Tower Issue #7 2017-2018

Tower The Masters School

49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522

VOLUME 74, NUMBER 7

Editorial Our exhausted nation is faced with yet another mass shooting. Though some think the conversation has become weary, we cannot stop talking about these tragedies and what we are morally obligated to do about them. As students and as young people, gun control is not an issue we can afford to ignore.

FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018

www.tower.mastersny.org

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

COLOR RUN ATTENDEES THROW color powder at the start of the run. This year, grade-specific MISH projects focused on donating to a variety of different charities, such as the Sharing Community, the Campaign for Female Education as well as Habitat for Humanity, which the Color Run raised money for. The Color Run, the junior class project, brought in the largest sum of money, totaling nearly $6,000.

Mishmash of MISH events takes over Masters Drew Schott Features Editor Each year, Masters Interested in Sharing and Helping (MISH) has created events to raise funds and awareness for critical causes. As the senior MISH co-chairs organized community-wide initiatives, the MISH representatives of the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades created grade-specific projects, helping to involve almost every member of the Masters community in service.

For the 9th grade project, the freshmen looked to have their MISH initiative focus on the theme of social justice and equality. With class input, the grade voted to help bag lunches for the Sharing Community,

a community-based organization in Yonkers, NY that runs soup kitchens and provides other provisions such as HIV/AIDS testing. The freshmen ended up filling 200 bags to be sent to the organization, which has undergone budget cuts and decreased funds in the last decade.

“Our project was so important in helping everyone realize that the issues of poverty and homelessness exist so close to our campus. It allowed our grade to directly help the needy and also advocate awareness for the issues and support for the organization,” Freshmen MISH Representative Logan Schiano said.

Led by the sophomore MISH representatives Jacob Kriss, Brian Margolis, Gabriela Seguinot and Olivia Sharenow, the 10th grade hosted a carnival that included vendors,

games and a dunk tank, to raise money for the Campaign for Female Education, an organization in Sub-Saharan Africa that promotes women’s access to education and innovation skills.

“This year, our goal was to have an inclusive project in which all grade members could work for a good cause and have fun,” Seguinot said.

The carnival ended up a success, incorporating members from around the community and raising $700.

Seguinot hoped that this experience would motivate her classmates to become more involved in community service.

After their successful benefit concert for the Sharing Community last year, the junior MISH representatives Ian Accetta, Nana Yaa Asante, Jenna Bosshart and Michael D’An-

gelo chose to do a Color Run as this year’s project, with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity, an organization dedicated to building affordable housing. This is the second project that these representatives have organized this year. In response to Hurricane Maria severely damaging Puerto Rico, a charity basketball game was played between Masters’ Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams and a Puerto Rican AAU team. The game, in addition to raising $800, collected dozens of relief supplies for hurricane relief.

The color run drew criticism from various students regarding its price tag of $20 as too expensive. Accetta emphasized that the money would go to charity, but some of it would also help offset the steep costs of holding a Color Run, as it requires materi-

als such as cornstarch-based paint and cannons. Accetta and his fellow MISH representatives, to encourage more participation, announced a 25 percent discount to $15 if tickets were bought in a group of five. This discount, Accetta said, led to two groups joining the Color Run. The Color Run totalled sixty participants and the event made nearly $6,000, including both individual donations and registration costs.

Last week, seven candidates ran for the four spots of MISH senior cochairs. Like the student government Co-Chair election this year, candidates were not separated by gender due to an Executive Committee proposal. Accetta, Asante, Bosshart and D’Angelo were victorious in the election and will continue their MISH leadership next year.

Justifying the price of prom Sophia BrouSSet News Editor Tomorrow, May 26, Estherwood will be transformed into a scene of glitz and glam for Masters’ annual prom. In following with the theme voted on by the senior class, ‘Diamonds Are Forever,’ the mansion will be adorned with elegant decorations and lighting. Food will be provided by Brock and Sushi Mike’s and entertainment will be provided by fortune tellers, a casino and more. As exciting as prom season is, it also, quite literally, comes at a cost. On top of the expenses of dresses, suits, makeup, hair, transportation and other typical prom formalities, the price for admission to prom is $50.

Despite the backlash, the cost of tickets has remained stagnant since the first prom in 1998, “The price might have to go up in the next few years but for now we’ve been able to stay at $50.

I think that anyone who complains about prom tickets doesn’t understand how much it actually takes to organize a prom,” said Director of Student Ac-

tivities Ed Gormley, “If you look at any other school in this area, I’m certain we are the least expensive as far as prom tickets go.” Dobbs Ferry High School prom tickets cost $95, and Ardsley High School tickets cost $97.

“The reason we’re able to keep it that low is because we have it on campus. If we were to go to a DoubleTree ballroom, it’d triple the cost of prom,” Gormley said, “Every year students complain about having prom in Estherwood but the one year I considered not having it there, a pretty vocal majority of kids came out and said they actually did want it in Estherwood. I think when people get older and come back to school, they are going to be glad because Estherwood is a pretty special place.”

The budget of prom comes from donations from the senior and junior class which, in 2017, amassed a $400 primary budget. These donations, on top of the money made from the tickets, adds up to a cumulative $11,450. “Every penny of their prom ticket goes towards prom. The school doesn’t make money, the school subsidizes prom,” Gormley said. In 2017, $11,447.24 was spent on

prom total (including decorations, food, activites, DJ, etc.) making the school’s profit $2.76.

Senior and prom organizer Jelisaveta (Elli) Janicijevic is sympathetic to the concerns of those who may not be in the financial position to pay for the tickets but said that Gormley is there to help. “There are ways for students who are on financial aid or who really just don’t have the means to pay for it to get the tickets at a lower price by talking to Mr. Gormley. He is really thoughtful and helpful to those cases so I’d definitely encourage them to talk to him,” Janicijevic said. “All I can say, especially to the seniors, is this is our last prom so I’d do whatever you need to do so you can go.”

“I think this year is going to be a lot of fun because we have a lot of activities going on. You can dance, you can play at the casino, you can get your fortune read, so I think it’s going to be really entertaining,” Janicijevic said. “I hope seniors will get one last dance all together and I hope any underclassmen or juniors see it as a nice chance to get to know different people and see their classmates in a different setting.”

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT CORNIGANS

SENIORS FROM LAST YEAR’S prom gamble at a table staffed by science teacher John Boyer. Last year’s prom cost a total of $11,447.24. Most of this money—$11,450—came from ticket sales, but another $400 was donations from upperclassmen.

GAVIN KAYE RUNS IN the Color Run. The run was organized by the junior grade MISH representatives, Ian Accetta, Nana Yaa Asante, Jenna Bosshart and Michael D’Angelo, in an effort to fund the organization Habitat for Humanity. All of these representatives will serve as MISH co-chairs next year.

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NEWS

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

Students share “ideas worth spreading”

O

n Friday May 18, ten students presented original TEDx speeches. The speakers were Drew Schott, Grace Rosner, Lizzy Forman, Emanuel Adamiak, Sophie Cohen, Annie Rubinson, Rachel Aideyan, Elijah Emery, Evelyn Sabety and Henry Williams. The speakers, selected after a competitive application and audition process in January, entered a rigorous three month process of researching, writing, and memorizing their talks.

The TEDx talks are currently posted online, at: tedxthemastersschool.com.

View a complete photo gallery on the Tower Facebook.

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

Danforth: three years at Masters, and the path ahead Henry Williams Editor-in-Chief Emeritus At the 2015 convocation ceremony, as Masters welcomed Laura Danforth as its new Head of School, keynote speaker John Green—former head of Peddie School and a former colleague—described the extraordinary challenges of being in charge as a “balancing act,” requiring mediation and compromise between the interests of parents, faculty, students, and other stakeholders. Rarely, though, does the Masters community get to hear about this balancing act in Danforth’s own words.

Reflecting on her earliest days as head of school, Danforth explained how part of what appealed to her about Masters was how much work there was to be done, and the potential of change under new leadership.

“I work with my 25 bosses, the Board of Trustees,” Danforth said.

“After hearing from the Board about what change was needed, I had to build a leadership team of courageous people, willing to have

courageous conversations and who wouldn’t do things just because they’ve always been done that way, while keeping all the amazing qualities the school has already.”

To Danforth, change often means that process of questioning why things are the way they are, and not accepting them at face value. “The first week I was here on campus, I was walking around and I asked myself ‘Why are these walkways surrounded by ropes to keep kids off the grass? Shouldn’t this be a place for students?’ ” After consulting the grounds staff, she discovered that they had actually wanted the barriers down for years, and just like that, the ropes were taken off.

Sometimes the decisions come easy and with plenty of outside input, but other times there are tough judgment calls on discipline and equity that have to be made alone, behind closed doors. “If you’re a head of school and you’re not lonely, then there’s something wrong,” Danforth said. As rewarding as being head can be, Danforth explained that it takes a lot of support from the team she has built to manage the day-today challenges of the job.

For many students, especially years separated from their own ap-

plication process, it can be unclear how exactly Masters stacks up against its competition. One thing that Danforth pointed out was the school’s continued emphasis on its boarding program, especially the international elements of the program. “More than any of our local competition we can say we are a global institution, and that will always set us apart,” Danforth said.

“We’re a complicated school, with a lot of moving parts. This is the most complex of the eight schools I’ve been at,” Danforth said. With an upper and middle school, boarding and day program, semester program, and international exchanges, managing Masters is more involved than many competitor schools, but it is also a strength. “I don’t want to be just another Westchester school,” Danforth said.

The size and breadth of the campus is also a factor. “Most schools build up, not out. New York City schools, for example, sit on a quarter of a block or less,” Danforth said. Expansion also carries a cost, which is challenging with Masters endowment. “We’re not more wealthy than our peer schools, and we have more overhead.”

