TOWER The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 76, NUMBER 3
Editorial Masters is known for its tight-knit community, and in the darkest of hours, it’s time to prove why. Tower urges all members of the community to grow closer together, even as the pandemic drives us apart.
DECEMBER 18, 2020
tower.mastersny.org
Pittsburgh Library renovations near the finish line
SETH MARX
GLASS COLLABORATIVE SUITES SPAN the library, equipped with multimedia screen sharing, sound-proof walls and marker boards, fitting for group study sessions and class projects. The Pittsburgh Reading Room, located on the south end of the library, is furnished with long tables and chairs to create a quiet work space. The northern end features the circulation desk surrounded by living-room style open seating. 18 study pods create a pleasant space for individual work and study.
SOPHIE GRAND Chief Design Editor The Pittsburgh Library’s doors are set to open soon after five months of construction––all of which took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The renovation, which also included portions of the first floor of Masters Hall in addition to the library, was designed by New York City firm Marvel Architects, and led by Marvel Architects Director and Masters Project Lead Jennifer Olson. Construction on the project began on May 15th and is currently nearing completion. The construction is being completed by Yorke Construction Corporation and is led by Project Manager Artie Pearsall. The renovations included a complete transformation of the 6,680 square foot library on the first floor into a state of the art high-tech library and digital resource center. On the ground floor of Masters Hall, the architects remodeled the 2,875 square foot space into a new social lounge, academic administration suite and Tower newsroom.
The effects of COVID-19 have seeped into all components of the project: availability of construction resources, health and safety of workers, donor relations and finances. Governor Mario Cuomo implemented Executive Order No. 202.6 on March 18, which designated school-related construction as essential, enabling Masters to start the renovations with proper safety precautions in place and still be on-schedule. This announcement was crucial for the project, but as the cases spiked in the New York area in May and April, Chief Financial Officer Ed Biddle worried that the timeline of the project might be pushed back. Biddle said, “As the Covid situation deteriorated in the May and April period in the New York City area, we were concerned. Even though all of our design work had been done and all of the money had been raised for this project, we worried we might have to wait another year to do it [the construction].” Despite initial worries, the construction began on schedule, and Pearsall and his team were forced to adapt to new conditions of strict social distancing and limitations to the number of personnel allowed on campus.
“Typically, you would want to get as many people as you safely could on site to get as much work done as fast as possible.” Pearsall continued, “We have had to think about along the way making sure that we don’t have too many people in the space.”
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Our goal throughout the project was to be as nimble as possible in terms of sequencing and look to expedite things whenever possible.”
-Ed Biddle, Chief Financial Officer
Biddle noted the silver linings he found in the construction process. The location of the construction itself was ideal for coronavirus conditions, with easy outdoor access to the library and ground-floor entrances, omitting a need for an elevator. Biddle said, “In some ways, the type of project and type of building we are renovating made [the construction] more compatible with New York
Covid-blaming frustrates student
ELLIE YANG/TOWER
TRUMP HAS OFTEN REFERRED to the COVID-19 virus as the “Chinese Virus.” Tony Wei, a sophomore from China, does not believe that his blame is justified. Gu explores his rationale.
MARIANNA GU Contributing Writer As the death rate of the COVID-19 virus continues to accelerate, people from all around the world are anxiously waiting for a responsible solution from their respective governments. Tony Wei, a sophomore from China, currently studying remotely, strongly disapproves of President Donald
Trump’s calling COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” in public addresses and remarks. “After watching the presidential debate, I think Trump calling it a Chinese Virus is unjustified because COVID-19 is not just a Chinese problem, it was also amplified by the poor decision of the Trump administration. Thus, although the virus originated in Wuhan, China, the President of the United States, as a political figure, should not name the virus after China. At the end of the day, COVID-19 is a world-
wide issue and we should all come together to solve this problem instead of blaming each other.” Wei compared the situation to the H1N1 influenza (also known as the Swine Flu) in 2009, wherein the Chinese government never referred to it as an “American” virus, even though it originated in California. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the infection of the H1N1 flu was first found in a 10-year-old girl in California, and later spread to 214 countries accumulating approximately two hundred thousand deaths, and triggering a global pandemic, as confirmed by the World Health Organization in June 11, 2009. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, there had been 2,090 cases found in Mainland China with 800 deaths. While arguing about Trump’s wrongful accusation, Wei did concede that the Chinese Government must take charge of not paying attention to Dr. Wenliang Li’s early warning of the virus and putting him into jail. He stated that if the Chinese government had listened, the virus could have been contained in a shorter period of time and may not have spread across the globe.
Continued on our website, tower. mastersny.org
State guidelines.” He explained. According to Biddle, the construction process was slowed in the latter half of the project’ timeline because of delays in certain material availability. The delays tended to be in highly specified materials that were only manufactured by a small number of shops in the United States, so the construction was dependent on those shops. The upfront materials required to start the project – framing studs, sheetrock and plywood, for example – were readily available. In order to remain on schedule in light of material delays, Pearsall and his team said they tried to remain flexible and strategic in their planning. Pearsall said, “Our goal throughout the project was to be as nimble as possible in terms of sequencing things and look to expedite things wherever possible.” The cost of the total renovation, funded by current members and alumni of the Masters community, was filled before the start of the construction, so the economic fallout of the pandemic had little effect on the funding. The donor gifts to the school were specifically earmarked for this project, according to Director of Institutional Advancement Seth Marx, who worked to raise funds to make these spaces possible.
“People have really jumped in to support Masters at this moment, understanding how these spaces and these renovations will enable optimal teaching and learning, and we have had really good support,” he said. The donors and task force members are kept in a tight loop with details of renovation and exclusive progress photos of the space. In previous projects, like the renovation of the Fonseca Center, donors were toured around the spaces, but the pandemic has forced Marx, Pearsall and the rest of the team to shift their approach to sharing videos, live streams and virtual walkthroughs with the donors. “Hard hat tours are really an essential part of any construction project because you want your stakeholders to see what’s happening, and get a glimpse into what the end product is going to be,” Pearsall said. “That is very important for a donor.” The spaces are nearing readiness and construction is coming to a close. The final step before the doors open is to review with members of the health advisory team exactly how to safely launch student use of the library. Biddle reported that this step has not taken place yet, and it “might be premature for us to say a date.”
Tower interviews alumni journalists
Former editor-in-chief of Tower Tyler Pager ‘13 graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of Jounrnalism in 2017, and has been recently named a White House Correspondent for Politico. He has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, USA Today and Bloomberg.
Daniel Block ‘12 was once set on becoming President of the United States. After attending Swarthmore College, his ambitions shifted to the journalistic side of politics. Since then, he’s been published in The Caravan and the Philadelphia Enquirer. He now serves as executive editor for the Washington Monthly.
Don’t miss Editor-in-Chief Mitch Fink’s podcast interview with these two alumni, published on masterstower.org
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NEWS
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
Middle School responds to positive COVID-19 tests the majority of the day. Alex Pinoff, a seventh grader, said, Web Editor and Social Media Manager “It tends to be difficult to focus since we are sitting in one place for the majority of the day, your mind can wanhile Upper School students der and you can get antsy, it would be have seen their share of change nice to have more of a change of scenthis year, students in the Middle ery throughout the day.” School have been adapting to learning The middle schoolers’ have limited in single classrooms - and, more re- opportunities to leave the classroom cently, fully remote learning. Since the during the day; their only current free beginning of in-person instruction in October, three students and two adults The school has adapted pretty have tested positive for COVID-19 in well to the current circum the Middle School. In response, the stance that we are in. The administraMiddle School has switched to solely tion always seems open to feedback online learning for the last two weeks before the start of winter break. The from us to hear our opinions. school made the decision to close be- Willow Lovett ‘26 cause so many teachers and staff have been quarantined and have consequently been unable to teach in per- time outside is during lunch. Jimmy Fabian, a current seventh son. Before the switch to virtual learning, grader, said “During lunch we cannot middle school students found them- really talk that much since we have to selves in a condensed learning envi- take off our masks to eat while being ronment that sometimes felt distract- careful about social distancing. It’s nice being able to be with my friends ing and confining. This year each middle school ad- though and get a break from school, visory has been assigned a classroom outside.” Since the students are split up by adwhere nearly all of their classes are held. Unlike previous years when visory, they typically do not have the the students moved between differ- opportunity to see many people outent classrooms, this year the teachers side of their five or six person groups. move while the students stay in the However, the fifth and sixth grades, as same room––except for math and lan- well as the seventh and eighth grades, guage classes––in order to minimize are grouped together in two larger the students’ exposure to the virus for pods during lunch, allowing the stuKWYNNE SCHLOSSMAN
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dents to socialize outside or in Strayer Hall, safely. Earlier this year, when the weather was nicer, some teachers modified their curriculum in order to give the students an opportunity to go outdoors. Pinoff said, “At the beginning of the year, during science, we walked down to the field and did a project. It was really nice to get out of the classroom and be outside.” Head of Middle School Tasha Elsbach said, “We have advised the teachers to adapt and make modifications to their current curriculum to help students have opportunities to go outside and stretch their legs. We also want to make sure we allow the air to circulate so we try to have the students leave the classrooms to allow this to happen.” Students have noticed a distinct lack of freedom in comparison to previous years. Pinoff said, “Last year, we had so much more freedom. Of course the circumstances are different this year, but it sucked that all that freedom was just taken away after a year.” Even so, students have persevered with a positive attitude, according to Elsbach. “We have to give credit to our students who have done so well acclimating to our new protocols, they are doing an amazing job under these circumstances,” she said. Now having been acclimated to the changes, students have reported positive feedback on the adaptations the school has made to practice social dis-
tancing guidelines. in. The administration always seems Seventh grader Willow Lovett said, open to feedback from us to hear our “The school has adapted pretty well to opinions.” the current circumstance that we are
ISAAC CASS
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS SIT in their classrooms socially distanced. The middle school has taken extra precautions following the recent positive cases. Some students have vocalized the lack of independence and opportunities given under these new circumstances.
