Tower Issue #3 2016-2017

The Masters School

49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522

Tower

VOLUME 73, NUMBER 3

Editorial As the end of the semester approaches, students feel inundated with work in all classes. The added stress of assignments over break detracts from the idea of a relaxing vacation. The homework policy conflicts with Masters’ emphasis on maintaining mental health.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 16, 2016

tower.mastersny.org

Trump endangers foreign policy LEo Psaros Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO COURTESY OF NADINE BURNS-LYONS

FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS, The Sharing Community has been serving holiday meals for those with no other place to go. Due to lack of funding, the Soup Kitchen might have to close its doors for good, and hundreds of families will be forced to find a warm meal elsewhere.

Sharing Community lacks funding The Sharing Community has already experienced cuts to several parts of the organization. In May, it had to close the Homeless Outreach Services Team Program (HOST). The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HOST’s funder, declared that it no longer wanted to pay for these types of support services. Before HOST was cut, the soup kitchen had to alter its hours, from accommodating lunch for 200 people a day for seven days a week, to only five days a week.

“Changing its hours could really help cut down their budget a lot. There’s a chance that it could save The Sharing Community,” junior Ariella Rusoff, the Sharing Community’s liaison to Masters, said.

Nadine Burns-Lyons, The Sharing Community’s Executive Director since 2014, said, “If we cannot raise about $200,000 fairly quickly, we may have to

Emma Luis Web Editor The holiday season isn’t the holiday season without a freshly cooked meal on the table and being surrounded by people who truly care. This isn’t any exception for The Sharing Community Soup Kitchen, the only place in the lower Westchester area where one can get a hot meal five days a week, compared to the two days a week at any other soup kitchen. For over 30 years, The Sharing Community has been serving hundreds of men, women and children who have nowhere else to go to get their holiday meal. Members of the Masters community have been frequent volunteers at The Sharing Community in the past years, but this upcoming holiday season could be the last for the soup kitchen.

close the soup kitchen in 2017, but we are not sure exactly when that would be since we have been receiving more contributions lately.” The Sharing Community is determined to raise the necessary funding; however, the cost of a professional fundraiser is too expensive and the limited staff and recourses that The Sharing Community has is nowhere near enough.

The Sharing Community has made a large impact on a huge amount of people by keeping families well fed, serving more than 1,500 lunches a year, by keeping people off of the streets, and housing 17 men in their shelter. Rusoff added, “It would be a huge loss to the community. There’s not another location within walking distance from these people, so a lot of people will be without food, or a home.”

The election of Donald Trump has raised great concerns on the domestic front. However, the president-elect’s foreign policy is often overlooked. Though his thoughts on international relations can often be outlandish and unpredictable, for example, his recent call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, some of his proposals, such as ones on bilateral trade, are practical and wellthought out. However, Trump’s recent appointment of CEO of ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson, as Secretary of State is problematic as Tillerson has no political experience and has close ties to Russia. Due to problems like these, along with Trump’s irrationality, many international relations scholars from the left and right alike question Trump’s U.S. foreign policy.

The first point on Trump’s campaign website on foreign policy reads, “Peace through strength will be at the center of our foreign policy.” The idea of peace through strength and utilizing America’s unipolar position of power on a global scale is very prominent in Trump’s foreign policy. By this notion, foreign relations analysts would label Trump to be almost a realist. The basic ideology of realism is prioritizing a nation’s success over all others. This ideology strongly correlates to Trump’s, which according to him, “will

always put the interests of the American people and American security first.”

Another key issue in Trump’s campaign was ISIS. The Islamic State is such a key issue to Trump that his campaign website’s section on foreign policy is titled “Foreign Policy and Defeating ISIS.” Trump has vowed to “knock the hell out of ISIS” by putting American troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria. However, to many, the invasion of ISIS strongholds in the Middle East are reminiscent of the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq in the past decade.

