Tower Issue #4 (2024-2025)

The zone:

Trump’s orders overwhelm the system

looding the zone is a strategy developed by Trump and his team to overwhelm the Democrats with a “flood” of executive orders and actions so that they can’t keep up. Some of the orders may actually require congressional approval and some may be determined by the courts to be unconstitutional, but by releasing so many all at once, the hope is that many will be implemented before challenges can be mounted to them.

FJack Bilman Web Editor

Constitutional Crisis

AP American US History and Political Science teacher Colleen Roche defined the term constitutional crisis as, “A point when the boundaries of the constitution

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SIGNS an executive order banning transgender athletes from womens sports. He has signed 70 in his first 30 days in office, some of which will not go into effect. Instead, he is engaging in a tactic known as “flooding the zone.”

are stretched in unprecedented ways.” Various actions such as the initiation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), attempted the ending of birthright citizenship, and extending the executive branch’s power point towards a constitutional crisis. Many scholars agree with this. For example, in an interview with the New York Times, Edward Chemerinsky, the Dean of Law at the University of California Berkeley, said “There have been

so many unconstitutional and illegal actions in the first 18 days of the Trump presidency. We never have seen anything like this.” Furthermore, in an interview with the Boston University newspaper, Professor of Law Jessica Silbey said “When people elected to uphold the rule of law and to follow the Constitution openly defy the plain meaning of laws, then yes, we’re in a constitutional crisis.”

What is an executive order?

According to the American Bar Association, “An executive order is a signed, written, and published directive from the President of the United States that manages operations of the federal government.”

Additionally, executive orders are only permitted to alter the operations of the executive branch. Executive orders also may not override the authority

Can he really do that?

Several of Donald Trump’s Executive orders are well within his rights. For example, he signed an executive order called the Initial Recessions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions. This executive order revokes 78 executive orders and Presidential Memorandums issued by the Biden administration that covered issues ranging from protections for trans people, climate change, immigration, criminal justice and healthcare - such as ending Biden’s rules capping the cost of some prescription drugs such as insulin. According to the Department of Justice,“EOs (executive orders) are published in the Federal Register, and they may be revoked by the President at any time.” While this order is quite far-reaching, it is well within the bounds of an executive order. Executive orders created by a president are often rescinded by their successors. Biden, for example, rescinded almost three dozen of Trump’s executive orders during his first week in office in 2021. Though legal, some executive orders are potentially damaging to some Americans, including Masters students with businesses. For example, Trump has threatened to place tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. Even though this order is legal, it could very well force foreign companies exporting to the US to raise prices, potentially hurting Americans trying to buy foreign products. It can also hurt small businesses. Leo Koski, class of 2028, owns a small business called Coco & Nibs Coffee, and he often gets products from countries like Canada. Koski said “A 25 percent tariff on Canada could really hurt my business because I import lots of products from there. Also, some of the companies that buy my products could stop doing business with me if I was forced to raise my prices that much.”

of the judicial and congressional branches. These orders may also be challenged in the courts and be overturned. For example, in 2023, President Biden signed an executive order that forgave 10,000 dollars of student loan debt per borrower. However, it was shut down by the Supreme Court, making it a prime example of how executive orders can be handled by other branches.

With some help Probably not

On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order to establish the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE for short. This entity is dedicated to cutting federal spending. But does DOGE have any real power to cut spending? Trump has also issued executive orders freezing some government spending and also has said that he will eliminate government offices such as the United States Agency for Internal Development and the Department of Education. However, under the Constitution, Congress has the sole power to create federal government offices and also control spending.

The Impoundment Act of 1974 was passed by Congress to clearly limit the president’s power to withhold funds earmarked for spending.

Legal challenges have been mounted against Trump’s attempts to cut spending through executive orders and most legal scholars believe that Trump will lose these cases. To get rid of government organizations like the DOE and USAID will likely require congressional action. These cuts may happen because the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans who support these efforts, but Trump can’t legally do it by executive action alone.

Some of Trump’s executive orders thus far may be simply unconstitutional. Most notably, he signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship. This is largely seen by legal scholars - and the courts that have ruled so far - as unconstitutional because the Fourteenth Amendment so clearly states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” This basically means that people born in the United States, no matter the citizenship status of their parents, are American citizens. This order clearly contradicts the Constitution and has been shut down by multiple federal judges. Roche, “I can’t imagine even a conservative supreme court, which we have in place now, going along with that.”

Other executive orders may also be ruled unconstitutional. On Feb. 18, Trump signed another executive order that is largely seen by lawyers as unconstitutional. In section seven of the executive order entitled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” Trump is seen by some as having greatly overstepped his reach. It says “The President and the Attorney General, subject to the President’s supervision and control, shall provide authoritative interpretations of law for the executive branch.” This is a complicated legal issue involving how quasi-independent government entities like the Securities and Exchange Commission are controlled by the executive branch. It is unclear how the courts will rule about the constitutionality of this particular order - but it may be another case in which the Constitution, through the courts, limits the power of the president.

JOSHUA SUKOFF/CREATIVE COMMONS

Hope for a better future: An Israeli and Palestinian discussion

Justine Pascutti Editor-in-Chief

Frustrated by the way extreme voices dominate online discourse and drown out nuanced perspectives, Israeli-American educator Yirmiyahu Danzig and Palestinian-American writer and analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib led a discussion at The Masters School on Jan. 22, about the history and current realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Organized in partnership with ConnectED, the event explored their communities’ narratives, points of agreement and disagreement, and potential pathways toward peace.

Masters is part of a cohort of 19 schools working with ConnectED, an educational platform that partners with academic institutions to foster critical thinking, empathy, and respectful discourse on the Israel-Palestine conflict, antisemitism, and Jewish history.

Selas Douglas, associate head of school for Inclusive Excellence at Masters, said that while Masters had previously hosted individuals affected by the conflict, this discussion was significant because it featured speakers with direct ties — one born in Gaza, thew other living in Israel — who had both lost family

members to the violence. He said, “It felt really important for us to be able to bring folks that are committed to that conversation to campus, not only to model that dialogue, but to help us think about how we relate to one another in our own community.”

Alkhatib shared his background growing up in Gaza, and how his exposure to Israelis and Jews outside the context of the conflict has shaped his understanding. He highlighted the internal divisions within Palestinian society, particularly between Gaza natives and refugees, and the need to separate the struggle for self-determination from extremist ideologies, criticizing Hamas for manipulating narratives to justify violence. Despite the immense personal loss he has endured, losing 30 family members in the conflict, Alkhatib remains committed to promoting dialogue and peace as a path forward.

Danzig, drawing from his experience as an Israeli and a former squad commander in Israel’s border police, discussed the widespread misunderstandings about Jewish identity and Israeli history. He criticized the way Jewish people are often portrayed in Western discourse, arguing that Israel is frequently misrepresented as a colonialist project rather than a homeland

for a historically displaced and persecuted people. Danzig argued that while critique of Israeli policies is legitimate, it is often framed in ways that delegitimize Jewish identity and Israel’s right to exist.

The discussion also highlighted the role of social media in shaping public opinion and exacerbating polarization. Both speakers expressed frustration with the way extreme voices dominate online discourse, drowning out nuanced perspectives. Both Danzig and Alkhatib pointed to moderate voices being silenced by social pressures within their own communities, preventing them from publicly expressing moderate or critical views.

“

cussion is possible and to challenge the binary thinking that dominates much of the discourse on the conflict.

I would’ve hoped that more people would’ve gone. I wish I could have had those discussions with peers and input from other people.”

- Aaron Weinberg ‘25

Senior Sophie Moussapour’s background and personal identity has influenced her engagement with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and her pursuit of deeper understanding. “My mom is Jewish and my dad’s family is Muslim from Iran. And so it’s been a really interesting dynamic with the conflict that has lent itself to my trying to research the history of Israel and Palestine and how the history has escalated and what led to October seventh.”

tious issue on college campuses and the role parents play in helping their children navigate these discussions. Weinberg said, “One of the big things was, it’s not about force-feeding your child information, but giving them a full lens of the situation and letting them form their own opinions.”

He continued, “I think it [the event] was such a great experience. I would’ve hoped that more people would’ve gone. I wish I could have had those discussions with peers and input from other people. I really think that the whole Masters community would have valued that talk.”

In their closing remarks, the speakers offered hope for a better future, emphasizing that change will come from people engaging with one another rather than relying on governments or political leaders. They encouraged students and educators to foster environments where open dis-

She continued, “I saw this event as a wonderful opportunity to see and to take inspiration from their discourse, and it’s something my parents are similarly interested in, so I thought it would be really interesting to go with the both of them.”

Senior Aaron Weinberg also attended the event with his parents, and said that in conversation afterward the family discussed how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a conten-

Co-president of the Jewish Culture Club and senior Taylor Marlowe emphasized the humanity of the event and how both speakers highlighted complexities and suffering on each side of the conflict. Marlowe connected this idea directly to Masters’ educational philosophy, saying, “I think it’s really great that Masters is doing this. As a school, our whole thing is Harkness, you learn from each other, you have conversations and having these conversations is how you get further. And I think beyond it, going along with our mission to bring in these speakers, I think it’s amazing that I’m able to do stuff like this and hear these types of people through my high school.”

Dobbs 16 hits the right notes at ICHSA

ella Black Lead Sports Editor

The voices of Dobbs 16 don’t just blend, they captivate. This high-energy a cappella student group from the Masters community sings covers of songs and choreographs their own performances. They went to the 2025 International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) Northeast Quarterfinal, which took place on Feb. 9 at EMPAC in Troy, New York. This competition is hosted by Varsity Vocals, an international a cappella organization, and is one of the oldest a cappella competitions in the country. Dobbs 16 has been going since its earliest years, making it a longstanding tradition.

