Tower The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 72, NUMBER 5
Editorial This year’s Masters Matters symposium was supposed to be about “transcending race.” However, many students felt that the day concentrated too much on black versus white tension and excluded other people of color.
FRIDAY MARCH 11, 2016
tower.mastersny.org
Administration addresses the “stealing problem” Ariel Censor Editor-in-Chief
SOPHIE BUCHANAN/TOWER
STUDENTS DISCUSS THE FILMS I’m not Racist... Am I? and White People at an optional discussion in the Library Conference Room facilitated by student and faculty diversity ambassadors as part of the Masters Matters symposium on “Reimagining Race” on March 4.
Students react to reimagining race rAjAn Cutting Editor-in-Chief Jaws dropped and eyes widened in shock as the audience, which was predominantly white, struggled to understand as the movie they were watching, I’m Not Racist…Am I?, claimed that all white people are racists. Through the advisory reflections and individual conversations that followed, it seemed evident that the community was divided and in disagreement over whether racism referred to an institutionalized oppression, and therefore implicated all white people, or referred only to individualized prejudice. Regardless of what the right answer is, the second annual Masters Matters symposium marked the first head-on dialogue the school engaged in regarding race relations and its roots and succeeded in pushing students into discussing uncomfortable topics. By the end of the day, some white students were angry and felt they had spent the day being attacked, while others were enlightened and felt their time was well spent. Many students could be heard talking about the subject well after the day ended, reflecting on what could have gone better and what solu-
tions could have been presented. Some students thought the first film, I’m Not Racist…Am I?, sampled the wrong group of people and unfairly represented what it means to be a member of a racial or ethnic group. The biggest complaints concerned Anna, an Asian girl adopted to a white family, not being an appropriate representation of what it means to be of Asian descent living in America. Senior Chris Kumaradjaja felt the symposium and other talks the school has surrounding race are too limiting, focusing only on blacks and whites. “I felt that some aspects of the symposium were slightly alienating and, even though I could relate to the struggles that other people of color feel, they don’t affect me as deeply in my day-today life. The dialogue on race has been quite figuratively and literally ‘black and white’ especially white-on-black oppression. As someone who is not black nor white, I’m left out of the conversation,” he said. Kumaradjaja wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Before the screening of the first film it was announced that the day aimed to understand and explore racism in America only. Most international students felt the day did not recognize them and the racial prejudice targeted against them, a direct contra-
diction of the school’s goal of creating a place where every voice is heard. The diversity ambassadors took the lead in facilitating the day, which was coordinated primarily through the Advancement Office. Sophomore diversity ambassador Ahnaf Taha, who is also the boys’ boarder representative, has heard different types of feedback from the boarding community, which statistically is more diverse. “I think that our symposium was really effective in bringing awareness to systematic racism and starting that conversation. Moving forward, I think we just need to work on opening that conversation up and making it accessible to more people,” Taha said. Overall, the second annual Masters Matters symposium set the foundation for future dialogue and succeeded in pushing students out of their comfort zones. Rosaria Golden, Campaign and Special Projects Manager, helped execute the day and thinks it is a necessary dialogue for schools to have. “These are important conversations given all that is happening in the world today. Masters should be a safe haven for everyone; the more we can talk about sensitive issues like race, the more comfortable we become with each other,” Golden said.
It was towards the beginning of Morning Meeting and about two thirds of the student body was standing up while Head of School Laura Danforth looked around the theater amazed. She had asked the students to stand up if any of them had something stolen from them while at school. “Clearly, this is a problem,” Danforth said, looking at all the standing students. However, there is debate about whether students are actually being stolen from or are simply losing things and claiming that they were stolen. “There isn’t a significant stealing problem at Masters,” Fernando Mejia, Director of Safety and Logistics, said. “People put their things somewhere, forget about it and never check the lost and found. Claiming that their stuff was stolen transfers the guilt onto someone else.” Mejia recalled a recent incident involving a lost diamond ring. A female boarding student had misplaced her diamond ring, but was convinced it was stolen. She believed she had left it in the sink in the dorm bathroom, went to do something else, and then when she came back it was gone. Her dorm parents talked to Danforth about things going missing in the dorm. She then made an announcement at Morning Meeting. “When the girl said that, other girls started thinking that their missing stuff had also been stolen,” Mejia said. The girl’s ring was found in the third floor bathroom of Masters Hall. Mejia had seen a drawing of the ring hung up in the dorm and contacted the girl. “There’s very little stealing, there’s more misplacing,” Mejia said. “If people labeled their things and checked the lost and found every time they were missing something, the so-called ‘stealing problem’ at Masters wouldn’t exist.” Many people disagree with this assessment, however. “When kids come to me telling me something has been stolen, I press them pretty hard,” Matt Ives, head of the Upper School, said. “In most cases, it’s pretty clear that something was stolen and the students who are telling me
this are generally students I really trust. There are definitely instances where a student may have actually lost something, but with the kids that have come to me, there was definitely something stolen.” “I lost my glasses and I know that no one stole them, but I think far too many things have gone missing recently for it to just be people losing things,” Tim Kaplowitz, co-chair of student government, said. “We’ve had much worse years with stealing. Laptops and other valuable items aren’t really being stolen,” Ives said. “But there are strange, small things getting stolen. People’s coats, bags of makeup, it’s not big ticket items, but it does upset the victims.” Many believe that the people stealing these items belong to a group called the “Klepto Club,” a group of boys that supposedly steals random, typically not very valuable objects from students. “If anyone continues in the Klepto Club and is discovered, they will face very serious consequences up to and including removal from our school,” Danforth said. “To be proud of being part of a club that violates the rights and property of others is corrosive in any community. If someone thinks stealing things from other people is fun, they can go find another school to do that in. I urge anyone who is tempted to violate community norms and rules to walk away from that kind of destructive behavior,” she said. Both Danforth and Ives feel strongly that if students know what’s going on, they should tell the administration. “It’s the students who are being affected by this problem, so if they know other students are stealing, it would be in their best interest to tell us so we can do something about it,” Ives said. “To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., it’s not the actions of the bad, but the silence of the good that corrode our society,” Danforth said. “I don’t believe in kids turning in other kids, but I do request that students who know what’s going on do something to help stop it. It could be an anonymous note, I don’t have to know who actually told me.” “Unfortunately, unless students step in to stop this pattern of thievery, the only way I see it stopping is for someone or even a group of people to be removed from the community,” Danforth said. “This just isn’t Masters.”