“Putting American troops in Iraq and Syria to combat ISIS would be a disaster. If we learned anything from Afghanistan and Iraq is that hard power can’t fix infrastructure, economic growth and culture. I don’t see any rationality in us getting involved in the Middle East again unless we have some clear form of clear exit strategy and a means to lay the foundation for an ideological shift,” International Relations teacher, Brendon Barrios said.

While Trump seems to focus on trade and American hegemony, his specific ideas on foreign policy are mostly rhetoric. However, his “America first” ideology on foreign policy is likely to be a guiding principle over his tenure as president.

Potential changes in policy could trump Cuba trip PhiL minton Opinion Editor Fidel Castro is a name that ignites strong feelings in people all over the world. Castro died on Nov. 25 due to an undisclosed reason. Immediately the news was heard around the world and was celebrated by many different people. While citizens of Miami, FL. took to the streets to waves flags and sing, President-Elect Donald Trump took to Twitter tweeting

“Fidel Castro is dead!”

In Dec. 2014, President Obama and his administration eased relations with Cuba by changing diplomatic policy after over 50 years of hostility. A skeptic of the new diplomatic relations enacted by the Obama administration, Trump stated that he believes the deal to be very weak though parts of it are “fine.”

This year Masters students will take advantage of the deal as the school leads a trip over spring break. With Trump’s unfiltered comments about Castro’s death, it’s possible to see how the trip

may be in jeopardy.

Senior Julia Murphy applied for the trip and is excited about the new opportunity to travel to Cuba. “I really want to go on the trip to refine my use of the Spanish language and also to fully immerse myself in the Cuban culture,” she said. Murphy doesn’t think that the possibility of new policies with the Trump administration would cause the trip’s cancellation.

“Only if the students were going to be in personal danger do I think they would cancel the trip,” Murphy said.

Trip leader and chaperone Cheryl Hajjar outlined what she is looking for in the applications.

“We are looking for students who are open to experiencing a new culture in an intimate way through the arts. These students do not necessarily need to have an artistic practice but must be interested in and curious about the arts in this time capsule culture,” Hajjar said.

She went on to explain that this is more than just a trip she is chaperoning, “Personally, what this means to me is that we will make a trip to a magical place to

explore the things that I feel are most moving to the human spirit: nature, beauty and personal interaction.”

Hajjar thinks that many things will change with Fidel’s death, but that the policies will not be able to be made fast enough to halt the trip. “The opening of the doors to Cuba will not close again quickly or easily. If he [Trump] does actually get to make any major changes to the policies that President Obama put in place, I believe that it will take time, a long time,” she said.

Chiodo engineers new innovative courses CEdar BErroL-Young Managing Editor The new Innovation and Entrepreneurship program arose from a group of four students wanting to learn the methods in which people can use Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields to pursue profitable ideas. Most changes at Masters, like the ACR or the Fonseca Center, come from the administration or alumni backed by financial support. The engineering program, however, budded from one group of a traditional math team to six different robotics teams, five math modeling teams, two traditional modeling teams, a computer science team and two classes including Design Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship and Engineering and Computer Science.

John Chiodo, head of the program and math teacher, has been at the forefront of the students’ desire for more creative STEM classes. Chiodo spent a summer taking classes at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), to prepare him to teach the class. Now the engineering class that Chiodo teaches counts as a credit at RIT for engineering.

In addition to this college-level learning course, students that participate in the program have the ability to learn the Autodesk program, a 3D design and engineering software that most professionals in the industry use daily for their work. According to Chiodo, the software takes an average person three to five years to learn. Freshmen taking the class will have a unique opportunity to learn the software that has become an integral part of the professional engineering community.

Design Thinking and Social En-

trepreneurship is the other class in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program where students center their thinking on creating something that can be beneficial in business, communal and social aspects. The class uses the Design Thinking process, a process in which students cultivate their own imagination with needs of the real world to find a solution. The process started at Stanford University’s “d.

School,” the Harvard Innovation Lab and the MIT Media Lab but has quickly become a popular new solution-based learning system across the country.

