Polygon: December Issue

Poly ACquires

New Property

JORDAN MILLAR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

VIA IZ NISSEN

Poly’s infrastructure will be undergoing yet another major change. The school has acquired 53 Prospect Park West in Park Slope (the neighboring building of Poly’s Lower School), according to an email delivered to the entire Poly community on November 21 from Board of Trustees member Thomas Iannelli, the Chairperson of the Building and Grounds Committee. The property is set to be a major expansion milestone for the school since the Lower School (which houses students in nursery through grade four) was founded in 1995 after purchasing the historic Hulbert mansion at 50 Prospect Park West, which was formerly the site of the Woodward Park School.

The recently-acquired landmark building, according to Iannelli’s email, is a four-story Neo-Jacobean building that “features abundant interior space, the largest private garden in Brooklyn, and stunning original Gilded Age architecture.” In an article from the New York Times, it was reported that the building first went on the market for roughly $30 million in 2021. The house was first built in 1901 and designed by architect William B. Tubby for William H. Childs, who, according to the Times, was “a financier, a supporter of Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Party, and a founder of the Bon Ami cleaning products company.”

Since 1947, the building has served (Continued on page 4)

Vincent Rutuelo Leaves Poly After 18 Years

DOV WEINSTEIN ELUL LAYOUT EDITOR

After 18 years as Poly Prep’s Head of Security, Vincent Rutuelo has left Poly to join the North Shore Hebrew Academy as its Head of Security and Head of Operations. Rutuelo was brought aboard as the first head of security in Poly’s history. He had previously worked in the NYPD and been the Head of Security at The Spence School — only the second Head of Security to be hired in the history of New York City independent schools. While at Spence, he built the security system from the ground up. When he came to Poly, he did the same. During his tenure, Rutuelo implemented significant changes to both of the Poly campuses. He added a tracking system to all the school buses carrying Poly students so that he could get live updates on their status. Rutuelo added: “When I first started here, we had 11 buses and now the operation is 47 buses big. We have the largest bus fleet out of the independent schools,” he said. Rutuelo also implemented a new lock system on the doors in the school, added the PA system for fire drills, and expanded the security system generally at the Poly Lower School. “We brought the school into the 21st century as far as se -

curity is concerned,” Rutuelo said, “[a]nd there’s a lot of [other] stuff that most people outside of here don’t know [about], which we don’t want to communicate because that’s what makes us secure.”

Despite all of his accomplishments, there was one thing Rutuelo had always dreamed of: controlling the operations at the school in addition to being Head of Security. That opportunity arose suddenly this fall.

Following a recent rise in anti-semitism, North Shore Hebrew Academy, a four-campus Jewish Day School in Great Neck Long Island, was looking to step up their security by adding one person in charge of both operations and security. “I’ll say it this way: If you had to build a job for yourself. Every box was checked off; it was everything that I’ve always wanted,” Rutuelo said. Though he had no intention of leaving Poly, Rutuelo said the job came up suddenly in October and he couldn’t turn it down: “This whole thing happened about three weeks ago. The position was offered to me quickly and I went through the process and I was offered the position.” Rutuelo officially left Poly on November 16. Rutuelo’s new position at North Shore Hebrew Academy includes ensuring that things like heating, lights, and air conditioning are working properly. “You’re dealing with all the other components that make the school able to operate on a day-to-day basis. I’m excited about taking on that challenge,” Rutuelo said. Additionally, the commute is much simpler for Rutuelo, who lives in Long Island. Whereas Rutuelo previously had to wake up at 4:15 a.m. to travel over two hours both to and from Poly, he will now only have to travel 15 minutes to get to North Shore Hebrew Academy.

(Continued on page 3)

As for campus secu -

Winter Formal: Turnout Less Than Expected

LUCAS BASHAM BREAKING

NEWS EDITOR

Poly held its second annual Winter Formal in the Legacy Gym on Saturday, December 9, where about 100 of 410 (~24 percent) students who RSVPed to the dance attended, according to Eli Floyd, a senior spirit captain. The freshman class represented the majority of those who attended, despite the entire Upper School being invited.

“I anticipated around an 80 percent attendance rate on 410 students who completed an RSVP form,” said Jared Winston, director of student life. Last year, 83 percent of students who RSVPed attended the formal, according to Winston.

One of the primary problems was that the RSVP form was sent to both students and parents, and parents signed their kids up without asking, according to junior Reese Roaman (Roaman is the sports editor for The Polygon). “From my understanding, a lot of parents just signed up their kid because they assumed, oh, it’s a winter dance. They’re going to want to end up going,” said Roaman. “And then when the day came, it was like, ‘Mom, I don’t want

VIA IZ NISSEN

Solidarity Week 2023

SERGIO ABBOUD STAFF WRITER

Poly held its second annual Solidarity Week in early November. “Solidarity Week is a way for students to learn about difference, respect, and safety for every member of our school community, while celebrating allyship and encouraging solidarity with LGBTQ+ youth here at Poly and beyond,” Jared Winston, director of student life for Middle and Upper School, wrote in an email to the student body last month.

The week consisted of first a Solidarity Day, where the Upper School students welcomed the Lower School students to the Dyker Heights campus to engage in fun activities. Upper and Lower School students worked together in groups with pictures and words of what solidarity meant to them. The day concluded with everyone going out to the baseball field to hold their grade-assigned colored flags up and take a picture as one community. The purpose of this day was to make sure that students better understood the true importance of accepting everyone. Now, how did this all come together?

To bring Solidarity Week to life, much planning and coordination was essential. The groundwork for this collaborative effort was laid out during the Lower School students’ week-long study on solidarity. Their studies focused on developing essential qualities such as becoming upstanders, practicing kindness, and exploring the role of being an ally towards all community members. Dr. Francis Yasharian, the head of the lower school and a key organizer of Solidarity Week, provided valuable insights into the importance of the Lower School’s studies. He emphasized how engaging with Upper and Middle School students during Solidarity Week “helps bring the concept of solidarity to life for our youngest students and fosters learning that lasts.” Yasharian also mentioned the challenge

of maintaining a cohesive community across the two distinct Poly campuses. “Although we are one school, we are two different campuses,” Yasharian said, stressing the importance of collaborative events like Solidarity Week. He also spoke about the event’s impact on community building, stating that “Community won’t just happen on its own. We need to actively cultivate it, and this is one way to do so.”

Winston, a key planner of Solidarity Week, views the initiative as a step toward positive change, stating, “Poly is the external force that drives us closer to reaching our aims and aspirations.” Winston said he believes that welcoming the Lower School community is more than a logistical task; it becomes a transformative experience, “softening our older students,” as he stat-

“Community won’t just happen on its own. We need to actively cultivate it, and this is one way to do so.”

– Jared Winston

ed, and fostering genuine joy and connections. Reflecting on Solidarity Week’s success, Winston acknowledged the challenges of staging large events. He stated, “When we aim big, there is always the opportunity that we miss big.” However, success is found in a deeper understanding of Poly’s mission, encouraging continuous improvement. “We want to make Solidarity Week as meaningful as possible,” he emphasized.

The POLYGON

Managing Editor

TJ Iannelli

News Editors

Anjali Budhram

Seanna Sankar

Opinions Editor

William Ling-Regan

People Editor

Elizabeth Perry

Features Editor

Eleanor Brown

Lila Daniels

Arts Editors

Sadie Schoenberger

Brianna Sylvain

Middle School Editor

Charlotte Arzouian

Sports Editors

Kayvan Dyk

Reese Roaman

Breaking News Editor

Lucas Basham

Business Manager

Petros Dulos

Arts Critic

Lucy Goldberg

Head Layout Editors

Danielle Jason

Charlotte Roberts

Layout Editors

Emma Arden

Amber Dosik

Chloe Guedes-Smith

Nyjáh Harrison

Carolina Lisk

Dov Weinstein Elul

Oasis Society Returns to Poly

NOAH SAIVETZ STAFF WRITER

Oasis Society is the oldest student organization at Poly and recognizes students who embody high standards of citizenship. Jared Winston, the director of student life for Middle and Upper School and one of the faculty leaders of Oasis Society, delved into what the group looks for in a student candidate and what their goals are: “Oasis Society students are considered students of great character.” Those with “great character,” according to Winston, are students who demonstrate “involvement in various facets of student life on campus, engagement in their communities off campus, and demonstrations of good judgment in the classroom and beyond.” Winston added that Oasis Society members “function regularly as the glue that binds our dynamic student experiences here at Poly” by running “student organizations,” leading “on-campus initiatives,” and more.

“We hope to leverage the array of traits that Oasis Society members bring to school every day in the name of growing character, community, and culture here at Poly,” Winston said. Winston noted that the goals and foundation of Oasis Society are still a work in progress, but regardless, “[Oasis Society wants] to be intentional with how [they call] upon members to grow the community as the Oasis Society returns to Poly.”

The Oasis Society is moving to act on “institutional ideas” as they are planning an “Oasis Society Summit” as well as a “Peer Mentorship pro-

Editors-in-Chief

Jess Dosik

Jordan Millar

Photography Editors

Sophia Chamorro

IZ Nissen

Online Managing Editor

Lucia Zaremba

Chief of Cartoons and Puzzles

Michael Gabriel

DEIB Reporter

Izzy Leyton

Business Columnist

Noah Yaffe

Copy Editors

Maia Kovaleski

Ziah Adediran

Lulu Adefris-Yaxley

Aerin Genatt

Gabi Winitzer

Opal Williams-Law

gram;” both are hopefully going to be launched in the near future. The summit is aimed to provide students with a direct path of communication to the school’s administration, supplying the student body with a voice that can “channel our efforts to improve the student experience and inch us closer to fulfilling our aspirations as a school,” added Winston. The mentorship program allows Upper School students to support Middle School students in both “academic, social [and] emotional” areas of their lives. “Oasis Society presents a meaningful opportunity to bridge the gap between the two schools and leave a lasting legacy here at Poly,” said Winston. Winston also touched upon “cultural pathways to promote students within the Oasis Society and have them share their energy and grow their impact.”He referenced the work the Oasis Society did with welcoming and guiding the Lower School students who were on campus for the Solidarity Week celebration. “Moments like these place Oasis Society members in esteemed roles that reinforce how we hope students might navigate their time at Poly: with integrity and character,” said Winston. Oasis Society, while not a group everyone is familiar with, is a group everyone can look to for guidance within Poly’s community.

The Polygon is published at least eight times a year by the students of Poly Prep Country Day School. We welcome both letters to the editor and guest opinions. All submissions should be emailed to polygon@polyprep.org and must include the author’s name. The Polygon reserves the right to edit all submissions for spelling, grammar, and length. Letters should be no longer than 200 words, and opinion pieces should be no longer than 750 words. You can find the full Polygon editorial policy online at polygonnews.org.

Faculty Advisor: Rachael Allen

The Polygon c/o Poly Prep CDS 9216 7th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11228

Vincent Rutuelo Leaves Poly After 18 Years (Continued from page 1)

rity at Poly moving forward, Salvatore (Sal) Bonaventura, who has been at Poly for eight years (two years at the Lower School and six years at the Upper School), is stepping up as the Director of Security, and Xerxes Vizcaino, who has been a security guard at Poly for 15 years, is stepping up as associate director of security. Rutuelo’s position as Head of Security will remain unfilled as the whole department collectively learns how to manage the budgetary side of the role. Rutuelo assured that the security of Poly will be safe in their hands: “[It’ll be] two people that have been around here a long time and have been involved in every aspect of all the security upgrades that this school has. They’ve been part of the entire process, so they know what’s going on [in] all the projects that are sitting here waiting to go into [their] next phases. So I don’t see any gap in security here.” Executive Assistant to the Head of School Kristen Lizzi, who worked closely with Rutuelo on the bus system, will continue to assist with the buses as long as she is needed.

