Tower Issue #6 2015-2016

Tower The Masters School

49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522

VOLUME 72, NUMBER 6

Editorial Many people in the Masters community treated Donald Trump’s campaign as a joke at first, or at best an attempt to gain publicity. Now that he is the presumptive Republican nominee, the Trump phenomenon should serve as a wake-up call for us to understand American politics outside the Masters bubble.

FRIDAY MAY 6, 2016

tower.mastersny.org

Juniors to pick next year’s theme Tony RosenbeRg Copy Editor

CEDAR BERROL-YOUNG/TOWER

INGRID HIRT AND JONATHAN Greenberg will serve as next year’s co-chairs of student government. Hirt won the female co-chair election on April 19. The male co-chair election was postponed due to freshman class trips, but Greenberg ultimately prevailed on April 29. Greenberg and Hirt will be familiar faces at Morning Meeting.

Greenberg and Hirt take center stage as Executive Committee co-chairs Allie beRdon Op-Ed Editor For the past few weeks, five highly qualified candidates prepared to compete for the coveted spot of co-chair for the 2016-2017 school year. Being elected co-chair is not only a huge honor, but is a responsibility that takes hard work and dedication. This election season, both the female and male candidates were eager to take on the challenge of running Morning Meeting as well as leading Executive Committee.

The school-wide elections took place over the past few weeks and Ingrid Hirt and Jonathan Greenberg have been elected as the co-chairs for the 2016-2017 school year.

Hirt is looking forward to streamlining Executive Committee to make it

as efficient as possible for the student body and faculty. She is enthusiastic about assuming the role of co-chair.

“I am really excited to take on this leadership position because I think that Masters students have great ideas and I am looking forward to putting those ideas into action next year,” Hirt said.

Greenberg also expressed his excitement for his new role. “I ran for the position because I wanted to make an impact on the Masters community and leave a legacy,” Greenberg said. One of Greenberg’s goals for his role as cochair is to make Morning Meeting fun and exciting for the students and faculty. He is willing to risk embarrassment to do so.

Greenberg and Hirt bring their unique perspectives and strengths to the position and are looking forward to working together.

Greenberg emphasized his excite-

ment for Morning Meeting and Hirt highlighted some interesting proposals for Executive Committee next year.

One of Hirt’s main goals as co-chair is to work towards passing amendments and proposals to make Masters more sustainable and environmentally conscious, a goal that could benefit the greater community. Both incoming cochairs are eager to take on the new role and institute their own changes and ideas, and also want to continue the great work of the current and previous co-chairs.

Current co-chair Annie Canning emphasized the importance of staying organized and being patient when scheduling Morning Meetings and facilitating Executive Committee meetings.

Canning expressed her emphasis on the student body as co-chair and hopes that Hirt and Greenberg are able to represent both students and faculty

properly in Executive Committee and Morning Meeting.

Canning spoke of the significance of being a positive representative of Masters, whether it is at Morning Meeting, Convocation or prospective student events.

“I think that a huge role of co-chair is to really convey the morals and values of the school, and represent the Masters community accurately to new students and members of the community,” Canning said.

While Canning and fellow cochair Tim Kaplowitz bring their own strengths and outlooks on the position of co-chair, one common theme is the importance of communication and cohesion between the two co-chairs.

“I hope that Ingrid and Jon are able to work together and use each other to their advantage in order to balance out the job, which can be a lot of work,” Canning said.

Seniors have privileges and opportunities that other students can only until their final year comes around to have.

Making the Day Student Lounge (DSL) and McKnight Room second homes and having various end-of-the-year ceremonies are just a few examples of how the school traditionally rewards seniors for their dedication and hard work. This year, Masters has created a new senior tradition by allowing juniors to choose the theme for their senior year.

In the past, annual themes were selected through a voting process that gave all students and faculty equal opportunity to generate ideas. Although the change could be perceived as excluding the ideas of other members of the community, the school sees it as an opportunity for seniors to encourage one another to work cohesively, as a class, in leading the community.

“I’m hoping it will become a way for the seniors to feel more invested and more empowered without taking that power away from other students,” Junior class Dean Stephanie Mestyan said.

“It’s hard to get 140 opinions, especially in one room at one time, so I tried to think about the people who have active voices and have been through their four years,” Mestyan said. “I originally invited anyone (25-30 students) who had ever run for any leadership position that I knew about. I then included a few other students who I know are active in clubs and other leaders who may not have a title.”

From there, Mestyan asked that the original 25-30 students invite more juniors to attend a second meeting. She then held one final meeting for any other juniors who were interested in helping come up with ideas for the school theme.

“The intent was to never have the original group make the decision or to generate the only list [of themes]; it was just to sort of narrow the field, just to have something to build off of to create the ‘broth’ and then to have other people bring their ideas into it,” Mestyan explained.

This transition to having juniors decide the school theme serves as an experiment and the feedback will determine if it becomes a tradition in the future. It may act as an opportunity for seniors to take charge and work collaboratively in establishing their legacy.

Seniors hold mixed views of college application process ARiel CensoR Editor-in-chief RAjAn CuTTing Editor-in-chief This year, according to the report the college office gave to Head of School Laura Danforth, members of the senior class were admitted to 258 unique schools. Even though there is some overlap in schools seniors applied to-this year 41 seniors applied to NYU-students are being accepted to a wide range of schools. These acceptances reflect well on the college counseling office which, according to associate head Adam Gimple, strives to make the process as individualized and personalized as possible.

At a prestigious college prep school like Masters, the college counseling program is of the utmost importance to parents who often send their children to private school specifically for the college program. However, there has been some debate among students about the effectiveness of our college counseling program.

The college counseling office has four counselors who oversee approximately

35 to 40 students per grade, except for Many students Tower polled report- to their counselors, who meet with stuthe junior class which is slightly larger. ed their college counseling process was dents and their families. Naturally, Kathi Woods, Director of College Coun- positive. many students want to apply to schools seling, believes that in comparison to “I am more than happy with how my beyond their reach simply because of many other schools, our department is college process turned out,” one respon- the school’s name or due to parental instrong. “First the student to counselor dent said. fluence. Gimple noted that the meeting ratio is much smaller at Masters than One anonymous survey respondent enables families and students to foster many schools, where some may have explained why they regretted not get- a relationship with their college couna 1 to 100 counselor to selor, but also serves to student ratio or larger,” manage expectations.

Woods said. “Also, unlike “The point of meetmany high schools in the ing with the sophoI got into none of my top colleges, and only northeast, our counselmores is to foster trust ended up with two choices and am pretty unors have a master’s deand make them feel excited about where I am going next year. I gree in counseling. Our comfortable about the had no idea that so many of the colleges I apcounselors understand college process.

We supplied to were unrealistic options. If I had had a the college process and port students regardcompetent college counselor from outside of are qualified to help the less of what they decide school, I would have known this. students on an emotional but want to cultivate a level as well.” culture that encourages - ANONYMOUS SENIOR Nevertheless, many students to realize the seniors hired out of school value in applying to less college counselors because they felt ting an outside of school counselor: “I schools but to be methodical and holistheir experience here was inadequate. got into none of my top colleges, and tic about the decisions they make,” he Of 60 seniors who responded to an only ended up with two choices and said. anonymous Tower survey, 23 had hired am pretty unexcited about where I am Senior Emme Sudock thinks she outside of school counselors, approxi- going next year. I had no idea that so had some support during the process mately 38% of those who responded to many of the colleges I applied to were but not enough. the survey. The remaining 37 students unrealistic options. If I had had a com“I felt like I had a lot of emotional reported that they did not hire outside petent college counselor from outside of support but not a lot of support about counselors. Of these, 10 regretted not school, I would have known this.” the actual logistics of applying to and doing so. Only two students who hired The official process begins sopho- choosing colleges,” Sudock said. “I counselors wished they had not. more year when students are assigned didn’t feel like the counselors reached

“

out to us enough.”

A big area of criticism against the department comes from its perceived lack of activity after the Jan. 1 deadline. Before the Jan. 1 deadline, the office sends out student’s transcripts, teacher recommendations and assists in sending out the Common App. But for some students, the process doesn’t stop after that. Students who are applying for financial aid generally have until February to send all of their financial documents and all students can send test scores after the official deadline. However, according to the survey, some seniors didn’t get into certain schools because they didn’t know parts of their application were missing.

“Financial aid wasn’t something my counselor and I talked about,” senior Khyle Richards-Corke said.

Gimple realizes that the topic of financial aid can be difficult because of the stigma surrounding it. It can be challenging for families to reach out because they may feel uncomfortable or even embarrassed. Unless students go to their counselors seeking help there isn’t much they can do.

Gimple along with the rest of the department is looking for ways to market financial help to make it more appealing and accessible.

2

NEWS

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

Masters debates co-curriculars and academics es or co-curricular proctors, some take the study hall co-curricular, which allows students to have time after school to meet with teachers and to work, but others simply skip The Masters School offers a rigor- their activities without obtaining the ous academic environment in which approval to do so. students work hard all day learning The strict policy does have some new ideas and information. While ways to compensate for missed the Harkness method provides a co-curriculars, but many of them resmall safety net for students, some quire students to stay after school on are still unable to grasp a concept in Fridays, which is not an appealing class. Therefore, to prevent students option to the vast majority of the stufrom falling behind, all academic de- dent body. partments offer after school assis“I think co-curriculars are necestance on a planned schedule. After sary to create a well-rounded stuschool help typically runs from 3:30 dent,” Hank Kim, a teacher also to 4:30 almost every day, allowing from the Math Department, said. students to seek help without mak- Kim explained that it is essential for ing appointments or planning ahead. students to participate in other activWhile teachers may be available ev- ities outside of academics to allow for ery day to meet, students are not. student exploration and growth.