As Masters grieves, Ellen Cowhey writes a thank you letter to Jane Rechtman ellen Cowhey History and Religion Faculty Dearest Jane Rechtman, You were always so good at writing thank you notes—handwritten, on a card or nice stationery, and at least three lines. Just three days before you passed on, you sent me a thank you note for something I’d just sent you, plus asked me to thank again the whole team who created a quilt for you. But now, it’s my turn to write you a thank you note on behalf of the waves of Masters students you taught, your friends, colleagues, and the many more lives you profoundly touched. Thank you for your sense of wonder and exploration, whether that meant finding the best dumplings in all of Flushing, Queens, or pursuing yet another degree. It also meant learning everything you could about bioethics and how the mind-body-spirit connection worked from a multitude of scientific, technological and spiritual perspectives. You were open to it all, ever eager to learn and grow and explore. Thank you for your smile that
danced all the way up to your eyes. A smile that broke open so easily into generous laughter. That smile, and the laughter and big warm hugs to go with it, let us know you genuinely cared about us, wanted the best for us, and were willing to see us for who we truly were, even as you called us forth to our higher selves. You always expected to see, and therefore did see, the good in each one of us. Thank you for holding true to the vision of Miss Eliza Masters by helping transition what once were Bible Study classes into World Religion classes. You also developed Matters of Spirit, from what had been Chapel in an earlier era, into a respectful exploration of many different religious pathways, all the while allowing our own truths to shine forth. You’ve shown us how to live. You’ve also shown us how to die with heart and eyes and arms wide open, embracing the mystery into which you were headed. I can remember when you first shared the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in the spring of 2014. You said, “Well, I’m going on an adventure. I get to see what‘s on the other side. Maybe it’s something, maybe it’s nothing, but
I’ll get to find out. I just feel bad for all the people I love who I’ll leave behind.” No self-pity, you just had that adventurous spirit of sailing off into the wide unknown. None of us will be here forever, Jane. You’ve reminded us of that. But you have been with the Masters Community for almost 25 years as a classroom teacher of religion and wisdom traditions. You’ve also been a mentor, a class dean, a colleague and a friend far beyond the classroom. You have modeled listening without always needing to “fix” the concern shared. You’ve shown us how to live to the very edges of our lives, ever extending beyond the perceived limits, showing us to see further with the vision of a kind heart. Thank you for teaching us, not only how to live with passion, but how to die with an effervescent spirit of adventure. When your bodily form passed on, it felt less like a loss and more like a great burst of energy was being released into the universe in a million bright sparks. May each of us be lit by those sparks of kindness, light and laughter, as our own deep thank you back to you, Jane Rechtman, for all you have been to us.
TOWER
JANE RECHTMAN WAS AN integral part of the Masters community, in the classroom and on the stage. She was revered by her colleagues and was an inspiration to her students.
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NEWS
TOWER/MARCH 11, 2016
Tasha Elsbach named new Head of Middle School Courtney Delong News Editor The 2015-2016 school year of change will continue next year with the new Middle School head Tasha Elsbach. Elsbach was selected from a pool of about 80 applicants and is currently on a yearlong sabbatical from her job as the head of the middle school at the Brearley School in New York City. She will be coming to Masters as current middle school head Everett “Doc” Wilson retires. At first Elsbach wasn’t sure if she wanted to take a job so far away from her home in Brooklyn but was drawn to Masters because of its “warmth, faculty, and student body.” She said, “I am really excited to work with teachers focused solely on Middle School teaching and not other age groups because this allows for more cohesive teams.” Elsbach is familiar with the Westchester area as she grew up in Briarcliff manor. She did not know much about Masters before applying for the job but had a friend who went to Masters for high school. Elsbach remembers thinking that the school was “for artistic kids” and had heard about CITYterm. But when she spoke with Masters faculty and visited the campus, she fell
for the school because of its friendly culture and well-rounded approach to education. She does not yet have a set agenda because she feels that it is best to gain an understanding of Masters before making any radical changes. “My job is to come on and to see how the schools runs first... [to ask students and faculty] ‘How does this work?’” Elsbach said. Preserving the culture of the Middle School is incredibly important to her. She also wants to make sure to maintain the “programs that make Masters special”. Current middle school students are sad to see Wilson leave. Eighth grader Gabriel Keller said “We all really love Doc at the middle school... People are really happy with the way it is.” Still middle-schoolers welcome any improvement that comes with new leadership. Even though he “doesn’t want to see a lot of” change, Keller said that “[more intense academics] could be a good thing.” Wilson is excited to welcome Elsbach to the Masters community. He said “The word on the street is that she’s a wonderful person, a wonderful educator, somebody who’s not afraid to take risks while at the same time recognizing that certain traditions should stand as they are but when there is a need for change she’s not afraid to step up and make change… I think it’s going to be a perfect fit”.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TASHA ELSBACH
TASHA ELSBACH HAS BEEN selected as the new Head of the Middle School. Elsbach will officially start her new position in July. Here she is pictured with her daughter, Astrid. Elsbach has a long career in independent schools and looks forward to coming to Masters.
Masters rises to top 25 in Business Insider list raChel SaunDerS News Editor This February, Business Insider released its yearly ranking of “The 50 most elite boarding schools in America” and Masters jumped to number 25 on the list. Masters was first included on the list last year, landing at number 36. This year, the school jumped ahead of 11 other schools to make it into the top 25. In private school circles such a ranking is big news, putting Masters on other schools’ and prospective students’ radars. “Schools fight to be on these lists
in some cases, and I think that our school will have to continue to work really hard to be mentioned,” Director of Admissions Keith Holton said. “I mean, if you look at a list and try to think of 24 schools that are ahead of us, those 24 schools are among the best in the world,” Holton explained. “So, it is really great to be in that conversation.” Masters was praised for its use of Harkness and for offering “alternative-learning opportunities” like CITYterm and HMI. Compared to schools higher on the list, the article’s blurb on Masters was relatively small. Phillips Exeter Academy, having placed number one on the list for the second year in a row, would not have had a complete description without
the quality of teachers and the students rather than SAT scores and endowment, though he understands the reason for Business Insider to include them in their ranking. Numbers can say a lot about a school but do not explain a school’s culture or approach to People fight to be on these lists in some academics. cases, and I think that our school will Holton mentioned how World have to continue to work really hard to Religions teacher and Tower adbe mentioned. visor Ellen Cowhey, currently - KEITH HOLTON on sabbatical, was featured in an article in Westchester Magazine about excellent teachers in phasis on the idea of such a ranking. the Westchester region. Things like “Most schools, in fact, don’t like this are considered good publicity these lists. I mean even the colleges, for schools and are important for inthey don’t like these lists,” Holton creasing their reputations. said. “Those same lists will be printHe emphasized the importance of ed and overprinted and printed
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COLUMN: DANNY’S WORLD
World fortunes rise and fall with China Daniel Bring There is little debate that China’s growth in terms of economic and political influence around the world has increased exponentially in the last few decades. China has gone from being the backwater warring nation it was in 1916 to being the world’s largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2016. President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party wield more influence in the international arena than any Chinese leadership in history. Yet, this newfound preponderance is anything but permanent. In China’s long and admittedly troubled past, regimes have come and gone, along with cycles of boom and bust. There is nothing to say that China’s current government and prosperity will remain with it for long. In today’s increasingly globalized world, China’s political power is strongly connected to its economic fortunes and signs show that those fortunes may be fading. 2015 saw the slowing of China’s once tremendous GDP growth as well as a stock market crash that still has lasting effects to this day. At press time, China is currently devaluing its currency, the yuan (RMB), which is causing local markets to crash upwards of 3%. As development has improved,
the inclusion of one of its notable alumni, Mark Zuckerberg. Though being on the list can only say positive things about the school, Holton does not place too much em-
China’s transition en masse towards a service economy from a thoroughly industrialized one has proven to be quite tumultuous, with massive layoffs being reported as of March 1. All of these factors, combined with other non-economic factors, such as China’s rapidly aging population and relatively low standard of living, are contributing to a negative trend in China’s economic predominance. It would be naïve to think that minor but not insubstantial economic downturns like these will topple the mighty Chinese titan, but they do raise concerns. In this global era, China enjoys close trade relations with other great powers, such as the United States, the other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Russia) nations and the European Union, The connectedness of the Chinese economy with these economies makes China almost too big to fail. For this reason, every time China experiences a financial crisis, the rest of the world experiences one. But that doesn’t mean that as China loses economic power, it doesn’t lose political power. There are only so many devaluations a currency can take before it pulls down its economy with it, and with the economy the international edifices of power.