More than any material concerns,

the spirit of the community is what stands out the most to Danforth.

“I think we’re a very courageous school,” Danforth said, something she sees demonstrated in the ways that Masters students put themselves out into the world. Though Masters means different things to different people, Danforth sees a talent and depth to every part of the community that attracted her in the first place. “I pulled out of finalist positions in other school’s searches to be here,” Danforth said.

“Change” is a word that many have used to describe the last three years, perhaps especially in the pages of Tower. In fact, when looking more broadly at the last 20 years, the school has seen tectonic shifts: the addition of a middle school, co-education, the Harkness method to name a few. “In 1996 we had 288 students, now we have around 700 (including CityTerm). No school I’ve known has grown that much that fast,” Danforth said. “We’re at the large end of a medium size school, and we can’t afford to be a large school, so we have to grow mindfully.” This means that the school needs to keep enrollment numbers within reasonable limits even as it expands faculty and facilities.

As much progress as the school has made both before and under her, Danforth is mindful of the school’s shortcomings. “We are very short on classroom space, we’ve outgrown our theater, we have an outdated music building and library, and we need to be stewards of our land,” Danforth said. Beyond these tangibles, Danforth is also committed to the lived experience of the school. “We’re not perfect, and we have a lot of work to do surrounding race and continuing to bring about a culture of kindness.”

Though she sometimes stands in front of the community, students do not often get to hear from Danforth firsthand, but she wants them to believe in her commitment to them: “I want people to know that I will do everything in my power to safeguard this school. If I leave this school in a better, healthier place than I found it than I feel I’ve done a good job,” Danforth said.

The Masters’ mission statement means a great deal to Danforth and her decision-making process. “The mission is our promise to you. When you go up on stage to get your diploma, and I shake your hand, I hope I will have fulfilled that promise.”

VI NCENT ALBAN/TOWER

HEAD OF SCHOOL LAURA Danforth speaks to the school at convocation at left, on Founder’s Day at right and squeezes in some drumming time with Noemia Massingue in the middle. The end of this year will mark the end of three years with Danforth as Head of Masters, and the beginning of an Upper School that has only experienced high school during Danforth’s tenure.

OpiniOn TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

OP-ED

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EDITORIAL

Never again

A

fter the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Fla. on Feb. 14, it felt as if a wave of change had swept over the nation as students walked out of schools and marched for their lives. This era of social activism, led by students across the nation, had woken up, bringing a world spotlight to the issue of gun control.

However, in 15 minutes on the morning of May 18, 2018, eight teenages and two teachers were murdered at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, TX. The culprit: a man holding his legally-owned pump-action Remington Model 870 shotgun and a .38 caliber handgun.

We, as a staff, hoped we’d never have to write a Special Issue to honor the memories of innocent teenagers in Parkland who lost their lives so senselessly due to gun violence. But, as Paige Curry, a 17 year-old survivor of the Santa Fe High School shooting, pointed out, losing children to gun violence is no longer a rare event.

Foti Kallergis, a T.V. reporter for ABC-13, asked Curry if she “thought this wasn’t real — that this couldn’t happen at her school.” Curry shrugged in response. “No,” she said. “It’s been

happening everywhere. I’ve always kind of felt like eventually it was going to happen here, too.”

Since the start of 2018, there have been 22 school shootings. More lives of school children and teachers were lost this year than combat deaths in the United States military. Why has it become a normalcy in American society to hear about such merciless tragedies on the morning news? How long until we become desensitized to the news of these shootings, these killings?

A mass killing machine can be purchased within seconds in this country.

This is no longer an issue of guns or not, it is whether living and feeling safe is a basic human right, and whether it is a basic human responsibility to allow others to feel safe. We should not have to argue that children’s lives are more important than a weapon; we should not have to risk our lives by leaving our homes every morning for school.

While one person cannot directly change the laws alone, we can all do our part together to influence change.

The conversation cannot disappear in print and digital media. News outlets must continue to give room to those voices that will apply necessary pressure on government officials to solve the issue of gun violence that is plaguing the United States.

The conversation cannot fade away

amongst the voices of the youth, the future, the beacons for change. The youth were instrumental in driving the civil rights movement in the 60s and peace movements in the 70s; it is time now again for the youth to use their voices to protect the rest of the population, and it is the youth, elementary schoolers, middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students, who understand best what threat gun violence poses to their lives every day.

Gun control must, and will always, remain relevant as long as the youth of the United States are at risk. Gun violence affects everyone, not just those directly injured, but their families and friends, and the survivors, who face the long road of trauma. It is long overdue for our legislators to listen to the pleas of the voters, and every person in this country who has a voice. An issue that puts the lives of innocent people at risk can and will never be “over-discussed.”

Written in honor of Jared Black (17), Shana Fisher (16), Christian Riley Garcia (15), Aaron Kyle McLeod (15), Glenda Anne Perkins (64), Angelique Ramirez (15), Sabika Sheikh (17), Chris Stone (17), Cynthia Tisdale (63), Kimberly Vaughan (14), the hundreds of people affected by the school shooting in Santa Fe, TX and the millions affected by a lack of gun control.

Tower welcomes new editors-in-chief Graduating Tower editors-in-chief

Incoming Tower editors-in-chief

editors-iN-chieF

alexanDra Bentzien emma luiS editors-iN-chieF eMeritus

michael FitzgeralD george weeD henry williamS News editors

Sophia BrouSSet elijah emery opiNioN editors

DaviD okS annie ruBinSon Features editors

Sarah FaBer Drew Schott sports editors

morgan BrettSchneiDer eric DowD MaNagiNg editor

logan toporoFF web editors

tyler conway Sarah FaBer photo editor

vincent alBan tower staFF

ceDar Berrol-young Shawn FarhaDian distributioN MaNager

jacoB Strier advertisiNg MaNagers

amina chouDhry amita khurana staFF writer

joSeph golDStein copy editor

jacoB Strier social Media MaNager

Sarah FaBer staFF illustrator

lily wang Faculty advisers

matthew Browne ellen cowhey oNliNe Media

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAE CASSIE

OUTGOING EDITORS-IN-CHIEF George Weed, Henry Williams and Michael Fitzgerald have led the staff in publishing 68 pages in print, not counting this issue.

A letter to Masters: Dear Masters, Tower has existed in many different forms under many different names, each year with a different group of people behind the scenes, but always driven by a singular goal: to provide our community a platform for news, discussion, debate and reflection. When you are handed a copy of this newspaper, or see an article online, or a photo of a friend on our social media, our goal is to give you something useful and meaningful, something that adds to your time at this school. That’s what holds this paper together even as it continues to change. Though new faces will continue to appear, so long as this mission persists, the Tower of fifty years from now will not be so different from today.

In today’s world, journalism is under threat from all sides. As news consumers, we are regularly faced with difficult questions about what is fact, what is fiction, and who stands to gain if we can’t tell the difference. Tower is not the Washington Post or The New York Times. We do not break Pulitzer-winning stories or shape the nation. So then what is the purpose of student journalism?

At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, student journalists were faced with an immense horror far beyond their experience. But even with un-

imaginable stakes, their role was still the same: to serve their community, something they did admirably.

To us, this is the purpose. To be able to have the knowledge that no matter what happens, even when the words don’t come easily and the bonds that hold our school together are loosening, that there will always be a place to see the school for what it is, to see our truth reflected between these pages. This year has presented us with many profound challenges when striving to report the news, and we haven’t always been perfect. Despite this, with each new effort, special report, feature or exposé, we are trying to live up to the promise of this school enshrined in our mission statement: to be powers for good in the world.

Whether you are interested in journalism or not, we implore you to get involved in Tower in whatever ways are meaningful to you. Tower is your paper, it belongs to this community, it is a forum for the issues that matter to the people who are living out some portion of their lives on this campus. Discuss our stories in your classes, submit letters to the editor when there’s something this community needs to hear, and let us know when we get it wrong so we can do better.

Sincerely, Mike, George, and Henry Editors-in-Chief Emeritus

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

INCOMING EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Emma Luis and Alexandra Bentzien, both junior day students, have collectively written over 20,000 words for Tower this year.

A farewell from the editors: Dear Tower Staff, You are a group of incredible, talented students, and this year we pushed you very hard to achieve what we can’t help but feel is one of Tower’s best years on record. The strides we made as a staff have been incredible, and the varied people in our little room have massively contributed to the expansion of Tower’s impact and output.

Your editors emeritus wish you luck, and hope you keep helping Tower make great progress. Know that this year was a product of your tremendous commitment throughout entire production cycles. You brainstormed articles with outstanding levels of intent for investigation and follow through, and were willing to stay as late as possible to get the job done. You were not only satisfied with producing a finished work, but also an exemplary final product.

Continue to make these time consuming sacrifices, and explore new ideas like the Special Report edition.

We hope you all have a great next few years on staff!

Love, Mike, George, and Henry Editors-in-Chief Emeritus

A farewell from the advisors: Dear Editors-in-Chief Emeritus, This year has had many wild twists and turns, and yet each of our editors added their own gifts to the leadership role.

Michael, a multi-season athlete, managed to crank out edits issue after issue, despite arriving late after practices and games.

George, even with health challenges, offered his endlessly creative input, from orchestrating overhead drone footage for our campus security centerspread to designing a whimsical board game centerspread to wrap up 2017 in print.

And Henry, arriving later to the editorial role, offered tremendous energy, vision and technical prowess to the team. He crafted insightful editorials on a range of topics from the politics of senior speeches to closing the AP gap to speaking out for gun control.

Together, this trifecta has been focused, energetic and dedicated, pursing issues of import and taking on 12-pages layouts issue after issue. Thank you to all three of you for your leadership, warmth and humor, from the bottom of our hearts.