Bonaventura — who is a retired police officer, 9/11 first responder, and has also worked as a security guard for high-profile celebrities — is ready to step up into his new role. He has already organized, through a New York City security program, three more privately hired security officers to come onboard at Poly, free of charge, bringing the total number of security officers from 15 to 18 for the near future. Bonaventura also hopes to add a separate department solely for buses at Poly sometime in the future. “We could definitely justify adding somebody to do at least the administrative part. It would take a little bit of the load off of us,” Bonaventura said. Bonaventura plans to bring Vizcaino from the Lower School back to the Dyker Heights campus. “They’re going to miss him because I will be taking him over here,” Bonaventura joked, “but I will try to do it as gingerly as possible.” He is hoping he will be here at the latest after winter break. Bonaventura said Lizzi, who has extensive knowledge about the bus routes, is also helping the team get situated in their new positions. Bonaventura said he plans to stay at Poly (which he referred to as the best place he ever worked) for a long time and says Rutuelo left it in a great spot for the future. As a former officer, he feels confident in the new role, stating “There’s nothing that could happen here that [I] haven’t been through.”

As for his plans for the future, Bonaventura shared

that he wants the 7th Avenue entrance to have an automatic front gate so that the guards don’t have to get up to open and close it all the time. He also plans to expand the security camera system at Poly, which already has over 120 cameras. “I would say the cameras are 97 percent effective as far as when there is a problem.” Bonaventura also wants to add a monitor system to his office, which would allow him to keep tabs on the school while working. “This is what I

“I picture myself as a kid. I remember when I went to school, you’d get some teachers and some staff who were nasty. I try to be nice. I try to have a good relationship with them. I know a lot of the kids on a first name basis.”

– Sal Bonaventura

used to do most of the year. When I wasn’t walking around I was in the office watching the screen.” He also wants to add a vehicle for the security guards to travel in around campus so that they can get to places faster. Other than that, he said “any changes we make will be for the betterment of the community.”

Despite the intensity of his new position, Bonaventura does not want to lose his lighthearted youthfulness: “I picture myself as a kid. I remember when I went to school, you’d get some teachers and some staff who were nasty. I try to be nice. I try to have a good relationship with [the students]. I know a lot of the kids on a first-name basis, and they still call me Sal, which is fine. I’m not big into titles.”

Vizcaino is also ready to step up to the task: “It’s like riding a bike for the first time without training wheels (Mr. Rutuelo) to help you out. Now that the training wheels are off, we need to continue to ride with the knowledge we have gained. I’m grateful Mr. Rutuelo set up the department really well, so we just have to continue his work and implement improvements as we see fit,” he said in an email interview.

Vizcaino also added that students should not be afraid to introduce themselves to the new staff: “I also

want everyone to know that we are approachable,” he said. “When you see anyone in the security department walking the halls, at games, or shows, please say hello! We want everyone to know that we are here for you.” Despite his physical departure, Rutuelo is not permanently saying goodbye to Poly. The school is allowing Rutuelo’s email to stay activated so that he can be reached in the event of any important happenings. Rutuelo planned out all his security initiatives in five year increments, and plans to carefully monitor and see through the ones that are currently on-going so that he can ensure they are executed correctly. Poly staff and faculty were effusive in their praise of Rutuelo. Bonaventura described Rutuelo as a great mentor and friend. “We both had the same mentality because we both came up through the same New York City Police Department. So we were always on the same wavelength,” he said. “I miss him. Coming here and working with him was fun again. I laughed a lot,” he said.

Interim Head of School John Rankin said: “He was honest, really clear, always direct, and he saw his job here really as doing service. Poly wasn’t just a job to him — he wanted to be here and support the community, and make the place as safe as he possibly could. Before I had this role I never even thought about security, but he was always friendly with me and always stopped to talk to me.”

Lizzi, who has worked closely with Rutuelo for a number of years, also shared her regards for Rutuelo. “No matter how busy he was, he always made time for other people.” Lizzi added that many people had emailed to express their sadness about his departure. “We put a book together for him. I think it was a surprise to him, that people were so sad that he was going,” she said.

Rutuelo said that he will dearly miss the Poly community, especially the friends he has made over the last 18 years. “The Poly community is a very unique one. It takes me over two plus hours to get home, and my wife keeps asking ‘What is it about Poly Prep?’ I said ‘It’s hard to explain. You’d have to work there to understand.”

Speaker Visit: Matt Rosenberg

With over 50 students in attendance, New York Times reporter Matt Rosenberg came to Poly during the clubs block on November 30 to speak about his journalistic work. A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Rosenberg shared his experiences with reporting abroad, having spent 15 years as a foreign correspondent in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East (even being expelled from Afghanistan in 2014 for his reporting). Born in New York and a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Rosenberg previously worked for The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. Most recently, Rosenberg has contributed to the Times live coverage of the Israel-Hamas War. Poly students Lucas Basham ’24, Breaking News Editor for the Polygon, and Brianna Sylvain ’27, Arts Editor, both moderated the conversation.

VIA LINDA BUSETTI

JORDAN MILLAR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Poly Acquires New Property (Continued

from page 1)

as the home for the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture (BSEC), which, according to its website, is a nonprofit, Brooklyn humanist congregation and an “open society, welcoming of diverse families and individuals of all backgrounds,” founded in 1907 to create a supportive community. In the past, as noted by the Times, the prop-

erty has been utilized as somewhat of a meeting house, an umbrella for various programs, and a community center in which the society would rent out the building for weddings, bar mitzvahs, concerts, and other events.

According to Iannelli’s email, “Poly was able to obtain debt financing at a historically low interest rate, and the acquisition will not affect the School’s operating budgets, nor reduce funds available for financial aid, teacher and staff salaries, or maintenance.” After possessing the building for nearly 76 years, the BSEC has moved to the newly renovated space at 6 Garfield Place, Park Slope, where their work will continue.

“Acquiring such a large and beautiful property adjoining the existing Lower School is consistent with Poly’s strategic planning process and sets us on a path to realizing tremendous value for our institution. We are grateful to the BSEC for their stewardship of this historical Brooklyn landmark and wish them all the best in the future,” wrote Iannelli and the board.

“Acquiring such a large and beautiful property adjoining the existing Lower School is consistent with Poly’s strategic planning process and sets us on a path to realizing tremendous value for our institution.”

– Iannelli and Board

As the school continues to look forward to the “continued growth and success” that such a new acquisition brings, Iannelli concluded in his email: “We are eager to share regular updates about the property’s progress and invite you to contribute your thoughts on how we can best leverage this remarkable asset for the benefit of the Poly Prep community and all of Brooklyn.”

Winter Formal (Continued from

page 1)

to go. Why did you sign me up for this?’”

Last year’s spirit captains Olivia Umeh ’23 and Justin Mondesir ’23 introduced the idea of a winter formal at Poly, which only invited juniors and seniors. While the idea was met with excitement, it also raised questions of whether a winter formal belonged in Poly’s culture, according to a Polygon article ahead of the inaugural dance last December.

“I don’t know what to think about [it]. Honestly, it takes away from the Poly Prep Prom, which is just for seniors,” Eliza Manny, who graduated in 2023, told the Polygon last year.

Winston said he received emails from parents delighted at the idea of a school dance. He and those parents remember dances being key parts of the high school experience. “Schools hold dances so that everybody can feel included in the community, especially those who might not feel socially included otherwise,” said Winston. “It is not lost on me that a school dance culture is new to Poly Prep. Building that culture, which was expressed to us by the students … takes time, right?”

“I expected the Novogratz building to be teeming with people, but it was surprisingly empty.”

– Kyle Williams

Revisions to this year’s winter formal included the DJ taking student requests for songs, the photographer taking pictures on the dance floor, and the setting being the Legacy Gym instead of the Novogratz. There were once again lights, tables, snacks, and drinks. But Roaman thinks that, in following years, there needs to be more attention towards attendance: “How are we going to ensure that the students who sign up actually show up? And how are we going to ensure that we get more of the student body?” she said.

Kyle Williams, who graduated in 2023, described a similar scene at the inaugural formal to that of this year’s in an op-ed published in the Polygon in February: after arriving ten minutes late, “I expected the Novogratz building to be teeming with people, but it was surprisingly empty. I could count

“You know, we'll have a dance next year if students want to have a dance next year… [but] there doesn't seem to me to be a pressing reason to have another winter formal dance.”

– Jared Winston

the number of students who had shown up, other than me, on my two hands, and no one had even bothered to go up to the gym yet.” This year, by the time the doors were supposed to close at 7:30, the gym was far closer to empty than full, and students were still slowly trickling in. Prior emails from Winston said students would be prohibited from leaving until 9:30, but some who asked to leave early were allowed. Winston recognized that students have social lives outside of Poly, and that “more exciting social opportunities [may] have presented themselves to students closer to the date … which decreased attendance.” But he also added that the date of the Winter Formal was announced several weeks ahead of time. Floyd said it was “frustrating” for the event organizers to see so few students attend.

“You know, we’ll have a dance next year if students want to have a dance next year…[but] there doesn’t seem, to me, to be a pressing reason to have another winter formal dance,” said Winston. “My only hope is that students had fun on Saturday night no matter what they were doing.”

What’s Going on at Poly This Month?

JESS DOSIK AND JORDAN MILLAR EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

1. United States Army Veteran and Former United States Representative Max Rose ’04 visited Poly on Friday, November 17, for an assembly surrounding Veteran’s Day, where he spoke to the Poly community about his experiences in both politics and his life in the army.

2. This December commenced the Winter Gear Drive which will run until December 20 on the Dyker Heights campus. Bins to donate gently used winter gear, including coats, hats, and other winter accessories. Most of the coat donations will be sent to New York Cares Coat Drive, and most of the other items will go to the emergency pantry at Harvey Milk High School.

3. Announcing the winners of this year’s Shark Tank Competition… The Merch Store Revamp by Madeline Gross ’26, Emma Auger-Dominguez ’26, Amara Johansson ’26, Ava Barbiere ’26, and Stavroula Gabriel ’25.

4. The Middle and Upper School Winter Arts Festival which previewed in Chapel on Thursday, December 15, took place the next day on Friday, December 16. The visual arts show which showcased a variety of student art pieces all around the school building invited visitors to experience an exhibit of paintings, sculptures, and more from students in Polys visual arts courses. Shortly after the visual arts display, the annual winter music concert took place in the Memorial Chapel, with performances from Jazz Band, Concert Band, Advanced Concert Band, String Ensemble, Advanced String Ensemble, Concert Choir, Advanced

Concert Choir, Harmonics, Blue Notes, A Cappella, and Young and Tower Singers.

5. This December the Middle School play “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood” will occur on December 21, which according to the Poly Pulse, tells the story of “an evil prince, with help of a corrupt sheriff, plots to steal the throne of England. Innocent citizens are suffering, but they have a hero lurking in nearby Sherwood Forest...Robin Hood!”