Chiodo hopes the program can continue its growth and development into new classes and after school programs in both the Upper and Middle Schools.

“There are opportunities down the road for software engineering, civil engineering, bringing a class to the middle school and a lunch program open to all students,” Chiodo said.

LEO PSAROS/TOWER

STUDENTS ARJAHN COX AND Cole Feuer work on a robot in the Innovation and Entrepeneurship Center. Their co-curricular is part of a new Innovation and Entrepreneurship program designed by director of innovation John Chiodo.

OpiniOn 2

OP-ED

TOWER/DECEMBER 16, 2016

EDITORIAL

AP homework policy scores a five for stress editors-iN-ChieF

Masters prides itself on respect.

One of the most pertinent aspects of this ideal is the notion of self-respect and the responsibility a student has to maintain his or her own mental health.

Outlets to express feelings and maintain mental health are present from clubs such as SADD and Active Minds to the Health and Counseling Center.

Similarly, at the end of each semester, students are strongly encouraged to sit down and talk with Academic Dean, Chris Goulian, to reflect on their semester’s performance, sleep schedule and overall wellbeing.

These resources are valuable ones that help foster the goal of a healthy mind and body; however, in the weeks leading up to major breaks, students do not look or feel relaxed and mentally sound. Many students, especially upperclassmen, feel inundated with tests and homework in all classes, along with college applications, campus tours and standardize testing The only comfort most feel is the up-

HENRY WILLIAMS/TOWER

A STUDENT WORKING HARD in a third period study hall; increasing academic pressures and growing workloads have increasingly eroded students’ well-being. coming relief of a long and relaxing vacation; however, this is not a reality for students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. According to the academic policy, AP teachers are allowed to assign as much work as they want over any break. While the idea behind this policy

is to fit in as much of the curriculum as possible, the amount of work assigned over break is often overwhelming and the idea of relaxation is destroyed.

Though AP courses are meant to be rigorous and fast-paced, it is unnecessary to burden students with lengthy

assignments over vacations.

When a student requests to be in an AP course it is their responsibility to understand the commitment and challenges that come along with it, but teachers must also be cognizant of the anxiety that many students feel when facing deadlines and decisions. Similarly, many school breaks revolve around holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Easter and Passover and it is unfair for anybody to have to feel pressure to complete an assignment when celebrating with family.

Masters wants to ensure that its students are well-rested and healthy after a vacation, but this cannot be a reality when many will spend hours agonizing over assignments rather than spending well-deserved time relaxing. If Masters wants to emphasize mental and physical wellbeing, something must change regarding this policy, either a reevaluation or a cap on assignments over “break.”

And may the okayest candidate win!

Elijah EmEry Primaries are undemocratic.

States which vote early can make or break a presidential campaign, though they are not representative of the nation.

Primary voting can result in political polarization. To win the nomination, candidates need to appeal to small groups. With the caucus system, voters need to spend an entire day voting, which disenfranchises poorer and less active voters.

The Democratic Party in particular is undemocratic with a system of selecting their nominee where about 15% of the votes at the convention are cast by unelected “superdelegates.”

These are party officials that can overturn the verdict of the people.

Furthermore, independent voters are often shut out of the primary

Corrections from Issues 1 & 2:

process, because many states only allow registered party members to vote in that state’s primary. The way this problem can be fixed is through a system known as instant runoff voting or the alternative vote.

The main change this system brings about is the ability to rank candidates in order of who you like best rather than who you hate least.

Voters would rank candidates that they know of in order of most to least favorite. When the vote is conducted, each candidate would be eliminated if they have the fewest of votes, and their votes would be reallocated. Eventually, there will be one clear winner. This system is democratic, representative, and builds consensus. It is a good system, and will make the presidency a truly elected office.