Love, Ms. Cowhey, Mr. Browne and the entire Tower staff

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

distributioN process

Tower is hand-delivered on the day of publication to the Upper School.

650 copies are printed and distributed to students, faculty and staff. In addition, a copy is sent to each of our advertisers.

scholastic press aFFiliatioNs, letters aNd editorial policy Tower is the winner of the Pacemaker Award for Overall Excellence and a CSPA Gold Award, 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 TowerEditors@MastersNY.org. Published approximately seven times a year, Tower, the student newspaper of The Masters School, is a public forum, with its Editorial Board making all decisions concerning content. Commentaries and opinion columns are the opinions of the authors and not of Tower, its Editorial Board or its advisers.

Furthermore, the opinions conveyed are not those of The Masters School, faculty or staff. Unsigned editorials express views of the majority of the Editorial Board.

4

OP-ED

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

Letter to the editor: waking, not “woke” Dear Tower, In a recent editorial on “the Masters bubble,” Tower called out students who “shame someone for having a dissenting opinion” and “attack rather than listen to others’ statements.” Thank you for making that point. In a school that uses discussion to pursue greater understanding, we need to continually remind ourselves to listen, especially when a point of view differs from our own. We learn nothing from an echo. The editorial also usefully raises the question of what being “woke” entails, pointing out that it’s not “a trophy” or “a sign of superiority.” That, too, makes sense.

But, to my surprise, the editorial went on to say that those who are woke are “privileged,” that they shouldn’t be “keeping all this knowledge” to themselves or “letting others slip through the cracks.” That is the language of superiority. It implies that others who see things differently do not have knowledge and are lower, at risk of draining into the cracks.

So how can one drift so easily from advocating dialogue to assuming the other person has nothing worth saying and needs to be rescued? I’d suggest the problem lies in two unspoken premises: 1) that being conservative is the same as

being ignorant, and 2) that being woke is a finished task. I hope these sound absurd when said outright, but in case they don’t, let’s look at each.

First, there are ignorant people on all sides; neither conservatives nor liberals have a monopoly on knowledge. My Uncle Al and my mother used to argue loudly at holiday dinners. He believed in traditionally conservative values, like small government and individual liberty. But his views came from his experience, not his ignorance: he and his mother had fled Communist Czechoslovakia, where collectivism and government repression had caused misery for decades. He might not have seen what my mother had seen in Indiana, where local officials undermined programs designed to help those in need, and where skin color profoundly limited one’s opportunities. In that sense, Al did not have knowledge my mother did–but she did not have knowledge he did about the corrupting effects of excessive government control. To dismiss either of them as ignorant is an act that itself ignores the truth of their experience.

And doesn’t being woke start with recognizing each other’s truth? We cannot see how systems of power and value work if we look away from large regions of their circula-

tion. Our culture is healthier when we embrace multiple perspectives, and trust others to cast light into our own blind spots.

To be clear: I have no tolerance for hatred or bigotry. My fists clench when I hear politicians and pundits manipulate those emotions to build their own power. But I also recognize that people of good faith can disagree on what policy best leads to safety, health and prosperity for all. And I can better persuade those who disagree with me if I don’t treat them with condescension.

Second, being woke is not like taking the red pill; that may work in movies, but real life is more complex. Deep understanding requires ongoing effort to move from being oblivious, to being aware.

As much as I wake, though, my understanding is never complete; there is always more waking to be done. I don’t want to settle into the self-satisfied belief that once I’m woke my learning is done, and all that’s left to do is to rescue the ignorant. When I value the ongoing task of waking, then I remind myself to listen more and preach less.

Sincerely, Dr. Paul West English Dept. Faculty

Letter to the editor : Jordan Peterson is a fool Readers of Tower: Have you yet heard the good news of Jordan B. Peterson, the Canadian evolutionary psychologist and rising conservative public intellectual?

If you haven’t, then let me tell you a thing or two about the archetypal story of a hero named St. George and the postmodern Neo-Marxist dragon called ‘Academia’...

Laboring away as a relatively unknown professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto until late 2016, Jordan Peterson is today rounding the circuits of newsrooms and college campuses across the country. His recently published self-help book, “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos”, was a No. 1 best seller on Amazon internationally. Peterson has amassed over a million Youtube subscribers in the past year and is simultaneously gaining something more than a cult-following among young conservatives on every forum of the Internet. Recently, he’s even threatened to run against Jus-

tin Trudeau for the seat of Canadian prime minister.

In short, Jordan Peterson has become a pretty big deal-- practically overnight.

And after watching the professor speak for more than five minutes, it shouldn’t be hard to see how he has attracted so much attention. Although his slightly absentminded appearance will reassure you of his profession, Peterson’s voice commands an old-fashioned Canadian earnestness that instantly strikes the listener as both affable and reasonable. Watching him speak is a total spectacle. He postures himself at the podium like a modern Canuck version of “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”, except his argument is more with what he deems as ‘politically correct liberal intolerance’ than with federal corruption. It seems that Peterson has the genuine intentions of a moderate reformer-- and so it’s unfortunate that there is, at the center of his philosophy, an absurdly reactionary conspiracy theory.

The long arc of Jordan B.’s lectures (which are available on Youtube) spans several academic disciplines and the history of all western civilization. Topic of special interest for him include questions ranging from ‘how man creates meaning’ (via the writings of Carl Jung) to ‘why communism fails’ (via Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago). He argues passionately against the dictatorships of the 20th Century and liberally quotes both Nietzsche and not a few passages from the New Testament. He rarely mentions God directly. Peterson speak is half sermon and half dissertation. It all feels like fun and games until he brings up the condition of today’s society and the issue of postmodernism.

There’s no other way to say it: Jordan Peterson is, first and foremost, of the belief that you can draw a straight line, historically, from Stalinism to Social Justice. Marxism, he says, was in decline once the West caught up in the sixties with what had occured in the Soviet Union during the reign of

Stalin, so a group of western Marxist intellectuals got together in secret and created this ideological tool called ‘postmodernism’ that could replace Marxism-- though postmodernism is also known as ‘Cultural Neo-Marxism’ in Peterson’s vocabulary. Altogether different from the Communist aim of creating an economically egalitarian utopia, the aim of Cultural Neo-Marxism was to demand the rights of those marginalized along race, ethnicity, and gender. Now today there are college students across the country, influenced by the postmodern doctrine, that deplatform speakers and actively protests against democratic values-- most notably freedom of speech.

Stalinism might return in the form of the required use of alternative gender pronouns.

In actuality, postmodern theorists today regularly argue with the many remaining Marxist intellectuals about whether there is a grand historical narrative called ‘class struggle’, and there are clearly many different ideas

about gender and race-- which themselves plainly don’t correspond neatly to either Marxism or postmodernism.

I don’t think there is a serious historian, philosopher, or culture theorist worth their salt alive today who would absolutely equate or even gently confuse Stalinism with postmodernism, postmodernism with Neo-Marxism, or Neo-Marxism with gender studies and Social Justice. So how can a seriously respected political commentator not be taken to task for the same stupendous intellectual error?

Peterson hides behind a veneer of good faith and common-sense advice; many people are willing to embrace the rest uncritically. A lot of left-leaning people might feel we should just ignore him, but-- left or right-- we need to demand more of our intellectuals and pundits before their mistakes (honest or not) get out of hand.

Sincerely, Gabe Pollack ‘18

Dress-up days founded on a flawed idea of respect Emma Luis Editor-in-Chief When the dress code was finally scrapped in 2016 for the all-inclusive “dress philosophy,” students donned their ripped pants, flaunted their finest t-shirts and expressed their individuality through their clothing. Because of the philosophy, students can wear whatever their hearts desire under a few conditions.

So long as outfits do not violate the tradition Jeans Day or wear, according to the 2017-2018 Family Handbook, “clothing best suited for bed,” students have choice each morning about what to wear. However, a new asterisks to the dress philosophy is currently being debated within Executive Committee, with a proposal for “dress updays.”

The proposal was brought forth at the end of April in Executive Committee, and suggested that students dress in Head’s Dress (formal attire consisting of dress pants, a skirt, or dress for females and tie and jacket for males) to school for days that may be deemed as “formal” such as Faculty Appreciation Day, and Martin Luther King Day, as well as days before breaks.

Wednesday, May 2, marked the first Upper School “dress-up day,”

requiring students to wear Head’s Dress during the school day to show respect for their teachers on National Teacher Appreciation Day. However, this attempt to wear more formal clothing completely missed the mark.

The intended goal of the “dressup day” was to outwardly express students’ appreciation for faculty and staff by wearing Head’s Dress. Yet, the required Head’s Dress came along with other connotations. By requiring students to wear a dress or suit and tie to show respect for our teachers, the amount of respect that one has for their teachers is immediately equated to the outfit a student wears.

So, if a female student chooses to wear black shorts instead of a skirt, she would be deemed to be outwardly disrespecting her teachers. The dress-up day puts an emphasis on the clothing each student is wearing, not the the kindness or respect that a student should be showing to their teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day. Not only did the “dress-up day” equate respect to materialistic items, but didn’t take into account many international and boarding students. When returning back to campus from break, some students pack a certain amount of formal-wear outfits for the remaining Head’s Dress dinners.

“I didn’t pack any other formal

outfits when I came back from break. We were informed too late,” senior and international boarding student Amanda Taylor said.

Taylor also reached out to Head of Upper School, Matt Ives, sending an email describing how “many [international students] budget [their] money for the month and don’t have access to transportation before Wednesday to go out and buy an outfit.” Taylor wrote, “I do think the word ‘required’ doesn’t take all socioeconomic status and border accessibility issues into consideration.”

The concept behind the “dressup day” is valuable: do something out of your way to appreciate your teachers. However, putting an emphasis on student clothing is not the way to express this. In lieu of having a dress up day, students could be encouraged to write their teachers notes or give small tokens of appreciation to show they care.

