Tower The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 72, NUMBER 3
Editorial The school’s zero tolerance policy is a well-intended effort to discourage destructive behavior. But the policy also has the unintended effect of discouraging open and honest dialogue between students, administrators and teachers about the realities of high school alcohol and drug use.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 15, 2015
tower.mastersny.org
“Plaque Thief Poet” claims FC theft rAjAn CuTTing Editor-in-Chief The Fonseca Center (FC) wasn’t built by former head of school Dr. Maureen Fonseca’s determination and vision alone. In fact, arguably the biggest contributions and most important to its completion were large gifts from parents, families and alumni. Donations could be made publicly or anonymously and those who publicly donated larger sums had the opportunity to have something in the FC named in their honor. While official plaques were being made, the school temporarily hung signs to commemorate the donors. According to Associate Head of School for Institutional Advancement Tim Kane, shortly before Thanksgiving break, the school began to hang the official plaques around the building, placing them below their corresponding signs. When workers returned to the plaque outside the second floor entrance next to the café they noticed it was missing and concluded it had been stolen. Fonseca Center Building Manager Brian Kaczmarek stumbled upon the plaque on Mon. Nov. 30, the day before classes resumed after Thanksgiving Break. “I was happy to have found it and that it was returned to us,” Kaczmarek said.
Allie Berdon Opinion Editor
JAKE REGELE/TOWER
THE “PLAQUE THIEF POET” defaced a plaque that commemorated a donation made in honor of a deceased loved one. The administration declined to provide the name on the plaque and Tower has blurred the name out of respect. However, while the plaque had “The Plaque Thief Poet,” alluded to He said he stole the plaque bebeen returned, it was not in a pre- the “large donation” represented by cause he saw it unattended but desentable condition and had to be dis- the plaque as “a degradation” and “a cided to return it because he had no carded. teenage source of irritation.” practical use for it. The poem was The plaque was vandalized and On condition of anonymity, Tow- supposed to serve as an explanation the donor’s name had been scratched er was able to secure an interview for his motives and also an apology. off. It was also found with a poem at- with the person claiming to be “The Continued on page 2 tached to it. The poet, calling himself Plaque Thief Poet.”
School bans sledding on Reunion Field hill Tony rosenBerg Copy Editor When Masters students realize the winter season is imminent, they typically ponder snowball fights with friends, building snowmen and sledding down the Reunion Field hill. This winter, however, Reunion Field will be closed to sledding so that it can be “game ready” for sports, according to Athletic Director Kevin Versen. Sledding at Masters has always been popular in that it is an active, enthusiastic, and thrilling escape from academics—it neutralizes stressful work in the classrooms with a playful, vigorous school environment. “At first, when the fence was installed, students were shocked and confused as to why they weren’t informed beforehand,” Boarding Student Representative Ahnaf Taha said. Although it may seem that the prohibition against sledding down the hill primarily impacts boarders, day students are equally affected, considering they have been active sledders on cam-
Racial tension rocks colleges
GAVIN KOEPKE/TOWER
STUDENTS ENJOY SLEDDING ON the Reunion Field hill outside the Dining Hall. Many are very upset that they will not be able to sled down the hill this winter. pus in past years. “I remember last year when day students came to school early with sleds in hand and sledded down the hill,” Taha said. As sledding is more prevalent amongst Middle School students, Versen is aware of their unhappiness. “I heard the kids are upset because
they can’t sled. Students in the Middle School are much angrier,” Versen said In past school years, students often used Dining Hall food trays, or brought their own sleds, in order to maximize the fun. Senior Dane Wasik said he understands students’ anger. “As an eighth grader, I remember how
much fun the sledding hill was and what a big part of recess it was. It’s sad to think that kids now aren’t going to have that opportunity,” Wasik said. “If I were an eighth grader, I’d be pissed.” Although the sledding hill will be off limits for the foreseeable future, other locations exist on campus that can compensate for this loss. “I assume they [students] can sled elsewhere,” Versen said. The reason for restricting all access to Reunion Field is so that the grass can be reseeded and can take time to grow in properly so that it can eventually act as an additional athletic field. “You have to rest the field. If you don’t rest the field, it won’t be playable,” Versen explained. He said that it takes about one year of rest for the field to be playable. The decision that the hill would be off limits and that a fence would wrap around the perimeter of the field, restricting all entry, was made during the fall. Although recent climates may arguably suggest that snow will be of scarcity this winter season, if snow were to fall, students would have to search for alternative locations to sled.