Phil Minton henry WilliAMs Features aNd arts editors

logAn toPoroFF george Weed sports editors

oWen lieBer MArk tseytin MaNagiNg editor

JAck MurrAy desigN editor

JAke regele Copy editors

JAck MurrAy dAvid oks

DaniEl Bring

COLUMN: ELI’S ELECTION

opiNioN editors

advertisiNg MaNager

A global shift to the right? down constitutional reforms that would have expanded Italian governmental power. On the other hand, Austrian voters rejected far-right candidate Norbert Hofer, electing progressive Alexander van der Bellen as their President.

The outcome of these two elections show that Europe is still deeply divided along issues of progressivism and populism and that the outcome of the U.S. election has not influenced an even greater European shift to the right.

The French Presidential election in April 2017 will see a standard conservative candidate face off against the leader of France’s far-right faction. This will be a key decision point in the history of France and the European Union, and perhaps, then we will see if the world is really becoming more conservative.

News editors

Alex Bentzien MichAel FitzgerAld

cedAr Berrol young

COLUMN: DANNY’S WORLD

2016 has been a year defined by right-wing populist movements upsetting the status quo across the globe, from the ‘Brexit’ referendum to the rise of violently anti-drug President Duterte in the Philippines. After Donald Trump’s election to the Presidency of the United States in November, many were left wondering if the ascendancy of right-wing populism in the U.S. would bolster other such movements internationally, particularly in Europe.

After two decisive votes, a presidential election in Austria and a referendum in Italy, on Dec. 4, people are still unsure of the consequences of Mr. Trump’s election in Europe.

On one hand, the people of Italy voted against the wishes of their liberal, pro-European Union Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, striking

Allie Berdon courtney delong leo PsAros

FaCt CheCker

toMMy MckennA web aNd soCial Media MaNager

eMMA luis photo editor

soPhie BuchAnAn FaCulty advisers ANDREW SMITH

CUBAN REFUGEES STAND ABOARD a raft made out of waste materials. Many Cubans seek a way out of the oppressive country and into the United States.

Castro’s death is nothing to mourn Tommy mcKEnna Fact Checker With the news of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s death, world leaders and the general public alike had a range of reactions to his demise. The Cuban-American community in Florida paraded in the streets when the news reached them. However, leaders like the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, hailed Castro as a “remarkable leader” who had “tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people.” Such high praise is truly despicable when one considers the history of Castro’s brutal rule as leader of the Cuban Communist Party.

Castro sent scores of Cuban citizens and captured prisoners to firing squads. His lifelong friend Che Guevara said that executing people in this fashion did not require due process, as that was an “archaic bourgeois detail.”

Journalists and human rights activists were thrown in prison, international monitors and NGOs were denied access to the nation and religious believers were sent to “reeducation” work camps.

Cuba’s high literacy rate and

ISSUE 1: In the article Chairs and spaces dwindle as class size continues to grow, we reported the Class of 2018 had gained 11 students (123 students). Since publication it has been brought to our attention they had also lost 11 students (making the total 112 students). The net gain of students was 0.

acclaimed health care system are not worth the price in bloodshed and political oppression. Castro had been dictator from 1961 to 2008, and at one time simultaneously held three powerful positions in Cuba’s government. If Castro was a right-wing dictator, like Pinochet or Franco, and still accomplished the few improvements made in Cuba, he would be widely despised, as any authoritarian military dictator should be.

However, Castro is loved in part because he started as an “underdog,” when he overthrew the dictator Batista’s U.S. backed regime. Apologists say that he “fought for his people” against the United States, especially when he almost went to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Because of these circumstances, Castro gets a pass by the international public. Authoritarians are morally bankrupt no matter whether they are right or left, but judging by Castro’s status as a hero to multitudes, not many people would agree.

Instead of celebrating the man Castro was, the world should band together to demonstrate an intolerance for dictatorship and nuclear brinksmanship. Instead,

ISSUE 2: In the article Tuition increase concerns students and families, we reported The Masters School as the 48th most expensive private school in the country as of 2014. In 2015, Business Insider listed it as the 7th most expensive boarding school in the country. Please note that the updated private school list has not been published as of now.

ellen coWhey MAtt BroWne staFF photographer

lAzArenA lAzArovA CoNtributiNg writers

MAxWell goldrich oNliNe Media

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

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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, a 2016 winner for Op-Ed Story of the Year, 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 six 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.