The lack of consideration that “dress-up days” fosters is not one that follows Masters’ core values.

By simply having a “required” day of Head’s Dress, the inclusive momentum that Masters had gained two years ago by eliminating the strictly enforced dress code came to a halt. Masters should take into account all perspectives and remember the real reason that the dress code was altered in the first place.

LILY WANG/TOWER

LILY WANG/TOWER

ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, Masters engaged in a dress-up day in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Day. This was a required event in which all students arrived in head’s dress, but students have varying opinions on whether or not the event merits repeat.

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

OP-ED

Personal days proposal sparks controversy Pro: Personal days protect student health eriC DowD Features Editor High school is becoming increasingly competitive each year, and as students’ ambitions rise, as do their stress levels. This leads students to become overwhelmed by schoolwork, co-curriculars, college applications, final exams, and the beginnings of summer activities.

Other points throughout the year can bring upsurges in school work, and when combined with extracurricular activities that workload can also bring waves of anxiety and despair over students.

The current Executive Committee proposal by senior Emma Friedman suggests the allowance of personal days at Masters.

Granted once per semester, Fried-

man explained that personal days are “essentially excused days of absence, that you can use to preemptively take care of yourself in whatever form that may be, and you are not penalized by [the] administration. Students can take this day to do what they need to do to make sure that you’re in your best possible shape, both physically and mentally.”

An integration of personal days into the Masters calendar should be seen as beneficial for all, but this can only work effectively as long is there is a mutual sense of trust and respect between students and administrators. Personal days would be installed for students who need a day to regroup and to recover from both personal and school-related issues–not to play hookie.

A major concern about this pro-

posal is the possibility of students utilizing their personal time to skip assessments.

“I think that when the time is right for that student, they can use a personal health day when their workload is too much to handle, and it keeps on piling up, but I feel like it can be misused to miss exams or major school events that everybody should participate in,” Sophomore Gabriela Seguinot said.

If administrators have enough trust and respect for the student body to give them two days per year to manage themselves, then students must be equally responsible for upholding their ends of the bargain by using their personal health days productively. If students keep that promise, a strengthened relationship between students and administrators can pave the way toward more flexible policies.

CON: Mental health days are an insufficent band-aid JaCob strier Copy Editor Nothing sounds more desirable than a day off to relax, recharge and return to school, ready to tackle the mountain of high school coursework that challenges students at Masters each day. A mental health day would allow students, once per semester, to have an excused absence with the permission of their advisor.

The idea of instituting the option of mental health days, while idealistic, is an unreasonable plan which both undermines the quality of a Masters education, and hardly addresses underlying mental health issues which affect today’s teens.

Traditionally, it has been necessary for students to manage their time well when assuming a course load which they feel capable of handling. When the work piles up, it may seem reasonable to take a day off to catch up and refresh without the risk of an unexcused absence.

However, mental health days are not a realistic option for coping

with work–when students move on to college and later to the workforce, they may not encounter widespread tolerance or permission for skipping classes or work commitments. In addition, taking a day off of school worsens the situation by necessitat-

tion of mental health days therefore slights the mental health struggles many students face by suggesting that anxiety, stress or depression can be remedied with a mere day off.

Mental health days are the bandaid solution to a real, systemic issue which must be addressed with more effective, permanent changes; such as decreased homework, lighter course loads or curriculum changes.

If students are permitted to utilize mental health days to skip class without penalty, the environment of the classroom will degrade toward the end of the semester as students utilize their reserved mental health days, emptying classrooms throughout Masters. Since collaborative learning is a key facet of the Masters education, empty seats at the Harkness table would not LILY WANG/TOWER promote a healthy learning ing that the environment. student catch up on the missed day’s Some students may make the content later. choice to take a day off to catch The proposed institution of men- up, which is understandable in the tal health days also deeply under- stressful environment of high school. mines the importance of protecting However, the school should not constudents’ mental health. The wide- done such skips with permitted days spread anxiety and depression ep- of absence, as doing such would reidemics that affect high school stu- quire teachers to frequently slow dents, exacerbated by late nights and their progress through the curriculong assignments, simply cannot be lum in order to accommodate their readily fixed with one allotted mental students’ missed classes. health day per semester. The institu-

NFL cheerleaders’ treatment spurs calls for change Drew sChott Features Editor During the offseason for the 20172018 season, the issue of cheerleader mistreatment in the National Football League (NFL) was brought to light, questioning the role of the League in protecting women who work for various franchises.

A New York Times article published on May 2 reported that cheerleaders of the Washington Redskins recently travelled to Costa Rica, where they were subject to topless photoshoots and forced to serve as escorts for wealthy donors and suite holders of the Redskins’ stadium. In addition, another article from The Times in April revealed that cheerleaders on teams such as the Carolina Panthers reported stringent conditions such as set body weights, payments only slightly greater than minimum wage, and regulations on their personal lives such as control over what the women post on social media.

In order to achieve fairness, NFL cheerleaders must be aided by the League. As NFL athletes have the Players Association to raise questions regarding league and player policy, cheerleaders should be given their own unionized forum to protect their rights and their treatment. It is also critical that Commissioner Roger Goodell, de-

spite these women being employed by individual franchises and not the NFL, recognize the problems that cheerleaders face and begin a dialogue that can help improve their work and pay conditions.

In addition, teams must reduce the strain of demands placed on cheerleaders. Despite employing them, the franchises do not pay for products such as cosmetics and uniforms,which are costly, particularly on their low salary. In an article in Cosmopolitan, an unnamed NFL cheerleader mentioned that she initially made $3,000 for the season, but, since she had to pay for various expenses such as makeup appointments, she ended up with only $300.

Furthermore, various policies, such as one that forbids interaction with franchise-affiliated members unless at special events, leave the women little independence of who they are able to interact with. Regardless of the possible threat of termination, these women must be fearless in speaking out about abuses the abuses they experience. For example, a Cincinatti Bengals cheerleader in 2014 filed a class-action lawsuit against the team due to unfairness in the workplace, and received $255,000 in back pay.

Additionally, sexual harassment occurs all too often during the season, as cheerleaders face threats such as groping by fans and harassment at tailgate

parties. These women must be protected: security teams at stadiums must control rowdy fans, and provide safe passages for cheerleaders out of the stadium, so they can avoid harassment from fans after games. In addition, it is crucial that NFL fans understand and practice appropriate conduct and respectful treatment of these women. If they don’t, harsh regulations should be doled out, such as banning the fan from the team’s stadium.

Cheerleaders should not be held back by fears of non-disclosure agreements and threats of termination if they speak out against the misbehavior they experience. The #MeToo movement, which which exposed various acts of sexual assault in the workplace, has encouraged these women to speak out. In the NFL, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson gave up his ownership after his improper workplace conduct and harsh treatment of women was revealed, which led an ongoing NFL investigation, and the condemnation of various players and officials across the league.

The NFL must address the environment that it has created for its cheerleaders. It is paramount that these women are aided in their quest to not only better their treatment, but also to change current regulations by which they are forced to abide, in order to provide voices to help others on their road to fairness.

5

THE INTERNATIONALIST

New embassy further exacerbates Israel conflicts Casey Li On March 14, 2018, the U.S. Embassy was formally relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing the holy city as the capital of Israel. In December of 2017, Trump announced his decision to move the embassy, vowing to keep his campaign promise.

On May 21, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and members of Congress attended the opening ceremony of the embassy, reversing decades of American policy and defying international consensus. At the same time, Israeli soldiers were firing on Palestinian protesters who attempted to cross the border at Gaza, leaving 60 dead, and thousands wounded.

The Origins of a Conflict The Israeli-Palestinian conflict began centuries ago, but it escalated after World War I when the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and Britain took over the region called the British Mandate of Palestine. Britain allowed Jewish immigrants to enter the territory, which created tension between the immigrants and the local Arabs. Both sides committed acts of violence. In the 1930s, Britain began to limit immigration, and local Jews formed militia to counter local Arabs and British rule. During World War I, more Jews fled from Europe to British Palestine, galvanizing the world’s support for a Jewish state. In 1947, the United Nations developed a plan to divide British Palestine into two separate states―a Jewish state, Israel, and an Arab state, Palestine.

The city of Jerusalem, recognized by Muslims, Jews, and Christians as a holy site, became a special international zone. The U.N. planned to give the Jews an official state, in order to establish Arab independence, and to end the violence Britain could not control. Jews accepted the plan, and declared independence as Israel; however, the Arabs saw the U.N. as another colonizing force trying to steal land.

Neighboring Arab states declared war on Israel, and the Jewish state won, pushing well past their borders under the U.N. plan and conquering the western half of Jerusalem and much of the land under Palestinian control. At the end of the war, Israel controlled all territories except Gaza and the West Bank.

In 1967, Israel and neighboring countries fought the Six Day war.

Israel took Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank from Jordan and Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, occupying the en-

“

tire region. Many have called for a return to the pre-1967 borders.

In 1978, Israel and Egypt signed the U.S.-brokered Camp David Treaty. Soon after, Israel returned Sinai to Egypt, leaving Gaza and West Bank under their control and making the struggle an Israeli-Palestinian one.

The Intifadas Around the same time of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, Israelis began to move into Israel-occupied territories, whether or not they were welcomed by Palestinians who were forced to relocate. In the late 1980s, Palestinian frustration exploded into the Intifada–or “uprising”, in Arabic. It began with protests and boycotts, but soon turned violent. The Israeli government responded with heavy forces.

Hamas, a violent, extremist group dedicated to Israel’s destruction, was created around the end of the First Intifada by a group of Palestinians. In 1993, leaders on both sides signed the Oslo Accords, allowing Palestinians the freedom to govern themselves in certain areas. Hamas launched suicide bombing to sabotage the process because it saw the Accords as too compromising; Israeli rights groups protested the peace talks and branded the then-Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, a traitor and a Nazi. He was later killed by a far-right Israeli.