again in all the online publications,” Holton said. “But this [article] is the kind of stuff that makes more of a difference for our school. When they see what the teachers are doing. The impressiveness of the students and the teachers, anything that they do that’s in print somewhere…,those things make more of a difference to people who are reading it, I believe, than any list will.” Holton believes that items showcasing the character of the school are more valuable than superficial rankings. Overall, members of the Masters community are pleased with the school’s rise in the rankings and believe it is a reflection of the hard work and growth of the institution.
TOWER/MARCH 11, 2016
OP-ED
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OpiniOn EDITORIAL
Tower 2015-2016
Masters Matters Syposium creates limited dialogue As the year progresses, countless discussions on social issues such as gender, sexuality and race have taken place in classrooms, Morning Meeting presentations and faculty workshops. Many of these important discussions have been in preparation for the Masters Matters Symposium: “Reimagining Race: What If We Could Transcend Racism?” symposium. Masters prides itself on being an all-inclusive school which values students of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds. Having diversity days and discussions regarding race at Masters is extremely important, especially in a day and age when racial tensions run so high. Students should be proud of themselves for accepting the challenge to “reimagine race” a n d think deeply about h o w they view people w i t h different back-
grounds and how our actions affect others, positively and negatively. However, the way the day was set up proved to be problematic. One major difference between this year’s symposium and last year’s diversity day was the lack of structured conversations. Many students expected to have a variety of opportunities to discuss and debate the films, while in reality we were only given small slots of time to delve into highly sensitive topics. The day was much better than last year’s diversity day in the sense that it was much more serious. Rather than having the option to make dumplings or discuss bullying, all students had to directly confront the sometimes uncomfortable issue of race. The films, I’m Not R a c i s t … Am I? a n d White
People forced students to listen to the experiences and perspectives of both people of color and white people. Though the film was generally positively accepted, there were concerns that it, as well as the whole Masters Matters day, was viewed as only concentrating on tensions between black and white people and not of the struggles of other races While the film represented students of many different races; the students that were focused on and interviewed the most were white or black. The film seemed to ignore the perspectives of other ethnicities, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and otherwise. Not only did that undermine the struggle a n d experiences of non-black minorities, but it also limited t h e scope of the
conversation. The day exclusively focused on America, which neglected to include our international students and inadvertently took away their voice and made them feel alienated. Tim Wise, the keynote speaker, proclaimed himself to be a “professional anti-racist” and mainly talked about white privilege to a room with plenty of nonwhite people. Many nonwhite students felt confused as to why they were being lectured about a privilege they don’t even have. Wise barely mentioned Asian, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern people—he, too, focused on black and white. Masters Matters was a success in getting students to engage in uncomfortable dialogue surrounding racial injustice and its complicated roots. But if we are truly committed to being an institution where everyone feels heard and understood we have to have conversations that include and represent everyone.
editors-iN-ChieF arieL CenSor raJan Cutting yiyi (Mia) ouyang
News editors
Courtney DeLong raCheL SaunDerS
opiNioN editors aLLie BerDon Leo PSaroS
Features aNd arts editors CeDar BerroL-young Jake regeLe
sports editors
Mike FitzgeraLD JenniFer MunningS
MaNagiNg editor naoMi nivar
staFF writers
Jake MaSterS JaCkSon MyerS-Brown Mark tSeytin
Copy editors
tony roSenBerg Logan toPoroFF
web CoNteNt MaNager gaBBy DavieS
advertisiNg MaNager JaCk Murray
photo editor aSLi noyan
staFF photographer Sophie Buchanan Gavin KoepKe
FaCulty adviser Matt Browne
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distributioN proCess
Administration clarifies sustainability Correction
Dear Tower Editors,
Re: Shining A Spotlight on Sustainability at Masters Thanks for focusing more light on this very important issue for our community. Thanks especially for focusing on those things that each one of us can do to bring us closer to limiting the negative impact we have on the planet we share with 7.4 billion other people. In the article “School plans to switch from oil to natural gas” there are a lot of millions associated with energy use at Masters, so I can understand why a reader might become confused. The actual cost of upgrading the central boiler heating plant is less than $1 million,
not $2 million. Boiler Conversion (four steps, all four steps are required to convert to full multi-fuel functionality): 1) Boiler conversion to multi-fuel (oil and gas). These burners would handle #6, #4, #2 oil and gas; 2) Connection of gas to boiler; 3) Chimney rebuild, required due to age of chimney and anticipated higher emission temperatures; 4) Oil tank conversion to #2 fuel. The article indicates that we will burn natural gas and will have the ability to burn oil but have no intention of doing so. That is not entirely accurate. We would have fuel oil capability so we can have an interruptible contract for
natural gas (much cheaper) and always reserve the right to switch back and forth between natural gas and fuel oil based on the economic merits (whatever is cheaper at the time). We cannot continue to burn #6 beyond 2017, but we may elect to phase the conversion so that we go to #4 or #2 fuel oil before the natural gas is connected. That is because we can complete items 1 and 4 above and meet the Westchester County requirement with an outlay of only a bit more than $350,000 versus the full million. If we are balancing our spending with other projects, having that flexibility makes sense for the school. In the article “Solar panels light up the Fonseca Center” we could potentially
generate much more than 3% of our campus energy use if we reduced our energy consumption. Many schools have initiated competitions to reduce energy use. While this is a challenge at Masters because we do not have meters that measure each individual building’s use, we can still implement a program of changes that could reduce our load significantly. Overall, you did a very good job covering a variety of highly technical topics and commencing an important dialogue about sustainability. Sincerely, Ed Biddle Chief Financial Officer
A story in our last issue, “Bus driver passes away during fencing match,” stated that the fencing team collected nearly $2,000 to donate to Mr. Martinez’s family. Although this was the information we were provided with at press time, the actual amount the team raised was over $3,000 and the administration generously agreed to provide matching funds up to $5,000.