Jennifer Carnevale, chair of the Department of Performing Arts, and the groups teacher said, “When I was brand new here, around 25

years ago, the person who was directing it [Dobbs 16] at the time was taking the group to this competition, so I inherited it as a legacy.”

This competition also emphasizes sportsmanship and allows students to admire and appreciate each other’s work, even though they are on different teams.

This year, they placed third, a significant achievement, as they have not placed in the past six years.

According to Carnevale, the result offers the best of both worlds: they received recognition for their hard work, while having the freedom to move on from their competition set because they are not advancing to the next round.

The group has been diligently preparing for this event through workshops. Sienna Morin ‘25, who has taken on the role of choreographer, said, “How Dobbs 16 works is that, at the beginning of the year, we learn the first half of our repertoire, and then the first half of our songs, and then pick three songs for

the competition.” Morin refined the choreography over the break and, when the group came back, they had a full-day workshop to learn it.

DOBBS 16 MEMBERS SING at one of the oldest a capella competitions in the country. In this national competition, they placed third in the country

Beyond technical skills, what sets Dobbs 16 apart is their bond and diversity. Despite having many new members, the team’s dynamic thrived due to the welcoming nature of the returning members. Carnevale said, “Being in an a cappella group is a weird job, you have to be an individual and blend in at the same time.” Their ability to support each other and work together was key to their success. In addition to their strong camaraderie, Dobbs 16

stands out because of their diversity, both in musical taste and the members themselves. The group is made up of students with a wide range of interests outside of singing, which adds a unique energy to their performances. Carnevale said, “They genuinely like each other, they genuinely like what they’re doing, and they genuinely like what they’re singing and that translates on stage.”

This year’s setlist included Diamonds by Rihanna, Muddy Waters by LP and Don’t Wake Me Up by Chris Brown.

According to Morin, the group’s biggest strength lies in their sheer vocal talent, with amazing soloists and group singers. She said, “Not only do we have members who are strong in an ensemble, but we have so many individual voices that stand out, which makes our overall sound even more powerful.”

PHOTO BY DOBBS 16

AYANNA BECKETT/TOWER

YIRMIYAHU DANZIG IS AN Israeli Jewish rights and anti-racism activist. He speaks Hebrew, English, Arabic, Yiddish and Guyanese Creole.

AHMED FOUAD ALKHATIB IS a Palestinian American humanitarian activist and blogger. He grew up in Gaza and left as a teenage exchange student to the U.S. in 2005.

AYANNA BECKETT/TOWER

OpiniOn TOWER

EDITORIAL

News overload?

How to drink from the fire hose without drowning

Gulf of America. Elon Musk. Federal funding freezes. The sheer volume of news makes it hard to know where to begin. And it is not as if one can only focus on the “important” stories because lately, every headline seems to cast a bigger and bigger shadow over our lives. So, how do we approach the news without feeling overwhelmed?

Instead of agonizing over every news story, start with what matters the most to you. Not the most dramatic stories, but the ones that actually affect your life. Maybe your 15-minute bus ride is not enough time to dive into recent executive orders,

climate policy, or foreign affairs. Often, it is the smaller, local headlines – library events, town hall meetings, the weather – that shape your day-to-day life the most.

The news you read matters, but so does where the information comes from. Social media is particularly good at discreetly embedding bias and misinformation into news posts that are not always fact-checked, working hand-in-hand with algorithms designed to keep people scrolling and reacting. Traditional media outlets, on the other hand, label and distinguish opinions more clearly, usually in an Op-Ed section. Nonethe-

less, while these media platforms are more structured, they still carry political biases that influence their reporting. Recognizing these biases is essential to staying informed.

The press is an industry like any other. But it is also a freedom, one of the first enshrined in this country, and a tool. As with any tool, it cannot be used blindly – awareness and intent matter.

Instead of passively consuming headlines, focus on what directly affects you and verify sources. If a policy or event impacts your life, don’t just read about it, act on it. Show up to a town hall and ask questions. If a

policy impacts your community, call your representative as a constituent through the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. If you disagree with the policies of a business, boycott. If you’re upset about something, advocate. There are countless ways to engage, and it all starts with your relationship with the news.

Not every issue requires immediate action and it’s impossible to care about everything all the time. Stay informed, but take action where it matters most. Otherwise, the flood of information becomes paralyzing rather than empowering.

Carter’s long legacy unraveled by new Trump legislation

Elaina Barr Eto Lead Opinion Editor

Just a month after Donald Trump was re-elected as the 47th president of the United States, James Earl “Jimmy” Carter passed away at the age of 100. Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981, promoted environmental protection and education reform. Since his presidency, presidents, such as Joe Biden, have upheld his values, including the preservation of nature. However, as a new presidency begins, it seems the work of Carter is being erased.

Carter was a strong advocate in the fight against climate change. During his presidency, he established the National Energy Act of 1978 during the gas and oil U.S. energy shortage, reducing reliance on foreign oil and encouraging the use of solar energy to power homes. According to Alaska Public Media, in 1980, Carter also worked to preserve native Alaskan lands and signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), which expanded the size of national parks and refuges across the state.

In contrast, Trump has openly supported expanding oil and gas drilling. Just weeks before his inauguration, Biden issued an executive order banning drilling on 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters, as stated by Fox News. As president, Trump has already signed an executive order with the goal to undo Biden’s policies. During his first term, the Trump administration also opened up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling, an area protected by the federal government since 1960 that houses the Inupiat and Gwich’in Indigenous communities.

Despite the economic benefits of strengthening America’s energy cre-

PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER AND President Donald Trump policies contradict each other in many ways. Here Barreto explores the differences in their approaches to education

ation, the environmental impacts are disastrous. Trump is more concerned with money than the current climate crisis. He wants to strengthen the creation of American-made energy, but at what cost? A temporary economic boost at the expense of a decades-long fight to focus on renewable energy production and fight climate change? With the climate clock ticking, why should America backtrack from the progress we’ve made so far?

Carter also had a significant impact on American education. Before his presidency, federal education programs were scattered among different agencies. In 1979, however, Carter established the Department of Education (DOE).

The DOE created access to quality education for minorities and those from low-income families, but despite the advantages of the DOE, Trump follows in the footsteps of previous Republicans: he threatens to abolish it.

As he said in an interview with Time Magazine, “We want to move the schools back to the

states…we’re at the bottom of every list in terms of education and we’re at the top of the list in terms of the cost per pupil…we’ll spend half the money on a much better product.”

Mason Dwek, a co-chair of the Election Club ‘24, warns shutting down the DOE would create disparity in the quality of education between states since the guidelines the education department requires for all schools throughout the country would be removed and each state government would establish their own schools standards.

The DOE also enforces civil rights laws and gives funding to protect marginalized people, such as disabled students. The absence of the DOE could cause varied enforcement of these laws and also reduce funding for education workers, such as school psychologists, who need certain resources to help students with disabilities.

As the daughter of a school

2024-2025

Editors-in-Chief

Ellie Hise

Justine Pascutti

Rooke Wiser

Lead News Editor: Allie Faber

News Editor: Mila Benson

Lead Features Editor: Neena Atkins

Features Editor: Ella Liu

Lead Sports Editor: Ella Black

Sports Editor: Thomas McCallum

Lead Opinion Editor: Elaina Barreto

Visuals Director and Opinion Editor:

Ayanna Beckett

Illustration Editor: Jenny Xu

Web Editor: Jack Bilman

Social Media Manager and PR Editor

Loewy Nalle

Faculty Advisors

Matt Ives

Ellen Cowhey

Columnists

Alex Kritzer

Eunice Wang

Annadele Dyott

Contributing Writers

Brielle Broomes

Brooke Muntner

Angela Heslee

Helen Gao

Siena Versaci

psychologist in the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE), for years I’ve heard my mother describe her work assessing students to determine their cognitive, academic and social-emotional functioning and recommending the special education services they need. The funding the NYC DOE receives from the government enables her and her coworkers to purchase important assessment tools, such as standardized tests and protocols, needed to identify learning disabilities. These assessment tools, along with the scoring software part of digital packages that the DOE provides, require periodic updates every few years. Without federal funding, it would become increasingly difficult to obtain the assessment tools necessary to classify and support students with educational disabilities.

As people become aware of how the removal of the DOE directly affects children, it’s important that parents work to prevent children with learning disabilities from a difficult future of struggling to secure high-paying jobs because of poorer academic outcomes by contacting local representatives. Additionally, considering current children will be forced to live in whatever environmentally distressed world the “drill, baby, drill” initiative tries to create, it is imperative that people spread awareness through social media platforms of how environmental degradation impacts current and coming generations. By reviewing and remembering Carter’s legacy of ecological conservation and educational improvement, we can construct a more secure future.

Photographers & Illustrators

Chana Kim

Sophia Ding

Alyssa Wang

Rose Yuan

Jovelysa Molina

Annadele Dyott

Roni Barkan

Colin Smith

Online Media

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scholastic Press affiliations, letters anD eDitorial Policy

Tower is the winner of the Pacemaker Award for Overall Excellence, an award-winning member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), Journalism Education Association (JEA) and Quill and Scroll. We encourage Letters to the Editor, which can be submitted to the following email address: TowerEditors@MastersNY. org. Published approximately six times a year, Tower, the student newspaper of The Masters School, is a public forum, with its Editorial Board making all decisions concerning content. Commentaries and opinion columns are the expressed opinion of the author and not of Tower and its Editorial Board or its advisers. Furthermore, the opinions conveyed are not those of The Masters School, faculty, or staff. Unsigned editorials express views of the majority of the Editorial Board.

