Tower The Masters School
@MastersTower
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 75, NUMBER 7
Editorial As we approach the end of the school year, Memorial Day Weekend is here. We cannot let the excitement of this occasion overshawdow the importance of honoring those who served in the United States Armed Forces and the impact they had in shaping our lives today.
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019
tower.mastersny.org
PHOTO COURTESY OF ISAAC CASS
CENTER, FROM LEFT TO right: Sophia Forstmann ‘20, Clyde Lederman ‘22, Sophia Viscarello ‘21, Gabi Seguinot ‘20, Maeve Smith ‘20, Julia Levin ‘21, Audrey Corrigan ‘20, Jenny Nykonorova ‘21, Carr Li ‘21 and Juliette Chollet ‘20 take their final bow after performing their TEDx talks on Friday, May 17. The speakers presented talks on a wide variety of topics, from the sometimes unnoticeable impacts of climate change, to the Latin American migration crisis to women in the electric guitar industry. This was the third annual TEDx event at the Masters school.
TEDx speakers share “ideas worth spreading” Michelle Wei Editor-in-Chief Marking the third annual TEDx The Masters School (x = independently organized TED event), ten students presented their own TEDx talks in the Experimental Theater on May 18. From the normalization of self harm to media being a new instigator of war, there were a variety of topics presented. For the third year in the row, Upper School History Teachers Lisa Berrol and Brendon Barrios have advised the student speakers. Berrol first headed the takeoff of the TEDx program at Masters three years ago
after Head of School Laura Danforth approached her with the idea. Each year, Berrol re-applies for a license to the greater TED organization for officiating Masters’ talks. Before the process of writing and practicing their own TEDx talks, students have to audition, beginning in December. Berrol noted that this year’s group of students was especially supportive and willing to share their insights with each other. The group consists of students Juliette Chollet, Audrey Corrigan, Sophia Forstmann, Clyde Lederman, Julia Levin, Carr Li, Jenny Nykonorova, Gabriella Seguinot, Maeve Smith and Sophia Viscarello. The student speakers refine their speeches once a week, on Thursday night from 7 to 9 p.m. This meeting
time counts for co-curricular credit. Between the time their applications are approved by the program and the end of spring break, the speakers research and write their ten-minute speeches. To gather information, students frequently look outwards for mentors. Often times these mentors are people within the Masters community. For sophomore Sophia Viscarello, her mentor has been CityTerm director Cotter Donnell. According to Viscarello, Donnell provided professional insight relevant to her TEDx topic of perfectionism in education. Viscarello said, “He is a leading figure in alternative education. He’s an expert in his field and he’s helped me so much with my own research.”
Students discuss sexual assault at Town Hall eMMa luiS Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Jacob Strier News Design Editor
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ver 38 students and 20 faculty and administrators met on May 22 at a student-requested Town Hall meeting in the Library Conference Room to discuss how Masters handles sexual assault. The meeting, open to the entire Masters community, was held with the goal of focusing on policy and discussion, and not specific cases of sexual assault or harassment that have occured within the Masters community. A group of seniors, including Rachel Aideyan, Casey Li and Henna Nakum read a list of student recommendations to the administrators, including requests for substantive changes to the school policy on sexual assaults within the Upper School Family Handbook. The administration said they will consider the proposed requests and plan to hold another meeting next week to discuss their decisions. The Town Hall began with Aideyan reading the community norms, to remind all present of the importance of maintaining a respectful atmosphere conducive to healthy discussion. The students also read the policies from the Upper School Family Handbook related to sexual assault and harassment. The students made twelve recommendations to administration. The recommendations included consistent follow-ups with survivors of sexual assault or harassment, the notification of school counselors immediately when a situation arises, the sanctioning of administrators who do not follow the outlined criteria thoroughly, and written reports completed by both the survivor and perpetrator. They asked that a decision on their requests be made before
graduation this year, with a follow-up one week from the initial meeting. The students also requested that Masters holds sexual assault advocacy programming at least once per year at Morning Meeting. Educating the community about sexual assault and consent was a consistent theme at the Town Hall. Students argued that the health curriculum must be reformed, given that students do not take health until their junior year and often have no prior formal sexual education or consent training. Danforth responded that administration is working to improve Masters’ 5th-8th grade health curriculum, as well as the sexual education unit in Freshman Seminars. Freshman Sophia Van Beek argued that some students do not take Freshman Seminar seriously enough, thus the topic could also be approached in a more formal setting. Another theme of the Town Hall was administrative transparency. Several students asked for clarification regarding the term “finishing remotely,” which has been used previously to describe students who have been separated from the school for various offenses. Head of Upper School Nikki Willis said that students who finished their education remotely still needed to fulfill schoolwork, whether it be via an online course or a continuation of their coursework at Masters. Senior Youssef Aly said, “I think administration plays a huge role in the culture of a school. They are telling the students: ‘It’s okay to do this and still get a diploma.’” Students shared the sentiment that transparency is important to the community in regard to how disciplinary cases are handled. “To leave students in the dark, it’s the worst thing anyone can do,” senior Emily Madrid said. The need for transparency was restated by faculty. History Teacher Eric Shapiro expressed that, over the course of the meeting, he had heard that,“There is a lot of distrust, or the
idea that students aren’t given information or taken seriously. It is important that we continue to have discussions.” School culture was an important point in the meeting, and several students addressed the need to overhaul the culture regarding toxic masculinity, “mansplaining” at the Harkness table, sentiments of racism, and derogatory treatment of women. Willis said, “It’s disturbing to me how naturalized this behavior has been for students. There is real unlearning to be done. It has to be everyone. It’s not okay and we are responsible for it.” “In order to have a culture change, there has to be a change in the handbook,” Van Beek said. Dean of Students Peter Newcomb noted that Masters has contracted an outside firm, Respect my Red, who will audit policies within the Student and Family Handbook this coming summer. The firm will also train leadership and faculty, organize student leaders and host a day of respect to look at issues underlying sexual assault in order to set the tone for the culture next year. Respect my Red, according to their webpage, is an “inclusive educational program to promote discussion and education, in a developmentally appropriate way, on what it means to show and get respect.” The company works with 25 institutions in 13 states including Stanford University, Fordham University and Trinity Pawling School. Concerns surrounding the accessibility and relevance of the Upper School Student and Family Handbook were raised. “Technically by enrolling at Masters you agree to the handbook. It never gets read until it needs to be. It’s accessible, but not relevant,” Newcomb said. He added that like in previous years, handbook highlights will be reviewed with advisory groups at the beginning of the year. To close the meeting, Danforth said, “There is no growth without moments of vulnerability. Thank you for holding up a mirror and working with us as a school.”
Berrol also cited Upper School Music Instructor Curt Ebersole and Upper School English Teacher Miguel Segovia as people who have facilitated the TEDx process. Ebersole, who teaches the public speaking class, boosted the performance and memorization aspect of the speeches, according to Berrol. Additionally, according to the only freshman in the program this year, Clyde Lederman, “Dr. Segovia has brought my talk into something compelling and helped me hit the nail on the head. I’m grateful for the countless hours he’s contributed.” Aside from adult mentors like Donnell, Ebersole and Segovia, there were also peer mentors. These peer mentors were alumnae of the TEDx program who have given their own talks
in years prior. The alumnae, such as Elijah Emery, Annie Rubinson, and Jonas Kolker, sat in on practices and made recommendations. Senior Rachel Aideyan, who gave a TEDx talk last year, has attended almost every practice session. Her guidance has counted for her own co-curricular credit, and Aideyan said, “I really tried to make sure to be as available as possible and encouraged them because it’s a really tough job. I’m there for peer support.” Berrol said that the addition of mentors made the students’ speeches more well-informed and well-rounded, so the audience gained more insight. The TEDx talks will soon be available to watch on YouTube.
Masters policy to charge boarders for summer storage Mitchell Fink Web Content Editor Starting at the end of the 2019-20 school year, Masters will begin to enforce a new policy for summer storage on campus. The shift was first announced in the spring of 2018, and then again earlier this school year,
and will no longer allow boarding students to keep their belongings on campus over the summer, beginning in the summer of 2020. In years past, items ranging from clothing to pieces of furniture have been stored in the dorms over summer break, and then distributed back to students at the start of the next school year.
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THE NEW STORAGE SYSTEM, which will be utilized at the end of next year will give students the option of taking all their belongings home or using a private moving servcie, Dorm Room Movers. Students will no longer be able to keep items on campus during the summer.
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New Co-Chairs have big plans for the future Opinon Design Editor Juniors Sarah Faber and Audrey Lockett were recently elected as the student co-chairs for the 20192020 school year, marking the first time since the school went co-ed in 1994 that two females were elected to the position. This result was made possible when a proposal passed last year in Executive Committee, the school’s student government, made school-wide elections gender-neutral. Additionally, this election was different from year’s past in that students voted during the school day on a Google Form that had each student rank their preference of candidates from first to fifth rather than written ballots, as done in the past. The co-chair elects not only have experience attending Executive Committee, but both have already held leadership positions in Masters’ student government. Lockett served as class president her freshman year, while Faber has served as class president her sophomore and junior year. Faber said she wishes to make Executive Committee more approachable and equitable. “In September, we want to talk at Morning Meeting about how to write a bill, give some examples of bills that have been passed and explain what [Executive Committee] is and where it meets to pique student interest,” Faber said. “Also, I want to make an announcement every Tuesday that Executive Commit-
tee is meeting in the Herrick Room and explain what’s on the agenda so people will want to come out.” Lockett emphasized the creation of Town Halls that will occur at Morning Meetings next year. The Town Halls would be used to help raise awareness about issues that affect Masters students and faculty and to see what they would like addressed at Executive Committee. “I would send out a survey to the whole student body and staff at Masters,” Lockett said. “They could bring up prevalent issues at Masters in a public, yet moderated setting in order to increase transparency.” Lockett added that the Town Hall would last between ten and fifteen minutes at Morning Meeting. A main goal that Lockett wants to focus on next year is promoting healthy lifestyles at Masters. Lockett said she is passionate about educating the Masters population about the correct amount of servings, calories and macronutrients for foods served in the Mann Dining Hall because those factors impact how a person can grow and develop. “Informing the public about nutrition is really important,” Lockett said. “I want to put calorie counts on the desserts and serving sizes on the meals. You can’t stray away from informing the public. Keeping awareness about these issues is really important.” With the school’s new schedule for next year, one of its many changes is that Morning Meeting will now occur only for three days
in an eight-day cycle. Due to these differences, Faber and Lockett hope to understand the schedule beforehand to help the Masters community transition to it. Additionally, they hope to retain Morning Meeting traditions despite the change. “We both have been here for a while and we know what we want to do to keep Morning Morning special,” Faber said. “We want to preserve Masters’ quirkiness with things like student performances and senior speeches, that you can’t find anywhere else, into the new Morning Meeting.” The Upper School community additionally elected junior Leo Hsu as Secretary on May 10. Hsu is an international boarder from Taiwan. Head of Upper School Nikki Willis, who has weekly meetings with the co-chairs, said she is excited to work with Faber and Lockett next year. “Audrey and Sarah were candidates that had platforms that looked to unite the school and create meaningful change,” Willis said.