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.
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FEATURES AND ARTS
Features & arts Contributing Writer
YiYi (Mia) ouYang Editor-In-Chief
dance in high heels. His singing and acting were both superb. The other male characters performed exceptionally well as actors. Their singing, however, could not match the high standard set by the female performers. There were great supporting characters as well. Laine Phillips, as Alexi Darling, and Carlyle Cooney, as Mrs. Cohen, both added a humorous element to a pretty dark play with performances that were a pleasure to watch. The rest of the cast danced and sang well, notably the “Seasons of Love” soloists, Elliot Feder and Hannah Weiss. Makeup and costumes were great, especially Angel’s, and the set was beautiful. All in all, a wonderful job!
PHOTO COURTESY OF JI HYUNG
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A well-known hit on Broadway, Rent was a smash hit in the Claudia Botscher Theater as this year’s winter musical. In terms of the actors, everyone who had a main role was excellent. I did not detect a single mistake in terms of line memorization and the dancing was almost flawless. The supporting actors contributed significantly as well. Set design was exceptional as was the fabulous lighting, which set a mood for all the scenes. Let’s first begin with the best of the play: the main female characters. Not only were they flawless actresses and well-prepared dancers, but they were also talented singers. Several scenes were particularly impressive. During the “Tango Maureen,” Samantha Coppola, playing Joanne, left a powerful impression due to her mix of acting and singing. The passionate performance by Addi Bjäringer (Maureen) during “Over the Moon,” with wild eyes and dramatic movements, was also well done. And from the beginning of “Light my Candle” onward, Karina Ceron, playing Mimi, acted and sang like a star. The male actors were impressive too. Noah Rosner, playing Tom Collins, and Tiger Ji as Angel were standouts. Noah had a very smooth voice in the songs and he and Tiger seemed to have a lot of chemistry. I particularly enjoyed his final singing of “I’ll Cover You” following Angel’s death. Tiger had one of the most difficult roles to play, but he did an extraordinary job. Not only did he have to wear a dress, wig, and tuck - an especially daunting combination - but he also had to learn quickly how to not only move, but
THE CAST OF RENT did an excellent job. Their song “La Vie Boheme” featured the entire cast with solos from Adam Leung, Will Hallock, Tiger Ji, Samantha Coppola, Karina Ceron and Addi Bjäringer, who played Mark, Roger, Angel, Joanne, Mimi and Maureen respectively.
Everyday after school, many people from different grades walk through the senior stairs to get to their buses. Most of them, however, do not ask for permission from the seniors nearby. Some of them have never even heard of such rules. Just like the rules for the usage of senior stairs, there are many more untold traditions in our community that got lost as time has passed. A lot of those traditions are associated with seniors privileges. Senior Class President Marianna Zapata said, “It is kind of the seniors’ responsibility to pass down those traditions.” Because of their undocumented nature, such traditions usually depend on the student population to be passed down. Consequently, those that are less popular or less applicable become more likely to disappear. According to Lisa Berrol, a faculty member who has been a part of the Masters community for about 18 years, there used to be a longer process for establishing traditions. In the past, senior privileges needed to be requested. They will then be addressed and responded to around the middle of the year. “Then they realized that seniors end up requesting the same things, so they decided to codify some of them,” Berrol said. Consequently, as some are codified, others are getting eliminated from the list. The growth of the school is also another reason that unspoken traditions have faded. Baby’s Day is one example. Years ago, if a faculty
ASLI NOYAN/TOWER
THE SENIOR STEPS ARE one major example of a Masters tradition that has died relatively recently. When many current seniors were freshmen, they had to ask a nearby senior for permission before going out these doors to their buses. Today, however, the majority of students use these doors daily without permission. This seems to be indicative of a larger trend. member was going to have a baby, the Head of the School would go on stage during morning meeting and surprise everyone by offering a special event for the entire school, middle and high, as an alternative to an ordinary school day. The event could have been going to a Yankees game, an opera or a broadway show, for example. However, traditions like this become to challenging to afford with
such a large student body. Berrol said, “As we got bigger and bigger, things like that simply got harder to manage. ” “I think traditions are beautiful things, but sometimes they become something different,” Student Activities Coordinator Edward Gormley said. Having been at Masters for over 15 years, Gormley has seen traditions disappear because they
have changed over time and have lost their meaning. The circle song, which is a song that seniors would sing along with the rest of the dorms at midnight on a weeknight until the Head of School gave them cookies. According to Gormley, this lovely song gradually evolved into loud yelling and chanting. But more often, traditions got lost simply because no one is practicing
them. People who have been at Masters long enough have already noticed how the A to Z board is much less often used. Teacher and students seldom leave things to each other on the board. People have also started to hear the rumor that the board maybe taken down next year. “I understand that it is probably much easier to email each other, especially for those new teachers and students who don’t have the habit of using the A to Z board,” Zapata said. “But I just think that it is a part of our community that makes Masters special. At least for me, I felt proud every time when I had to introduce it on a gold key tour.” Regarding to the possible removal of the board, Berrol adds, “There is a haimish feeling about it. It keeps us feeling like a small, old, cozy town, and because of that, I value it.” Berrol also points out that “the Daisy chain”, which is a tradition of underclassmen giving flowers and daisy crowns to seniors during graduation rehearsal, has disappeared. This old tradition that traces itself back to the days when the school is all-girl does not seem to last as well. Many of these changes sparks students’ concern. Some have tried to restart yelling “Yeah, Touring Talent!”during morning meeting, while others are trying to figure out if they can still wear jeans and donate money to their first period teacher if there is a 2 hour weather associated delay. Zapata said, “I really don’t want many of those traditions to go away, maybe the school and our new head of school can do something about it. I just hope that after we graduate and comeback, we can still have something to pass on to the people that come after us.”
