student, junior Eiler Byberi, also noticed a difference in TSA agents in early January when traveling back to the U.S. from Albania. “Though there were noticeably fewer TSA agents, security screenings were carried out normally. It just took much longer.”

In a phone interview with a TSA customer service member, Tiffany (who requested that her surname remain anonymous), mentioned that the government shutdown did not impact her paycheck. She spends her day answering questions about airport security on the TSA helpline. “Since I am a contracted member of TSA, the government keeps paying me.” This shows that not everyone at TSA is impacted equally.

Apart from impacting TSA agents, security sections of airports have closed off. At Atlanta Airport, and Houston Airport, travellers were dismissed from being checked, skyrocketing the risk of danger. In addition, Miami Airport was temporarily shutdown, causing an unscheduled burden to travelers.

LaGuardia Airport was forced to shut down on Friday, Jan. 25th

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

AIRPORT LINES MOVE SLOWLY as TSA suffers hundreds of employee absences during the government shut down. due to a shortage of TSA employees. Arriving flights were delayed two hours and departing flights were stalled for one. Many political pundits pointed to the shutdown of LaGuardia as the tipping point for President Trump, forcing him to sign a three-week continuing

resolution to fund the government until Feb. 15. If a compromise is not made, the financial pain experienced by the TSA agents as well as the inconvenience of travellers in the domestic United States may return.

DOPA opens orchestra pit for the first time in 22 years Jacob Kriss Web Production Manager During the 142 years since Masters founding, many gems have come into existence within our extensive campus. One of these gems hidden with time and a perceived lack of purpose is the orchestra pit located in the Claudia Boettcher Theatre, which has recently been opened after over 22 years of disuse.

The 450-seat theater is in constant employment as a gathering place for the entirety of the Upper School, ex-

cept during Morning Meeting, when three-quarters of the ninth graders are seated in the Experimental Theater. Events in the theater such as Musical Mondays as well as varying performances showcasing Masters’ actors, musicians, singers and dancers shows the potential that the orchestra pit’s impact will have on Masters through the performing arts.

The orchestra pit has been utilized in Masters’ history during productions such as “Once upon a Mattress” and “Sweet Charity,” both of which were performed while Masters was still an all-girls school. In recent

years and following a large growth in the student body, productions like these that use orchestras have been

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JACOB KRISS/TOWER

“The pit avoids the orchestra being put in a corner of the audience, and will allow for their most efficient postitioning during performances.”

- AMANDA LABONTE

deterred by the lack of available space. With the opening of the pit the Department of Performing Arts

(DOPA) is hopeful that upcoming productions will greatly benefit from the new addition to the theatre.

Following the removal of the thrust stage, the metal stage extension which was above the pit prior to the summer of 2018, DOPA decided to utilize the orchestra pit in performances this school year. The utilization of the pit was not only a result of the removal of the thrust stage by Craig Dunne, Head of Engineering and Maintenance, and his crew, but also a planned solution to the lack of space for the orchestra during performances in recent years. “The pit avoids the orchestra being put in a

JACOB KRISS/TOWER

corner in the audience (at the front edge of the stage) and will allow for their most efficient positioning during performances,” Amanda Labonte,Technical Director of Upper School Theatre said.

The upcoming musical “Fiddler on the Roof” will be the first production to make use of the pit since it was last open in 1996. Many are anticipating the influence of the pit in this upcoming performance. Sophomore Sachi Singh, a performer in the musical, said, “The pit will make the sound quality more professional and is a great opportunity for us to use as much space as we can.”

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

TEAM BEGINS WORK ON reopening orchestra pit after previously re- ORCHESTRA PIT IS CLEANED out after lid is demolished by team ORCHESTRATION FOR WINTER MUSICAL, Fiddler on the Roof, is assemmoving thrust from the feront of the Claudia Boettcher Theatre stage. led by Craig Dunne, Head of Engineering and Maintenance. bled in the newly-opened orchestra pit.

Masters works to advertise in competitive marketplace Jacob strier News Design Editor To promote itself within the TriState area’s competitive arena of educational options, Masters buys advertisements to market itself and attract prospective students to Dobbs.