LOCKETT AND FABER, THE first two females elected to the position since Masters became co-ed, have big plans for the future. Some of their ideas include making executive committee more approachable, promoting healthy life styles at Masters and town halls that will happen during morning meeting.
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Drew Schott
VINCENT ALBAN/ TOWER
Alumna shares poetry about war and family Jacob Strier News Design Editor Pamela Hart ‘71 read her poetry to alumni at an Estherwood Society luncheon on May 17 from her 2019 poetry collection “Mothers over Nangarhar,” a literary study of the effects of war on families. The Estherwood Society is a group of alumni who have included Masters in their estate planning. Hart’s own son, William Rago, who also graduated from Masters in 2004, is an active captain in the United States Armed Forces. He inspired her to write the collection, which she worked on for about eight years. “Poetry is how I navigate the world. It’s what I do,” Hart said. Hart can trace her writing career as far back as her junior year at Masters. She said a favorite English teacher told her and her peers to keep a journal each day as inspiration for short stories. Hart said she still writes daily, and in her current job as a Writer-in-Residence at the Katonah Museum of Art, she both writes and works to spread poetry literacy by visiting elementary and secondary school classrooms throughout the region. Unlike other war narratives, which focus on soldiers abroad, Hart takes a different perspective. “My book “Mothers Over Nangarhar” looks at the experiences of military families—spouses, children, parents and so forth. These stories are not part of cultural depictions of war, whether books
or films, which typically focus on war and warriors. The stories of military families are largely overlooked,” she said. It took a while to get the collection published, and it was only in January of 2019 that the collection first became available to the general public after being published by Sarabande Books. “As a poet, you act as your own agent. You send your work out to various presses -- I must have sent it out 20, 30 times over four years,” she said. Her son, who has done a tour in Afghanistan, is now stationed on a military base in Washington State, read the collection. “He was very moved by it,” Hart said. Director of Alumni Engagement Sujata Jaggi ‘01 spoke highly of Hart, whom she invited to speak at the luncheon. “She has done work with women in Afghanistan through a writing project,” Jaggi said, referring to Hart’s work with the Afghan Women’s Writing Project, an organization which assists Afghan women in writing and publishing their work. Jaggi said she decided to invite Hart to speak to alumni due to her unique role as a Masters alumna and military mother. “The Veterans Day events this year got me thinking that we don’t have a lot of military alumni. I learned more about her experiences. Our alumni don’t typically come to Veterans Day on campus, so I thought this would be a good opportunity instead to showcase her work to our alumni,” Jaggi said. Hart said with a smile that more poetry is on the way, though she declined to give specifics. “I’m working on another collection of poetry about the brain, how it works and how it breaks,” she said.
PAMELA HART ‘71, RECENTLY visited Masters and showcased her poetry collection to various alumni. Much of the inspiration used for this specifc collection comes from her son who currently serves in the United States Armed Forces. She also credits her love for writing to her english education at Masters. Courtesy of SUJATA JAGGI
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CITYterm to close after 24 years of NYC exploration In a memo sent out to the families of the Masters community on May 3, Head of School Laura Danforth and Chair of the Board of Trustees Edith Chapin announced the closing of the CITYterm program, which will hold its final academic semesters in the 2019-2020 school year. The semester program, which was founded in 1996 by former Head of School Pamela Clarke as well as David Dunbar and Rachel Stettler, will no longer be offered as a result of gradual decrease in enrollment and the strain of financially sustaining CITYterm.
aLexandra Benztien Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
Educational philosophies CITYterm students are engaged in academic learning six days a week, with three of those days devoted to using New York City as their central learning “text” in the interdisciplinary Urban Core curriculum of history, literature and urban environments. The central philosophy of CITYterm is to educate through experiential, interdisciplinary project-based learning through which students grow with firsthand involvement with their urban surroundings. One of the projects centers around studying urban systems, including education, health care and food access, and designing a block on an undeveloped lot in one of the five boroughs, usually a changing neighborhood, this year in the South Bronx. Afterwards, students will pitch their ideas to a team of architects. Jason Hult, Curriculum Leader and Urban Core teacher, finds CITYterm approches learning in a way to feel authentic to each indi-
vidual. “I think we have created a series of projects and opportunities for students to invest in real-world problems and create work that feels meaningful and personally important to them,” Hult said. Cotter Donnell, who has been Director of CITYterm for the past two years, finds CITYterm has designed an authentic way of experienced-based learning. “We are devoted to a philosophy that’s about empowering students to be the authors of their own learning,” Donnell said. “The teacher’s role is different from a classroom where you might be responsible for delivering a bunch of content. It’s more about facilitating experiences and helping studentsdevelop core skills that we consider to be essential.” Beyond the merits of its distinct education model, Danforth reflected that what contributes to making CITYterm special is its closeknit community. “When I talk to CITYterm kids every
semester it’s really unique to be that intimate in your living and learning when you’re living with 25 to 32 kids, and then the ratio between faculty, teachers, and students is so low, it’s like 3:1. It’s just a bonding experience like you don’t get anywhere else,” Danforth said. Donnell explained the impact of CITYterm’s experience-based learning. “It’s an tremendously effective transformational experience for young people. People talk about this experience being life-changing, and it really is,” Donnell said. In addition to running a semester program, CITYterm also functions as a lab school which runs workshops for educators and school leaders to learn from the program’s philosophy of learning. Many Masters faculty members have participated in CITYterm teaching and learning in the past, including English teacher Darren Wood and history teacher Matthew Browne.
Closing factors Hult described the feeling of CITYterm’s closing as a break-up. “One of the pieces I’m sad about is that we’ve had a lot of Masters teachers who have been deeply impacted by what happens at CITYterm,” Hult said. “It feels like a loss to me, that the intersection between Masters and CITYterm can’t happen anymore.” Over the past years, the “challenging enrollment landscape” noted in the May 3 memo was the primary factor in influencing the decision to close CITYterm, one which Danforth has considered since starting as Head of School in 2015 under the suggestion of the Board of Trustees. However, Danforth wanted to get to know the program before making a decision. “Over the last couple of years I’ve been wondering about the money lost in CITYterm and the pros and cons about keeping it and/or celebrating its successes over the last 23 years. It’s been a hard thing that I’ve been thinking about since I’ve been here,” Danforth said. According to Biddle, the decision-making process has been “very careful, thoughtful and deliberate.” While the decline in applicants has been gradual, Biddle noted that the enrollment decrease has become “more noticeable.” In the past, the percentage of tuition budget revenue from CITYterm has exceeded 6 percentof the total Masters figure, according to Biddle. This school year, revenue from CITYterm accounted for 5 percent of Masters’ budget revenue, and is predicted to drop to 4 percent in the 2019-2020
JACOB STRIER/TOWER
History of the program CITYterm’s opening in the mid-90s was born from the rising popularity of experiential learning programs whose philosophies were pioneered by the progressive educator John Dewey. From the 1980s to the late 1990s, semester programs with small student enrollments and specific focuses including agriculture, environmentalism, arts, maritime athletics and global leadership emerged across the United States as alternative learning environments. Among these programs are the High Mountain Institute and Oxbow Academy, which Masters students have attended regularly in the past years. CITYterm was an initiative founded by Clarke around the same time the decision was made to introduce Masters as a co-ed school in 1996. At the time, the school, which was meant to accommodate more than 250 students, faced under-enrollment with just 172 students, fewer than the Middle School’s current student body, and dealt with empty classroom and dorm space. Current Chief Financial Officer Ed Biddle recalled CITYterm as one a highly sought-after program in its early years. “CITYterm was a real vanguard in experiential education near the city,” Biddle said.
school year. Running the CITYterm program requires 7 percent of Masters’ operating budget. “For any program, any academic program, the financial considerations are largely driven by the enrollment and how many people sign up,” Biddle said. “Our enrollment in CITYterm has been dropping, and the amount of time and effort it takes to enroll students has been going up,” Biddle said, commenting on the financial factors contributing to the decision. Unlike other semester programs, CITYterm is not a separate nonprofit organization and falls under the governances and auspices of The Masters School, meaning it is viewed as a program and division of Masters in terms of revenue and budget. Much like the factors which have contributed to a decline in boarding school enrollment countrywide over the past years, the reasons for the decrease in enrollment in CITYterm are not attributed to a single, concrete source. Biddle believes that the incorporation of the CITYterm style of teaching into school curricula is a possibility for the decrease in interest in alternative learning programs. “I think that over time the emphasis on experiential education has been included to a greater extent in our other Masters programming and in other schools. When CITYterm started it was really a unique notion; today though there are a lot of other ways to experience that experiential education,” Biddle said.
The program’s end CITYterm will end at Masters and will not continue at another location. However, Hult believes CITYterm will “definitely continue in some capacity. I think the idea works, but it was no longer a fit for Masters.” Over the next year, Danforth hopes to celebrate the successes of CITYterm’s history. Danforth hopes to incorporate elements of the CITYterm teaching model into the Masters curriculum in the future, though as of now is still unsure of how the program’s closure, and the extra 32 beds and classroom space in Cushing, CITYterm’s home base, will affect the school as a whole. Connell sees the final semesters of CITYterm as a chance to make the most of the experience and curriculum two more times. “There’s a lot of sadness about this decision. I think people are really mourning the loss of something that’s very, very special,” Connell said. “For those of us on the faculty side it’s a chance to provide that same really powerful experience to two more cohorts of students and really a sadness that we won’t get to continue doing in the future.” During the 2019-2020 school year, the Power for Good course will still run as a cross-over class between CITYterm and Masters, taught by Hult, CITYterm teacher Trinity Thompson, math teacher Marianne Van Brummelen and English teacher Darren Wood. “In many ways CITYterm put us on the map as a legitimate, academic intellectual school, and for that I will forever be grateful,” Danforth said. While saddened by the closure of CITYterm, Hult is appreciative of the perspectives CITYterm has afforded him as an educator. “I feel deeply grateful for having gotten to do this work for eleven years. I think CITYterm is truly an exceptional place and so to have been able to engage in deep learning with a talented group of students from around the country, and I’ve felt really lucky to do that. I feel disappointed that future students won’t have that opportunity,” Hult said.