In 2000, a second, more violent, Intifada broke out. Israelis became skeptical about whether Palestinians would ever accept their peace offers, and if peacemaking was even worth trying. Israeli politics shifted right, and the country built walls and checkpoints to control Palestinian movements.

Palestinians felt like neither negotiation nor violence had worked, leaving them despondent. In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza.

Hamas gained power and divided Gaza from West Bank. Israel then put Gaza under strict blockade, which led unemployment rates to reach 40%.

The U.S. embassy move will not bring peace to the region and will further exacerbate the conflict.

The Crisis Today The move of the U.S. embassy will not bring peace to the region and will further exacerbate the conflict. Although unlikely, the U.S. must remain neutral and act as a mediator between the two states. Jerusalem is a holy city to Muslims and Jews alike, and it must remain accessible to all. No country has the right to recognize an illegally occupied city that is meant to be a separate, international entity as the capital of another country.

TED EYTAN/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

FLAG-BEARING DEMONSTRATORS CLASH at dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protests in Washington, D.C. The issue has gained prominence due to the surge of violence tied to the decision to move the United States’ Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

6

COLLEGE MAP

Where is the Class of 2018 going to college?

1

Washington University of Washington

1

-Noah Roger

Oregon

New York

California

Mount St. Mary College

Skidmore College

Cornell University

-Eliza Brewster -Yulin (Amanda) Chen -Edward Freedman -Ileana Katzman

Hobart and William Smith -Jacob Barnett -Charlotte Peterson

Hunter College

-Gregory Desroches

Colorado College

-Grace Gilmore -Grace Rosner

Claremont McKenna College

California Institute of the Arts

1

University of Wisconsin-Madison Gabriel Pollack

NYU Shanghai -Anderson Lin

1

1

Illinois

Northwestern University

Scotland

-Liv Elkind

Ohio

3

S. Carolina College of Charleston -Natasha Scott Morton

D.C.

4

1 4

Florida

University of Miami -George Bowman -Jake Jinete -Cora McKean

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

-Stepan Grigorev

George -Caroline DiSarro Washington -Jesse Horowitz University -Angel Shen

7

New Hampshire Dartmouth College

-Anthe “Kat” Roberts

Maine Bates College

-Sophie Cohen -Jonah Feldman -Joost-Olan Sheehan

Bowdoin College

-Stephen Boe

Colby College

-Dexter Kalderon -Eden Wenberg

Massachusetts Amherst College

-Colin Weinstein

8

Berklee College of Music -Emma Friedman

Boston University

5

Rhode Island Brown University

-Dylan Douglas -Miranda Luiz -Top Piriyakulkij

Rhode Island School of Design -Liv Johnke

Salve Regina University -George Corrigan

-Sarah Scheuer

-Matthew Friedman -Michael Margolis -Evie Wrenson

1

3

4

Cleveland Institute of Music University

University of St. Andrews -Sylvie Parkus

-Cedar Berrol-Young

6

8

2

Louisiana

University of Texas at Austin

Connecticut College

4

Wisconsin

-Teddy Hoisington Gabriel Pollack -Iona McWhinnie

Connecticut

30

-Neha Garg

Rice University

University)

-Cristina Aldeanueva -Chris Epes

University of Michigan

Texas

attending Cornell

Trinity College

-John Kinsley

Tulane Universiy

the Arts London)

China

-Matt Reffold

Denison University

(Also attending University of

1

University of Rochester

Michigan

-Mao Inoue

-Daniel Rubin -Heather Smith (Also

-Eamon Pearson

Rochester Institute of Technology

1

University of Vermont

The New School

-Oliver Tomaijko

3

-Sophie Khanna -Gage Nettles

-Kikka Domeneghetti -Logan Toporoff

-August DuBeau

-Yunus Solakoglu

Bennington College

Syracuse University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

-Owen Gifford-Smith Gabriel Pollack

UC Berkeley

-Derick Lee

-Marissa Demers

-Oliver Campbell

-Thomas Falci -Sameer Nabi -Ahnaf Taha

UCLA

SUNY New Paltz

Parsons School of Design

-Ariella Rusoff

3

-Claire Fink -Katharine Kenna

-Daniel Cienava -Huy Dao -Carly Matsui -Scout O’Donnell -Laine Philipps -Fangzheng Wang

-Henry Williams

Vermont

-Noah Crooks

New York University

Columbia University

Colorado

6

Vassar College

-Sharon Peña

-Campbell Ives -June Kitahara -Amanda Taylor

-Jacob Shi

GabrielPollack Pollack -Gabriel

Ithaca College

-Alana Orgill

Barnard College

University of Colorado Boulder

Reed College

COLLEGE MAP

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

Maryland Washington College -Jelisaveta Janicijevic

Johns Hopkins University -Jeremy Schwartz -Jordan Sills -Mary Sulavik

Virginia

-Ing Kamin -Nick Mason

Northeastern University -Nick Abadir

Tufts University -Elizabeth Mitchell

Wheaton College -Diego Medina

Worcester Polytechnic Institute -Issy Rhodes

Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr College

-Shirin Sabety

Bucknell University

-Ella Hogan

Franklin and Marshall College -Isaac Kelly

Gettysburg College -Oladayo Thomas

Lafayette College

-Alex Limpe

Sweet Briar College

Pennsylvania State University

The College of William and Mary

Temple University

-Lucy Wasserstein

-Oren Vasser

University of Richmond -Michael Fitzgerald

Virginia State University -Sanaa Shakwi

-Petar Janicijevic

-Phoenix Jackson

University of Pennsylvania -Chloe Barshay

*NOTE: This is a list of all seniors who answered the TOWER college survey and chose to be included.

States and countries are not to scale.

DESIGN BY GEORGE WEED/TOWER

6

COLLEGE MAP

Where is the Class of 2018 going to college?

1

Washington University of Washington

1

-Noah Roger

Oregon

New York

California

Mount St. Mary College

Skidmore College

Cornell University

-Eliza Brewster -Yulin (Amanda) Chen -Edward Freedman -Ileana Katzman

Hobart and William Smith -Jacob Barnett -Charlotte Peterson

Hunter College

-Gregory Desroches

Colorado College

-Grace Gilmore -Grace Rosner

Claremont McKenna College

California Institute of the Arts

1

University of Wisconsin-Madison Gabriel Pollack

NYU Shanghai -Anderson Lin

1

1

Illinois

Northwestern University

Scotland

-Liv Elkind

Ohio

3

S. Carolina College of Charleston -Natasha Scott Morton

D.C.

4

1 4

Florida

University of Miami -George Bowman -Jake Jinete -Cora McKean

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

-Stepan Grigorev

George -Caroline DiSarro Washington -Jesse Horowitz University -Angel Shen

7

New Hampshire Dartmouth College

-Anthe “Kat” Roberts

Maine Bates College

-Sophie Cohen -Jonah Feldman -Joost-Olan Sheehan

Bowdoin College

-Stephen Boe

Colby College

-Dexter Kalderon -Eden Wenberg

Massachusetts Amherst College

-Colin Weinstein

8

Berklee College of Music -Emma Friedman

Boston University

5

Rhode Island Brown University

-Dylan Douglas -Miranda Luiz -Top Piriyakulkij

Rhode Island School of Design -Liv Johnke

Salve Regina University -George Corrigan

-Sarah Scheuer

-Matthew Friedman -Michael Margolis -Evie Wrenson

1

3

4

Cleveland Institute of Music University

University of St. Andrews -Sylvie Parkus

-Cedar Berrol-Young

6

8

2

Louisiana

University of Texas at Austin

Connecticut College

4

Wisconsin

-Teddy Hoisington Gabriel Pollack -Iona McWhinnie

Connecticut

30

-Neha Garg

Rice University

University)

-Cristina Aldeanueva -Chris Epes

University of Michigan

Texas

attending Cornell

Trinity College

-John Kinsley

Tulane Universiy

the Arts London)

China

-Matt Reffold

Denison University

(Also attending University of

1

University of Rochester

Michigan

-Mao Inoue

-Daniel Rubin -Heather Smith (Also

-Eamon Pearson

Rochester Institute of Technology

1

University of Vermont

The New School

-Oliver Tomaijko

3

-Sophie Khanna -Gage Nettles

-Kikka Domeneghetti -Logan Toporoff

-August DuBeau

-Yunus Solakoglu

Bennington College

Syracuse University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

-Owen Gifford-Smith Gabriel Pollack

UC Berkeley

-Derick Lee

-Marissa Demers

-Oliver Campbell

-Thomas Falci -Sameer Nabi -Ahnaf Taha

UCLA

SUNY New Paltz

Parsons School of Design

-Ariella Rusoff

3

-Claire Fink -Katharine Kenna

-Daniel Cienava -Huy Dao -Carly Matsui -Scout O’Donnell -Laine Philipps -Fangzheng Wang

-Henry Williams

Vermont

-Noah Crooks

New York University

Columbia University

Colorado

6

Vassar College

-Sharon Peña

-Campbell Ives -June Kitahara -Amanda Taylor

-Jacob Shi

GabrielPollack Pollack -Gabriel

Ithaca College

-Alana Orgill

Barnard College

University of Colorado Boulder

Reed College

COLLEGE MAP

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

Maryland Washington College -Jelisaveta Janicijevic

Johns Hopkins University -Jeremy Schwartz -Jordan Sills -Mary Sulavik

Virginia

-Ing Kamin -Nick Mason

Northeastern University -Nick Abadir

Tufts University -Elizabeth Mitchell

Wheaton College -Diego Medina

Worcester Polytechnic Institute -Issy Rhodes

Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr College

-Shirin Sabety

Bucknell University

-Ella Hogan

Franklin and Marshall College -Isaac Kelly

Gettysburg College -Oladayo Thomas

Lafayette College

-Alex Limpe

Sweet Briar College

Pennsylvania State University

The College of William and Mary

Temple University

-Lucy Wasserstein

-Oren Vasser

University of Richmond -Michael Fitzgerald

Virginia State University -Sanaa Shakwi

-Petar Janicijevic

-Phoenix Jackson

University of Pennsylvania -Chloe Barshay

*NOTE: This is a list of all seniors who answered the TOWER college survey and chose to be included.