Every student in the Masters com“The only reason you should be munity has to take at least three days missing co-curricular is if you are of co-curriculars per week, drastical- doing horribly or failing a class and ly cutting opportunities to seek the there are no other options to find exextra help tra academic some strughelp,” Kim gling stusaid. Kim also dents need. believes stuWhile grades I definitely think that academics dents should are based on come before any co-curricular or sport. be responsible semesters, for deciding sports and - MARLEYNA GEORGE whether their other co-curgrades are riculars run stable enough on a trimesbefore taking ter basis. on extracurricular activities.

Each trimester, every student “I definitely think that academmust either participate in a sport or ics come before any co-curricular or a co-curricular. Most sports teams sport,” sophomore Marleyna George practice five times a week, making it said. George was a member of the especially hard for athletes to receive swim team last season and practiced extra help. Co-curriculars run either every day, even during the weekends. three or four days a week and have “I should be going to get extra help a little more leniency with access to about twice a week, but I’m lucky if I extra help. go once a week.”

Yael Landau, a math teacher, deGeorge believes she should be able scribed how busy math clinic is after to receive extra help as often as she school. “About twenty percent of my needs, but sports impede her ability students attend math clinic on a reg- to make the time. ular basis and, a lot of the time, there As the co-curricular policy continare more students than I can meet ues to change and incorporate new with,” she said. activities, students and teachers will This high attendance raises the continue to find the best balance bequestion of how so many students tween encouraging students to try are avoiding their co-curriculars via new things and making sure stuseeking extra help. Several students dents have adequate time to improve ask for permission from their coach- upon their academics.

Jake Masters Staff Writer

“

JENNIFER MUNNINGS/TOWER

STUDENTS VISITING FROM THE Cours Sainte Marie de Hann School in Senegal brought a new perspective to Masters as they shared aspects of their culture on their visit. The students, some of whom are pictured above, reported that they learned a lot from their visit too.

Visiting students from Senegal provide a meaningful exchange Gabby Davies Web Editor On the evening of March 30, ten Senegalese students and three of their teachers trundled their luggage into the Library Conference Room, where they met their host families.

Three weeks later, in the same location, they would be saying farewell to these families in sorrow. For both the students and faculty from the Cours Sainte Marie de Hann, Masters’ partner school in Senegal, this was their first time ever visiting the United States. They all agree that they were most excited for an integral part of American culture: the food.

Senegalese tenth grade student Beatrice Gomis chose to venture to the United States to experience life in an American high school, and also to explore New York City.

“Here in America, I’ve learned to accept people in whatever they can

be. I have learned not to judge other people because I do not know them,” Gomis said. “My favorite part in American culture is the way people accept the difference and are more free in their way of thinking.”

Maariama Koulibaly agreed that although she enjoyed her time in America and on the Masters campus, she saw a lot of differences between Cours Sainte Marie de Hann and Masters.

“The differences are that we don’t have the Harkness table in the classroom and we have a lot fewer discussions because of that. Also, the teachers interact with the students here more than they do at home,” Koulibaly said.

History teacher and leading coordinator of the trip Dr. Robert Fish wanted both American and Senegalese students to understand each other’s countries and cultures better by the end of the trip.

“I definitely wanted the Masters students to get to know kids from another country, specifically from Sen-

egal. I wanted to open up the ideas of the variety of different experiences that people from Senegal have, and the different viewpoints that kids from Senegal might have, even if they’re all from the same school,” Fish said.

“The largest thing I was hoping to engender in the Masters students was excitement for learning about Senegal, not only that in particular but also Africa in general. I wanted them to know that Africa is a very real place, it’s a very dynamic area, it’s an area where there are all kinds of things going on beyond what you might read in the newspaper,” Fish added.

From singing to different communities on multiple occasions to rock climbing in New Jersey, the Senegalese students not only witnessed all aspects of a typical American high schooler’s life, but also were able to play an active role in the Masters community. It was a wonderful learning experience for both students at Masters and their visitors.

COLUMN: DANNY’S WORLD

North Korea: Should we be worried?

DanieL brinG LEO PSAROS/TOWER

THE ACT EXAM WAS was started in 1959 as an alternative to the SAT and it has been growing in popularity with students ever since. However, the exam has increasingly resembled the esoteric grading standards of the SAT it was designed to avoid.

Students agonize over ACT writing section scores Leo Psaros Opinion Editor As juniors received their ACT results, many expressed anger due to low writing scores despite receiving high scores in other sections. Though the optional essay portion has never been a major issue for students in the past, in Sept. 2015 the ACT changed the writing section from a 12-point scale to a 36-point scale, similar to the rest of the sections of the test. This change has spurred great criticism of the ACT, with only 2% of test-takers receiving above a 30/36. Despite the essay being the least important part of the test, an unusually low writing score can raise a red flag for students applying to colleges.

In the past, the ACT essay was scored on a 12-point scale using a “holistic” rubric, where grading of the essay was based on being clear, logical, and understanding the topic at hand.

Now, the ACT essay is scored with an “analytic” rubric, where many of the old essay rules apply, but requiring more complex thinking and writing skills. This was done to make the writing style of the essay more similar to the style of the Common Core standards. Although the majority of test-takers knew about the new essay format and grading, many students received drastically lower scores. The ACT reported that, on average, student’s writing scores were three points lower than their composite scores.

Director of College Counseling Kathi Woods said, “The drop in writing grades for Masters students is similar to the drop most high school

students are experiencing. Some of our top students who took the ACT had much lower writing scores than other sections. Most educators feel the ACT will have to make a change soon in the rubric used by the essay graders. Since there is fierce competition between the ACT and the SAT for states to contract with them for testing business, it is likely the ACT will remedy the rubric issues soon.”

The ACT has defended its stance by citing that a good score in one subject can be equal to a lesser score on the writing section, and that students are still getting used to the new writing prompts. However, students are still struggling to understand why they are receiving such low scores. The only thing that students can do is pay $50 to have the ACT regrade the essay and, even then, there is a possibility that the score won’t change.

There have been a tremendous amount of threats and saber-rattling coming out of East Asia’s hermit kingdom, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, better known as North Korea. In recent months, North Korea has attained a startling number of military successes.

The first four months of 2016 have seen a nuclear test of unprecedented scale, a successful satellite launch using technology that could possibly be used in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the launches of several smaller missiles and, very recently, a successful submarine missile launch.

All of these developments, combined with more and more extreme rhetoric coming out of Pyongyang, have signaled a much more hostile turn in the relations between North Korea and the outside world, especially the United States and South Korea.

The leadership of North Korea, consisting primarily of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, has been making increasingly antagonistic moves in terms of foreign policy towards America and its allies, such as threatening nuclear annihilation.

The question now stands: should we, as Americans, or people living in America who may have ties to the Korean peninsula, be worried about

these alarming North Korean developments?

My answer is no. North Korea simply does not have the capital, in any sense, to mount a land war effort, and their technology is horrifically stunted as it is. Even the most powerful North Korean nuclear weapon, their most recent one which they claimed was a hydrogen bomb, was less than half as powerful as the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. By most modern military standards, the bomb is a relatively weak device.

North Korea’s economy is crippled by famines, droughts, a chronic electricity shortages and rampant flooding most likely caused by a massive public works project gone horribly wrong. Many people in North Korea live in conditions unseen and unfathomable in the West. The nation’s military is primarily equipped with Soviet-era material. Even the Chinese have lessened their support of their totalitarian state in response to recent aggression.

Overall, I believe that if one looks at the facts and not the media hype and the North Korean bravado, it is clear that North Korea simply does not have the ability to wage war on any scale threatening to the United States or even our friends south of the 38th Parallel.

OP-ED

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

3

OpiniOn EDITORIAL

Tower 2015-2016

Donald Trump’s victory shows Masters’ liberal bubble

W

hen Donald Trump announced he was running for president, many people thought of his candidacy as nothing more than an awful joke, poking holes in democracy. Trump, who claimed to represent the silent majority, based his campaign on the promised deportation of illegal immigrants and the construction of a wall that Mexico would pay for. He was an outsider, who, to all sane people, would never reach the Oval Office.

His alienating comments, referring to illegals as rapists and murderers, was thought to corroborate his inability to unify and represent the country. People on social media referred to him as a threat to our democracy; #anybodybutTrump trended on Facebook and became a symbol for what seemed to be a unanimous agreement that Trump would never become president.

Even after Trump began to lead polls and win primaries, we still saw his candidacy as illegitimate and something that could never happen.

Pol-

iticians from both parties ostracized him and made it clear that his rhetoric and beliefs had no place in the political establishment. The silent majority that he claimed to represent appeared not to exist and, more so, not to matter.

However, when Texas senator Ted Cruz and Ohio governor John Kasich suspended their campaigns after losing in Indiana, Trump effectively secured the Republican nomination.

This fact, as unforeseeable as it once was, suggests that Trump could become our next president.

Our community is known for advocating against social injustices. Our students, both past and present, have been leaders on social media in creating open dialogue that promotes political awareness and involvement. During this election, we have made it known that our school, as a whole, doesn’t support bigotry or any of its perpetrators.

We are a liberal community and it’s because of this that Trump’s campaign is shocking and hurtful. The reality that Trump will

certainly win the nomination is proof that we are very removed from the rest of our country.