Director of Marketing Bob Horne, who has a background in advertising, helps to spearhead efforts to expand interest in Masters through thoughtful marketing. “Our goal is not only to build overall brand awareness, but to encourage people to take action,” he said. “Action” might mean a visit the website to learn more, making a call or signing up for an Open House.

Horne said that informing prospective families about the school philosophy, teaching methodology, and signature programs of Masters is key, especially given what he described as a “competitive marketplace.”

Local public schools and a myriad of nearby private schools add competition to that marketplace, so Horne works to expand interest through both digital and print advertising, complementing the in-person outreach done by the admissions department.

According to Horne, Masters’ marketing focus has been shifting

toward the digital front in recent years through Facebook and Instagram, as well as Internet searchbased advertising.

On the popular website Niche (niche.com), which releases private school rankings, Masters subscribes to a premium listing to provide online viewers with a more “robust experience,” according to Horne. This means there is more Masters-related content for a reader to view. “As a result, we are receiving substan-

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“There are a number of audiences we are trying to reach.

We look to tailor our messages to resonate with these various audiences.”

- BOB HORNE

tially more clicks to our Niche profile than other local schools,” Horne said.

When people make Internet searches for private schools, they may also be greeted by paid advertisements for Masters. “We buy Google ads to supplement our organic Google search results,” Horne said.

In print publications, which include the Hudson Valley Magazine and Westchester Magazine, Horne said advertisements display diverse groups of students.

“A particular challenge for us is that there are a number of different audiences we are trying to reach: Middle and Upper School Day, Upper School Domestic Boarding and International Boarding. We look to tailor our messages to resonate with these various audiences,” Horne said. Advertisements are catered to the audience most likely to view them, while a core theme remains the same.

According to Horne, this core theme includes the idea of both balance and multidimensionality, which is accentuated by various features of the campus, such as the Fonseca Center, which blends arts and athletics into one physical facility.

Digital Communications Coordinator Isaac Cass contributes to presenting this core theme of Masters through his work documenting life at Masters through digital media. Referring to the school calendar, Cass photographs and videotapes important events, such as sports games or arts productions. “The school has so much to offer,” Cass said. “If you follow what is going on, the content presents itself,” he added.

Also important in marketing content-creation is consistency; for example, slogans such as “Discover your might,” can be found throughout Masters promotional materials.

The saying also greets visitors to the

school website, and a printed version on the wall welcomes newcomers to Masters Hall. This consistency is important “not only in messaging, but in visual impression,” Horne said.

On the international front, Horne said that most marketing is done by the Admissions Department, which attends school fairs and meets with educational consultants and placement personnel abroad.

According to Horne, print and digital advertising is not carried out to the same extent abroad as it is stateside given the resources required to effectively reach the large number of

countries from where Masters draw students. The website does, however, reach students internationally.

Google analytics shows Horne that there is extensive viewership of the site from multiple nations abroad.

Spending is an important consideration when approaching marketing. “Part of my role is to optimize the money that we do spend, it involves a lot of negotiation,” Horne said. “Too many schools are complacent. I try to make our money work as hard and efficiently for us as we can,” he added.

ALEXANDRA BENTZIEN/TOWER

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING BOB Horne oversees a Westchester Magazine photoshoot at Masters, the magazine is reporting on private schools in the New York area. Presenting the school in a positive light is an integral facet of marketing.

10

SPORTS

TOWER/FEBRUARY 8, 2019

Masters athletes showcase talents off-campus At school, students are on the field, in the pool and on the court – outside of school, they ride horses, ski down mountains, race on water and more.

All stories on this page are written by: AlexAndrA Bentzien & logAn SchiciAno Editor-in-Chief and Sports Design Editor

Brieant perfecting craft, swimming in-sync Sculling, hypoxia, drill hy- movements with hands and arms. brids – it’s vocabulary that’s forBrieant’s team competes on the eign to most, but not to synchro- US National Level, with competinized swimmer and senior Emily tions taking place across the counBrieant. Synchro has been a part try in states like Arizona, Califorof Brieant’s life since she was in nia and Texas. Two routines are first grade, when one Saturday required, one free, without any morning her mother woke her up required elements, and one techniand took her to the YWCA to join cal, where a group of judges score a newly-formed youth competitive based on a combination of height, team. “And here I am, still going on verticality, speed and difficulty for Saturday morning!” Brieant said. a sequence of required patterns.