◄ NOAH ROSNER AND TIGER JI gave particularly impressive performances. Ji, who played Angel, had a very challenging role as he had to perform in full drag and heels. Rosner, who played Tom Collins, did an excellent job portraying the love his character had for Angel and how emotional he was after Angel’s death. PHOTO COURTESY OF JI HYUNG
Julius Rodriguez jams at the Grammy Awards
COLUMN: PHIL ON PHILMS
Academy Award stirs controversy, but Leo takes gold
naoMi nivar Managing Editor
Phil Minton It’s that time of year again. Oscar Season! Everyone loves the hype and buzz of a good movie and watching this year’s hopefuls get snubbed or win. Although for some reason it seems as if the award show these past couple of years has brought forth some type of controversy. In 2014, Woody Allen, director of the nominated film Blue Jasmine, was under scrutiny for allegations of molesting his twenty-one year old daughter when she was seven years old. In 2015, the Academy received criticism for a lack of diversity in the nominees. Now in 2016, the Academy received criticism once again for their lack of diverse nominations. The lack of diverse choices sparked tons of buzz including the viral hashtag #OscarsSoWhite and actress Jada Pinkett-Smith posting a video about her decision to boycott the Oscars this year. In her video she called on others to join her too. When it came to Sunday night, the first joke from host Chris Rock was about race and more jokes seemed to slip in throughout the whole evening.
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Students notice decrease in school traditions
The cast of Rent goes all out for an incredible show elijah eMerY
FEATURES AND ARTS
TOWER/MARCH 11, 2016
Another question many are asking is will Leonardo DiCaprio finally win an Oscar? The answer to that would be yes! He won Best Actor in a leading role for The Revenant. After being nominated many times before and never having won, DiCaprio really deserved this one. He dedicated the time he had in his acceptance speech to talk about climate change and the challenges the cast and crew of The Revenant faced while filming. The film Spotlight (featured in a recent installment of my column) won Best Picture, stunning many people who thought The Revenant had that award in the bag! The award for Best Cinematography went to Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant) for the third year in a row! Lubezki won in both 2014 and 2015 for Gravity and Birdman, respectively. So now I wait until the 89th Annual Academy Awards (2017) expecting more great films, more great directing and, perhaps my favorite, more amazing cinematography.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER CARNEVALE
DOBBS 16 CAME AWAY with a win at their semifinals competition, making them one of the eight best high school a capella groups in the country and the top-ranked group in the northeast.
Dobbs 16 sings their way to the championships neha garg Contributing Writer
photo courtesy of the academy of motion pictures and sciences
OSCAR HOST CHRIS ROCK had the difficult task of hosting an event in which none of the nominees were people of color. Rock did not gloss over this, though, and made numerous jokes about the situation.
On Saturday March 5, Dobbs 16 took home first place at their semifinal competition in Wakefield Massachusetts, They are now the top high school a cappella group in the northeast and one of the best eight in the country. They sang three songs: Princess of China, with soloists Adam Leung and Sarah Scheur, Hanging On, with soloist Amanda Taylor and arranger Adam Leung, and The High Road, with soloist Hannah Weiss. Weiss won best soloist for her outstanding performance. All three songs where choreographed by Emma Rubinson before she left for a semester at the High Mountain Institute. The group’s winning streak began on Feb. 13, when Dobbs 16 drove to Bristol Eastern High School to compete in the Northeast Regional Quarter Final Competition for A Cappella Singing. The 17 members of Dobbs 16 were competing against many other groups. They spent the whole day rehearsing and in sound checks until
their long-awaited performance that night. A few months ago, Jennifer Carnevale, the director of Dobbs 16, had to submit an audition tape of the current Dobbs 16 group in order to be admitted into the quarterfinals of the Northeast Region. At the quarterfinals Dobbs 16 sang the same arrangement of songs that they did at their semifinal competition. Hannah Weiss was also awarded the best soloist out of about 30 soloists for her amazing performance in the quarterfinals. “It is really hard to say whether if this year was better than last year’s because every group is so different, with all different personalities and different growth rates but this year was definitely more cohesive in the movement and sound that they had,” Carnevale said. “This was overall a great bonding experience for the group because not only were they singing together, they were rehearsing on the bus and spending and sharing this entire competition together.” Dobbs 16 is now getting ready to compete at The International Championship of High School A Capella Finals at Town Hall in New York City on April 29!
The Grammy Awards, an annual award show to honor achievement in the music industry, held its 58th awards ceremony Feb. 15, 2016. Like every year, the stars dressed up and walked the red carpet. However, there was one difference this year: senior Julius Rodriguez walked the red carpet with them. Rodriguez performed with the Grammy Jazz Session, an extremely selective band, requiring an audition tape and only composed of 30 selected high school students. The band played at all sorts of Grammy events, including the nominee party, the Grammys after party, Entertainment Tonight, Spaghettini (a fine dining restaurant), the Nokia Theater and the Grammy Foundation Headquarters. All 30 student musicians were given a ticket to the awards show and five were chosen to walk the red carpet based on their performance. Rodriguez, one of the five, walked alongside well known celebrities. While on the carpet, he was interviewed by CBS, TNT, Entertainment Tonight and even a Japanese TV channel. Performing at the Grammy
Awards was not only glamorous, but an accomplishment for Rodriguez. “It was sort of unreal, I’ve been auditioning for this band for four years. I was finally there and it was even better than I thought it would be,” he said. Rodriguez added that he feels he has improved as a musician since the first time he auditioned for the Grammy Jazz session. Despite piano being his main instrument, he played the drums in the band. Missing school for a week in the middle of the third quarter isn’t ideal, but Rodriguez said all of his teachers worked with him when he returned to make it possible for him to make up missing work and assessments. Now that he is back on the east coast, Rodriguez will be involved in another program at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The program, the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program, also requires auditions and is made up of musicians 25 and younger. Rodriguez auditioned with original pieces and will be playing the piano in the band. The program generally does not admit high school students, so this is a major accomplishment for Rodriguez. He will be participating in the program from Feb. 29 to March 12 and will play the Kennedy Center March 9, 10 and 11. On March 12, he will be back in New York to play the Apollo Theater.
photo courtesy of julius rodriguez
JULIUS RODRIGUEZ POSES ON the red carpet of the Grammy Awards with Grammy award winner Robert Searight from the band Snarky Puppy. Rodriguez was one of five students from the Grammy Jazz Session chosen to walk the red carpet.