We live in a bubble and have placed a disproportionate value on our opinions compared to views across the country. What we believe and understand as basic principles is not universal.

As we move forward we need to be more aware and not so absolute in our thinking. Not everyone is liberal and we need to be more open to hearing other opinions. Because when we make the mistake of thinking our views matter more than others, we stand in the way of progress and push one another further away.

Instead, we should engage with what we don’t believe in and should always look to understand different opinions. As an intellectual community, and as citizens of the world, we have a duty and responsibility to challenge ourselves and to search for understanding in some of the most disagreeable places.

But more importantly, if democracy’s purpose is to represent the voice of the people then we have to acknowledge that sometimes that won’t be a voice we believe in.

One man did not build our nation and, t h a n k f u l l y, one man cannot destroy it.

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 Jake regeLe CeDar BerroL-young

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

FaCulty adviser Matt Browne

oNliNe Media

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

distributioN proCess

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

Meat shortage will eventually occur Dear Tower Editors, Think back to the last time you had a hamburger. Did you take a second to consider that you might be eating your last hamburger ever?

The rhetorical question posed might be a bit of an exaggeration, however the truth is that the entire world, not only the United States, is on a fast track towards a global meat shortage.

The world today is filled with its fair share of problems ranging from terrorism, an impending water crisis, climate change and so forth. So the last thing we need on our plate is a global meat shortage. The reality is that factory

farming is currently operating within unsustainable parameters.

As global population rates continue to increase around the world, so does the rate of animal consumption.

The caveat of this growth is that one day we simply will not have enough suitable land to raise enough livestock to support the rising demand for meat.

In the process of attempting to meet a heightened demand for meat, we will also exponentially continue to damage our environment, as factory farming alone is responsible for a whopping 30% of all pollution in our planet and atmosphere.

Experts predict by the year

2050, the world will begin to face a crippling meat shortage, as we will begin to see the price of all types of meat dramatically skyrocket.

If meat is a staple in your diet, then about 25% of your protein intake likely comes from meat alone. A global meat shortage would result in serious malnutrition for millions of people across the world.

What is most important to understand is that the problem we face doesn’t stem from farming, but from our dietary choices.

Americans especially perpetuate this problem, as our citizens annually consume more meat than any other country in the world

(more than 200 pounds per person each year). The only way we can try to avoid a future meat shortage, subsidize our protein intake, all while avoiding the creation of huge amounts of pollution, is by reforming what we choose to eat.

2050 may seem far away, but the reality is that it will be here sooner than later. The sooner we can acknowledge that there is a problem with sustaining the diet we choose to have, the sooner we can attempt to fix it.

Sincerely, Daniel Starr ‘17

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.

4

OP-ED

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

Climate poses existential threat to planet and humanity rachel saunDers News Editor As the election season is in final swing, I constantly see candidates espousing their views on television, some shocking, some reasonable. One of the most shocking were the stances of the candidates on climate change. Perhaps separating what is reality and what is fictional about our earth becomes exceedingly difficult when supposed leaders in our country are shouting differing views of such extremes. Four of the 20 original candidates denied that climate change exists, and a whopping 15 candidates did not even say they would attempt to combat climate change. Though I have no doubt that the majority of the Masters community understands that climate change was not “created by and for the Chinese,” as Republican candidate Donald Trump claims, I do question how many understand the great threat climate change poses.

As most of you probably know, greenhouse gases are necessary to a healthy planet, or at least one that can sustain life as we experience it.

They trap heat energy from the sun in our atmosphere to be absorbed by the Earth, and allow other energy to be released back into space, what is called the Greenhouse Effect.

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases are the big four contributors to climate change.

However, just as your parents may tell

PHOTO COURTESY OF TEACHER RICH, EDITED BY LEO PSAROS/TOWER

WHILE POLITICIANS FOCUS ON more frivolous or near-term issues, global temperatures continue to rise unchecked. The potential consequences of this sustained inattention could be devastating to our environment and even our own survival. you that nothing is beneficial in excess amounts, greenhouse gases become harmful in excess amounts. Of course these gases are produced naturally during respiration, decomposition, in wetlands, oceans and soils, but human activity contributes such a large amount of these gases that the warming and cooling of the planet that has occurred continuously throughout his-

tory is happening at a more rapid rate.

The human-activity-emitted natural gases strengthen the greenhouse effect and trap the heat energy from the sun in the atmosphere without releasing it again. Hot and cold periods are natural for the globe to experience, but that isn’t the problem we are facing. The problem lies in the abruptness of spikes in the temperature of our

planet.

Right now we are experiencing what weather experts are calling a “Godzilla” weather event. This event is El Nino.

El Nino is caused by unusually warm ocean waters running through the Pacific and stretching to South America.

The last El Nino occurred in 1997, when it was titled a “Super” El Nino.

This one, however, will top 1997; it will

be the biggest on record. Flooding will ensue in the southern US with extreme heat in the northwest, leading to forest fires. The damage caused by the flooding and the extreme weather that accompanies such storms is disastrous.

Some people fight the existence of climate change with every word. Why? I do not know. Even if you disagree with the scientific evidence of climate change for some strange reason, that is no excuse to feed pollution.

Pollution is directly damaging, when climate change may not seem so. An invisible threat is no less dangerous than a sudden one. I believe there will come a day when climate change becomes that sudden threat, but then stopping it will be nearly impossible. This is not an overnight fix; this is a global problem that needs to be fought every day by everyone.

The burning of fossil fuels is a giant contributor to climate change. I doubt we could miraculously stop using cars or even the stovetop for that matter, but that would be the key to mitigating this seemingly disastrous future.

Green energy sources such as solar or wind energy would reduce the need to burn fossil fuels and hopefully replace it. Individually, turning off the lights when you leave a room, making a carpool instead of using two or three cars, and even eating less meat reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

We all contribute to the problem, and now it’s time to contribute to the solution. In the words of Bill Nye “deniers quit denying and we can get to work and change the world.”

COLUMN: THE OKS BOX

Cutting the government down to size DaviD Oks

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALBERTO G AND MWAJIM AL, EDITED BY LEO PSAROS/TOWER

MANY STUDENTS ARE STRESSED about the college process before junior year, when students typically begin building up their college applications, even begins. Some students shape their course schedules around what they believe colleges are looking for, often taking APs in favor of classes that may be more interesting to them but aren’t considered as “rigorous” on an application.

School causes student stress Mike FitzgeralD Sports Editor

and focus more on limiting pressure put on one’s self,” Academic Dean Chris Goulian said.

Most students just see high school as a way to pad their college applications and as a result spend their four years trying to look as impressive as possible on paper. As a result, students fo-

Stress is a common problem at all high schools, but at collegiate preparatory schools, such as Masters, pressure to get into elite colleges leads to a need for a high GPA, a rigorous course load and competitive SAT scores.

There’s a lot of pressure on students Teachers need to balance to take courses they have no interests in, this out by creating a classbut they take them because they believe room environment focused in the notion that it will help them get on their students’ well-beinto college and it’s upsetting to think ing and limiting the presthat’s what many people truly believe in. sure tough courses put on students.

-Tim Kaplowitz Some of this pressure is put on the students by themselves.

Their academic surroundings create an un- cus more on the grade they get healthy mindset for students, but in a course than the skills and prioritizing school over mental knowledge gained from it. They also tend to choose courses more health is not safe.

“What a student is willing to for their perceived “rigor” than for sacrifice depends on your defi- whether they’re actually of internition of wellness. Perhaps that est to the student.

“There’s a lot of pressure on studefinition needs to be broader,

“

dents to take courses they have no interests in, but they take them because they believe in the notion that it will help them get into college and it’s upsetting to think that’s what many people truly believe in,” senior and Upper School Co-Chair Timothy Kaplowitz said.

“Prep schools are great opportunities for students, but the pressure has to give somewhere. Students need to focus on balancing stress and time as opposing to biting off more than they can chew. Students should realize that their time here doesn’t define you as a human being, and it doesn’t define your future,” School Counselor Stefanie Carbone said.

While prep schools offer high levels of education, the lack of focus on healthy study habits is detrimental for students.

Students struggle to understand that, while their grades are important, their mental health is just as vital. Hopefully, the school will do more to promote this mentality amongst its students.

The U.S. government is one of the most wasteful, stupid, inhibitive, unproductive, and occasionally evil institutions to ever spring forth from the darker recesses of the human mind.

Indeed, almost any free-thinking, patriotic American would vote to abolish it and start from scratch; after all, the U.S. government is perhaps the prime cause of American decline; and if the nation and the state of America were separated (the two are far too often confused for each other), the former would be far better off and the latter, revealed as the vicious parasite it is, would wither and die.

Yet, because all change involving our government is expansionary, and because it currently has the full force of a very strong military behind it, such an act is, today, impossible.

So we ought to settle for the next best thing: not killing our bloated, dim-witted government, but performing an intensive liposuction. But how would this be done? How could we gut our government?

The first step would be to institute strict rules regarding lobbyists and campaign finances; these are the ways that lecherous companies get in

bed with government, as one Senator said. Afterwards, the real cutting can begin. First, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, should be cut, and some of their most useful agencies saved. Next, the U.S. should end all subsidies, except for those for alternative energy, as well as the vast majority of foreign aid. (We ought to ask ourselves: who will fight with us if we get attacked? Those are our allies, who we’ll help, and everyone else is a fair-weather friend.)