Synchronized swimming is a Each judging group focuses on a combination of speed swimming, different aspect during the comgymnastics and dance, combin- petition, either execution, artistic ing skills of endurance, strength impression, or difficulty. According and performance artistry. Though to Brieant, the judging can somecompetitive routines are usually times be subjective depending on around five a judge’s perminutes in “I THINK THAT SYNCHRO DEFINITELY RELIEVES A sonal taste in length, hunLOT OF STRESS. I HAVE A MORE BALANCED STATE OF music and fadreds of hours MIND AND I DON’T STRESS AS EASILY AS I WOULD IF cial and physiare dedicatI DIDN’T HAVE AN OUTLET TO CHANNEL ANY EMOcal expression. ed to training TION THAT I FEEL.” “I think the and practice. best part is Currently, - EMILY BRIEANT ‘19 the feeling afBrieant swims ter you swim with the New Canaan Aquianas your routine with your teammates five to six times a week, practicing at a competition. It’s very powerful two to four hours at a time without once you finish because it requires breaks. everyone’s effort and energy; you “I think synchro is the quintes- have to be on the same wavelength sential team sport. There’s such a in the water for five minutes while unique connection you form with holding your breath,” Brieant said. your teammates, because you know Over the years, Brieant has the pain and the sacrifice and the managed to balance an intense discomfort you feel while swim- commitment to synchronized ming,” Brieant said. swimming through time managePractice takes place mostly in ment and balancing schoolwork. the water to take advantage of the Brieant did most of her studying pool time, since land exercises – and homework in the car, learning training strength and flexibility to write and read on the road. “You through stretching and leg and ab really become a master at doing workouts – can be done individ- work in the car,” Brieant said. “I ually. To warm up, the team will have steady hands!” swim lap sets, then move on to hySince Brieant started driving poxia drills, which train lungs and herself to practice, she has had less breathing endurance. To perfect time to be productive in transit, but the routine, the team will then fo- still values the experience of syncus on specific drills, including do- chronized swimming. “I think that ing underwater choreography se- synchro definitely relieves a lot quences with a weight belt or ankle of stress. I have a more balanced weights while sculling in order to state of mind and I don’t stress as strengthen leg muscles and perfect easily as I would if I didn’t have an verticality. Practice takes place outlet to channel any emotion that on land to memorize the patterns I feel,” Brieant said. of the routine, mimicking the leg

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Joffe, on horseback, jumps for joy, precision Plane rides down to Wellington, stronger as a person. It teaches me anxiety,” she said.

Fla. are a staple of sophomore Eliz- that in life, not everyone is going to “Ducky” (whose show name is abeth Joffe’s routine in the winter- like you, but all you can do is your “Celebrate”) is Joffe’s current horse, time. She travels down to The Sun- best,” she said. who she’s been riding since Oct.. She shine State on many weekends to Another interesting nuance of explained the importance of a strong show in horseback riding.