CHANA KIM/TOWER

The Broligarchy Rises:

Tech bros, neofeudalism and the post-democratic order

Alex Kritzer Columnist

When discussing Trump2.0, too often we don’t put the fundamentals of American democracy first. Donald Trump himself, devoid of any coherent ideology and bereft of any clear endgoal beside the most base self-gratification, is anything but the problem. The real threats are those select few actually responsible for his election.

Vice President JD Vance admitted he is “plugged into a lot of weird, rightwing subcultures.” He is rare among Republicans: a source of insight into the stately, institutional side of the New Right. It is composed of some central intellectuals, and more worryingly,

their followers in the tech industry. Should the Trump regime ever truly reach the new lows of illiberalism and autocracy which the media fears, these men will be its actual leaders.

Let’s start with one theorist for whom Vance has openly declared his admiration in a 2021 podcast. Curtis Yarvin is the founder of the NeoReactionary (NRx) movement, which rejects the liberal and democratic ideals formed in the Enlightenment from a modern perspective.

Yarvin is, simply put, an absolutist-monarchist with a Silicon Valley background. He figures democracy promotes wasteful spending and corruption; that the state would fare better if it was privately owned by a sovereign “national CEO” financially invested in the valuation of his property.

Yarvin compares the basic structure of monarchy to that of the privately-owned firm, praising the efficiency of the imperial executive in streamlining the state itself as a corporate exec would their company.

Eventually, he claims, such a mode of government would mean a return to feudalism under the lordship of large, for-profit corporations with private police-state equipment. After all, there are no checks and balances in Silicon Valley: private firms operate essentially by dictate of the CEO.

Yarvin’s first step to privatize the U.S. government was “RAGE”: Retire All Government Employees.

op-ed.

By purging the established civil service, he aimed to allow the president to install a new class of ideological bureaucrats willing to take real action against the constitutional order. The Republican think-tank class has since quietly co-opted and rebranded neoreactionary policies as the “America First” platform, from Kevin Roberts’ Heritage Foundation to figures like the Trump administration’s Stephen

Miller, Michael Anton and Russel Vought. Needless to say, a proposal extremely similar to RAGE appears in the pages of Project 2025. Now it seems the plan is being implemented.

To corporate leaders obsessed with maximizing profit, the temptation to revisit monarchy must be similarly alluring: if only the directive of the state could be administered with the efficiency of the capitalist producer

at its helm, without the poor, witless masses getting in the way. It shouldn’t be shocking, then, to learn that Yarvin has many followers in his beloved tech industry. The tech “broligarch” most infamous for his dissatisfaction with democracy is Peter Thiel, one of the Republican Party’s biggest donors. Marc Andreessen, a tech mogul involved with the Trump transition, is also a friend of Yarvin. Elon Musk seems to have similar ideas about reshaping government in pursuit of private interests, albeit under the more mild facade of cutting waste and streamlining the fed.

As Musk’s primary threats to Republican dissenters prove, those with enough wealth can influence all levels of government. And now they’ve attained powerful positions, the forces of tech-bro feudalism are better poised than ever. For as long as campaign finance law remains as-is, the Broligarchy is real. Their hand-picked choice is already the vice president. They already own the media platforms on which you might wish to criticize them -- and that technology of such potential for surveillance and control seems only to increase in sophistication. As Trump’s distracting antics flood headlines, the underlying institutional issue is increasingly clear: America is entering another Gilded Age. Fortunately, we’ve defeated the robber-barons once before. The question to ask is how to do it again.

Vulcans, Hobbits and Hooligans: the trilogy of political personas faces unbalance

SienA VerSAci Contributing Writer

My personal favorite aspect of Star Trek (besides watching with my father) was the Vulcan people, a fictional extraterrestrial species. Each time one was in a scene, their characteristic strict adherence to logic and lack of emotional connection, was reminiscent of my mother. She is logical to a tee, and always there to provide an analytical analysis. Other than the Star Trek species, a Vulcan is a categorization of a person’s political persona. Political thinker Jason Brennon came up with three political personas: Hobbits, Hooligans and Vulcans. In these chaotic political times the balance of these political characters is off-kilter. We need more Vulcans -- and fewer Hobbits. Hobbits are people who have no interest in politics and are therefore uninformed and lacking passion for any political party. They pose a danger since they are often easily influenced by the next group, Hooligans. Brennan chose the term Hooligans because it is commonly used to describe rabid European soccer fans who know a lot about soccer but are tribalistic and biased against any other team. Politically, Hooligans are well informed on their side, much like a sports fan is informed on their team’s statistics. Still, like any sports fan, they hold

biases and are often so passionate that they become unable to see alternate perspectives making them dangerous and uninformed by default.

Vulcans, Brennon states, are the unattainable ideal. They are extremely well informed about all perspectives and therefore are dispassionate, not having allegiance to any side. Their role is to politically inform the Hooligans and Hobbits, and therefore influence politics from the outside since they themselves lack the passion.

To be truly informed is quite difficult especially in today’s world,

given social media’s tendency to form political echo chambers: media pushed to people by algorithms based on political alignment re-enforcing certain opinions while blocking out others. Still, while being informed is not unattainable, a Vulcan’s characteristic lack of emotion and passion is an unattainable state. Humans are not an extraterrestrial species. They cannot completely block out emotion and be entirely unbiased and logic-based. Still, this Hobbit, Hooligan and Vulcan categorization is a spectrum, making each categorization attainable.

I propose that we delve into this idea of a spectrum further. It could be said that this spectrum is actually circular in nature, meaning that people can shift their position and cross over from one character to another. If a Vulcan becomes too informed, they may become overwhelmed and switch to a Hobbit. If a Hobbit gains passion, they may become a Hooligan, not properly informed, but loud.

Today, I note a problem. With politics becoming so extreme, I am seeing the political Vulcans shifting in the circular spectrum. They are unable to remove themselves from the emotions, as they are so horrified by the extreme nature of today’s politics.

Vulcans that I know personally are disappearing and becoming Hobbits. They can’t bear to look at the news and stay informed. My mother, who used to read every news article from all different perspectives and even fully annotated the entirety of Project 2025 to learn about the opposite side, is closing herself off from the media.

This phenomenon is gaining prevalence.

While this shift in the political character spectrum is natural, in such extreme and polarized conditions, society is left unbalanced. Missing are the Vulcans who are integral, for though they do not participate in politics, as they lack the passion, they are necessary to inform others in society like Hobbits and Hooligans. Hooligans, having passion to a fault, often participate in politics. They are the ones who will go to the streets in protest, explore the data, make the phone calls, send the emails and even engage in civil disobedience to beam light on issues. As a society, we rely on Vulcans to do their duty and inform Hooligans of facts regarding politics. Further, Vulcans can often see what others cannot. They steer society away from calamity. We need a refresher and integration of groups. Vulcans should spend time with Hooligans and, inversely, Hooligans should hang out with Vulcans. Doing this allows Hooligans to learn about political facts and varying views, and helps Vulcans to develop passion. If you need a break from entrenchment in politics, maybe go into a Hobbit hole for a bit. Society cannot stay unbalanced for it risks further polarization and political ignorance. It is necessary that people inform themselves about their political character and explore these three personas in order to stay informed while also maintaining mental health.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND Vice President JD Vance sit on sofas with wires extending out of their backs, plugged into the throne where Elon Musk sits. Musk shares similar ideas about reshaping democracy into an oligarchy ruled by corporate leaders as the famous tech “broligarch,” Peter Thiel, here in Kritzer’s

ROSE YUAN/TOWER

WHILE VULCANS LIVE IN Star Trek, they also exist in the current political atmosphere where they inform others about different perspectives from a logical, and unemotional, viewpoint. Hobbits do not care about politics and are not affiliated with any political party whereas hooligans are passionate and well informed about their party and opinions.

JOVEY MOLINA/TOWER

Columns

Don’t call Africa a country

One evening at the dinner table, a friend casually asked, “Is Africa a country?” I barely had time to process the question before another friend confidently responded, “Of course, what else could it be?”

The moment stuck with me. My instinct was to blurt out my response that Africa is a continent, but before I had time to do so, the conversation had already moved on. I realized it wasn’t just any simple misunderstanding – the response

reflected a larger issue of how Africa is perceived. A quick Google search confirmed my concern: more than 5,000 people search for the answer to this question every month.

Far too often, Africa is treated as a monolith, a single entity rather than a continent of 54 independent nations, each with its own cultures, languages, and histories.

Senior Warsameh Jama knows this misconception all too well. He testifies, “When I first came here, people would ask me, ‘You know how to eat fufu?’ Fufu is a really famous dish from West Africa.

But I am not from that area of Africa, I’m from East Africa. People think we have the same culture, but that’s not true.”

The African continent is divided into five areas –Central, Southern, Northern, Western and Eastern – each with its own distinct characteristics.

Northern Africa is home to the world’s

second largest desert, the Sahara, and predominantly Arabic-speaking nations. East Africa, where Jama is from, features towering volcanoes, lakes, and mountains. Meanwhile, West Africa is known for its rich culinary traditions and music, and Southern Africa is famous for its wildlife and landscapes. Yet, despite this immense diversity, Africa is often reduced to a single narrative,

one that ignores the uniqueness of its people.

Jama, who is from Somaliland, has experienced this firsthand. He laments, “The thing is, no one knows about it, they say it’s part of Somalia. We have the same language but we have very different cultures.”

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since built its own government, economy, and elections. However, because it is not officially recognized by most of the world, many people are unaware of its existence. This small country, as stated by Jama, is not even on the map. The lack of recognition again reflects the broader issue of African nations being grouped together without understanding their individual histories.

SOMALILAND, THE COUNTRY JAMA is from, is located on few maps of Africa because of the small size of the country an its recent declaration of indepedence in 1991.