Features & arts FEATURES

TOWER/DECEMBER 16, 2016

3

“Good Boys and True” sparks discussion on sexual assault alexanDra Bentzien News Editor

Each year, Phoenix, Masters’ Honorary Drama Society, produces a drama piece designed entirely by its students, known as a Phoenix Presents.

This year’s play, “Good Boys and True,” while meant to be an enjoyable production, deals with the serious subject of sexual assault.

“Good Boys and True” is about a sex tape scandal involving male athletes at a boys’ private school, and discusses themes such as rape, consent and sexual privilege.

“The storyline is so intense that you really need to do the characters and their stories justice. There’s a lot of pressure on us to create a relatable and understandable play the way the writer intended,” Treasure Brooks, who played Elizabeth Hardy, the main character’s mother, said.

Every actor in “Good Boys and True” brought an intensity to their role that showed a responsibility to the seriousness of the subject matter.

In recent years, a number of private schools – of all varieties – in New England have dealt with cases of sexual assault, making the issue pertinent to the Masters community.

The show serves as a way to ease into the conversation of sexual assault on school campuses.

It is important to note that sexual assault is not a crime committed solely by male athletes, but such cases tend to be publicized, especially in high schools and colleges. Instead of being viewed as a problem, male athletes can be seen as a solution, with the hope that educational outreach will make campuses safer.

Matthew Ives, Head of the Upper School, said, “We hope the discussion will define what sexual assault is, what consent is and what you do when this is being violated. We want to tell students what they can do besides ignoring, not to be a bystander, but someone able to intervene.”

A subsequent panel discussion was curated by Ives, Samantha Coppola, the play’s director, Stephanie Carbone, Director of Counseling, and

Kevin Versen, Athletic Director. Two organizations outside of Masters were also represented: It’s On Us, a White House activist committee dedicated to ending sexual violence on campuses, and the Victims Assistance Services in Elmsford. During the discussion, sexual violence was defined not just as violation of consent and unwanted sexual conduct, but also as entitlement and slurs.

At Masters, victims of sexual assault can go to the Counseling Center, where all information is kept confidential. If a victim chooses to go to the school’s administration, the information is not kept confidential since the perpetrator must be identified and reported by law.

One of the lines in the play, said by Coach Shea was, “They’re boys. This stuff just happens,” but it does not have to.

“It is by being more than a bystander that we can prevent rape culture.

Always intervene – every person’s worth should be part of your business to care for,” said Monica Sobrin, the It’s On Us representative.

Students speak out at Outspoken DaviD Oks Copy Editor Though Masters’ spoken word performance group, Outspoken, is only two years old, it has made a large impact on the school’s culture.

At the group’s showcase on Dec. 2 in the Experimental Theater, 12 members of Outspoken delivered original spoken word poems on topics ranging from race relations to feminism, receiving rapturous applause from a room full of community members.

The students who performed adjusted to the pressure well.

Some were more experienced with spoken word poetry than others. “Any performance is nerve-wracking. But from doing spoken word for three years, I’m less scared,” said sophomore Alexander Daniels. Daniels recited two poems, “American Masculinity” and “When the Day Comes.”

“My first poem was looking at masculinity and manhood, and at how society encourages men to mistreat women,” Daniels said.

Spoken word is oftentimes a political art form used to discuss complex problems, a legacy the

student-poets did not shy away from as they made political and social issues a chief focus of the event.

Outspoken, founded last year by then-seniors Sherman Goldblum and Aliya Schneider, is advised by English teacher Miriam Emery.

“The students provided an honest, serious look at poetry, and really bared their souls. Spoken word isn’t just about their words, but also their emotion,” Emery said.