Josh Bunch collaborates with alum on rap song Cedar Berrol-Young Features Editor Rap music has been popular since its creation in the mid to late eighties, taking different forms throughout time. In the 1990s it’s most popular form was gangsta rap, a subgenre dominated by artists like Tupac Shakur and Ice Cube both from Los Angeles. In the 2000s club rap became a big hit across the nation with artists like Jay-Z and 50 Cent, both originating from New York. Now, in the 2010s, a new style of rap music has
arisen in which artists use catchier hooks, darker instrumentals and a lot of voice editing software. This “new style,” instead of being from a particular coast, finds its home in the south with artists like Future and Yung Thug from Atlanta and Travis Scott from Houston. But this style of hip-hop did not stay in the south. It has reached out across the nation, inspiring many young artists to introduce the sound into their own style. One of these artists is Spencer Berkowitz ‘15, who goes by the name “lil pompous,” started recording in 2014. “I think Yung Thug and Future are visionaries and
are changing game in terms of beats, audio, rapping, and auto tune.” Berkowitz said. Berkowitz collaborated with senior Josh Bunch ‘16 in the summer of 2014 over a beat the two found on YouTube. They then released the single “Paris Prep” to Soundcloud, an app mostly used by up and coming musicians. The two didn’t stop there. When New Year’s of 2016 came around, Berkowitz and Bunch decided to collaborate on another song. Bunch, who goes by the name of “Johnny France,” said, “We wanted to make a song about New Year’s, so Spencer made a spooky black type beat and we wanted
to try to mix Future and Lil Yachty type vocals into it,” Bunch said. New Yr New Me, the new song by lil Pompous and Johnny France, was released in February and has over 2,000 plays on Soundcloud. Berkowitz continues to make music at Oberlin College and hopes to release a mixtape soon with friends also interested in music from Oberlin. Bunch takes his music career a little less seriously than Berkowitz and doesn’t have any immediate plans to make longer projects. “This is one of those things, if you take me too seriously you won’t like it and you won’t have fun,” Bunch said.
ART BY SPENCER BERKOWITZ
JOSH BUNCH HAS TAKEN a leap into the world of rap under the name Johnny France.
TOWER/MARCH 11, 2016
OP-ED
COLUMN: THE OKS BOX
Onyx shows that Black History Month matters
Legalization promotes liberty and cuts costs DaviD Oks The U.S. government, a sclerotic, desiccated behemoth, has a long list of practices it bans for no reason other than its dislike for them. These illegal activities—most prominent amongst them, drug use—are combated with colossal humanitarian, financial, and moral expenditure each year. It’s time that the country changed course. Substances like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin have been illegal for decades. One might think that’s good—those drugs, apart from marijuana, are responsible for death and addiction—but the ban on them is dumb, and a legal market for opiates, cannabis and the like would serve the people’s interests (stopping drug death and addiction, fighting drug traffickers and dealers, saving money) far better. Firstly, violent drug traffickers and dealers would be replaced by legitimate entrepreneurs, as has happened in Colorado and Washington after marijuana was legalized, saving lives, decreasing law enforcement costs, and reducing crime rates. Secondly, overdose deaths would drop as free market competition between legitimate drug vendors drives product improvement and drives impure
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drugs from the market. Thirdly, the prison system’s growth would slow as fewer drug offenders are incarcerated; after a few years, the number of prisoners would begin to drop sharply. Finally, as in most legal markets, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and other substance dispensaries would be taxed lightly. These funds could go towards substance-abuse treatment and other programs to help addicts, making such a policy a win-win. There would also likely be a number of positive externalities, like decreased STD transmission rates and better outcomes for children. One may object that there’s never been an experiment in legalizing all drugs, but that wouldn’t be true. After Portugal eliminated drug crimes, it saw significant drops in “problematic” and adolescent use of drugs, STD transmission, and overall drug-related deaths. Given Portugal’s success with such a radical policy, it’s time that the United States did the same and took a brave step forward for liberty by legalizing all drugs and imposing a small tax on their sale, ending the disastrous War on Drugs which has stained our country for decades. It is the only just option.
Jennifer Munnings Sports Editor February marked Black History Month and as time progresses and more unarmed black men and women are killed it becomes increasingly more important that we honor this month. With Donald Trump leading polls despite his bigoted comments and Beyoncé getting ridiculed for performing a song that supports the Black Lives Matter movement, Onyx’s presentations at Morning Meeting reminded us of the significance of this month, enabling students to be reflective and gain perspective on the backgrounds of their peers. Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance featured dancers dressed like the Black Panthers as she sang her new song “Formation.” The performance sparked controversy and an anti-Beyoncé protest took place, although only two people showed up. People who were offended by her perfor-
mance, however, failed to realize that being pro-black does not coincide with anti-white. As controversy stirred around the Oscars about lack of representation of black people, it is important that a performer as famous as Beyoncé promotes the idea that there is nothing wrong with being black. When you grow up playing with toys that look nothing like you and watch movies where none of the actors look like you, it instills a negative image in yourself around what it means to be black. Kintashe Mainsah, co-president of Onyx said, “Just being able to see other people that look like you doing incredible things and reminding you that you can do incredible things is why representation is so important.” Throughout the month, Onyx’s Black History Month videos have annoyed and offended some and, although the videos are not intended to offend, they are generating conversations around the subject of race. “The videos are not saying anything negative towards white people. They are only saying positive things
about black people and situations they have gone through as black people in our community and if you feel like the videos are attacking you, then perhaps you need to reevaluate the way you look at black people in our community and the way you look at black history,” Mainsah said. Nina Hylton, co-president of Onyx, believes that some of the reaction is because of “white guilt.” Hylton said, “People don’t want to acknowledge the fact that they are racist and they have stereotypes in their head. If you are not helping the movement you are hurting the movement.” Black students who should be leaders in the movement, however, are refraining from getting involved because they are afraid of the way they will be perceived by their white peers. Race is always a sensitive issue to talk about. However, in a school like Masters that prides itself on its open-mindedness, the community’s reaction towards the Onyx videos might reveal that we are not as progressive as we like to believe.
SOPHIE BUCHANAN/TOWER
KEYNOTE SPEAKER TIM WISE, a self-described “professional anti-racist,” addressed Upper School students as well as parents, faculty, alumni and administration in the Fonseca Center gymnasium as part of Reimagining Race Day on March 4.
Class participation unfairly influences grades ThOMas Mckenna Contributing Writer Anyone and everyone who goes to Masters can tell you how important class participation is, both for classes and for grades. Every class has a Harkness table, and most of the discussion-heavy classes (history, English, etc.) start off the year by telling students how to communicate their ideas in a calm and efficient manner. However, class participation grades (which account for a significant portion of your class average) have their issues. First, it should not take anyone by surprise that grading based off of class participation overwhelmingly favors more naturally extroverted students. Those who do not wish to speak, but are nonetheless paying attention and doing well in the class must push themselves to participate, while for more talkative, outgoing students, this comes naturally. Social interaction also has an unfair effect on class participation. To say that one’s social
standing has no place in a Harkness discussion would be absurd. Class discussions are, in large part, dictated by how peers feel about each other. I am much less likely to challenge the claims of someone I routinely butt heads with outside of class, just as I am more likely to criticize the ideas of
sions? Is it fair to grade people on a skill largely affected by one’s personality? The majority of our grades at Masters are based on objective standards. Homework, test and quiz grades, and even attendance account for most of our averages. But perhaps we place undue emphasis on class participation—should it be a large percentage of our average? Can we Is it fair to grade people on a skill revamp class participation stanlargely affected by one’s personality? dards to apply mainly to active listening and paying attention? Or can we somehow resolve the social and personal issues that those who I know will not take it per- are entangled in class participation? sonally. Perhaps it would be best to weigh What happens to those who sim- homework and tests more to make up ply don’t feel like speaking that day? for the reduction of class participation Everyone has moments, whether they grades. It would be even better if class are having a bad day or missed break- participation grades were drastically fast, when they don’t wish to speak reduced or wholly removed from math in class. Should they be penalized for and “hard science” classes—and renot participating in class? What about tained in more discussion-based classthose, like myself, who feel uncomfort- es such as history or English. For now, able speaking at the Harkness table, we can only hope that those who are who stumble over their words and feel more introverted are not punished for anxious when contributing to discus- their inaction in class.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEEN LEE, EDITED BY LEO PSAORS/TOWER
MANY STUDENTS FEEL THAT Dean’s List and Honor Roll create unwanted pressure in their already stressful lives. In addition to this, many students believe that their grades are more important than their overall academic experience.