The oversimplification further risks overlooking the continent’s innovations, achievements, and cultural

“ People think [all african countries] have the same culture, but that’s not true.

-Warsameh Jama ‘25

richness. Countries like Kenya are leading in mobile banking technology, Nigeria’s Nollywood is one of the world’s largest film industries, and Rwanda has made immense progress in economic and sustainable development. Yet, these stories rarely make it to the headlines, resulting in a one-dimensional view of Africa for many. Thinking back on that day at the dinner table, I wished I had spoken up. I wish I had been able to confidently say, “No, Africa is not a country” and share the beauties of the individual nations.

Africa is not just one place. Africa is a vast, diverse continent, a mosaic of nations, histories, and cultures that deserve to be recognized and understood.

Grimes produces tragic art in Visions album

In the midst of the peplum and wedge sneaker epidemic of the early 2010s, Claire Boucher, known by most as her stage name, Grimes, released her third studio album, Visions, on Feb. 21, 2012. Grimes is likely most well known for her relationship with Elon Musk and their son so thoughtfully named “X Æ A-Xii.”

Even beyond her choices on lovers and baby names, Grimes does have her fair share of quirks. In 2019, she claimed to have had a reconstructive surgery on her eyeball to remove all blue light, a surgery labeled by experts as both illegitimate and illogical. Regardless, Grimes has not once conformed to any standard set by her industry or even common

sense, except, perhaps, the notion that one must be mentally tortured to make great art.

In the process of making Visions, Grimes infamously trapped herself in a self-made quasi-bunker without food, sleep, or even another tortured soul. The result? A masterpiece. In just 14 tracks and 49 minutes, Grimes serves a slice of her mind on a titanium platter. Over synthy bass lines, punchy beats, Grimes reaches her highest register, accompanying eerily composed tracks with

her dreamy, at times child-like, vocals. In “Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)”, a favorite track of mine, Grimes layers a crunchy beat with borderline intelligible lyrics. However, with a closer listen, layered over the main vocal track, Grimes sings, almost monotonically, “Be in the dark to be in a deep mind.”

I find that artists like to produce “tragic art” for the same reason people like to consume it. The artist is able to find some solace in the thought that their audience may be as troubled as they are and the audience finally receives validation that they are not alone.

Boucher has said Visions was composed in a rut of unfulfillment, a state of constantly chasing what she didn’t have and then not being satisfied when she finally got it.

Grimes routinely makes self-deprecating remarks, ironically once commenting that anyone can do what she does, it’s just a matter of confidence. Centuries worth of tortured artists, from Van Gogh to Cobain, have long been unintentionally infusing their strongest emotions into their work, creating art that, whether they realized

CLAIRE BOUCHER, ALSO KNOWN as Grimes, locked herself into a bunker without sleeping or eating in order to produce her album Visions. The album includes creepy tunes accompanied by high vocals that convey deep, tragic emotions.

it or not, could never quite be replicated. By amplifying the intensity of the creative process, Grimes produced something truly herself, something unrepeatable and forever irreplicable.

Grimes’ legacy will likely be tainted by her association with Musk, grouped in with headlines of X rants and Oval office visits. For the time being, GrOmes remains a

star, even five years after the release of her last album. She now has nearly seven million monthly listeners on Spotify and, with a couple of scrolls on TikTok, you’ll likely encounter the mystical openings of Visions tracks “Genesis” and “Oblivion” which now occupy viral status. A certified millennial, Grimes remains an icon of 21st century youth: unafraid, messy and original.

AnnAdele dyott Tower Columnist

eunice WAng Tower Columnist

ALYSSA WANG/TOWER

face uncertainty amid revoked protections Transgender students

Mila Benson & Rooke WiseR News Editor and Editor-in-Chief

In the opening month of his reclaimed presidency, President Donald Trump has moved swiftly to strip away protections for transgender individuals across the United States, casting a shadow over the community nationwide. For transgender students in the U.S., what should be a safe and equal educational environment now feels increasingly uncertain as new restrictions arise.

#: Status:

where I’m going to end up, whether that’s at college or at grad school or at some point in my future, and what that’s going to entail eventually for New York as well,” Keith said.

School Response

“When you are sitting with this fear, all day, every day, it makes everything else in life harder.” said Kaci Collins-Jordan, a transgender teacher. “It makes it harder

Summary: government entities from engaging in DEI programming

The College Process

As the college application season draws to a close for seniors and begins for juniors, students are deciding where to spend the next four years of their education. But for transgender students, an ad ditional, unique consideration emerges: the safety of their very ex istence on prospective campuses.

In six states, providing gen der-affirming care for minors is a felony. Nineteen other states have restrictions that range from outright bans on treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, to regulatory hurdles that can make care nearly impossible to access.

campus. Last year, we had an informational board and a memorial for Nex Benedict.” Nex Benedict was a non-binary 16-year-old student who died a day after being physically assaulted by their classmates.

Following the election, the school opened a processing space in the Center for Inclusive Excellence.

“With our current president, there is an obvious agenda that would impact this group of students,” Wilde said. “We did that to talk through what the election results meant to them, how they were feeling and also to plan for the future.”

Unlike public schools, private schools, such as Masters, are not bound by state or federal policies restricting LGBTQ+ rights. However,

but most teachers forget pronouns halfway through the year unless you pass as a transgender person.”

He added, “I’ve had many, many issues with my email… I requested [a change] freshman year when I changed my name in the school system, but I didn’t notice my dead name was still in the system… It took them so long to remove it, but somehow, it got put back up. I’ve honestly given up at this point.” Chioffi noted the response from faculty has been inconsistent. “There

all of 2024, 674 anti-trans bills were introduced, highlighting the aggressive legislative push intensifying in Trump’s second term.

#: CT HB05370

Status: Introduced

Summary: Prohibit gender-affirming treatment & promote psychotherapy for minors with “gender dysphoria”

For Shadow Keith ‘25, a trans gender student, recent attacks have significantly influenced his college search. “I need to be looking at states that are safe for me, states that can give me access to the health care that I need,”

Keith said. “I also have to make sure that the schools I’m applying to are going to be alright with my name change and that the housing I receive is going to respect my gender identity.”

Lydia Chioffi ‘25, another transgender student, also expressed concerns in her college search.

“Being transgender has impacted the college process in terms of where I look for safety,” she said.

Beyond logistical challenges, students also must deal with the emotional impact of these decisions.

“I’m definitely anxious and concerned for the future, for not only myself, but for the people around me, for my peers,” Keith said.

The uncertainty extends beyond college. “I’m concerned for

Trump’s election, the transgender affinity group, which started in 2022, has grown even more important.

“In the affinity group, we meet once a week, usually depending on what’s going on that week,” said Luke Wilde, a non-binary teacher who helps run the group along with Collins-Jordan. “It’s just a place for students to express themselves.”

These meetings aim to provide tangible, in-person gender validation and community-building. Who shows up to these meetings is also completely confidential, giving students a safe space not to be outed.

“One of the things we’ll do at the beginning of a lot of meetings is just to talk about an aspect from that day that felt validating to their gender,” Wilde said. “Then we discuss things we try to do around

has launched an investiga tion against five Northern Virginia school districts, claiming they vi olate Title IX by allowing transgender students to use their chosen names and pronouns at school.

#: TX HB344

Status: Introduced

Summary: Prohibition on school instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation

While theoretically, Masters is a safe haven for students, transgender students say that institutional protections do not always translate to lived experiences.

Keith has faced repeated obstacles in having his identity properly recognized at school. “I’ve been continuously misgendered throughout my four years at Masters,” Keith said. “Everybody has gotten my name correctly since freshman year…

and legislation passed around the country recently,” Keith said. “And I know as a New Yorker, the state is very Democratic, and we should be pretty safe here, but I’m concerned for the people who aren’t in states like New York.” However, that concern now extends beyond state legislatures as Trump’s executive orders have begun reshaping federal policy.

al, ethical or religious reasons

One of Trump’s earliest actions in office was signing an executive order on sex titled Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. In his inaugural address, he declared that the U.S. will only recognize “two sexes: male and female.” The executive order mandates that all federal agencies replace “gender” suffocating.

Since the start of 2025, state legislatures around the country have introduced a total of 584 bills targeting healthcare, education and legal recognition for transgender individuals - in

“I wake up and figure out what I’m gonna wear in terms of safety rather than looking cute or being comfortable,” she said. “I’m feeling nervous – not for myself because I’m 18 – I’m worrying for the younger kids. I have control over my body, but they don’t.” Wilde agrees that transgender minors are particularly vulnerable. “Transgender kids are the most vulnerable because they are at the age where they don’t really get to have the fulfillment of their rights. Rights can be denied to them.”

Asylum Seekers in Ardsley Face

Future With Second Trump Administration

the Rivertowns and sheltered at the Ardsley Acres Hotel Court.

Features Lead editor and news Lead editor

On a cold December morning, families at the Ardsley Acres Motel gathered their belongings and prepared to move out. For over a year, the motel had been home to more than 70 asylum seekers, many of whom arrived in Westchester after being bussed from El Paso, Texas, to New York City, in response to Texas Governor Gregory Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security program.

Their departure signified the end of a temporary arrangement, as local organizations and volunteers coalesced to help them settle into new jobs, shelters and communities, and their government-authorized funding came to a close.

This moment came just weeks before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who has pledged significant changes to U.S immigration policy, including potentially the largest deportation operation in American history and scaling back birthright citizenship.

Abbot’s program brought nearly 46,000 asylum seekers by

“The majority of the people [in the Ardsley community] were very welcoming and very helpful… and understood that these were folks who were trying to find a better life,” Ardsley Mayor Nancy Kaboolian said.