We should also cut military spending significantly, and make serious modifications to Medicare and Social Security.

We should end most welfare programs, except for Social Security Disability Insurance, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Medicaid, which deserve a significant expansion for the efficacy they’ve shown.

Along with a few waste-cutting actions (such as selling abandoned government buildings), and a few revenue-generating ones (like selling most federal land in the West and eliminating the vast majority of tax loopholes), the government could be cut down to a better size.

NYC integration plan falls short leO PsarOs Opinion Editor With over 800 spoken languages and a very diverse population, New York City has been celebrated as a melting pot of cultures and races.

It is one of the few cities in the world where each of the four major ethnic and racial groups represent at least 10% of the total population. However, the racial and ethnic diversity of the city’s housing is one of the worst in the country.

According to the Furman Center, almost 50% of the city’s neighborhoods are predominantly one race. This is a major issue because the city’s celebrated feature of diversity is a facade for notoriously expensive residential prices and a history of racial discrimination.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently passed the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Amendment that requires new residential developers

who build in rezoned areas to provide affordable housing options. By passing this amendment, the de Blasio administration hopes the city’s segregated communities will intermingle as they will not be stigmatized by high housing prices in other neighborhoods.

However, the problem of racial housing segregation does not have one definite solution.

Simply making housing more affordable will not significantly reduce a problem that is deeply-rooted in racism.

In addition to this, affordable housing can increase gentrification in a community, undermining Mayor de Blasio’s goal of integration.

If Mayor de Blasio truly wants to fix the rampant segregation in New York City, his administration has to look at the issue from a variety of perspectives.

While providing citizens with affordable housing is a step in the right direction, the mayor must prioritize the issue of segregation if he truly wants New York City to be the melting pot it advertises itself as.

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

OP-ED

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Standardized tests: less a test of skill, more a test of money Courtney Delong News Editor High schoolers hate standardized tests. They agonize over ACTs and stress over SATs. To cope with challenging tests many students spend weekends slaving away over practice exams, instructional math packets and vocabulary lists. Others hire expensive tutors. These tutors skew the testing process in favor of the wealthy.

The ACT and SAT were created to standardize the college admissions process. The idea was that each student would take the same basic skills test that he or she could not prepare for ahead of time.

Tests that measure skill sets and not content should allow students of different educational backgrounds to be compared to each other.

But to study, students hire tutors. Tutoring companies have experienced staff, patented methods, and special study materials readily available to students. Access to all of these resources provides wealthier students with unfair advantages.

Students who use tutors do earn their scores. Kids who use tutors do work hard and study a lot in order to achieve. However, in order to even have the opportunity to do this hard work kids must have money.

In order to take proctored, official tests regularly, to meet with a qualified tutor, students must pay.

Some tutors can cost hundreds of dollars a session.

There are alternatives to tutoring like cheaper group classes and online courses.

Many American students use review books from companies like Princeton Review or Barron’s.

These books contain explanations of test questions, study strategies and practice tests. There are also free online video courses on sites like Kahn Academy.

However, few options provide the intensive, personalized care that a high-end tutor does.

Some people have begun advocating for the abolition of all tests due to their “classism.” While the tests do create a classist system, abolishing them would only do further harm. The SAT and ACT may create a distorted comparison between students but it is a comparison nonetheless.

Without the SAT and ACT there would be absolutely no way to compare students from different high schools. Students from schools that send few children to college could find themselves at a disadvantage in the admissions process. Rather than abolish testing we should acknowledge the disparity in ability to prepare.

Often times people at Masters and in other wealthy communities complain when others with lower ACT and SAT scores get into schools that they do not.

While seemingly unfair outcomes are understandably frustrating, it is important to note that economic privilege plays a role in test scores.

A student who has had ample study opportunities should not be directly compared to a student who has not. Colleges and peers should take socioeconomic status into consideration when discussing test scores.

If a college is conscious enough to note inequalities in its admissions process, it should be praised not criticized.

TOWER

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OFTEN HAVE to travel long distances to return to campus after vacation breaks. They would like to come back ready to hit the books, but overcoming jet lag and adjusting to the school schedule in a different time zone is a challenge.

Opening the dorms early for international students after vacations would be a big help Mia ouyang Editor-in-chief In this very diverse community, both the local students and the international ones get a chance to learn each other’s cultures and differences. But one thing that is hard for many local students to understand is the jet lag that kicks in at 2:00 p.m. in the classroom for many international students as they adjust to the time difference between New York and their home. Depending on the time of the flight and policy of the dorm, many students have to face a situation where they have to go to class the next day after they have just returned from traveling a very long distance.

For me, this has been the case since my freshman year. In order to make sure that I have a place to stay, I usually have to come in on the last day before school, when the dorm is open. On the other hand, my flight from Shanghai to New York always lands in the afternoon and I have to get through customs with hundreds of people not only from my flight, but from others. Consequently, arriving at campus early in the day becomes almost impossible for me.

And I’m not the only person who deals with this. Although it is funny when we joke about how we are always too tired to unpack and how we slept through study halls because of jet lag, the truth is it is extremely inconvenient. For me and many other international students, one night is simply too short to recover from a 14-hour flight.

I understand that the school and all of our dorm parents are already trying to make everything the best for us. But simply opening the dorm even half a day earlier after school vacations can make people’s lives much easier. That way, people like me, who are willing to take an earlier flight, can get on campus a day early and have one more night to recover. Moreover, since this will not be a huge population, there will not be a lot of pressure on the dorm parents in terms of keeping track of where people are.

Masters offers a lot of opportunities to international students. But students from far away countries contribute a lot to the culture of the school, too, and opening the dorms a little earlier is a small change that would make a big difference.

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FEATURES AND ARTS

PHOTO CREDITS: CLINTON - U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE CRUZ - FRANK FEY/ U.S. SENATE PHOTOGRAPHIC OFFICE KASICH - OFFICE OF OHIO GOVERNOR SANDERS - U.S. CONGRESS TRUMP - GAGE SKIDMORE DESIGN:

arieL censor Editor-in-Chief

Clinton set to carry torch...

Hillary Clinton has long been overshadowed by Bernie Sanders at Masters, with only 33 percent of Masters democrats supporting her. However, in the grand scheme of things, Hillary has been the establishment’s candidate and is currently the front runner among the majority. Sanders, since the start of his campaign, has always been more popular among the younger demographics with 56% of democrats aged 18-39 supporting Bernie, a 19-point lead over Hillary, being heavily reflected amongst the Masters population. This is because Bernie spreads idealistic views which would heavily benefit people of the younger generation. At Masters, though, Bernie vs Hillary has turned into more of a competition than simply a primary. At this point in time, with Sanders’ primary victory far out of sight, it is time to look at how Hillary could benefit

In a Republican primary filled with phallic humor, name-calling and petty personal attacks, it was easy to think that John Kasich, the Ohio governor who has not engaged in these behaviors, was a moderate, rational candidate. The common narrative regarding Kasich was that he was a centrist, a “compassionate conservative.” After all, Kasich did expand Medicaid against the wishes of the conservative legislators in his own party, bringing health insurance to hundreds of thousands of low-income Ohioans, as well as differed from his far-right colleagues on immigration policy. But does this make him a centrist?

Not according to his record. Shortly after taking office in 2011, Kasich signed a law stripping public employees of collective bargaining rights. Opponents of the anti-union law then staged a referendum, overturning the law by a margin of 61 to 39 percent.

Because of this, Kasich was unable to pursue the conservative priority of making his state “right-to-work”, or, more precisely, anti-union and discouraged any further attempts at pushing even

the younger demographics too as well as people over 40. Sanders supports a federal minimum wage of $15 which would make living situations a lot more comfortable for people who are living on minimum wage which currently is $7.25. Hillary plans to increase it to $12, only a three-dollar difference and also less of an incentive for businesses to up their prices, one of the fears of increasing the current minimum wage.

On top of that Hillary may not support the free college for all act but she is trying to implement a debt free college plan for four year public universities. People continue to go on record saying that they hate Hillary due to reasons such as lying and the email scandal. However, politicians are renowned for their skills at bending the truth and, as for the email scandal, that shouldn’t be a significant factor in evaluating Clinton’s ability to run the country.

The nation has been presented with a myriad of different characters who each wish to run the country and for Democrats with Sanders slowly drifting out of the race it is nonsensical to simply toss Hillary aside.

MASTERS

more conservative legislation. Although Kasich’s actual accomplishments in many areas do not reflect the more radical ones of, say, Ted Cruz, it isn’t for lack of trying.

Kasich has also been radical in the area of women’s rights. In February, he signed a bill prohibiting the state from contracting for health services with any organization that performs or proFEATURES AND ARTS motes abortions, preventing more than a million dollars in funding from the Ohio Department of Health from going to Planned Parenthood.

Despite the fact that the state’s money never went to funding abortions due to the Hyde Amendment, in an effort to prove that he is a “true conservative,” he left thousands of women without access to STD and HIV testing and cancer screenings and cut an essential program that fought domestic violence and protected its victims.

Before this, in 2013 he cut $1.4 million in family planning funds from Planned Parenthood and cut funds from rape crisis centers that referred victims to abortion resources. He has also mandated that in clinics that receive state funding, women seeking abortions are required to pay for and receive an unnecessary ultrasound to check for a fetal heartbeat. In total, he’s enacted 17 anti-abortion measures, some of the most stringent in the country. During his time of office, the number of abortion providers in

Jackson Myers-Brown Editor-in-Chief The road to the 2016 presidential election has been a long, strange trip that has left many people wondering what type of country we want to be a part of, whether we want a loud, convincing business man to “Make America Great Again” or a democratic socialist to start a “political revolution.” With the primary process far from over and the general election months away, it seems likely that tensions will continue to rise.