“My poem was trying to make

people reflect on themselves. It had a lot to do with the depression that comes with monotony of adult life, the human conveyer belt,” junior Gage Nettles, who recited “Billboard,” said.

“It’s a lot of fun to be in Outspoken, it’s an inspiring group of kids.

They’re all extraordinarily talented,” Nettles said.

“It’s a good deal of work, but I think it’s totally worth it in terms of the dedication of the group,” he added.

ROBERT CORNIGANS/TOWER

POETRY GROUP OUTSPOKEN PERFORMS their first spoken word showcase of the school year. The performance featured work from both new and old student poets.

ALEXANDRA BENTZEIN/TOWER

TREASURE BROOKS AND TYLER Guy act in their first Masters play in “Good Boys and True”, this fall’s Phoenix Presents.

Tesla switches lanes to self-driving maxWell GOlDricH Contributing Writer On Oct. 19, 2016, Tesla Motors released an update allowing fully autonomous self-driving to all cars under cost.

Tesla Motors is an all-electric car manufacturer who accelerates the advent of sustainable transport, and gives a combination of luxury and performance to all customers. The Model S, a sedan, has a base price of $68,000, and the Model X, an SUV, has a base price of $88,800. This car is scheduled to have this feature be available to all cars in late December, but it will be self-driving by the end of 2017.

In the attempt to make a fully self-driving car, Tesla’s cars will have eight cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors so that “hard” objects like other cars and “soft” objects like people or animals will be sensed.

“Tesla has relieved the common fear that a shift towards electric cars will bring about the end of fun and fast cars,” said junior Teddy Hoisington. He added, “Tesla has proved with the Model S that an electric car can be safe, fast and efficient.”

Before the new update, Tesla had an old system in which made the car “partially” self-driving by changing lanes. It also included other features like self-backing

out, and self-parking.

That system was called Autopilot, and the feature was at a price of $3,000. The new system in entitled Enhanced Autopilot in which starts at $5,000 in which makes the car partially self-driving, similar to the other one; but with a few extra features and capabilities such as twice the range and twice the resolution.

To get the fully self-driving capability, you would have to add an additional $3,000 along with the Enhanced Autopilot, leaving the ending price at $8,000 to get the full self-driving experience.

“These cars are not affordable” says junior Nicolas Abadir.

In the past with Autopilot, Tesla ran into many misconceptions such as fatal crashes, as well as system glitches.

For the new system, Tesla ran into another misconception, and this car drove itself into a truck trailer. Even though this was because the sensors were blocked, it still startled many customers.

On Dec.9, 2016, the governor of Michigan signed a law that gives fully autonomous vehicles, including those without drivers and steering wheels, to begin using public roadways.

Even though this feature will be available to buyers in late December, it is not promising to the fact that this feature might not get approved with most states until late 2017.

Loss of frees leads to loss of ease Henry Williams Opinion Editor Two years ago Masters changed the free period and study hall policy for freshmen and sophomores, shifting from a system that allowed unfilled blocks to become free periods if the student were on Dean’s List, to a system that assigns all underclassmen to study halls.

Today, some students take issue with this policy and have alternative views on how the school should administer this unfilled time in their schedules.

“I don’t think they should’ve changed it. I liked that it was based on Dean’s List because ideally students would get rewards for working hard,” sophomore Eli Emery said. The old system, he said, “gives people a carrot for doing well, instead of a stick for no reason.”

Emery also said, “This policy is a collectivization of students and it’s ridiculous” showing the note of discord and frustration expressed by many underclassmen. “If I had the choice, I’d move back to something similar to the system in the past because it’s a prestige thing,” Emery said, “Free periods

are meant to be a reward.”

Junior Miranda Luiz has a different perspective on the policy, one with biting criticism for the old system. She does not believe that Dean’s List should should factor into the process at all.

“I don’t think it’s right to give certain students advantages because oftentimes it’s one point that distinguishes a student on Dean’s List from one who is not,” Luiz said. “Dean’s List is incentivizing for me. I’m someone who uses numerical grades as goals, but I don’t think Dean’s List is an accurate model of the real world, it’s an arbitrary standard.”