ISAAC CASS
New York proposals look to regulate non-public curriculum
FLICKR
STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT HEBREW in a Orthodox Jewish School. Many of these ye-
shivas are opposed to the proposal, as it may enforce a more secular education.
its stakeholder engagement meetings on the topic of substantial equivalenAccountability and Accuracy Manager cy in state educational systems. Substantial equivalency refers to n the week of Dec. 6, the New the quality of education at nonpubYork State Education Depart- lic schools as compared to public ment (NYSED) hosted the last of school districts. According to New LANCE LEYS
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York State expectations, a nonpublic school should be able to provide an education that is equal to or greater in quality than that possible in a public school. In May of last year, NYSED proposed a series of regulations that would allow them to further enforce that policy. The proposal would allow NYSED the ability to conduct a review of nonpublic schools during the 2022-23 school year, during which they will ensure that all enrolled students are receiving a proper education. Afterwards, authorities of the school will update NYSED yearly on the quality of education being provided to them. During the stakeholder engagement meeting for students, parents and alumni of nonpublic schools, the discussion mainly centered around education at yeshivas, which are Orthodox Jewish educational institutes, and the proposal’s potential effect on them. They are likely to be hit the
hardest if the proposal goes through, as students enrolled at them are given little secular education, which is punishable by NYSED. Some believe that the lack of secular education leaves these teenagers unable to function in the real world and so further state involvement in those schools is necessary; others claim that this is a violation of NYSED’s own goal of maintaining learning environments that affirm student’s identities. In response to the proposal, the New York State Association of Independent Schools, NYSAIS, as well as a collection of other unaffiliated schools have sued NYSED in an attempt to reverse the proposal. Their main claim is that NYSED’s delegation of jurisdiction to local school authorities (LSAs) is unconstitutional, as it is not in their power to do so–that right can only be granted by the United States legislature, which NYSED is decidedly not.
Matthew Williams, a junior at The Masters School, was one of many students to attend the nonpublic school stakeholder meeting on Dec. 8. He saw the experience as an interesting and highly necessary one. “I found it nice to have a conversation with others who care a lot about this issue,” he said. “It saddens me to know that there are so many kids out there being robbed of their right to be educated, and this proposal is a step in the right direction.” He believes that NYSAIS’s refusal of the proposal is counterproductive and unnecessary. He said, “It doesn’t affect many of the schools beyond some more paperwork every year. This proposal is really meant to crack down on the minority of schools that aren’t doing enough for their students.”
Student debt relief: is it helpful or harmful? KYLA BARANTSEVITCH Web Editor
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ith an estimated 45 million borrowers collectively owning more than $1.6 trillion in student loans, the debate on providing student debt relief has never been more pertinent. As President-elect Joe Biden moves forward with the presidential transition process, the talk in favor of student debt forgiveness has become more and more fervent, and not just by the progressive Democrats. Social media has been helping to promote the idea of student debt relief, but as the debate among this subject becomes more and more convoluted, the actual policies being proposed can get overshadowed by misinformation. For this reason, this article will take a look into what is actually being proposed in Congress and the actual implications of these proposals. One idea which circulated widely in leftist social media circles was that Biden could issue an executive order, which would cancel $50,000 of student loans per person. However, this would not be possible. First, this wasn’t an idea proposed by Biden, but
rather by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have already proposed a resolution in Congress in which the upcoming president could forgive $50,000 of student loans for each person through executive action. However, many in Congress believe that only Congress should have the power to cancel debt. Additionally, Biden already has already called on Congress to “immediately” cancel $10,000 of student debt for every borrower, and he has not shown any indication or plan to take any other expensive measures besides that. Progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez support debt forgiveness because of the economic stimulus it would offer to students dealing with debt. Some experts on the subject, such as Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody Analytics, agree that a debt forgiveness plan would offer some macroeconomic benefits. However, Zandi and many others have argued that debt forgiveness legislation would mainly benefit people with relatively high incomes, and not low-income people who would truly need the stimulus. To Zandi, the more equitable option
for long term growth would be enrolling more borrowers in income-based repayment plans. Income-based repayment plans (IBR) are plans paid by the Department of Education for federal student loans that help those who take out loans keep their payments affordable by capping payments based on income and family size, and also forgiving any potential remaining debt after 25 years of qualifying payments. According to a study published by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, those with the most debt tend to be enrolled in postgraduate programs, however students in these programs still tend to make more money. This means that because they earn more, forgiveness policies would benefit them the most. However, income-based payment plans, the study claims, would benefit everyone else, and current provisions make it that low-income people with debt would pay nothing or next to nothing. While it may seem like student debt relief is the only way to help those with debt, this study and other economists make it clear that there are other options to help borrowers of low and high income.
ELLA TANG/TOWER
A STUDENT WORRIES ABOUT paying back their student loans. President-Elect Joe Biden also supports forgiving 10,000 dollars for all federal student loan borrowers as part of COVID-19 government relief.
OP-ED
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
OpiniOn
TOWER 2020-2021
editors-iN-chieF Kate sibery mitch FiNK
EDITORIAL
In a time driven by separation, our community must come together
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n a cold evening last January, the Fonseca Center gymnasium was rocking. Boarding students, day students, teachers and staff roared as one as the boys’ varsity team emphatically triumphed over a rival. And even after those in attendance packed their bags and left, an energy remained in the gym: the energy of community. It’s been nearly a year since that game, and it’s been difficult to find any semblance of the joy and connection we’ve lost. It’s difficult to maintain that energy when dozens of freshmen have yet to take an in-person class. It’s difficult to maintain that energy when international students have yet to set foot on campus. It’s difficult to maintain that energy when so much of the student body is shown only as a small box in a Zoom call. And yet, doing our part to keep the Masters community together has never been more important.
Remote school is isolating for students and teachers. The small interactions around the Harkness table, or in the hallway, are impossible to recreate over a screen. And as a result, a divide has formed between those who are able to come to campus, and those scattered across the globe in their homes. A social divide that leaves remote students without a social circle to fall back upon can be devastating and lonely. Teachers, some of whom are working remotely themselves, have been tasked with the difficult responsibility to bridge this gap. Facilitating a hybrid class, complete with dialogue between those learning remotely and in-person, has become an expectation. Even for in-person students, it is frustrating to see friends in the hallway and stay six feet away at all times. It’s difficult to see an empty Fonseca Center during breaks, or a dining hall silenced by plexi-
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glass dividers protruding out from the center of the tables. In the face of this division, it is crucial to take the initiative to restore the spirit of the Masters community. It is our duty, as students, as teachers and as staff, to reach out to those who are isolated. As a student body, it’s our responsibility to keep our cameras on, our eyes and ears open and voices heard. There may not be a basketball game in the Fonseca Center this season, and our community may not be united in the manner we are accustomed to. Regardless, humans desire connection with one another, and so we all must make a conscious effort to be compassionate, patient—kind to ourselves and others. Before we can become powers for good in the world, we must strive to be powers for good in the community. If we can accomplish that, the cold winter that awaits will become a little bit brighter.
chieF desigN editor Sophie Grand News Lead editor M. Brody Leo News desigN editor Lexi Wachen opiNioN Lead editor tim mathas opiNioN desigN editor SaBrina WoLfSon Features Lead editor Kira rataN Features desigN editors sophia vaN beeK rowaN mcwhiNNie sports Lead editor ethaN schLapp sports desigN editor aNdrew mitcheLL web editor aNd sociaL media maNager KwyNNe schLossmaN web editor KyLa baraNtsevitch art maNager mattiLyN stoNe
Fear cannot promote complacency ANDREW MITCHELL Sports Design Editor
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n 2018, I went to a March for Our Lives protest to end gun violence in our nation. School shootings seemed like they were happening every single day. I was afraid. In 2019, I went to the Climate Strike to demand legislative change in a world where the future of our planet looked terrifyingly hopeless. I was afraid. Now, I am not marching, but staying home. People are sick and dying and normalcy is a blurry idea too distant to see. I am still afraid. However, now the doors and windows to my school are unlocked or open all day, hindering the security of the school. States are reversing bans on single-use plastics, and their usage is skyrocketing. In the face of our most current fear, the COVID-19 pandemic, we have forgotten everything else we have ever been afraid of. Everything we marched for is no longer a priority. Fear cannot be our reason to be passionate about important issues like climate change, gun violence and safety from the virus. Fear is
not a permanent feeling; the sooner it wears off the less attentive we become. There will always be issues that are pressing and stressful, but if we constantly backseat an issue when it’s not priority number one, nothing will happen. One one hand, I get it. COVID-19 is statistically more dangerous than school shootings. According to the American Psychological Center, Covid is the current greatest stressor across Americans of all different demographics. On the other hand, I don’t think we can live our lives with fear as our motivating force. I am also not sure that fear is the reason for the lack of action. I really want to believe that we are just tabling climate change and gun violence for a less “pressing” time. I really want to believe that the 4 million people who marched for climate justice and the 1.2 million people who marched against gun violence are anxiously waiting to keep pushing for change. I truly hope that COVID-19 put these fights on pause, and that they will resume with even more passion and vigor when the global conditions permit. However, I can’t help but think if they were truly enraged
accuracy & accouNtabiLity maNager LaNce Leys copy editor aNd advertisiNg maNager caroL Queiroz producer, tower broadcast News LogaN schiciaNo staFF photographers aNd iLLustrators isaac cass charLie cooper eLLa taNg eLLie yaNg
GEORGE CHANG/TOWER
A GROUP OF STUDENTS and adults march through lower Manhattan at the Climate Strike which took place Semptember 2019. Though these types of protests are rare to see in the COVID-19 world, Mitchell argues that we still need to keep up our former level of activism.
with the lack of change, “waiting” wouldn’t even be an option. The Black Lives Matter movement has proven that we as humans can multitask. Around 20 million Americans got back on the streets to demand equal rights and treatment in the last year. The protests have shown that this is an issue that needs to be fought for every day of every month until there is reformative change. This same attitude needs to be attributed to all the other issues that need change, but are
falling out of the spotlight. It is integral to the future of our nation and planet that we recognize the complacency that comes with prioritizing fear. School shootings are still happening and climate change becomes a greater threat everyday. We must be self-aware when we accept fear as a reality. The fact that these issues are becoming normalized should be motivation enough to keep marching, fighting, and demanding change.
INSIDE THE HERRICK ROOM Committee an organized and productive space for thoughtful discussion. In past years, much time was spent with discussion — albeit at times circularly — but this year, they are more focused on constructing and quickly revising proposals. Perhaps the new remote format has lent itself to increased communication and a willingness to make our current situation better. Given the circumstances, memRussell Wohl, ToWeR columnisT bers have already been able to pass the Blue Jeans Everyday proposal, Even though Executive Com- mote format offered this year has sponsored by Tyler Hack and Kira mittee is no longer “In The Her- made sessions more accessible to Ratan, which has since nullified Fririck Room” anymore due to the the Masters community. day Jeans Days. The proposal was COVID-19 pandemic, members — The new co-chairs, Sophia Vis- quite popular among the student both voting and non-voting — are carello and Caio Lanes, have done body. The cause for the bill was first still hard at work. In fact, the re- a great job so far keeping Executive brought up last year when MISH
Remote Executive Committee: A step up ?
photo editor george chaNg
days no longer coincided with Fridays due to the new schedule that the school adopted. The newest proposal brought to EC has been the Academic Transparency proposal, sponsored by Tyler Hack and me, with the goal to clarify the way we organize grades at Masters. I am not a voting member of Executive Committee, but I look forward to attending meetings throughout this year and experiencing the work of my fellow classmates. I’m always excited to hear about new ideas, and even more so about the process of it becoming actual school “law.” This year, if any, is the year for change, and Executive Committee will be at the core of it.
coLumNists & coNtributiNg writers
russeLL wohL haNNa schiciaNo FacuLty adviser eLLeN cowhey matt ives oNLiNe media
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schoLastic press aFFiLiatioNs, Letters aNd editoriaL poLicy Tower is the winner of the Pacemaker Award for Overall Excellence, an award-winning member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), Journalism Education Association (JEA) and Quill and Scroll. We encourage Letters to the Editor, which can be submitted to the following email address: TowerEditors@MastersNY.org. Published approximately five times a year, Tower, the student newspaper of The Masters School, is a public forum, with its Editorial Board making all decisions concerning content. Commentaries and opinion columns are the expressed opinion of the author and not of Tower and its Editorial Board or its advisers. Furthermore, the opinions conveyed are not those of The Masters School, faculty, or staff. Unsigned editorials express views of the majority of the Editorial Board.