Dean’s List leads to undue pressure on students Mark TyseTin Staff Writer With semester grades being released just a few weeks ago, everyone was asking themselves this one question: “Did I make Dean’s List or Honor Roll?” Although these titles are well intentioned, their effect has not been positive. To me, Dean’s List and Honor Roll take away from our school’s motto. We say “do it with thy might!” and avoid handing out titles such as “valedictorian” and so forth. Dean’s List and Honor Roll are rewards specifically handed out to students who are able to maintain strong grades in all classes. However, these rewards neglect noticing students whose efforts are noteworthy but are just unable to achieve a high enough grade point average. Although Masters has recently done away with sharing physical lists with the community, the first question students tend to ask when getting their grades is if they
made the cut. At Masters we strive to be a school that emphasizes the learning process over anything else. By allowing for such lists we are essentially prioritizing grades over learning. Although sharing grades is not encouraged at Masters, it is not uncommon to hear students comparing grades. The sharing of grades can cause certain students to become vulnerable or feel as though they are not capable. I understand that the purpose of the lists is to increase academic interest and encourage all students to do their best work, but I do not agree with the methods by which we attempt to accomplish this. It is inevitable that schools will use grades to assess knowledge, but when one begins to prioritize the grade over the material, conflict arises. If Masters wants to emphasize the learning process over grades, then it should ensure that once the semester ends the question should be “what could I do to learn more effectively?” instead of “I have to get this grade up by two points so I can make Dean’s List.”
TOWER/MARCH 11, 2016
SPORTS
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Varsity softball looks forward to Masters alum competes in season of growth and fun COLUMN: PLAY BY PLAY
Men’s College Squash National Championship Owen Lieber
I recently attended the 2016 Men’s College Squash National Championship hosted at Yale University. As a newcomer to squash culture, joining the Masters squash team this year, I did not know what to expect. How many people would be there? Do I cheer or stay silent? But for a sport that comes off as subdued, the crowds at all of the matches were loud and proud. Parents and students were yelling and praising their young heroes on the court as these college squash players made the game look deceptively easy. These players are some of the most talented and skilled athletes in the world. While this year was the first year for Masters squash at the new Fonseca Center, I did have the opportunity to watch a former Masters student play. Sam Epley ‘15 plays as the 3rd ranked player for the Dartmouth College squash team, seeded seventh out of eight teams in Division A. Dartmouth has surprised many this past season with regular season victories over Harvard and Princeton. While they lost two out of their three
matches, finishing in the seventh spot, it was still an impressive performance. All of this is particularly exciting as Masters hopefully begins a new journey into the world of competitive high school squash. The courts at the Fonseca Center are often filled with members of both the boys and girls varsity teams hard at work. It is just one example of the new dynamism and enhanced school spirit made possible by this new center of Masters School activity. So as I stood behind the glass enclosed battleground for the country’s leading squash programs, as Yale and Rochester fought to the final point, I could envision future glorious sports moments on our own courts, as Masters squash players of the future enjoy the benefit of the new facility. Back to the action at the championships, and after three days of intense squash, Yale University defeated the University of Rochester 5-4 to win the Potter Cup and the 2016 Men’s National Team Championship. The Bulldogs were seeded second in the tournament and held home court advantage. Their presence in the final was not much of a surprise.
LOgan TOpOrOff Copy Editor As the spring season begins the softball team is getting excited and ready to go. Shannon Nicholson, who has coached the Upper School team for three seasons, will coach again this year. She will be joined by Assistant Coach Brianna Panarese, who helped coach last season as well. In the past Nicholson has helped coach the Middle School team and will continue to do so this
year. Both coaches have backgrounds in the sport. Panarese played for Mercy College and Nicholson played throughout her childhood but stopped when she went to college to study physical education. This year there will only be one team because there are not enough girls for two teams, but a single varsity team will also help players better develop their skills. “They all have so much potential and deserve to play at varsity level. This means higher expectations and working hard-
er which will help the girls gain more skills,” Nicholson said. “The main goal for this season is to have fun. The girls on the team should use this time to distress, exercise and enjoy.” Sophomore Ciara Escobar said, “Last season was difficult because it was a pretty young team, but this year I’m really excited because so many people are playing which will make it a lot more fun.” As the softball program continues to grow the team hopes to improve its record while continuing to have fun.
ASLI NOYAN/TOWER
THE SOFTBALL TEAM, due to lack of players, will only have one varsity team for the season. But nevertheless the team is excited for the season and looks forward to improving from last year.
Boys’ varsity tennis looks to serve up some “love” Both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams are looking forward to promising spring seasons. The boys’ team will be led this year by Head Coach Sean Dyer, who two years ago coached the junior varsity boys’ squad. Since then, he has been a managing member of the Hastings Tennis Club. The boys’ team finished last season with a solid 7-9 record, and many of their losses were highly competitive matches. The team is also thrilled about the returning
talent from last year, as it only lost one graduating senior from last season. One returning player is Team Captain Khyle Richards-Corke. According to Richards-Corke, “Coach Dyer brings seriousness and intensity to every practice, which we need to build off of our progress.” The team is optimistic about its young talent. Sophomore Oren Vasser will be the team’s number one player this year, meaning he will face the best player on other teams. According to Vasser, “Even though we had a losing season last year, we definitely were competi-
tive as a team. I’m really excited to get back out on the court, and I think we’re all confident to start the season again.” The team hopes to win all of its non-league games this year, and finish among the top four in the FAA division, as well as making it past the first day in the FAA tournament. With returning talent and a new head coach, the team is optimistic about its chances of reaching those goals.
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MichaeL fiTzgeraLd Sports Editor
THE TENNIS TEAM is optimistic about the upcoming spring season due to a strong returning core of varsity players from last season.