6. Several of Poly’s DEIB colleagues as well as employees across departments recently went to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference from November 29 to December 2. Held in St. Louis this year, the theme for the conference was “Gateways to Freedom: A Confluence of Truth, Knowledge, Joy, and Power.” Poly student representatives attended for the Student Diversity Leadership (SLDC) part of conference, and members of the community also gave presentations, including Upper School Dean Francesca Walker’s “#SoftLife: Cultivating Psychological Resilience for Black Women in Independent Schools,” and Poly parent Cindy McField Asamoah’s “The Boys’ Room: Affinity Groups for Black and Brown Boys in Independent Schools.”

VIA GOOGLE MAPS

OPINIONS

Q+A With Peace Activist David Dean Shulman

JESS DOSIK AND WILLIAM LING-REGAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND OPINIONS EDITOR

The Polygon acknowledges the complexity of the Israel-Hamas war and the history of conflict within the region, as well as the impact this conflict has around the world and in the Poly community. We seek to publish stories that add context, information, and different opinions to our understanding of the conflict. To that end, we took the time between the November and December issues to carefully consider how to publish this Q&A with peace activist David Dean Shulman, because we understand that this is a sensitive and important topic for our community and the general public. Ultimately, we believe that Shulman’s words will deepen our readers’ understanding of the conflict by providing them with the valuable perspective of someone experiencing it firsthand.

We decided to publish this Q&A in our Opinions section, rather than News, because while it does cover a current global issue, it is the opinion of one individual rather than a story including background information and a variety of perspectives. To continue furthering our coverage of the conflict, we invite any member of the community to contribute their perspective to the Opinions section.

Our job as journalists is to ensure that everything we publish is fact-checked to the best of our ability. Multiple members of our editorial staff reviewed all of the information Shulman shared and the language he used to ensure that it is factually accurate by checking a variety of news and historical sources.

We encourage all students and members of the Poly community reading this Q&A to think critically about the opinion Shulman articulates. In our fact-checking process, we compiled resources that contextualized Shulman’s words. We have included links to three of the most informative resources in QR codes below. Additionally, we suggest reviewing the resources that Mr. Sivin and his War Victims SLT compiled for the Poly community, sent out in an email on Thursday, December 7. We hope that these resources will provide context and other perspectives to facilitate this critical thinking.

We welcome any member of our community to respond to a published opinion or the Polygon’s reporting by sending a letter to the editor or a comment to polygon@polyprep.org.

David Dean Shulman is a peace activist living in Jerusalem who has been active along the West Bank. He has written 20 books, including his book Dark Hope: Working for Peace in Israel and Palestine. He is also a founding member of the Israeli-Palestinian movement Ta’ayush, which supports Palestinians living in the South Hebron Hills. The Polygon interviewed him on November 19 by Zoom. This Q&A has been edited and condensed for length and clarity purposes.

How have your personal experiences influenced your perspectives on what’s going on right now?

We’re in the middle of a war. It’s a very hard and cruel war with a lot of casualties. And it began with this truly awful, horrific, inhumane attack on October 7, when Hamas massacred over a thousand people. It’s true to say that the whole population of Israel had a sense of everyday security, that life is going to be livable —that’s been shattered. And I think everybody feels this grim sense of insecurity, not knowing what’s going to happen. The hostages, 240 hostages, are in what is undoubtedly a nightmare for them and their families. So there’s a sense of depression or even despair. I hate war. I was in a war in Lebanon in 1982. I know what it’s like. And I hate it, but I understand why Israel had to go into Gaza. I hope very much that somehow within maybe some weeks the worst of it will be over.

other words, it’ll be a regional settlement. It will include a settlement of the Palestinian issue, which Israel has resisted tooth and nail for several decades. Once the threat from Gaza is over, a good resolution would be a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians, which will also include an end to the occupation and the withdrawal by Israel to some kind of border that is close to the old pre-1967 border. So that’s what’s at stake here. I’m not terribly hopeful that that’s what’s going to happen, but I think it could happen.

How would you like to see publications and other forms of media portraying the conflict?

There are several things that are really important to be said and to be said clearly. One is that Israel went to war because of this horrific massacre. And I suppose that there was no choice. They had to go into Gaza, and that’s number one.

Number two. None of this is worth doing if at the end they don’t try to make peace in a serious way.

Number three, in the meanwhile, we are facing an emergency in the territories — “we” meaning the activists who work with shepherds, peasants, Palestinian farmers who are just ordinary people, peaceful people. What we are seeing are continuous, very violent attacks on these Palestinian communities by Israeli settlers often backed up by soldiers from the Israeli army. We’re not talking about all the settlers on the West Bank. We’re talking about a small minority of them. But these are people who are committed to a kind of apocalyptic and messianic ideology; they want to rid the entire West Bank and really, all of the land between the Jordan River and the sea of anybody who is not Jewish. That means expelling innocent Palestinian populations and communities from their lands. The settlers come in with guns and tell them that they have to leave within 24 hours or else the settlers will come back and shoot them. They break everything breakable, they burn houses and cars and beat up everybody they can find. So it’s important to mention that and to say that we really need help to put an end to this.

That’s where people in America can play a role. You can reach out to the President. You can write to the Secretary of State. You can write to your congressman and tell [them] to make the Israelis stop this long-term settler violence in the Palestinian West Bank. It’s really important. Lives are at stake.

and the rights as citizens in a democracy like in America — all the basic human rights you take for granted living in America. By the way, you shouldn’t take them for granted. They’re precious. You may have to fight for them. Nobody’s going anywhere. They’re all here to stay. They all have rights to this country. They have a historic connection that goes back thousands of years. So we can go on killing one another. I mean, that’s what we’ve been doing on and off for the last hundred years. There’s some kind of peaceful interlude from time to time, sometimes long intervals but sooner or later, it breaks out into a war. We need the Palestinians on their side to be prepared to make a real settlement, and to pay the price for it. And we need the Israelis to understand that there are Palestinians who also have rights and who deserve equality. It doesn’t look like that’s really close to reality at the moment with this terrible war going on. There’s a fear that the war will spread to the North. I know from experience in war, each side dehumanizes the other — otherwise you can’t kill people. So now within Israel and within the Palestinian area, there’s a lot of that. That’ll pass, I think, when the war actually ends. And that’s the moment where I have to hope that the two peoples will come together. There’s a group called Combatants For Peace. Let’s say you have 100 people in the room. Half of them are going to be Israelis who have all come out of the army in one way or another, and the other half will be Palestinians who were usually in one of the organizations, maybe the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) or Fatah or something like that. And they’ve come together because somehow they have a sense that this has to change, that this violent reality is unworkable and it’s going to end up destroying everything, all of us. If you go to one of those meetings, for the first hour or two, there’s usually a lot of acrimonious and bitter accusations of one another. The Palestinians say “Look what you’ve done to us, look what you’re doing to us.” And the Jews will say, “Well, look what you’ve done to us. Look at the terrorism and the attacks, look at the wars.” And then at some point, somebody, usually on the Israeli side, says “I get it, we have caused your people a lot of suffering.” Something like that. And as soon as that has been said, the atmosphere changes. And suddenly these one hundred people are able to truly communicate with one another, really beginning to like one another. I’ve seen it happen many times. It’s extremely moving. So if it can happen to 100 people in a room like that, that is what has to happen on the much larger scale of millions of people; they won’t be in the same room, but they’re living in the same land. And I think it’s still the case even now, that the majority on both sides wants peace. We can spend a lot of time, many hours, weeks or months reviewing all the horrible things that we have done to one another, and there’s no lack of them, but if we want to take a look toward the future and believe that human beings are capable of overcoming their fears and their hatred and their prejudices, you know, if we believe that, then there’s hope for peace. I don’t know if I’ll live to see it. I used to think I would live to see it. I’m not so sure now, but someday maybe my grandchildren will see it. I hope so.

But you know what really troubles me? The worst part of all this, for me, is the notion that even if we succeed in Gaza and manage to destroy Hamas and bring down their government so that they will not be there in Gaza anymore, I’m really afraid we will go back to where we were before the war. And what that means for me is more of the occupation, more Israeli settlements in [occupied territory], more attempts at annexation, more violence towards innocent Palestinians in the territories, more anti-democratic legislation put forward by the government, more racism. If we were really lucky, after the war is over, the Americans would probably put forward a peace program, and it will be a regional peace program, not just Israel and Palestine but also all of the moderate Arab states: Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Tunisia, Morocco. In

Our school has been trying to educate students about what’s going on. We’ve had emails from the history department and administration as well as info sessions. How would you frame the conflict and the war that’s going on for students?

It’s a very complicated solution and there’s been a huge amount of violence and suffering by both sides over the years. But I think you have to take a long-term view. You know, this has gone on now for more than 100 years. There are two ethnic peoples in this same small little country, which is like the size of the state of Delaware. There are Palestinians and there are Jews. In theory each group would like to have control of the entirety of the land. But it’s impossible for either of them to do that. They’re going to have to find a way to live together, because the Palestinians are not going to go away and neither are the Israelis. You can’t have a situation where one of the populations, that is, the Israeli Jews, have all the privileges

CNN: “What You Need to Know About the Israeli Settlements”

NPR: “Israel’s Pre-1967 Boundaries”

NYT: “Here is a Timeline of the Clashes Between Palestinian Militants and Israel.”

VIA DAVID DEAN SHULMAN: “Here’s a typical landscape of the Palestinian shepherds in the South Hebron hills, where I have worked for some years, accompanying them to their grazing grounds and protecting them from Israeli settlers.”

Business Column: Bloomberg Trip

REESE ROAMAN SPORTS EDITOR

Disembarking from the school bus, my Advanced Journalism class arrived at a midtown building with a futuristic allure. We entered the lobby, where we provided government-issued IDs, reinforcing the gravity of entering businessman-turned-mayor (and erstwhile presidential candidate) Michael R. Bloomberg’s inner sanctum. As we exited the elevators to the 6th floor, we were met with natural light pouring in from the floor-ceiling glass walls. The office space was adorned with kitchens and snack-laden islands — a gastronomic haven, supplying everything from fro-yo and pizza to sushi. You name it, this office had it.

Created in 1981, Bloomberg is a financial media company focusing on software, news, and data. The company provides information to finance professionals, business entities, and industries nationwide. We soon met with our tour guide, Bret Begun, a senior editor of Bloomberg’s Businessweek magazine. As Begun led us through the office, he shared how the office is in the shape of a horseshoe, though some might not notice it at first. Mike Bloomberg’s first purchase for the Bloomberg company was an espresso machine from a department store, which he later bought and transformed into the office building we were standing in. Throughout the renovation process, Bloomberg gave the building the appearance of a horseshoe, a symbol of good luck.

After eating lunch and grabbing a few snacks from their selection, we began our tour. Taking a sharp right, we descended the only existing spiral escalator in the world and were greeted by a live news broadcast on the other side of the glass. This scenery had an anchorwoman, numerous cameras, and endless equipment. “It was so perfect. The whole room looked as if it was made of wax. Almost out of a movie,” said junior Lucia Zaremba. Our journey continued past the radio operations room, which broadcasts constant updates and breaking news worldwide.