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OP-ED
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
Pro/Con: Access to grades is [not] a necessity By Rowan Mcwhinnie Features Editor
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eeing grades 24/7may sound like a blessing; freedom from the constant worries which come when not knowing where one stands. But in reality, this could create more grade and stress related problems than it solves. In recent months, students at Masters have brought up the idea of being able to see grades at any time, by logging onto a website. Though this may be easier and much faster than waiting for your grades at the end of each quarter, it can become a burden for both students and teachers. Continual access to grades shifts the emphasis from understanding a subject, to the amount of points you got and the final percentages. It creates an environment where students put the numerical value of their work before its true educational value and the meaning behind what they are being taught. Teachers, already having multiple classes and dozens of students’ work to grade, would now be under the added pressure of logging their students’ grades daily on the website. Because of the 24-hour access to the website, students would be continually checking up on their grades and making sure that all their assignments have been submitted and were graded to their liking. However, should a student see that an assignment was still at zero percent, they would likely begin to stress, thinking that the teacher did
not like their work and gave them a bad grade. They might question if they even submitted it, and likely, would email the teacher. Soon after, teacher’s inboxes would be flooded with emails regarding uploading their students’ grades to the website, when they might have just been slightly behind on work. Finding out grades at the end of each semester is typically a time of high stress and angst for most students, and with over 20% of teens undiagnosed with mental illness’: anxiety, depression It can be an even more difficult time for specific students. Students having the option to constantly see whether they are doing poorly or not in a class and have that reminder that they are not succeeding can have a major negative effect on someone’s mental health. Not only is it just the student who is able to see their grades but their parents as well. Many teens are put under a ton of pressure from their parents to get the perfect grades and go to the “perfect” college. Having them able to see how their child is doing at any moment can heighten tension within a family. Furthermore, constant access encourages students to seek constant validation through grades, which is unhealthy. A high school student’s life should never completely revolve around school and the grades they are receiving. Their teenage years should consist of being with their friends, exploring new places and learning new things and remembering to enjoy their high school years.
National Scholastic Press Association recognizes Best
By Lexi wachen News Editor
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eceiving cumulative grades just four times a year isn’t enough; Masters students need more transparency. While we shouldn’t be setting unrealistic expectations for grades, we should have a comprehensive understanding as to how (and why) we’re performing well before the final grades are released. Too often, however, students have no idea what their grades will be until the day grades are released at the end of each marking period. Currently students receive inconsistent information regarding performance and progress which prevents them from being engaged in the overall process. Some teachers do hand out rubrics in the beginning of the year indicating how weighted each assignment is, however others may grade more subjectively. Students only learn their cumulative grades every semester, and receive an additional progress report each quarter. The Masters’ website states that, “At Masters, teachers present students with possibilities and ask them to do the hard work of coming to their own conclusions.” While this may be a winning strategy during the classroom discussions that are Masters’ hallmark, the school seems to take this all too literally when it comes to grades. By giving students too little visibility into how their performance impacts their cumulative grades, students may feel as if it’s up to them to draw their own conclusions prior to the marking period. This is especially a problem in classes where tests aren’t a key determinant of grades. For example, some English classes rarely provide grades on written assignment, which means that many students don’t have a conclusive understanding as to how the feedback they receive translates into a grade. In a survey of the student body about the grading system, of the 112 students who responded, 58 percent said the grades they received were “what they expected.” However, in a follow up question, 56 percent of respondents said they “weren’t satisfied with the in-
ELLA TANG/TOWER
MANY STUDENTS FEEL THAT the lack of transparency concerning their grades hurts their overall academic performance. Two students, Tyler Hack and Russell Wohl, argue that each student should be able to view their performance daily.
formation given by their teachers” prior to the release of grades. 89 percent of students surveyed said Masters should regularly give students access to grades; additionally, 86 percent expressed that this change would have a “greater impact on their overall performance.” Clearly, a majority of students who took this survey feel our current system could be improved. A good first step would be senior Russell Wohl and sophomore Tyler Hack’s proposed “Academic Transparency” bill in Executive Committee, which argues the importance of students having the ability to see assessment grades as well as a status for the classes calculating homework as part of the grade, including turned in and incomplete assignments, and feedback through the LMS gradebook. While not in the proposal, Hack also vocalized that fostering a system where a running grade is regularly accessible to students would improve academic transparency. He said, “With only four [cumulative] grades in the school year, it is often hard for students to even know how they’re doing.” Should full access to grades be instituted, Hack said, anxiety could decrease
among the student body. According to the bill, “The Counseling Center reports an average increase in visits towards the end of each quarter.” While it’s important to recognize the negative impact this new system could have on a student’s stress level, as seeing grades regularly may be intimidating, it would allow students to feel more aware, as they will be given the information to understand how to improve. The Counseling Center also suggested that allowing students access to a system where they could keep track of assignments would provide students with “responsibility over their progress,” emphasizing that the process is more important than any letter on a transcript. At a school made up of very driven, resilient students, having access to grades regularly throughout the year would do more help than harm; having the ability to spot one’s weaknesses is so crucial to the success of a person way beyond high school, and for the future of our students, it is important that we start developing that skill sooner than later.
rently allowed in the center, while volunteers teach online from home. Since many of the students are not able to purchase their own computer, they need to be in the center where access to computers is provided. Stern checks-in all of the masked attendees, prior to entry into the building, by taking their temperatures and getting their responses to the COVID-19 questionnaire. She then assigns each of the students to a computer. Another executive will put each volunteer in a breakout room with their respective student. Executives then move between the rooms to see if anyone needs assistance. “Whenever they [the students] need help or are confused with their tutor, I come over. I also give tests when the teachers are done with a unit,” she said. Stern mentioned that there are times when learners do not pass a test or specific task. “We’ll teach it a different way and then they get back up on their feet and they’ll pass it,” she said. Without both the students and volunteers in the classroom, Stern said that it has been harder for the
them to connect with one another. “In the beginning, the learners can be kind of quiet, so if you’re sitting right next to them, you can motivate them and get to know them better than if you’re on a screen. I think they’re opening up, but it’s definitely slower,” she said. Additionally, only half the number of students are allowed in the center, as compared to before the pandemic. “We now have to limit it to 10 to 15 learners because we can only fit a certain number in this space. Usually, it’s probably around 25 to 30,” she said. Although the separation has been challenging, remote learning has been just as impactful for Stern. “I feel like I’m contributing because I get to help the volunteers make the most out of this special experience and have them be in the teacher shoes. It is equally as rewarding to see them go through the process, while I’m now watching on the side,” she said.
MASTERS IN PHILANTHROPY
AYUDA ESTÁ EN “LA CASA”: HELP IS IN THE “HOUSE” hanna Schiciano, ToweR coLuMniST
M
asters Junior Olivia Stern has volunteered almost every Tuesday since her freshman year at Casa de Lenguas (“House of Languages”) in Mount Kisco, NY. After two years of volunteer experience at Casa, Stern has recently earned an executive position. Casa de Lenguas is sponsored by Neighbor’s Link, a non-profit organization that offers education and empowerment programs for new immigrant families, according to its website. Stern volunteers at Casa teaching English to those who speak Spanish as their first language. “Most of them don’t have a lot
of education and don’t know a toof English, but their jobs require them to speak English. Some are in their 20s or 30s, but a lot of them are in their 50s and 60s. They come to Casa every Tuesday to sit down with a volunteer, usually my age, and they learn English,” she said. Stern first got involved with Casa through a club at her previous school. “I’ve always loved Spanish, so the fact that I could help people, while having fun was a great opportunity,” she said. Each September, the volunteers are assigned to a student whom they teach for the duration of the year. Last year, Stern shared a particular-
ly memorable experience with her student. “Nina was 20 years old and at the highest student level. I helped her with comprehension and conversation. It was really nice to connect with her because we became good friends. I was able to hear about her life and experience in her home country of Guatemala, before coming here [to America],” she said. At first, Stern was hesitant about her teaching abilities, but soon realized that it was easier than she originally expected. “When I first started, I wondered: how much can I really help this learner with English? But you really are capable of doing more than you think. I thought I was gonna be a horrible teacher, but it just comes naturally.” She continued, “Seeing them learn each week, passing their test and just getting better and better is super rewarding. And, to build a relationship with them,” she said. This year, however, Stern does not teach, and instead holds an executive position at Casa, responsible for overseeing the sessions. As a result of COVID-19, only students and executives are cur-
NOTE: If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved with Casa de Lenguas, email: olivia.stern@mastersny.org.
FEATURES & ARTS
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
FEATURES AND ARTS
5
Winter musical: the show must go on(line)! TIM MATHAS Opinion Lead Editor
T
his year’s winter musical, Now. Here. This. will not take place in front of a live audience, and the actors will not be performing alongside one another on the same stage. Director of the musical Meg O’Connor explained that this decision was made in part due to the social distancing and mask-wearing regulations that they are required to follow. “There was no way we could have an audience in the room and we couldn’t even safely have performers because of the heightened amount of droplets when you sing…there was no safe universe in which we could do an in-person musical this year, so while we can rehearse parts of it [in person] ultimately what we will do is film it and it will be streamed.” The decision to put on Now. Here. This. strays away from the pattern of DOPA choosing more well-known Broadway musicals such as Rent, Footloose, Spring Awakening, Fiddler on the Roof, and Side Show, which have all been performed over the last five years.