Donald Trump, who everyone seems to have strong feelings either for or against, won the New York Republican Primary with 60% of the vote. John Kasich lagged behind with 25% and Ted Cruz, who was the Republican establishment’s candidate, got only 14%. This wasn’t surprising. Kasich has won only his home state

COLORS In the months since he announced his run for president, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has went from an overlooked alternative to a legitimate contender for the Democratic nomination. Despite doubts from political experts, Sanders’ unorthodox campaign and socialist ideals have resonated with the American people, and he has won 17 states so far. However, his recent loss in New York and four other states signifies a significant loss of momentum to his campaign.

When the Sanders campaign began, the public was skeptical of his idealistic views and his identity as a Democratic socialist. Though his views rever-

of Ohio so far and New Yorkers hate Ted Cruz for his lamenting of “New York values.” So Trump won, as he’s been doing for a while now. He followed his New York victory with a sweep of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island one week later.

Trump has been unavoidable since day one, with his comments on immigration and building a wall – and since then he’s only gotten louder. He’s been ripping through the campaign process by saying everything and anything he can to get the media attention that puts his name everywhere, whether people are praising him or cursing him for his racist and sexist remarks. So Trump is everywhere and that’s where part of the appeal comes from. Another part of the appeal is that his name is associated with success. Trump is an outsider in the race, a businessman who has his name on big, expensive buildings and airplanes, even if he doesn’t own these things. So even if his fans don’t always like what he says, they might be drawn in by the things

To see how Master students felt about presidential candidates, Tower surveyed 243 students. 179 students identified as Democrats and 35 as Republicans. The remaining students did not identify as either.

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton were the two most popular candidates for students to select as their “top choices.” Third was John Kasich. Last were Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

When Tower ran a “mock election” and allowed only party members to vote in a primary election, the nominees for the general election were Sanders and Kasich who received 60% and 54% of the vote respectively. In the “general election” in which all votes were counted Sanders won in a landslide.

...but Sanders is still Berning berated with young voters and liberals, the majority of Democrats supported conventional candidate Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s support from African-Americans, elders, and moderate Democrats outnumbered Sanders’ support from whites, liberals, and young voters. According to Real Clear Politics, Sanders trailed Clinton by as much as 57% in the polls in April 2015. However, after the first Democratic debate in October 2015, Clinton’s lead in the polls dwindled to 28%. Though there are a variety of factors to Sanders’ rise in popularity, the most noticeable is the increased attention from the public and the media, which has spread his message for strengthening the middle class.

Sander’s liberal views on healthcare, education and the economy, specifically Wall Street, have drastically changed the position of the Democratic party. By making these three issues the focus of his

Ohio has been cut in half, dropping from 16 to eight.

According to Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, an abortion rights advocacy group, “He is--if not the worst--among the worst of anti-choice governors in this country’s history.”

In addition, Kasich has frequently said questionable, some7 times hateful things about women. At a campaign stop in Virginia on Feb. 22, he stated that “women are coming out of the kitchen to support me.”

As recently as April 15, Kasich answered a student’s question about sexual assault on college campuses by advising her not to “go to parties where there’s a lot of alcohol,” effectively telling her that she was in charge of stopping her own sexual assault. In October, when a young, female journalism student raised her hand to ask him a question, he looked at her and said, “I don’t have any tickets, for, you know, Taylor Swift or anything.” In 2010, he stated that he admired a woman that refused cancer treatment because she was pregnant, saying that “Jesus would admire her faith.”

So although Kasich was certainly the lesser evil when compared to Trump and Cruz, he was not the moderate candidate the media was making him out to be. In this race, there really was no “moderate” Republican candidate.

Trump mesmerizes voters with symbols of success

PRIMARY

Leo Psaros Sports Editor

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Conservative Kasich claimed moderate label

YIYI(MIA) OUYANG

Jack Murray Advertising Manager

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

campaign, voters left and right have reconsidered their thoughts on these issues. The greatest example of Sander’s impact on the public is his influence over Hillary Clinton. Now confronted with a new wave of liberalism, Clinton has had to move more left as a result of Sander’s leftist beliefs.

Due to his increase in popularity, Sanders has won 17 states. However, Clinton still holds a 289 pledged delegate lead along with support from 481 superdelegates. In addition to this, Sander’s recent loss in New York signifies his loss of momentum and could be a crucial tipping point in his campaign.

Bernie Sanders still has a chance of winning the Democratic nomination, but as Clinton’s lead widens, Sanders’ chances dwindle. If the remaining primaries emulate the results in New York, it is probably only a matter of time until Sanders suspends his campaign. Indiana gave his supporters hope.

associated with him.

Senior Henry Littlewood is a Masters student who supports Trump. He says that he became a Trump supporter when he experienced the role of taxes in his first job in the past summer and that economic issues drive his support. Littlewood believes there should be a flat tax and he also praised Trump’s campaign tactics. “He’s realized how to get the majority of the vote by saying what the average American wants,” Littlewood said.

Senior Karl Hirt opposes Trump and thinks he is dangerous. “He’s very manipulative (in his campaign) and contrary to popular belief, rather smart. He’s running a campaign to attract certain types of voters,” Hirt said. “I think he’s a very dangerous candidate and he’s catering towards basic, fear-based needs.”

Whatever one’s thoughts on Donald Trump were as a viable candidate, he will become the Republican nominee. Whether or not the party will back him and embrace him as their candidate, time will tell.

Cruz was a conservative voice until Indiana defeat Jake regeLe Features Editor This presidential campaign season has been one of the most entertaining in recent history and one candidate, Ted Cruz, came under an almost comical amount of scrutiny until he ended his campaign Tuesday night following a string of defeats.

Cruz has received lots of criticism on topics ranging from his former Canadian citizenship and right-wing political views to accusations being the Zodiac Killer.

Rumors aside, Ted Cruz had a few important policies setting him apart from the competition. While he did not suggest a full scale wall along the U.S.-Mexico border like Donald Trump, Cruz advocated for tighter borders with more border patrol agents, increased surveillance and finishing the work started by the Secure Fence Act of 2006 in the form of over 700 miles of fencing.

Cruz called for stricter punishments for those who have entered the country illegally along with making the legal immigration process much harder. In the name of “small business,” Cruz spoke in favor of removing environmental and clean water policies put in place by the EPA, policies that are already lacking when it comes to many American farmers and manufacturers.

Cruz ran a campaign that was vocally and near violently pro-life, calling Planned Parenthood a “criminal enterprise” that he planned to defund if elected. Although not a priority, Cruz has stood adamantly against gay marriage, calling America’s current gender and sexuality acceptance a “crisis.”

Despite being the most conservative candidate in the race, Cruz took a very democratic stance on many issues, often saying that individual states should determine their own laws, regardless of his own personal beliefs. One example of this was Cruz’s stance on marijuana legalization.

“If it were on a ballot in the state of Texas, I would vote no,” Cruz said, “but I also believe that’s a legitimate question for the states to make a determination [about].”

This idea of states determining their own policies was a rare one in this election and a conversation that is worth continuing now that Cruz had his Waterloo in Indiana.

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TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

Science teacher Mary May brings experience from abroad AlexAndrA Bentzien Contributing Writer It might be difficult to find common ground with a backpacker and a scientist, but this is not the case for Mary May. While on her seven-year absence from Masters, May spread her passion for science and gained new perspectives as she traveled to the other side of the world to teach in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

For five years May worked at Dharan High School in Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf. When the school contacted her with a teaching position, May was thrilled. She loves the culture, noting that “the Saudi people are very hospitable and genuine” and “Middle Eastern food and music rocks!”

May’s fondest memories of the country came from taking in the landscape.

She recalls snorkeling in the Red Sea, and her favorite trips were to the desert, where she and her friends would have fun driving down the sand dunes.

At night they would set out rugs and

a grill. “There were so many stars; it was amazing!”

But there was also a different side of Saudi society. Whenever she went out, Ms. May had to wear an Abaya (black robes which cover a person from head to toe) even when it was 100 degrees. The compound where she lived was surrounded by barbed wire and cement barricades, where security guards were stationed with machine guns. Once they had to use them.

There was an Al Qaeda attack about two and a half miles from her compound. She remembers she was teaching at the time.

“A student got a call from her mom about the attacks, so I called security and made everyone hide under their desks,” May said. During the attacks, one of her neighbors was killed and one of her friends was shot, but thankfully survived.

“It was very personal and needless.

Life got very strict after that.”

At home, Ms. May taught her son and daughter what to do in case of another attack. “I taught them how to hide in the kitchen and a room which was always filled with water and other necessities. I told them that they

were tornado drills so they wouldn’t get scared.” May also remembers how neighbors started checking their cars after one was found with a bomb attached to the windshield.

She left the country in 2013 to work in Malaysia, another country with a very hot climate. Her favorite parts were taking walks in the beautiful rain forest, where she saw all types of wildlife, including a python and a spitting cobra. But she still preferred Saudi Arabia. Her best memories of working abroad weren’t so much of teaching, but getting to know the students.

While in Saudi Arabia, she was an active member of the Effect Club, which was a mostly student-run environmental club. She remembers seeing the students’ enthusiasm for recycling flourish, and loved watching them develop collaborative environmental projects for other schools. She has helped create a similar student group at Masters.