As we moved down the hall, Begun

“A Day

showed us a display of keyboards consecutively lined up, a visual representation of the Bloomberg “Terminals.” This in-house service seamlessly delivers data across market sectors and workflows, gathering news, data, analytics, and sources to facilitate swift, informed economic decisions. It champions transparency in financial markets and is embraced by the majority of Bloomberg’s workforce.

Begun said that nearly every story ends up being a business story if a number is involved. Topics are selected based on the week’s events, focusing on providing context and analysis around significant news stories. The magazine navigates diverse terrains, ranging from the housing crisis all the way to banks and tech features. Begun said that they don’t look at themselves as a news digest. Instead they look at themselves as just trying to provide context and analysis around the big news stories of the day.

Certain topics, such as tech, remain consistent throughout the weeks within the column; however, this can change. Currently, tech is the engine of the American economy, but if asked 30 years ago, it would be Ford. Bloomberg’s focus is always changing in response to current rapid economic changes. People, especially younger generations, are not reading hard-copy news as much as they used to.

Newspaper Fact Sheet by Pew Research Center reveals a 10 percent decline in hard-copy newspaper readership since 2021, with a continued downward trend. According to Begun, the industry is constantly changing and they’re always looking to put out the best product they can.

To close off the trip, we had the opportunity to meet New York City’s local celebrity, Charlie Pellett, a news anchor for Bloomberg Radio. Have you ever been on the subway and heard, “Stand clear of the closing doors, please”? Well, that is Pellet’s distinctive voice resonating through the underground. This moment definitely added a noteworthy ending to our trip, bringing the city’s soundscape to life in a way none of us saw coming.

Op-Ed: If I Were to Change the Schedule

MICHAEL GABRIEL CHIEF OF CARTOONS AND PUZZLES

I’llget straight to the point: the seven-day schedule is starting to be inconvenient. We’ve had it long enough that I’m used to it, but I still think there are a variety of issues that should be addressed in the future. Obviously, the schedule is not going to change in the middle of the year, but who knows? Maybe an administrator will read this and say to themselves, “Hey, Michael might be onto something here.” All I know is that, as someone who has been far down on the heights called Dyker since 5th grade, I’ve experienced my fair share of schedules, and I think that, as a senior, I should share some of my wisdom.

Is it not Day 3?:

The first issue (and probably the most obvious one) is that the current schedule is a seven day rotation. Correct me if I’m wrong, but there are not seven weekdays. There are five. After a long weekend, the relaxed brain starts to wonder, “was Friday Day 4 or Day 7? I had calculus last period on Friday. Does that mean today is Day 1?” You could just wing it and hope that you have physics first, but if you’re wrong, you, a tardy student, might end up having to write a poem for Mr. Larose’s English class. One solution is to just look at your Google Calendar, but wouldn’t it be nice if on a Monday, you just have a Monday schedule?

When does class end?:

I am not complaining about having an hour and five minute free period, but after a while, an hour and five minutes of any class starts to get to you. I remember back in sixth grade in 2017, we had a five day schedule with nine 45 minute periods a day, along with two 30-minute periods for lunch and Form Time (which was like recess). Each class met almost every day of the week. The drawbacks then were that there was no time allocated for getting from one class to the other, and that it was technically possible to have homework from every class due the next day. Despite all that, I still think I would rather have at least one or two more periods a day if it meant they were all 20 minutes shorter.

So clubs are canceled again?:

This issue also stems from the seven-day rotation. Since the Clubs, Assembly, and DEIB Blocks all only happen once every rotation, there is no consistency in when each occurs. We’ve seen this year how Assembly may replace a Clubs or DEIB Block without the reverse happening. If there was a Clubs Block every Monday throughout the year, clubs that rely on deadlines, like the Polygon, would be able to operate more efficiently. The same goes for affinity groups. It’s hard to continue a discussion that started over a week ago. Meeting consistency is key to accomplishing anything.

Do we have Assembly today?:

My final critique is the one that I really do believe needs to be addressed soon. As I mentioned, Assembly does not occur regularly, hence why the school tends to take time away from clubs and DEIB. In Middle School, we had Assembly twice a week (it was in the theater, not the Chapel). This time was dedicated to announcements, author visits, play previews, and all other kinds of community events. As far as I know, that was the case in the Upper School as well for a long time. If I were to create the schedule, I would make it so we had two assemblies every week, with one on Monday and one on Friday. The catch is that one would be dedicated to announcements and the other would be dedicated to student organized presentations or guest speakers. The time we spend as one big Poly community is valuable. I think we should push for more of it.

I completely understand that the schedule we have today is the result of years of trial and error. The flex block has saved me multiple times, and since you usually never have more than one class for two days in a row, having homework due the next day is rare. I’m grateful for all the good things that have come from this schedule, I just think that there are things we need to improve on, and I hope that we as a community can do just that in the future.

of Duality”: Celebrating Haitian Independence Day

BRIANNA SYLVAIN ARTS EDITOR

For me, January 1 is a day of pumpkin soup. While this may seem like an uncommon way to begin the New Year, it is actually how most Haitian individuals celebrate. On January 1 of 1804, Haiti gained its independence and became a free republic after a revolution that spanned around 13 years, making Haiti the first black republic in the world.

So where does the soup fit into this? During French colonial rule of Haiti, enslaved peoples had to grow and cultivate squash, a crop that was abundant in Haiti. This squash was then used to make a soup, called soup joumou, that was to be eaten solely by the French. By forbidding the Haitians to imbibe and enjoy the soup joumou, the French reinforced the oppressive hierarchies that the Haitians were subjected to during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Being able to celebrate Haitian Independence Day with my family and drink soup joumou, a dish that my ancestors were prohibited from having, is a fortifying experience. Different families have different iterations of the soup, depending on what part of Haiti they are from or what their personal preferences are (my family likes pumpkin). However, I believe that the purpose and intent behind the tradition remains the same, regardless of the soup you use to commemorate it with.

Haitian Independence Day is also a day of acknowledgment. Acknowledging the

revolutionaries, like Toussaint Louverture, who made Haiti’s independence possible, acknowledging Haiti’s rich and complex history, and acknowledging my own Haitian heritage. Living in the United States my whole life and being constantly surrounded by American culture has created distance between me and my Haitian ancestry, especially since the story of Haiti and stories of Haitians are rarely depicted in film and the media. I take immense comfort in knowing that there will always be at least one day a year, every year, where my culture is something that I can spend the whole day celebrating. Even though I spend a great deal of January 1 celebrating Haitian Independence Day, I still partake in traditional New Year’s traditions, making it a day of duality. To some degree, the mixture of traditions I partake in on January 1, some American, like watching the ball drop, and some Haitian, like drinking soup joumou, represents my experiences as a Haitian-American. I identify with both American and Haitian culture; I appreciate American English and Haitian Creole, I associate red, white, and blue with both Haiti and the U.S, and on New Year’s Day I imbibe in both apple cider and soup joumou.

VIA BRIANNA SYLVAIN

FEATURES Devil’s Advocate

DEIB Column: Interview with Mr. Larose, New Co-Coordinator of US DEIB

ISABELLA LEYTON DEIB REPORTER

For this second issue, I emailed Carmelo Larose, the other new co-coordinator of DEIB, along with Director of Campus Library Services Iman Stultz, who was spotlighted in the November issue of the Polygon. Larose, an Upper School English teacher, came to Poly in 2015 and has been an essential part of the Poly community ever since. This semester, he is teaching both Advanced Law and Literature and Literature and Psychology. In the past, he has taught electives including film studies, creative nonfiction writing, African American literature, and

“As a member of the English Department, I have worked on making sure that the curriculum reflects the identities, needs, and interests of our student body.”

– Carmelo Larose

the literature of New York. Recently, he has taken on a new role in DEIB. He wrote that he hopes he can use this role to make “everyone feel welcome.”

Before coming to Poly, Larose worked at Middlesex School in Concord, MA, where he served as the Director of Diversity and the Director of Service Learning. He wrote that has “enjoyed my conversations and interactions with the very dynamic and diverse student body at Poly…I have had an incredibly positive and powerful experience working with the students here as an English teacher and my work as a DEIB co-coordinator evolved

Holiday Bucket List

naturally from those meaningful experiences.”

He believes that “DEIB is important in every institution.” Every generation of students are different and have unique needs in order to feel comfortable and included. Along with staying updated on current events, Larose makes sure he is aware of what the student body needs.

As DEIB Co-coordinator, Larose participates in discussion groups and has “Task Force” meetings, helping the leaders of affinity groups plan assemblies. Assemblies are an opportunity for members of the community to hear about what other affinity groups have been doing and working on. DEIB Chair Erika Freeman usually meets with the leaders of DEIB at other schools. As DEIB Co-coordinators, Larose and. Stultz attend conferences, speaking with members of other schools and institutions with similar roles who are “interested in making sure diversity, equity, inclusivity, and belonging are furthered at our school and theirs,” according to Larose.

In an email to the Polygon, Larose wrote that “As a member of the English Department, I have worked on making sure that the curriculum reflects the identities, needs, and interests of our student body.” He wants DEIB to be a time that students look forward to, where they can get into smaller groups and speak their minds. If anyone in the community feels like DEIB doesn’t feel like a welcoming or helpful time, you should reach out to Larose or Stultz. Larose believes that “Effective teaching is careful listening.” The only way that they can improve the DEIB block is if you express your concerns and ideas to them.

JO-LEE MCKENZIE AND MADELINE SHIELDS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

The holidays are a time when love and excitement pervade the air. Joyful spirits are erected by the playable snow, the cold weather to cozy up to, and the idea of giving and receiving gifts. Whilst easing into warmth underneath a blanket and consuming hot cocoa, holiday movies and songs are an established must-have. To encounter the full magical experience that the holiday times have to offer, you have to enjoy some holiday festivities, movies, songs, and possibly even some gifts to top it off. Below are suggestions on activities and products you need to incite the true feeling of the holidays.

Top 10 Holiday movies:

- Mariah Carey

2. Last Christmas - Wham!

3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Bing Crosby

4. I’ll be Home for ChristmasCamila Cabello

5. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas - Micheal Bublé

6. Santa Tell Me- Ariana Grande

7. Underneath the Tree- Kelly Clarkson

8. Buy me presents - Sabrina Carpenter

9. Christmas Tree Farm - Taylor Swift

10. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

Top 10 things you need to add to your wishlist:

1. Lip care:

Laneige Summer Fridays Fenty Beauty gloss bomb universal lip luminizer Dior lip oil Benetint

2. Mini perfumes:

Ariana Grande perfume set

Daisy Eau de toilette

Miss Dior

3. Nike dunks

4. Ugg slides or boots

5. Skin care:

Glow recipe

The Ordinary

Drunk elephant

Bubble

Byoma

6. Makeup: Charlotte Tilbury

Rare beauty

Dior

ILIA mascara

Pixi

7. Jewelry: Kendra Scott

Tiffany & Co

Cartier

Van Cleef

8. Stanley cup

9. Dyson airwrap

10. White fox sweat sets

ELEANOR BROWN AND WILLIAM LING-REGAN FEATURES EDITOR AND OPINIONS EDITOR

Dear Devil’s Advocate,

Every night, by the time I get on my late bus, it’s already pitch black outside, and every morning when I leave for school, it’s freezing cold. When the days are so short and cold, what do you recommend doing to avoid winter depression and enjoy this season?