Luiz’s opinion on the policy is informed by her time at Westwood High before Masters.

“At my old high school, only freshman had study halls, everyone else had frees,” said Luiz. “I think it should be that way because freshman need time to adjust to the high school lifestyle,” she said.

Additionally, Luiz feels that study halls at Masters have some big issues.

“You walk into a study hall, and it’s so rare that people are actually doing work,” said Luiz, “Frees are a time for people to work on their art, study halls stifle productivity and creativity.”

SportS

4

SPORTS

Boys varsity basketball looks to rebound owen Lieber Sports Editor With the boys varsity basketball team beginning their 2016-17 season, they are once again returning under the longtime head coach Matthew Kammrath. Since taking over the reigns as head coach in 2004, Kammrath has brought success for the basketball program including multiple state and Fairchester Athletic Association championships.

Kammrath has been a member of the Masters community for 14 years.

In that time, he has noticed a change in the athletic reputation Masters holds.

“10 years ago, there really was no plan.

As Masters’ profile continues to rise in the Westchester area, it has become easier to attract both local and international student athletes. With the addition of a top notch coaching staff and the continued support of the athletic department we are confident the program is on solid footing for the future,” said Kammrath.

Senior forward and captain Lucas Curran said that, “He’s up front and tells you how it is. You are never in the dark and can always communicate with him.”

Now in his second year under Kammrath, Curran emphasized how much of a positive impact he has had on the

basketball program. Curran said, “He really built this program from scratch which I admire about him.”

Throughout his time under Kammrath, senior forward and captainTremarli Abbott has learned what it is like to lead a team. Abbott said, “He has shown me how to be a better leader. By making me a captain he has put the team in my hands. I have gained better communication skills when the team is looking to me.”

After coming off a disappointing 3-14 season and a loss in the first round of the FAA tournament last year, the expectations are high for a successful season. Kammrath said, “The goal has always been to compete with the best teams in the FAA. What we have this year is a group of teammates that are committed to achieving that goal of being in the top group.”

Abbott said, “Our expectation is to win the championship. We won my freshman and sophomore year and we want to continue that this year.”

On Tuesday Dec. 13, the team won 62-43 against The Brunswick School and on Wednesday Dec. 14 they suffered their first loss 82-49 against The Knox School. Knox’s website boasts that they play “the most competitive basketball programs in the country.”

Their next game is on Saturday as they face off against Storm King School at 1:00pm in the Fonseca Center.

TOWER/DECEMBER 16, 2016

Swimmers dive into their second season and second meet Mark TseyTin Sports Editor Working hard and having fun aren’t the only things the Masters swim team is doing, in fact, it is also beating last year’s records.

On Wed. Dec. 6, the girls’ swim team won its first meet of the season, 77-70. The boys’ team lost in a close match, 81-79.

Coach Susan Greally said, “The team started out stronger than last year, the spirit was high, but I hope they can build more endurance by practicing hard and staying in good shape.” The team remains focused and is practicing hard every day of the school week.

Senior Daniel Roma said, “I decided to swim this year to pre-

pare for lacrosse season. I didn’t know that swimming practice was going to be harder than lacrosse or soccer practice combined. That shows that this team is ready to compete.”

The practices are split up into 6 different lanes. Lanes 1-3 are for the most experienced swimmers, lane 4 is for swimmers on the cusp of entering lanes 1-3, and lanes 5-6 are for more novice swimmers.

Each lane gets its own workouts and warm-ups to fit the swimmers in those lanes best. The boys and girls teams practice together and often compete together. However, they are scored both seperately and together as one team.

“Watching Jesse Horowitz and Chris Epes go through the practices with ease definitely gave me

hope that we would do well this year,” Roma added.

Clayton said, “I want to stay in shape so that I could break some personal records from last year.”