Joffe’s shows is that she does not relationship with the horse, “It’s not Joffe, who has been riding for know the course until about five like a person, you can’t communisix years, explained that her love minutes before she competes. She cate through words. I try to spend for horses sparked following a fam- has very little time to learn the a lot of time to bond with my horse ily trip to Oregon, where she took route and the obstacles she will face. because if they don’t trust you and a trail-ride out in the country and Joffe manages to work around this you don’t trust them, you’re not goreally enjoyed the trill of riding and challenge: “While it’s a little stress- ing to be able to perform well.” Deinteracting with the animals. She ful, I’ve learned how to control my spite Joffe only riding Ducky for a began taking lessons relatively short time, the and soon after, began connection between the her competitive career. two has paid off. Joffe Currently, Joffe comwon two first place ribpetes in the Low Chilbons over winter break dren’s Hunters Class, riding her new horse. an event that stresses When the weather the importance of, “the is more pleasant, Jofhorse and the rider fe rides back home at being connected and Harkaway Farm in in sync. It’s all about North Salem, N.Y. Comfinesse and style,” Jofpeting in local competife said. She explained tions, she also has the that each competitor opportunity to ride for is judged during these about two hours, four two-day competitions, days a week. She noted and the rider with the that this time is spent in highest point total at more ways than physithe end of the two days cally being on the horse, is the champion. including grooming, She also noted that tacking [equipping acthe judges in her parcessories to the horse inticular event tend to cluding stirrups, saddle, be very subjective. “If etc.] and taking care of someone doesn’t like the horse. my horse, I might not “It’s more to it than PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY JOFFE fancy clothes, and horswin, even though I had a great round.” That ELIZABETH JOFFE SITS ATOP her hourse, Ducky, after a riding es, and going to Florida. said, this only encour- lesson at her barn in Wellington, Fla. Joffe flys to Florida on many It takes a lot of dedicaages Joffe.“It makes me weekends during the summer to train and show. tion,” she said.

Shelley stroking into competition

Taking a boat out on the water is an activity that many people do for leisure, but freshman Kayla Shelley is preparing to dive into competition. Although she only began rowing last year, Shelley has really taken interest in the sport.

While she does play volleyball and swims, she explained her reasoning for giving crew a try. “I really wanted to do a team sport that is mostly focused on the team. Rowing is one of those sports that if someone doesn’t pick up their game, the whole team suffers. It’s important to make sure everyone works together, or else you don’t go anywhere,” Shelley said.

Shelley noted that she participates

in the sport during the spring, practicing three times a week. While she has not yet competed (she plans to do so this year), she has taken a lot away from the time spent training, including getting closer with the members of her team, Rockland Rowing. “Because we are constantly relying on and communicating with each other, I’ve been able to make some great friends on my team,” she said.

Shelley also enjoys the nature that surrounds her while rowing. “I do love where the sport takes place. It is so nice to be out in the spring air, and being on the water is really relaxing. It is beautiful to be surrounded by so many trees and it is really pretty when the sun

Mann dedicates herself to a skier’s mentality Ski racing is certainly a dangerous feat, with the possibility of spinning out of control and crashing at any moment; however, for sophomore Francesca Mann, this is the aspect of the sport that she cherishes. “It’s such a thrilling sport. Flying down the course on two wooden boards is really spectacular. The wind hitting your face, going as fast as you can, is such a great feeling,” she said.

Mann, who began skiing when she was four and dove into competition at the age of seven, currently races for the Catamount Mountain alpine racing team.

She makes the trek to various mountains on race days, which are almost every weekend during the season. Mann also noted that she wakes up at 4:30 A.M. or 5:00 A.M. to drive at least two hours to her competitions.

Mann competes in three events: slalom, giant slalom (GS) and super giant slalom (super-G). While all the events involve skiing between gates, they have their distinct differences. “Slalom has the tightest and quickest turns since the gates are very close together.

It’s more like a dance.” Mann added, “In GS, the gates are slightly farther apart than in slalom and you have longer skis. Super-G is considered more of a speed event,” she said.

When Mann is not racing, she is training, which entails a lengthy and rigorous schedule as well.

She reflected on the challenge of balancing her time, “I do most of my homework in the car (which is very difficult because it’s hard to focus), or I might even do it during

lunch; I’ll bring my laptop and backpack to the mountain and do my homework in the lodge.” In addition, Mann explained that getting a good night’s sleep and going to bed at a reasonable hour is critical, especially since she has a lot of early mornings.

Even when the snow melts in

the east, Mann is still looking to improve. She goes out to Mt. Hood, Ore. every-other summer and Copper Mountain in Colorado during Thanksgiving break to prepare herself for the upcoming season. She is also on the indoor-track team at Masters this winter to condition.

Mann noted that while skiing has a lot of challenges, importance of a positive mentality is critical. “Skiing is mainly mental.

Since it’s such a dangerous sport, it’s tough to stay focused. You have to understand that while you’re risking a lot, you still have to go your fastest.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF CURTIS

SOPHOMORE FRANCESCA MANN EDGES into a turn during a qualifying run at the U16/U19 Susan Shanahan Memorial.