May has already unpacked her suitcase, filled with diverse experiences, skillsets, a passion for science and getting to know new people. She looks forward to staying at Masters and sharing her talents for a long time.

LOGAN TOPOROFF/TOWER

MARY MAY HAS RETURNED after teaching in Saudi Arabia where she explored the natural landscape and helped develelop a student led environemental group. The group, which started with one girl, grew enormously. May hopes to have a similar impact at Masters.

After APs, students can relax Jennifer Munnings Sports Editor

COURTNEY DELONG/ TOWER

STUDENTS PREPARE ALL YEAR for AP exams by working hard in class and by studying for the exams themselves . After the exams many find themselves devoid of motivation. Teachers often change the pace of the course after exams or teach concepts not covered by the standardized AP curriculum.

Almost all students know the stress and work involved in taking an Advanced Placement (AP) course. AP classes, depending on the subject and teacher, are centered on preparation for the AP exam, but what happens when the exam is over?

AP courses are college level courses offered to high school students. The incentive to take APs stems from both the challenge of the course and the possibility of getting college credits if the student scores high on the AP exam.

All colleges handle AP exams differently. Depending on the sub-

ject and the score the student received, the student can be exempt from taking a college course or receive additional college credits.

AP exams begin the first week of May before regular courses take their final exams in June.

Since the AP exam is a standardized test, all students must take the test on the same day and the early start ensures schools have not paused for summer vacation or that the test interferes with final exams.

Frank Greally, head of the Science Department said, “In chemistry, after and during the week of the APs, we relax after a busy two weeks of studying chemistry. After the exam we cover some topics that are not on the AP exam but that I feel are important for chemistry.”

Greally shifts his course’s focus,

replacing tests and quizzes with in-depth research projects. This year, his students will be designing their own research projects to finish the year.

According to Skeff Young, head of the History and Religion Department and AP European history teacher, the atmosphere changes after the AP exam.

“It becomes a different class. It’s one where you’re trying to keep people motivated and interested,” Young said.

After the AP exam, Young sometimes shows movies or does joint class activities with Eric Shapiro.

“Some are not so engaged, perhaps they are going through the motions until graduation. So, why not have something that gets everyone engaged and is more productive?”

Young said.

Great Gig in the Sky continues to soar high MArk tseytin Staff Writer The talented and dedicated students and teachers involved in the fifth annual Great Gig in the Sky concert impressed the Masters community once again.

Great Gig is an annual tradition at Masters. Every year students put on a concert of a famous album. In 2015 the album was Beck’s Odelay.

This year’s inspired performance of U2’s classic, grammy award winning album The Joshua Tree was in the Claudia Boettcher Theater on Aprl 15 and 16.

Both the lesser-known songs and the hit songs from the album, including “Where The Streets Have No Name”, “With or Without You”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “In God’s Country”, got the Masters crowd rocking.

For many, this experience was new and seemed to have come without much anticipation. Others had been waiting for this moment to shine in the spotlight all year.

“I originally had no intention of joining Great Gig, but when my friend dropped out and asked me to take her place I thought it could be fun,” sophomore Matthew Friedman said. “I only intended on being in the chorus but it turns out my bass skills came in handy and I got to play at center stage.”

The Great Gig faculty team included four members in charge of various key aspects of the production. Gilles Pugatch was in charge of the music, Janie Wallace was in charge of the pre-filmed dance aspects and bringing a high level of energy to the show, Jeff Carnavele was in charge of lighting direction and Vincent Galgano was in charge of film.

MARK TSEYTIN/TOWER

MASTERS’ ANNUAL GREAT GIG in the Sky was again a success! Many students sang, danced or played instruments in the concert. Others helped with the technical aspects of the show, assisting in lighting and stage crew. Lots of students came to both nights of the performance to watch their friends perform.

“I was very happy that everything came together so well. Everyone that was involved worked very hard to make the production thrive.

Even though not everyone could play an instrument, the kids were very accepting of the situation and

were willing to do anything needed of them for the sake of the concert,” Pugatch said.

The Great Gig cast worked hard on making the show the best it could possibly be.

They practiced on weekends and

weekdays and had tech rehearsals so that by the time the performance came around, everyone was ready.

“I am so pleased with how much the community collaborated during the last couple of weeks before the show to really make this night

memorable for me,” Wallace said.

The Masters community eagerly awaits the announcement of the Great Gig in the Sky album each year. The sixth Great Gig will once again have a tough act to follow next year.

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

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FEATURES AND ARTS

House of Cards deals an ace in Season 4 EddiE FrEEdMan Contributing Writer I didn’t go into House of Cards Season 4 with high expectations, as Season 3 didn’t impress me as much as the first two seasons. Although the plot developments were gripping in previous years, Season 3 acted almost as a “recovery season” to fill in the holes that viewers were left with after Frank Underwood had finally claimed the Oval Office.

Despite my skepticism, I was proven wrong about Season 4; it easily became the best season in the franchise so far. Though this is true for many reasons, it’s mainly due to the fantastic array of characters. With the addition of roles like Elizabeth Hale (Claire Underwood’s mother) and the reappearances of key characters like Tom Hammerschmidt and Lucas Goodwin from earlier seasons, Season 4 incorporates the most intriguing characters from earlier seasons, while still giving viewers new faces to follow.

In addition, Season 4 also provides gripping multifaceted plot developments, leading to tension, conflict and emotion in every encounter, regardless of which character you choose to follow.

Season 4 of House of Cards also seems to have a different feel to it.

For the first time in the entire series, the Underwoods begin their decline after years of transitioning from congressman and wife to president and first lady. They are no longer the favored candidates for the presidency. They are en-

NETFLIX

POWER COUPLE FRANK AND Claire Underwood face new challenges in Season 4 of House of Cards as they encounter enemies old and new, one of these enemies being Frank’s presidential challenger, the Republican New York Governor Will Conaway. The show continues the trademark cinematography and exploration of power politics that have made it a hit with viewers. New characters and plot twists, notably involving a terrorist organization resembling ISIS, make Season 4 a must-see for both fans and newcomers to the series. emies of the ruthless Islamic Caliphate Organization (an imitation of ISIS). With the help of enemies that the couple made in the past, the Underwoods do not only have to fear for their power, but also for their lives.

The cinematography of Season 4 (and the franchise generally), the countless camera angles, soft lighting, and creativity in the editing process continues to impress

every year. Unlike previous seasons, the directors started to mimic CNN news reports and debates in order to help confused viewers understand what has happened, or what is about to happen. I find this a nice touch because politics can get a bit confusing at times, so having these news scenes can be beneficial.

Apart from the CNN reports, the directors continue to exper-

iment with new camera angles, like a first-person view of Seth Grayson’s speeches to the press – paper in hand, the blurred heads of the press behind. However, if I am to be nit-picky, there were times when the lighting was a bit too dark for daytime viewing, or when the camera shook in motion shots, which was unappealing to my somewhat perfectionist eye.

So, if you haven’t started your

binge-watching session yet, I highly recommend that you start soon.

For those of you who haven’t even watched the show before, start ASAP. Even if the show seems like it’s simply about politics, it gets its appeal by exploring concepts of power, exploitation, fear, and murder to expose the dark side of “politics.” House of Cards Season 4 certainly carries on the legacy of this captivating and chilling series.

COLUMN: PHIL ON PHILMS

The Witch casts an eerie spell Phil Minton Good horror movies are hard to come by.

However, every once in a while I’ll find a good one. Over the summer I saw a trailer for a movie that was scheduled to come out at the end of February. The movie The Witch, directed by young film director Robert Eggers, looked so good. The only problem was that it was only playing in the city or over the Tappan Zee Bridge at the Palisades Mall and nowhere else.

As I drove over to the theater with my brother I re-watched the trailer and started to get pumped. I looked up the movie’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes (90%) and it only raised my expectations.

When the movie was over I walked out in shock. This was the first horror movie I had seen in a while that included no pop out scenes, yet was still horrifying. How? This type of horror was more psychological than cut and dry “pop out” horror.

The Witch transports the viewer back in

time to the strict period of the Puritanical colonies in the era of witches. The main character Thomasin, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, is accused of being a witch when her family’s youngest child goes missing. From that point on the viewer is in for a trip. The classic Puritan family members turn on each other and by the end it is everyone for themselves. If you like creepy, sinister movies this one is for you!

This movie left me wanting to learn more about the characters and also made me want to go back and read The Crucible again.

Overall, I believe this movie is one that will be watched and talked about for a while. I might even compare it to Stanley Kubrick’s classic horror movie The Shining. One major parallel would be the use of twins to create an eerie feeling throughout the film. At the end of the day, The Witch is a must see. If you’re ever looking for a scary movie to put on, this is definitely the one.

NETFLIX

THE NEW NETFLIX SERIES Fuller House is a treat for nostalgic fans of the 80s-90s sitcom Full House.

Although the show is a bit cheesy at times, there are enough new twists to keep fans interested. The positive reception of Fuller House has prompted a second season.

Fuller House puts out the welcome mat EMMa luis Contributing Writer

A24 FILMS

THE WITCH IS A refreshingly spooky film that doesn’t fall back on tired tropes that tend to define the horror genre.

If you are a fan of quality horror films, The Witch is definitely one that you should add to your list.

Ever since 1995, American fans of the sitcom Full House have tried to fill the void left behind when the show ended. Finally, say goodbye to longing for the past because Netflix once again has come to the rescue. Netflix’s original series Fuller House, a continuation of the 80s-90s show Full House, was released Feb. 26 and follows the former actors as they all band together once again in the same house.