Sincerely, Shivering Sophomore

Dear Shivering Sophomore,

Let’s face it: winter in New York City can be rough. Between the brown snow, the early nights, and the wind whipping at your back, it feels like there’s nothing to enjoy about the days between December and February. And Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is very real too; according to Boston University, around 10 million American adults experience it every year. So, to fight the winter blues, we have some suggestions for both indoor and outdoor activities that will help you make the most of the season. First, let’s tackle the indoors. Crank up the heat, put on your favorite playlist, and brew some hot chocolate to cherish your time inside with friends and family. One sure way to make this happen is with lots and lots of games. Whether it’s a favorite like Clue or Uno, a challenging jigsaw puzzle, or a fierce game of Egyptian Rat Slap, nothing brings people together like the collaboration (or competition) of a game. To truly warm up, try cooking or baking something. Not only is the project of making food fun in itself, it also gives you something to share with others. There’s a reason so many winter holidays include meals: a great conversation over great food chases the cold away. If cooking sounds like too much work for a chilly day, settle down on the couch with a blanket or some pillows and turn on a movie, whether it’s a heartwarming holiday classic or a thrilling action movie—The Holiday or Saving Private Ryan are both great. A great book is also just as exciting, and winter is actually the best season to finally get around to that novel that’s been sitting by your bed for months waiting to be read. To truly enjoy winter, though, you can’t limit yourself to the indoors. Mayo Clinic stresses the importance of getting outside and exercising to combat SAD. While it may seem like there’s nothing to do, and while there are certainly fewer options for running around outside than in the summer, there’s plenty you can do in the winter as well. If you live by a rink, take advantage of the opportunity to go ice skating, or simply toss around a ball on the street with your friends or with your family after a holiday dinner. Nothing beats a football game in frosty weather. And, if global warming permits us, there are all the quintessential snowy day activities to enjoy, from sledding down icy hills to snowball fights on the Poly campus.

We know that these suggestions can’t solve SAD, or make the cold completely go away. But we hope that with these activities, and the spirit that comes with them, we can take your winter from hell to heaven.

Sincerely,

The Devil’s Advocate

Need advice? Write polygon@polyprep.org a letter explaining your problem and we’ll publish it anonymously with advice from the Devil’s Advocate.

What’s on Your Wishlist? The Story of the Verrazzano

SASHA LONDONER STAFF WRITER

It’s December and winter break is just around the corner. With the weather getting colder, people are looking forward to the holidays, family, and winter celebrations. However, as we venture further into the month, many are wondering: “What should I get for others this season?” Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or your own special tradition, Poly students know what’s on everyone’s wishlist this year.

Jenesis Bartholomew ’27 and Kailynn Hernandez ’27 shared that electronics are the most desired gift this season. “I really want a PS5,” said Hernandez. “I want to play The Last of Us, I also want to play the Miles Morales game, and I also want the Spider-Man 2 game.” With the growing popularity of technology, Hernandez shared that every student wishes for the latest video games, phones, and iPads, and this is a sentiment Bartholomew shares: “I want Mortal Kombat 1,” she said. While these gifts are an investment, the amount

“You see one person [online] wearing [a] certain Tiffany and Co. bracelet, [and] everyone wants that bracelet.”

– Jenesis Bartholomew

of students who express interest in new technology demonstrates how much of an essential they have become. Playing games with friends has become a new favorite pastime for many. Students agree that this season, there is no better way to celebrate the holidays than to partake in friendly competition with those you love.

Gabby Watts ’27 and Emma Gordon-MooPenn ’27 noted that another way to express love for your friends is to give them a few popular items this holiday: “Matching jewelry,” according to Gordon-MooPenn and “chocolate and gift cards” according to Watts. Hernandez and Bartholomew also agreed that gift cards are a great and affordable way to spread cheer. Hernandez stated, “Unless it’s a specific item [a friend] wants, [give them] gift cards, because that way they can get whatever they want.” Bartholomew adds that gift cards, while non-specific, can also

SEANNA SANKAR NEWS EDITOR

Whether you’re on the field, sitting in a classroom, or in the bleachers for a Friday Night Lights football game, seeing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge across campus is no surprise at Poly Prep. The Verrazzano has been a part of many lives at both Poly and Bay Ridge even before its creation in 1964. However, little is known about its evanescent origin story, including the protests that arised, the loss of Poly’s property, and families that were displaced from their homes due to construction.

During the fall of Poly’s 2022-2023 school year, Upper School History Teacher AJ Blandford guided students through Poly’s archival files and came across a book manuscript from Poly alum and former head of the English department, Dr. Miles Kastendieck, which referenced details from the bridge’s construction in

destruction required for the widening of 92nd street to facilitate approaches to the bridge.” The archive depicts a divot in the property which may have been where construction took place and the loss of 50 feet of land, or the engineer’s house. Proof of 92nd Street construction can be seen at the intersection of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 92nd Street where the street doubles in size.

In New York Times journalist Gay Talese’s book The Bridge: The Building of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, he confirmed that it was the highway connecting the bridge, or the bridge approach, that “would cut into the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn where seven thousand people now lived [and] where eight hundred buildings now stood.” “Save Bay Ridge” banners flew as this decision triggered protests from locals. “It was a difficult reality for

be personalized to fit the interests of the individual. “If there’s a certain region of [interest your friend] has, you can get them an Amazon gift card, or if they play on the Nintendo Switch, you can get them a Nintendo Switch gift card. [Gift cards] are something that they will use and enjoy.”

Additionally, Bartholomew added

“Unless it’s a specific item [a friend] wants, [give them] gift cards, because that way they can get whatever they want.”

– Kailynn Hernandez

that clothes are another easy and appreciated present. When asked “What do you think will be the most popular item and why,” she states, “Probably anything with clothes….I feel like that’s something our generation is really into.” She adds that the Essentials Fear of God hoodie is a particularly popular clothing item as a result of our generation’s susceptibility to social media influence. “You see one person [online] wearing [a] certain Tiffany and Co. bracelet, [and] everyone wants that bracelet,” stated Bartholomew. Hernandez added that “the amount of influencers with Sol de Janeiro,” a popular perfume and skincare brand, “is crazy.” “I’m literally wearing [Sol de Janeiro] right now,” added Bartholomew. “It’s so good.” So, if you’re completely lost as to what you should get someone this season, the internet is a great place to turn to. Any brand, product, or service publicized by online influencers becomes very popular with Gen Z, as illustrated by Hernandez’s statement: “I want Sol de Janeiro so bad.”

In all, there is no shortage of gifts to give to others this season. From clothing to video games, there is something for everyone this holiday. However, while gift-giving is a great way to express your love, don’t forget to be appreciative of who and what you have. Gifts are costly, and you don’t need them to express your gratitude to others. Above all, the holiday season is a time of thanks, so don’t forget to keep that in mind when considering others and their celebrations this season.

relation to Poly. In his first manuscript of “The Story of Poly, Part II,” Kastendieck said that the initial construction plans in 1957 were rumored to “cut directly through the school and grounds as well as ‘cutting Bay Ridge in half,’” which would “threaten the very existence of [Poly].”

However, there is some disconnect between the inceptive construction period and the ultimate plan as the Verrazzano has been built for 59 years and Poly is still standing. Poly did lose some of its property at the front of campus due to the expansion of 92nd Street. “If you look at the difference between 92nd Street, between 5th Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway, and what it is between 7th Avenue and the highway overpass you can see how much Poly lost,” said Harold Bernieri Middle and Upper School history teacher and class of 1981 Poly alum.

The street extension was also mentioned in Kastendieck’s manuscript; after widening 92nd street, “Poly lost 50 feet [of] frontage, the corner gate, and the engineer’s house,” he wrote.

An archived Polygon from March 3, 1961 explains that “the second inroad on the school ground” happened because “[the engineer’s house] lies in the path of

the residents of Bay Ridge. [M]any [felt] that their part of the neighborhood was being destroyed,” wrote an Urban Archive article by the Center for Brooklyn History.

The process of moving the 7,000 individuals and 1,800 families out ended up taking a total of eighteen months before construction started, according to Talese). “Brooklyn real estate man, John B. Swift [...] was commissioned to help move 1,430 of the 1,800 uprooted Bay Ridge families” and receive threats according to a New York Times archive from June 19, 1964. The same archive explained that some older people on pensions or small fixed incomes, say that the relocation caused them financial hardships. The displacement in Bay Ridge while constructing the bridge’s various approaches and overpasses, left “barren, rat-infested stretches of dirt where houses had once been,” according to another New York Times archive article called “A Bridge, Verrazzano, Is Woven Into Bay Ridge’s Fabric.”

Next year marks the Verrazzano’s 60th year of being a part of the Bay Ridge community, serving nearly 200,000 cars, including some members of the Poly community, every day.

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Winter Concert Ends the Year on a High Note

VIA

VIA COVERD PHOTO

VIA

VIA

STEM in the World: Is Nuclear Fusion Finally Viable?

TJ IANNELLI MANAGING EDITOR

Just over a year ago, on December 5, 2022, scientists achieved their first controlled nuclear fusion experiment that produced net positive energy production, meaning it produced more energy than what it was fueled with. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), “the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) - a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power.”

There are multiple ways that nuclear fusion ignitions can be created, but so far the LLNL’s method of lasers is the only way that has produced a net positive reaction. The lab, about three football fields in size, holds 192 of the world’s highest-energy lasers. These lasers are amplified by a series of mirrors all converging at a center point of a peppercorn-sized space filled with hydrogen atoms that are compressed together into helium, heated to temperatures of approximately 100 million degrees Celsius.

The first successful ignition, lasting for about 20-billionths of a second, or about 5,000,000 times faster than the blink of an eye, is just the first step in harnessing this form of energy production. One of the biggest concerns was if such a feat could be repeated, and on July 30th, 2023, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) did just that.

nearly efficient enough to produce total net energy gain for the entire process. So, even though the lasers delivered 2.05 megajoules of energy and created 3.15 megajoules of fusion energy, the process to power the lasers before efficiency loss took approximately 205 megajoules.

Additionally, the scientists at LLNL can only test a fusion reaction about once a day. In between tests, the lasers need to cool and the peppercorn sized fusion fuel needs to be replaced.

Still, much has to be done till nuclear fusion could be applied on a commercial scale. While the ignition itself was net positive in energy gain, the lasers used are not

There is also currently no way to turn the outputted energy into a form that is usable for electricity, though there are theorized ideas for this process. One example could be converting the energy to heat, using a steam turbine to run a generator.

According to the Washington Post, current fusion experts argue that the main setback right now is funding, and believe that if they received proper funding from governments and private donors, a prototype power plant could be a reality by the 2030s. What makes nuclear fusion so special, according to Ben Farrar, computer science teacher at Poly Prep and rocketry enthusiast, is that “It must be the future of energy production. It’s the only one that makes sense. We have all these versions of energy production, all these methods of energy production that have waste, or they only work when the sun is shining or they mess up the fish. Nuclear fusion is the only one that gives us clean power, and a lot of it.”

“If we can just harness the power of the sun, then we can have infinite energy… it solves every problem that we have, if only we can get it to work,” said Farrar.