Community Steps In

Since then, many local organizations have stepped in to help feed, clothe and settle the families in Ardsley Acres. Niall Cain, president and founding member of Rivertowns for Refugees, a community-driven organization dedicated to supporting and resettling refugees, said, “We helped put services, such as laundry services, into place, where we paid for all their laundry for a while. We gave them gift cards for items like toothpaste.”

Woodland Community Temple (WCT) hosted the first Thanksgiving dinner in 2023 for the asylum seekers in the temple sanctuary and brought the same home-cooked meals to their farewell dinner at the end of 2024.

The temple also provided the Ardsley Acres residents with hot meals.

“A basic foundation in Judaism, a line that gets repeated over

The Moveout

In May 2023, Adams’ office entered a contract with DocGo, a mobile medical services provider tasked with caring for asylum seekers in New York City. DocGo’s contract was cancelled for New York City as a result of multiple financial and health violations. When DocGo’s contract ended in December, 2024, the migrants at Ardsley Acres had to move out.

The DocGo representative responsible for Ardsley Acres did not respond to a request for comment.

Since leaving the hotel, some of the migrants have dispersed locally, according to Kaboolian. They have found jobs in grocery stores, retail, and delivery and ride share services. “We are trying to stay in contact with some of the families that have been relocated in the Westchester area to continue to give them support,” she said.

Others, Cain said, are headed back to New York City shelters.

No municipal taxpayer money from Ardsley residents has been spent on housing the asylum seekers, according to Kaboolian. Funding has come primarily from community-based organizations, many of which have financial support from the federal and state gov-

here. So the children here are birthright. They are citizens,” she said. “So now the question is, are you going to deport families and separate them? I am fearful of what’s going to happen.”

Since his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump has issued orders to turn away asylum seekers before they enter the country – those already on U.S. soil are still protected as of now – and shut down the CBP One application, previously a resource for migrants navigating the U.S. Customs and Border Protection points. He has also signed off on planned immigration raids on schools, churches and hospitals in so-called sanctuary cities such as Chicago and New York City, which have laws that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Referring to local policies, Cain said, “Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry and Hastings all have some sort of legislation on the books [so] that none of the police are proactive in seeking undocumented immigrants. But under federal law, they are obliged to help ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] if they call and say, ‘We need your help.’”

The Westchester Immigration Protection Act (2018) currently protects the status of immigrants from being investigated by

can-American border in El Paso, Texas. On the trip, students participated in the Annunciation House’s Border Awareness Experience, where they engaged in several volunteer activities and learned about the intersections between immigration policy, culture, social justice and the border.

Lucas Camacho, a senior who joined the trip, shared his motivations for attending. “Being Hispanic American, it felt like something I could connect to on a personal level,” he said. “It was something I had never done before and I thought it would be an opportunity to learn and get involved.”

Reflecting on one impactful moment during their volunteering, Camacho said, “We were helping with some cleaning at a shelter, and afterward, we sat down and talked with a couple of people there. Hearing their stories directly was different from just reading about it. It felt more real.”

In the fall, Méndez-Cruz and Peña also spoke to the Upper School and faculty during morning meeting, offering their support to immigrants, their families and the Masters community at large.

“We decided that we would go up and just show our faces for students that didn’t necessarily know us, or students that maybe knew us but weren’t sure if this was a question they could ask,” Peña said. She explained that their goal was to create a safe space for students to discuss immigration-related concerns, ask questions and find emotional

Peña, whose own family immigrated to the U.S., brings a personal perspective to her

try, all the privileges that came with that,” she said. “But I was

NeeNa atkiNs & allie Faber

REFUGEES EXIT ARDSLEY ACRES after more than a year living there. They were bussed from El Paso TX to New York City in June, 2023. The Ardsley community, as well as the greater Westchester community, has stepped in to help them. JENNY XU/TOWER

Face Uncertain Administration

motivation for this work stemmed from observing the differences in accessible resources between her previous experience teaching a community of largely immigrant students in a Title 1 school and her current role at Masters. The El Paso trip was an effort to connect the two communities.

Through their engagement, Peña hopes to spotlight the personal side of the immigration conversation. She said, “We hear a lot about it in the news and in the media when we are following election topics, and sometimes it feels like a buzzword. We really wanted to remind people that there are

Village of Dobbs Ferry responds to inundation of Trump executive orders

In a digital newsletter distributed to the reside nts of Dobbs Ferry on Feb. 6, the Board of Trustees and Dobbs Ferry Police Department issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to protecting the rights of “vulnerable communities” – including immigrants, refugees, transgender and nonbinary kids – in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order deluge.

allie Faber Lead news editor

Trump’s recent orders have empowered U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enter previously so-called sanctuary locations such as schools, hospitals and churches, asked border control agents to turn away asylum seekers and initiated massive raids in sanctuary cities like Chicago and New York City.

Some of the presidential actions have also targeted trans youth. The White House announced on Feb. 5 that the federal government would rescind funding from educational programs that permit trans women to play in women’s leagues.

“We are devastated that many of our neighbors are now living in fear,” the Board and Police Department wrote.

The letter also explained that while the Village is legally obligated to comply with immigration authorities in “cases involving serious crimes” and judicially warranted detainer requests, local law enforcement will not enforce federal immigration laws.

The Westchester Immigration Protection Act (2018) currently protects the status of immigrants from being investigated by county law enforcement agencies. However, as the Village’s statement acknowledged, federal law still requires local authorities to cooperate with ICE when requested.

“Efforts are underway to provide additional resources, including partnerships with local schools and organizations, to inform residents of their rights in interactions with ICE or other authorities,” the statement said. “This is a rapidly evolving legal landscape, but we are committed to transparency, compassion, and the continued safety of all our neighbors.”

Motel jobs

ELLEN COWHEY/TOWER

Blood on the

As you were scrolling through TikTok one day this December, you may have come across the horrible news that a lady had been burnt alive on the New York subway. This incident went viral online, and in the weeks following, it seemed that more instances of violence on the subway appeared online, including stabbings and people getting pushed on the tracks. While violence in New York City, especially the subway, is not new, has it really gotten worse recently?

In truth, the subway has never been the dangerous jungle that people have perceived it as. According to Nate Silver, a statistician who analyzes elections and politics, the likelihood of being murdered on the subway in a given year is roughly the same as being struck by lightning.

Many students regularly commute to and from the city — often taking the subway to reach Metro-North stations and then the train to school, whether for daily classes or school-sanctioned trips — but how do they view the safety of their own trip on the subway or Metro-North?

Junior Lorelei Gary takes the Metro-North train to and from school every day. She said, “Sometimes if you’re taking the train late, it’s really sketchy.”

Usually, she commutes with many other classmates, which is assuring, since there is more danger to commuting alone. “If I’m going home later than

Blood on the : How safe are NYC rails?

WHILE OFFICIAL STATISTICS INDICATE that subway crime has declined, media sensitization continues to shape public perception, leaving some riders and students wary of their daily commutes.

six, my mom actually doesn’t let me take it alone,” she said.

Gary views the recent media attention on train violence as a by-product of the COVID-19 social distancing customs. She recounts that when she was in sixth grade, her train commutes were much more crowded. During COVID itself, there were many fewer people taking public transportation.

According to official New York MTA data, estimated Metro-North ridership in late 2020 ranged from 10,000 to 40,000, while the most recent data from 2025 shows ridership increasing to between 70,000 and 200,000.

She said, “During COVID, no one was on the train, so the crime

stopped because there was no one to commit the crimes.” She believes that now, after COVID, people are still not used to sharing space like before.

There is also a difference in experience between people on the subway and Metro-North. Sophomore Dara Akinwande, a boarder who lives in the city and frequently takes the subway, said, “There’s always crazy and homeless people going around taking advantage of people.”

In response to MTA surveys, teams of police officers were formed in 2024 to remove mentally ill individuals from the subway system, by force if necessary, and help them secure needed medical treatment.

While some commuters feel uneasy about their experiences on the subway, recent data suggests a different trend. In 2024, major crime in the subway system decreased by 5.4% from 2,337 incidents in 2023 to 2,211 incidents, which is an extremely low rate considering 2024’s record number of one billion rides. However, Akinwande claims it “absolutely does not” feel like that. She further explained that different train lines have different crime rates, but on the train line she takes the most, the number two line, she believes crime has stayed the same.

Similarly, according to an NYPD MTA report, the Metro-North Railroad showed a decrease in major felonies by

23.5% in March 2024 compared to 2023, with 166 in 2024 compared to 217 in 2023.

Additionally, more police officers have been put onto the lines and Governor Kathy Hochul has recently announced on Jan. 16 every train will have two officers onboard from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Spanish teacher Roberto Mercedes takes the subway and Metro North every day to and from school. He reports that he has never experienced or seen violence on the subway at all. However, he stated that his mother often worries about his safety after seeing the news.

He said, “When I arrive home, my mom is there sometimes and she is watching the Hispanic news. She says, ‘Oh my god! Be careful! People are pushing other people on the tracks.’” Mercedes said that his friends also often warn him of danger on the train, but when he asks them if they saw anything, they usually say they heard something on the news or online.

Despite the official statistics reporting very low crime rates and a further decline recently, the popular perception is very different. This is due to high-profile cases of crime that cause an idea that crime is much more frequent than actuality. Officials even say that the increase in law enforcement is to align the perception of transit crime with real life.

“Stats don’t matter if people don’t believe they are in a safe environment,” Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference in March 2024.

ALYSSA WANG/TOWER

Ella liu Features Editor

The Rise of the Tradwife

Women embrace 1950s domesticity, reflecting broader conservative shift

NeeNa atkiNs

Iopen TikTok and see a video of a blonde woman with a 1950s-inspired bob, wearing a floral apron over a vintage blouse. She’s cooking and cleaning while smiling brightly, saying she is proud to “live her truth.” No, this is not a clip from a retro film – it is content from Estee Williams, a 26-year-old from Virginia, with over 200,000 followers on TikTok and 116,000 on Instagram.