The first episode was nostalgic but almost painful to sit through. An entrance from an old character was made every few minutes, making the entirety of the episode – all 20 minutes – full of fake audience applause and actors freezing uncomfortably. The rest of the episodes eased up, with the occasional appearance of some rare older members of the original show.

The remake is full of cheesy references to the old show, with childish lessons

and pauses for laughter, just like the original. All of the cheese and sappiness comes together to make a very entertaining season. The set was an upgrade from the original, with a more modern version of all the rooms. After the last episode finished, I never wanted it to end.

The new characters fit in well with the old, complementing the old personalities and bringing out new sides to them as well. The plot of the season consists mainly of Kimmy Gibbler and the former annoying next-door neighbors, D.J. and Stephanie Tanner, who all find new love interests. The show added a modern twist, focusing on finding each of the three girls a new beau.

Of course, the show has some flaws.

The references to Full House are made all too often, making it frequently awkward and looking completely staged.

Netflix announced recently that a second season will be aired soon, and the cast begins filming in May. Undeniably, the classic Full House will always have a place in our hearts and no remake will ever amount to the love that the show has gained in its many years of filming.

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FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

Behind the scenes, Rafael Ruiz makes Masters work Jake Masters Staff Writer There are many pieces that allow Masters to run so smoothly. Behind the scenes twenty-four hours, seven days a week there is a dedicated hard working staff that spends much of their time working to maintain our school every single day. Our school staff comes from all over the world and they all have interesting stories to tell.

From grounds keepers to dining hall staff they all contribute to making the school a safe and comfortable place.

Rafael Ruiz, who has been working at Masters for over fifteen years, has spent the past fifteen years making sure that the dining hall has been kept clean and maintained. “My main goal is to make a comfortable, clean place for students and teachers to eat in,” Ruiz said. Ruiz takes pride in his job and is very happy to be serving the Masters community.

Ruiz has not always lived in America, he was born in Lima-Peru and came to the U.S with his brother in 1998. Ruiz and his brother came to this country to escape the bad economy in Peru and find better job opportunities, so he could better support his family.

While here, Ruiz went to college and studied mechanical engineering in hopes of following in his father’s footsteps and become a mechanical engineer. “I work hard to make sure that my son and daughter can have a good education,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz’s 23 year old son lives in Peru and he now also has a 5 year old daughter who lives with him here.

When not at work, Ruiz loves to ride his bike with his family, and watch his favorite team, Argentina, play soccer.

Without Ruiz and his hard work, our Dining hall would not be the clean place where we can all relax and eat, so next time you see him in the Dining hall remember to thank him for his work and remember to clean up your plates!

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADLHER RODRIGUEZ

NO STRANGER TO MUSICAL honors, recently Julius Rodriguez played at the Grammys as part of the Grammy band. The city of White Plains gave him his own official day. He is pictured above with White Plains Mayor Thomas M. Roach.

White Plains honors Julius Rodriguez with his own day Logan toporoff Copy Editor

JAKE MASTERS/TOWER

RAFAEL RUIZ HAS BEEN working at Masters for over fifteen years. He makes sure that the dining hall is clean and well maintained. Ruiz loves soccer, his favorite team being Argentina, and loves to ride bikes with his family.

Musical prodigy Julius Rodriguez had another huge breakthrough in his career as the White Plains Youth Borough honored him with his very own day. Rodriguez was born in White Plains, where word spread about his success with music. The ultimate honor came when Rodriguez was given a proclamation by White Plains Mayor Thomas M. Roach declaring March 30, 2016 as officially Julius Rodriguez Day. The Youth Borough nominates people of choice every year for a day

in their honor. This year they chose Rodriguez as recognition for all of his outstanding musical accomplishments. The group additionally gave a day to Rodriguez’s co-band from the Harlem Fine Arts Show as well.

“I’m not quite sure what the day is about yet, so on this year’s Julius day I just went to school and did not do anything special,” Rodriguez said.

As the day comes around again and Julius considers what the honor means to him, he will undoubtedly grow to appreciate the honor even more.

For him, getting this award was

a “huge surprise” as he had been performing with many other extremely talented featured artists such as Flo Anthony, David Banks and Monica Michelle.

There are many things that helped him to get this day of honor, but “overall, I am just extremely thankful to the Youth Borough’s group as well as to the Harlem Fine Arts Show that helped me get this certificate and the many other artists who preformed there with me,” Rodriguez said.

In addition to the certificate, the group also gave him various pieces of artwork to honor him ever further for his accomplishments.

MISH runs towards sustainability Managing Editor

JAKE REGELE/TOWER

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This year, in hopes of getting the whole community involved, the junior class is doing a 5k run to promote sustainability as their class MISH project. Junior MISH representatives Thomas Davoren, Sam Coffey, Sam Rusoff and Teddy Chan are all working with the class to ensure that the project, set for May 22, runs smoothly.

In keeping with the theme of sustainability, the money raised will be donated to Riverkeeper, an environmental ‘neighborhood watch’ program dedicated to the

t-shirt committee, said, “We are trying to think of alternatives to the t-shirts because this run is for sustainability so we want to make every aspect of the run as sustainable as possible.” On the day of the run there will not be any use of plastic water bottles and students will try to limit waste.

The junior class anticipates participation from people outside of Masters, who are invited to come too. Davis and her group are advertising to Dobbs Ferry residents to make the event as big and successful as possible.

“We encourage people to join us whether they want to run, cheer on the sidelines, or just help with set up,” Davis said.

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naoMi nivar

protection of the Hudson River.

Everyone in the 11th grade has been encouraged to get involved, whether by participating in the run or by serving as part of a committee to make t-shirts, signs, or food, or by helping with registration. Giselle Garvey, who will be both setting up and running, said, “This is the first community service project I’m excited about and I can’t wait to run for a cause.”

Chloe Davis, whose group is advertising the run, said, “My group and I are trying to think of ways that we can advertise while still being sustainable. We are trying to think of ways to limit our paper use or non-necessary materials.”

Darryl Frank, the head of the

HUSTON WATSON AND ENGLISH teacher Miriam Emery were two of the many stars in the Spring Shorts production of the hilarious one-act play “13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview,” directed by junior Kirina Petkun.

A second one-act play dealing with college life, “Light Years: Freshman Year,” directed by Sam Coppola, presented a humorous view of the college experience, but with darker undertones exploring social pressures on campus.

OWEN GIFFORD-SMITH STARRED IN, wrote and directed the Spring Shorts one-act “Metaplay”: a play filled with witty humor that kept the audience roaring with laughter in their seats. Eamon Pearson, Leah Cunningham, Owen Gifford-Smith and Adriana Bjaringer, pictured below, played ‘“meta” characters such as “Generic Protagonist” and “Stage Directions,” characters who openly complained about the plot and dialogue, to the delight of the audience.

JAKE REGELE/TOWER

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

SPORTS

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Boys’ varsity volleyball sees some progress in year two june Kitahara Contributing Writer The boys’ varsity volleyball team is playing its second season in history. The team started last year after a number of students expressed interest in joining.

The first home Varsity Boys Volleyball game of the season against Horace Mann was a game not to miss. Masters started the game strong with an ace by August Dubeau and a spike by Dexter Kalderon.

The audience observed amazing teamwork during the first set, even though it ended with Masters coming up short, falling 19-25.

In the second set, great saves and serves were made by both senior Allen Miyazawa and freshman Youssef Aly. Though frustration was starting to spread across the player’s faces, the energy of the team helped them to persevere till the end of the set which resulted in a 15-25 defeat.

The third set started strong with Kanaruj Chathongdee, Cedar Berrol-Young and Josh Issac making strong plays. The intensity of the set kept the audience at the edge of their

seats but finally, Masters lost 10-19.

“We played a lot better than our games before and we really came back around during the game,” Josh Issac said.

“They bond amazingly with each other and because of that, they’re an even better team,” sophomore manager Sylvie Parkus said.

The volleyball team consists of players with varying experience levels in volleyball.

This is partly due to the newness of the program. For boys, volleyball isn’t as popular of a sport as soccer or basketball. Because of this, most players on the team have never played before.

Nevertheless, the team is excited to develop the program and create a culture of boys’ volleyball.

“It’s been a huge learning curve for beginners because it’s a big change from more physical sports to volleyball, which is definitely a mental sport,” August DuBeau said.

“I love the team because everyone is very light-hearted and well-spirited so it’s really great that we can all just laugh and smile together,” he added.

Two days later, the team picked up their first victory of the season, defeating St. Ann’s with a final score of three sets to one.

JUNE KITAHARA/TOWER

CEDAR BERROL-YOUNG AND Kanaruj Chathongdee go up to block an attempted spike in the boys’ volleyball game against Horace Mann.

The boys volleyball team got off to a rough start this year, but seems to be coming together as shown by its recent victory over St. Ann’s.

Girls’ lacrosse team nets home win versus Marymount School eLijah emery Contributing Writer

ELIJAH EMERY/TOWER

THE GIRLS’ LACROSSE TEAM defends their net during their home victory against Marymount School. Although the team fell behind 5-3 in the first half of the game, they rallied for an inspiring 9-7 comeback victory. Goalie Grace Rosner played a major role in the win with 16 saves.

COLUMN: PLAY BY PLAY

The puck drops on the NHL Playoffs Owen Lieber Wednesday April 13 marked the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the National Hockey League (NHL), possibly the most exhilarating postseason competition in all of professional sports.