Executive Committee passes new bill to change ACR rules Logan Schiciano Editor-in-Chief Meeting every Tuesday and with representation from student leaders across all grades and faculty, Executive Committee, The Masters School’s community government, serves as a “platform for positive change. According to sophomore class co-president Zach Battleman; the group of representatives passed a bill earlier this month that calls for changes to the Athletic Credit Requirement (ACR). The bill was proposed by sophomore Russell Wohl and English teacher Zev Barnett and states that the ACR, which currently requires students to play three seasons of sports over the course of their first two years of high school, should be decreased to two seasons of sports. In the bill, it stated that the sports must be different for the student to fulfill the requirement. Yet, this does not mean a student is prohibited to play the same sport in
multiple years, it simply means they will not recieve ACR credit in doing so. Head of Upper School and voting member of Executive Commitee Nikki Willis explained how bills that have already received support from stakeholders prior to being presented in Executive Committee can have more success in the long-term. “To be the most effective, [sponsors] should seek understanding, and question how we get here. They should realize that to get to their goal, they should talk to all the players involved before bringing it forward,” she said. Willis also said proposals that align with the mission of the school and the school’s philosophy are more likely to be implemented into school policy than “overly ambitious aspirations,” noting that students often make campaign promises that exceed their offices, which can be hard to fulfill once they are elected. In alignment with Willis’s previous statement, the tandem took time to discuss their intentions with many
prominent figures in the school’s community, meeting with all the Department Chairs, Willis, Head of School Laura Danforth, and various class representatives. Wohl also believes the proposal aligns with the school’s priorities. “We [the school] wants to be what [former Head of School] Dr. Maureen Fonseca calls the ‘threelegged stool of academics, arts and athletics,’ right now, the stool is lopsided. If we reduce the ACR, we could fix that,” Wohl said. Wohl and Barnett did extensive calculations to support their claim that athletics receives more attention than other aspects of school life. “As of now, students spend more time completing the ACR, then any other required school activity during their first two years of high school, by approximately 50 percent,” Barnett said. Aspects such as homework time for classes, because it varies for each student, and time missed from class for early dismissals for games were not taken-into account for the calculations. Barnett explained how this
discovery affects the identity of the school. “This communicates to families (current and perspective) that the school values athletics more than anything else,” he said. Barnett noted that reducing the ACR also has a direct benefit on the students. “Students will have more time and choice. They should have the ability to pursue their interests. Athletics are important, but they’re not more important than everything else,” he said. When a proposal is brought to Executive Committee, it is reviewed and discussed by the people in attendance and eventually voted on by voting-members: all class presidents, the school’s co-chairs, two-representatives from Masters Interested in Sharing and Helping (MISH), the day-student and boarding-student representatives, Dean of Students Peter Newcomb, Willis, and four additional faculty representatives. If a proposal should pass, which means it has two-thirds of the voting members in favor, it is further dis-
cussed amongst the stakeholders involved, which can include the school’s administration, Department Chairs and/or the Board of Trustees. Examples of bills this year that have passed include: allowing students to take multiple English major classes; considering the Principles of Engineering class as an art credited course; installing a program for student led seminars; and most recently, the Athletic Credit Requirement (ACR) reform. While Willis said that all proposals get “pushed up the chain,” Wohl and Barnett expressed their concern for the lack of direction and protocol with regard to proposals after they pass in Executive Committee. “Proposals passed in Executive Committee are usually just a recommendation to the administration. No one really has control and many proposals have gotten lost in the process,” Wohl said. Since the ACR is a graduation requirement of the school, the Board of Trustees must ultimately vote on the reform in order for it be implemented in school policy.
OpiniOn OP-ED
TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
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editors-iN-Chief loGan Schiciano Michelle wei
EDITORIAL
Choose to honor veterans and their sacrifice
A
s flowers bloom and temperatures begin to rise, the school year is racing to an end and everyone is in need of a break to prepare themselves for the home-stretch. Memorial Day, the last Monday in the month of May, this year on the 27, provides a day off in this busy period. It’s an extension of the weekend, when people frequent beaches and backyard barbecues, pools begin to open and the sun sets a little later, marking the unofficial transition into summer. Amidst this excitement, however, the purpose of the holiday is often forgotten and washed away by the tide. Originally created by General John A. Logan in 1868, Memorial Day, formally known as Decoration Day, served as an occasion to remember the 620,000 soldiers who died in the Civil War. In the current day,
perhaps the shadow of war and its effects feel less immediate on the general American population and so the weight of war is often brushed aside. During this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, there needs to be a pause to remember those who have sacrificed or continue to sacrifice their own privileges to protect ours. While this holiday spotlights this celebration of honor, supporting veterans is possible any day, at any time, by advocating for veterans’ rights or simply reading and learning their narratives. Within our own community, there are immediate ways to emulate that advocacy because of what is readily available to us. Senior Julia Mathas showcased her WWI exhibition that she created for her senior project in Estherwood on Wed., May 22; the museum displayed a timeline through
the war, with a focus on soldiers from Westchester County (two of whom had connections to Masters). On May 17, poet Pamela Hart ‘71 came to speak to fellow alumni about her recently published poetry collection, Mothers over Nangarhar. The literary study of the effects of war on families is particularly poignant as her own son, William Rago ‘04, serves in Afghanistan. These events exemplify that we as a community can choose to recognize soldiers’ sacrifice, and we need to choose to do so more often. We cannot forget the cost others had to pay for own freedom and we cannot forget our history as we move forward. Remember our soldiers on Memorial Day, and remember our soldiers every day.
Casey Li ment can be traced back to the mid-1980s when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the UK and redundancy, miners’ strikes, the collapse of core Welsh industries and social unrest defined the region. It was made clear during that period that Wales was a resource to the Government and that Welsh people were on their own should they expect any improvements or aid. Today, Wales still suffers from Westminster neglect, poverty, lack of infrastructure and under-investment. The debate over independence has intensified since the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) as many saw Westminster unfit to govern or represent Wales for its xenophobic decision and the chaos that ensued. The purpose of the movement is to improve the governance of the constituent country by establishing a government that has the best interest of the Welsh people and expanding the function and ability of this government to spending taxes paid by Welsh constituents. The movement also seeks to increase Welsh representation in the media by having a government that is part of the EU and the greater
international community. Even though the movement’s supporters are still in the minority, the group is no longer negligible. Plaid Cymru, a social-democratic party in Wales that advocates for independence, was formed in 1925 and currently holds four of the 40 Welsh seats in the UK Parliament. Its leader, Adam Price, demands that Wales hold an independence referendum where the Welsh would choose between becoming independent or remaining a “forgotten second-class region in a dying British state,” if Brexit follows through without another EU poll. While it is unlikely that Wales will gain independence from England in the near future, they certainly will not be the last British constituent to push for greater self-determination. The significance of losing a key resource and poor optics will push England to maintain control of Wales. Furthermore, Wales must also assess the viability of their economy should they become independent.
This year, the Introduction to Journalism class submited Op-Eds to The New York Times Sixth Annual Student Editorial Contest. Out of 10.500 candiadates, junior and Tower Staff Writer Nora Fellas was selected as one of the 12 winners. Her article will appear online on The New York Times’ The Learning Network in late May or early June and an excerpt may also be featured in print in the June 9 Learning special section. © The New York Times
Lessons for 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates, From a Soon-to-be First-Time Voter I am one of more than five million people too young to vote today, but who will be old enough in 2020. I am 17, I run a political blog with over 100,000 followers, and am offering some free lessons to candidates on how they can earn our votes. Given the slim margin in the 2016 election, our votes could make all the difference. So listen up. While young people have diverse views, Democrats focus on issues that matter to many of us, like gun control and climate change, making them more attractive than the presump-
Lead opiNioN editor JoSeph GoldStein opiNioN desigN editors JoSeph GoldStein drew Schott Lead features editor aMita khurana features desigN editor annie ruBinSon Lead sports editor Shawn Farhadian sports desigN editor eliJah eMerY Lead web editor aNd adobe, aesthetiCs & arts editor tYler conwaY
tive Republican nominee, President Trump. The challenge for Democratic candidates is to distinguish themselves to capture the youth vote. So what actually matters to us? It’s simple, but elusive: authenticity. When politicians force relatability, they seem fake. Prior to her bid, Elizabeth Warren Instagram livestreamed and began by announcing to the camera, “I’m gonna get me a beer,” and then thanked her husband for being there, in their own house, as if it hadn’t all been scripted. One Boston Herald analyst criticized the image of the “multi-million-dollar Cambridge law professor poppin’ a brewski.” It’s not credible that Warren opened Instagram and decided to livestream of her own volition.
In 2016, Secretary Clinton and Trump both tried to appeal to young people. Trump used Twitter, and his statements were so unfiltered that they could only have come from him. Clinton’s messaging, however, felt phony. In a particularly cringey video, Clinton said, “Pokemon Go to the polls,” referencing the tween-trending app of that summer, Pokemon Go. It was clear that she had been fed that line and it felt condescending, suggesting youth votes could be earned by name-dropping a game. This isn’t to say candidates shouldn’t appeal to young people -they must, because our votes can’t be taken for granted. In 2016, 18-29 year olds had the lowest turnout of any age group. The key difference between our
web produCtioN MaNager JacoB kriSS soCiaL Media MaNager GaBriel keller staff writers Sarah FaBer nora FellaS Mitchell Fink GaBriel keller aCCuraCy & aCCouNtabiLity aNd advertiseMeNt MaNager YaSMine paScal photos & iLLustratioNs editor Vincent alBan staff iLLustrator ziqi wanG CoNtributiNg iLLustrator ella tanG CoNtributiNg writer
rachel aideYan staff photographer george ChaNg faCuLty adviser ellen cowheY oNLiNe Media
New York Times AwArd-winning Article
Staff Writer
News desigN editors MorGan BrettSchneider JacoB Strier
web desigN editor aMina choudhrY
Welsh organize historic rally for independence
Nora FeLLas
Lead News editor Sophia BrouSSet
web CoNteNt MaNager Mitchell Fink
THE INTERNATIONALIST
On May 11, a Welsh independence rally, organized by All Under One Banner Cymru, attracted an estimated 2,000 people to the capital, Cardiff. Wales is a constituent country of the United Kingdom, which includes England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and has its own government that answers to the Government of the United Kingdom (UK) or the British Government. In recent years, talks of independence have become normalized and the independence movement is gaining momentum. The emergence of grassroots pro-independence groups is proof of changing attitudes. While the march was the first of its kind for Wales, roots of the pro-independence move-
editors-iN-Chief eMeriti alexandra Bentzien eMMa luiS
generation and our parents’ is that we belong to the “Bernie or Bust” generation. 2016 revealed that we won’t choose between “the lesser of two evils;” if no candidate inspires us, we will just stay home. This is why politicians need to appeal seriously to youth voters. Take Sanders: he is nearly 80, yet he is incredibly popular among young people. Why? Not because of his Instagram skills, but because he’s perceived as genuine -- his politics haven’t changed. To the 2020 candidates: the key to earning our vote isn’t pandering to us. Rather, we want to see that you genuinely care about the issues that matter to us. If you do that, you won’t need to worry about spreading your message on Instagram, we’ll do it for you.
For more information, follow Tower on the following platforms: Website: Tower.MastersNY.org Facebook: MastersTower Twitter: @MastersTower Instagram: @MastersTower
distributioN proCess
Tower is hand-delivered on the day of publication to the Upper School. 650 copies are printed and one is put in each faculty member’s mailbox. In addition, a copy is sent to each of our advertisers.
sChoLastiC press affiLiatioNs, Letters aNd editoriaL poLiCy Tower is the winner of the Pacemaker Award for Overall Excellence, an award-winning member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), Journalism Education Association (JEA) and Quill and Scroll. We encourage Letters to the Editor, which can be submitted to the following email address: TowerEditors@MastersNY.org. Published approximately seven times a year, Tower, the student newspaper of The Masters School, is a public forum, with its Editorial Board making all decisions concerning content. Commentaries and opinion columns are the expressed opinion of the author and not of Tower and its Editorial Board or its advisers. Furthermore, the opinions conveyed are not those of The Masters School, faculty, or staff. Unsigned editorials express views of the majority of the Editorial Board.
TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
OP-ED
Tower sends off seniors with love eLLen cowhey Faculty Adviser
T
rudging through dewy grass toward Estherwood to have this photo taken by our amazing photo editor, Vincent Alban, I reflected on the time these two editors-in-chief and I had together this year. I remember being particularly struck after the very first meeting with Alex Bentzien and Emma Luis, the then-rising editors-in-chief, when they took as many notes as I did during a meeting, (maybe more) and then they even sent me a photo of the notes. This was the first tiny glimpse of what our year together would be like, with two
thoughtful, creative and focused individuals. They meant business. Efficient, hard-working and yet open to new ideas and perspectives, we tackled many a challenging situation. I know I will miss Emma’s gentle admonitions, her love for all things orderly in a tome of Google Drive folders, as well as her delight with Japanese snacks. I will miss Alex’s uninhibited laughter, her interviewing prowess, and her sense of wonder at life’s quirky details. I will miss their thoughtful consideration of difficult issues, attention to important details and their willingness to listen to each other, to the stories and perspectives shared by so many of Tower’s interviewees, and even, on occasion, to their advisor. This June, Tower will bid adieu to
fourteen fine seniors. In addition to Alex and Emma, we will say goodbye to Vincent Alban, Morgan Brettschneider, Sophia Brousset, Amina Choudhry, Elijah Emery, Shawn Farhadian, Joseph Goldstein, Amita Khurana, Casey Liu, Drew Schott, Jacob Strier, and Lily Wang. There is far too much to say about each of their contributions than I have space here to do but please know that they have each grown, challenged and been challenged in many important ways in their roles as writers, photographers, illustrators, columnists, web designers, layout designers, and content editors. I’ll miss this crew with all my heart, but my consolation is that a rising staff of new talent has already begun to emerge.
Tower Editors-in-Chief Emeriti
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Incoming Tower Editors-In-Chief
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
INCOMING EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Logan Schiciano and Michelle Wei both worked as design editors for Tower in the 2018-2019 school year. Additionally, they were also both previously bloggers in the 2017-2018 school year. Schiciano’s blog, “The Panther’s Tracks” and Wei’s blog, “Diversity Corner” are both available at tower.mastersny.org.
Schiciano and Wei selected as Tower Editors-in-Chief
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
OUTGOING EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Alexandra Bentzien and Emma Luis have led the staff in publishing 68 pages in print, not counting this issue. Combined, the pair have written five special reports for Tower. Bentzien will continue her studies at New York University at the Gallatin School of Independent Studies while Luis is heading off to Tufts University to study environmental engineering.
Logan Schiciano ‘21 and Michelle Wei ’20 have been selected to serve as the 2019-2020 Editors-in-Chief of Tower. This year, Schiciano served on Tower staff as sports design editor while Wei was a layout designer for the opinion section. Schiciano, in his sixth year at Masters, also serves as Gold Key tour guide, EFFECT Middle School liaison, and sophomore MISH rep.
Wei is a proctor in McCormack Dorm, a Gold Key training coordinator, EFFECT co-director of Residential Life and Community Health and Health Studies President. Next year’s Tower staff is anticipated to be about the same size as this year’s crew of 28, which includes bloggers, columnists and our staff illustrator, the largest staff Tower has seen this decade.
Social media does not suffice as a platform for advocacy Logan Schiciano Editor-in-Chief In a society where young adults (16-24) spend an average of over three hours on social networking a day (according to a survey conducted by digitalinformationworld.com in 2018), we are being confined to the media on our phones and it is limiting our incentive to stand up for what we truly believe is just. When a post, a tweet or a video goes viral on a social networking platform, it circulates rapidly across the digital universe. In the last month, pictures of the devastating fire at Notre Dame, Earth Day sustainability initiatives, Holocaust remembrance, famine, and the faces behind the Alabama abortion laws, have all been posted by accounts across various social media platforms. The accounts that originally post these photos/videos do incredibly well, gettings thousands upon millions of likes, due to accounts from across the world reposting their media in support. While these viral posts certainly create awareness of these prevalent issues and events in our society and also spark incentive for change, reposting something on social media and then calling it “quits” is not a
sufficient level of advocacy for one to take. This method is simple; one like and you’ve done something. But that something is not enough. It is lazy, in a sense, to go this route. People repost not only to recognize the various significant events/issues and show their support, but also because the accounts sometimes offer some sort of promise for liking their post, which is related to the cause. For example, a video posted by the account of Plant Forever (account name: plantforeverorg) has received over 1.7 million views since it was posted on Arbor Day (April 26). The organization promised to plant one tree for every 100 views this video received, which means, Plant Forever should be planting over 17,000 trees at this point. The photos/videos that are reposted tend to lose their merit and intended purpose when so many people have reposted the same thing to the point that viewers begin to bypass their stories. Personally, as important as the initiatives and messages portrayed in these posts are to our societal awareness, I often overlook their value after I’ve seen them repeatedly. The effect is no longer one of appreciation and support but rather one of indifference and annoyance from the follower.
SOPHIE GRAND/TOWER
AS TEENAGERS BECOME INCREASINGLY involved in both politics, social media has become a prominent platform for advocacy. In his op-ed, Schiciano explores whether this is sufficient. If people claim (on social media) to care so dearly about an issue. then there is so much more one can do to make a difference than by simply reposting something. This, by no means, is meant to overshadow the people in this world, even within our Masters community, who have taken further initiative to pursue the ideals of social justice in various realms of society, but in order for change to occur, more people must be willing to take initiative.
At Masters, there is still a general lack of drive from most of the school’s community. Masters Interested in Sharing and Helping (MISH), Masters’ community service program, is still struggling to inspire–participation in class projects, a one-day event in most cases, is seen as a burden in the eyes of most students. Other MISH projects, such as serving food for the Sharing Community, a homeless shelter in Yonkers, NY., has seen a detrimental downfall in volunteers
this year. Dena Torino, Masters’ Community Service Coordinator, stated at a recent MISH meeting that she believed there were only four people in the entire student body who helped serve food at bi-monthly visits to the Sharing Community. Not a single student volunteered for the most recent juncture at the shelter! MISH also struggles to fill the six spots available for Midnight Runs, which are available every month or so. As members of a prestigious preparatory school, with such close proximity to the largest city in the United States, we are in a privileged position to make change. The opportunities that MISH presents are a great start, but there is so much more at our fingertips. Go to a march or a rally, have conversations with others and educate them about an issue you feel strongly about, volunteer for a local organization, write a letter to a political official (town, state, or national), donate to a charity that stands for what you believe. There’s no point in reposting the words of a well-known political figure or supporting the pleas of an organization by liking their content, when we all have our own voices and our own ideas to share out in the world. Get off your phone and don’t settle for the thrill and ease of social media; instead, explore, take risks and exhibit passion in what you cherish most. In doing this, you inspire others to latch on and join you in making the world a more beautiful, safe, just and sustainable place.
Reflections on a vibrant three years at Masters Jacob Strier Opinion Design Editor
M
y first Morning Meeting left me in awe. It was on my first day at Masters as a new sophomore, and my heart was pumping out of my chest as I was ushered into the theatre. The next 30 minutes would forever change my view of education, and what student engagement can look like when actually applied. We often lose touch of the beauty and importance of specific Masters traditions like Morning Meeting and the Harkness method. In few other schools do students have the ability to engage with the minds and intellects of their peers for 75 minutes per week, share their talents, and expand each other’s horizons. In subsequent Morning Meetings since that first day, I have watched as kids my age stood con-
fidently in front of their friends and teachers to speak, present, encourage others and reflect. I have even had the privilege of speaking on certain issues, including in a Matters of Spirit presentation, and highlighting important events in Jewish Culture Club announcements. In few other academic settings is deep community engagement so readily available. Yet, I am occasionally disheartened to hear some Masters students speak poorly about Morning Meeting, or discredit Masters as taking up too much time with its traditions and requirements such as co-curriculars. It is critical to keep perspective: the vast majority of American high school students do not have time carved out of their school week for the sole purpose of wider intellectual and community engagement. Co-curriculars have exposed me to new paths, such as Tower, which has proven to be such a formative part of my three years at this school.
To those who question the validity of co-curriculars or other school-enforced opportunities for engagement, I say: dive in. In latenight Tower layout sessions, constructing a sukkah on campus or trying (and failing) to learn how to play squash, I learned new skills and met people I would not have otherwise. Engagement, with family, activity or friends fills our lives with meaning -- and so too can it imbue one’s time at Masters with a sense of purpose. On another note, as I reflect on these past years, I urge younger students to maintain the open sense of community which pervades our school. Even between groups of friends, there exists an amicable and cordial atmosphere in spaces like the Dining Hall which does not necessarily exist in other schools. So, sit with that person in the Dining Hall who you haven’t spoken with, chat up the quiet person in your advisory, do your part as a community member
to be kind to others. Finally, I’d like to reflect on the importance of Harkness and its effect on education. Two years ago, I was sitting in Hebrew school with my teacher and about ten of my classmates. The instructor asked us to speak about current events in Europe, and the conversation began. The silence in the classroom was palpable, the second hand on the clock permeated the air with its rhythmic click, and no one spoke. Despite adding some points to the conversation, I could not help but largely sit back and watch how my peers handled Socratic conversation without Harkness experience. The trepidation in their voices was notable, the fear of being struck down or refuted led to shaky voices and shakier logic in their points. The experience led me to reflect on the privilege Masters students have in their daily training in conversation, in debate and in the articulation of their opinions.
Before Masters, I would have been too consumed with worry or nerves to jump readily into the conversation. This school converts academic introverts into articulate extroverts, and I am all for it. So, I would encourage others to take harder classes. Challenge yourself with that AP English or History course, sign up for a new elective. Only by participating and learning in spaces which may feel unfamiliar or academically-strenuous can we grow as learners, speakers and students. Though I did not deliver a senior speech, I felt that my reflections and remarks on my Masters experience would be best phrased on the platform which has given me so much: Tower. So please, challenge yourself, contribute to community, jump into the conversation and never give up your sense of awe at the power and privilege of education and engagement.
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FEATURES AND ARTS
FEATURES AND ARTS
TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
7
Where is the Class of 2019 going to college? California
Rhode Island
Mills College
Brown University
Victoria Ixchel Mayorga
Ted Bloch Horowitz
Santa Clara University
Jacob Vietorisz
Jackson Stanich
Providence College
Stanford University
Ally Jinete
Emily Brieant
Rhode Island S chool of Design
UC Davis
Ziqi (Lily) Wang
Jinming Zhang
Tennessee
UC San Diego Wendi Liu
Vanderbilt University
University of Southern California
Sage Francis
Shawn Farhadian
Vermont
Colorado
Bennington College
Colorado College
Lizzy Forman
Leah McLelland
Middlebury College
Matt Semel
Benjamin Klein Ben Miller
University of Vermont
Connecticut
Ben McGowan
Western Connecticut State University
Virginia
Rashid Woods
The College of William & Mary
Florida
Julia Mathas
Virginia Tech
Florida Institute of Technology
Liam Kinsey
Alex Lockhart
Washington D.C.