O’Connor explained, “We are doing a non-standard show. The show is halfway between a traditional musical and a revue because we did not want to set ourselves up for the lame online version of a traditional show.” Although this year’s musical is going to be structured differently than ever before, O’Connor is confident in her actor’s abilities to adapt to the situation, even those who have not previously performed in a Masters Musical. O’Connor exclaimed, “The class of 2024 is amazing. There is so much talent and we have a good core of freshmen who were in the fall play experience, so they already have a sense of how we work. She continued, “They have hit the ground running in a way that is exciting to see.” One of these freshmen, Sage Weinstock, detailed how some elements of remote rehearsal have been beneficial to her and the rest of the cast. “I do feel like we are learning songs a lot faster. You can listen to the recordings over and over again… and you get to be in your space and you can say ‘oh okay I made a mistake, but I can practice it over again. Nobody heard that’.” Senior and Phoenix (the honorary drama society at Masters) co-presi-
dent, Teddy Masters, mentioned a key element of live theater that is lost as a result of not performing the musical in person. “Since it is all pre-recorded there is less pressure all at one time, but on the flip side it is difficult to not have everyone be together. I miss those little moments backstage where you really build friendships. I think we are trying to work hard to get to know each other and be in this together. It is different but not necessarily worse.” That said, Masters was quite appreciative to be able to even put on a musical in his final year at Masters. “I know a lot of schools have completely put all of their theater programs on hold, so I feel lucky that we can do a musical.” Despite the strange circumstances in which the members of the winter musical find themselves, O’Connor believes that this year’s performance (which will be available to stream starting Friday, Feb. 26) will still be enjoyed and appreciated by its audience. “In a lot of ways, it’s what everyone is grappling with right now. These universal themes of trying to focus on what we do have and making the most of that moment. And it’s funny!”
SOPHIA VAN BEEK/TOWER
WINTER MUSICAL CAST MEMBER Amelia Von Jan ‘23 rehearses safely outdoors for the upcoming virtual show, Now. Here. This. premiering Feb. 26. The show was originally published in 2012 with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen.
6
NEWS
NEWS
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
7
Twists and turns on the road to a Covid Vaccine Written and designed by Kate Sibery, Editor-in-Chief
Vaccine created swiftly, but with safety in mind
The forgotten history of vaccination
C
hildhood used to be far more deadly than vaccination. it is today. A little over a century ago, Richard Bruns, a Senior Scholar at the Johns the infant mortality rate in the Unit- Hopkins Center for Health Security and an Assised States stood at a staggering 20 per- tant Scientist in the Department of Environmencent, and the mortality rate for children aged five tal Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins and under was also at 20 Bloomberg School of percent, as compared to Public Health spoke the current U.S. infant to Tower and empha“[Vaccines] have such a long history of working, mortality which stands at sized the importance they’ve saved millions of lives all over the world 0.57 percent. Among the in recognizing the inand it’s kind of a weird, rare privilege that we have allowed leading causes of death dispensable nature of ourselves to forget just how deadly childhood was in the in children at the time vaccines. past and how much vaccines have saved us from that.” were measles, diphthe“[Vaccines] have ria, smallpox and polio. such a long history of - Dr. Richard Bruns, Johns Hopkins University However, these diseases working, they’ve saved now feel as if they belong millions of lives all exclusively to the past, over the world and it’s with little to no incidence in the U.S., they have kind of a weird, rare privilege that we have allowed been almost entirely eradicated due to widespread ourselves to forget just how deadly childhood was
“
in the past and how much vaccines have saved us from that.” The documented history of vaccination begins with Edward Jenner, an English physician, who in 1796 developed the first vaccine for smallpox. Jenner’s accomplishment was revered by European leaders, and vaccination quickly grew to become an integral part of national pride, public health services and productivity in Europe and North America in the nineteenth century. In more recent history, vaccination technology has been rapidly evolving since the mid20th century, when researchers began to focus intensely on developing vaccines for childhood diseases. And now, in December 2020, vaccination weighs heavily on everyone’s minds.
U
.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield accepted the committee’s recommendation to begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to
“
[The FDA] are being excessively slow and careful so no one should have any doubts about the safety of the vaccine.”
Vaccine approvals have varied from country to country, posing a serious challenge for international students hoping to return to school in the spring. Adams emphasized the uncertainty and possible danger in requiring a vaccine in people who have already received another drug. “I’ve had some very interesting inquiries from our international families. Students from China have already been vaccinated in their country and if New York State says this is what we need to have and it is not the same vaccine, is it safe to give them two? We don’t know.” In front of the students in line to receive the vaccine is the faculty, the second most populous sector of the Masters community. While children certainly can contract and transmit COVID-19, teachers are generally considered at higher risk for health complications if they contract Covid because they are older. If all adults in the community were to be vaccinated, Bruns said that would significantly weaken any case requiring that the students be vaccinated. Adams echoed that sentiment. “It depends on the age of the teachers and what risk category they fall into, and I don’t know what the median age of our faculty is, but that certainly would be wonderful,” she said.
before any mass inoculation could take place. Bruns emphasized, “[The FDA] are being excessively slow and careful so no one should have any doubts about the safety of the vaccine.” He explained the rapid speed of vaccine development not as an indication that the drug was developed hastily, but rather that the bureaucracy moved much more quickly in response to the gravity of the situation. “There’s the actual work that you do, and then there’s waiting for paperwork and approval. The actual work has taken exactly as much time with exactly as much care as it always does. You have clinical trials that take months, you have due diligence in your data analysis, it’s been done more quickly because the bureaucracy has just moved faster, as it should. I personally think it took too long.”
Ensuring equitable distribution in the U.S.
OWER
A
ELLIE Y ANG/T
S
would begin testing its vaccine in children ages 12 through 17. The results of these studies have yet to become widely available and most trials in children are still underway. The exact inoculation timeline is unclear. The efforts required to successfully produce and distribute millions of vaccines across the U.S. will undoubtedly be staggering due to the extremely cold temperatures at which the dosages must be stored and the mass scale of vaccination, but there is no concrete estimate of how long it will take. Bruns said, “We’re hopeful that between all the vaccines getting approved there will be enough for the next school year, but it’s not guaranteed if there’s any kind of production or distribution issues, or if everybody in the older group decides they do want it, then by July or August, there may not be enough to vaccinate children.” New York State has yet to release any vaccination mandates for schools, and so no determinations regarding Masters Covid vaccination policies have been made. The school would be allowed to require vaccination for all those on campus as a part of its own health and safety measures, but is unlikely to do so in the near future according to Director of Health Services, Sue Adams. “We would definitely meet with the Health Advisory team if we were going to do something not mandated by New York State and make a decision about doing it for Masters, so I don’t foresee anything like that happening right now just because we don’t have access,” she said.
- Dr. Richard Bruns, Johns Hopkins University
people ages 16 and older. This long-awaited approval followed the meeting of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee on Friday, Dec. 11 to determine whether or not to issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. According to the FDA, EUAs allow “unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by CBRN threat agents when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.” Concerns in regards to the safety of the vaccine have arisen, particularly after two healthcare workers who received the Pfizer vaccine in the U.K. suffered allergic reactions. British healthcare
Vaccine OK’ed for 16-year-olds; but teachers will receive doses first chool-age populations are among one of the last groups in line to receive any approved COVID-19 vaccine, and so questions of vaccination mandates in schools remain unanswered. Currently, there is no national mandate requiring vaccination for children to attend school, those decisions instead fall to the state-level governments. Several of the COVID-19 vaccines have been put through Phase 3 clinical trials, but the vaccine has yet to be fully tested on children. Pfizer, a biopharmaceutical company, in collaboration with BioNTech, engineered the vaccine that is currently being administered in the United Kingdom. Teenagers as young as 16 were introduced into the clinical studies for the Pfizer vaccine in September, and adolescents as young as 12 in October. Moderna, another drugmaker that has developed its own vaccine, announced on Dec. 2 that it
regulators have since advised that people with a history of significant allergic reactions should not take the vaccine. It’s important to acknowledge though that no vaccine or drug is ever completely free of potential side effects, but the vaccines have been thoroughly tested
mericans with Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, as well as the uninsured will be able to take the vaccine at no cost. However, the physical barriers to equitable healthcare in historically disadvantaged communities remain. In the case of the Covid, vaccination is made more logistically difficult by the fact that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two dosages to be administered 21-28 days apart, respectively. Bruns said, “Mainly the obstacles are going to be in disadvantaged communities. For most middle and upper class school-age populations it’s a slight hassle that you have to get to, but for most disadvantaged populations that’s a lot harder to arrange.” COVID-19 itself has disproportionately affected minorities in the U.S. A 2011 study the Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Uptake and Location of Vaccination for 2009-H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza by the National Institute of Health (NIH) observed that, “Epidemiological data collected over the past century suggest that racial and ethnic minorities are at greater risk of contracting seasonal and pandemic influenza— and of experiencing more negative consequences as a result—compared with Whites.” Despite this increased risk for contraction of viruses, the study also found that minorities in the U.S. have historically “been vaccinated for influenza at rates as much as 15 to 18 percentage points lower than the rates for Whites.”
Bruns asserts that careful and intentional public messaging within typically disadvantaged communities will be essential to reducing major inequities in vaccine distribution. “It’s important to understand that a lot of different populations, and various communities, who feel like the government hasn’t looked after them in the past, don’t trust public health messaging. And a lot of populations do have legitimate reasons for not trusting the government or thinking that the orders are just to benefit somebody else and not them,” he said. “It has to be a message that it’s not a bureaucrat telling you to do something, it’s something that you’re doing for your friends and your community.”
“
Certainly if there was a push to offer this at schools to get more people vaccinated, I know I would be supportive of that and that would have to be a discussion with our Health Advisory team.”
- Sue Adams, Director of Health Services In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that swept across the country following the police killing of George Floyd in May, these issues of inequity have been given comparatively more attention within the medical community than years past. Although the majority of Masters’ population will face little difficulty in being vaccinated when the time comes, Adams said that for those who vaccination is made more difficult by personal circumstances the school would make every effort to assist them. “Certainly if there was a push to offer this at schools to get more people vaccinated, I know I would be supportive of that and that would have to be a discussion with our Health Advisory team.”