States and countries are not to scale.

DESIGN BY GEORGE WEED/TOWER

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

FEATURES

8

Features & arts

Mastery Transcript prioritizes skills over numbers tive to assign a grade on a math test. One thing I saw on [the proposed Mastery Transcript] is ‘The student exhibits moral courage in unjust situations.’ I said to myself, ‘Who am I to sit there and make a qualification on a student’s moral courage?’ That sounds subjective to me,” she said.

Wood pointed out that each school would set its own values and skills on which to evaluate its students. “One of the interesting things about the Mastery Transcript is that Masters would have total control over what it chooses to value or assess its students on,” Wood said. “Students would have a different set of strengths and capacities from one another. Your transcript might reflect strengths in analytic and critical thinking, while for another kid it might be about creativity, collaboration and performing arts,” he added. According to Wood, each student would choose to report the attributes or strengths on their transcripts which best highlight their strengths.

Jacob Strier Copy Editor When Masters entered the Mastery Transcript Consortium as a member school, it joined dozens of other schools throughout the nation in a preliminary investigation into a transcript based not on grades or numbers, but on students’ mastery of certain subjects in a format which highlights personal strengths. Mastery Transcripts would exhibit the attributes of an individual, such as strong leadership skills, alongside specific experiences or attached student work which supports the statement made.

English teacher Darren Wood serves as the site-director at Masters for the Mastery Transcript, acting as a faculty liaison between the school and the Consortium. “Essentially we want to be part of the consortium because it is a group of some amazing schools across the country that are having an important conversation about how to reimagine the high school transcript,” Wood said.

This alternative style of evaluation would allow students to become proficient in a given topic before moving on to master the next. “Mastery is really a binary system. You have either mastered a skill, or you have not yet mastered a skill. You just get lots of opportunities to try again,” Wood said.

The current grading system assesses students’ proficiency in a topic at the time of an exam, allowing top students to conquer material before moving on while leaving others behind, according to Wood.

In theory, students would continue to work on the mastery of certain skills throughout the school year. In Wood’s own English classes, he implements a mastery-like style of grading which assesses students on their proficiency in certain skills, like writing a thesis.

Wood only translates such rubric marks into grades at the end of each quarter.

Though no schools have started officially using the Mastery Transcript, Wood pointed out that some schools may begin initial internal trials of it as soon as this upcoming fall, though Masters has not made such a move yet.

The Mastery Transcript would be designed to quantify students’ skills and educate them in a holistic manner, a contrast from the current method which grades students on a numerical continuum of achievement before the curriculum progresses. According to the Mastery Transcript Consortium website, “This model calls for students to demonstrate a mastery of skills, knowledge and habits of mind by presenting evidence that is evaluated against an institutionally specific standard of mastery.”

COURTESY OF THE MASTERY TRANSCRIPT CONSORTIUM

A PROPOSED RENDITION OF a Mastery Transcript, which is outlined in the document above, would highlight student proficiency in certain skills, point out personal attributes and strengths, and support claims with evidence of student work. While no schools have yet adopted this transcript, Masters has joined a number of schools in the Mastery Transcript Consortium in a preliminary investigation into the prospect.

Masters’ response to the transcript investigation

Over the past few months, Wood has presented the possibility of the Mastery Transcript to the various academic departments, as well as to CITYterm and the Middle School. “Some departments were excited about the prospect, while some had very legitimate concerns.

There was a mix of enthusiasm and skepticism,” Wood said. The idea is set to be presented to parents and the Board of Trustees next year.

Chair of the Math Department Michele Dennis expressed concerns over the integration of the Mastery Transcript into the teaching of mathematics. “You can master a skill and still not quite understand what you are doing.

It is really a continual process of development. When do you master a topic?

It seems kind of elusive, when you can finally say that someone has mastered the concept,” she said.

Dennis also pointed out that the current system works by ensuring that struggling students can seek extra help or use test corrections to better understand material without changing the focus of the class as a whole. She worries about a math curriculum which would focus too heavily on each individual’s mastery of different concepts: “Are we going to have 14 kids at 14 different stages in the curriculum? Then what happens to Harkness? It will feel more like individualized discussion rather than “Harkness-ing” and arriving at common knowledge together,” Dennis said.

Dennis additionally voiced concerns over the “soft-skills” which the Mastery Transcript assess. “They talk about grading being subjective, and maybe grading an English essay is subjective to some extent. It is a lot less subjec-

The transcript and college admissions

The movement away from the traditional method of grading would involve ensuring that Mastery Transcripts are understood by colleges and universities, who would have to approach prospective applicants in a less numerical light. “The Mastery Transcrip Consortium is building relationships and partnerships with colleges and universities,” Wood said. “One of the problems colleges face now, [is that] a lot of the applicants look really similar,” he said.

Eric Zahler, the Director of Teaching and Learning and site-director for the Mastery Transcript at The Spence School in Manhattan, NY, has mixed views about the prospect of the Mastery Transcript in university admissions.

“College deans are [currently] trapped because they are trying to learn, from the information we give them, who students are as complex beings,” he said.

According to Zahler, ensuring that the Mastery Transcript is readable by admissions officers in under 90 seconds is

a priority.

Zahler noted that though colleges are eager to ease and individualize the application process, apprehensions remain until a more concrete Mastery Transcript is developed. “The real design work has not happened yet. Until we know more about the design, college admission officers are nervous.” The official style of the Mastery Transcript has yet to be designed, though prototypes have been fashioned to display a possible rendition.

Zahler pointed out the argument that the implementation of the Mastery Transcript could place a stronger emphasis on standardized tests. He voiced that efforts to gain proficiency in different areas of the transcript could “become a race for competence rather than A’s,” though he added that it would still be a better learning experience.

Dennis also worried about the increased reliance on standardized testing. “I think colleges will rely more heavily on standardized testing. How [else] do you wade through all of these soft skills for students?” she said.

The Mastery Transcript, which offers an profile of student traits and attributes, along with their proficiency in various topics, would theoretically allow colleges to take a personal, thorough approach to assessing a student’s strengths. “I can say to Harvard now that you are a 93 in English, but I don’t need to provide any evidence that you are a 93. The Mastery Transcript might make a claim that you are a good analytical thinker, and then provide the college evidence of that claim,” Wood said.

Mastery-like curricula at other schools Junior Jacob Vietorisz, who attended The Mead School in Stamford, Conn., noted the positive educational aspects of a grade-free curriculum. While Mead does not use the Mastery Transcript, it similarly assesses its students through written analysis instead of traditional grades. He said, “From each of our subject teachers we would receive up to three pages of written analysis of skills: things to work on, anecdotes of when we might have exhibited one of those skills, citing different moments which could be evidence of our needing to improve or having improved on something.”

Vietorisz also noted that teacher reports of students allow for a more holistic classroom evaluation. He explained how teachers were able to craft a more cohesive discussion of who you are as a student in class, which reflects academic strengths and weaknesses as well as social skills and different aspects of your character.

Masters bids farewell to teachers and administrators JoSeph GoldStein Staff Writer At the end of each year, the Masters community says goodbye to a number of departing staff members. This year, performing arts teacher Jessica Bogart, science teacher Dr. Catharine Boothroyd, Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid Keith Holton, Associate Director of Admission for International Students and the Director of the International Students Program Mary Holton, Associate Head of School Tim Kane and Chinese teacher Joy Yuan are moving on from Masters.

Bogart, who has been a teacher at Masters for the past two years, has had a profound impact on the Department of Performing Arts.

This past winter, Bogart directed the school musical, Spring Awakening. Additionally, Bogart taught multiple classes involving theater such as Musical Theatre Workshop, Public Speaking, Middle School Drama and Dance Technique. Bo-

gart is unsure of where her career will take her next, however, she knows that her experiences at Masters will contribute to whatever profession she takes up next.

Throughout Boothroyd’s time at Masters, she has taught chemistry and biology while also running a science research program and serving as a co-chair of Masters’ Community Council. Sophomore Zack Barnet, one of her chemistry students, noted that she always brings a lighthearted tone to class and manages to make it fun. “She gives us a lot of opportunities to display our understanding of the material,” Barnet said. Boothroyd is leaving after a seven-year teaching stint at Masters.

Keith and Mary Holton are both departing Masters after beginning at the school in 2013. The Holtons both worked in Admissions. Mr. Holton was the Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid, while Mrs. Holton worked with international students. In addition, she taught a class of Freshmen Seminar.

Tim Kane has held the position of Associate Head of School since

2011 and has played a crucial role in coordinating events involving parents and alumni. Kane traveled to Asia twice, most recently with Head of School Laura Danforth to discuss with parents the potential international students about life at Masters for boarding students.

Kane is taking a position in the Admissions Office at Vassar College; his successor has yet to be named.

Yuan leaves the school after teaching Mandarin at Masters for three years. She taught all five lev-

els of Mandarin offered at Masters.

Junior Shane Halpin, who was in her class for three years and plans to take Chinese IV next year, was disappointed to learn she would not be returning next year, “She does a very good job in including everyone in class discussions and encourages us to use our Chinese more in and outside of the classroom,” Halpin said. Yuan’s wife accepted a job offer in California and as a result, she will move across the country with her. While she has not yet se-

cured a job in California, she hopes to work as a teacher, in addition to hoping to create a Mandarin curriculum and textbook with her friend sometime in the near future.