Williams is part of a growing online subculture of ‘tradwives,’ short for traditional wives, who celebrate domesticity, submission to their husbands, and a return to traditional family values. Dictionary.com defines the term “tradwife” as “a married woman who chooses to be a homemaker as a primary occupation and adheres to or embodies traditional femininity and female gender roles, often associated with conservative or alt-right political values.”

When discussing her definition of the term, Williams stated in a 2022 TikTok video, “We [tradwives] believe our purpose is to be homemakers.”

“ROSE YUAN/TOWER

THE TRADWIFE MOVEMENT BLENDS vintage aesthetics with conservative ideals, promoting a return to traditional gender roles. Some women claim it is empowering, while others argue it reinforces patriarchal norms under the guise of choice.

In an interview with the BBC, Pettit described her routine as “submitting to spoiling her husband like it’s 1959,” emphasizing that she always fixes her clothes and lipstick before he comes home, because “tracksuits and greasy hair” isn’t a good look for wives.

Woke up this morning. baby on my hip. making some fresh sourdough. my husband is hot. trump is the president of the u.s. life is good.”

The lifestyle blends vintage aesthetics with deeply rooted ideals of gender roles. While Williams and others frame their choices as empowering, critics argue that the tradwife phenomenon is tied to a resurgence of conservative, and in some cases alt-right, politics.

- jasmine dinis

Consider Alena Kate Pettitt, founder of The Darling Academy, a platform dedicated to traditional domesticity. The self-described traditional housewife from the United Kingdom has decorated her Instagram with posts celebrating housewifery, often using hashtags like “#MakeTheHousewifeGreatAgain.”

The impact of the tradwife movement is not confined to social media platforms. Junior and political enthusiast Alex Kritzer, commented on the broader cultural implications of this trend for his generation. He said, “I get the appeal of having a stable and monogamous existence, but it’s totally different than subscribing to this 1950s-revivalist stuff.”

The appeal of this traditional lifestyle – part aesthetic, part ideology – has brought figures like Pettitt and Williams into the limelight. Yet, they are far from alone.

Hannah Nelleman, known online as “Ballerina Farm,” left a promising career as a Juilliard-trained

ballerina to embrace Mormon farm life in Utah with her husband.

Now a mother of eight and a homesteader, Neeleman has amassed 22 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. She rose to fame after a video went viral showing her unboxing a gift from her husband. In the clip, she jokes that she is hoping the gift is tickets to Greece – only to reveal that it is an egg apron, a present she accepts with apparent satisfaction.

Nelleman’s content showcases everything from homemade mustard-making to shepherding her flock, all presented with an air of calm and grace. She even graced the cover of EVIE Magazine, what the New York Times described as a “Cosmopolitan for conservative women.” Neeleman exemplifies a tradwife lifestyle grounded in family-centered values.

However, not everyone views the tradwife trend through rose-colored glasses.

Senior Ella Greenfield, co-leader of GALS, the feminist and women’s rights advocacy group at Masters, said, “I think in a lot of those [tradwife] cases, it’s a bit of internalized misogyny. Of course, you can’t just say, ‘they’re to blame,’

but they’ve been taught this is what they’re supposed to do.”

She discussed how the social validation that tradwives receive online, especially from men, reinforces these roles and stimulates a feedback loop perpetuating traditional gender norms.

The tradwife trend began to popularize online in 2020, as the pandemic led people to find solace in domestic routines.

“

Tradwives often draw inspiration from 1950s-era American culture, Christian values, and conservative politics, with some blending choice feminism and neopaganism, a modern spiritual movement inspired by pre-Christian beliefs, into their narratives. Nonetheless, the tradwife movement also reflects a larger-scale cultural and political shift toward conservatism.

has popularized the idea of the nuclear family while condemning elements of the sexual revolution and divorce. Interestingly enough, his wife, Usha Vance serves as a counterpoint: a Yale-educated lawyer and former Supreme Court clerk who resigned from her progressive law firm after Vance’s nomination for Vice President.

Kritzer highlighted how he grew up with the ideals of the “nuclear family,” and how in early education children are often taught about traditional family dynamics and what makes a family. “They [nuclear families] probably are the backbone of our society. But it’s not worthy of forcing people into any sort of mold.” He continued, “The whole point of a constitutional system is that you’re not forcing people into that social structure. You’re affording them the kind of freedom to parse it out.”

Many openly express their conservative political beliefs. For example, “Woke up this morning. Baby on my hip. Making some fresh sourdough. My husband is hot. Trump is the president of the U.S. Life is good,” said tradwife Jasmine Dinis in a TikTok video.

Despite criticisms, the tradwife trend continues to dominate Instagram and TikTok feeds. Perhaps it is not about a widespread desire to live this way, but rather the spectacle and aesthetic appeal, much like reality television.

I get the appeal of having a stable and monogamous existence, but it’s totally different than subscribing to this 1950s-revivalist stuff”

- alex kritzer ‘26

Greenfield noted, “Of course, the tradwife trend doesn’t destroy the feminist movement, but it causes damage by filling a lot of people’s feeds with content that is anti-feminism.”

The allure of the tradwife may not lie in the lifestyle itself but in the fantasy that it represents – a curated, idealized version of domestic bliss that contrasts sharply with the complexities of modern life.

Vice President J.D. Vance

Saturday Night Live hosts a monumental 50th anniversary

loEwy NallE Social Media & PR Manager

Live from New York it’s Saturday night!

The iconic, live, televised sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) celebrated an unforgettable milestone– its 50th anniversary. Notable stars packed the seats of NBC Studio 8H to commemorate, laugh and reminisce during a three and a half hour special that aired at 8 p.m. on February 16th. Starting in 1975 under creator Lorne Michaels, it has featured countless comedians, actors, singers, athletes and even politicians on the show. Many stars got their start on SNL, including Chevy Chase “Vacation”, Tina Fey “30 Rock”, Adam Sandler “Grown Ups”, and even a current cast member, Bowen Yang “Wicked”.

In 2015, SNL hosted a threeand-a-half hour long 40th anniversary special with appearances, tributes and montages. For example, during the Weekend Update segment, anchors paid tribute to Chevy Chase, the very first anchor back in 1975. On the musical side, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon were all featured as musical guests, which is vastly different from the typical layout of the show (one

musical guest, two performances).

Before watching the 50th special, Ellie Barancik, a former receptionist at 8H and a former SNL Script PA, had numerous expectations for the special. “I think it’s going to be star-studded with lots of surprises. They’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

It was indeed a star-studded spectacular. Instead of a typical political open, music legend Paul Simon sang “Homeward Bound” alongside Sabrina Carpenter. After, Steve Martin entered the stage and delivered a comical monologue. “The monologue is the weakest part of the show,” he joked.

The first few sketches reprised iconic past segments, including the

“Lawrence Welk Show” parody from eleven years ago with many former cast members. The viral “Domingo” sketch returned featuring Martin Short, Molly Shannon, Pedro Pascal and Sabrina Carpenter– just to name a few. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey held a staged Q&A in the audience, answering questions from Tim Meadows (their Mean Girls castmate), comedian Nate Bargatze and musician Keith Richards. During “Weekend Update”, Bill Murray, a former anchor, ranked the other anchors, putting Colin Quinn at the bottom and Norm Macdonald at the top. Montages were also featured. Molly Shannon and Emma Stone introduced a silly montage of “physical

comedy” which showed a huge compilation of comedic falls and dances throughout the show. Tom Hanks began an “In Memoriam” montage spotlighting all of the old sketches that were undeniably problematic.

Alongside “Homeward Bound”, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard sang “Nothing Compares 2 U” in tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor. Lil Wayne and The Roots performed a medley of his hits. Adam Sandler sang a humorous song called “50 Years” that celebrated the show and Lorne Michaels. Paul McCartney closed the show with “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” and “The End”, the last songs on The Beatles album “Abbey Road”.

Since it has been 50 years, it is important to note how the show has changed since 1975. From new and diverse cast members to the types of sketches, it has evolved.

“There’s always a new audience to fall in love with it,” Barancik said. “Back then, in 1975, if you didn’t see it live on Saturday night you missed it. Now, there’s a huge evolution with the show right there just with social media and TikTok, and that’s how many know the show,” she continued.

A new generation has risen that loves the show: Gen-Z. Many sketches have targeted Gen-Z this season such as “Domingo,” (featured for the third time this season during the special) which consists of cast members do-

ing a funny parody of “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan, “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, and “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift. These songs mostly appeal to Gen-Z, but can have an impact on any generation. During the sketch, Martin Short’s character jokingly yelled, “Oh my God it’s Taylor! I think she’s doing Taylor!” “SNL has definitely started to pander more to Gen-Z and millennials as opposed to the older generations, which definitely will start to ostracize them a bit more,” sophomore Lena Paull said. “However, especially during Season 50, their political bits were pretty well received by older generations making it an even bigger community of fans,” Paull continued.

Barancik has also noticed the difference in generations watching the show currently. “As you get older, people tend to be a little bit more critical and there are a lot of people out there that say the show hasn’t been good since 1975.”

“It was so special to see so many amazing people both on stage and in the audience, and it was so cool to see how SNL celebrated 50 years of sketch comedy,” sophomore Estela Ostrom said, recapping her positive experience watching the special. “I loved everything, especially how they celebrated all the different aspects of comedy we know and love on SNL.”