Georgia
American University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Missouri
Harrison Clay AJ Daniels
Washington University in St. Louis
Sami Newman
Alana Hornstein
Illinois Drew Schott
University of Chicago Michael D’Angelo
Indiana
Purdue University
Bridget Slakas
Skidmore College
Nicky Beaumont
George Washington University
Jenna Bosshart
Juliana Luis
Charlotte Benson
Joseph Goldstein
Ava Anuszkiewicz
Lutèce Gault
Elisabeth Cohen
Marika Brungs
Manhattan School of Music
Leah Alden Cunninghan
Dartmouth College
Barnard College
Vittorio Stropoli
Amita Khurana
Jacob Strier
Phyllis Pan
Morrisville State College
Cara Sherr-Messing
Colgate University
Jennyfer Marquez
Kate Stacks
Emma Goodman
New York University
Stony Brook University
Cornell University
Alexandra Bentzien
Louisa Chiodo
Princeton University
Elijah Emery
Lucas Novellino
SUNY Canton
Ian Accetta
CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis
Keang (Derrick) Chen
Ugochukwu Kachikwu
Michelle Yin
Syracuse University
Rachel Aideyan
Elliott Feder
Shane Halpin
Fordham University
Chase Markoff
Daniel Jaffe
Noel Gorodetsky
Pace University
Marcus Lam
Hamilton College
Kendra Cooper-Smith
Union College
Noah Barton
Emily Madrid
Marcus Diaz
Katie Accetta
Julian Chen
Kenyon College
Leena Khurana
Ithaca College
New Jersey
Konrad Koenigsmann
OHIO
Bard College
New Hampshire
Northwestern University
New York
Nicole Ferrando
Massachusetts Babson College
Brandeis University
Henna Nakum
Wyatt Gilbert
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hanlin (Sam) Liu
Mollie Roth
Aden Khurana
Rebecca Wachen
Pratt Institute
Parsa Keyvani
Richard Speiss
Northeastern University
Wheaton College
Jesse Wexler
Arjahn Cox
University at Buffalo
Boston University
Alex Magill
El Thomas-O’Brien
Tufts University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
Madison Stewart
Luke Ferrando
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Vassar College
Nick Moore
Emma Luis
Ethan Turett
Nana Yaa Asante
Vincent Alban
Jack Freiman
Tonya Sosa
Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr College Amina Choudhry
Drexel University Kasper Veliz
Washington Whitman College Ben Stein
United Kingdom
Lafayette College
London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London
Matthew Decker
Max Steinert
Doron Dawkins
Fritz Pingel
Lehigh University
Centerspread design
Morgan Brettschneider
Logan Schiciano and Michelle Wei (Editors-in-Chief)
Maxwell D. Feiner
Centerspread illustration
Daneal Senderovich
Vincent Alban (Photo and Illustrations Editor)
Muhlenberg College
Data collection
Jake Hoffman
Emma Luis (Editor-in-Chief Emeritus)
University of Pennsylvania Emily Auslander
NOTE: This is a list of seniors who responded to the Tower college survey and selected to be included.
6
FEATURES AND ARTS
FEATURES AND ARTS
TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
7
Where is the Class of 2019 going to college? California
Rhode Island
Mills College
Brown University
Victoria Ixchel Mayorga
Ted Bloch Horowitz
Santa Clara University
Jacob Vietorisz
Jackson Stanich
Providence College
Stanford University
Ally Jinete
Emily Brieant
Rhode Island S chool of Design
UC Davis
Ziqi (Lily) Wang
Jinming Zhang
Tennessee
UC San Diego Wendi Liu
Vanderbilt University
University of Southern California
Sage Francis
Shawn Farhadian
Vermont
Colorado
Bennington College
Colorado College
Lizzy Forman
Leah McLelland
Middlebury College
Matt Semel
Benjamin Klein Ben Miller
University of Vermont
Connecticut
Ben McGowan
Western Connecticut State University
Virginia
Rashid Woods
The College of William & Mary
Florida
Julia Mathas
Virginia Tech
Florida Institute of Technology
Liam Kinsey
Alex Lockhart
Washington D.C.
Georgia
American University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Missouri
Harrison Clay AJ Daniels
Washington University in St. Louis
Sami Newman
Alana Hornstein
Illinois Drew Schott
University of Chicago Michael D’Angelo
Indiana
Purdue University
Bridget Slakas
Skidmore College
Nicky Beaumont
George Washington University
Jenna Bosshart
Juliana Luis
Charlotte Benson
Joseph Goldstein
Ava Anuszkiewicz
Lutèce Gault
Elisabeth Cohen
Marika Brungs
Manhattan School of Music
Leah Alden Cunninghan
Dartmouth College
Barnard College
Vittorio Stropoli
Amita Khurana
Jacob Strier
Phyllis Pan
Morrisville State College
Cara Sherr-Messing
Colgate University
Jennyfer Marquez
Kate Stacks
Emma Goodman
New York University
Stony Brook University
Cornell University
Alexandra Bentzien
Louisa Chiodo
Princeton University
Elijah Emery
Lucas Novellino
SUNY Canton
Ian Accetta
CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis
Keang (Derrick) Chen
Ugochukwu Kachikwu
Michelle Yin
Syracuse University
Rachel Aideyan
Elliott Feder
Shane Halpin
Fordham University
Chase Markoff
Daniel Jaffe
Noel Gorodetsky
Pace University
Marcus Lam
Hamilton College
Kendra Cooper-Smith
Union College
Noah Barton
Emily Madrid
Marcus Diaz
Katie Accetta
Julian Chen
Kenyon College
Leena Khurana
Ithaca College
New Jersey
Konrad Koenigsmann
OHIO
Bard College
New Hampshire
Northwestern University
New York
Nicole Ferrando
Massachusetts Babson College
Brandeis University
Henna Nakum
Wyatt Gilbert
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hanlin (Sam) Liu
Mollie Roth
Aden Khurana
Rebecca Wachen
Pratt Institute
Parsa Keyvani
Richard Speiss
Northeastern University
Wheaton College
Jesse Wexler
Arjahn Cox
University at Buffalo
Boston University
Alex Magill
El Thomas-O’Brien
Tufts University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
Madison Stewart
Luke Ferrando
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Vassar College
Nick Moore
Emma Luis
Ethan Turett
Nana Yaa Asante
Vincent Alban
Jack Freiman
Tonya Sosa
Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr College Amina Choudhry
Drexel University Kasper Veliz
Washington Whitman College Ben Stein
United Kingdom
Lafayette College
London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London
Matthew Decker
Max Steinert
Doron Dawkins
Fritz Pingel
Lehigh University
Centerspread design
Morgan Brettschneider
Logan Schiciano and Michelle Wei (Editors-in-Chief)
Maxwell D. Feiner
Centerspread illustration
Daneal Senderovich
Vincent Alban (Photo and Illustrations Editor)
Muhlenberg College
Data collection
Jake Hoffman
Emma Luis (Editor-in-Chief Emeritus)
University of Pennsylvania Emily Auslander
NOTE: This is a list of seniors who responded to the Tower college survey and selected to be included.
8
OP-ED
TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
Co-chairs reflect on their year of leadership Elijah EmEry
rachEl aidEyan
Sports Design Editor
Contributing Writer
I
wanted to be co-chair from the moment I stepped into Masters. The people at the front of the room just seemed so confident, cool and smart; they also happened to be kind, warm and welcoming. They filled Morning Meeting with fun games; they also served as role models. This was the type of person who I wanted to be. I did become co-chair, and I’ve learned a little bit about it. The most important function of this position is that you are one of the only people who everyone at Masters knows. You are the senior that the freshmen will remember; you are the senior who has the greatest ability to influence the culture of this institution. This position is, in that regard, extremely powerful. Being warm, funny and charismatic both at the podium and in person carries the ability to make or break someone’s day. I can’t overstate this enough. The actual job of being co-chair is only as much work as you’re willing to put into it. You could simply keep an eye on the email, book Morning Meeting times and go through the motions of debate at Executive Committee. Or, you could put in some work, write
B
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
CO-CHAIRS RACHEL AIDEYAN and Elijah Emery speaking at Morning Meeting. Both current co-chairs reflected on their experience leading student government, Executive Committee and Morning Meeting. In their respective pieces, Aideyan and Emery shared what qualities they used to define their co-chair experience and what steps one should take if they are interested in running for co-chair. proposals and create new activities at Morning Meeting (ex. Laudations, Advice and, yes—History Quotes). You’ve got the stage. Use it. Finally, you have a responsibility to be your best in public. Someone once asked me if co-chairs ever get sad or stressed. Of course we do. At the end of the day, we’re all high school students and Rachel and I are just the ones who read the announcements at Morning
Meeting. Even so, try to use your time at the podium to bring some good energy and to cheer people up—even if you’re having a rough time. Lots of stuff at Morning Meeting is sad and serious. It’s important to talk about that. But it’s also important to be lighthearted and fun. There’s not enough love in the world. Bring some of that love to this school, and to this job.
eing co chair has been such an unforgettable experience. Having this position has had a lot of ups and downs but has definitely been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. I met so many people and learned so much and for that I am truly grateful. This year was definitely an interesting year with a lot of changes happening but I believe it was a good one nonetheless. The Masters community never failed to show compassion and openness throughout. There obviously could have been some improvements this year but it is amazing to see that the warm spirit of Masters will always be consistent. For the new co chairs, I have three pieces of advice: stay positive, don’t take everything to heart and be authentic. You all know that positivity is my motto. Life is so crazy and for me the only way to not get angry is to look at the positive side of things. I believe that in most situations there is a positive side and looking at it from that point of view
is very helpful in moving forward. Not taking things to heart is hard to follow but very essential. There are going to be times when Morning Meeting does not work or people will blame you for things that you cannot change. Try not to beat yourself down about it. You are going to make mistakes and that is okay. Some things are gonna be out of your control and that is okay. It is all about learning from those experiences and moving forward. Lastly, I always try to keep it real and I believe authenticity is crucial. Taking up original positions is very worthwhile, which is what I tried to do with my pieces of advice. Staying true to your identity and your values is very important–don’t lose yourself. I made sure that people knew I was an independent black female through how I acted. I hope this helped people have a different perspective on black people and inspired black students to run for more leadership positions. Additionally, people will trust you and seek your counsel if you are always authentic. That is what you want. You want people to trust you so that you can have courageous conversations and change the school for the better.
