TOWER The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 77, NUMBER 6
Editorial After a school year of vigilant restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Masters should consider loosening guidelines for the sake of the educational and social well-being of the school.
APRIL 30, 2021
tower.mastersny.org
Community reacts to Derek Chauvin verdict
ELLEN COWHEY/TOWER
PROTESTERS IN DOBBS FERRY last summer kneel in honor of the lives lost to police violence. In May of 2020, the murder of George Floyd sparked protests across the nation. Now, almost a year after Floyd’s murder, the community is once again reflecting on systemic racism within the criminal justice system.
KATE SIBERY Editor-in-Chief
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f the 16,000 times that an interaction between a police officer and a civilian led to a civilian death since 2005, only eight have resulted in an officer being convicted of murder. Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd last May, was the eighth. The jury deliberated for 10 hours over two days, following an emotionally-charged
Cárdenas leaves Masters TIM MATHAS Lead Opinion Editor Upper School Science Teacher Andrés Cárdenas left the school on Monday, April 5, according to an email sent on April 5 to the Masters community by Head of School Laura Danforth which outlined an explanation for his leaving. Danforth noted that the reason for Cárdenas’ sudden departure was due to “a pattern of boundary-violating interactions” in which “his communications with students strayed far beyond expected and professional boundaries”. Details regarding the situation that led to Cárdenas’s separation from the school have not been disclosed in an effort to maintain the privacy of the student(s) involved. Danforth wrote in the email that at the time of her writing, there was “no indication at this time that his behavior was malicious or illegal,” and that Cárdenas behavior “did not involve physical boundary violations with students.” Cárdenas, who was a faculty member for five years taught general physics (electricity, magnetism, and mechanics), general chemistry, honors chemistry and both sections of AP Physics C this school year. Additionally, on his own time, he taught an unofficial seminar called APX, in which he would meet with ten students from his advanced physics classes after school to discuss theoretical concepts outside the scope of AP physics. Cárdenas worked with and mentored students on research projects in science research and independent studies in physics classes, as well as other student-led independent research projects. According to Upper School Science Department Chair Frank Greally, the school has opted to enlist science teachers already employed at the school to cover his classes for the remainder of the year. In addition, outside tutoring help has been provided for AP students. Dean of Students Jeff Carnevale has taken over Cárdenas’ duties as a ninth grade advisor. The school is currently interviewing potential replacements for his position.
three week trial that ultimately resulted in Chauvin’s conviction on the charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on April 20. The following day, Head of Upper School Peter Newcomb introduced Upper School History Teacher Selas Douglas at Morning Meeting, who reflected on the implications of the verdict. “Having knowledge of how policing has been done throughout the country, what it felt like was a pebble in a pond–there’s finally justice in this moment, but it is a long, uphill battle to climb,” Douglas said. Douglas will be stepping into the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion next year as the Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion.
For many, including sophomore Claress Bahamundi, the conviction came as a surprise. She said, “The day leading up to it I felt like I was holding my breath and when it was announced I was shocked.” That feeling of mounting anxiety in the days and hours leading up to the announcement of the verdict was collectively felt by students and teachers. Junior Maison McCallum expressed that his excitement at the guilty verdict did not reach the level he had been hoping for. He said, “When I heard I did feel immediate relief, but at the same time. I think unfortunately this is just a very small step because it has taken nearly a year for the case to close.”
Floyd’s murder fueled masses of protestors to take to the streets in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the summer. Rather than viewing the verdict itself as a historical turning point, Douglas said that the protests and global visibility they attracted were the most important and felt more akin to a point of reckoning. The prosecution argued that Chauvin acted outside the bounds of normal policing, and the first week of the trial was nearly filled by hours of tearful witness testimony. The defense presented an alternative narrative wherein complications from Floyd’s drug use were the main cause of his death. The verdict comes 30 years, almost to the month, after the murder of Rodney King under a rain of police batons in Los Angeles. The officers in that case were acquitted of all murder charges. Douglas saw striking parallels between this moment and the national uproar 30 years ago. “The reality is this isn’t a unique moment, this is part of the American brand, and we have been fighting this same struggle for civil rights for the entirety of the country’s history,” Douglas said. A resounding sentiment among many students has been that while the verdict is holding Chauvin accountable for his actions, it is not by any means an act of justice. Sophomore Amaris Asiedu felt that mentions of justice being served were well-intentioned, but misplaced in light of the centuries-long history of systemic racism in the nation. Asiedu found Senator Nancy Pelosi’s statement thanking Floyd for “sacrificing [his] life for justice,” to be particularly problematic. “I don’t want people saying it’s a sacrifice for justice, because nobody’s life should be sacrificed for justice. It should be viewed as a tragedy that opened up people’s eyes,” she said. Junior Annie Fabian echoed Amiedu. She said, “Lives have already been lost, there’s no getting justice for that.”