Books are back: New reading trends take shape

ElliE HisE Editor-in-Chief

As the COVID-19 pandemic confined people to isolated Zoom calls, bedrooms during quarantine, and Door Dashed meals, people began to look elsewhere to occupy time and expand their world. The solution quickly came to be reading. But while reading levels and book purchasing generally increased during 2020, according to polls done by Independent UK and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in person bookstores and libraries were struggling. According to the American Bookseller Associa-

tion, around 20% of independent bookstores faced imminent risk of closing, and for the first year, one closed each week. But five years later, bookstores and libraries are seeing much more use, and reading itself may still be on a general rise.

Through a survey for libraries conducted in March of 2020, the Public Library Association found that 99% of respondents had closed and been forced to switch to online programs and digital catalogs. Because of this transformation, the use of audiobooks and ebooks grew by 25%, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Because of this very successful shift to ebooks, digital catalogs have become

a large part of library material even five years later. Now, digital materials comprise around 60% of public library collections.

Jillian McCoy, a Masters librarian since 2021, explained that in 2020 the previous librarian switched many materials over to a digital database, to give students more access to resources.

Senior and leader of the creative writing club Emerson Riter said, “I probably take out books [from the library] once or twice a month. For the most part, they are digital, but every once in a while I’ll get a physical one when I find myself there.” She also explained that her library card was connected to her Kindle through apps like Libby, which enables users to

take out books from any library they have a card for. According to research done by Libby, more users are taking out audiobooks and digital texts now than during the pandemic.

McCoy, another Libby user, said, “For the public library, I use ebooks because I can check them out instantly, but then I do check out print books from [the Masters library].”

Bookstores are making a comeback as well, but rather than being because of the rising consumption of ebooks, it is due to the appeal of traditional books. Riter prefers a traditional hardcover or paperback, and so does Stacy Van Beek, an Upper School English teacher. She said, “I love

physical books. I tried so hard to like the Kindle, because it’s so efficient. Efficient and environmentally conscious, and if you’re traveling you can take five books with you in this tiny little package. But I simply hate the physical experience.”

She also appreciates the distance it creates from screens.

“[With physical books] there’s not the possibility of having seven other tabs open calling me to check on them, which I know happens when I have my phone around.”

Continued on page 13

SNL CELEBRATED 50 ICONIC years with an anniversary, bringing together generations of stars, sketches and musical performances in one historic night.

JOVEY MOLINA/TOWER

NEENA ATKINS/TOWER

Enriching or interrupting: WinterMission’s pros and cons

THomas mccallum Sports Editor

During the week between the first and second semesters, some students walk outside and learn to extract maple syrup from trees, while others practice CPR in Fonseca Center. These activities are part of WinterMission, a mini-term in which students take a single week-long class outside their normal curriculum. Some students and faculty believe that the break from school is beneficial, while others see the logistical and educational issues caused by this break as too great to

overlook.

WinterMission was introduced in 2022-2023 through the efforts of Dean of Teaching and Learning

Jason Hult and Head of School Laura Danforth as a way for students to have a break between the two semesters of the year to learn something new and fun.

Hult said, “Before I worked at Masters, I worked at a program called Cityterm, which was a lot like WinterMission. Every week, there were three days where we’re in the classroom and three days a week where we were in the city doing stuff, and there were no specific courses.”

While working at City Term, Hult was approached by Danforth. He said, “Ms. Danforth was really excited about the idea of a mini-term at Masters and asked me to join the school in order to help create WinterMission.”

The idea behind WinterMission is to create a unique learning environment where students can focus on something they are really interested in. This opportunity to learn something new and fun is much appreciated by many students.

Nathan Beckman, a junior, said, “It was really great to have a bit of a break from the academic year to learn something fun.”

Elizabeth Merrill, a biology teacher in the Upper School said, “Wintermission is a really great idea. It allows students to explore topics and areas of interest that they wouldn’t normally get to experience, so in that

Books are back:

cont. from page 12

Van Beek led a Wintermission course in January called “My Analog Life,” where she and her students spent much time engaging in activities that were deviceless, one of which was reading long books for pleasure, without the analysis of English classes or access to phones. Van Beek was inspired by a similar university class in asceticism, or the self-restriction of indulgences,

but specifically where students would swear off their phones for a few weeks and engross themselves in long books. According to her, the school didn’t believe the class would gain any traction, but it actually ended up garnering a waitlist. “There seems to be a hunger for just reading a big book and immersing [oneself] in it,” she said.

Bookstores offer an additional experience of going to a store and browsing books, that some people prefer to simply shopping online. Riter said, “I like to go to bookstores and make it a thing, I’ll get a coffee or something and walk around.” Riter will also go to the bookstore with her friends.

The largest age group that reads print books is the 65+

to repurpose

sense it’s a great idea.”

Another benefit of WinterMission is the opportunity it provides for students to get to know one another. Hult said, “I think it’s really valuable for you as young people to be required to try something new and join a new group.”

Even when the prospect of being forced to take a class with new people is daunting, Hult still views it as extremely beneficial. He said, “I also hear from students who are really nervous and terrified about WinterMission, in part because they have to meet a new group of students and a new teacher. And so I think for those students, WinterMission is really valuable.”

As the program has developed since its founding, some drawbacks have

group, but the second largest is the range 18-24, says Test Prep Insight, based on a verified survey.

The Copyright Agency has found that most teens prefer print to electronic books. McCoy has been trying in the past few years to expand the library’s print book collection. She said, “I appreciate having the ebook collection and we have access to the Westchester library system through Sora, that’s great, but I know that our students prefer print books.”

Riter notes that Gen Z has largely grown up around digital devices, so ebooks aren’t as novel. She said,“I think our generation is looking for things that aren’t on our phones. It makes sense to me that people want more physical,

emerged. One specific topic of controversy is the impact that WinterMission has on AP curriculum.

Merrill said, “In my advanced classes, the schedule is very, very, tight. We just don’t have enough teaching hours, and I think that impacts learning in a negative way.”

She continued, “Logistically, given our schedule, it’s very difficult to take a whole week out of very limited time and devote it to something entirely different.”

Some students find WinterMission interferes with their ability to focus and stay present in their classes due to a lack of continuity.

Zach Stewart, a sophomore, said, “A major con of WinterMission is that it’s hard to hit the ground running again after having the week off like that.

I find myself starting slow and feeling disorganized in a lot of classes.”

Merrill seconded that point, saying, “I think it really takes away from the continuity of learning for kids. For deep, meaningful, learning, kids have to have consistent sessions, and WinterMission detracts from that.”

Merrill said that despite the issues, she believes WinterMission is a good concept, but the scheduling issues pose a big threat to the success of students’ learning, especially in rigorous classes.

Hult acknowledged the scheduling issues, but argued that the break provides benefits to students’ academic performance. He said, “Because of where this (WinterMission) lands, it is an amazing moment for students, I think because they have a bunch of assessments, usually at the end of the first semester, and so it’s kind of nice to have a breather between semesters. Having that break sometimes makes it easier for students to refocus for the next semester.” The total loss of class time, in his view, is not too large.

“Advanced placement classes have two extra missed days of school, and so that there’s definitely a cost to that. I don’t want to pretend like there’s no drawback to that, but it is on par with a severe winter storm that would take two days out. And for me, the benefits are worth it, both for faculty and for students.”

ARE PEOPLE READING EBOOKS more, print books more, or both? Although different age groups have their own reading preferences, post-COVID reading rates seem to point towards a general positive trend.

ElliE HisE

IN THE RADICAL JEWELRY Makeover wintermission led by Cheryl Hajjar and Elizabeth Merrill, students soldered, cut, and filed their own jewelry.

STUDENTS LOOK THROUGH DONTED clothes

in the WinterMission “#MeMade@Masters” led by Ellen Cowhey, Allison Eggleston, Penny Peng and Ilona Shinkar.

RONI BARKAN/TOWER

ELLEN COWHEY/TOWER

ELLA BLACK/TOWER

Track captains help their team soar to the top

TZadie Collins Contributing Writer

he Masters Co-Ed Track Team has been working its way to the top, preparing for a potential victory at their NYSAIS (New York State Association of Independent Schools) competition today, on Feb. 28. Alongside their six captains, three for the girls, and three for the boys, they are training vigorously.

The Girls Track Team captains for the 2024-25 school year are seniors Anna Shub and Sarah Christie, and junior Scout Fishkind. The Boys Track Team captains are seniors Nicholas Moutsatsos, Brian Wolfson, and junior Jamie Milward.

Being a captain for a sport that one is passionate about is an athletic goal for many. For Shub, who has been running since she was young, it was an accomplishment.

“When you’re younger, you always look up to the captains before you, and you want to follow in their footsteps.” She continued, “I had so many captains over the years that really made my experience, that I hope to continue that on.”

Though Shub does not plan to continue competitive running, she still plans to enjoy it recreationally. She said, “I definitely want to continue to run more casually.”

Christie began her track journey out of fear of not being able to out-run animals. “I started track [funny enough] because I got chased by a rooster the summer before ninth grade,” she said. She stuck with the sport because she found being a part of the track community to be rewarding, but never considered herself worthy of the role. She said, “I never thought that I was fit for a captain, but I’m not upset with being a captain, but it wasn’t ever my intention.”

Fishkind started running to follow in her father’s footsteps. She said, “I started track freshman year because my dad is a very serious runner and I’ve always admired his dedication to the sport.” Sophomore year, she became inspired by captains

“

I’ve always kind of been a runner. I’ve been running since I was a kid.”

-Nicholas Moustasos ‘25

“

When you’re younger, you always look up to the captains before you, and you want to follow in their footsteps.”

-Anna shub ‘25

before her to start thinking about the position for her junior year. “I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure, but I was kinda secretly hoping that I would be chosen for it.” Now a junior, her secret hope has come true.

Starting to long for a captain’s position his junior year, and receiving it in his senior year, Nicholas Moustastos has been recruited by Amherst College to continue his running journey. In regards to the future, he said, “I have four more years in college. We’ll see where it goes from there, but I have at least four more years.” He added, “ I might, if I’m good enough, I might go pro. I don’t know, but we’ll have to wait and see for that.”