In a crowded Democratic field, don’t give your vote to de Blasio josEph GoldstEin Lead Opinion Editor
Out of the 23 candidates for the Democratic party’s nominee for President, who is the best? Who is the most qualified? Who is the most likely to win? Many voters can purport many different candidates as answers to these questions, however, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is the answer to none of them. The Mayor has accomplished very little since being elected and while he claims to be someone who “Puts Working People First” according to his website, de Blasio has failed to chip away at the “Tale of Two Cities” analogy he promised to end during his 2010 mayoral election. Simply stated, de Blasio has no business throwing his name in the race. As the mayor of the largest city in America, de Blasio has a type of national recognition that mayors of other cities may lack. The last mayor to run for President (despite endless rumors of Michael Bloomberg pondering a run) was Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani, however, had an even greater national image than de Blasio. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Giuliani took a
center-stage role in fighting terrorism and took on the nickname “America’s Mayor.” Giuliani was seen as a frontrunner heading into the race and even raised more money than eventual 2008 nominee John McCain and 2012 nominee Mitt Romney. He led the polls during the summer of 2008 at 38%. Even though Giuliani had momentum entering his race, he fell off quickly and dropped out after he lost in the Florida primary election. De Blasio doesn’t have the reputation of Giuliani and faces an uphill battle to break even one percent in the polls in the midst of the largest field of candidates in any presidential primary. Furthermore, de Blasio has a poor following in his home city. According to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, only 42% of New York City voters approve of their mayor and a resounding 76% say that he shouldn’t run for President. This is likely because of the numerous times de Blasio has fallen short on his promises to create jobs and lower homelessness. He claimed his $1.35 billion program “New York Works” would create 100,000 jobs in ten years, however, it is responsible for only 3,000 jobs in two years. Furthermore, the Coalition for Homeless predicts that the homeless population of New York City will increase by 5,000 by 2022, thousands more than the mayor previously pre-
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MAYOR OF NEW YORK City Bill de Blasio announced his campaign for President in mid-May, pledging a run that would focus on bettering the lives of working people. Joseph Goldstein argues that de Blasio does not deserve your vote because of his current lack of support from New Yorkers. dicted. Additionally, the Amazon HQ2 fiasco showed New Yorkers that de Blasio was willing to spurn low-income housing for the giant cor-
poration’s proposed installment (even though the plan collapsed). De Blasio and his advisors have also not found a suitable replacement to school seg-
regation. Only seven black students received a spot at the prestigious Stuyvesant High School out of 895 available seats. His inability to address these matters shows de Blasio’s incompetency. De Blasio has found some success in initiatives such as Universal Pre-K and the $15 minimum-wage. These accomplishments have given voters the impression that he is very progressive compared to de Blasio’s competitors. Other fans of the mayor’s chances in the 2020 elections would point to the recent success of Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, IN, who has greatly exceeded expectations and is polling better than many more well-known candidates. However, de Blasio’s shortcoming should still outweigh his few feats and his late start in the race puts him at a disadvantage to Buttigieg, who was one of the first candidates to enter the race. There are plenty of candidates in the race who are deserving of the Democratic nomination, but there are even more who should not be running at all. First-time and veteran voters alike, beware: Mayor Bill de Blasio is not suitable to serve as Commander-in-Chief and there are many other candidates who are more deserving of your vote.
Despite criticisms, AP’s should remain at Masters sophia BroussEt Lead News Editor
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s Advancement Placement (AP) exams are annually administered in the first two weeks of May, the stress caused by these exams seems to cause a question to grow on some test-taker’s mind: “Why did I decide to take this class?” This moment of doubt has seemingly expanded to the controversy regarding the place of AP courses in the Masters curriculum. Over the years, students and faculty alike have argued against the place of AP’s at Masters—their rigidity, their difficulty and their cost burden all being cited as reasons for abolishing the courses from the Masters curriculum; however, APs confer many benefits upon certain factions of the Masters community. Though a minority, many students at Masters apply to schools abroad—particularly in the United Kingdom (UK)—where the evaluation process for candidacy differs greatly from that of American schools. According to Business Insider, an average student at an American university can expect to pay an average of $34,740 in tuition per year. At a British school, international students pay around
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ADVANCED PLACEMENT CLASSES PREPARE students to take tests in May that examinate their knowledge of topics such as United States history and chemistry. Despite the criticisms that AP’s are too rigorous, Sophia Brousset argues various reasons about why AP exams should remain. One piece of evidence she uses is that since the exams help show a student’s profiency in a certain subject, a key reason of why AP scores are emphasized in the British college process. $26,405 per year. This $8,335 difference adds up when one considers that British universities typically last only three years. The British undergraduate degree operates quite differently from an American degree. Disregarding the idea of a “liberal arts education,” one applies for a specific course, or a major, and almost exclusively takes classes in that major for the course of their undergraduate program. Rather than the “holistic” or “well-rounded” approach of elite American university admissions, a majority of British schools focus on one key factor: promise in the
course the student applied for. How exactly does one show this promise? With the exception of a 4,000 character personal statement (approximately 600 words) to discuss one’s interest in the course applied for, extracurriculars and background information, the rest of an American student’s application is based entirely upon test scores, specifically AP scores. Many elite UK universities do not even ask for a copy of one’s high school transcript; instead they look solely at how a student–scored on AP tests and SATs. If Masters were to abolish APs,
of course, students could still take the AP exams for the equivalent courses that Masters offers. However, the lack of breadth and minimized demand to cover all the material of a traditional AP syllabus would mean that the course is less likely to touch upon all the necessary material for a hopeful applicant to university—particularly to the test-heavy British school applicant—to score at the threshold required of them. To get a four or a five, the score required by many British schools, students would find themselves doing a great amount of outside work on
top of their commitments to Masters. With the expenses of prep books, tutors, online classes and the exams themselves, this would also put a large financial burden on families already paying a hefty amount for a Masters education. Masters students on financial aid, who may already be disadvantaged in the preparation process for standardized tests as they do not have the ability to pay for tutors, would be further impacted. In the longrun, this could even discourage Masters applicants from enrolling, particularly those of a lower financial status, contributing to a lack of economic diversity at Masters. With APs being considered a relatively international standard of performance, the AP examinations and the classes to prep for them open too many doors to risk getting rid of them simply because of their few flaws—flaws that are inherently a part of the intense college process we experience in the microcosm of Westchester. Doing away with APs will not get rid of these problems and would simply place a heavier financial and emotional burden upon Masters students hoping to study in the UK or simply trying to take an AP examination for a competitive college application. Though Masters may be prepared to become an AP-free school, it unfortunately is not yet an AP-free world. k
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TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
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Features & arts VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
ANNIE RUBINSON/TOWER
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: senior Amina Choudhry, junior Marina Shishkina and senior Arjahn Cox perform with Muse at MLK day. Senior Jake Hoffman performs “Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind” from Spring Awakening in the Cabaret Troupe miscast concert. Senior Elliott Feder, sophomore Dillon Graham and sophomore Aiden Coleman perform with Positive Rhythm at MLK Day. All three of these groups will be performing at DoPA Palooza.
Student Performance Groups to showcase talents at DoPA-Palooza of the Department of Performing Arts, said, “Last year, we collected feedback after [the Fonseca Fest] and we had a meeting where we reviewed the feedback with all of the student leaders. We went through all of the suggestions and we agreed to move forward with the ones that we could support as a department. That meeting is where all of the change occurred,” She continued, “I’m excited that we’re concentrat-
Gabriel Keller Social Media Manager On Friday May 31, from 6:159:30pm, 11 student performing groups (SPGs) will consolidate their hard work and practice from all throughout the year into one performance. DoPA-Palooza 2019 will feature Muse, Naturals, Positive Rhythm, Outspoken, B-Sides, 49 Clinton, Dohters, Cabaret Troupe, Salty Dogs and Urban Connection and will be hosted by Phoenix, Masters’ honorary drama society. This performance event will take place in two different locations, with half of the groups in the Claudia Boettcher Theatre and half of them in Estherwood. Students will dance, sing, play instruments, read poetry and even will perform a student-written musical. DoPa-Palooza will act as a closing event for the school year, as it takes place on the last day of classes. Last year, there was a similar cumulative concert, called the Fonseca Fest which took place in (no surprise) the Fonseca Center. Jennifer Carnevale, the chair
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“I’m really excited for all of the seniors. This is probably the last poem that they are going to be sharing at Masters, and I am so excited to hear what they have to say. - A.J. DANIELS, ‘19
ing in two locations with different acoustics that we use regularly for performance. It will make it easier for power and equipment and will overall make the process smoother,” Carnevale added. Performances in the CBT and Estherwood will overlap and each group has 20-25 minutes to perform. Student performing groups have
been working and performing all year and view DoPA-Palooza as a final opportunity to showcase their skills. Senior and co-president of Outspoken, Alexander (A.J.) Daniels talked about his group’s approach to the show. “We’re doing a lot of partner pieces. A lot of us are collaborating with one or two people for poems,” Daniels explained. Daniels also added to his comment, saying “I’m really excited for all of the seniors. This is probably the last poem that they are going to be sharing with Masters and I am so excited to hear what they have to say.” For students in multiple SPGs, the drawing near of DoPA-Palooza means a time of hard work and preparation for two different performing groups. Junior Evelyn Sabety, a member of both MUSE, a dance group, and Dohters, the all female-identifying a cappella group, said “Most SPGs have a fall performance so we have been preparing for this since the fall.” She also let us know what to expect for the performance.“We’ve recycled stuff for MUSE throughout the year at different halftime shows but for DoPA-Palooza, we have allnew routines,” Sabety said.
Summer storage policy changes Continued from page 1 When the change in policy takes place, students will be given the option to either take all of their items home at the conclusion of the academic year, or use a private storage moving service contracted by the school to store items over the summer. The company, called Dorm Room Movers, will store students’ items in a climate controlled warehouse, and then ship the items back to campus, where students will be able to unpack them for the next school year. The company also offers insurance in case of damaged or lost items. If students choose to store their items with Dorm Room Movers, families will be responsible to pay for the storage, which has led to frustration from many boarding students. Sophomore Victor Li said, “I think it’s very unnecessary because for a long-time boarders have been able to store their things in the empty dorm rooms. I don’t know why they’re suddenly getting this outside company to come and swoop in and take our money,” he said. In response to this sort of frustration, Director of Residential Life Dena Torino said, “I empathize with that, but this [Dorm Room Movers] is simply a better product, and we as a school don’t have the luxury to
keep luggage on campus for free.” According to Torino, factors contributing to the new policy included the burden which the current system places on the facilities staff, the lack of space, but also the potential liability issues for the school. “If a pipe breaks, we are liable for all the damage which
things, and based on the listings from Dorm Room Movers, the same box would cost over $100 dollars. I’m not going to spend $1,000 on just the boxes, even if it has a nice storage room,” Li said. While this criticism is certainly backed by more than one person, for some international students, such as Freshman Avivi Li, the notice “[Dorm Room Movers] is in advance given by Torino and the simply a better product, and administration has been one positive we as a school don’t have aspect of the shift. “It’s not necessarthe luxury to keep luggage ily convenient, and it definitely costs on campus for free.” money, but actually it’s good for the school to tell us in the year before so - DENA TORINO we can prepare for that and so we can bring stuff back during the holidays so we don’t have as many things to comes with that,” Torino said. store over the vacation,” she said. In terms of financial aid, ToriAlthough Torino mentioned no added, “The school is covering two that Masters has been the first boardstandard-sized boxes for financial aid ing school she has seen which allows [students].” On the Dorm Room Mov- students to store their belongings ers website, that sized box is 4.125 cu- over the summer for free, Emma Wilbic feet and is normally priced at $63. lard School, an all girls school in Troy, However, according to Li, NY uses the same policy Masters is this may not be enough for students moving away from. who live thousands of miles away. The Emma Willard School, “I’m sure students cannot just fit all which has 215 boarding students of their things in two boxes, especially (60% of the student population), and for international students who need 87 international students (24% of the to travel home over the summer and overall student population) allows for don’t have a residency in the U.S. For boarders to leave their belongings in me, last year I had to purchase ten a storage area on the schools campus boxes from the campus store to fit my for no cost.