6
NEWS
NEWS
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
7
Twists and turns on the road to a Covid Vaccine Written and designed by Kate Sibery, Editor-in-Chief
Vaccine created swiftly, but with safety in mind
The forgotten history of vaccination
C
hildhood used to be far more deadly than vaccination. it is today. A little over a century ago, Richard Bruns, a Senior Scholar at the Johns the infant mortality rate in the Unit- Hopkins Center for Health Security and an Assised States stood at a staggering 20 per- tant Scientist in the Department of Environmencent, and the mortality rate for children aged five tal Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins and under was also at 20 Bloomberg School of percent, as compared to Public Health spoke the current U.S. infant to Tower and empha“[Vaccines] have such a long history of working, mortality which stands at sized the importance they’ve saved millions of lives all over the world 0.57 percent. Among the in recognizing the inand it’s kind of a weird, rare privilege that we have allowed leading causes of death dispensable nature of ourselves to forget just how deadly childhood was in the in children at the time vaccines. past and how much vaccines have saved us from that.” were measles, diphthe“[Vaccines] have ria, smallpox and polio. such a long history of - Dr. Richard Bruns, Johns Hopkins University However, these diseases working, they’ve saved now feel as if they belong millions of lives all exclusively to the past, over the world and it’s with little to no incidence in the U.S., they have kind of a weird, rare privilege that we have allowed been almost entirely eradicated due to widespread ourselves to forget just how deadly childhood was
“
in the past and how much vaccines have saved us from that.” The documented history of vaccination begins with Edward Jenner, an English physician, who in 1796 developed the first vaccine for smallpox. Jenner’s accomplishment was revered by European leaders, and vaccination quickly grew to become an integral part of national pride, public health services and productivity in Europe and North America in the nineteenth century. In more recent history, vaccination technology has been rapidly evolving since the mid20th century, when researchers began to focus intensely on developing vaccines for childhood diseases. And now, in December 2020, vaccination weighs heavily on everyone’s minds.
U
.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield accepted the committee’s recommendation to begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to
“
[The FDA] are being excessively slow and careful so no one should have any doubts about the safety of the vaccine.”
Vaccine approvals have varied from country to country, posing a serious challenge for international students hoping to return to school in the spring. Adams emphasized the uncertainty and possible danger in requiring a vaccine in people who have already received another drug. “I’ve had some very interesting inquiries from our international families. Students from China have already been vaccinated in their country and if New York State says this is what we need to have and it is not the same vaccine, is it safe to give them two? We don’t know.” In front of the students in line to receive the vaccine is the faculty, the second most populous sector of the Masters community. While children certainly can contract and transmit COVID-19, teachers are generally considered at higher risk for health complications if they contract Covid because they are older. If all adults in the community were to be vaccinated, Bruns said that would significantly weaken any case requiring that the students be vaccinated. Adams echoed that sentiment. “It depends on the age of the teachers and what risk category they fall into, and I don’t know what the median age of our faculty is, but that certainly would be wonderful,” she said.
before any mass inoculation could take place. Bruns emphasized, “[The FDA] are being excessively slow and careful so no one should have any doubts about the safety of the vaccine.” He explained the rapid speed of vaccine development not as an indication that the drug was developed hastily, but rather that the bureaucracy moved much more quickly in response to the gravity of the situation. “There’s the actual work that you do, and then there’s waiting for paperwork and approval. The actual work has taken exactly as much time with exactly as much care as it always does. You have clinical trials that take months, you have due diligence in your data analysis, it’s been done more quickly because the bureaucracy has just moved faster, as it should. I personally think it took too long.”
Ensuring equitable distribution in the U.S.
OWER
A
ELLIE Y ANG/T
S
would begin testing its vaccine in children ages 12 through 17. The results of these studies have yet to become widely available and most trials in children are still underway. The exact inoculation timeline is unclear. The efforts required to successfully produce and distribute millions of vaccines across the U.S. will undoubtedly be staggering due to the extremely cold temperatures at which the dosages must be stored and the mass scale of vaccination, but there is no concrete estimate of how long it will take. Bruns said, “We’re hopeful that between all the vaccines getting approved there will be enough for the next school year, but it’s not guaranteed if there’s any kind of production or distribution issues, or if everybody in the older group decides they do want it, then by July or August, there may not be enough to vaccinate children.” New York State has yet to release any vaccination mandates for schools, and so no determinations regarding Masters Covid vaccination policies have been made. The school would be allowed to require vaccination for all those on campus as a part of its own health and safety measures, but is unlikely to do so in the near future according to Director of Health Services, Sue Adams. “We would definitely meet with the Health Advisory team if we were going to do something not mandated by New York State and make a decision about doing it for Masters, so I don’t foresee anything like that happening right now just because we don’t have access,” she said.
- Dr. Richard Bruns, Johns Hopkins University
people ages 16 and older. This long-awaited approval followed the meeting of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee on Friday, Dec. 11 to determine whether or not to issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. According to the FDA, EUAs allow “unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by CBRN threat agents when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.” Concerns in regards to the safety of the vaccine have arisen, particularly after two healthcare workers who received the Pfizer vaccine in the U.K. suffered allergic reactions. British healthcare
Vaccine OK’ed for 16-year-olds; but teachers will receive doses first chool-age populations are among one of the last groups in line to receive any approved COVID-19 vaccine, and so questions of vaccination mandates in schools remain unanswered. Currently, there is no national mandate requiring vaccination for children to attend school, those decisions instead fall to the state-level governments. Several of the COVID-19 vaccines have been put through Phase 3 clinical trials, but the vaccine has yet to be fully tested on children. Pfizer, a biopharmaceutical company, in collaboration with BioNTech, engineered the vaccine that is currently being administered in the United Kingdom. Teenagers as young as 16 were introduced into the clinical studies for the Pfizer vaccine in September, and adolescents as young as 12 in October. Moderna, another drugmaker that has developed its own vaccine, announced on Dec. 2 that it
regulators have since advised that people with a history of significant allergic reactions should not take the vaccine. It’s important to acknowledge though that no vaccine or drug is ever completely free of potential side effects, but the vaccines have been thoroughly tested
mericans with Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, as well as the uninsured will be able to take the vaccine at no cost. However, the physical barriers to equitable healthcare in historically disadvantaged communities remain. In the case of the Covid, vaccination is made more logistically difficult by the fact that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two dosages to be administered 21-28 days apart, respectively. Bruns said, “Mainly the obstacles are going to be in disadvantaged communities. For most middle and upper class school-age populations it’s a slight hassle that you have to get to, but for most disadvantaged populations that’s a lot harder to arrange.” COVID-19 itself has disproportionately affected minorities in the U.S. A 2011 study the Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Uptake and Location of Vaccination for 2009-H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza by the National Institute of Health (NIH) observed that, “Epidemiological data collected over the past century suggest that racial and ethnic minorities are at greater risk of contracting seasonal and pandemic influenza— and of experiencing more negative consequences as a result—compared with Whites.” Despite this increased risk for contraction of viruses, the study also found that minorities in the U.S. have historically “been vaccinated for influenza at rates as much as 15 to 18 percentage points lower than the rates for Whites.”
Bruns asserts that careful and intentional public messaging within typically disadvantaged communities will be essential to reducing major inequities in vaccine distribution. “It’s important to understand that a lot of different populations, and various communities, who feel like the government hasn’t looked after them in the past, don’t trust public health messaging. And a lot of populations do have legitimate reasons for not trusting the government or thinking that the orders are just to benefit somebody else and not them,” he said. “It has to be a message that it’s not a bureaucrat telling you to do something, it’s something that you’re doing for your friends and your community.”
“
Certainly if there was a push to offer this at schools to get more people vaccinated, I know I would be supportive of that and that would have to be a discussion with our Health Advisory team.”
- Sue Adams, Director of Health Services In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that swept across the country following the police killing of George Floyd in May, these issues of inequity have been given comparatively more attention within the medical community than years past. Although the majority of Masters’ population will face little difficulty in being vaccinated when the time comes, Adams said that for those who vaccination is made more difficult by personal circumstances the school would make every effort to assist them. “Certainly if there was a push to offer this at schools to get more people vaccinated, I know I would be supportive of that and that would have to be a discussion with our Health Advisory team.”
8
FEATURES AND ARTS
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
MUN explores virtual conference opportunities
where you’re walking around a city Masters prides itself on, is the and you’re doing all of these things sense of community and just the ETHAN SCHLAPP on your own and it’s very exciting,” fun a conference is, because of all Sports Lead Editor she said. “When you’re online, you the time you get to spend with your partner, and all your friends, and don’t really have that.” fter hours of preparation, Senior Zachary Battleman, MUN that’s completely gone,” Battleman junior and Model United Na- co-president, also laments the vid- said. “And that’s really a shame, estions (MUN) club secretary eo conference experience. pecially as a senior, who will probClara Kolker woke up on the morn“The single greatest appeal of ably never have another high school ing of Saturday, Nov. 17 ready for MUN, and one of the things that MUN conference in person.” her MUN conference. It had been months since her last conference in the spring, and she was excited to begin the Vanderbilt University Model United Nations (VUMUN) conference. But instead of hopping on a bus, she simply logged in from her bedroom. Like almost everything else this COVID-19 year, MUN has had to transition from hotels to their homes. At conferences, each member of the MUN team has the opportunity to represent a country or person, meet new people, explore new topics, and gain valuable communication skills. But as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the United States, in-person conferences are not a viable option. For Kolker, in-person conferences ELLIE YANG/TOWER are ideal. STUDENTS GATHER VIRTUALLY FOR a Model United Nations conference. This “People you meet, all of those exyear, high school conferences have been moved entirely online due to COVID-19, periences you have at a conference which has had its benefits and obstacles.
A
Brittany Farrar, the club’s advisor and middle school Latin teacher, said that remote conferences are hard from a coaching perspective. “[In person] you can watch [a delegate’s] body language, you can watch their note-passing, you can watch their influence,” Farrar said. “Even if your delegate is not able to speak, you can get a lot of information. On Zoom that is not possible.” Although virtual MUN poses obstacles, there are some positives of online conferences. “Since we’re online, we can do a lot more conferences than we could in the past,” Kolker said. Delegates are able to attend more conferences without the stress of transportation logistics. Battleman also says video conferences create more equality. “In an online environment, where everyone’s voice is equally heard and no one has the advantages that they might have being in an in-person environment, it really levels the playing field,” he said. Farrar says attending Model United Nations conferences is also much easier because so many extracurricular activities are on hold. “It’s just ‘Do you want to go to MUN on the weekend on your com-
puter?’ and the answer is yes or no. So it’s like a beautiful simplicity this year,” she said. “There’s not as much of a financial burden on delegates, in fact there’s none this year, which has been really, really great. The school’s been able to cover all participation,” Farrar continued. She says this will allow inexperienced delegates to have a low-risk opportunity to try MUN. Being remote this year has also allowed unique opportunities for the club. Tom Countryman, a former U.S. State Department worker under the Obama and Trump administrations, and Stefan Schwartz, a worker for the United Nations on peacekeeper policy, both spoke at virtual club meetings. The team has continued to excel. At the VUMUN conference, the group netted four individual awards and won the coveted award for “Best Small Delegation.” Farrar said she is excited for what the club’s future holds. She hopes that the team will participate in an in-person conference held at Brewster High School in March, and is interested in creating a junior MUN program in the Middle School along with a mentorship program for younger delegates.