Relating to the start of his journey, Moustastos said, “So, I’ve kind of always been a runner. I’ve been running since I was a kid, really.” He began competing once he got to high school, and from then on, he was hooked.

Wolfson became enveloped in the world of Track and Field through soccer training. He said, “Initially I started with track because I was really interested in just getting in shape for soccer and becoming faster.”

-Sarah Christie ‘25 “

I started track [funny enough] because i got chased by a rooster the summer before ninth grade.”

He, similar to Moustastos, had his eyes set on being captain his junior year, but prior to that, he was intimidated by the responsibilities that came along with it. However, he said, “I’ve learned that it’s really not too difficult based on how everyone is just helpful and wants to help out.”

“

i wasn’t one hundred percent sure I would be captain, but i was secrretly hoping that i would be chosen.”

-scout fishkind ‘26

Milward began track as a way of following in the footsteps of his older brother, Charlie Milward, who graduated class of ‘24. “I thought, ‘You know, might as well try it out’ and that was way back when I was in like seventh or eigth grade.” He used his inspiration from his brother as a way of fueling his newfound passion.

“The reason I kept running is ‘cause it became a part of my life.”

Being a captain for any sport you are passionate about is exciting for many. Regardless of whether you plan to make a long-term commitment or not, it is rewarding to find a passion that comes along with hard work and accountability.

SENIOR NICHOLAS MOUTSATSOS SPRINTS down the track during the spring season. He is commited to run at Amherst College.

COLIN SMITH

SENIOR BRIAN WOLFSON STARTS his race at The Armory Track in December, during the winter season.

COLIN SMITH

JUNIOR JAMIE MILWARD RUNS the Steeple Chase, which includes jumping over a big fence.

COLIN SMITH

COLIN SMITH

SENIOR ANNA SHUB ROUNDS the curve of the track during the spring season.

JUNIOR SCOUT FISHKIND RUNS the 5K race this fall during cross country.

SENIOR SARAH CHRISTIE LEAPS the long jump at The Armory.

COLIN SMITH

COLIN SMITH

The pain beneath the jacket: How varsity epee fencers deal with bruises

“

we wouldn’t be as good of a defensive team if it weren’t for him.”

-Sebastian

Guzman ‘27

“

“I

don’t think there’s any fencer that has fenced and not got bruised.”

-COACH ShOMARI MOORE

standout athlete on his current team. Fernández has played various positions throughout his career, including small forward, point guard, shooting guard and power forward. He plays most as a shooting guard, known for his energetic defense and leadership qualities. Despite only being 5 foot 7 inches, Fernández compensates with an intense work ethic and strategic approach to the game, particularly on the defensive end of

Off the court, Fernández is known for his positive attitude and leadership. He’s always encouraging his teammates, keeping their morale high even when shots aren’t falling or games aren’t going as planned. Rodriguez said, “He pushes everybody to work harder. In practice, he’s always encouraging people to keep shooting the ball even after they miss.” He continued, “He’s always running straight to the ball, getting

encouraging everybody to be the best they can, he’s always paying attention. He’s a real good role model for the team, and I feel like the position the team is in right now, I think the team really needs that. He makes practices a lot better, and he really shines on the court.” Whether he’s defending, making a crucial shot, or lifting his teammates’ spirits, Dylan Fernández’s influence on the court is undeniable.

DYLAN

and defensive effort.

His teammates and

credit

SOPHOMORE

FERNÁNDEZ ENTERS a Boys JV2 Basketball game. Fernández has made a big impact on the JV2 squad after joining this year.

coaches

his energy

ALEX CHO

ELLEN COWHEY/TOWER

From player to mentor:

Marce Marquez’s impact on the squash team

Brielle Broomes

Contributing Writer

Imagine stepping onto the court of the Pan American games, knowing that you are about to face some of the top squash players in the Americas, needing to fight for each point and push the limit of your abilities. One of those fierce competitors is now a Masters Squash coach.

For the past two years, Marce Marqez has been head coach of Girls Varsity, Boys Varsity and Co-ed Squash teams where she trains some of the top players in the Squash Independent School League. Marquez is fairly new to the Masters Community, but this year she has balanced her roles as an Upper

School Spanish teacher and coach.

She started playing squash at the age of 13, in her hometown, Aguascalientes, Mexico. Marquez harnessed her training and experience as a competitive squash player to help her players improve their skills and learn to love the sport.

She said, “I first started playing squash just for fun with my friends. Then I played my first national tournament, and I placed either third or fourth, then I started to get more into it.”

As she sharpened her skillset, she eventually started playing collegiate squash at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for the 2019 to 2023 season. She said, “I played in college for four years, so I’ve been pretty competitive for all of

my life. Even in Mexico, I went to the Pan American Games, and represented my country there.”

She said, “One of my favorite things from coaching, and also teaching, is the community that we have here; All the support, the students, the players. It makes me feel like I belong here, and there is a lot of respect, love and passion in the community.”

Freshman Rio Imanishi has had Marquez as a coach for the past two years. She said, “I have known Marquez since eighth grade. She is the type of coach and person that you want to be around and this is why I have gained so much confidence while playing this sport.”

Michele Dennis has been the assistant head coach of the Girls Varsity

Squash Team for five years. She has seen the impact that Marquez has had on the girls when she became coach. Dennis said, “With the girls, she drives them hard, but also supports them well. In the past, we had other coaches and they were very good, but they were more individually focused. They weren’t necessarily good about building the team dynamic, so I think she’s building culture here amongst all three sports teams.”

Senior and Co-Captain, Anna Moscato has been playing squash throughout high school.

“One thing [Marquez] always says is to just start by trying to get one point, rather than focusing on a whole match. We face challenges like playing a team that’s a lot better than us,

because there’s a lot of really good teams in your league, so she makes sure to remind us of that.”

Marquez hopes to use all of her squash experience, in order to help her players enjoy the sport, and possibly pursue it in college as well. Marquez said, “Mostly, I want them to give their best, even if we don’t get the result that we want.

my journey of travelling from Mexi co to going to different internation al tourna

From the block to the top:

Tments, I had to overcome a lot of challenges to become who I am right now.” She continued, “I always tell them that they need to be patient with themselves and with their game because it’s a

Eighth grader Jules Jorsling dominates the pool

hrough years of hard work, intense training and a true passion for swimming, 14 years old Jules Jorsling has been able to thrive in the pool early on in her swimming career. Coming from a family with a love for swimming, it’s no surprise that Jorsling, just like her sister, who is in ninth grade, Jisella Jorsling, was welcomed with open arms to the Upper School Girls Varsity Swim team this season despite being in the eighth grade. She has had an incredible season, putting her un missable stats all over the board this win ter season.

ing off her swimming career at the

age of seven, she joined the team solely due to her parents. “My parents saw Serena Williams and wanted my sister and me to do that, but tennis wasn’t our thing, so they decided on swimming,” Jorsling said. Now, with extraordinary talent, Jorsling swims for herself. She said, “I am doing it for myself because when I progressively get better, I feel like I have higher goals now.”

She swims for her teammates, too, who have become like family and have become her motivation to show up each

ling from wasting any time. She is an exceptional athlete, dedicating years of hard work that paved the way for her well deserved promotion to the Upper School Girls Varsity Swim Team.

When describing her transition up to this competitive level so early on, Jorsling said, “It was definitely nerve-racking at first, I didn’t know anybody, but I have really gotten to know my teammates and the coaches have given me really nice opportunities.”

Whenever she feels intimidated by this new and older team she reassures herself by saying, “I just think about how much I have worked to get here, and that keeps me going.”

Jorsling’s,weekly schedule consists of swimming for the Badger Swim Club in Larchmont on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings for an hour and a half before school. On top of this, she swims for two hours every weekday night at Masters. Despite intense training,

Jorsling remains determined as she pushes herself to achieve her goals.

She has high hopes that she will be able to follow through on her dream to continue swimming throughout her whole high school career, and one day, in the Olympics.

Jorsling has a whole stand of supporters that help drive her to success, with her mother, Joann Diazz, always spotted in the front row at each meet, supporting her daughter. To get Jorsling in the right mindset, Diazz challenges her, asking, “You’re gonna quit, back down? You’re not gonna try? You’re gonna be a quitter?” She pushes Jorsling to give everything her all and said she could not be more proud of Jorsling’s execution.

According to Diazz, Jules is focused and determined to achieve her goals, making the job as a parent easier. She said, “I am proud of her hard work and dedication to the sport.”

Her swim coach, Jacob Bobson, said, “If you are not having fun, then what

is the point? You want to compete and have that competitive rush and mindset, but you also want to have fun while doing it.” This aligns with what Jorsling values the most, team dynamic. It plays a major role in her excitement to get into the pool every day, and fuels her confidence when it’s time to compete.

“I feel motivated to go to practice and just having someone to talk about my day with and everything that happened, [it] makes a huge difference towards each practice.”

In her first year on the team, she has marked her name all over the scoreboard, with her unbelievable times. In her first ever home meet on the team this season, she broke the overall record for the 100-yard backstroke, with a time of 1:04.72. Jorsling feels incredibly proud of what she was able to achieve. Even at a young age, Jorsling has already made a name for herself, leaving many excited to see what she will achieve next.

MARCE MARQUEZ, GIRLS VARSITY Squash coach, stands on the court, ready to guide her team.

Brooke muntner

Contributing Writer

JORSLING COMPETES IN THE breaststroke, surfacing for a breath while maintaining strong technique.

JULES JORSLING, SMILES WITH confidence as she takes on the challenge of competing at the varsity level.

SOPHIA DING/TOWER