The race, which took place earlier this month, was in the giant slalom discipline.

starts to go down,” she said.

Crew is based on speed: whichever person/team rows the fastest to a certain point is the winner. That said, speed is reliant on precision, efficiency and intentionality when it comes to movements. According to Shelley, this is not always easy to achieve. “It’s hard to keep up the pace because everything is moving so quickly. If your hand slips, the oar will shoot back and hit you in the face. That is why you need to pay close attention and you’ll get the hang of it,” she said. Shelley also explained that, “while the sport is not necessarily energy draining, you need to have good endurance to have prolonged success.”

Moguls motivate freshman Lavery Freshman Morghan Lavery has been skiing before she could walk.

She began skiing competitively at age six, competing in the alpine discipline before switching to mogul skiing two years later. Currently, she competes and trains with the Killington Mountain Club ski team in Vermont, driving up each weekend beginning at the start of December.

Competitions normally take one to two days: on the first, skiers will take the first run, and depending on the time of their run will advance to the performance cut on the second day, where the top-ranked will compete against the lowest-rank in one-on-one duels. 60 percent of the score is based on turns, 20 percent is jumps, and 20 percent is speed.

Lavery tries to balance her academics with the large time commitment to mogul skiing during her commute, during which she will either sleep or do homework.

“It messes up my sleep schedule sometimes, but it’s worth it,” Lavery said.

For Lavery, being on the club team is “almost like going to a second school,” with the same amount of ups and downs. Lavery has learned to stick together with the girls on her team, who make up a minority of the team. “I’ve made most of my best friends there,” Lavery said.

Lavery currently competes in her club’s A-Team, which is one level below the NorAm, the world cup circuit for U.S. and Canadian skiers. Her team is divided into two groups: those who train with the club team, and those who attend the Killington Mountain School, where students train everyday with the hope of one day competing in the world cup circuit or at the Olympics.

TOWER/FEBRUARY 8, 2019

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Sports analysis: Uneventful Super Bowl prolongs Patriots’ dynasty Shawn Farhadian Lead Sports Editor For the better part of 40 years, the New England Patriots had struggled to find their footing. They repeatedly failed to make Super Bowl appearances, produce true Hall-of-Fame-caliber talent, draft wisely, win games and become one of the dominant, storied franchises of the National Football League (NFL).

On Sunday, the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII and solidified themselves as arguably the greatest organization in the history of football.

Led by quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots will now boast six Super Bowl rings, tying a record held by the Pittsburgh Steelers. All six championships have taken place in the 21st century under Brady and Belichick’s watch.

Although this is the Patriots’ sixth win in nineteen seasons, Super Bowl LIII marked their ninth appearance in that same span, the most out of any other NFL team. And despite being one of the lowest scoring and lowest rated Super Bowls ever, the win has forced football enthusiasts in 44 American states to join New England in admitting that Brady is the best quarterback―if not the best player overall―to ever wear a football helmet.

Indeed, Brady, Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft have established a dynasty within a relatively short

amount of time, puzzling the brass and fanbases of the other 31 NFL teams in New England’s shadow. The success has been attributed to shear brilliance, innate talent, and simply pure luck, but an exact reason has never been pinpointed to this day.

In fact, multiple changes in ownership, coaches and playing venues were the most newsworthy headlines surrounding the Patriots for the majority of its existence. Businessman Billy Sullivan, the first owner of the team, was financially crippled by a 1984 tour

by The Jackson 5. When Michael Jackson refused to bail him out, Sullivan was forced to sell the team in 1988 to Victor Kiam, the magnate behind Remington razor blades, who also sold the team later in 1992 to James Orthwein, another businessman known for his lineage to the Anheuser-Busch brewing company. Sullivan owned the Patriots’ home stadium in addition to the team, but lost that in bankruptcy as well, this time to Kraft.

Kraft took advantage of his position as the landlord of what was then Foxboro Stadium to angle himself towards a purchase of the Patriots franchise itself, which he purchased from Orthwein in 1994. In 2000, after hiring Belichick, the Patriots drafted six players ahead of Brady, who was selected with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of that year’s NFL Draft from the University of Michigan. Brady introduced himself to Kraft as “the best decision [the Patriots] will ever make” instead of his own name when they

first met.