Throughout the past year, tensions have been running high regarding racial discrimination in the United States. The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked conversations around the country, including college campuses. As Masters students, especially those in minority groups, think about pursuing higher education, the topic of racial discrimination is often a leading factor in their decisions on where to go to college. Students at the University of Missouri have faced issues of racism in the past, such as the use of derogatory slurs and attacks on minority groups. Believing the administration failed to recognize this issue, Missouri student Jonathan Butler began a hunger strike and demanded the resignation of the university’s president. After the football team joined the protest by threatening to boycott a game, the president and the chancellor of the university resigned. Black students have been threatened online because of their race and activism and many are having significant trouble feeling safe on their campus. Senior Josh Bunch shares some of these concerns. “The availability of services for minority students is very important to me, especially because many prestigious universities do not have a lot of people of color,” Bunch said. “Knowing that there would be other people around who are similar to me and who support me would make me feel much more comfortable at a college,” he added. Onyx Club President Nina Hylton noted the importance of diversity in overcoming racism. “Racism starts from a fear of difference and from there it becomes a cycle of oppression,” Hylton said. “As a society we have to take out that fear of difference; we have to be exposed to different cultures and be diverse. By being surrounded by people of different cultures and ethnicities the fear is eliminated,” she also noted. Though recent events have shown a lack of support for minority students at universities, activist groups are making strides to change campus culture. “I think that schools have the capability to change. One person can really make a difference and change the whole culture of a school,” Bunch said. “With the president of the University of Missouri, who did not speak out about racism, stepping down, they can put someone in place who has a strong opinion towards racial discrimination and speaks out against it.”
After School app creates in-school dilemma Features Editor Since the invention of social media, anonymity on the Internet has provided many high school and college students the ability to speak freely in their otherwise extremely controlled lives. For the past couple of years at Masters, this freedom has been expressed through outlets, such as Yik Yak, Facebook, and ask.fm, which give students a way to speak openly without judgment from administration, teachers and parents. These outlets also enable students to discuss issues with their peers without feeling
watched or known. These social services, however, could also be harmful to students, or other members of an institution. They allow for a unique danger of cyber-bullying and harmful posts that could ultimately severely affect a school community. A new app, called “After School,” has recently drawn significant interest from the student body. The app works through Facebook and allows students to post thoughts and pictures, share compliments with each other and participate in polls about the school— all anonymously. The app was created to give high schoolers a way to voice their opinions with their fellow students without being judged
or having their comments viewed by colleges. However, the app has already started to create a variety of social issues within the Masters environment. “Hiding behind a wall of anonymity as high schoolers is a dangerous thing,” senior Gavin Koepke said. He further explained, “I don’t think that kind of anonymity has a place in our community where we celebrate acceptance.” Koepke’s fears may be well founded in that the app has already stirred some controversy. Prineville, Oregon’s local high school had a scare when a student posted derogatory statements and a threat to the school. This was all through anonymous posts in the After
School app. Many students, particularly freshman Youssef Aly, have expressed frustration toward the app. Aly’s interest in the app quickly turned to worries as he said, “As soon as I downloaded the app, I knew it would turn into a way to bully.” Aly also noted that we, as a community, know what to post. He points out, “I trust that every student is smart enough to know what to say and what not to say.”
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CedAr Berrol-young
THE TIGER ON THE After School app’s icon wears sunglasses symbolizing the anonymity of comments posted using the app. One can compliment others but some fear that the After School app has potential to be used as a vehicle for bullying.
JAKE REGELE/TOWER