In addition to practicing, the students are encouraged to get in shape on their own. Just as Roma said, they are planning on working on their individual fitness in order to help the team succeed.

Greally said, “The team will do their best to exceed last year’s record by competing hard and working beyond what they’re asked to do.”

Swimmers are practicing now to take on Iona prep in Jan. at the Hamill Natatorium right here in the Fonseca Center.

ELLEN COWHEY/TOWER

FEMALE VARSITY SWIMMER DIVES into the pool to begin the race. Masters girls varsity swim team went on to win 77-70 against The Dalton School. The next boys home meet is in January against Iona Prep.

Squash team takes strides in close match SOPHIE BUCHANAN /TOWER

SOPHOMORE ABDOU NDIAYE GOES for a layup in a hard fought victory against Brunswick on Tuesday. He scored 17 points and went on to win the game 62-43.

COLUMN: PLAY BY PLAY

Giants look for playoff push

Logan Toporoff Features Editor This year’s squash season will include both a JV and varsity boys team as well as a girls varsity team. Last year’s season for both teams was their first year as the sport was a new addition to the school. But this year, each squash team has at least a year of playing together behind them and are ready to take on this season. So far, the boys varsity team has played two matches: a 5-2 loss to Hackley as well as a 5-2 loss to Horace Mann.

Coach Skeff Young said, “This year I

want the whole team to feel more competitive in each of their matches. We want to make everyone feel a sense of accomplishment.” Young added that, “The team hopes to focus in on more individual skill developments,” as this year the squash coaches decided to take fewer students per team. The team will also work with professional coach Sahel Anwar throughout the season.

Boys varsity captain, senior John Epley remains hopeful. “I really want to win the national championship for divisions two and three this year, which will be tough, but I think we can do it,” he said.

Coach Robert Fish said, “This year our goal is to make the girls function as

a team, as well as have all of them to improve over the year. We also want them to have fun but be serious and be as competitive as they are capable of while staying very supportive of one another.”

The girls team captains this year are seniors Riya Nakum and Fatomata Konteh. Nakum added, “Last year was my first year playing and we did not take it as seriously, but this year we are going to try to go to nationals, especially with all our recruits.” These new recruits include freshman Nouran Youssef and sophomore Asser Ibrahim.

The team is looking forward to a great season together and the improvements that will come as the season progresses.

shawn farhadian After spending nearly $200 million on four defensive players in one single day during the offseason, the New York Football Giants wanted their money to be well spent.

In addition, the organization promoted Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo to the head coaching position after seeing franchise quarterback Eli Manning come off one of the best statistical seasons in his career. In 2015, Manning had career high numbers in completions and touchdowns.

Looking forward, rookies Sterling Shepard and Eli Apple are showing to be valuable and promising assets in upcoming years. Odell Beckham Jr. is having another record breaking year, and wide receiver Victor Cruz has returned from injury. Yes, the Giants are back and better than ever, with a record of nine wins and four losses this season.

The only unfortunate news appears to be solely based on bad luck. Firstly, the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants’ division rivals, have shattered nearly every single preseason expectation that

came their way. The Cowboys’ rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, along with fellow rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, are dominating with one of the best records in the National Football League (NFL)—in only their first year.

Because of their success, the Cowboys are the only thing that seem to be stopping the Giants from being the best team in their conference.

Moreover, Giants star defensive end, Jason Pierre-Paul, went down with a sports hernia against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 5th, and is expected to be out for the rest of the season.

On the other hand, the Giants beat the Cowboys on Sunday for the second time this year. Dallas’ only two losses have come from the Giants.

If the rest of the Giants team can remain healthy, while keeping up the great football play, a strong playoff run is in their future. They face a tough schedule coming up, as they look to battle the rest of their division rivals.

LAZARENA LAZAROVA/TOWER

SOPHOMORE YOUSSEF ALY LUNGES to hit a backhand against Horace Mann. While he did win his match 3-0, the team lost 5-2. Their next game is at home after break against Rye Country Day.