However, it was nearly impossible for anyone to see that claim turn into reality. Brady checked into a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 23, 2001 to replace Drew Bledsoe, the Patriots’ starting quarterback who suffered internal bleeding on a brutal hit, and kept the starting quarterback job for the rest of that year. Subsequently, the San Mateo, Calif. native won Super Bowl XXXVI as the game’s most valuable player (MVP) against the Rams, who were located in St. Louis, Mo. at the time.

Brady’s illustrious career has allowed him to hold multiple individual regular season, postseason and Super Bowl records, including most regular season games won by a quarterback, most postseason touchdowns and passing yards, and of course, most Super Bowl wins by a player. Likewise, Belichick has won the Associated Press’ NFL Coach of the Year award three times, most recently in 2010, and has also won two Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 1986 and 1990, respectively.

Similarly to the game itself, Brady’s latest championship performance was not, by any means, spectacular―he did not become the game’s MVP or throw a touchdown―as both the Patriots and the Rams displayed stellar defensive showings. But the Patriots were not, by any means, favorites to even make it to the Super Bowl when the season began, and were considered underdogs for the first time in recent memory.

JEFFREY BEALL/WIKIMEDIA

PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY prepares to play against the Denver Broncos in late 2011. Brady recently won his sixth Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams.

Nonetheless, just like they have done throughout the past nineteen seasons, Brady, Belichick and Kraft find a way to get the job done by prioritizing winning over everything else. Despite being marred by various cheating scandals, including ones involving illegal methods of spying on opponents’ practices and the deflation of footballs, the positive image of the Patriots today is far different than that of the Sullivan era.

Coach Belichick bluntly repeated the words of the Patriots’ fan base to the entire nation after winning his

sixth Super Bowl with New England to remind those who still have doubts about Brady’s age of 41 years and the fate of this dynasty. “Everybody counted us out from the beginning of the season,” Belichick said. “But we’re still here.”

That statement will be tested when the 2019 season kicks off in September, but as of now, Brady is a winner again, Belichick continues to show off his coaching prowess, Kraft maintains his stature as one of the best owners in the sports world and the Patriots remain victorious once again.

Saturday practices make up for lost time and improve technique Elijah EmEry Sports Design Editor Saturday mornings are a time to relax and sleep in for most in the Masters community, but a handful of students spend their Saturday mornings on campus participating in practices for either the boys’ varsity basketball or swim teams. Coaches of both sports—Matthew Kammrath for basketball and Susan “Huddles” Greally for swim—say such practices are essential.

For boys’ basketball, Saturday practices are mandatory and take place every week between 12-2 p.m., allowing the team to make up for time lost due to games during the week. Most practices take place early in the season, Kammrath said. “From a coach’s perspective, practices are particularly important in the beginning because you’re trying to get ready and the first game is in like two weeks. An extra practice can make a huge difference in preparing for the first chunk of the season,” Kammrath said. The amount of practices slow down later in the season, he added. “I would say they’re less essential later on in the year, but you also get a lot of games, so you don’t have any practices happening.”

Kammrath pointed to a recent week as a time when Saturday practices might be useful. “We had a game Friday, a game Saturday, a day off Sunday, a game Mon-