GAVIN KEOPKE/TOWER
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SPORTS
TOWER/MARCH 11, 2016
SportS
Lacrosse program shoots to build off last season allie BeRdon Opinion Editor As the spring season begins, many are anticipating relaxing on the quad and enjoying the warm weather. What some students are looking forward to even more than relaxation is the upcoming lacrosse season. Both the girls’ and boys’ teams began practice on Feb. 29 and are preparing for a busy new season. The boys’ team is very excited to get to know their new head coach, Jim Boisi, who brings to the team over 30 years of coaching experience from St. Luke’s and a passion for lacrosse. This season marks the second year that Masters is participating in the PSAA league and the team is hoping to utilize their experiences from last year to propel themselves forward. “Last year was a historically strong season for the team, and we are poised to take a big step this coming season,” Assistant
Coach Tim Custer said. Both the coaches and the team’s upperclassmen are excited to see what some of the players bring to the field this season, and are especially excited to see some of the new talent shown in younger players. “We have a lot more freshman interest than last year and are looking forward to see them come out,” senior Gray Levien said. The girls’ team has also begun training for their long-awaited season. Similar to the boys’ team, the girls’ lacrosse program has a new coach this season, Laura Grahm, who brings her experience from coaching in the Nyack Public School system. The players are excited to kick off the season on a good note and develop the team to its fullest potential. “We now have players who are more experienced and skilled than previous years, and now with a new coach coming in we have a lot of good momentum building up for the program,” Assistant Coach Eric Shear said. The team is looking forward to competing as hard as they can and hopefully getting some wins this season.
ALLIE BERDON/TOWER
THE BOYS’ LACROSSE TEAM anticipates a successful season after having a historic season last year. Both boys‘ and girls’ lacrosse have acquired new coaches who bring a lot of past experience to the team. Both teams began practicing weeks before the season officially started.
Girls’ tennis looks to net wins mented, “Even though we lost some great players from last year’s team, it’s good we have a Sports Editor new group of players who are devoted and willing to compete and The girls’ tennis team is look- build this program.” ing to improve from last year’s Due to the weather, the team season and has high expectations will also have the ability to use for the upcoming year. the tennis courts much earlier Despite coming off of a 2-9 this season, allowing for a better season and losing many graduat- use of preseason practice time. ing seniors, the team is confident This extra practice time should players will step up and fill those allow for players to be more gamevacated roles and see improve- ready by the time the team has ment in their record. The team their first matches. will be led by co-captains and se“I think our team is going to niors Zoe Kreutzer and Ellie For- do extremely well this year,” tuna. Kreutzer Accordsaid. “A lot ing to head of us have coach Greg The biggest difference I’ve seen in the been playLesser, “The program throughout the years has been ing over biggest difthe commitment. the winter, ference I’ve and we’re seen in the -GREG LESSER a very close p r o g r a m team.” throughout Due to the years player imhas been provement, the commitextra prement. Players are playing for season practice time, and good teams out of school, as well as team chemistry, the girl’s tennis practicing throughout the winter, team should have a successful to prepare for the season.” spring season. Lesser also highlighted that “Record-wise, I think we’re gothe team’s goals for the season ing to see an improvement due were to compete in every match to extra practice, as well as the and improve throughout the sea- weather allowing us to use the son. courts much earlier than last Sophomore Sophie Cohen com- year,” Kreutzer said.
Michael FitzgeRald
JAKE REGELE/TOWER
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST MILLION Wolde is the track team’s newest long distance coach. He received his medal in the 2000 Olympics running the 5000 meter race representing Ethiopia.
Olympian gets Masters on track Jake Regele Features Editor The Masters track team is beginning their spring outdoor season with coach Million Wolde. Although it’s Wolde’s first year coaching, he has no shortage of experience when it comes to track and cross country. When Wolde was 22 he won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, representing Ethiopia. With a time of 13:35.49 Wolde took home the gold medal in the 5000 meter, winning the race in the last 200 meters with an impressive kick. Wolde then went on to place second in the 2001 Edmonton Cross Country World Championship, before a string of injuries ended his
professional career. Before his Olympic career Wolde had seen lots of success in various worldwide tournaments, including a sixth place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the 1996 Junior World Championships in Australia, and a fourth place finish running the 5000 meter in the following Junior World Championships in France. Wolde also finished eighth at the Junior World Cross-Country championships in 1996 at Capetown, and second in the next two championships. It is unclear whether or not Wolde will continue to coach at Masters next year, or if his coaching will extend to cross country, his area of expertise. “Maybe I will [come back], I’ve liked coaching,” Wolde said.
Although he lacks coaching experience, Wolde has been excelled as a coach for the Masters Indoor Track Team. “It’s cool knowing that all of your warm-ups and workouts are run the same way they’re run by Olympians,” said Junior Gene Perry. The entire Athletic Department is excited about acquiring Wolde as a coach. Coaching plays an integral role in the performance of any team and having an Olympic gold medalists as a coach only positively adds to the team’s dynamic. “Even though I don’t run long distance, having an Olympic medalists as a coach makes me feel better about my own abilities. It makes all of our drills and exercises seem more realistic and meaningful,” senior Jonathan Cator said,
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Upperclassmen leadership shapes baseball season MaRk tysetin Staff Writer The spring season is just around the corner as a new baseball team hopes to match or exceed last year’s performance. The coaching staff for the boys’ varsity team this spring season consists of Head Coach Thomas Wethington and Assistant Coaches Dave Friedman and Ryan Flynn. All three coaches have experience with baseball and hope to add new dynamics to build on prior success. Last year the team had nine wins and only four losses, the most wins in Masters baseball history.
The team will look to build off that success and continue to make history. What separated last year from previous years ultimately came down to dedication and focus. Last year’s team wanted to win and break away from the program’s losing culture. “We are a varsity program so we are here to win, but more importantly ensure that everyone has a positive experience and just has fun out there,” Wethington said. The team is participating in spring training over spring break and looking to have a strong start to the season. “Last year we consistently won close games, which we hope to continue this season. Although we lost
a few good seniors, we have all the guys we need and are ready to win,” starting pitcher Trevor Dee said. The team is relying on leadership from upperclassmen so this year’s seniors will be needed to step up. “Last year the team was able to work well as a unit and score a lot more runs than we have in the past which leads to more wins. This year we hope to achieve the same as a team and even do it better,” senior Alex Western said. The team’s first game is on April 4 against the York Preparatory School on Clarke Field. “I don’t expect there to be any drop in production this year because we really do have a talented group of kids that are ready to play,” Dee said.
ASLI NOYAN/TOWER
THE BASEBALL TEAM HAS high hopes for a successful year after a record breaking season last year. Despite losing key players last year, the team is still optimistic about their upcoming season. The team is looking to their upperclassmen to help guide them to victory.