Dyker Heights

Christmas Lights

BROOKE LAWRENCE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For me, the holidays are the best time of the year. The warm, festive spirit is strong enough to melt away the icicles that form on my windowsill. I have lived all over New York City, and I can say that Brooklyn’s holiday cheer is unmatched. Far down on the heights called Dyker, some houses will take your breath away. The Dyker Heights Christmas lights are something you can’t miss. You can see life-size Santas, houses covered in lights, and maybe even hear Christmas songs from loudspeakers. The best time to go is mid-December, and the experience can be much better at night. My family drives through the remarkable streets of Dyker Heights each year, watching people of all ages enjoy this time of year. This is a perfect activity to do during the winter because it’s so close to Poly Prep. This is the perfect way to start a new tradition with friends and family!

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

A Poly Family: Teachers Who Have Been At Poly for 20+ Years

TJ IANNELLI MANAGING EDITOR

It’s nearly Poly Prep’s 170th anniversary and the ever-changing school is now led by John Rankin, Poly’s first interim head of school. With Poly’s history spanning well over a century, the school has had many different eras of heads of school, going back to 1854. The longest serving of Poly’s current faculty can call back to as far as the late William M. Williams’ time as head of school from 1970 to 2000. With the help of various Polyglots from the late 1990s, a few of these faculty members gave some light on what Poly Prep was like then.

Elijah Sivin, history teacher and director of service learning, was hired in 1996. He recalls interviewing with the head of the history department at the time, Neale McGoldrick, and also speaking with Williams, “I think he saw himself as a minister: he wanted to send messages of good behavior out to the community.”

This trait is certainly seen in an excerpt of Williams’ message to the senior class of 1999 in the Polyglot: “You have lived and learned in a caring community of classmates and teachers who have enriched your lives by the diversity of their lives. You know right from wrong and have a growing awareness of beauty. Your future in the 21st century will depend upon your individual aspiration and the character to achieve it. Go for it with God’s speed!”

Harold Bernieri, Poly alum and history teacher, was hired by Williams right out of college. He said some of the most notable people he remembers were: “Mr. Vey — tough demanding art/woodshop teacher; Mr. Nicolosi — extraordinary English teacher who made you see deeply into literature; Mr. Morrison — who challenged you to think outside the box: Mr. Leary — extraordinary Physics teacher — even regular physics students were prepared to take the AP exam…” Bernieri also noted that, “It was also smaller and more intimate — you really got to know your classmates and develop close relationships that last to this day.”

Sabina Laricchia, math teacher, was hired by Williams as well in the fall of 1991. She remembered, “There was a ‘Country Day School Philosophy’ so teachers were expected to help with sports or an activity, so I helped out in volleyball, swimming and then track… We all knew each other and were part of the ‘Poly Family.’ Mr. Williams was always

around and knew everything that was going on.” Laricchia also said, “He wanted Poly to be excellent in academics, arts and athletics.”

Bart Moroney, science teacher, was also hired by Williams in 1981 to teach middle school science and coach winter and spring track. The biggest difference for him was, “Poly was much smaller, with the senior class [only] about 90 and I taught all of the seventh grade (called Form I), which were life science (5 classes).” Another interesting fact was that, “The school had only recently gone co-ed so there were not a lot of girls in the school. I had to use seventh graders to have enough people on the girls track team.” As for the sports leagues, “Collegiate, Dalton, and Fieldston hadn’t yet joined the league and we used to run against schools like McBurney, The Anglo American School, NYMA (New York Military Academy), UNIS (United Nations Independent School),... [and] all the tracks were cinder or dirt tracks.” Moroney ended by saying, “Poly was such a great place that I am still here 42 years later… It has been great being part of the ‘Poly Family’ and teaching and coaching the children of former students [today].”

Erika Freeman, chair of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, was hired by Williams in the spring of 1995. She remembered how, at the time, Chair of the Science Department Ron Schweizer, Dean of Faculty Joan Wright, and Head of Upper School Keith Pattison all observed the demo lessons she taught and were “influential people who were tremendous resources for me as a novice teacher.” One of the things Freeman recalls was, “There was

“There was a ‘Country Day School Philosophy’ so teachers were expected to help with sports or an activity so I helped out in volleyball, swimming and then track… We all knew each other and were part of the ‘Poly Family.’ Mr. Williams was always around and knew everything that was going on...He wanted Poly to be excellent in Academics, Arts and Athletics.”

— Sabina Laricchia

a strict dress code (but more so for boys who had to wear a button-down shirt with a tie and blazer on chapel days, which were twice a week… girls simply had to wear a collared shirt and some length skirt or pants).”

A story some might not know today is that Laricchia and Moroney met at Poly. When recalling the moment, Laricchia said, “I will never forget the day Mr. Williams announced to the entire student body at one of his chapels that Mr. Moroney and I got engaged. The students gave us a standing ovation.” She closed, “Poly Prep will always be a special part of my life.”

From the Pitch to Poly: Gerald Stone

LUCAS BASHAM BREAKING NEWS EDITOR

BeforeGerald Stone’s 37 years teaching English at Poly, one year teaching in England, and three years teaching in Boston, he was a sports-obsessed high schooler. Growing up in Westfield, Massachusetts, Stone played just about every sport one can imagine until ultimately sticking to soccer, basketball, and baseball.

“I was playing sports constantly,” said Stone. “My idols growing up were kids in my neighborhood who were two, three, four years older than I was and were playing on the high school teams.”

Both of Stone’s parents were teachers, a profession Stone would later also dedicate his life to. His father was a World War II veteran and former police officer. Westfield, a modest city of about 30,000

then began applying to jobs at private schools in New York City, where in the fall of 1986, he started as a middle school English teacher at Poly. “The thing that separated me from the other candidates, no doubt, was the fact that I was willing and ready to coach the varsity boys soccer team,” he said.

Early on, Stone and the team struggled to find success; “We just didn’t have much talent … I didn’t have a whole lot to work with.” But around 1990, they started to get good, going on a ten year run of consistent success. During that time, Stone worked his way through coaching school and got an A license from the U.S. Soccer Coaching Federation, essentially giving him credentials as a professional coach. Getting that license

when Stone was growing up, was also home to Westfield College. “It was a great place to grow up because there was a lot of freedom,” he said. “[The college] was just a place to play, to watch games, and use the gym and use the fields.”

Stone, inspired by Westfield College’s notably successful soccer team, prioritized soccer and decided to continue playing at Kenyon College in Ohio. There, his team consistently had a few more wins than losses, but struggled to ever make it to the playoffs. “I’ll be honest, it was a mixed bag,” Stone said in the calm, teacher-like tone he’s developed over the years.

Immediately after his four years at Kenyon, Stone started working at The Fessenden School outside of Boston, where he found himself doing a teacher exchange with a school in Bristol, England in his fourth year there. Soccer, or football, rather, followed him to the U.K., where his colleagues at the school asked him to referee because “that’s what they needed.”

After playing his whole life, it was the first time Stone had refereed. “I took it very seriously,” he said. “It was a way for me to contribute. And I remember trying really hard.”

Stone finished graduate school and got his degree at Boston College after his year in England, and

was “above and beyond” what the job description asked of him. “But I did it because I just enjoyed it and the school supported me,” he said.

“[In coaching school] you basically learn how much you should intervene and when… There’s a lot of just [giving] the kids activities where they’re figuring things out on their own,” said Stone, pointing out that some of those coaching principles translated to teaching. He always thought of himself as an English teacher first and foremost, and his side job coaching second.

Stone’s last season as the boys’ varsity soccer coach was in 2018. “I’d kinda had enough. I’d done everything I could do and it was time for a younger person,” he said. “It was a good decision.”

During his time at Poly, Stone has taught in the Middle School and Upper School, been a student dean, and been a coach. Now, he’s just a teacher, and more than happy to be just a teacher.

“I’m proud of the fact that I was able to manage it all for a long time,” Stone said. “I’ve gotten some notoriety from the soccer, but I know what I’m doing: I’m going home and doing my schoolwork.”

VIA GERALD STONE

VIA POLY PREP ARCHIVES

Sunday Routine: Ms. Bates

KAYVAN DYK AND SADIE SCHOENBERGER SPORTS EDITOR AND ARTS EDITOR

Head of Upper School Sarah Bates explained that she has become “pretty protective” over her Sunday routine, which is centered around decompressing from the past week, enjoying family time, watching soccer, and recentering herself for the week ahead. “I’m notoriously an early riser, but I try to sleep in a bit as much as I can on the weekends,” Bates explained, laughing. “That usually means I’m up at seven.” On weekdays, Bates is awake by five in the morning.

“I then take my dog (Bird) for an extra long walk, so I usually walk her for at least an hour, even if the weather’s bad, just because there’s no one out on Sunday mornings,” said Bates. “And it’s a really, really peaceful time. I live in Williamsburg, which usually means that people are out-and-about until very late Saturday into Sunday. But [that time] is just really nice and super quiet.”

During these walks, with an AirPod in only one ear, Bates takes this time to listen to music. “I have a bunch of different playlists that I’ve added to and I continue to add to over the years,” said Bates. “I actually have a playlist called Sunday Morning, which is a lo-fi mix, so sometimes I’ll put that on. Sometimes I’ll listen to a bit of like a heady philosophical podcast.” While on weekday mornings Bates listens to news-focused podcasts, she enjoys listening to “something with a little bit more stuff” on Sundays, recommending Krista Tippet’s piece called On Being. Bates, a huge EPL (English Premier League) soccer fan, centers her Sunday mornings around these games, specifically when her team, Arsenal, is playing. Arsenal is one of the better teams in the league, but even when they aren’t playing, Bates still enjoys the drama and thrill of EPL Sundays.

“Even when it’s two kind of crappy teams, I’m sort of hooked in. But if it’s not a game I particularly care about, I’m usually cleaning, hanging out, just sometimes even reading about all the games in the background.”

Bates, an avid coffee enthusiast, will spend time on a Sunday “not just making a random pot of coffee, but making something in the French press.” She might also visit Caffé Lilia, explaining that, while the restaurant is well-known, “What people don’t know is that they have a cafe and amazing bakery. So sometimes I’ll walk over there, either with a dog or with my partner Mike, [and] grab a nice cup of coffee and a croissant or something. And I treat myself a little bit.”

“I might also meet up with friends for lunch, although I’m usually doing something with my immediate family, which is my dog [and] my partner —whether that’s just…wandering around

The Poly Grid

MICHAEL GABRIEL CHIEF OF CARTOONS AND PUZZLES

Williamsburg or going to check out a new art exhibit,” Bates explained. “If the weather’s not great, we’ll go see a movie somewhere; we’re just sort of in relaxation mode.”

While Bates is far too busy in the week to have family meals often, laughing while she remarked on the pot of chili that became dinner leftovers for days after its creation, cooking a nice dinner on Sunday is an essential part of her routine. “Mike is like an 80-year-old man in a 40-yearold body. He loves 60 Minutes. So we’ll usually watch 60 Minutes, like a retired old couple honestly,” Bates laughed. After that, Bates and her partner take some time to watch TV. “Whatever’s on HBO at the time, we’re watching,” said Bates, citing Succession and Euphoria as favorites.

“Poly remains and continues to grow in terms of its academic profile in a very competitive New York environment, while also helping to maintain what is good and what we love about it.”

– Sarah Bates

When asked about the balance between her work and personal life, Bates said that she turns email notifications off over the weekend. “I learned that a long, long time ago. But especially coming out of Covid, where I worked for two full years straight through every weekend, seven days a week, through the summers.”

“Last year, I announced to the faculty [that] between the hours of 5 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Monday, I don’t check my email. I do not open it. I don’t check it,” she explained, stressing her need for time to relax and reset on the weekends after a very demanding schedule.