day, and a game Wednesday—all cially encouraged to come. Swim Again, Saturday practices are time. “Swim practice on Saturdays these games in a row without any practices last two hours, from 10 used to make up for the time is essential because the number practice, so sometimes it’s good to a.m. to around 12 p.m. that is lost during the week. “We one thing is to stay in shape, and just get in the gym and work on Greally emphasizes that the don’t have the full two hours oth- we don’t get to work on technique the things that aren’t going well.” goals of Saturday practices are er teams have, only an hour and that much, so Saturdays are the Yet, Kammrath added, there are different from weekday ones. “Sat- a half because a team comes in perfect time to practice flip turns, usually five or fewer Saturday urday practices are more about after. We get plenty done in the breathing patterns, and to perfect practices per year simply because technique than getting in a lot of hour and half, but it’s nice to get our technique,” Diaz said. of the way the game schedule yardage—we work on what the that sixth day. We would otherBoys’ varsity basketball and works out. kids who come to Saturday prac- wise do more technique if we had the boys’ and girls’ swim teams Players agree that practices tices want to work on,” Greally the full two hours, so the extra will look to close their respective are necessary, even though the said. Due to the optional nature of day is extremely beneficial,” Gre- seasons on high notes this month commute can be difficult for many the practices, attendance is fairly ally explained. with the help of a little extra repday students. Senior Fritz Pingel, low, so there is much more indiBoys’ swim captain Marcus Diaz etition and conditioning on the who has a 25 minute commute to vidual attention, Greally added. also values this extra practice weekends. school, admits that coming in on Saturdays can be difficult. “Saturday practice means getting up earlier, having to get to school, and getting home, though I do believe that the effects of those extra practices are manifested in games and practices. There is less of a drop off following weekends, and practices help keep stamina up,” Pingel said.

The experience for swim’s Saturday practices is very different.

Their practices are VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER optional, though MASTERS SWIMMERS WARM UP in the pool during one of their many Saturday morning practices. According to head coach Susan “Huddles” according to junior Greally, practices on Saturdays are focused more on technical skills than on endurance, allowing members of both varsity teams to focus Sophie Rühlmann, further on their personal goals in the pool. Boys’ varsity basketball also holds practices on Saturdays. boarders are espe-

Boys team shoots through tough times TylEr Conway Lead Web Editor As the winter season approaches the halfway point, Masters’ Boys’ Varsity basketball team is working relentlessly on ways to improve and win more games down the home stretch.

With a current standing record of seven wins and eleven losses, the team is not currently on track to meet or to exceed their 2018 record of 22-6, although they are constantly making tweaks and changes to try and replicate last year’s championship-win-

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VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

SENIOR KACHIKWU UGOCHUKWU PUTS up a shot in a game against Rye Country Day School. The Panthers are currently standing at a record of 7-11, with three wins and seven losses against Fairchester Athletic Association opponents.

The team has relentlessly focused on tweaking and improving the team since winning the NYSAIS trophy last year.

ning season. The squad attributes some of the problems they have faced early on to alterations that have been made to the team since claiming the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) trophy.

“We’re a smaller team than last year, which changes the way we play.” senior point guard Rashid Woods said. “We lost a couple starters from last year and we lost a lot of big upperclassmen coming off the bench.”

Since last year, the team lost starting junior power forward, Nick Rivera, and starting shooting guard, Sebastian Pacheco. Both students were new to Masters last year and contributed heavily to the team’s success.

The team’s shift to a younger and smaller core has interfered with their ability to rebound and defend, among other facets of the game.

The upside of the team’s youth is that they will be more experienced than the juniors and seniors that have played in years past, as they will have had more in-game time to hone in on their skills by their se-

nior year. There are currently seven underclassmen on boys’ varsity basketball, a big change from last year’s three underclassmen, which will likely prove useful to the team in coming years as their young players progress to become bigger, more complete athletes.

Despite their inconsistent start to the season, the program has made changes in the way they practice and play to improve their current standing in the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) rankings. “Since we’re smaller than before, we’ve been working a lot on rebounding as a team and implementing more guard play. A lot of our early games were against the best schools in the league, so we think we’ll improve our record after playing the bottom half of the league,” said sophomore guard Isaiah Thompson.

Boys’ varsity basketball’s next game is against The Brunswick School on Feb. 12, as they look to implement the changes they’ve made in practice and recreate the success of last year’s team.

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Family atmosphere and Squash team falls short at champs spirit propel swim team Shawn Farhadian Lead Sports Editor

nora FellaS Contributing Writter

M

single day,” Diaz said.

The physical activity required for the sport sounds daunting, but the team’s chemistry helps alleviate the typical aches and sores that come with the intense races. “Breaks between sets at practice [are] always full of laughs,” captain Maeve Smith said. Smith hopes that the team, “will do better at championships this year since [they] have much better stats going in.”