Pooled testing promotes sense of security in pandemic CAROL QUEIROZ Advertising Manager and Copy Editor
O
nce a week, in-person junior Ellanna Swope darts to her kitchen cabinet early in the morning to get her unused COVID-19 at-home testing kit. Swope collects her samples and puts them back into the kit’s test tube as she runs out the door to begin the drive from New Jersey to campus. Arriving on campus, her kit, along with the kits of every in-person student and faculty member, is scanned by QR code and sorted into its respective pool. She can now start her day while her sample is sent off to be tested. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pooled testing lets laboratories test more people with less materials by combining the samples from several people at a time. Pooled testing has also been known as a cheaper and faster alternative to individually testing everyone in a large group of people. Here at Masters, many credit pooled testing as an important reason campus is able to open. Swope said, “Knowing that I’m not around people who have tested positive is a lot better than not knowing and living in fear. But I still come to school with two masks on everyday.” Swope mentioned how she thinks pooled testing should be implemented in more schools as part of COVID-19 safety initiatives and why it’s important for the Masters community. She said, “Pooled testing won’t solve the problem, but it does help limit the spread within a community, because if someone tests positive, they are immediately sent home.” Member of the Masters Health Advisory Team and Masters parent of two Dr. Rini Ratan (Masters parent ‘22, ‘24) said, “Pooled testing has contributed significantly in keeping Masters open. It allows us to know at any given time that the rate of positivity amongst our small cohort isn’t increasing at the same rate that we’re seeing in New York City, or elsewhere in the country.” The Health Advisory Team is made up of not only medical professionals such as Ratan, but also people working with legal counsel and members from the school, like Director of Health Services Sue Adams. This committee has played a crucial role in bringing
pooled testing to Masters. “Pooled testing has allowed Ms. Danforth, the facility, the students and the parents to continue to have daily operations be in person with the knowledge that we are not taking unnecessary risks.” Ratan said. But with pooled testing successes, there are also limitations. According to the CDC, with a larger number of people in a pool, the likelihood of pooled testing results coming back with false-negatives increases. Additionally, making each individual personally responsible for providing weekly samples increases the likelihood that the tests are performed incorrectly. According to the CDC, “Specimen integrity can be affected by the quality of swab specimen collection, which could result in some swabs having limited amounts of viral genetic material for detection.” For some, this raises concern and doubt over the reliability of the pooled tests. Sophomore Ella Dundas, a remote student, is skeptical of the pooled testing accuracy, fearing students won’t be collecting an adequate amount of samples each week. “If I were in person, I would feel safer because a little is better than nothing. There is always a chance of [the lab] getting false results, but I think the bigger issue is students not taking the test correctly.” Mary Anne Schmitt-Carey, president of C-19 Safety First, an organization dedicated to connecting schools and businesses to pooled testing for safety, started to get into the pooled testing business with aspirations of helping her daughter, a high school junior, and other students to have a safer school year as the pandemic continues. Schmitt-Carey said, “This is a perfect moment in time for public policy to promote and insist that testing moves in this [the pooled testing] direction, because a lower cost and more reliable test that you can take weekly is going to be much more powerful than randomly collecting samples.” While pooled testing is not fully reliable, as COVID-19 cases rise more schools and businesses are implementing a pooled testing system as a weekly routine. Schools around Masters such as Rye Country Day, The Hackley School, Sacred Heart are among those that utilize pooled testing for in-person members.
LOGAN SCHICIANO/TOWER
STUDENT SWABS ARE PACKAGED to be delivered to the pooled testing lab. Samples are collected from both the Upper School and Middle School students, faculty and staff every Tuesday. After the lab sends results to the school, the Health Center will inform anyone who either tests positive themselves or may be considered a close enough contact person (via contact tracing) that they would need to quarantine.
We take your safety seriously
We are farm-to-taco!™ Order online! www.mexchester.com or 914-478-2300 Or dine in! Open for dinner 4-8:30pm Mon-Sun and Lunches Fri-Sun 12-4pm. 13 Cedar Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY Tomatillo is part of ERL’s conscientiously delicious restaurants.
TOWER/DECEMEBER 18, 2020
9
OP-ED
Biden pardoning Trump: the first step in healing Shortly after delivering that speech, he pardoned Nixon, who had been charged with obstruction of justice, abuse of power, contempt of Congress following the Watergate scandal of 1972. With that, he kept the promise of his speech. The country could move on from their nightmare, symbolically unstained by the past. 46 years later, we find ourselves
M. BRODY LEO News Lead Editor
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hen Gerald Ford, the successor to Richard Nixon, took office as the President of the United States, he delivered a memorable line in one of his first speeches. He said, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”
Be the boss. Set the tone. Skip the pardon. TIM MATHAS Opionion Lead Editor
P
resident Donald Trump has begun to explore whether or not it is possible to preemptively pardon himself and his family for crimes with which they have not yet been charged. Whether self-pardoning is even legal is uncertain, but there is no doubt that a President Biden will have the exclusive power of the presidential pardon, which he can exercise if he thinks that such a move would be beneficial for the United States. But pardon-
i n g Donald Trump would be a serious mistake.Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon to help the country to move on from Watergate. As upset as many were with him at the
in another American nightmare. Yes, the Trump Administration has done an incredible amount of damage within our governing bodies, but most of all, he’s ripped the fabric that binds us all as Americans. During these past four years, the red, white, and blue has become red versus blue. So, in the next four years of a Joe Biden presidency, the imperative is not only reversing Trump era policy: it is reversing Trump era division. That starts with Biden immediately using his presidential pardon on Donald Trump. Trump created a political climate centered around the relentless attack of his political opponents,
whether it was dubbing 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton “Crooked” Hillary, his repeated mentioning of Hunter Biden’s involvement within Ukrainian business dealings, or telling Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib to “go back home.” The Presidency sets an example for the country as a whole, and the example set was one of extreme division. But now is not the time to give up on us. A new presidency means a new chance at a revival of our country, but that means that we have to leave these years of division behind us, which starts with a pardon of Trump. I honestly was a little surprised to hear Biden say that he would be ruling out that option earlier in the campaign. Democratic messaging has been focused on taking the moral high ground, whether it was Hillary Clinton’s slogan “they go low, we go high,” or Biden’s oft-repeated phrase,
time, his decision was probably the right thing to do. As embarrassing as it was for the country to have a President resign over crimes he committed, at least there was no image of the chief executive officer of the country in prison in the minds of Americans and the rest of the world. In 2020, however, it is of the utmost importance that Donald Trump be punished for his crimes. It would be the first time, perhaps in his entire life, that he would be forced to truly face the consequences for his actions and be held accountable. More importantly putting Trump on trial would show all the people in this country, especially those who are negatively affected by the judicial system, that some parts of it do in fact work. It would let the American people know that the principles of freedom, justice and equality under the law that this country was founded upon still exist.. When he uses the phrase “I do not see red states or blue states, but the United States” Biden makes it clear that one of his main goals is to combat political and social polarization. His more traditional, “old democrat”, and moderate stance, along with the fact that he has appointed a pretty moderate cabinet, shows that Biden really is going to attempt to work with people on both sides of the aisle. Pardoning Donald Trump would do nothing to bridge divides and heal this country. It would simply cause more division within his own party, and it really would not earn him any clout or credibility with Trump voters because they will never support what they see as a “socialist” president and vice president. It is true that if Trump is not pardoned, his legal battles will continue to make news headlines, and the American people will not be able to move forward like they did after Nixon was pardoned. But there are two key differences between what happened in 1974, and what is happening now. First, Nixon was not alive during the digital age, where anyone with an audience can project their thoughts to the world through the internet and social media. As long as Donald Trump is alive, he will always make sure there is a microphone in front of his face, and he will continue to dominate news headlines regardless of whether or not he is pardoned for his crimes. Secondly, although Richard Nixon was a criminal, he had class, respected the man who pardoned him, and most of all re-
“We’re better than that!” A pardon of Trump is the first step in following through on that message; it’s time to set a tone for a presidency without that same persecution from both sides of the aisle. Trump does not deserve it in the slightest. Beyond the crimes that he was accused of during impeachment, his negligence has since led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans during this pandemic. I’d love to see Trump punished for what he has done. That’s what makes it hard for m e to take this stance. But I’m not taking the side of Trump: I’m taking the side of the longevity and survival of our American democracy. With massive backlash from the public, Ford took the stage for a speech regarding the pardon of Trump, insisting that it was time to “shift our national focus,” and that the American people needed to “shift our attentions from the pursuit of a fallen President to the pursuit of the urgent needs of a rising nation.” After this presidency, the needs of our nation have never been more urgent. We have environmental regulations to re-strengthen. We have an weakened Affordable Care Act to build back up. We have 73 million Trump supporters to reunify with. Simply put, we don’t have time to waste in the next four years, and persecuting Trump is a counterproductive and wasteful way to use it.
Ella Tang/Tow
er
spected the office of the President of the United States. He acknowledged the role that he would have to play for the rest of his life if the United States was to become a better place. In his four years as President, Donald Trump has proven he has no respect for any person, and no respect for the office, meaning that he would not appreciate or honor any pardon given by Joe Biden. Trump can still be tried by the States for the crimes he has committed even if he is pardoned by Joe Biden for his federal crimes. However, Biden must not pardon Trump because there is no guarantee that he would ever be convicted by the state courts, and frankly, Biden needs to send a message to everyone that such anti-democratic, egotistical, and disrespectful behavior will never
again be tolerated in the office of President of the United States.
Rowan McWhinnie/Tower
10
FEATURES AND ARTS
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
Substance abuse in the covid era SOPHIA VAN BEEK Features Editor
J
ohn Doe* sleeps in the living room of the Queens apartment he shares with his father. His dark hair is messy and overgrown, perhaps a product of Covid restrictions, and he immediately apologizes for its unkemptness. He is wearing a Star Wars t-shirt and talks about the new music he’s discovered in the past few months. When the pandemic began, Doe was about to begin community college classes, but now, being immuno-compromised, is socially distancing. “I was, probably in the most stable place in terms of substance use, since I’d started using substances when I was younger,” he said. Pre-Covid, Doe was drinking only socially and stopped smoking entirely. However, since March, when New York went into its first lockdown, he has begun using multiple times a week, often by himself. Doe said, “All of my coping mechanisms require being with people. All the hobbies I have, I can’t really do by myself. So when I’m by myself. I find myself using more, drinking or smoking more, because I don’t have other coping mechanisms. I end up relying on less healthy ones.” He continued, “It’s definitely something that makes getting through the day easier.” Doe has noticed his mental health has worsened since the pandemic, as the isolation has proven to be a physical and emotional barrier for him. He said, “It’s hard for me to tell if my mental health is worse because of Covid, [or substances]. I get more depressed, and if you wake up and you’re hungover, then you automatically have a bad start to the day.”