Bates’s official title at Poly is the Head of Upper School, but many students might not know what exactly that title entails. Bates told the Polygon that she is “responsible for the three main constituencies of Poly: students first and foremost, then all the Upper School faculty, and then all of the parents. So when you have 664 kids plus all of their parents, it’s roughly about 1000 people, faculty, and staff that I supervise.” That’s a lot of people for one person to oversee. “It’s wishful thinking to think that everybody is having a good day every day. There’s always going to be something going on that needs my attention,” said Bates.

She emphasizes the importance of being a “people

person” in her position, as she often communicates with parents and the Board of Trustees while making sure, as she puts it, “Poly remains and continues to grow in terms of its academic profile in a very competitive New York environment, while also helping to maintain what is good and what we love about it.” Bates’ role, being as important as it is, constitutes a lot of pressure leading to a very busy schedule. If you’ve ever tried to schedule a meeting with her, then we’re sure you’ve seen the never-ending “busy” blocks in her Google calendar.

Bates, a University of Florida alumni majoring in political science, taught in Florida before moving to New York to finish her master’s degree. She was originally hired at Poly as an interim history teacher, then transitioned to a variety of leadership roles: first, the dean of student life, then an Upper School Dean, and finally she accepted her current position as the Head of Upper School.

Beginning her time at Poly as a teacher and taking part in this environment every day, Bates had built many strong bonds with members of the faculty. It was challenging to uphold those relationships while undertaking the responsibility of her new position. “That was hard for me, I think, in terms of just making sure that I was first and foremost maintaining the professionalism that is necessary of my position — it’s not that I lost friends; it was just that our relationship changed,” said Bates. Bates also described missing the classroom setting: “Just the organic nature of what we can do in a class together. That’s why I became an educator. And then when I moved into my current position in 2019, I contemplated going back into the classroom but knew that my attention was going to be divided in ways that wouldn’t be fair either to my position or certainly to the students,” said Bates.

However, while Bates’ position has taken her out of a teaching position in the classroom, it hasn’t stopped her eagerness to learn and absorb everything being taught in the environment around her. “You know, I think one of the things that I love about this job is, especially for someone like me, that I just love learning things I find myself continually amazed by,” she explained. “I could walk into any classroom at any part of the day and be learning about the Protestant Reformation or some calculus theorem. I’m literally surrounded by learning all the time, and it’s great for someone who loves to soak that all up. That’s my favorite part of the job. Class visits and checking in…. that’s something I’m really going to be more intentional about [after] my return from winter break.”

ARTS

Poly Kicks off New COSTUME DESIGN CLASS

ELIANA FRIEDMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Poly’s new Upper School Costume Design class is allowing students to experience the dynamics of costume making.

Before diving into costume making, Kim Griffin, Middle and Upper School costume designer and the course teacher, kicked off the class with the basics: sewing and stitching. “Their introduction to sewing is with a sewing sampler. And so they’re making a binder of all these different sewing samples, basically exercises… they did it on a small scale, and then they’ll do it on a realized garment.” Griffin adds, “It’s a really good exercise to just dip your toes in and then to actually do it.”

Students appreciate the creativity and new form of art they are expanding further in. 11th Grade student, Stavroula Gabriel, is participating in the Costume Design Class, and expressed her admiration. “It’s definitely something new to Poly. I’ve never had a class like that before, and I’ve been here since nursery,” Gabriel said.

Before developing a passion for costume design, Griffin had an interest in music. “I thought I was going to be a professional opera singer for the rest of my life. I actually went to college and undergrad for that,” Griffin said. “I had started doing costume stuff in high school with my theater program, and I really enjoyed it… Then in college, I started taking theater classes and costume design courses, and then that’s when I officially decided that’s what I wanted to do.”

“I’ve

loved designing characters ever since I was younger… I wanted an art class that would allow me to continue doing what I loved.”

– Loren Bullen

Griffin’s dedication to costume design is a big part of why the class has been so successful this year. To assign projects for the students and generally be accomplished in the costumes produced for any production, Griffin must know the “play, musical, opera, dance piece, inside and out.” Griffin added, “I have to know the story just as well as the director and just as well - probably better - than the actors.” The hard work Griffin accomplishes is the example of the big picture she is introducing to the students in her Costume Design class.

Like Griffin, her students are discovering passions of their own. Loren Bullen, a 10th grade student, has always enjoyed designing, since a very young age. Bullen shared her experience having written, “I’ve loved designing characters ever since I was younger… I wanted an art class that would allow me to continue doing what I loved. I found that designing characters and designing costumes are very similar and that I could also display my artistic abilities when it came to assignments.” There was an opportunity offered to Bullen , allowing her to have a relationship with both school and her individual passions.

One of the projects completed this year was the pop star project, which included designing five looks for any individual pop star. Each student was creative in both the process of making the designs and in the choosing of their pop stars. The range spanned from Taylor Swift to Bruce Springsteen to Playboi Carti, an expression of the artists students appreciate and enjoy listening to. Bullen found an appreciation for this project, and said, “I chose Selena Quintanilla[-Pérez], and enjoyed researching her old costumes and using those outfits to inspire my designs.” Research on the pop stars was required to gain a full understanding of the techniques the students have been in the process of learning so far this year.

All of the projects the students will create, lead up to the largest final project of the class: the creation of pajama pants. This intricate garment will incorporate all the knowledge and skills the students will have learned throughout the class. Gabriel explained “We’re just using plain fabrics, but we have to cut everything out, cut the shapes out, sew everything together.” The process of creating something wearable brings a sense of surreality, as the effect of the skills and efforts the students have been partaking in so far have all come down to this realized piece. Bullen added, “It’s exciting to make wearable clothes from scratch and be able to customize them however I want.”

The Costume Design class has been a great chance for students to connect with their art and grow through the challenges they encounter while completing their projects. Gabriel spoke for herself and her classmates when she said,“Everything we do, it seems impossible at first because I barely ever picked up a needle. But in the end, it feels really cool to see all the progress we’ve made.”

DECEMBER PLAYLIST

Snowman Sia

Christmas Tree Farm

Taylor Swift

Last Christmas Wham!

This December

Ricky Montogomery

Lost Ones

Ms. Lauryn Hill

Snooze SZA

My Love Mine All Mine Mitski

Happiness is a Butterfly Lana Del Rey

Let’s Groove Earth, Wind, and Fire

Compiled by Brianna Sylvain

Snowflakes, Santa, and Sia:

The Holiday Trifecta

BRIANNA SYLVAIN ARTS EDITOR

Every holiday season it seems like we inevitably reach the same debate: “Who makes better holiday music, Mariah Carey or Michael Bublé?” However, I think it’s silly that we are confining the music meant to soundtrack such a vital part of the year to the discographies of two artists. While the holiday songs of Carey and Bublé are absolute bangers and will forever induce nostalgia, I believe it’s time to induct a new artist into the “Holiday Music Hall of Fame ‘’ and that artist is Sia. Sia’s experimental take on holiday music is refreshing in a sea of Christmas songs that can sometimes all feel the same. Sia’s holiday music is able to convey traditional holiday themes such as joy, merry, and togetherness while incorporating more unique lyricism and production.

casional holiday sadness felt by many. The variety of

Sia’s experimental take on holiday music is refreshing in a sea of Christmas songs that can sometimes all feel the same.

Sia is able to capture the childlike excitement that most of us have felt before during the holidays in her songs.

Sia released her holiday album, Everyday is Christmas, in 2018, and this year, she released Everyday is Christmas (Snowman Deluxe), which features eight additional tracks. Both iterations of the album mostly feature songs written and produced by Sia and her producer, Greg Kurstin.

Sia is able to capture the childlike excitement that most of us have felt before during the holidays in her songs “Candy Cane Lane,” “Puppies are Forever,” and “Under the Mistletoe.” Sia also has songs such as “Snowman” and “Pin Drop’’ that encapsulate the oc-

song types within Everyday is Christmas showcases the album’s emotional range, as well as Sia’s emo-

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

tional range and diverse set of capabilities as an artist. One track on the album that really stuck out to me was “Snowman.” Throughout the song, Sia repeatedly

uses the word “snowman” to refer to the person that she is singing to or trying to cheer up. Sia sings, “A puddle of water can’t hold me close, baby/Can’t hold me close, baby” In this line, we see Sia explaining to the snowman that if he were to melt she would be rendered lonely and without a companion. Continuing the snowman metaphor, Sia goes on to sing, “Let’s go below zero and

Give Sia’s holiday music a chance; you won’t regret it.

hide from the sun.” It seems like the snowman character has an aversion to or fear of the sun, and Sia spends the entirety of the song attempting to cheer up the snowman by assuring it she will always be by its side. We see this in lyrics like, “I want you to know that I’m never leaving/’Cause I’m Mrs. Snow, ‘til death we’ll be freezing.” Sia always reminds the snowman of its importance in her life in lyrics like “Don’t cry, snowman, don’t you shed a tear/Who’ll hear my secrets if you don’t have ears, baby?” Parallels can be drawn between Sia’s experience with the snowman in this song and our everyday relationships. By using this playful and witty metaphor, Sia is able to convey the importance of togetherness and supporting loved ones, especially during the holiday season. This holiday season, if you find yourself lost in web Christmas songs that seem to all be renditions of each other, add Everyday is Christmas to your queue and give Sia’s holiday music a chance; you won’t regret it. Happy holidays!

Book Review: ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a novel by Zora Neale Hurston that follows a woman named Janie through her three marriages. In the first couple of chapters, through dialogue between Janie and her best friend Phoeby, the audience learns about Janie’s childhood. Hurston describes topics of love and race throughout the book, as she explores race’s impact on relationships and events in the novel. She also dives into the relationship between Janie and her grandmother. Hurston uses these topics throughout the novel very differently from many other authors. One of the components of the novel that separates it from others is the way Hurston writes dialogue. She spells dialogue phonetically, which is a very different style compared to any writer that I and most people have ever read before. These aspects of the novel keep it very distinguished for the reader compared to other novels, but not everyone is fond of Hurston’s writing. In 1937, at the time of its publication, Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God did not receive as much praise as it does in current times. Many authors, including Richard Wright who wrote Native Son and Black Boy, criticized the book’s lack of social commentary. According to a blog about the book’s reception written by Adam Kamara,

Wright claimed that Hurston “intentionally chose to oversimplify and distort the character of African Americans in a way which he thought pandered to racist white audiences.” However, many critics had great things to say of Hurston’s novel such as Ibram X. Kendi, who believes that “Zora wrote for black people,” as he stated in his appearance on MSNBC’s Velshi Banned Book Club. Kendi further describes Hurston as an author with the intention of writing while demonstrating the “complexity of black people, the imperfections of black people.”

One specific perspective on the book that I find most interesting is from Eve Dunbar, who wrote a piece about what she learned from rereading the novel. In one section of her piece, she discusses “new possibilities for the look of black love.” Dunbar shows one of the great things that Hurston’s novel demonstrates: “that it is possible for all black women, no matter their location or socio-economic status, to be worthy of a love they desire.”

While this book doesn’t tackle race in the way that many are used to, it does have a unique way of addressing the topic. Hurston shows the dreams that are found by Janie, and that can be found for others like Janie. Dunbar puts the beautiful impact of Hurston’s book into a few simple words, “Their Eyes Were Watching God continues to challenge readers to find themselves again and again, just like Janie does.”