Inside this issue: MITCH FINK EXPLORES THE implications of the ongoing Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. Supreme Court case on the freedom of student press. Opinion, Page 4
LOGAN SCHICIANO TAKES A deep dive into the pandemic’s effect on the Masters School finances. Features, Page 8
ETHAN SCHLAPP GIVES AN ode to the sport of golf, which he thanks for getting him through the pandemic. Sports, Page 12
Increasing vaccine elibility gives students hope for return to normalcy KWYNNE SCHLOSSMAN Web and Social Media Manager
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unior Briana Diaz recently received the COVID-19 vaccine after months of quarantining, distancing and masking. She reflected on the vaccination, saying, “It was so relieving finally getting the vaccine after almost a year of chaos. Knowing things could get back to the way they were soon is extremely uplifting after all of this.” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted on March 29 that, “On Tuesday, April 6 at 8 a.m., all New Yorkers age 16+ will be eligible to schedule and receive the COVID-19 vaccine.” A little over half of Masters Upper School students are now eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, leaving many community members hopeful for a glimpse at normal life. Head of Upper School Peter Newcomb said, “As many people as possible should be getting the vaccine. It will help us all get back – as a school and wider community – to a sense of normalcy.” Junior Denis Sadrijaj said, “After seeing I was eligible, I rushed to the website to book my appointment. I was really excited to finally be vaccinated after so long.” Although as of right now only students 16+ are eligible to receive the vaccine, many students under 16 are planning on receiving the vaccine once available to them. Sophomore Will Tarica said, “I am 15 right now but I am definitely planning on getting the vaccine once I can. Everyone who can right now should go and get it.” According to CDC guidelines, two weeks after your second vaccination you are considered fully vaccinated. People are then advised to remain cautious of others who are at high risk and unvaccinated but can become more relaxed with protocols. As more and more members of the Masters community are receiving vaccines, the question of how this will affect school life is up in the air. Student performance groups, clubs and sports teams have been either heavily restricted or reconstructed to accomodate to health and safety protocols. With increasing vaccine availability, many students are saying they crave a sense of normal-
DENIS SADRIJAJ/TOWER
JUNIOR DENIS SADRIJAJ RECEIVES his first dose of the Covid vaccine. On Apr. 6, all New Yorkers 16 and older became eligible to schedule their vaccine. As of now, the Pfizer vaccine is the only option for teenagers like Sadrijaj. Many Masters students hope that getting the student body vaccinated might allow for relaxed regulations. However, for the half of the Upper School that is under the age of 16, the future remains more unclear.
cy with hope of a turn around for this year. After receiving the vaccine, senior Aiden Coleman, who is a member of multiple student performance groups, said, “I am still not allowed to rehearse in person. It’s really important we the school [try] to figure out a way to help performance groups, as the environment for music has almost been lost and I miss it.” Like Coleman, senior Anthi Likitsakos is vaccinated and has also not been able to meet in person for any of her clubs this year. She said, “There are hardly any in person meetings for student perfor-
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mance groups and clubs, if we are already together in classrooms and at lunch we should be able to meet in person for clubs. I think it’s time to reevaluate.” Along with clubs, Harkness tables have been absent from the class rooms for over a year due to guidelines. Many students, along with Junior Olive Saraf,voiced their hope that school would be able to bring back Harkness tables for next year as more and more students are being vaccinated. Saraf said, “I think at least by next year it is crucial to get the community to a
Knowing things could get back to the way they were soon is extremely uplifting after all of this.” - Briana Diaz ‘22
point where we can have live performances, games and Harkness tables in order to give some normalcy back to the community.” Newcomb responded to the debate on whether protocols will be changing as more members receive the vaccine. Though a majority of the upperclassmen are receiving the vaccine because it is only available to students 16 and over it would be irresponsible to put those students at risk as a school.” Along with the hope for a return of more consistent curriculars, many students – especially seniors – are looking for a traditional Masters spring in the upcoming weeks as more members are becoming fully vaccinated. Senior Jazmine Hudson said, “I understand the school’s hesitation to revise the protocols but a lot of us are really hoping for a sense of normalcy as the school year comes to a close.”