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Senegalese exchange enriches Masters and Harkness found out they were coming to Masters I was so so excited. I missed them so much that I was counting down the Web Design Editor days until their arrival. Finally, last last month when I saw them across On the evening of April 18, nine the dining hall, we all ran to each othSenegalese students and two of their er and hugged. It was such a beautiful teachers trudged their luggage into moment,” Sosa said. the Library Conference Room where Lamine Gueye noted that although they met their host families. Three he enjoyed his time in America and on weeks later, in the same location, they the Masters campus, he saw a lot of have said farewell to these families in differences between his school, Cours sorrow. These students came to The Sainte Marie de Hann, and Masters. United States for the first time from “Classes here are so different from Cours Sainte Marie de Hann, Mas- classes in Senegal. There, we don’t reters’ partner school in Senegal and ally talk much. Most of our curriculum they all agreed consists of tests that were most exand writing cited about trying “One main goal of all of our assignments. American cuisine. exchange programs is to expand Also, everyone “It’s weird bethe number of perspectives parhere is always cause I’ve had ticipating in our Harkness discuson time to evChinese food and sions. this exchange fulfilled that erything, I don’t Mexican food, and goal.” think they’ve Indian food but I heard of Senhad no idea what - FATOU BINTOU egalese time,” American food Diomaye said. even was. I think that’s the beautiful There have been three students thing about it. American culture and who have been exclusively living in cuisine is built off of the diversity of the dorms (Stacy, Fatou Bintou, and the many immigrants that have ar- Madeline). Despite not having a host rived here. But I have to say the food I family, they have described their dorm tried was magnifique,” Junior Senega- living as nothing less than amazing. lese student Fatou Bintou said. “I have been living in the dorms and Tonya Sosa, a senior who attended everyone has been so nice to me. The the Senegal trip the summer of her ju- night of my arrival I found a bouquet nior year describes seeing the Senega- of flowers in my room. I have spent lese students again as heartwarming. nights playing card games, listening “We stayed with them for two to music, cooking and watching movweeks over the summer and when I ies and I feel like I’ve gained so many
AminA Choudhry
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AMINA CHOUDHRY/TOWER
FOLLOWING A MASTERS VISIT to Dakar, Senegal, nine Senegalese students visited Masters for a three-week exchange where they participated in Harkness and dorm life. sisters. I’m really going to miss being expand the number of perspectives a Cole girl when I leave,” Bintou said. participating in our Harkness disDirector of Global and Civic Ex- cussions and many other meaningful change and lead coordinator of the conversations. This exchange fulfilled trip Dr. Robert Fish wanted both the that goal in the classroom, the dorm, American and Senegalese students to the dance and art studios, and in our understand each other’s countries and homestays.” Fish said cultures better by the end of the trip. Throughout their time here, Fish “During the exchange between the has ensured they have absorbed evstudents from Dakar, Senegal and ery bit of American culture possible. Masters, many students formed deep Besides the many classes they have friendships, and even more had mean- attended, they saw King Kong on ingful conversations. One main goal Broadway, learned about the subof all of our exchange programs is to way system, went shopping at the
Palisades, traveled to Ellis Island, and tried different “American cuisines” such as cheesecake, cheeseburgers,and mac and cheese. “There was definitely a cheese theme among American food we tried, and I thought the Senegalese loved cheese,” junior Tegue Mbodj said. “It helps connects Masters students with other students from a different cultural background. Having the kids coming here and integrated promotes intercultural connections that will last forever,” Upper School Modern & Classical Languages Teacher and Senegal Trip Chaperone Abdoulaye Ngom said. On April 30, the Senegalese students hosted a farewell party filled with singing, dancing, skits, speeches, and a fashion show. According to Mbodj this farewell was meant as a celebration of the time they have spent with the Masters community. As the celebration came to a close, Head of Upper School Nikki Willis had a few closing remarks, “I think it’s amazing to see the traditional and the modern African culture come together so beautifully. I think I speak for all of us when I say you have brought joy and happiness to our campus and we will miss you dearly.” According to Mbodj, this farewell was meant as a celebration of the time they have spent with the Masters community. “Ms. Danforth said we always have a home here so this is not goodbye. This is thank you and see you later,” Diomaye said.
Morning meeting in the Experimental Theater: a year in review from the rest of the school, some like the community aspect that meeting in the ET provides. “It’s a smaller venue, Staff Writer and I think it’s nice to just be able to say good morning to everyone and be Since the majority of the ninth- together,” Upper School Science Teachgrade moved into the Experimental er and ninth-grade Class Advisor Theater (ET) at the beginning of this Courtney White said. “Of course there school year for Morning Meeting, tech- are advantages to being with the larger nical issues have plagued the daily community, but there are also advanlivestream. tages to the smaller setting.” The relocation of the ninth grade to According to Ratan and Alexander, the ET came as a result of the news that the livestream has been, at its best, the Claudia Boettcher Theatre was faulty. “Often, the projector isn’t turned overfilled to a hazardous degree when on until Rachel and Eli are far through the whole school congregated for Morn- the announcement [of that meeting’s ing Meeting at the end of last school agenda], so we don’t always get to see year. Before the ninth-graders were all of it,” Ratan said. Alexander addrelocated to the ET, Morning Meeting ed, “On days when [the livestream] is took place in Strayer Gym for the last working, the audio quality is worse and few months of we don’t hear the 2017-18 everything.” school year. “Often the projector isn’t turned Thus, a signifWhen the on until Rachel and Eli are far through icant portion student body announcements, so we don’t always of the School returned get to see all of it. On days when [the misses MISH from sumlivestream] is working, the audio and Matters of mer vacation, quality is worse and we don’t hear Spirit speakers, it was aneverything.” as well as senounced that nior speeches. the seniors, - KIRA RATAN, ‘22 For example, on juniors, sophFri., May 6, the omores would lagged music remain in the Theatre, while the ma- from the International Fashion Show jority of the class of 2022 would view a played over the two senior speeches of livestream of Morning Meeting in the that day. ET. In addition, ninth-grade advisories However, from April 22 to May 3, would rotate weeks of attendance in the projector was not functioning at the Claudia Boettcher Theatre. all. As a result, the freshmen in the ET Class Presidents Kira Ratan and were simply dismissed early from six Finn Alexander noted the disconnect Morning Meetings during those two felt by the ninth-graders: “It’s super weeks. hard when you’re away from everyone “Nowadays we’re so used to things else in such a special space as Morning working that snafus can seem like a Meeting, especially when you’re the much bigger deal,” White said. “Howgrade that’s newest to the community,” ever, it is challenging when we miss Ratan said. Alexander also noted that a Morning Meeting because of techstudents feel left out at times when nical difficulties and don’t get a recap they are not able to participate in ac- of what happened in the other space. tivities that require volunteers from There have been times when I didn’t the crowd. To make the ET feel like even know a student or presenter prehome for the freshmen, Co-Chairs Ra- sented something, and I find out later chel Aideyan and Elijah Emery have second-hand.” switched off going to the ET to deliver Currently, plans to renovate the the announcements in person to the Claudia Boettcher Theatre are prelimClass roughly every Tuesday since the inary. Head of School Laura Danforth School returned from Spring Break. and Chief Financial Officer Ed Biddle While many are disappointed in the declined comment until the fall when physical separation of the ninth grade more information will be available.
SArAh FAber
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Read more at tower.mastersny.org
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Masters students and alumni represent Gravel campaign GAbriel Keller Staff writer Mike Gravel is a 2020 presidential candidate like no other. His campaign and social media is being largely run by teenagers who are current and former students of The Masters School. This arrangement will be highlighted in a documentary titled “Teen Kingmakers” which is about the background of the Gravel campaign. During the past few months, there have been campaign announcements from a multitude of democratic candidates, and names like Beto O’Rourke and Bernie Sanders have been at the COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE foreground of political discussions. FORMER SENATOR MIKE GRAVEL, a 2020 presidential candidate, has been One candidacy that has not caught working closely with Masters students and alumni (David Oks ‘19, Elijah Emery as much headwind is that of Grav- ‘19, Henry Williams ‘18 and Benjamin Church ‘17) on the campaign trail. el, who is an 88-year-old Democrat and former senator from Alaska. He tweeting and the press,” he added. served as senator from 1969 to 1981 Gravel’s Twitter, run by Williams and went on to run for president in “We wanted to participate and Oks is full of remarks such as “Do the 2008 election, where he made it to in the 2020 campaign, and you think we close Guantanamo Bay, the debates. Gravel backs the Green Gravel was our guy. Our camor use it to house Dick Cheney?” These New Deal, a proposal to address clipaign only needs 65,000 doupfront tweets have led to Gravel’s mate change and income inequality, nors to enter the debates. Twitter amassing over 71,000 followwants to abolish the U.S. Immigraers. “I’ve got a message, and I think tion and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - ELIJAH EMERY, ‘19 the message is more important than and the electoral college, and believes the message of any other candidate that health care is a human right and running,” Gravel claimed in the trailshould be provided to everyone. He is (‘19) and David Oks (‘19). Williams is er for the documentary “Teen Kingmost famously known for helping to a freshman at Columbia University, makers”. read the Pentagon Papers, a study of Gravel’s alma mater, and Oks and “The documentary is going to show the United States’ involvement in the Emery are both high school seniors. the campaign. I think it is probably Vietnam War, to Congress. Gravel “It was kind of David’s idea. We want- a very accurate portrait of the camwas vocally anti-war during the peri- ed to participate in the 2020 cam- paign and I’m excited to see the prodod of the Vietnam War and still is to- paign, and Gravel was our guy. Our uct,” Emery added about Teen Kingday. Gravel has made it clear that he campaign only needs 65,000 donors makers. The documentary is set to doesn’t intend to win, he just wants to to enter the debates.” Emery said. “I be released in February of 2020, five make it onto the debate stage. oversaw the hiring process in the be- months before the Democratic canGravel’s campaign is being run by ginning of the campaign and Henry didate for the general election is anHenry Williams (‘18), Elijah Emery, and David have been handling the nounced.