Just a few days after, Saturday April 16 was the start of the playoffs in the National Basketball Association (NBA), another postseason filled with gut wrenching moments with nail biting finishes.

But something is different this year. The NBA does not seem as intense and intriguing as it once did.

Maybe it is because my team isn’t in the playoffs but I have not felt the urge to watch any NBA playoff games. Just call me in a few weeks for the inevitable Golden State Warriors versus San Antonio Spurs showdown in the Western Conference.

One sport that has kept me on the edge of my seat is hockey.

From the first puck drop to the hoisting of Lord Stanley’s Cup, the NHL postseason is a thrill ride.

The NHL Postseason is essentially a test of skill, heart, and most importantly, strength. While players like LeBron James and James Harden are flopping to get the calls they seek, NHL players are taking pucks to the face, shins, guts, and diving in front of goals and playing through the pain.

A broken finger or a few missing teeth won’t keep a player off the ice. Unlike many other sports, the NHL has a sudden death overtime

in the postseason, a heart-racing, stress-inducing, and exhausting (to play and watch) experience.

Don’t get me wrong. I love basketball and I always will. But the opening rounds of the NBA playoffs do not provide nearly as much surprise and suspense.

In the NHL, upsets are a real possibility so the storyline is not nearly as predictable. Goals are at a premium and so each and every one is treasured. Conversely, a hot goalie can make all the difference.

I say for pure, exhilarating, edge of your seat competition, the NHL playoffs cannot be beat.

GRINDERFAN4LIFE25

THE COMPETITION TO RAISE the Stanley Cup at the end of the NHL playoffs leads to some of the most exciting action in sports.

The girls’ varsity lacrosse team won a hard fought victory against Marymount School on April 27.

With a great showing all around and incredible teamwork, the lacrosse team came together and shone.

“We worked really hard as a team and our dynamic really showed how much we care about each other,” sophomore Ella Hogan said.

Though at the end of the first half the team was behind 5-3, they performed incredibly well and came back to win a 9-7 victory.

Eric Shear, science teacher and lacrosse coach, was proud of the team’s progress. “Everybody chipped in; it was an all around team effort, and we’re really proud

of the team for getting together and getting that W,” Shear said.

Though the match was won through team effort, some people certainly made their presence known on the field. Sophomores Liv Johnke and Emma Friedman both scored more than once, with Johnke scoring three times and Friedman scoring twice, along with getting an assist. Hogan, junior Willa Dow and seniors Katie Scheuermann and Rachel Saunders also scored.

Sophomore goalie Grace Rosner led the team with a total of 16 saves.

Girls lacrosse is different from a lot of sports in the way that it requires strategy and patience. Because of this the coaching staff has placed an importance on teamwork and supporting one another.

Games like this show that the program is heading in the right direction.

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SPORTS

TOWER/MAY 6, 2016

SportS

Forced to the sidelines, Stephen Boe still shines Contributing Writer An injury can prevent any person from doing the thing they love for weeks or even months. Most of the time, though, injuries do not affect sports players as severely as they have affected sophomore Stephen Boe. Broken bones were a common occurrence for Boe in the years leading up to a life-changing diagnosis.

What he did not know at the time was that he had a rare genetic disease known as osteopetrosis tarda, only found in a few hundred people in the United States.

Boe’s numerous broken bones, it turned out, were not coincidental.

Each of those breaks and fractures, including a total of nine broken ribs, were linked to excess calcium production.

Unfortunately for Boe, diagnosing the condition did not mean that

agement to his teammates.

These are not the only ways that Boe contributes to the team.

Whether the team is playing at home or two hours away, Boe brings his video camera. After each game, he deposits all of the footage into his editing software and sifts through up to an hour of footage to find the highlights.

“I started filming because I wanted the seniors on the team to have something to leave with,” he said. “Even though I can’t play, I figured I might as well do the best I can to be a part of the team, while I bet on the slim chance I can play again in high school.”

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GeorGe Weed

the problem was fixed. In fact, the opposite was the case.

“I am pretty much constantly in some sort of pain,” Boe said. But the physical pain is not the most difficult thing for him.

“What’s harder for me is not being able to play sports,” Boe said.

He explained that his diagnosis restricts him from any sport that poses the slightest risk to his fragile bones. That includes his favorite sport: lacrosse.

To Boe, a player on the Masters lacrosse team in the spring of 2015, this news was devastating and might have caused most to give up on the sport altogether. But he did not.

Despite being told that he cannot play full contact lacrosse for as much as four years, Boe has not lost his attachment to the sport, nor to the Masters team.

Each practice, Boe shows up along with every other player on the team, and helps wherever he can, from stringing sticks and nets to providing support and encour-

SOPHOMORE STEPHEN BOE SUFFERED a major setback when he learned he would not be able to play lacrosse due to a rare condition that led to bone fractures. He has been a role model to his teammates by contributing in other ways, including filming lacrosse games.

LOGAN TOPOROFF/TOWER

One-size concussion baseline test might not fit all students CedAr Berrol-younG Features Editor A few years ago, in 2012, Super Bowl winning NFL quarterback Peyton Manning admitted to purposefully underscoring on his baseline concussion test. By doing this Manning tried to score the lowest possible score when taking his baseline test, so if he ever had a concussion it would then be harder to detect.

The concussion test that Peyton Manning took in the NFL is the same test that the NHL and MLB players. It is also take the same test Masters uses. This is the ImPACT computer based cognitive concussion test.

The Masters athletic program has

been using the software from the University of Pittsburgh for three years now and many students have wondered how effective the test really is.

“I believe it is the easiest and most effective way to test people,” athletic trainer and health teacher Ken Verral said, “It would take too long to sit with every student and conduct a cognitive evaluation before they could play and this program is the best out there right now.”

Some take the baseline test several times just to get a passing score that would allow them to play sports.

One of these athletes, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has taken the baseline test seven times and has not had a concussion while attending this school.

“I think it gives students with

learning difficulties a disadvantage because even if you check the box at the beginning of the test [referring to the part of the test that asks athletes to check a box if they suffer from a learning difficulty] it does not affect the score you get,” the student said.

Because some students have to take the test a few times before getting a valid baseline, some members of the community feel the test cannot conclusively say if a student has a concussion.

Willa Dow, a junior who suffered a concussion while playing on the varsity girls’ soccer team, took the test about a month after her injury and was deemed ready to play basketball in the winter.

“For what the test aimed to do, seeing if I was fit to play, I think the test served it’s purpose,” Dow said.

MAX ANDREWS/CREATIVE COMMONS

CONCUSSION TESTING IS USED so that if an athlete gets a head injury, there are baseline results before the injury in order to diagnose whether they have a concussion.

Fifth time is the charm: baseball team wins first game after four delays AlexAndrA Bentzien Contributing Writer emmA luis Contributing Writer The boys’ baseball team finally played their first game against the Trevor Day School on April 18. After four game cancellations in a row, the boys had the drive they needed to bring home a 7-4 win.

Their first game, home against York Prep, was scheduled on a typical April rainy day, causing a muddy pitcher’s mound and dangerous conditions for the players, so it was rained out.

The second cancellation, on a Saturday, was home against Montfort Academy. Montfort had some scheduling issues and couldn’t make it to the game.

The third was against Dwight High School and was also canceled due to dangerous conditions in the rain.

The fourth and final cancellation was against Trevor Day’s varsity team when they couldn’t make it to Masters due to a scheduling conflict.

Their first game finally happened two weeks after their initial first game was scheduled. Trevor Day sent their JV team, creating a relaxed feeling on the field. Freshman Jackson Stanich, the baseball team’s manager, is unsure if the many cancellations are a blessing or a curse.

“I think the players had more

EMMA LUIS/TOWER

A TREVOR DAY PLAYER kicks up some dirt as he slides safely into third base during a game at Clarke Field. The Panthers, however, prevailed by a score of 7-4 in their first game of the season after many delays, mostly due to rainouts. time to practice and had more time to get familiar with the signs,” Stanich said.

“Because it’s a JV game, a lot of our upperclassmen, mostly seniors, aren’t playing today. It’s probably less pressure because it’s not as se-

rious, but it would be really bad for everyone’s morale if we lost our first game to a JV team.”

The players looked optimistic, especially the freshman players, who were fired up to play their first high school game.

Outfielder Nick Moore looked especially happy in the dugout. “We are excited and even though it’s a JV game, everyone is here, and it’s fun,” Moore said.

The veterans of the baseball team were all excited to see their new

teammates play for the first time and watched the game.

The game started out slow, as can be expected for a team that has yet to put all their skills to use. The first two innings served as a warmup for starting pitcher, sophomore George Corrigan, who struggled early on, surrendering walks to the opposing team.

As the game progressed, Corrigan became more focused and more accurate, earning strikeouts in the last two innings.

Though the team struggled defensively at first, Masters always remained aggressive at the plate and on base. Their high score was in part a product of their base running tactics. The boys always took advantage of passed balls and slow plays in the outfield to take extra bases.

In the first inning, the leadoff hitter, freshman Carter Myers-Brown, stole second, third and home, an impressive move for the first run of the game.

A few other remarkable plays were seen by James Minzesheimer, the starting catcher.

Minzesheimer remained alert throughout the first four innings in which he played, throwing runners out in innings three and four.

He was also responsible for tagging Trevor Day players out at home and throwing out players trying to steal third.

The boys’ baseball team played very well, securing a win during the first game, and will undoubtedly look to improve as their season progresses.