Members of this year’s Introduction to Journalism class interviewed some of the teachers mentioned above. To find out more about Bogart’s, Yuan’s or Kane’s experiences at Masters and their plans for the future, visit tower. mastersny.org.

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOY YUAN

MORE THAN SIX TEACHERS and administrators will be departing Masters this year, with three pictured here. They are LEFT: Performing arts teacher Jessica Bogart; CENTER: Associate Head of School Tim Kane; RIGHT: Chinese teacher Joy Yuan.

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

NEWS

Masters buzzes over new EFFECT beehives

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ISAAC CASS

A GROUP OF MASTERS students helped with the installation of two beehives on campus. They hope to purchase a third with the money they raise from selling honey and wax. The beehives are managed and organized by EFFECT.

Tyler Conway Web Editor Last school year’s theme of sustainability seems to have had a lasting effect on how Masters’ students think about the environment, with two new beehives installed on campus on April 13. According to environmental science teacher and co-dean of EFFECT, Courtney White, the bees will have a wide array of benefits for the school.

“The bees will help pollinate the wildlife on campus and allow our ecosystem to become more self-reliant. They are also a highly useful learning tool for students studying environmental science.”

White said.

Tower was invited into White’s ninth grade Environmental Problem Solving and Applications class to hear what students had to say about the new bees.

When asked about the state of the bees’ health, freshman Cooper Kramer said, “We’ve been studying the bees for a week now. We haven’t actually

been to the hives, but we will visit soon. One of the hives didn’t accept their queen so they killed her; other than that the bees have been doing well.”

The environmental students use a website called Weather Stem, where they can take data from NASA and other sources and compare the data to their own findings to reach conclusions about the bees.

EFFECT aspires to add a third hive to the existing two hives. “We would love to add an observation hive to our hives to improve the quality of our bee research, and allow the students to have a more hands-on experience with the bees,” White said.

An observation hive is a specialized beehive with a screen that allows observers to look into the hive for research purposes. “EFFECT will extract the honey and sell it. The money we raise from the honey and wax we collect will be put to use towards expanding the bee program, like purchasing the observation hive for the students,” White added.

As a new addition to the school community, students are anxious to see what benefits the bee hives may bring.

Iran Deal exit raises concern elijah emery News Editor US President Donald J. Trump announced his intention to withdraw the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Deal, the preeminent foreign policy achievement of his predecessor, Barack H. Obama, on May 8. The deal, first signed in 2015, required re-ratification every 90 days. The decision to withdraw could have profound consequences: the move leaves the US politically isolated, and could result in consequences in both the Middle East, and in negotiations with North Korea.

Under the agreement, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium and cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98%. It also agreed to reduce the number of its gas centrifuges by about two-thirds for 13 years. For the next 15 years following the initial signing of the deal, Iran could only enrich uranium up to 3.67%.

Additionally, Iran agreed not to build any new heavy-water facilities for the 15 years following the deal. Furthermore, uranium-enrichment was limited to a single facility, which was only permitted to use first-generation centrifuges for 10 years. Other facilities were to be be converted to avoid prolifer-

ation risks.

To monitor and verify Iran’s compliance with the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities in exchange for Iran’s compliance in its promises, relief was provided from the U.S., European Union and United Nations Security Council nuclear-related economic sanctions.

Trump’s move isolates the U.S from many of its western allies, such as France and Germany, who previously urged the president to recertify the deal. These allies offered compromises such as the agreement to re-impose sanctions if Iran was within a year of building a nuclear weapon, but Trump refused. Additionally, the move may impact upcoming negotiations with North Korea and comes at a time of high tensions in the Middle East, as Israeli and Iranian forces clash in Syria.

As a result of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the deal, the U.S. will re-impose sanctions that the nation had in place prior to the deal, and consider increasing their stringency.

While the U.S. has removed itself from the deal, other signatories—including Iran, France, the UK, and Germany—have announced their intention to continue following what was laid out in the accords. This raises the odds of a clash between the U.S. and its European allies, because if European companies do business in Iran, they will now be sanctioned.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ANNOUNCES his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This move, opposed by all the other nations involved in the deal, is politically isolating for the U.S.

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FEATURES

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

Rise and shine: A day in the life of Yahira Estrella, Dining Hall Supervisor Sarah Faber Features Editor During an average lunch service, the Cameron Mann Dining Hall will go through 50 pounds of rice, 60 pounds of greens, over 100 pounds of protein, plus bread, deli meats and salad bar fixings, totalling a whopping 520 pounds of food each lunch. Keeping all three hot food stations, the salad bar, the panini press and the pasta station stocked while 1,100 people circulate through the dining hall is no easy feat, but for Yahira Estrella, it’s just a regular Tuesday.

Before Masters hired Brock as their food service provider, Estrella worked under the old company, Aramark, for 10 years. Estrella has worked for Brock for two years now. She first started as an hourly employee; her job was to restock the hot beverage station. When describing the volume of tea bags Masters goes through on a daily basis, she shakes her head and chuckles. “A lot! I refill everything in the morning, like, five times.”

Promoted to Dining Hall Supervisor last year, Estrella is now in charge of directing all the employees, setup and making sure everything runs smoothly. If food is low, Estrella is the one dashing in

and out of the kitchen to make sure the chefs start cooking up the next tray.

“We saw the fact that she was capable, and that her peers respected her, so we saw the opportunity to offer her the title of Dining Hall Supervisor,” Lee Bergelson, General Manager of Brock said. “She’s had this role since the middle of last year and she’s been absolutely fantastic.”

Her morning starts early– Estrella wakes up at 5 a.m. and departs her home in Yonkers, NY before her three daughters leave for school. Her daughters are 11, 15, and 18– the eldest will attend She’s had this role since the middle of last year, and she’s been absolutely fantastic - LEE BERGELSON Bronx Community College in the fall. By 7 a.m. Estrella has arrived at school, and has prepared the Dining Hall for breakfast service. By 9 a.m. she’s wiped down every inch of the omelet bar, cereal station and toaster area, so that she can start setting up for lunch.

From 7 a.m. until 2 p.m., Estrella is rarely sitting down.

In 2005, Estrella moved to Yonkers from the Dominican Republic.

Everyone in her family came with her. In fact, her brother works as a dishwasher in the Dining Hall; her sister works as a supervisor. Every year, during her summers off, Yahira and her family return to the Dominican Republic. While there, Yahira relaxes, goes to the beach and to the river and meditates. She likes to listen to merengue music, especially bachata.

By the time lunch service rolls around, the dining hall is the antithesis of calm. All of the various parts of the dining hall, spanning the salad bar, panini area, hot beverage station, three hot food lines, deli station and gluten free area, need to work together to make it a well-oiled machine. Estrella is the intermediary between the front of the house and back of the house, firing orders when food is running low and transporting trays in and out of the kitchen.

Once the crowds have dispersed from the dining hall, Yahira folds up her apron and leaves Masters at around 2 p.m. She cleans her house, cooks dinner for her family and picks her daughters up from school.

“My favorite job to do [at Masters] is serving the food,” Yahira said. “The students are nice, they say thank you and please. Sometimes they can be a little sassy, pero, it’s okay.”

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

LEFT: YAHIRA ESTRELLA MOVED to Yonkers, NY in 2005 from the Dominican Republic. She has only been working for Brock for two years, but has quickly risen through the ranks.

RIGHT: ESTRELLA SETS OUT fixings for the salad bar. The salad bar uses around 60 pounds of greens every day– and Yahira is in charge of managing it.

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

SPORTS

Sports: Panther Year in Review The boys’ varsity soccer team cruised through the season with an overall regular season record of 13-3. A multitude of injuries forced them to battle this year, and test their abilities mentally and physically.

Boys’ varsity soccer continued on their upward trajectory, making it to the NYSAIS quarterfinal and placing second in the FAA league, led by captains Joost-Olan Sheehan and Oludayo Thomas.

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

November 5 & 11, 2017

February 9, 2018

11

Boys’ squash culminated their season by placing second in the Division III U.S. HIgh School Championship. The boys were assisted by Nouran Youssef, a sophomore recruit from Egypt who is one of the top-ranked players in the world. She, along with Taha Dinana ‘22 and Youssef Aly ‘19, went undefeated during the tournament. The Squash team also hosted The Masters Open.

PICTURED: GARRETT WENBERG VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

PICTURED: DEXTER KALDERON

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

The fencing squads took home noteworthy trophies, with each team placing in the top three overall in the Independent School Fencing League.

At the championship, boys’ foil finished first in league play with a 14-0 record, obtaining second place. Additionally, girls foil and epee clinched second in the league with records of 13-3.

February 24, 2018

The swim team competed in the Fairchester League Championships.

At the meet, junior Marcus Diaz received a silver medal for his time in the 100-meter freestyle.

The boys ended up finishing in third place and the girls finished in fifth.

PICTURED: ELLA FURNISS

PICTURED: NOAH BARTON

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

February 26, The girls’ varsity basketball team entered the offseason with an impressive 20-5 record, accompanied by an 11-game win streak. the girls varsity basketball team played in the NYSAIS championship.

Though they lost in the finals, they won the Tappan Zee Tip-Off tournament and the Masters Holiday Classic, beating Dalton in the final round.

The team was small and focused, comprised of eight players, six of them recruits. At one point, they were the number one ranked girls private school team in New York.

2018

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

PICTURED: BOYS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM

This year, the boys’ varsity basketball team has had an amazing season, which included winning the NYSAIS state championships.

After trailing for a majority of the game, the boys certainly stepped up and were able to clinch a win.