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TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
SPORTS
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Boys’ volleyball climbs through playoff brackets Emma Luis Editor-in-Chief Emeritus After a long season, boys’ varsity volleyball fought their way to the top of the New York City Athletic League (NYCAL), qualifying for championships before falling short to The Calhoun School in the finals. Volleyball also competed in New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) and climbed their way to the quarter-final round. In the NYCAL league, Masters tore through each round, making their way to the championships. After winning their match against Lycée Francais de New York 3-0 in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Masters moved onto the semi-finals, playing home on May 8 against Horace Mann. With fully-packed bleachers in the Fonseca Center Gymnasium, the team ultimately defeated Horace Mann after intense rallies, dives and long-lasting points. On May 11, the team made the trek to the Upper West Side at The Calhoun School for the NYCAL finals to take on Calhoun, the No. 1 seeded team. After making their best effort, the team fell short to Calhoun 3-0 in the championship game, tak-
ing second place in NYCAL. The following week, Masters competed in the NYSAIS tournament, ranked as the No. 5 seed. The opening quarter-final round took place early on Sat. May 18 at Masters, scheduled to take place in the Fonseca Center Gymnasium. Last minute, the game was switched into Strayer Gymnasium where Masters took on Leman Manhattan, the No. 4 seeded team. After four games, Masters lost 3-1. “We knew that last year the team has a pretty good season so there was a lot on our plates to do the same this year,” senior Noel Gorodetsky said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the result we needed, but at the end of the day we achieved our main goal of qualifying for the finals.” After two different league playoffs, volleyballs’ season ended with a farewell to five seniors: Youssef Aly, Noel Gorodetsky, Liam Kinsey, Fritz Pingel and Ben Stein, who will be graduating this June. “I am very proud of everything our team has accomplished and believe that the boys’ volleyball program has a bright future with our coach and the underclassmen on the team,” Pingel said.
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THE BOYS’ VARSITY VOLLEYBALL team poses after their final game against The Calhoun School. The team had an excellent season, fighting their way to the top of NYCAL and qualifying for championships before falling short in the final game. The game was the last adieu to five seniors: Youssef Aly, Noel Gorodetsky, Liam Kinsey, Fritz Pingel and Ben Stein.
Girls’ lacrosse builds foundation by sticking together TyLEr Conway Lead Web Editor
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
SOPHOMORE FRANCESCA MANN RUNS forward during a game against the Nightingale-Bamford School. While the 2019 season was challenging, it was an improvement to the 2018 season.
Following a challenging 2018 season with only one victory, Masters’ girls’ varsity lacrosse team is proud of their slight improvement, while keeping in mind they still have much room for growth in the future. Captains Mollie Roth, Audrey Corrigan, Isabelle Godwin and Marina Shishkina were disappointed after only winning one game in their previous season, which allowed the team to focus their practices on points of improvement and set clear goals for this season and beyond. The team’s final record, standing at two wins and eight losses, will allow them to continue reshaping more goals for next season. One major aspect of the team that was changed this year was its roster, with a large number of new players on the team. Last season’s
roster only included seven players, while this year the size of the girls’ varsity lacrosse team’s roster has more than tripled, with thirty girls on the team. With a large number of freshmen and few upperclassmen,
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One place we worked on improving on is making sure that we were practicing how we play. - AUDREY CORRIGAN
the squad looks forward to future seasons and chasing bigger goals. Captain Isabelle Godwin suggests that a more cohesive team will yield success in the future. “We’re much more dynamic than we were last year. There’s less of a divide between the seniors and the underclassmen
this year,” Godwin said. “We lost a few seniors and a lot of girls have never played, so it’s nice that the younger, inexperienced players are able to connect with the upperclassmen on and off the field this year.” Junior captain Audrey Corrigan noted improvements and worked on identifying some of the team’s weaknesses throughout the season. “This has been one of our best seasons. One place we worked on improving on is making sure that we were practicing how we play because we didn’t always maintain our energy very well on the field during games in the early stages of the season,” she said. Corrigan has high expectations for the team moving forward. “I hope our team continues to grow and improve, we are only losing one senior so hopefully the girls want to keep coming back because I want to make the playoffs next year.”
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TOWER/MAY 24, 2019
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
FRESHMAN JUSTIN SMALLS (L) AND senior captains Carter Myers-Brown (C) and Marcus Diaz (R) walk off of the field after an inning against rivertown rival Hackley. Myers-Brown served as the team’s ace pitcher this year, and seniors Daneal Senderovich and Shane Halpin also served as co-captains. Diaz proved to be the star of the senior game, bringing home three runs in the bottom of the seventh and winning the game 5-4.
Baseball knocks the season out of the park Alex Bentzien Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Beyond the hours of practice, the sweat of physical training, bus rides stuck in traffic, and the athleticism suggested – or required – of playing a sport, Masters’ boys’ varsity baseball is all about what it’s like to be a part of a team. Throughout the season, veteran upperclassmen have bonded with new players to create an environment of true community, or as senior captain Marcus Diaz says, “one big friend group,” where bus rides after games (and roast beef sandwiches) are some of the best memories. Senior captain Michael “Boat” D’Angelo noted the emphasis placed
on positivity during games and practices. “There’s really been no arguments or any situation where people’s egos take over. Baseball’s really just been about putting the team first and having a good time,” D’Angelo said. At the beginning of the season, a large roster with incoming players required the team captains to provide more guidance toward building a skillset created around fundamentals. The opportunity to help younger teammates familiarize themselves with the game also allowed varsity baseball to bridge a divide that can occur among under- and upperclassmen, as senior captain Shane Halpin pointed out. “It was fun being able to lead my own line this year in practices, and it was fun being able to have a coaching role for the younger kids. Through
mentorship, I got to know a lot of the freshmen more and help them with their skills,” Halpin said. One of the things the team will miss the most are the big hits and the enthusiastic reactions of those moments. The team’s senior game against Hackley School on May 11 is one moment the entire team remembers as a highlight of the season. After Hackley’s pitcher threw six scoreless innings, Masters was positioned to lose with a score of 2-4. Diaz stepped up to bat with bases loaded, feeling shaky after starting off 0 and 3. Diaz recalled feeling that he could have a movie moment: “I thought to myself, ‘I could hit it out of the park and walk off our senior game.’” After taking a deep breath, Diaz’s wish came true after hitting the ball over the right fielder’s
Varsity softball runs season home DRew schott Opinion Design Editor This season, according to co-captain Rebecca Wachen, girls’ varsity softball retained only four players from last year: Wachen, junior co-captain Sophia Herzberg, sophomore Anna Kief and sophomore Noon (Stellar) Son. Despite an almost entirely new roster led by Wachen, Herzberg and senior co-captain Nicole Ferrando, there is a large chance the team, who finished with a 4-6 record, will undergo yet another roster overhaul. Head Coach Shannon Nicholson acknowledged there are a “lot more freshmen and new players” on the team this year. As a result, Nicholson, now in her fourth year as head coach and sixth year with the team, tries to create ways to enable play-
ers to stay on the team for more than one season because she said it is “really hard to start from scratch, and it would be great for those younger girls to play all four years, so that they can be leaders for the next group of new players.” Additionally, Nicholson said she as a coach is understanding of her players and their outside commitments and tries to be accommodating towards them as best she can, however, commitment is important when it comes to team growth. “I hope that the girls continue to play the sport beyond one season and learn the best they can,” she said. “I love to see girls who stay their whole time at Masters, it is those girls who ultimately become the team leaders and possibly captains” Freshman second baseman Kira Ratan enjoys softball as it differs great-
ly from tennis, her fall sport, in that softball is about the entire team growing together, while tennis is more individually-focused. Ratan, who played Little League Softball in seventh grade, says goals for the team include keeping encouragement up throughout the season and improvement. The team is not a member of any athletic association, meaning they can play schools from various leagues. As varsity softball attempted to qualify for the New York State Association of Independent School (NYSAIS) playoffs, Celia Torino, the team’s freshman shortstop and one who has played softball outside of Masters on travel and tournament teams said the team contained powerful team spirit. As the season winded down, Wachen, echoing her coach, hopes everyone who plays on varsity softball makes the most of their experience.
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
JUNIOR SOPHIA HERZBERG WATCHES the ball fly after hitting it during a recent softball game. Herzberg was one of only four veteran players who were members of both this year’s and last year’s teams, with the rest of the roster composed of new players. Even so, the team finished the season with a 4-6 record so next season offers the possibility of even greater successes for the team.
head and bringing home three rnes, edging Hackley in a final score of 5-4. Since Saturday’s game, Diaz has reflected a lot on his senior game performance. “I felt like that was the perfect way to end our athletic career,” Diaz said. “Bringing in Carter [Myers-Brown], who was also my throwing buddy for four years, also meant a lot.” Halpin was also on base when Diaz scored. “Just seeing the runners score and everyone coming out of the dugout too was a great moment,” Halpin said. Diaz repeated a home-run on May 15 during an away game versus Columbia Prep, when junior August “Augey” Peterson also hit a home-run. Though boys’ varsity baseball didn’t have a winning record this spring sea-
son, the players are excited about the bond that the team has developed. Diaz hopes the close atmosphere will continue in the coming years, even once this year’s captains and seniors have graduated. “It’s not necessarily that you have to win every game or you have to be the best player, but I want them to be the best possible teammates. I want them to look after each other because that’s the most important thing,” Diaz said. “As long as there’s still that passion for the sport and we have people advocating for each other, then I’ll be happy with the team, no matter what the record is.” The boys’ final game was on May 16, and they finished their season with a 5-5 record.
Boys’ lacrosse puts the year in the net Annie RuBinson Features Design Editor The Masters School has elevated its athletic status amongst various schools in the New York City area; however, in most cases, each team is comprised of players with a variety of skill and experience levels. As demonstrated by the successes of Masters’ boys varsity lacrosse team, differing skill levels pose no threat when there is a strong sense of unity and determination. Senior Matt Semel shared that with a shortage of players–the smallest roster in Masters’ boys lacrosse history–the team had a rocky start to the season. “We had to start the year off with a meeting about our low numbers and how that would be impacting our season,” Semel said. Nevertheless, they persisted. “Everyone went into the season ready to play and determined to win, even if they had never played before,” he said. It was this common goal, according to Semel, that has allowed the team to persevere through a series of obstacles, such as injuries and a loss of key players from previous years. Senior Ben McGowan added insight. “Some players might not have the most skill, but we all have the same goal,” he said. McGowan added that the selflessness of the team members led to a successful season and gave the Panthers the edge in a late-season win against Portledge School, a team to whom they had previously lost. “[It] was one of the best games of our lacrosse careers,” he said. “There was no one player doing everything himself, it took everyone on that field to win.” In the game, which was on May 2, Masters capped off a late comeback in torrential rain with a game-winning goal from senior Aden Khurana. Since
then, the team has played two games, the first against Stony Brook in which they won 15-8 and the second against the Portledge School in the Private School Athletics Association (PSAA) semi-finals, in which they lost 2-8. Coach and Administrator Tim Custer commented on the success of the team this past season. “Especially given some of the challenges that we faced this season, it was a really successful year.” He added that the obstacles the team faced, whether it be injuries or a shortage of players, even led them to cancel several games, and Custer was not initially certain of whether or not they would finish the season. “In the end, the guys rallied together and had a great finish to the season.” Custer adds that although the team faced hardship this season, he has high hopes for the team in upcoming years. “Our seniors this year were spectacular, and it will be hard to replace them. The good news is that we’ve already had an eighth grader working with the varsity team this year, and we have several other younger players that will be joining us next year,” he said. Noah Kassell-Yung, eighth grader and member of the varsity lacrosse team, was recruited midway through the season from Masters’ middle school team. Now, his varsity practices qualify him for athletic option, meaning he attends an after school study hall session at the Middle School before heading to practice every day. “Originally, playing on the team was scary, but as I’ve gotten to know everyone better, my teammates have become my good friends,” he said. “I’m very much looking forward to playing on the team for the next four years,” he added. “The team has a lot of potential, and playing against high schoolers has been an incredible experience.”