Substances to Cope Doe is not alone. During the pandemic, a CDC survey found that 13.3 percent of adult respondants reported struggling with new or increased substance use. Dr. Marilyn Sibery, who specializes in substance abuse disorder, (Masters parent 21, 24, 25) has noticed a significant increase in drug and alcohol abuse among the patients at her Westchester private practice. “I’m seeing people who have alcohol use disorders who maybe were managing before Covid, and now they’re just drinking a lot more. Substances are used as a way to cope. It’s not an effective overall coping mechanism, but definitely in the beginning, it might feel like it is. And it might help ease that anxiety or depression or loneliness, but it usually starts to take on a life of its own,” she said. “People are filling the space that’s been left by Covid with more substances, both in quantity and in kinds.” Dr. Lorenzo Leggio of the National Institute of Health noted that this increased drug use was becoming a pattern in an NPR interview. “We know from previous traumatic events, [Hurricane] Katrina and 9/11, people who survived some of them developed alcohol use disorder relating to the increase in stress,” he said. Stefanie Carbone, student assistance director at The Masters School, also uses the word “trauma” to describe the collective experience of the coronavirus pandemic. “Certainly over the first several months when Covid came out there was a lot of talk about isolation and the unknown, but there’s [also] a lot of talk about trauma,” she said. “As human beings, we don’t do very well with change. We’re wired to plan, we’re wired for some kind of predictability. And all of a sudden, very quickly, a lot of predictability and routine was taken away.” Carbone emphasized that all kinds of trauma and stress -- from major changes, like losing a job or a loved one, to changes in our day-to-day schedules -- could lead to an increase in sub-
stance use. “The sudden isolation and the sudden unknowns can be very scary for people,” she said. “People traditionally use substances as a way to escape or to cope… under stress we tend to regress.” Considering that marijuana is now fully legal in fifteen states and D.C, Sibery noted that substances have probably gotten easier to access. She added that in the Covid economy, people might resort to selling drugs to make money, especially considering the higher demand for substances in isolation. Doe also noticed it was easier for him to purchase marijuana since the pandemic began, saying “There’s a market for just wanting to chill at home,” referring to the stress-relief marijuana might provide.
Access to Care COVID-19 has not only amplified substance abuse, co-occurring with mental health disorders, but it is now harder to access care. The CDC’s question and answer page for those who use drugs during COVID-19 reflects the sincere distress users might feel about their addictions coupled with pandemic anxiety, as well as the lack of certainty and explicit advice available. “Am I at a higher risk for COVID-19 infection if I use drugs?” – “We do not know yet.” “What should I do if I have substance use disorder and no longer have access to my treatment program?” – “Discuss this concern with your current healthcare provider.” “I am using drugs and want to stop, but I am afraid to seek help because of COVID-19. What should I do?” – “Fear and anxiety about a disease can feel overwhelming for some people.” Users have not necessarily given up on seeking help. Rather, Covid has made it that much harder to pursue recovery and take it seriously. Carbone notes that treatment centers are so
PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY TOWER STAFF
inundated that there are waiting lists, both due to high demand and a lower patient capacity in order to adhere to distancing guidelines. Additionally, private therapists’ remote sessions may be limited to a certain number of patients. There are also financial barriers to seeking care: an estimated 10.1 million people will lose coverage by 2021 due to a job loss in the family related to coronavirus according to an Urban Institute report. Without insurance, out-of-pocket costs can make treatment for substance abuse financially out of reach. Sibery emphasized the mental barrier as well. She said, “You’re already feeling very vulnerable, you’re feeling ashamed. Reaching out for help is already baseline, a very difficult thing to do. Now imagine you can’t see someone in person. The first time you meet them is over Zoom, and you’re going to spill your guts about some of the most painful things, you can imagine: that’s a barrier. Covid is a barrier. Telemedicine is a barrier.”
Changing Conversations Carbone believes that since the pandemic began, people have been more willing to discuss mental and emotional wellness. She noted that this year, there have been more self-referrals, or peer-referrals, to the counseling center than in the past. “It means that kids are taking agency over their own well being or their friends are looking out for them,” she said. Carbone has noticed that conversations about mental wellbeing are more common and open than in the past. She said, “In the first several months [of Covid] there was so much loss. I think people were able to talk about death and grief a little bit more freely.” Since the pandemic began, families have had to adjust to working and taking classes from home. Sibery noticed in her practice that substance use might be easier to get away with, because parents and guardians are busy with Zoom meetings and have a greater mental load during the pandemic. Carbone disagrees, however. She thinks the increased supervision is another relative positive of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said, “It’s harder for kids to sneak alcohol or to go out and buy weed off the streets, if their parents are watching them a little bit more or they haven’t been allowed to go out.” Olivia Smith*, a student at Columbus State Community College in Ohio, is back home with her family and hasn’t used drugs in over eight months, and notes that her alcohol use has decreased significantly, because there isn’t peer
pressure to participate in drinking culture. “I intend to keep it this way, because I’ve seen benefits such as my memory, motivation, and energy levels [improving],” she said.
Risk Factors There is little research regarding the extent to which substance use impacts one’s immune system. Carbone notes that vaping, for example, may lead to underlying respiratory and lung problems. Those who struggle with chronic, long-term and excessive alcohol use are much more likely to develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), according to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Not all who struggle with substance use are with family or friends, however. Sibery noted that often, users take drugs and drink around friends, which is no longer an option. “People are just so much more isolated and on their own. So it’s possible that people are overdosing and just dying because there’s no one there… Let’s take alcohol for example– before you might have been drinking and in a group of people, and so there is some measure of safety in numbers. If a lot of people binge drink and someone [passes] out, at least there’s people there to sound the alarm,” she said. “Think about Covid as forced isolation. Anything can be dangerous if you don’t have another pair of eyes on you.” *Names changed for privacy reasons
Resources: SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Hotline: 1-800622-4357 Online Addiction Counseling: 12step-online.com Drugfree.com Article: “COVID-19: Online and Remote Resources for Addiction Support” The Masters School Counseling Center: (914) - 479-6568
TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
SPORTS
11
Swim team adapts to maskless restrictions ISAAC CASS
SABRINA WOLFSON Opinion Editor
As the winter athletic season neared, swimmers all over the country were forced to adapt to a restriction unlike any other sport: staying safe without the possibility of masks. Although approached differently, coaches found that there are in fact ways to keep athletes both safe and enthusiastic for the season ahead. At Masters, the swim team had previously trained with all of the swimmers in the pool at one time, separated into the six lanes based on skill level. However, as COVID-19 cases
continued to rise across the country, practice regiments changed so that swimmers could stay safe. Swimming in lanes occurs in a circular fashion, with one swimmer positioned on the right side of the lanes swimming in one direction, and the other side of the lane when swimming in the opposite direction. Coaches hope that by reducing the number of swimmers in each lane, students starting at opposite ends will only pass each other for less than a second, and should never have direct contact. As a result, the team has implemented training consisting of two one-hour sessions, with only 12 people in the pool at
ANDREW MITCHELL/TOWER
THE MASTERS SWIM TEAM trains in two sessions after school. Pictured Briana Diaz ‘22 and Morghan Lavery ‘22 swim in lanes by themselves in accordance with new COVID-19 safety guidelines. Regular competition will not happen in the 2020/2021 swim season.
Crossword Created by Andrew Mitchell
ACROSS
1. League for the Seattle Storm or Los Angeles Sparks 5. Usable energy formed from glucose in a cell 8. In a specific manner 14. Pay attention 15. Teacher in Tegucigalpa, fem. abbr. 16. Equal in stature 17. Like many a language exam 18. *Prepped, as an egg for egg salad 20. Like the “da-da-da-dum” in Beethoven’s fifth 22. Penultimate letter in the Greek alphabet 23. Ran away 24. It may get stuck to dogs paw 26. Partner of “express” 28. Degree for an actor or actress, maybe 31. Capital of Montana 33. One might fake one for sympathy 37. *Holiday favored by the Lorax, maybe 39. Word before “cord” or “tap” 41. Continues, as a case, after a previous conclusion, perhaps 42. With 52-down, a game for retirees or a hint to the starred clues (18-across, 37-across, and 61-across) 43. Paul who famously said “the British are coming!” 44. It may grow in a petri dish 45. Home of Adam and Eve 46. Spout of a barrel 48) Batteries for a Wii remote 49. Stand for an artist 51. Something one might surf 53. What a kid might call dibs or “fives” on 55. Reality network that aired “Cake Boss” and “Trading Spaces” 57. Insect that may cause a scream 61. *2008 Lady Gaga hit 64. Length times width, for a rectangle 65. Aguilar, singer of “La Llorona” 66. Bark of a chihuahua or other small dog 67. Hockey locale 68. To tease 69. Friend of WALL-E in Pixar’s “WALL-E” 70. Quantitative results
DOWN
1. Pronoun that is often used incorrectly 2. Emperor to famously played the fiddle as Rome burned 3. Word preceding “box” or following “heart” 4. Improvise, usually with nonsensical words and phrases 5. ___ Wednesday (the first day of Lent) 6. “The Parent ____” A movie classic featuring Lindsay Lohan as two identical twins 7. Herb that may add “a little color” atop a dish 8. Quick punch in a boxing match 9. Land of Uncle Sam abbr.
JADEN BASCON ‘23 DIVING in the the pool at a home competition against Sacred Heart in the 2019/2020 school year. Bascon broke two school records during this competition.
one time, two in session swimming Tuesdays and Thursdays each lane. and working out Wednesdays and Fridays, Junior Chris Shim while the other session does the opposite.” was surprised at how For those students not swimming on a givmuch sharing a lane with en day, the coaching staff has created dry land only one other person im- workouts that will give students the opporpacted practice, and the overall tunity to build their strength until they get culture of the team. back in the water. These workouts include “Swim has always been [about] exercises such as squats, burpees and planks. hanging out with people and being While high school swim teams are not curin a lane so it can get kind of crazy but now rently having meets of any kind, the coaches with one other person are doing their best to or just yourself, you’re keep athletes engaged alone,” he said. and excited to come to Although students practice. If you get the athletes to do not have the abiliHead Coach Susan ty to change in reguGreally said, “This is a elevate their effort and reframe lar bathrooms due to new situation for all of the possibility of being great with COVID-19 restricus so we are all trying tions, the gendered to figure it out togethless time, their focus and attenlocker rooms in the er. We are going to Fonseca Center have focus on skills, having tion to detail can heighten, they remained open, with fun with good music will be able to make improveonly four people inand keeping [swimside at one time so mers] motivated.” ments just as great as if they had that proper social disAlthough these adtancing can continue. aptations to the high regular practices. Once changed, athschool swim season letes walk to the pool are projected to work - Adam Hoyt, Tufts Head of Swim fully masked. Those well, college teams that are swimming will had to adapt to the continue to their lane, season quite differentonly unmasking when entering the water. For ly due to the high intensity that college-level full efficiency, small plastic bags are being athletics require. handed out to the swimmers so that they can For Division III swim teams, practices keep their masks dry on the pool deck while were shortened to only an hour daily, simithey’re swimming. lar to Masters, meaning that the structure of Sophomore Jaden Bascon has been on practice had to be altered radically. the swim team for two years and noted how Nick Nichols, the head coach of swim at the training both on land and in the pool has the University of Massachusetts at Amherst been very effective. said, “Because our athletes are not having Bascon said, “The two different sessions meets, this was really a time for them to focus are organized well because they flip-flop, one on technique rather than speed so they can come back stronger and well prepared for next season.” While Amherst is acclimating to a season without meets, coaches at Tufts University have kept their regular training regiment the same as last year, using this season as an opportunity to raise the intensity of every practice. Additionally, they have acclimated to the lack of swim meets by holding virtual meets to measure improvement. Tufts Head Coach of Swim Adam Hoyt said, “If you get the athletes to elevate their effort and reframe the possibility of being great with less time, their focus and attention to detail can heighten, they will be able to make improvements just as great as if they had regular practices.” Division I swimming remains mostly unchanged, as the majority of teams have continued with their usual practice hours and in-person meets. In fact, many have even begun practicing regularly with three swimmers in one lane, one starting five feet off of the wall, and the two others at opposite ends of the lane. Dan Colella, Head Coach of Duke swimming said, “The people training alongside you and rooting for your every success are like family, so follow the regulations because more than anything, you need to be working hard to keep those around you safe.”