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

PICTURED: NOEMIA MASSINGUE

April 28, 2018

This year has been historic for the boys’ varsity volleyball team. The team ended the season with a record of 6-1 and even made it to the NYSAIS championship.

The team has worked extremely hard this season and as a result they have managed to break Masters’ boys volleyball history.

A close first set and a rally back to win the second wasn’t enough for Masters, who fell to The Calhoun School 1-3 despite a thrilling match.

VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER

PICTURED: YOUSSEF ALY

May 19, 2018

PICTURED: LUKE FERRANDO Masters sent four runners to compete in Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and field event in the United States.

The event resulted in success for these runners.

The team finished second in the their 4 by 400 meter event.

With this achievement, the team now looks for more opportunities such as this one, to show what they can do at a high level.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB GILMARTIN

Thank you to all the fans who supported the Masters student athletes, to Mr. Gormley for the fan buses to away games, Brendon Barrios and Megan MacWilliams for organizing the Pack The Den and spirit week events!

While this timeline cannot feature every single sports achievement or event from this school year, it attempts to showcase a few highlights from the year full of championships, awards and school spirit.

PHOTOS BY VINCENT ALBAN

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SPORTS

SportS

TOWER/MAY 25, 2018

Boys’ track grabs podium finish at Penn Relays

THE TEAM EXCEEDED THEIR expectations for this season, finishing second in their 4 by 400 meter event. From this success, the team now wants the opportunities to race for Masters in more major competitions.

HENry WILLIaMs Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Masters sent four runners to compete in the annual Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and field event in the United States, alongside more than 15,000 other participants on the weekend of April 26-28. In the midst of a deafening crowd tens of thousands strong, the boys relay team came out in second place in their division for the 4 by 400 meter event and

fifth in the 4 by 100 meter event.

Even more impressive, the relay squad that pulled it off was made up of three sophomores and a junior, facing off against teams often made up of seniors from significantly larger programs. The group was made up of runners Jonas Abady, Luke Ferrando, Dorian Gilmartin, and Judah Francella accompanied by manager Tyler Chisolm and Coach Shakwi Jam. Sophomore Jonas Abady described the competition: “You have kids who are supposed to be in high

school, who look like grown men, out on the track.” A large number of schools from outside the country were in attendance, according to Abady.

What most surprised Abady was just how animated the huge crowd was and how involved they were in the events. “The crowd is reacting to what’s happening as you run, and there are so many eyes on you,” Abady said. In Masters’ heat, during the second leg of the 4 by 400 meter relays, a runner from another school had a nasty fall,

which provoked a major reaction from the crowd and required medical attention.

Junior and team captain Luke Ferrando said “During the handoff, I might have had more adrenaline than I’ve ever had before in my life.” He continued, “I got the baton, and just looked out at how many eyes were on me.”

Just outside the stadium, the Penn Relays Carnival buzzes with excitement and life. “This was very different from a normal meet,” Ferrando said, “There’s an entire vil-

BOB GILLMARTIN/TOWER

lage outside packed with food vendors and various attractions.”

After such an exciting performance, Ferrando and Abady both look forward to more chances to compete for Masters. “This is where elite teams go,” Ferrando said, adding that Masters track program has a significant and growing reputation within its league. “For me, running has been a big stress reliever for the pressures of junior year, and something I hope to get better and better at,” Ferrando said.

Boys’ varsity tennis finishes season on strong note EMMa LuIs Editor-In-Chief

VINCENT ALBAN / TOWER

TEAMMATES ALEXANDER MAGILL AND Jackson Freiman look on as sophomore Eric Dowd serves. An unspoken rule on the team is to watch every match and support teammates.

Boys’ varsity tennis had a strong beginning this year, and is set to wrap up their season with a solid 6-6 record. The team, composed of four graduating seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and one freshman, has mastered the balance of being a competitive opponent while creating an environment that allows for fun and self-improvement.

The team underwent a major change this season. Since the switch of the girls’ tennis teams to the fall season, the boys’ teams have had more time to hone in on their own skills. “I think it’s been really great. We’ve had a lot of enthusiasm this year,” Head Coach Greg Lesser said. “Especially since we switched the girls tennis season, the boys have had more court time which has helped with

COLUMN: TEAMS OF RIVALS

Golden Knights’ success stems from tragedy MITCHELL FINK If you pay any attention whatsoever to the sport of hockey, chances are you know what the Vegas Golden Knights are doing. An expansion team in their inaugural season, Las Vegas’ first ever professional sports franchise are on a tear. They have ravaged their formidable Western Conference adversaries en route to a completely unprecedented trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. One might ask how this is possible, and there are many factors, however there is one that is seemingly overlooked by hockey fans and analysts around the hockey world.

On Sunday, Oct. 1, the city of Las Vegas lost 55 lives in a tragic mass shooting at the Route 91 Music Festival. Nine days later, inside T-Mobile Arena, fans mourned the lost, and turned their grievances into a rally cry that would carry their Golden Knights all season: Vegas Strong. The tragic events that unfolded near the Mandalay Bay Hotel had somehow given Las Vegas a sense of community and a common cause. Longtime Las Vegas resident and Golden Knights defenseman gave a powerful speech before the Golden Knights’

home opener against the Arizona Coyotes. He said, “To all of the families and friends of the victims, know that we’ll do everything we can to help you and our city heal.

We are Vegas Strong.” However, while this may seem like an outlier, sports teams often go on deep runs after a tragedy.

Further still, seemingly through the sense of community they created after the Route 91 Shooting, Vegas has created a devoted fan base not only of bandwagon fans who are along for the ride of the wild success story of the Golden Knights, but of Las Vegas natives.

Another example of this would be the 2013 Boston Red Sox. Once again, tragedy had struck the city of Boston as its marathon was ruthlessly bombed, sending the city into mourning. Yet again, the Red Sox used that horrific event to unite Boston, and ultimately won their eighth World Series in front of 37,000 fans at Fenway Park.

Time after time it seems that tragedies and suffering bring a city together, and it shows that when a city comes together, they can achieve much more than simply getting through the pain.

a lot with commitment and being able to practice more,” Lesser added.

“We started off this season strong.

Recently, we’ve been playing really skilled teams. We’ve been putting in really good effort,” Sophomore Jonas Kolker said. The team had three straight wins earlier in the season against Long Island Lutheran High School, Storm King School and Rye Country Day School.

Despite being almost exclusively an individual sport, the team strives to foster a sense of teamwork and sportsmanship. Junior Thomas West said, “We all stay after our matches and watch all the other matches and cheer them on.

We get to build up team spirit past all of our individual matches. That way you feel like you are getting cheered on by the team, while still playing for something bigger than yourself.”

Sophomore Brian Margolis echoed West, “I came in knowing maybe three

fourths of these guys, and now I know all of them really well. I definitely have become friends with a lot of them and we have a lot of fun with each other. We work really well as a team, and always cheer each other on.”

The team ended their season by competing on Mon. May 14 at the FAA championships, sending their top singles players, senior Oren Vasser and junior Alex Magill, and two doubles teams, freshman Max Miller and sophomore Eric Dowd, and senior Matt Friedman and sophomore Sam Holliday. Vasser returned with trophy in hand after winning the singles FAA championship title. Vasser made a hard-fought comeback against Brunswick after losing the first set 2-6, then overcame his opponent in a 10-point tiebreaker. With FAA championship in hand, he will be continuing his tennis career past Masters at the College of William & Mary.

VINCENT ALBAN / TOWER

JUNIOR PARSA KEYVANI LUNGES for a wide ball in a match against Brunswick.

Parsa has been on varsity tennis since his first year at Masters, and will play his third season for Masters next spring.

Boys’ volleyball serves up success LogaN ToporoFF Managing Editor As Masters spring sports head towards the end of their season, the boys varsity volleyball team accomplishes many of the seasons goals and breaks new boundaries for the sport.

This year, the team has seen many improvements, placing them at a 7-1 record, and in the second seed in NYSAIS, bringing them to the championships for the first time in Masters boys’ volleyball history. They have already won the state quarterfinals against the Horace Mann School and Semi Finals against Leman.

This season brought in many interested players and seniors leaders, giving the team a better opportunity to grow and improve.

The team’s captains include senior Dexter Kalderon and junior Noel Grodesky. Kalderon said, “This year we are a lot more organized and people are much more committed.”

This season has been centered more around bettering the athletes knowledge of the sport, speeding up their moves and strengthening both offensive and defensive plays according to Kalderon.

Practices have been geared towards the goal of having a more competitive season than last year’s. This season, they also gained a new head coach, Chanel Flowers, who adjusted them to a new style of coaching.

“Every practice is different this year. We want to be working on what

VINCENT ALBAN / TOWER

SENIOR THOMAS OLADAYO LEADS a team huddle before their match against the Leman Manhattan Preparatory School. Masters went on to win the thrilling game, 3-2. we need to improve on, not what we to compete in the New York State already know how to do,” Flowers Association of Independent Schools said. She also added, “They took to (NYSAIS) against The Calhoun this type of coaching style and ran School. with it. They started to accelerate a Throughout the game, the crowd lot faster than last season and even of Masters Students and faculty before mid season became ready to that attending was ecstatic. With advance and take control of game.” every serve, volley, hit and spike As a whole, the team set initial the Masters’ crowd roared with engoals and worked hard to accom- thusiasm. plish them, progressing quickly to The team lost the first set 25-21 an advanced level, according to their but managed to rally and win the coach. Flowers said, “I couldn’t have second set 25-19 after being down asked for more dedicated athletes, 14-8. After two more sets the team from tryouts to playing to becom- lost. ing one of the best teams I’ve ever Despite this loss, the team has coached.” managed to finish runner-up in NYOn May 23, the team traveled to SAIS to conclude the best season in the Ethical Culture Fieldston School program history.