Although the girls’ and boys’ teams compete separately, practices are always co-ed, involving more than 60 swimmers. “It’s so nice being able to have a relationship with not only those in your age [group], but people of all different ages,” sophomore Carly Grizzaffi said.

The influx of new swimmers includes some notable highlights: junior Sophie Ruehlmann broke the record for the 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard butterfly, and 200 freestyle, while sophomore Vasilisa Ioukhnovets broke the record for the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle.

Both teams will have their final regular season meet at home against Hamden Hall Country Day School on Feb. 9 before taking on fellow Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) and New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) teams in two respective championships.

asters’ two varsity swim teams are gliding their way through the Hamill Natatorium with ease this year, fueled by contagious support from each teammate and with veteran leadership. Masters’ swim team has only been around for four years, but this year’s swimmers are eager to make a name for themselves―the girls’ team has won five out of their last ten meets, and the boys have won two out of four.

Varsity swimmer Ella Furniss has been swimming on various teams for over eleven years and recently broke the record for the 100 yard breaststroke. “I can quite honestly say that the Masters’ swim team has the most encouraging environment I’ve ever experienced,” Furniss said. “The camaraderie aspect is so unique because swimming is a totally independent sport, but you’re part of a team as well.”

This sentiment is echoed by team captain Marcus Diaz. “We are a tight knit community. [Swimming] is special because of the family aspect―we are always hyping each other up and cheering for each other, which really pushes everyone on the team to do their best.”

Diaz added that working with such a large group and with younger swimmers gives him hope for the future as he has embraced the role of being a “motivator” for the team. Diaz just broke the team’s record for 50 yard freestyle, but explained that swimming is incredibly VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER challenging because of JUNIOR SOPHIE RUEHLMANN GLIDES across the pool the amount of stress during a meet. Masters’ boys’ and girls’ swim teams have that it puts on your both been feeding off of each other’s contagious energy, body. “You use every which has directly led to postive results. single muscle every

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his past weekend, Masters’ boys’ varsity squash team traveled to central Connecticut to compete in the 2019 HEAD United States High School Team Squash Championships despite facing looming injuries and intense competition. The tournament as a whole featured more than 1,400 athletes playing for glory, but seven Masters students took their opponents head on, starting the weekend off as the number one seed in their first main draw.

The squad, featuring team captain Youssef Aly, George Chang, Taha Dinana, Mitch Fink, Noel Gorodetsky, Ben Miller and Garrett Wenberg, notably missed sophomore Reed Gilmore, junior Nouran Youssef and senior Thomas West. Youssef had been a nationally ranked player for her age group by US Squash.

“We knew we had a tough run ahead of us,” Aly said.

“Our first match was going to be difficult, regardless of the fact that a few players VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER weren’t here.” Masters competed against Tabor Acade- SENIOR NOEL GORODETSKY PREPARES to hit a squash ball during a home game. Despite inmy in their first match as the juries and intense competition, the team competed in the 2019 HEAD United States High School number one seed, but lost six Team Squash Championships, and is looking forward to the FAA league tournament. to one, with Wenberg holding the Panthers’ sole win in that lots of positives off the court, as the new team members, and we contest. Tabor would go on to win the seven members continued to still played our hardest, which Masters’ draw. strengthen their bonds amidst a was the best part,” Dinana said.

Masters could not muster a col- hard fought tournament. “I think Dinana is currently ranked as the lective team win against Brooks everyone really played to their ninth-best U17 boys squash player School following the Tabor Acade- best, and the players who weren’t in the nation. my loss, but did see plenty of high- in the starting seven stepped up Boys’ varsity squash will comlights, including a 4-3 victory over and filled those shoes well,” Aly pete in their Fairchester Athletic Suffield Academy. Aly, Dinana, said. “Everybody had really good Association (FAA) league tournaGorodetsky and Wenberg all won sportsmanship and everyone tried ment at Brunswick School today their matches against the Suffield their hardest, so I’m happy with and Monday, Feb. 11 as they look Tigers. that outcome.” towards more favorable results Moreover, the team experienced “I had a lot of fun bonding with against local rival schools.

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