10. A painting that may use a bowl of fruit as its subject 11. “Hansel and Gretel” or “Goldilocks” 12. A student may use a tray or backpack as a makeshift one 13. Like many a grandparent 19. Singer Céline of “My Heart Will Go On” 21. A tyrannical leader, or Hitler notably 25. Consequence of a day in the sun 27. Reliably profitable business investment 28. Exercise class in a ballet studio 29. Liberated 30. Go _____ and beyond 32. Classic 4-downs when one forgets the lyrics to a song, perhaps 34. What comes before red 35. Eldest daughter of Michelle and Barack Obama 36. Begs 38. Quality of a good, attentive friend 40. A golf club for the green, perhaps 42. Droop 44. The science guy 47. Org. that may be against a fur coat 50. “Take _____ on” 52. See 42-across 53. Levelheaded 54. Cusp 56. 204 in Athens 58. Solo for an opera singer 59. Penny 60. Māori ceremonial dance with stamping and shouting 61. Prohibit 62. Actress West of 1930’s fame 63. Org. concerned with clean air and water
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TOWER/DECEMBER 18, 2020
SPORTS
SportS
Fuller breaks barrier in Power 5 football game debut Kira ratan Features Lead Editor
A
s the second-half kickoff approached, it seemed as though the entire world of sports was watching. Players re-emerged from their locker rooms and started to fill the benches and sidelines, but one player on the field stood out in particular. A long ponytail stuck out from a helmet with a sticker that read, “Play Like a Girl.” It was Vanderbilt’s newest kicker, and her name was Sarah Fuller. Fuller, a senior at Vanderbilt, kicked off for the team at the start of the second half of their Nov. 28 game against Missouri, and made SEC (Southeastern Conference) history by becoming the first woman to ever play in a Power 5 Conference football game. Although Vanderbilt fell to Missouri 41-0, the Commodores continued to celebrate the historic achievement after their loss. On Nov. 30, Fuller was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. Fuller didn’t begin her college career as Vanderbilt’s starting kicker, she was originally recruited to the SEC school for women’s soccer. According to ESPN, assistant coach of the football team, Kelly Keelan, approached the goalkeepers of the women’s soccer team, Fuller and Sophie Guilmette, and asked if they would try some “long-range distribution” kicking. She didn’t have any expectations seeing as it would be both girls’ first time kicking a football, but Fuller impressed her immediately. Starting from the 10-yard line and moving back five yards at a time, Fuller was able to move to the 45-yard line and nail a kick. Fast-forward to mid-October; all of Vanderbilt’s starting kickers were out due to COVID-19. So, they called on Fuller, and only six days after she and the Vanderbilt women’s soccer team won the SEC tournament championship against Arkansas, Fuller took to the field as a college football player. Fuller knew what precedent she was setting when she stepped on the field. After the game, she told ESPN’s Alex Scarborough what it was like to start as a female kicker. “The fact that I can represent all the girls out there that have wanted to do this or thought about playing football or any sport really, and it encourages them to be able to step out and do something big like this, it’s awesome,” she said. Masters alumnus and Vanderbilt sophomore Sage Francis said he was excited to see a woman starting on his school’s football team, although he knew that it took a lot of work to get to this point. “I’m very happy to be part of a university that made such a groundbreaking decision, but it’s important that we
Vanderbilt Athletics
SENIOR SARAH FULLER DONS a “play like a girl” logo on her helmet for Vanderbilt’s Nov. 28 game against the Missouri Tigers. After all of the team’s kickers were out because of COVID-19, Fuller was given the chance to play in the divisional matchup. Although the Commodores lost 41-0, Fuller was able to set a new precedent in the sport of football––something that means much more than a win to many.
remember that there have been women was able to keep up with them, and stood some of the strongest people,” Timmer wanting to play football and get equita- my ground, and earned the starting spot said. ble treatment in sports long before this,” over two other boys. I felt like I could reTimmer isn’t the only one who’s reFrancis said. late to Sarah in that way,” Mann said. ceived criticism for breaking down steNews of Fuller’s accomplishment Mann isn’t the only student at Masters reotypes. Although Fuller received much made waves across the world, including who’s been breaking gender barriers. praise from the sports world, others did in Dobbs Ferry. Masters senior Fran- Sophomore Henry Timmer has been not seem as excited for her. After her deny Mann was particularly excited about dancing, specifically training in ballet, for but, memes and posts on social media beFuller’s start. As a three-season athlete, seven years, and said he has had his fair gan circulating criticizing Fuller’s skills she felt or her she could ability relate to to play having The fact that I can represent all the girls out there that have wanted to a histo jump toricalb e t w e e n do this or thought about playing football or any sport really, and it encourages ly male sports and sport being the them to be able to step out and do something big like this, it’s awesome. as a only girl wom- Sarah Fuller, Vanderbilt University kicker in what an. An can be a instamale-domgram inant realm. Mann played ice hockey as share of being the odd man out, literally. post on @nfllmemes_ig with a picture of a child and had to join an all-boys team “I’m actually usually the only boy in the NFL draft with Sarah Fuller’s name because there weren’t any girls’ teams. my [dance] classes. As a boy, I have had saying that her only strength was that she There, she had to overcome a lot to earn to deal with people telling me I was weak was an “excellent cook” garnered over respect. for choosing dance over a different sport, 180,000 likes. “I was the starting goalie, and it was and since it’s considered a feminine Mann said that she became upset afchallenging because the boys were all way sport, I would get called gay or other ter seeing that several jokes were made bigger than me. Although it was tough, I names a lot. But, in reality dancers are about Fuller on social media and thought
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that people should cut her some slack since she only had around two weeks to train with the team after being named the starter. “People didn’t seem to acknowledge that she’s out there playing two Division I sports; that takes an insane amount of skill and athleticism, whether you are male or female,” Mann said. The scrutiny has not stopped Fuller from being proud of her accomplishment, and she says she’s excited to continue her year as a member of the Vanderbilt football team. Fuller started as the place-kicker for Vanderbilt again in their game against Tennessee on Dec. 12, and after successfully kicking an extra-point, became the first woman to score a point in a Power 5 football game. Whether she will become Vanderbit’s kicker for the rest of the season remains to be seen. “I’m proud to be going to school alongside Sarah Fuller. She has put so much work into her career and I don’t expect her to slow down anytime soon. She is not only creating history but she is serving as a real inspiration to everyone,” Francis said.
Dinana trains in Egypt, preparing for first season at UVA GeorGe ChanG Photo Editor
Being the top-ranked squash player for his age and getting accepted to his dream school, Taha Dinana, a freshman squash player
at the University of Virginia (UVA), and a Masters alumnus, has been training in his hometown of Cairo, Egypt, preparing for his first college squash season. At the age of seven, Dinana picked up his first squash racket, and his father knew that there was something special about squash in him. At the age of 15, he proved
ISAAC CASS
MASTERS ALUM TAHA DINANA hits a forehand in the Fonseca Center squash courts. Dinana earned a win in all but two of his matches at Masters. His success earned him a spot on the University of Virginia mens’ squash.
himself to be a worthy recruit for Masters, after winning six of eight tournaments he played in eighth grade. At the age of 17, he moved rapidly up the national rankings and reached the coveted number one spot for under-17 (U17) boys. During his four year career at Masters, Dinana only lost two matches. His impressive record and victories in tournaments drew many Division I colleges to send offers his way, including George Washington University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Princeton University, as well as UVA, among others. Dinana said his approach when choosing his colleges was to balance academics and the squash program. “The top priority for me is academics, it comes in number one because even though squash plays a huge part in my life, the academics and the degrees are what will help me in the next chapter,” he said. Dinana didn’t take any of the offers from the Ivy League schools partly because of the constant academic pressure he foresaw in those environments; he preferred the University of Virginia’s curriculum which was similar to the Ivy League
universities but with less pressure. At UVA, he is majoring in Economics and Business Analytics. In addition to the school’s appealing academics, the University of Virginia already was home to two of Dinana’s hometown friends, Aly Hussein and Omar El Torkey, with whom he currently trains. Although the university’s dorms are open, Dinana has chosen to stay in Egypt for more intense training, in preparation for his first season in January. Every day, he trains for 10 hours then attends his classes virtually at night. “It sucks, I had no social life,” he joked. According to Dinana, training in the United States is very different from doing so in Egypt. Being one of the most popular sports in Egypt, the country has dominated in international competitions. Many of the top players at all levels hail from Egypt, including his two teammates at UVA. By staying in Egypt, Dinana is able to train and compete with some of the best players in the world before flying back to the United States in January. Many of UVA’s typical opponents, including Brown University,
Harvard University, Princeton University, and others have all dropped out of this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It should be a lot easier [this year in the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) tournaments,]” Dinana said. From being ranked nineteenth nationally two years ago to ranking seventh last year with the addition of Hussein and El Torkey, the team is looking to reach even greater heights this season. “I think we’re able to go into the top five this year,” Dinana said. To stay connected with the team while players are scattered around the globe, Dinana and his team have weekly Zoom meetings to check on each other’s well beings and fitness. While going pro is an option, he said that it is a make or break path to compete with the professionals. His next goal is to get into business school and see where chapter that chapter leads him. As for squash, Dinana said, “It all depends on the last two years of college because I’ll start playing pro tournaments, and if I do well, I may consider going pro.”