PUZZLE #2

1 When walking along the road to the main gate, you'll see the waving flag of this country in one of Poly's neighbors' yard 4. Brave Seniors may try the chicken sandwich from Dave's Hot Chicken on 86th Street

7. The entire Poly community is thankful for all Mr has done for us as Poly's Head of Security

8 The space in the Library that is now the Writing Center used to be a spot dedicated to which grade?

10 There is a statue of this wartime Prime Minister in the Library (first and last name, no spaces)

11. On the last Thursday before Thanksgiving break, the chicken in Commons is replaced with

12. What color was the old Blue Devil logo?

At 5:00 PM every day, Fort Hamilton Army Base will play this song (Hint: when an army is losing, they ) 3. This great book is a Sophomore year English staple (multiple words, no spaces) 5. This year's upperclassmen Play was 6 Poly used to have its own college That college is now the engineering school of University 9 For years, Ms Ty and the Health would lead the school in singing the Twelve Days of Christmas

SPORTS Senior Spotlight: Julia Rosenberg

GENEVIEVE AMES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Whether scoring the winning goal on the field, making incredible saves as the goalkeeper, or simply cheering on her teammates, senior Julia Rosenberg is an essential member of the Poly Prep Girls Varsity Soccer team. Starting her soccer career at only five years old, Rosenberg instantly fell in love with the sport. When she

“First meeting Julia, I knew she would be a key player for us. Julia does not only have the talent to be an exceptional keeper but has the work ethic as well.”

- Tara Heatley

was eight, she joined a club team, practicing ten hours weekly. As her practice regime has picked up over the years, this number has only increased... However, Julia loves practicing, “I feel like it has helped me relieve stress and has been very beneficial to my mental health,” said Rosenberg. This positive attitude exemplifies why she is described as a positive-spirited player and person by her teammates. When Julia first joined the team, she became a “stand-out player,” according to her Coach, Tara Heatley. “First meeting Julia, I knew she would be a key player for us. Julia does not only have the talent to be an exceptional keeper but has the work ethic as well.” With an exceptional first impression, it is no surprise that Julia soon became the team’s captain. Rosenberg’s incredible leadership skills have been vital to her team’s many victories. “She is so funny, supportive, and positive; I’m so sad she won’t be on our team next year,” stated teammate Neeka Aghazadeh. Rosenberg will leave Poly next year to join the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s soccer team. Her absence will be clearly missed; however, the Poly Prep community is optimistic that she will achieve great things in this next chapter of her life.

Poly Sports Clubs Have A Spike in Interest

ELIANA

FRIEDMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Sports clubs at Poly provide students with an opportunity to discover activities outside of the mainstream sports teams. Several of these student-run clubs have popularized within the Poly community, welcoming everyone, regardless of grade or experience, to explore a range of sports.

Recently, a particular club has caught the attention of Upper School students across the board: the Ultimate Frisbee Club. Ultimate Frisbee is run by three seniors: Joseph Littleton, Zach Pelson, and Kenyon McMahon. While explaining the team dynamics, Littleton stated, “Our entire team is composed of athletes from different sports, and we just wanted to find something simple that we could all play together.” Student-athletes are given the opportunity to make connections and new friendships

would be a great opportunity to take something that [I have] grown to love and bring it to Poly.” Along with the love Yaffe and his fellow captains have for pickleball, it allows students to experience the same love they share with the sport.

Like all other sports, experience always starts from the beginning. Tennis, a sport very similar to pickleball, is where Yaffe and his friend, senior Jake Gil, established a relationship with this racket sport.

“Our entire team is composed of athletes from different sports. And we just wanted to find something simple that we could all play together.”

- Joey Littleton

“It was an alternative to tennis. When I got bored of tennis, I played pickleball.”

- Jake Gil

because of their shared interest in Ultimate Frisbee. Sports such as pickleball have become “very popular all over the country,” according to senior Noah Yaffe, one of the founders of the Pickleball Club alongside Amber Dosik ’25, Ryan Geisler ’25, Dash Hort ’24, and Jake Gil ’24. Yaffe wanted to help create the club because he “thought it

Yaffe stated, “Jake and I have always loved racket sports in general. We both play tennis for the Poly team.” Although the rules of the two racket sports are similar, pickleball is a fun twist as opposed to the game of tennis. “It was an alternative to tennis. When I got bored of tennis, I played pickleball,” said Gil.

For many members of Poly sports clubs, summer is a great time to take advantage of practicing and training for the following season. Juniors Athan Hatzigeorgiou and Jackson Cohen, captains of the Spikeball team, decided to create their club after playing over the summer and “developing a love for the game,” said Hatzigeorgiou. Cohen practices spikeball “About three days a week outside of school.” Both Cohen and Hatzigeorgiou play spikeball in Manhattan, and Hatzigeorgiou adds, “We have a group of friends that are all in Tribeca, so we all play together.” Hatzigeorgiou and Cohen are members of a group outside of school, and they have introduced this community to Poly by establishing a club.

New Sports History Course Excites Students

GABRIEL ROSENBERG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

History Teacher Beth Eby likes sports. She likes them so much that she doesn't just play or watch them; she has made them central to her career. With a Ph.D. in U.S. history and a dissertation titled "Building Bodies, (Un)Making Empire: Gender, Sports, and Colonialism in the United States," sports are an important element of her work as a historian and teacher. Eby is sharing her passion and expertise with Poly students this fall in a new history elective, Sports History.

"Students can benefit from learning about the challenges different communities have faced in accessing all realms of sports…Many people know the more common stories, such as the integration of baseball and Jackie Robinson. Still, they don't know other communities' nuances."

- Beth Eby

The Sports History course examines societal roles in the history of sports and discusses current topics such as women in sports, indigenous people in sports, politics in sports, and more. This course attracts students with a specific interest in the topic, including those aspects that may be more controversial. This course "is particularly geared towards students with certain interests and is intended to excite, light the fire in someone who hadn't thought about history as relevant to such a fertile topic," said Upper School Dean Department Chair Emily Gardiner. Sports History is conversation-based and aims to engage students in a dis-

cussion rather than use a traditional lecture style. This fall semester, there are eighteen students enrolled in the course. Eby finds the history of women and gender in sports particularly interesting. She believes that "it needs to be more prominently known that women have always been active participants in sports." Women in sports have always been important to not just Eby but also Poly and its students. An article from the New York Times dated October 9, 1977, "At Poly Prep, Girls End a Tradition but Not the Winning One" by Paul Winfield, reports on the first women's sports teams at Poly and the transformation the school underwent to accommodate female athletes while becoming coed. Furthermore, last year, Poly hosted a tribute for National Girls and Women in Sports Day, continuing to build a strong tradition of women's sports in the school community.

Regarding the Sports History class, multiple teachers, including Gardiner and Virginia Dillon, head of the history department, agree that Eby's teaching style complements the class. "I would say that she is a good fit for the class," said Dillon. Eby uses a more flexible approach while teaching to bring a positive reception. "The teaching style in the class is less strict, and students are given more freedom to express their opinions about the topics we discuss," said junior Julian Rorech.

At Poly, History teachers can be creative with designing classes and curriculums. Although some of these classes, like Sports History, are electives instead of core requirements, theynprovide students with variety in their schedules and the ability to register for both required courses and topics of interest. "Most of our electives are driven by the teachers' desire to create a focus for 11th and 12th graders," said Gardiner.

While the Sports History course is new to Poly, it is not entirely new for Eby. Along with her Ph.D., she previously taught a similar course at the University of Texas at Austin. In interviews with teachers, they believed the

course would get a warm and welcoming reception from students."When the idea was first presented I believed that

"The

teaching style in the class is less strict, and students are given more freedom to express their opinions about the topics we discuss."

- Julian Rorech

it would have a good reception" said Dillon. So far, the teachers were right. "I play lacrosse myself, and it has a vibrant history, so this class is exciting for me," said junior Tyler Pelson. Most of the students currently taking the course provided only positive feedback. "I find the class interesting, and Dr. Eby is a great teacher," said senior Archie Neibart. Eby was not surprised by the students' positive reception: "I thought that it would be a popular class among students, given Poly's sports reputation." Poly has had a long and renowned history with sports. A Polygon article by Jesse Cavaliero dated April 7, 2023, "The Dynasty of Poly Sports," discusses Poly's relationship with sports and the Poly community throughout the years. Eby, Dillon, and Gardiner all agree that Sports History is a class that everybody should consider, as sports is a topic enjoyed by many Poly students. "Students can benefit from learning about the challenges different communities have faced in accessing all realms of sports… Many people know the more common stories, such as the integration of baseball and Jackie Robinson. Still, they don't know other communities' nuances," said Eby.

Athletics With Eli: The Market... for Starters

ELI FLOYD STAFF WRITER

The Major League Baseball (MLB) Winter Meetings have concluded, and free agency is ramping up. With the news that two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a history-making 700 million dollars, the market for some lesser known yet still impactful players is set to take shape in the coming days. A strong starting rotation is a crucial part of any club looking to make the postseason, and with some big names on the board, it is up to front offices to make a splash and have some new faces on the mound come opening day. The top 3 starting pitchers on the market:

Jordan Montgomery - Currently with Texas

Montgomery has been the model of consistency ever since he got a full time position in the Yankees rotation back in 2020. He has posted a mid-3’s Earned Run Average (ERA) the past four seasons and showed the world that he could pitch effectively when it matters most this past October when the Rangers won the World Series. He is only 31, and amidst his prime, his FanGraphs free agent projection sees him getting a five-year deal worth up to 105 million dollars with a team-friendly $21.0M AAV (Average Annual Value). A team on the outside of the playoff picture looking in and needing a strong southpaw at the top of their rotation (i.e., Cubs, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees) should be jumping all over the lefty from South Carolina.

Snell rose to stardom during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, where they taught him how to utilize his offspeed offerings more effectively. Snell has always been a ground ball pitcher, posting a career 41.7 percent ground ball rate (GBR), putting him in the top 10 of pitchers in that regard with at least 150 innings of work in 2023. Snell won his second Cy Young award (an award given to the best pitcher from each league) this past season, yet his team struggled and did not make the postseason, making this that much more of an impressive feat. Snell will be looking for a multi-year deal and a big payday this offseason. FanGraphs has him projected at a five-year deal worth 125 million dollars with a $25.0M AAV, slightly higher than that of Montgomery’s and by far the most lucrative in the starting pitcher market.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto - MLB Free Agent (from Japan)

Yamamoto has been the talk of the MLB offseason well before it began. He and fellow Japanese-born stud Shoehei Ohtani were the top two names being thrown around by major sports publications. Yamamoto was nothing short of incredible in his seven years in the Japanese Professional Baseball League, playing for the Orix Buffaloes of Osaka. This past season, he submitted an unheard-of 1.21 ERA in 164 innings. His career numbers leave almost nothing to be desired, as he proudly boasts a 1.74 all-time ERA to go along with 986 strikeouts. Yamamoto’s name has been floated around in talks surrounding the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs, Mets, and Giants. Baseball-Reference says he is set to command a six-year, 122 million dollar contract, with his highest grossing AAV coming in the final year of that deal at $29.5M in 2029.

Blake Snell - Currently with San Diego

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

VIA CREATIVE COMMONS